Drawbacks of a mind that remembers

He really doesn't remember

"Aku, it's me, don't you remember?"

And who the hell is Aku, Conan wondered. It was not even familiar. His face scrunched up as he voiced his confusion.

"Aku? Who's that? And who are you? Who are you calling a devil? Are you trying to bully me?"

The two before him turned to one another, Tsuna showing more concern than Reborn. The latter simply shrugged his shoulders and made an 'it's yours' gesture. 

Tsuna continued to stare at Conan. The boy and Shinichi shared many similar physical traits–it is undeniable that they are the same person, especially because of that dark blue hair. He still found it unbelievable that his cousin was shrunk.

What was the cause? Does he still not know?

Besides Reborn, Spanner and Irie had been digging for information on Kudo Shinichi too, and he believes that they would be able to produce more results than Reborn can.

Maybe through them, he can find out who was behind this freak incident. However, he was here for a different reason today. He lit his hands with his sky flames, the soft pure ones that he hoped would stir some familiar reaction from the boy.

"Aku, it's me, Giotto. You're part of my family, remember? I–"

Conan showed no signs of recognition. Instead, his eyes that were once a brilliant shade of the azure sea turned so dark, it was like looking into an abyss. It challenged the dark eyes of Reborn's, and the hitman was surprised by the intense shade. For a moment, Tsuna-Giotto was hopeful to see his friend again, but it was dashed when the boy spoke.

"My name is Conan, Edogawa Conan. I have no idea who is Aku, so don't call me that!" Conan interrupted. Those hands are now freaking him out too. Is that real fire?!

Reborn observed the boy from the side. Was the boy never aware of his colour-changing eyes? He must have noticed those dark blue strands in his hair and is very curious as to why it happened. If he recalled all the instances where his student-or any of the tenth generation guardian's eyes-changed colours... 

Tsuna continued to probe Conan.

"Aku, don't you recognise these flames? They're the flames of the sky, something I used to fight with–"

"And I'm telling you, I do not know who this Aku is, and I'll acknowledge no other name but Edogawa Conan!" The boy screeched, cutting the conversation short.

Tsuna flinched, and the flames extinguished. Reborn sighed, striding in front of the brunet. If waking his past memories was a fail, his current ones should be functional, right? Kudo Shinichi was said to have excellent memory after all.

Conan narrowed his eyes and took another step back. Something about Reborn makes him uncomfortable. The instinct was to run, but his feet were rooted to the ground. The boy resisted the urge to shake in fright.

"Well then, let's change the topic," Reborn announced as he leaned down to the boy's height*. 

"Edogawa Conan-san, your real identity is Kudo Shinichi, isn't it?" 

The boy froze. How? But not now, it was not the time to panic.  

He had to act. He must. Conan is different from Shinichi. He took a deep breath.

"Kudo Shinichi? Shinichi-nii-chan?" Conan questioned, his previous hostility instantly turned to dust. The dark eyes faded, and the aquamarine orbs returned. He looked up at them with big doe eyes, "Big brother Shinichi is me? How can I be him?–"

Conan smiled confidently.

"–What proof do you have?"

He did not like that smirk of Reborn's. The hitman circled the boy in an excruciatingly slow pace.

"There's this news broadcasted last year of serial murder over in the Kanto region, and the face of one Kudo Shinichi was present, even though he was said to have gone underground, or was killed by his enemies.  That split second caused an uproar, only to be calmed down when evidence of doppelgangers and hush means were used." Reborn stared at Conan with a twinkle in his eyes. "That Okita boy may look like Kudo Shinichi, but they were definitely two different people."

"So? What's that got to do with me?" Conan said, his childish voice now gone again.

"Kudo Shinichi's supposed disappearance was announced just one week after you were registered in Teitan Elementary as a transfer student. I found that coincidence too canny and went to research. I found out that Mouri Ran took a child in and they have been living together ever since. And guess what, the boy mysteriously appeared in the Kudo mansion, which was previously occupied only by the son of the Kudo Family."

Tsuna watched Conan carry the most unimpressed expression as Reborn listed whatever they had found out about the mystery behind his cousin's appearance. His intuition started to pulse at the same time as the boy started to back away. There was an air of resignation, as well as a suffocating feeling from the boy. Without looking back, with the lowest voice that a little boy could have, he said.

"I am not my cousin*. Kudo Shinichi is gone. He's dead, buried six feet under somewhere no one would ever find."

Tsuna knew at that moment that they had to stop chasing him. Reborn looked ready to threaten the boy with a gun when the brunet placed a hand on his shoulder. Before the boy completely disappeared to chase after his friends, Tsuna read the sentence on his pocket watch aloud.

Conan, without turning his head, paused briefly before turning the corner his friends took earlier.

"Givro eterna amicizia, Aku."

Note: This... is one of the hardest chapters to write, I swear. For your info, Reborn here is about the height of a thirteen-year-old. The curse has been removed, a few years have passed since the end of "Crossing Times".

Conan is Shinichi's cousin. According to Yukiko, he's his distant relative. (But if you route it carefully, she's saying he's her son, but the chain is so long, hardly anyone can remember what she said. It is such a bad lie that Ran did not buy, which led to her donating her blood when Conan was shot in a later episode.)