Drawbacks of a mind that remembers

"My eyes were black?"

"Conan-kun, are you okay? How's your head? Do you still have a headache?" Ran asked worriedly. She pressed the back of her hand against his forehead, checking if the boy had developed a fever. 

"I'm fine now, the headache is gone, but my nightmares have been getting intense," Conan admitted. He sat up from his bed, pinching the bridge of the nose. He then wrapped his arms around his caretaker, seeking solace from her presence. Ran pat his back gently, cooing softly into his ears. 

"Do you want to share what your nightmare is about?" She probed. 

Conan shook his head at first but continued to tell her the vague details of his dream. Or what felt like a dream but seemed to be reality–his dream felt way too real. It was different from the usual recurring nightmare, but it was equally intense and strange. 

"I was in the body of someone. I couldn't control myself, but I killed people. Ran-nee-chan, I killed people in my dreams. The blood that stained my hands felt so warm, they seemed so real! It's scary!"

It would be an understatement to say if Ran was not shocked by his nightmare. He is such a young boy, and yet, he has dreams as morbid as this. 

"But a dream is a dream, Conan-kun. Shinichi once told me that there is no reason to dwell on dreams. Come on, let's get you ready for school."

Conan took a deep breath. He did remember telling Ran that nightmares are just a figment of imagination in the mind. However, he was not willing to drop this topic. If all these started after visiting his cousin, then it is most likely he is the trigger. He had to look for him, but Conan does not know Tsuna. He has only seen him once and it was on a bad note. There was no reason for him to look for Tsuna. 

He remembered bits and pieces of that night of the heist. His head was throbbing, and he saw weird figures of his cousin and his friends, but what struck him the most was him reaching out for a guy he did not know. He called him "Brother". 

Just what is his connection to him? And what compelled him to say such things that did not make sense? 

He had to call his parents. Maybe they know something, or they hid something from him about his birth. He pushed back from Ran's embrace, looking up at her with a grateful smile. 

"Ran-nee-chan, I feel a lot better now. Thank you very much," he said. The brunette smiled at him and released her hold. 

"Alright then. I'll go make breakfast. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

"Can you make me some coffee-flavoured pancakes?"

Ran laughed. "Of course. Go wash up and I'll be done with your pancakes when you're out."

"Thank you, Ran-nee-chan!"

As soon as she left the room, he texted his parents. 

School hours were over in a blink of an eye. Conan and the rest of the detective boys were on their way out of the school compound when suddenly, a plus-sized lady showed up. The mini detective nearly jumped. 

"Mom!"

"Mom?/Conan-kun's Mama?"

Haibara grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. The woman was not giving her the scent of the organisation, but it was still better to be cautious. "Who the heck is that? Isn't your mother Kudo Yukiko?"

Conan grinned sheepishly at her. "That is my mother."

The lady lifted her sunglasses, revealing the recognisable sapphire blue eyes that were similar to Conan's. Haibara rolled her eyes and loosens her grip. 

"You have to tell me what's going on later," she whispered. "Along with everything else you've been hiding from me."

"Even if it's to protect you?"

Haibara stared at him. "All the more to inform me, no? So I won't jeopardise your plans. Although I'm sure you'll hide it from me regardless."

"... I'll do my best."

Haibara then ushered the children away from Conan and Yukiko. As soon as they were out of hearing range, Conan clambered into the car before Yukiko. The woman started to drive, ripping her mask off at the same time to reveal the youthful face of an actress. 

"You've got wrinkles, mom. What did you guys do lately?"

"And I heard from Ran-chan that you've passed out at Kaitou KID's heist! You and your father are one and the same here!"

Conan groaned. "Don't remind me... Say, did you prepare whatever I asked for?"

"Of course! But I don't understand why you want it. Are you that unhappy that I am your mother?" Yukiko whined. 

"No, but do I have a brother?"

Yukiko jammed on the brakes. She looked at Conan with wide eyes, but the boy was serious. "Huh?"

"Did I have a twin brother or an older brother?"

"No," she answered quickly and firmly. She dug her bag for the documents they had prepared after receiving his message and passed it to him. 

"Here, these were the details of my hospital stay when I gave birth to you."

Conan took the papers and flipped through. His mother was not lying. She really gave birth to one son only, and that was him. Somehow, he felt disappointment and relief at the same time. Yukiko saw his expression and furrowed her eyebrows.

"What's with that look?"

"What look?"

"You don't look happy... No, are you disappointed that you don't have a brother? Is my dear Shin-chan craving for a sibling?"

Conan promptly shook his head. "You're past the stage of menopause. I have no hope for a younger sibling, but that is beside the point–no mom! I'm not calling you old! It's just–"

"Never call me an old lady. Have you ever seen an old lady as pretty and as youthful as me?"

"Mother, you're the prettiest lady I've ever met, other than Ran. No one can take both of your places. Now, can I go back to the topic?"

Yukiko huffed and relented. She gave up teasing her blockhead of a son. The car became silent again as it resumed, and it was filled with the sound of flipping papers. Conan scrutinised each paragraph thoroughly, making sure that he missed nothing. There was really nothing about him having a brother. There were also no adoption or death certificates that indicated a sibling. 

Could it be a figment of his imagination?

Just then, he noticed a peculiar note about the report on his birth. 

"My eyes were black?" He muttered incredulously. He was sure he was born with blue eyes, like both of his parents. 

Yukiko was silent for a moment. She was never really sure about it, being too tired to see it. "You'll have to ask your dad about it."

The drive from Teitan Elementary to the Kudo house was a mere twenty minutes distance. Yukiko soon pulled into the porch and Conan alighted. He waited for his mother patiently to open the door when he felt the same prickling stare from a few days ago, before the heist. Alarmed, he scanned his surroundings and the roof but found nothing significant. He made a mental note to not make his discussion loud. 

"All right, kid, time to go in!" Yukiko chirped, breaking the boy's chain of thoughts. Hurriedly, he entered the house. The gaze was disorientating and irritating. 

A/N: Sorry for the late post! To the people who celebrates the coming Lunar New Year, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! 祝大家新年快乐，步步高深! 身体健康，心想事成，万事如意!!! 希望2021年是个比2020年更好!