She didn't have a choice. He was so desperate that Ran was half-tempted to let him go, but there wasn't anyone else around to help him treat his wounds. She hung on tight as Conan tried to yank away, and then used the resulting momentum to pull him close and into her arms in one smooth movement.

That was when she first really noticed that Conan was bigger than he should be -- and heavier, nearly causing her to fall over when she tried to stand with him, expecting a much lighter child. She half-staggered, regained her footing, and quickly pushed the thought to the back of her mind. That could come later.

"You're right, there shouldn't be a building," she said firmly, already turning towards the infirmary. She never thought that explaining what the mansion was might actually reassure someone, but Conan was so frightened about being here that she didn't know what else to do. "And I'm not... I'm not the Ran-neechan you know. This isn't your world, Conan-kun."