She picked up another prototype of the APTX 4869 antidote from its safe seat inside the glass case. Heaving a small sigh, Haibara carefully twirled the pill around her fingers as her thoughts scattered about. She wanted to call Conan and tell him to come over to try out this new prototype but then she felt bad, mostly because he had always been her guinea pig, and to be honest the guy might die on her watch one day.
Haibara sat down in her chair in Professor Agasa's basement laboratory that consisted mostly of a big screen computer, decent lighting and a machine that occasionally produced failed products. Glancing at the pill in her hand, she wondered if this time was going to be like the last few times where her creation almost ended up killing the young detective. She didn't want to take another chance but at the same time, someone had to try…
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a figurine attached to a key chain sitting on her desk. It was Ryusuke Higo's figurine that he gave to her last time they saw each other at a game. He even patted her head. At that thought, Haibara's face flushed a light pink color.
And just like that, she made up her mind.
x
"You what?"
Conan almost choked on the hot chocolate he was drinking. He'd come over to Professor Agasa's house after school at the request of Haibara to discuss a matter of utmost importance.
The young scientist calmly sipped her tea then put her cup down on its saucer, and produced the pill from her pocket.
"How long have you had that?" Conan asked in awe and reached out his hand but Haibara snatched the pill out of his reach.
"A while and you're not doing it this time," she said sternly.
Conan gaped at her, his hand still outreached. "What?" he asked dumbfounded. "What do you mean?"
"It means," she replied, putting the pill back into her pocket. "I am going to try it this time."
x
"Professor, please talk some sense into this headstrong girl for me!" Conan complained to the older man that evening when the professor got home after his lecture.
"What is going on?" the older man asked, clearly confused.
Haibara put down her book and crossed her arms. "I made another antidote and this time I want to try it," she said simply.
"Oi, what if something happened to you?" Conan demanded.
"And what if something happened to you?" she replied.
"Well, but you were always there to fix it when something went awry," he countered.
Well that is true, she thought.
"What's gotten into you this time?" he asked, clearly frustrated and somehow that gave Haibara the satisfaction.
Professor Agasa looked back and forth between them as if he's watching a tennis match.
"I just want to become an adult again. Are you really going to deprive me of that, Mister Detective?"
He stammered. "O-Of course not! But it's too dangerous!" he said. "If it went wrong, there would be no one to help you."
She gave him a deadpanned look. "Are you sure that's the reason and it's not because you won't get to see your precious Ran in Shinichi's form?"
His face flushed a deep red. "S-Shut up! That's not it. I'm just really worried that it might go awfully wrong. It's only a prototype you know," he said.
Haibara sighed. "Yes, I'm painfully aware that it's only a prototype. However, I've made up my mind. There's nothing you can say or do to change it."
"Listen, Ai-" Agasa started but the dagger look Haibara gave him made him not dare to continue his sentence.
When both Conan and Agasa grudgingly (mostly Conan) agreed to this plan, she cracked a small smirk and jumped up from the sofa.
"So tomorrow," she said, "I'll stay home from school. I'll take this pill and record what happens."
"You know," Conan drawled. He suddenly had on a sly expression that she did not like at all. "Are you sure there's no other motive behind this?"
"What do you mean?" Keep your cool, Haibara. He can't possibly know…
Conan shuffled his socked feet and looked at her with a knowing smirk. "It's just so convenient that Ryusuke Higo happens to be in town this week for a fan meet. I'm sure you're aware of that considering you're a fan, but I'm also sure that's not the reason why you want to do this experiment yourself."
And just like that, he caught her. His smirk grew and grew until it stretched from one ear to the other. All he needed to do now was bare his teeth.
She's sure her face was a burning red at this point. Too dignified to say anything, however, she just huffed and left the room without uttering another word. When she was down in the basement, she could hear his cackles echoing upstairs.
x
It was wicked weird staring at her 17-year-old face in the mirror.
Her features were still the same as those of Haibara Ai. The only thing different was she was much taller. Professor Agasa had to go buy her a dress because obviously she didn't have any female adult clothes at home. It was just a simple floral dress. She took it and showed she was grateful but deep down, she loathed the design. So now here she was, standing in front of the mirror in a dressing room in a shop, looking at her old self.
She hadn't realized how much she missed being a teenager.
She was dressed in a simple pastel pink blouse, tucked into white pants that fit her slender legs perfectly. She also picked out nude wedge sandals to be comfortable in. And just like that, she's now a different person and for some reason, she wasn't afraid of being recognized by the BO members. For once, she just wanted to enjoy her life, even in just 24 hours.
Her cell phone rang and it startled her a bit. Pulling it out of her pocket, she saw it was Conan.
"Hello?" she said.
"Hey you okay?" he asked. There was laughter in the background and a lot of noises. She glanced at her watch. It was noon time so they were probably on break and the kids were most likely playing soccer.
"Yes, I'm fine," she answered as she started walking. "The pill worked like always, but let's see how long this lasts this time and what kind of effects accompany it."
He sighed into the phone. "You're too reckless." He smacked his lips.
She raised a delicate brow. "Really? Me?"
"So where are you going now? Oh let me guess-"
"Bye Edogawa."
"Oi-"
She snapped the phone shut, put it on silent and smiled to herself. She felt free. For once, she actually felt like a normal teenager and just like any normal teenagers, she wanted to see her crush.
x
"Higo!"
"Ryusuke Higo!"
"I am so happy to meet you in person!"
"I never miss a game of yours!"
"I am literally your biggest fan!"
"Please marry me!"
She couldn't help rolling her eyes at these girls basically throwing themselves at the famous, handsome soccer player. She couldn't blame them of course. He was tall and handsome and had manners. And he was young! The way he only sheepishly smiled back at them had them all swooned over.
If she were a true normal teenager, she would probably behave like them, but she wasn't a completely true normal teenager.
She wanted to get his signature so she waited in line like others. Her heart was beating like crazy, like it would jump out of her chest. She felt she couldn't breathe. The line was slowly inching forward.
Would he recognize her? He might, since they had personal interactions on more than one occasion, but that was a six-year-old girl, and now she's a 17-year-old young woman. How could anyone make that connection?
She swallowed and didn't realize she was sweating.
Maybe this is a mistake after all, she thought to herself. Suddenly, she wanted to leave.
Just before she could, there was a bloodcurdling scream and all sounds stopped.
Higo stood up from his seat, his face pale at the sight next to him.
She craned her neck to look at what's happening and her eyes widened. The man who was sitting next to Higo had collapsed onto the table, his hands clutching his neck and his face was distorted.
The girls around Higo were screaming, drowning out any rational sounds.
Police were called. It was deemed a homicide and suddenly, Higo was made a suspect. He was the only one sitting next to the murdered victim, who was a secretary. Higo had handed him a drink before the meet started, so there was ground on which the police suspected him, but she was sure he wasn't a murderer. She was 100% positive. But she's no Sherlock Holmes.
Though she was sure he would enjoy this little challenge, so she pulled out her phone and called him.
"Now you want to talk to me?" He sounded bitter.
"Shut up and listen. There's been a murder…"
Looks like even though he's not here, murder still follows, she sighed.
"Thank you for your help!" Megure said to her.
The whole thing took only two hours but it felt like a lifetime. She was exhausted and now she just wanted to go home.
"It's no problem," she answered, "it's all Kudo. I am a friend of his, you see, and knowing how good he is as a detective, I enlisted his help and he was just conveniently available."
Megure laughed. "Of course that guy is always available whenever there's a murder!"
You have no idea…
"Ah, Inspector Megure," she said. "Please don't tell anyone he's involved. He doesn't like that, you know. He said it's okay for you to take all the credits. And since I'm just a mere helper, you shouldn't mention me, either."
Megure looked at her long and hard, making her internally sweat, then he nodded. "Of course. Thank you for your help again, Miss. What's your name, may I ask? Of course I won't put it in the papers or anything like that."
She knew he wouldn't. "You can call me Shirley." She smiled softly.
He nodded again and left. Heaving a small sigh, she was about to turn on her heels to leave as well when a familiar voice called out to her.
"Hey there!"
She had to force herself to turn around even though all muscles in her body were resisting right now.
Walking briskly toward her was none other than Ryusuke Higo himself.
She felt like she was going to faint.
"Hey," he said again, grinning at her. She felt all the dagger looks the other girls were giving her. If looks could kill, she would be dead a thousand times over.
Why should I care what they think? I am the center of his attention right now. They tried so hard to be, but I've got it. I have to take advantage of this.
She straightened up and returned his warm smile.
"Hi," she said.
"Thanks so much for your help," he said. "I can't believe the assistant manager did it." He shook his head. "During my fan meet, too. All these fans came out to see me and this is what they got. I feel so bad."
"Don't feel bad. We wanted to see you, and we got that wish. Murder or no murder, you're very courteous and tried your best. Your fans got to see who you really are as a person, and I think that connection goes very deep," she said. She's surprised her voice wasn't trembling. In fact, it was loud and clear.
He looked at her then cocked his head to one side. "Have we met before?"
She anticipated the question.
"I'm afraid not," she replied. "You probably mistook me for one of your fans since you have so many."
"But none had tried to prove my innocence before. Actually…" He put his finger on his chin. "There's this little girl who looked kind of like you. She worked so hard to prove that I was innocent at one point."
Now, she felt dizzy. Could he possibly have made the connection? Impossible…
Then he laughed. "Seems like murder follows me lately."
She gave off a dainty laugh.
"To thank you, would you like to grab a drink with me?" he asked.
Her heart skipped a beat. The other girls sucked in their breaths so loudly that it was almost comical.
"R-Right now?"
"I'm free for an hour or so, unless you're busy then it's alright."
"No, I'm not," she hastily said. Then, composing herself, she smiled. "I'd like that."
x
It was so much fun. She had never been on a date before. Actually, she wasn't sure if it were a date or not. It's not a date unless it's confirmed so, she thought. But then, at one point during their conversation, he let loose the word "date" accompanied by a wink, and she involuntarily sucked in a breath.
Now that she thought about it, she hadn't had much human interactions in the past. She had her sister, the BO members. She had rarely been out in public and making friends was out of the question. It was always work and work for her.
So strangely enough, with Higo here, she knew exactly what to say, she knew exactly how to act like a normal teenager. Her cold, composed self slowly melted away to reveal a child at heart, a young woman full of emotions. She had never let her guard down like this before, especially before a stranger. Even with Conan, it took a while for her to finally show her true self which was cold and calculating.
But with Higo, it was so different. It was like Sherry never existed. Her past never existed. She was simply "Shirley." A name she had given him. A Shirley that he might not meet again until due time. She didn't know if he could wait that long, but it didn't matter. Now was all that mattered, and she truly wanted to cherish this moment.
They ordered cakes, some drinks and chatted away. An hour became two then three. She didn't realize the sun was almost setting by the time she looked at her watch.
She didn't want it to end. She's sure he didn't, neither. The fact that he told his team to leave ahead of him and that he'd catch up with them later only proved that he's also having a good time with her. That made her so happy.
But all good times came to end.
"Hey, let me take you to this favorite spot of mine whenever I visit this city," he said when they were leaving the café.
"Does it have something to do with the sunset?" she asked, smirking.
His eyes widened. "How do you know?"
She pointed to the setting sun. "It's around that time, and I live here so I know how beautiful the sunset is," she replied.
"Always so rational." He shook his head, smiling. She felt her chest could explode. "So you know what place I'm referring to then?" he asked.
She winked at him. "I might have an idea."
x
"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed.
They were standing on a golden bridge facing the vast, endless waters with the sun slowly touching their surface. The bright orange glow stretched out endlessly over the glossy surface, giving an illusion of a never-ending dream.
She had seen the sunset countless of times before, right on this bridge, either by herself or with the Detective Boys, but this time was so different.
With Higo, she felt like a different person. As if she were allowed to enjoy life, to express herself, to care more and to show how much she loved something.
Before, there was always a barrier. Not tonight, the barrier was crumbling down and she didn't want this feeling to go away.
But it would. Eventually.
"I know," Higo was saying. He was looking at her. "Everytime I come to this town for a game, I always stop by here before leaving. Just looking at this sunset relaxes me and calms my mind."
"I understand." She nodded, her eyes glued to the descending glow. "When the sun goes down, you know for sure it will come back up again tomorrow. Whatever happens today is ending and another day is starting, so you can let go and start afresh."
When she didn't hear a response, she turned and found him glazing at her. To say her heart skipped multiple beats was an understatement.
"Shirley…" he said, scratching the back of his head. Suddenly, he looked embarrassed. There was a light pink touching his cheeks and his eyes found interest everywhere else but her face. "I-I've never been in this position before… Usually, it's the other way around." He took in a breath. She realized that whatever he was going to say next must be difficult for him, since obviously he hadn't done this often. She braced herself.
"Shirley, I know we've only just met but I like you, and I want to see you again," he said at last.
Time stopped for her.
She didn't know how long she merely stood there (probably looking like a fish out of the water) but at last, she found her voice. "Ah, Higo-"
All good things came to an end.
Her heart was burning and thumping violently against her rib cage. Her muscles twitched. Her eyes burned and air was knocked out of her lungs.
She fell into his arms, gasping for precious air while her body trembled as if she were having a seizure.
"Shirley!"
No! Not right now! He can't… I can't…
"Shirley! Hey!"
That's the last thing she remembered. His voice desperately calling her name, not even her real name…
She believed she was crying but then darkness took over.
x
When she came to, she was back at Professor Agasa's house, lying on the couch in the living room under a warm, thick blanket.
She knew she was back to the six-year-old's body. The aches were still there. The headache was still present, still pounding, but she could breathe now and that's all that mattered.
"You're awake." A familiar voice said to her left and she looked over.
Conan was sitting cross-legged on the other sofa. He had a book in his hand, most likely mystery, and he was looking at her incredulously.
"What... happened?" she asked weakly.
"You don't remember?"
"I do… Sort of. I was with Higo and… and…" Then it dawned on her.
"Higo!" She sat up. Bad choice. Her ribs protested violently. She winced as she hugged her abdomen.
"Oi, take it easy." Conan put down his book and came over to help her. He eased her back into the comfortable lying position and tucked her in as if she were truly a child.
She looked at him. Fear in her eyes. "What happened to Higo? Did he see me transform?" Please say no…
"Nah," Conan waved his hand. "I tranquilized him," he said casually.
Haibara blinked. "You what?"
Conan went back to his spot, flopped down, crossed his legs again and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You really think I'd just let you go unsupervised like that?"
She blinked. The pieces were slowly falling into place in her mind.
Realizing that the drug's effect was still making her foggy, he went on to explain, "After you told me about the murder, I realized where you were. Well, I already knew where the fan meet was. But anyway, I decided to follow you. There's no way you should be on your own, considering we don't know how long this prototype would be good for. So, I caught you while you two were in the café. Looks like you were having fun." He grinned at her.
She pulled up the cover to cover the bottom half of her face, completely aware that it was slowly turning into a tomato color.
"So," he cleared his throat before going on. "I waited outside. Didn't know you guys would take that long! And when you left, I followed you to the bridge and then just right before you transformed back, I gave him a tranquilizer to knock him out."
"You knocked out Higo?" She blinked at him.
Conan shrugged. "No other choice."
"What happened after that?"
"I had it all planned out." He grinned again, baring his perfect, white teeth. "I called Professor Agasa ahead of time. Luckily there wasn't a lot of people about, so from afar, it just looks like you were crying and he was comforting you. We took you into the professor's car and that's when you fully transformed back. We had to turn up the music to drown out your screams."
Haibara looked beyond abashed. She couldn't even meet Conan's eyes.
The young detective went on. "Then you passed out. I had told the professor to get some groceries before meeting us…"
She darted a look at him, knowing exactly where this was going now.
"Hey, Higo. Higo!"
The young soccer player started to groggily open his eyes. Everything was still dizzy and unclear. He had to blink a couple of times to get his eyes to focus on the person in front of him.
"You…"
"Higo, what are you doing out here by yourself? Were you sleeping?" Professor Agasa asked, concerned.
Higo realized he was sitting on the ground, leaning against the bridge's railing. It was now dark, and in front of him stood a much older man with a head full of white, and a couple of grocery bags in his hands.
"Are you the man with a bunch of kids that often come to see my games?" Higo asked hazily.
"Yes," Agasa answered. "Are you okay? What are you doing out here?"
"I was…" Then it hit. "Shirley!"
"Who?"
"A girl that I was with." He tried to stand up but failed. Agasa put down his groceries and bent down to help the young man stand up.
"She was just here." Higo said frantically. "We were talking and suddenly she wasn't feeling well. She was… She was gasping for air!"
"Higo," Agasa said. "There's no one else here when I first saw you just sitting here. Are you sure you're not dreaming?"
"Of course not!" protested the soccer star. "She was really here. She was… We were…"
Agasa waited for him to continue but he trailed off.
"Never mind," Higo mumbled.
"Check your wallet."
"Huh? Why?"
Agasa shrugged. "Maybe it's a stunt. She probably knew who you were and was trying to get your money."
"Nonsense!" Even though he said that but Higo quickly pulled out his wallet and looked inside. He let out of a sigh of relief. "Nothing's missing," he said. "She's not that kind of person. I know."
"So where is she now?" Agasa pressed.
"I-I don't know…"
"Maybe you're dreaming? Too stressed out? You do have a big game coming up next month, and I heard there was a murder at your fan meet today," Agasa said.
Higo looked away toward the place where the sunset had once been.
"What did he say?" Haibara asked eagerly.
"Nothing," Conan replied. "He just said thanks to the professor and took a cab back to where his team was staying."
"I see," Haibara mumbled before burying herself deeper into the comfort of the blanket.
"This is exactly what I meant by "being reckless," said the young detective with a deadpanned face.
Haibara pulled the cover further up. "Shut up," she mumbled.
"So," Conan drawled. "How was it?"
Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see he was grinning and unabashedly enjoying himself. Her face had never felt so hot.
x
A month later…
"You were super amazing!" Ayumi yelled excitedly when the soccer star jogged over to where the Detective Boys and Professor Agasa sat on the bench.
Higo's team had won, like always. Higo had on one of his most charming smiles when he finally approached them.
"Ah! I'm so happy you guys could make it," he said, grinning. Then he looked at the professor. "I just want to say 'thank you' again for what happened," he said. The professor smiled and nodded in return.
"What happened?" Mitsuhiko whispered to Conan. "Don't worry about it," the latter replied with a smirk.
Then, Higo glanced over and his eyes met Haibara's green orbs. The young scientist felt her breath hitched in her throat.
Their eyes met for the longest of time; they seemed to be frozen in place. All sounds drowned out. All images whitened out, leaving just the two of them in the center of a completely white background.
Then Higo broke out one of his brightest, signature smiles at her and said, "I'm so glad you're enjoying the game!"
fin.
a/n: The day Gosho makes this couple canon, I will literally throw a party. So anyway, just a little something from my long hiatus and I know that I didn't use any formal Japanese honorifics so it might seem weird when you read it. I'm not ignorant or anything but there are a lot of anime out there that don't really use honorifics during translation, either, so I figured dropping them won't be too much of an issue? Besides that, I hope you enjoyed this little piece and let me know what you think! Your reviews always make my day!
Thanks so much for reading! And of course I don't own Detective Conan.