Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan

A/N: It's a short story that I came up with. There will be one more chapter. I hope you enjoy this.

Love is complicated

Chapter 1

Ayumi walked up towards Conan, smile on her face. He stood next to his locker taking out his books. He locked his locker and saw Ayumi all cheerful.

This is it. This is the moment you ask him out for a date. Her heart beat like crazy, butterflies in her stomach.

She always wanted to ask Conan out for a date, but she never had a chance. Somehow, she didn't want to ask him in front of her other friends, Mitsuhiko, Genta and Ai. Ayumi feared that there might something going on between Conan and Ai. They seemed very close and talked about something that neither she nor Mitsuhiko nor Genta knew about.

Ayumi tried to ask Ai few times if she had romantic feelings towards Conan, but she always said no. However, Ayumi had this feeling that Ai was still hiding something.

However, right now it wasn't about it. It was about her courage to ask Conan out.

"Hi, Ayumi," Conan said.

"Hi, Conan. Would you like to go out with me tonight to the Beikan restaurant?" She was lucky that her heart didn't jump out of her chest.

"You mean you and the rest of detective boys, right?"

Ayumi's face fell a little, but she still tried to remain a smile. "No, Conan-kun, I mean just two of us. A date."

"Oh. Err, I'm really sorry Ayumi, but I don't feel this way about you. I like you and I care about you a lot, but just not in this way."

Ayumi lowered her head and whispered, "You're in love with another girl."

Conan looked at her surprised at first, but then, he slightly smiled, though his eyes sad. "That's truth. I have always loved her and I always will. Unfortunately, I can't go out with her. Not yet, at least."

"What do you mean?" Ayumi asked, confused.

"I better go to the classroom. I'm sorry."

Ayumi watched Conan walking away. The girl he was in love with. Was it Ai? Or someone else? And why Conan seemed sad? All the questions wandered in Ayumi's head. She would need to find some answers.

Mitsuhiko saw Ai sitting by herself on her desk. He had been preparing for this moment his whole life or at least from when he had developed a crush on Ai all those years ago.

He had thought of different methods of how to ask Ai out. He had considered to hire a band and sing a song for her or write a song by himself or a poem. He thought of buying a puppy for her, but she already had three dogs.

On her tenth birthday, Professor Agasa and the detective boys had bought for her two dogs, a female and a male dog. After few years, a female dog got pregnant and gave a birth to five puppies. Ai had wanted to keep them all, but Professor Agasa hadn't allowed it, as it would be difficult for him and Ai to take care of all those dogs, but he had let her to keep one puppy. She had given the rest of the puppies away.

Unfortunately, only Ayumi's parents had allowed her to take a puppy. His parents and Genta's said no, and there was no way to convince them. Conan didn't even need to ask his parents, who were in America, and he had lived with Kudo Shinichi's parents at that time. He had taken one of the puppies without asking and named him Sherlock. After Conan had turned seven, he moved out of Mouri detective agency, and he moved in to Kudo Shinichi's house, and Shinichi's parents moved in with him.

Mitsuhiko and others were little confused why Conan's parents didn't return from America to live with him, but Conan said they were just busy. However, Shinichi's parents went back to America, when Conan started High School.

However, right now Mitsuhiko wanted to focus on Ai. In the end he decided on a single, red rose. He approached Ai and said, "This is for you."

"Wow. Thank you. It's really nice of you." Ai smiled at him, while she accepted the rose.

"Also, Ai, would you go out with me on a date. Just you and me!" Mitsuhiko blurted out.

Ai for a moment looked surprised at him, but then she smiled and said, "Yes, sure."

Mitsuhiko's corner of his upper lips went up. "Perfect. I'll pick you up at seven tonight. We'll go to the Beikan restaurant."

"Great."

Conan, Ayumi and Genta walked in to the class. Mitsuhiko ran up to them. "Guess what? Ai and I are going on a date tonight."

"Really? That's awesome," Ayumi said, though her eyes sad.

"Man, I wanted to ask Ai for a date." Genta frowned. "But that's fine. However, if you won't treat Ai right, you'll need to deal with me, got it?"

"Y-yes," Mitsuhiko responded with trembled voice.

Conan didn't say anything. He only stared at Ai with annoying expression.

During the first break, Conan found a moment to talk to Ai in private. "I think you're making a mistake."

"What do you mean?" Ai asked, her voice calm.

"You know what I mean. How could you agree to a date with Mitsuhiko? You know as much as I that this relationship won't last."

"And why do you think it wouldn't last?" Her voice still was calm, though Conan noticed it was firmer.

"Are you forgetting that mentally you are twenty-seven, while he's only sixteen."

"Are you forgetting that I am sixteen. Yes, mentally I'm older than Mitsuhiko, but not physically. Besides, Mitsuhiko grew up to be an intelligent teenage and we both share the same interest in science, and he's fun to be around, so why wouldn't I give him a chance?"

"Look, I'm just worried that the mental gap between you and him is too big, and you and Mitsuhiko just end up hurt."

"Thank you for your concern, but admit it, you're just jealous that I'm going on a date to a public place, while you can't do it the same with Ran."

Conan sighed in defeat. "You got me. Well, I still don't think this date with Mitsuhiko is the best idea, but you're right. I'm jealous. Ran said that she's fine waiting until I'm right age, before we can properly go out, but until then I think I'll go crazy. She has been asked out few times already-"

"And every time, she said no, because she will only love you, and she knows that you will only love her."

"I know," Conan said, frustrated. "But I would like to go out with her on public dates, introduce her to anyone as my girlfriend without people looking oddly at us. I just want to marry her and have kids, but I can't do it! I should listen to you and not taking those temporary antidotes that often, and now my body is immune."

"Well, it could be worse. The most important thing is that Ran forgave you and she wants to be with you."

"You're right." Conan smiled. "I'm actually glad that you didn't decide to return to being Shiho. You probably could as you only return to being Shiho twice."

"Probably, but then if I left you who would keep you in check and make sure you behave yourself." Ai smirked at him.

"Haha."

"You know I was thinking, maybe it's time to tell Ayumi-chan, Mitsuhiko and Genta about our secret. We're close with them. We're even on first names terms with them."

"I don't know. Maybe we should wait longer. Ayumi actually asked me out for a date, but I had to refuse. I think the truth may hurt her."

"Or help her," Ai said.

On the second break, Ai asked Ayumi for a private conversation.

"I thought we could have a girl talk."

"Yes." Ayumi nodded.

"Conan told me that you asked him out for a date."

"Yes, but he refused. He's in love in another girl," Ayumi responded, sadly. "And I think that girl is you, Ai-chan."

Ai gave a small chuckle. "Trust me, it's not me. We may seem close to you, because we share the same secret."

"What secret?"

Ai took a deep breath. "Conan will kill me for doing it, but I think it's time for you to know the truth."

Ayumi glanced at her with curious eyes. Waiting for Ai to say more.

"Edogawa Conan was born twenty-six years ago under the name of Kudo Shinichi, and I was born twenty-seven years ago under the name of Miyano Shiho."

Ayumi laughed. "What are you talking about, Ai-chan? You and Conan-kun are teenagers not over twenty years old. Besides, Shinichi-niichan is in America."

"No, he currently goes to school with us under the name of Edogawa Conan."

And Ai told everything to Ayumi including her involvement with Black Organisation and how she had betrayed it after they had killed her sister.

"After a year, the Black Organisation got arrested. I made the antidote for Shinichi, and at that time I thought it would be permanent, but it only lasted for Shinichi for thirty hours, and after he turned back to Conan. I knew then that his body became immune and there was nothing I could do. I know this story sounds crazy, and I won't blame you if you won't believe me."

"I believe you. You're right, this story sounds crazy, but I know Ai-chan wouldn't lie about something like that, and I'm sorry for what you had to go through. I can't imagine how it's like to lose somebody close to you."

"Thank you. You know, even though sometimes it was annoying for Conan and me to pretend to be kids, we're actually happy that we became friends with you, Mitsuhiko and Genta."

"Really?" Ayumi beamed.

"Yes."

"So, who's the girl that Conan-kun is in love with?"

"The girl that Kudo Shinichi was always in love with."

After few seconds, it hit Ayumi, "You mean Ran-neechan?"

"Yes."

"This must be sad. Even though, mentally they're the same age, they can't be together, because of their physical age."

"They only need to wait few more years to become an official couple. Ran knows about Conan being Shinichi and she loves him enough to wait for him. Now, I hope you understand that nobody can't find out about what I told you. I'll tell this secret to Mitsuhiko and Genta too, eventually."

"Of course, I won't tell." Ayumi promised.

"I'm sorry Ayumi-chan, I know it must be hard for you to be in love with someone whom you can't hope to be with."

"Yes, it is, and it would take me some time before I would be able to move on, but I need to respect Conan-kun's feelings. Besides, what kind of person I would be if stood between Conan-kun and Ran-neechan. If they love each other, then I can't interfere with their love."

Ai smiled. I felt exactly the same way once.