A/N: The most-awaited sequel to Sprouting Jealousy (or not.. xD)

I'm sorry for the uber-late update. But then, I updated! so no questions asked. :))

As usual, OOCness is present.

Do brace with it. :D

Thanks for those who read and reviewed. ;)

Birthday Gift

Ran sighed as the last of her visitors pranced out of her house. She slammed the door closed rather absently and leaned against it.

She clenched her fists, biting her bottom lip to suppress a growl.

Apparently, her so-called best friend didn't make any appearance at her own birthday. And for the record, he didn't even call her.

Weakly, she slid down the floor, sighing in distress.

Maybe Shinichi has his reasons.

A new case? Possibly, but still, he must've told her that first.

Shinichi's mother had dragged him off somewhere? No way. Shinichi's mother only does that to Conan-kun.

Then he really had… forgotten? Ran felt like she was being stabbed at that.

'B-but then though…'

A voice from within the back of her mind had seemingly invaded her thoughts. 'Baka Ran. Face the truth, will you?'

She grimaced. After all, it is Haruka-chan's birthday Shinichi was prior to. So…

Shinichi really had forgotten.

Ran sighed heavily, standing up to get to her bearings. Now's not the time to think about Shinichi or whatever he did or did not do. She still has to clean the mess they'd done in their small party.

She nodded to herself, but as she was about to do whatever she has decided to, her mobile phone rang.

She blinked, and swiped her phone off the table and looked at the I.D.

Ran froze.

Shinichi's number.

Ran had felt blood oozing to her cheeks. 'And now he has the guts to call me?'

But maybe… Shinichi wants to tell her something important.

Yeah, sure.

'That still doesn't change the fact that he didn't come here! It doesn't!'

Then she blinked in surprise at her own thoughts. 'What am I thinking?'

She held her arm out, as if afraid that her phone would explode. The handset continued ringing, and with every beep, her hand would tremble.

Cheeks flushed, she stared panicky at the phone, shaking her head repeatedly. 'What am I gonna do?'

If Ran had calculated correctly, it is the sixth beep and at the seventh, the phone would go off. So gulping nervously, she placed the receiver near her ears. "Hello?"

"Oi, Ran!" a grumpy voice came and she frowned at her best friend's rudeness. "What took you so long?"

Ran's eyes narrowed into slits. "What the—"

"Anyway, I'm here. In front of your house," Shinichi cut her off, not sensing that by the moment he'd shouted at her, Ran's mood had turned 180 negative. "I figured that you're out since the hinges of the door are broken…" he paused. "But then, where are you?"

As if answering his question, the door bolted open… straight to the ground. He looked at the broken door, and at the red-faced Ran. He grinned brazenly. "So you're—"

Out of reflex, Shinichi closed his eyes and ducked as Ran's leg flew to swipe his head. "Wha…?"

"Why the hell did you not come here? I was waiting for you!" Ran cried out, fists clenched tight in fury.

Shinichi appeared to be confused. "Why? I don't remember you telling me to stop by."

Ran stiffened; she expected from the start that Shinichi didn't remember her birthday today. But with Shinichi the one who's actually saying those… Ran's chest scrunched and she felt the pain awakening her nerves.

It hurts.

"But ne," Shinichi broke her out of her reverie. He beamed at her. "I want to show you something."

xXx

They almost skidded along the concrete as they took a left turn. It's proven. Shinichi sucks at driving bikes.

"S-shinichi…" Ran almost squeezed the air out of Shinichi with her arms wrapped around him while he pedals. "I don't think we still can go back in one piece…"

The high school detective grinned as he stirred the bike slightly, barely having the time to navigate away as a ten-wheeler truck almost ran over them. "Don't you trust me?"

Ran blinked at the oddity of Shinichi's question. "Of course I do. I do trust you."

At that, Shinichi smiled secretly to himself, roughly taking another left turn. The bike bumped into the gutter and slid downwards. Ran yelped, tears forming at the corner of her eyes as she tightened her hold around Shinichi, not minding the twigs and branches hitting them and just momentarily thinking that she will be glued to her best friend.

"Busted!" Shinichi exclaimed happily, jumping out of the bike as it stopped. He helped Ran on her feet, snickering at the destroyed bike.

"W-what was that?" Ran's legs wobbled and she leaned on her confidant for support. She looked around, realizing that they are at the lake; the place where they always play when they were just kids. She frowned, wondering, 'That was years ago, why are we here now?'

"It's dark," she looked at Shinichi's silhouette, which seems to be staring ahead. Ran furrowed her brows. "Oi, Shin—"

"Shh… just a few minutes…" Shinichi momentarily glanced at his watch. "I think it will begin in…" he started a countdown. "…eight, seven…"

Ran didn't understand any of it and just gazed at where Shinichi was looking at.

"…three, two…"

And she blinked as two tiny lighting things appeared out of nowhere, illuminating their reflections on the lake, making the view look magnificent.

"…one, zero…"

One by one, countless fireflies appeared, blinking repetitively. Ran smiled to herself, amazed at the view of the fireflies and their reflections being elucidated on the lake underneath them. Beside her, Shinichi was also looking…. at Ran, rather affectionately. He smiled to himself, and whispered almost inaudibly…

"Happy Birthday."

Ran almost broke her neck as she turned to Shinichi speedily, wondering if she really had heard what she thought she heard right. "What?"

Shinichi grinned, expecting those expressions from her. "I said; Happy Birth-"

But he was cut off as his girl best friend leaped to hug him… tightly.

"O-oi, Ran…" he coughed slightly, feeling the air from his lungs vanishing quickly. "I—I can't breathe!"

"You remembered…" Ran chanted repeatedly, hugging him and bouncing slightly in happiness. The high school detective couldn't help but to smile despite his breathing difficulties and hug his confidant back.

"Of course…" he replied, closing his eyes. "I would never forget it."

"E-eh?" Ran pulled away and looked up at him. "B-but, the other week, and Haruka-chan…"

A sly grin slowly made its way along Shinichi's lips as he seemingly remembered something.

xXx

Shinichi hummed as he made his way towards his shoe locker; next week is Ran's birthday and he had planned to buy her his birthday gift on Sunday, when they go to Tropical Land. Of course he would tell nothing to Ran about it.

He opened the locker, blinking as he saw a small piece of paper inside. 'I don't remember leaving my scratch paper here, ah.' He acquired the paper and would've thrown it on the trash bin had he not seen the 'Kudo Shinichi' that was written on top of the sheet.

He noticed; the paper's also scented.

'Obviously not mine.'

He unfolded the letter and merely blinked at the message.

Kudo Shinichi,

Meet me at the classroom, 5pm.

~Me-who-must-not-be-named

'So dramatic,' the boy detective scrunched up his nose and rolled his eyes. Of course he does not feel obliged to come, but he felt intrigued; because of the fact that the writer doesn't even know how to put an 'Obey me or else' aura on their letter, and the other fact that he's getting bored and wants someone to laugh at.

And so he did go to their classroom after bidding his goodbye to Ran. He arrived at the estimated time of 5:45pm.

He shut the door closed as he entered, and he saw a girl's silhouette standing near the window, her back facing him. He blinked; utterly confused. 'Is it Stereotype Day today? I mean; she did put the letter in my shoe locker, and her setting is an empty classroom, plus the fact that she's near the window when I entered…wait, am I in some sort of a soap opera?'

"Kudo Shinichi-kun."

The girl's voice shook him out of his reverie and he looked at her. "You…"

The girl smirked, confident of her standing as Teitan University campus crush. "Remember me?"

"Who are you?" Shinichi couldn't help but to ask, though the girl looks familiar, he couldn't place a name on her.

The campus crush, or so she thinks, felt smoke rushing out of her nose as she looked at Shinichi disbelievingly. "We're classmates!" she almost shrieked.

"Really?" the boy detective appeared puzzled.

"I'm Youko Haruka!" Haruka finally declared, half of her mind sulking at the thought that her detective idol doesn't know her.

"Ah, okay." And Shinichi turned to leave the classroom, had the girl not let out a deafening screech. The high school detective blinked; his hands on his ears. "What the heck was that?"

"I'm not finished!" Haruka scowled. "My birthday is in two weeks. And I want you to give me a gift… a gift that a girl would like."

Shinichi waved his arm in negative. "I don't want to. I'm leaving."

"Or else…"

That made him stop. He always liked suspense anyways.

"I'd do something to your dearest best friend, a thing you would regret."

Of course, Shinichi wasn't threatened. If he wasn't threatened with the letter at the first place, why should he be, now? He smiled secretly; the girl has the guts to threaten him.

"Ne, Haruka-chan…" he started, earning a dreamy look from the girl for calling her in her first name. "If you want a gift, you could've asked Me.," he laughed, prancing out of the classroom, leaving the girl stunned.

Tomorrow, he saw Ran and the same Youko Haruka eating lunch together and sharing the same bento box he heard Haruka made for his best friend. He gulped, now he has the feeling of obligation to buy Youko Haruka a gift because of Ran.

xXx

"Shin…?" Ran inquired curiously, leaning closer as she noticed the same faraway look etched on Shinichi's face. She pouted; is he thinking about Haruka-chan again? "Shinichi!"

The high school detective gave her a lopsided grin. "I'm sorry; say what?"

"What?"

"Forget everything and come with me."

Ran appeared puzzled. "Where?"

Shinichi could only smile at Ran's look. "Tropical Land."

xXx

Ran half-listened as their teacher blabbered something about mirror and reflection. She continued scribbling at the piece of paper in hand. And as she was done, she proceeded to crumple the paper into a ball and discreetly hurled it towards her best friend.

The sleep went away as the detective boy saw a crumpled paper landing near his foot. He looked up at Ran's seat and caught a wink given to him by his best friend. He smiled, tipping his foot and applying pressure on it so that the paper would hurl upwards. He then caught it with one hand, grinning smugly.

Unfolding it, he saw the familiar handwriting of Ran.

That was the best birthday gift. I want to go there again. : ))

R&R!