Hatsumode was a tradition Shinichi, Hakase and the Detective Boys used to celebrate together. They would all go to the temple to ring the bell for the new year. This year, for the first time in 7 years they had spent new years together, that tradition will be broken. The detective boys had started to drift apart and had other plans for that day; Ayumi is going to the temple with her new boyfriend, Mitsuhiko is doing a student exchange program where he is spending the rest of the school year in Hawaii and Genta is spending the rest of the holidays at a sports camp. Haibara, the only one left in the Detective Boys wasn't keen on continuing the tradition without her friends.
A few days before the new year, Haibara suggested to the detective and the professor, that instead of going to the crowded temple and freezing themselves in the middle of the night to simply spend the night peacefully at home and do the hatsumode a few days later when the crowd had died down.
"If you do that, I can't go with you guys." Shinichi complained.
"Then go with your other friends."
He shook his head. "It's our tradition Haibara. We have to go together."
Haibara looked crossed at Shinichi. "We only go all together is because the kids want to. There's no point of going if they are not here."
"Uhm" The professor coughed. "I think it's time for-"
"I swear if it's one of your ridiculous puns-"
"HAIBARA!"
The Professor looked dejected from Haibara's harsh words. She let out a sigh and softly apologized to her guardian.
"What is it Hakase." Shinichi cox the old man.
"I was just going to say Fusase-san had invited us over to a cabin up on the mountain," Agase in a small voice told them. "It is rumored to be the best place to see the first sunrise of the new year."
"Tell Fusase-san that we are going Hakase." Shinichi decided.
They were supposed to leave the house early hours to avoid the traffic and reached their destination with time to spare before the festivity starts. But Kudo was last minutely called for a case, which prompted Hakase and Haibara to leave without him.
"Ai-kun." Hakase called her over from Fusase's car. "Shinichi-kun said he will catch up later after his case.
She gave the Kudo Mansion one last lingering look, and softly muttering "He is the one who planned all this…"
The ride up the mountain was serene, Haibara looked out the landscapes, and tuned out the professor and the brand designer flirting at the back seats. When they arrived at the cabin, more like a mansion, it was fully staffed with maids and cooking staffs. She was given a room with a balcony for herself, which she took full advantage to set her items, and sat out in the cold, welcoming the sounds of nature, and simply enjoying the change of pace, compared to the busy life of Tokyo.
It was late afternoon when the Professor and Fusase checked on her.
"Ai-chan, come and join the festivities!" They tried to coax her out of her room. "There are some kids, around your age too."
"Has Kudo-kun arrive?" Haibara asked.
"Ano… he is still doing his case. But he promised to come as soon as he finished Ai-chan." Hakase told her.
Haibara joined the festivities in the common area; the tables were filled with different kinds of food, the place was crawling with families, friends, and coworkers of Fusase. As she walked and lingered around, she made sure that she have a glimpse on the front door, hoping a certain someone will walk through it.
It was almost midnight when he called her. "The case was much more complicated than I thought," he explained. "I'm not going to make it tonight. "
There was a silence on Haibara side of the call, she was watching the clock tick by.
"Haibara?"
It is midnight. "Happy New Year Kudo," she whispered to the phone with a small sad smile. "Happy New Year Haibara." he replied.
Though she didn't fell asleep till past 2 am, Haibara was wide awake at 4:30 am. Since she couldn't fall back to sleep, she decided to see the first sunrise of the year at a lake nearby. As she was leaving the cabin, a car had parked right in front of it, and out came Shinichi Kudo.
"Where are you going at the dead of the night little girl?" He jokingly asked.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I'm here to spend New Years Day with you and Hakase." He was slightly annoyed that she answered him with a question. "So where are you headed?"
"Just out for a walk." she tilted her head in a general direction
"I'll join you." he was answered with a shrug.
Silently they were sitting side by side at the edge of the lake, Shinichi decided to rest his head on her lap.
"What are you doing?" She looked surprised at his sudden mood.
"I drove all night. The least you could do is lend me your lap." He yawned out.
She softly smiled and played with hair, getting lost in her thought.
"What's on your mind?"
"This isn't going to work."
He raised his eyebrow.
"Physically, I'm 15 years old. Mentally, I'm 89 years old grandma." she tried to lighten the mood as the sky starts to lighten up.
He got up from her lap and looked at her in the eye. "You know I don't care about that."
"I saw you and Mouri-san together. You looked perfect together. And I can't compete with that."
"There's no competition Haibara." he furrowed his eyebrow, confused as of where this is all coming from.
She started on her rambling. "You're right. You're just expecting me to be her. But I won't. I'm not just going to lie low and wait for you. I'm not a saint like her. I'm not just going to blindly do as you say, Kudo. I can't - I won-"
"Haibara!" He grabbed her shoulder.
Her eye's widened.
He leaned in slowly.
She closed her eyes.
He kissed her.
A/N: I guess this is a good place to stop. I was planning a much more explosive conversation. But I'm sick and I just want to post this up before New Years Day End.
And the lake they are at, I'm imagining it to be where Heji almost confessed to Kazuha.