Author's Notes: Hmm. Let's just say, thanks soo much to everyone who reviewed, everyone who PMed me about this story, everyone who added this story to story alerts and fav stories, everyone who added me to fav authors, everyone who looked at it... o.O Hmm... I'm scared I'm gonna let you guys down... :( this chapter is mostly dialogue... and sorry for the... sorta-late update, I was busy with my other story, Summer Memories, which isn't a fanfic, but one of the stories I'm working on... o.O And there might be some discrepancies...

Disclaimer: My chances of owning Detective Conan is about as high as my chances of liking homework... i.e., zero.

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N u k e g a r a

[Chapter Two: Answers]

"WHAT did you mean, Haibara?!"

His nearly-harsh voice didn't seem to catch her attention, at least, it seemed like his outburst was expected by her, and she paid no mind to his question, nor his half-desperate, half-demanding tone which he seemed to only use when he was in a panic. The aforementioned 'Haibara' was sitting on her bed, idly staring outside her window. She acknowledged his presence with a slight nod, and then turned her face back to the window as if he wasn't worthy of her attention.

"I thought boys weren't meant to barge in into a girl's bedroom," she said mildly.

(It must be noted, however, that Ai could have won an Oscar if she had turned her mindsight to acting, instead of biochemistry. The acting world lost a great actress on the day she started her research.)

"Haibara!! You heard me and you know it!" he didn't try to calm himself down. He wanted answers. Now.

Maybe that's where he went wrong.

"Hm?" Ai turned her head and glanced at him as if surprised that he was there. "Yes?"

This time, he changed his approach. "Stop avoiding the question." He said it calmly, deadly calm. "I want to know what you meant before."

"Before?" said Ai meekly.

Conan sighed. "Yes. Before." How many times did he have to say it?! This girl really was annoying when she wanted to be. Now he knows the feeling when Gin's trying to hunt out Sherry.

No. He did not think that. He didn't.

"Before, when you said something about the amnesia-inducing antidote. And how you said you knew my mum. What did you mean?!"

"I think you asked me enough times already. I can hear you, you know."

"Yes. I know you can hear. But when someone asks you something, one expects you to answer with an appropriate response. Which you haven't done, have you?"

"Hmm. I suppose not."

"Are you going to give me a straight answer?!" he was seriously getting annoyed - no, angry.

"Not really. I suppose not."

"WHAT?!?!"

She blinked at him. "I don't really get why you're so surprised, Great Detective. When someone keeps secrets from another person, one would expect that the other person wouldn't be as likely to divulge information, either, don't you think?" the words were said innocently.

Now it was his turn to blink. "What?"

"I thought we were partners. Accomplices. Are we?"

"Uhh... yes..."

"Then you'll have to trust me, won't you? Like when I trust you when you don't tell me anything yet you concoct a ridiculous scheme to hunt out the Organisation members." she half-smiled. Or maybe it was a smirk.

Conan glared. She had turned the tables on him. Now she had the upper hand. "Well, all the times that I did, they were for your own good!"

"I'm sure they were," she said smoothly. "I'm not some princess that needs a knight in shining armour, though."

Conan flinched at the repeated words from that Hide soccer case.

.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

.

"Conan-kun! Conan-kun! Wait up!"

Conan turned around, and blinked as three red-faced puffed-out members of the Junior Detective League ran as fast as they could while they tried to catch up with him. He didn't realise he'd been walking that fast. He glanced back at Teitan Elementary, and noticed that indeed, he was quite far from it.

He waited for Ayumi's, Mitsuhiko's, and Genta's questions to erupt out. As expected, they did.

"Why are you so eager to get out of school?"

"What's wrong with you today, Conan? You haven't said a word!"

"And just what is it, with you and Ai-chan?"

"Did you have a fight with Haibara-san?"

Conan sighed. They were quite observant, for kids. Of course, wasn't there a saying that kids are the first to notice that something is wrong? "There's nothing wrong. Haibara and I just had a misunderstanding."

"About what?"

Dammit, and they were curious, too.

"It's nothing important," he said with a wave of his hands as he dismissed the question. "Why isn't she with you guys?"

"Oh," Ayumi said with downcast eyes. "Ai-chan said that she had something on after school, but she didn't tell us what when we asked."

"But it's alright, because she went off with Jodie-sensei!!" Genta said brightly.

"Jodie-sensei?"

~fin~ :: END :: CHAPTER TWO :: ANSWERS :: ~fin~

~TBC~

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.....:::::Replies to Reviews:::::.....

This space after every chapter will be used to reply to anonymous reviews, and sometimes logged-in reviewers if I haven't replied yet.

Sorry, I'll have to reply to everyone here for now... I'll reply individually by review reply later when I have more time...

Sushizuzoru: Thanks... lolz~ I don't blame you... I think I got confused writing it, too XD (hmm.. are you on YouTube, by any chance? I think I saw your name there...)

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Enigma & Cherrysasa: And here is the next update! (albeit a bit overdue o.O) And thanks! ;P

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aquagirl520: Lolz~ I guess no one wants to be in a place when a little seven-year-old girl (with some skills with guns, if it may be mentioned) is mad at you! o.O

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~ xstarflowerx