Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan, Gosho Aoyama does!

Author's Note: No flames please. I wrote that after hard thinking. It's just the way it came out.

Better Late than Never

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Chapter 7

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Ai's POV

Summer breeze tickled the strands of my hair which was scattered on my face. I tried to open my eyes so hard until finally they responded. Pulling off my hair behind my ears, I stared looking around me trying to figure out where I was? Is that heaven? Or maybe hell? I blinked to get a clear sight till I ingested what I saw.

It was a sea... More like a beach. Nevertheless, that was not what made me startled. It was the figure standing in between water like a mermaid in fairy tales. More concentrating on that figure, I found out who she was; it was Akemi nee-chan.

I couldn't stop myself from running towards her till I felt my legs getting wet deep in water. I didn't hesitate; however, I completed my way towards her ignoring the fact that I was all sunk in water right now. It was beneath my neck by a few centimeters.

"Shiho.." I heard Akeim's delicate voice for the first time after the incident of calling her place. I didn't believe my own ears firstly.

'Shiho'

How I missed hearing that name. I couldn't stop myself from rushing towards her.

"Stop." she spoke once again making me stop down my track.

"Neechan," Finally I talked to her.

"I've missed you."

"..I wanna come with you." Tears were revealed now. I couldn't hold them anymore.

"It's not time yet. Someone up there loves you." She smiled to me a mild one.

"I don't know what to do. I'm completely trapped." I wept to her, begging for help.

"You do know what to do, Shiho-chan..."

"...Follow your heart and lead your brain."

"Trust your heart, Shiho." She said as her voice began to wilt, her figure drifting away by the tidal waves.

"NO! Please wait!" I screamed to no one. Apparently, she was no more there.

I gazed around me as everything was changing to extreme light. The whole place was full of luminosity; I closed my eyes spontaneously by the effect of the huge light on my eyes.

Judging by the silence around me, I knew it was all gone.

Where am I?

Suddenly, I began to hear some sort of sporadic mutters around me, kind of fuzzy. Concentrating on what I was hearing. All I got was,

"I'm sorry-"

"-I was too dense to notice-"

"Haibara…"

The voice was heard. Nonetheless, I still couldn't understand the words. My half consciousness did not help.

I opened my eyes slightly. Everything came back to normal. Memories came back to me as fitful flashbacks. Everything that happened I remembered;even regrettably the part of Gin and being abducted by the she's gone now. It was just a dream? It seemed so real to me I am once again, Kudou staring at me.

"Thanks God! Welcome back again." Kudou said holding my hands tightly as if I was going to disappear the second moment. He smiled to me kindly. I smiled flimsily, reassuring him.

"Haibara, are you okay?" He asked me.

I managed to straighten in bed. He helped me sitting erectly.

"Thanks, I'm fine." I replied feebly.

"I think you need some rest. I will be waiting out there." he told me then left.

A few seconds later, I realized that I was not in Hakase's place. It was his (Shinichi Kudou's). I was confused for the reason behind bringing me here. I gave up on thinking and let my lids go off tiredly.

'Is it just that? He didn't even ask me anything.'

I exhaled unconsciously by the thought.

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Conan's POV

I knew it; something is wrong and I can tell it is a crisis. Is it considering the Organization? If it is; why didn't she tell me anything about it? I am terribly confused. She returned back to her mysterious attitude.

I blamed myself a thousand times. Maybe if I hadn't been so dense about her, she wouldn't have gotten hurt and left. Maybe I would have relieved her of whatsoever happened. I must know because I feel my detective essence's reaching its ultimate and that's appallingly not good.

I love her.

I absolutely recognize it right now. I was too deniable all about it; I couldn't imagine that I am going, one day, to fall in love with another girl other than Ran. I met her for fate. It's not an ordinary thing to meet someone the same weird condition as I am. When she left, it hit me all at once just as laden tons on my chest. I felt my world falling apart. Something was missing in my heart. I can't let her leave me. It will never happen again.

I am going to discern it sooner or later but I prefer doing it sooner enough to prevent any harm from getting to her. I can't afford to lose her once again.

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Haibara sat there in the cozy bed, engrossed in her deep thoughts. She was probably running her mind on a plan to get herself out of the current critical situation. Should she tell him about all of it and leave it up to him, to help her with such a dilemma? Or, it will be definitely wrong for a cocky under-estimating detective like him. Also, he can get it all on his liability with his all justice idealistic thoughts and keep her out of any danger ending to shut her up to sleep with his tranquilizing watch in the same way as the last time in their encounter with Vermouth. However, in this case he will be completely wrong. She's already surrounded by danger. Literally, she's reached her dead end. There must have been more than a couple of Them blockading the whole house. She slapped herself mentally for ending her way to this house. How can she be so careless, exposing Hakase and Kudou to utter danger in that way. Anyway, they have already found out their true identities and their hideouts were being useless now. She knew she hadn't much time by her side that she should find out what to do as fast as possible.

Dragged by the chain of thoughts, she remembered her dream about her sister.

Am I really going to know what should I do neechan?

I hope so.

Afterwards, Conan entered Haibara's bedroom (her current one). She turned her gaze abruptly towards him, totally startled. She hadn't noticed his calling and knocking for a few minutes. Conan, on the other hand recognized it as he became a bit embarrassed.

"Err- Sorry I knocked the door twice but you didn't answer so... ", he paused. He did not know how to continue this. Ai took it off from him and nodded understandingly.

"It's okay." she muttered.

"Hakase was on a convention so that's why I brought you here along." he explained.

Ai just nodded at him. She didn't know how else she should answer.

"So, " Conan murmured hesitantly, making Ai turn to him once more.

"You were extremely exhausted yesterday. You slept the whole day. What happened?" he asked her tentatively. Ai saw deep concern in his eyes.

'So he still cares about me, huh?'

Somehow, it made her smile slightly in an unconscious way regardless to her dismal condition.

"A-Ai, are you alright?" Conan called her after not hearing her reply.

Haibara twisted immediately by his last call. He has never called her by her first name. She tried so hard to hide her blush but it seemed that she failed as she witnessed Conan's amused expression. He could never imagine that Haibara, the Ice Queen, would blush one day. Yet, something inside his heart vibrated.

Suddenly, a flash got into her; she remembered the antidote she had given him before leaving.

'Why didn't he take it? He was so keen on having it, why?'

"Kudo-kun, why didn't you take the antidote?" Haibara switched off the topic unintentionally. She had really no idea.

"Umm.. Why don't we talk about it when you get better? You seem tired." Conan rolled his eyes trying to keep away from her penetrating gaze. He didn't want her to feel such a burden again. He blamed her for his diminished state at first but now it's not her fault. He knew it. She had warned him thousands of times of it but he was totally careless. Nevertheless, he knew she would blame herself once more. She is from that kind of human beings who torture their minds for others' faults.

"Kudo-kun, tell me what happened!" Haibara exclaimed. He couldn't get away from her, could he?

"Listen," Conan began to talk. Haibara was stunned by his sudden change in attitude. His tone has turned into a serious one now. He looked her in her aquamarine eyes. His eyes full of determination and.. love? It doesn't matter now anyway. It's all over, at least for her.

"I want you to know that it's not your fault, it's mine..." Conan spoke trying to seem reasonable.

Haibara's thoughts betrayed her coming thence and forth.

'What happened?

"Talk, Kudo." she said now getting of her bed. Anxiety claimed her as she sweat dropped.

"Calm down, you'll get more tired." Conan said.

'Why is she acting like this? I haven't seen her in this state before'

"Well," He gulped before declaring.

"It didn't work." He completed.

Ai looked at him in mixed emotions bewilderment, shock, deny.

"What?" she retorted.

"No way, I tested it on many rats! It can't be!" she shook her head in disbelief.

Conan looked at her compassionately.

Just the expected reaction.

"I said it's not your fault. It's probably because I took too many temporary ones. I don't blame you." Conan said calmly as he placed his hands on her shoulder smoothly.

"You don't understand. It should've worked!" She stared blankly, recalling her steps in preparing the antidote.

"Oh! Wait a minute." she stammered quietly.

"What?"

"What was the color of the pill I gave you?"

"It was white."

"Damn! So, why?"

"What?" Conan asked her. He didn't understand what was going on with her.

"It was really it, so why did it have to fail. Why? Why?" She broke into tears. All her supposed plans were about to depend on the fact that he was going to be a grown-up adult.

Conan was stunned watching Ai's desperate act. He has never seen her like that since the first time he met her when her deceased sister was mentioned. He felt his heart twinged with the scene of her tears. He hugged her tenderly trying to push the pain off of her. He knew it was not the only thing that brought her down to this condition. It must have been a great suffer she is having alone thinking of a way for protecting the others just as her resolute.

'She shares with me this habit, but I don't want her to suffer alone, not anymore.'

Conan caressed her hair soothingly as her tears began to lessen. Feeling his embrace, a huge blush made its way on her cheeks. She pushed him gently brushing away any trace of her tears with her sleeve.

"Thanks and," she turned her gaze to face the ground hopelessly.

".. I am sorry for letting you down, Kudo." She completed her words.

Conan lifted up her chin with thumb and forefinger lightly.

"It's okay. You've done your best." he smiled to her reassuringly.

"Besides, It's Shinichi!" he grinned airily, making her stifles a chuckle.

'Look what's he thinking of in this situation'

she smiled kindly at him.

'Somehow, you always have your own way to bring it up... Whatsoever is going around you'

She looked up again at the brave, determined, oceanic blue eyes of the detective before her. In that second, she knew exactly what is she going to do.

To Be Continued..

You can't complain at it being long. You said make it longer! I made it longer. I am such an obedient :P LOL. Just joking.

I am so desperate.. So I beg your pardon to review.. What else can I say? :D