I thank you all for the reviews!! I'll try to update ASAP. Now let's begin the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own DC, though I won't say no to holding a gun over Aoyama Gosho's head so he would draw the ending I want. Since that is impossible, I stick to fanfics.

Chapter 10

Ai stared out the window, biting her bottom lip. Briefly she wondered if she should go make sure Shinichi is alright. Had they been in the future, he would know her well enough to understand and think nothing of it, but right now, he's only a kid, and Ai knew she had been too harsh.

"Maybe he's forgotten it all by now." Agasa Hakase said hopefully, without much conviction.

Ai turned to face him. "Yeah, maybe." The professor is carrying a cardboard box that held old research papers dog-eared books, with small holes made by bookworms. Cobwebs and dust clung to his lab coat, which he shook off hastily. "You look like a mess. Need help clearing out the attic?"

Hakase smiled, relieved. "Would you, Ai-kun? I really don't know how I let things pile up like that." He said gratefully.

"You'll find it a mess again before long, and it'll probably be worse than this." Ai muttered under her breath, but she made her way up the attic anyways.

"Dinner, Hakase!" Ai called, setting the plates down with unnecessary force. She had kept herself busy all day, trying unsuccessfully to keep her mind off the detective.

It is clear that Shinichi definitely haven't forgotten this morning's argument. He did not come over for dinner. And that, everyone knew, is really serious.

They both neglected to mention the fact. Ai tried to appear indifferent, but her gaze kept traveling to the empty place setting next to her.

The professor racked his brain for something to say as he watched her prod at her food absentmindedly with her chopsticks.

"I'm not hungry." Ai said at last, standing. "I'm going out for a walk."

"Oh, be careful then." Hakase answered, spared of starting a conversation.

Ai pulled her jacket on and left. She hesitated as she passed Shinichi's house, her fingers hovering inches from the doorbell. Should she go in? But then her nerves failed her and she lowered her arm again. She wouldn't know what to say anyways. Growing up in the organization, there was a lot of swearing, yelling and snapping at people, and sarcastic remarks, but she was never good at apologizing. Ai hated the syndicates so much that even if she did make a mistake (which is a rare thing), she would just glare.

Not really minding where she is going, Ai wandered along the streets, both familiar and strange to her at the same time.

The next moment Ai found herself thrown to the ground. Eyes watering in pain, she looked up to glare at the person who had knocked into her.

It was a man dressed entirely in black, with a heavy looking face that seemed to have a permanent scowl etched on it.

A sudden, shivering feeling, as if she was being drowned in icy water, overcame her and she knew in an instant that he was one of them.

"Watch where you're going, brat!" He sneered, walking away.

Swearing under her breath, Ai scrambled up from the ground and stared at the building where the syndicate member had came out. What are they doing in a place like this? Then, recognizing the place, she froze.

This is her sister's apartment.

Taking care not to be seen, Ai crept toward the window, pulling the hood of her jacket over her face. Akemi is curled up in a chair, talking on the phone. Through the open window, Ai could hear the conversation quite clearly.

"I don't get why you couldn't do those research here!" Akemi is saying, frustrated.

She's talking to me. Ai realized.

"Mom and dad wanted you to have your education here, Shiho-chan! …No, I don't care what Gin said, I'm not calling you Sherry!"

"… You're only seven, no matter how brilliant you are, and you need to be around kids your age!" Akemi sighed. "… I miss you too, Shiho-chan… you know, I saw a girl the other day, and she resembles you so much that I thought…"

"Oi, kid, what are you doing!?" A rough voice behind her barked. The syndicate member had turned around. Akemi looked up at his voice, surprised.

Within seconds Ai found herself lifted off the ground by her collar. She struggled and tried to kick her captor, but he wasn't even slightly bothered by it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Calvados?" Akemi demanded, she had hung up the phone and is now running out of the house to help Ai.

He's Calvados? So that's why he seemed familiar…

"The brat here was spying." Calvados answered, giving Ai a rough shake. At this, her hood slipped off, and he gasped, recognizing her. His grip on her loosened in surprise, and Ai fell to the ground. Akemi pulled Ai behind her before he could catch her again.

Calvados turned to Akemi. "And may I ask how you managed to get your sister away from our watch?" He asked, although Akemi look just as surprised as he.

Quickly regaining her composure, Akemi glared and said, "If you had enough brains to remember that I was just talking to my sister on the phone, you'd see that this girl isn't Shiho. 'He' won't be pleased to hear that you're scaring random kids on the streets, I presume. Suppose her parents call the police?"

Calvados shrugged. "The police are useless." He was still peering at Ai suspiciously. Ai clutched the back of her sister's coat tightly.

"Fine, call Gin, then. You'll see that Shiho is still working in that foul lab of yours. Unless you think she could be in two places at once?"

Behind her, Ai stared uncomfortably at the ground. Calvados still squinted at them, as if deciding whether to believe them or not.

"Very well." He growled at last. "You'd better make sure the brat doesn't talk, Miyano."

Akemi's glare followed him until he is out of sight, then, when they're alone, she turned to Ai.

"I'm so sorry about that, are you hurt?"

Ai shook her head, unable to say anything.

"You're that girl I saw last time, right?" Akemi asked. "Your name is Ai, am I right?"

Ai smiled. "Yeah."

"Listen, you mustn't tell anyone what happened here, okay? And you better not hang around here. You do look a lot like my little sister." Akemi sighed, running a hand softly through Ai's hair. "I do wish she's here."

Ai looked up to meet her eyes. "It's okay, everything will be alright." Ai whispered solemnly, a blazing look in her eyes. "Everything will be okay, I promise." With that, she turned and left, Akemi's perplexed gaze following her.

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A/N: Yay Akemi!! XD Please review and tell me what you think!