DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DETECTIVE CONAN.

Date Uploaded: March 1, 2017- Wednesday.

Note: Advanced apologies for the OOC's.

Guideline:
Shinichi- Shiho
(the person speaking- the person he/ is speaking as)

or

Shiho- Shinichi
(the person speaking- the person she is speaking as)

Angel-Chan234: Wow thank you, thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the story! I'm working hard to finish it, I won't make any promises for fast updates but I'll finish it! Thank you again! *smiles*

Nivellia Neil: Sorry if it's confusing.

Well guys, if my explanation did not make sense, I'm sorry. Just think of it as some weird-Gintama plot that is impossible and confusing.

And the second to the last chapter is here! Almooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooost there people! I hope you continue to enjoy the story is we are now going to reach the end of it.

Read on!

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: PROJECT DEADLINE

So along you were the one who found the umbrella... he thought as he continued to run. The little case in his hand he gripped until he finally arrived at his destination. the warehouse where Akemi was killed.

"Shiho. Please don't run." he says as he stood behind her.

The young scientist was standing in the middle of the empty warehouse looking up at the translucent part of the ceiling where the sun's bright light reflects to where she stands. She heard Shinichi's voice but she did not turn to face him.

"Shiho-" he tried to talk her out of whatever she's planning to do, taking a step closer to her but..

"You don't have permission to call me by my first name, tantei-san." she says and he stopped walking.

"Why did you leave all of the sudden? What's up with that?"

"I already made the cure. For Miyamoto-san. For you. I fixed everything now. My job is done." she said as she now faced the detective with her usual poker face.

"So what? You're saying you've been staying with us all along just because of that? You didn't enjoy our company? You didn't enjoy living with Hakase? The detective boys? Everyone? You're just gonna leave," he snaps his fingers, "just like that? With only a letter to say goodbye?"

He sounded angry. He sounded upset. Shiho couldn't understand why. It was clear to her that back then he chose Ran. But now he's acting like he's losing someone important to him. Someone more important than... No that's impossible. Shiho thought.

"You know from the start that the reason I was there was because I had to team up with you to bring down the black Organization and cure you. And guess what? Both have been accomplished already. You took down the organization, I made the cure. There's no reason to-"

Shinichi could not take hearing the same words over and over. Yes he couldn't tell when she's lying or telling the truth but he can tell when she's hiding something.

"Stop it!" he yelled to stop Shiho from speaking. And when she did, it was his turn to speak. "Why do you keep on doing this?" she didn't answer, thinking it was a rhetorical question. "Why do you keep on doing this?!"

"What are you-"

"You lie to me all the time! That would've been okay but you don't just lie to me, you lie to everyone all the time! Did you really enjoy your stay with us? Or were you just saying that to make us feel at ease?! Did you mean anything at all when you compliment us?! What about Hakase?! Did you really care for him or it's just because you're repaying your debt because he saved you and took you in?! Were you..."

While Shinichi was throwing a fit, Shiho tightened her fists refraining from saying anything but... Kudo is making all these assumptions about me. Why?!

"What do you care?! What is it to you that I leave?! What is it to you when I lie all the time?! I meant everything I said about caring for Hakase and don't twist it to make me look bad for leaving him! You've already made me look bad in front of your whole school for the sake of Ran forgiving you! Yeah, I already look like the whore in school because of everything you did! Sticking up with the famous detective even if he already has a girlfriend! You already turned my life into something to boost your reputation and I didn't say anything because I may deserve it for creating such terrible chemicals in the first place!"

As the young scientist spoke, Shinichi was shocked to hear the truth from her, to hear her express the emotions she never expressed before... it was a relief to hear it.

"But to go as far as making me look bad to Hakase? You're an arrogant detective now, don't you think?" she continued with tears dripping down her cheeks.

"Shiho..."

"I left because I don't want to be in a place like that anymore! A place that reminds me of all the lies that surround me! No... a place where my whole existence is nothing but a lie. My address, my reputation, my status, my life... everything."

He could see it. The pain. The pain from all the bottled up emotions she's been keeping all this time. The bottle was probably full and now she can't handle keeping any more. Shinichi could figure as much.

"Miyano Shiho, Ai Haibara's cousin who came here in Beika out of nowhere while her cousin disappeared along with Conan Edogawa." she stated. "Miyano Shiho, a student who is Kudo Shinichi, the Great Detective of the East's protege (too lazy to fix the spelling)." Shinichi closed his eyes sensing that Shiho was about to state every single lie in her life. It must have been painful to know she's been living a lie. But to count everything... "Miyano Shiho is now a junior detective as stated by the police." ...to count everything... "Miyano Shiho flirting with detectives. Amuro. Kudo. Miyano Shiho, a backstabbing woman who betrays her friend to get what she wants."

The young scientist took several steps closer to Shinichi until she was an inch away from him.

"If you were me... would you still live here? In a place like this?" she asked, her eyes sharply staring at his. He felt as if he could feel her pain Her stare was frightening, her words were as sharp as a blade, her pain was reaching him like rage.

"No." he answered. "But we could clear this up. I will-"

"'I'll talk to Shiho when I get back. I'll tell her that everything was just a confusion between her and me. I'll clear that up. For you.'" Shiho recited as she memorized his words. "If you will act to clear up my problem, what would happen to you and her? Wouldn't it contradict what you told her?" she threw at him.

Shinichi could feel a pang of pain from her again but this was different. It was as if she was bitter. As if she were jealous.

Everything was coming together now. The umbrella left behind with the small case. It was at the scene were he and Ran were. She was there. And the reason she left was because... it's only from my gut based on pure coincidence but... is she?

"Yes it would contradict." he says. "But Shiho... what is it to you if it does?" he tried to squeeze something out of her by playing it this way. He needed to know if his suspicions are true. "I-"

"Because every time you hurt that person, every time you make her cry... you feel miserable to the point that it annoys me. It annoys me so much because I see you frowning. I see that you're upset. I see that you're blaming yourself. And when that happens, I'll have to fix everything for you. Again."

"Then why? Why do you help me?"

If Shinichi thought he can trick Shiho into saying something, he's not the only one. "Why are you here, Kudo? You're here to persuade me to come back? Act like nothing happened? Fix everything like you always do?" she says. Shinichi was caught speechless. She was right about that. "Because that's what I'm doing too."

With a small silence between them passing by, Shinichi had a thought.

He can only hope it's enough to fix everything.

"Then why leave? We're doing the same to each other. Helping each other out. Doesn't that count for something you don't want to let go?"

"You answer that, Kudo." she said and Shinichi made sure to keep eye contact with her. "Am I worth more than that person?" she asked. He knew who it was. "We both know that if I stay, you'll lose her."

When Shinichi couldn't answer, Shiho knew she had given her point. There was no need to argue any further.

She gave her smirk of victory and was able to take a step back to give them some space.

"I think it's pretty clear to me how important she is to you. And how you only spend time with me because you needed me, causing confusion to you. And her." she continued on, despite knowing that her words now struck a nerve on the detective.

Again, Shinichi could not say anything. She was right yet again. With a second smirk of victory, she walked passed him to the exit.

"Shiho!" he called to her before she could leave. "If you leave now, you're only running away from this."

He didn't know if she was gonna stop. But he was glad she did. Just by the frame of the door, she stopped walking. "I told you..." she said. "...you don't have the permission to call me by my first name." was her last words before leaving him.

I can't choose both. I guess I should've known about that from the beginning. Shinichi thought as he watched Shiho disappear. I should've been more observant with her. I knew she was hiding something but I was too lax with her. I hurt her more than she hurt me.

I'm sorry, Shiho.

"Huh? What are you talking about? I didn't pass anything." Shinichi said to the group leader.

It was about time that everyone passes their contribution to the group leader and submit their final project in class. Shinichi didn't pass anything but Sonoko says he did. Now what?

It's been a month since Shiho left... who could've helped me this time?

"Ran said you worked with her on this. Don't tell me she's lying!" Sonoko informs him.

"Ah no, no , no! She's not! I was just confused that she passed it without telling me." he lied. So it was Ran. How could I have thought of Shiho?

Sonoko squinted at him. He could be lying (well, he is) or he could've really just forgotten because he's an idiot. Sonoko decided to go with 'he's just an idiot'. "Well fine whatever. Out of all the contributions, yours and Ran's were the best so we'll work on that. Okay?"

"Sure."

"Oh and about that friend of yours, Miyano-san, isn't she coming back yet?"

How was he gonna answer that?

He smiled at Sonoko before answering, "she will be back. And when she does, I'm sure you'll love her work."

"Huh?"

Shinichi walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Maybe I'll see her again after all. She shows up when there's an unfinished business. And right now, we have a project to finish. A science project that I'm sure she loves and will finish.

When he got home, he looked at his calendar and encircled the date when the project is supposed to be submitted.

By that time, I'll be ready to talk to you again.