Ran doesn't think she's ever been so grateful to see the professor's house. She'd slept for most of the two and a half hour trip back to Tokyo, though it wasn't restful, having been startled out of sleep several times by nightmares. She'd woken up to find Shinichi watching her, then he'd looked away with a blush on his face as soon as he noticed she was awake.

It has her giggling, even just the memory. He's still a bit silly. It's not like he has to hide it anymore. They're dating. There's a warm feeling growing inside her, spreading from the depths of her heart. It's happiness, she thinks, pure unadulterated happiness. Their relationship is still so new. But at the same time, it's the most natural thing in the world. Nothing has changed, not really. Just labels. They're still the same as they ever were. And she's relieved.

As they reach the Beika Ward of Tokyo, Shinichi asks, "Can we drop by the Professor's?" They're meant to take them all straight to the Agency.

Detective Satō catches Shinichi's eyes in the rear-view mirror, furrows her brow. She twists her lip for just a moment, running it through in her head. "Sure," Detective Satō says, navigating to their district. Ahh, Ran thinks she knows what he's doing. She's not sure if it's the best idea, though. But that's Shinichi. Calculated recklessness, always. Sometimes just plain recklessness. He wants to check on Ai, make sure she's all right.

For all he tries to hide it, he has a good heart. And even with Hattori's unintentional revealing, out of all of them right now, she's the least protected, the one whose intentions are the most likely to be questioned. Ran's been told countless times that she sees too much of the good in people, and she still doesn't know everything, but she knows enough about this.

Sherry…Ai is a good person. Ran feels it in her heart, and it's only been supported by what she's seen of her so far.

They must make a strange procession, all of them descending on the Professor like this. Her parents, Shinichi, her, the two officers, Hattori. Satō stands outside, keeping watch, while they are welcomed in by the professor.

As soon as Agasa opens the door, Shinichi's met by the rest of the Detective Boys. They look over from where they're watching something on the television. Agasa moves out of the way of furious feet, heading to the kitchen to get them some refreshments.

"Conan!" Genta bellows, echoed by Ayumi and Mitsuhiko's more polite greetings. The three of them sweep him into a hug, ignoring his crutches, and they fall over in a pile of kids, arms and legs tangled, careless and free and unconcerned with appearance in the way only young children are. Shinichi is bewildered, under all of them, the top of his head only barely visible. Luckily, as rambunctious as they are, they're being careful with his injured leg and shoulder.

"We missed you!" Ayumi says.

"Where have you been?" Mitsuhiko says.

"What happened to your face?" Genta says. Shinichi blinks, overwhelmed by the volume of questions directed at him. He doesn't answer any of them. They're going by too fast.

"What happened to your leg?" Ayumi says.

"Who is she?" Mitsuhiko says, pointing at Ran.

That one Shinichi does answer. "My girlfriend!" he says proudly.

"What?" That's Ayumi, and she looks perilously close to tears. Aww. She must have had a crush.

"Really?" Relief washes over Mitsuhiko's face.

"No way!" Genta says. "She's too pretty for you! Even with all the bruises." Ran blushes.

"Now now, leave him alone, he's been hurt," Professor Agasa says as he comes back in, shooing them off. They all groan good-naturedly, but they still move and give Shinichi space.

"Genta is right. You look terrible," Agasa says to Shinichi.

"Where's Haibara?" Shinichi asks Professor Agasa. "Is she all right? You haven't had any problems with them, have you?"

"Right to the point, huh, Kudō?" Hattori mutters, having heard.

Agasa shakes his head. "Nothing, other than you going missing." Then he frowns. "She's been in her lab since she received that weird email. She said it contained notes on the—" that's when he sees Ran's parents, they having waited until the children moved out of the doorway. "What are they doing here?" And then he notices Ran, his eyes widening behind his spectacles. "You're—"

"Hi, Professor," Ran says, giving a little wave. She shouldn't really find it amusing, but she does.

Agasa just takes a deep breath. "It really was them, wasn't it?" Agasa says, pulling at his moustache, anxious, worried. "You both look terrible." He sits down hard on the sofa, putting a hand on his forehead. He's taken it the best out of everyone so far.

"You knew, too?" her father says, irritated. "Was I the only one in Beika who didn't?" he throws his hands up into the air.

Her mother rolls her eyes, whispering something under her breath. "So much for the 'Great Mōri Kogorō.'"

"I didn't," Takagi says.

Her father whirls on him. "You don't count!" he yells, spittle flying from his mouth. Takagi shrinks back a little bit.

"Knew what?" Ayumi pipes up, curious, looking between them. She still looks a little sad, but she has recovered from her disappointment rather quickly.

There's an awkward silence as all the adults exchange glances. Hattori looks up at the ceiling.

Ran bumps shoulders with Shinichi. He has a crestfallen expression on his face; he's hesitant, unsure. Because in this too, Ran knows how much these friendships mean to him. Even Ran really didn't like him when they first met. And he may try to hide it, but Ran knows the loss of the Detective Boys would hurt him.

Agasa clears his throat, attempting to change the subject. "Anyway, the children came by, hoping to pry Ai out for some time at the park, but—" he looks towards the door. "Even they haven't been successful. I'm starting to get worried."

"What do you mean, 'know'"? Genta asks.

"Yeah! Don't leave us out because we're kids! We get that all of the time!" Ayumi pouts.

Shinichi takes them all in in one glance, then he says, "I lied to you guys about being Conan. I'm sorry."

"Well, if you're not Conan, then who are you?" Genta asks getting into Shinichi's face.

Shinichi holds his hands up, laughing nervously. "Remember Shinichi?"

"You're Mr. Shinichi?" Mitsuhiko says, jumping immediately to the right conclusion, regardless of logic. Shinichi nods. "Neat!"

"Yeah, that's so cool! How did it happen? Will it happen to us when we get older?" Ayumi says, jumping up and down.

"I don't think it works like that," Shinichi says faintly, sounding overwhelmed. Children are surprisingly adaptable, Ran muses. Free-thinkers, not boxed in by adult concepts of the way things must be.

"It happened to you and Ran," Genta points out. He elbows him in the side. "I knew you had a crush on her," he says, snickering.

"You did not," Shinichi says, annoyed, and elbows him back for good measure.

"Good to see you acting your age, Edogawa," says a small, stern voice.

Ran looks over, and it's Haibara Ai in a lab coat, having come out of the back room. She looks terrible: her hair's a tangled mess, she has ink stains on her fingers and face, and deep purple bags under her eyes. "You're all making such a racket, it's hard to think," she says, surveying the room. When her eyes catch Ran's, they widen slightly, but otherwise, there is no change in expression. "Please keep it down," she says, before turning to go back to her room.

"So the data is viable?" Shinichi asks, and oh, Ran kind of wants to hit him as Ai's face hardens when she looks back at him. She loves him, but sometimes he has no sensitivity whatsoever.

"Yes," she says, missish. Her hands are clenched at her sides; Ran can see they're shaking, and walks back to the room she'd just departed. Ran grabs some refreshments, what looks like a bento and a couple of juice boxes, and just makes it inside before Ai closes and locks the door. Her feet hurt from the careless walking, but it is worth it, just for Ai's shocked face.

"Have you eaten anything today?" Ran asks her, holding out the bento as sort of a peace offering, an apology for Shinichi's words.

Ai looks at her a long, long moment, her expression inscrutable. "No," she says finally.

Ran moves it a little, gesturing for her to take it. With a sigh, and a pinch of the bridge of her nose, Ai finally does. Her hands shake as she takes it, sitting at the small daybed. She attempts to eat some of the rice and drops the chopsticks because of her unsteady hands.

Ran's not going to ask her if she's all right. It's a stupid question, and Ran already knows the answer. What she does say is this, "It's all right to take a break, you know."

"Is it?" Ai says, almost absentmindedly. "I thought you of all people would want to get back to normal as quickly as possible."

"I don't mind waiting," Ran says.

A scoff. "That's obvious."

Ran frowns. It's not exactly hostile, just wary, and a clear reference to all the times Shinichi has let Ran down, left her behind. She wonders if Ai feels the same way, that Shinichi has done that to Ai, too.

So she makes a decision. Ran hugs her. Ai's too surprised to push her away at first, and then by the time it sinks in, Ran has her in a good hold. "I'm worried about you," Ran says. "We're all worried about you."

"You shouldn't be," Ai says to her shoulder. She doesn't try to pull away, but she doesn't hug back, either. She just accepts it. Ran wonders how many times in her life she's just had to accept things as they were without any thought of how she must feel.

"You don't get to decide that," Ran says. "You don't get to tell us how we feel about you."

"And what about how I feel?" Ai raises her voice, the words coming out harsh. "Doesn't that matter?"

Ran takes it in stride. "Of course it matters," she says. "You matter." She tightens her arms. "I'm here if you want to talk about it, or just want to talk."

"Don't patronise me!" Ai says, and this time it's definitely a shout. Ran winces, flinches back a little. She yanks herself out of Ran's arms, and Ran lets her go.

"I'm not. You're more than what you've done, you know."

"What would you know about it?" Ai snaps, and she's definitely hostile now. Ran doesn't take it personally, since it looks like she finally hit the nerve she was aiming for.

"Madeira talked about you," Ran says, "Sherry." Ai freezes. "That's right. I know more than you think I do."

"I don't recognise that code name," Ai says, and her voice is small.

"She was the scientist assigned to the detective project after you left. The one who worked on me," Ran says, calmer than she feels. If she closes her eyes, she can see Gin falling, she can feel the cold lab table kissing her skin. "It was going to happen whether you were the head of the project or not, Ai."

"Don't speak to me so familiarly," Ai mutters.

"Haibara, then," Ran says. "You chose to leave."

"They killed my sister."

"Even so, you could have stayed and finished your work for them. Kept your head down and your mouth shut. You didn't have to take a stand."

"What kind of monster—" Ai begins, then trails off.

"Exactly," Ran says. "People are allowed to change. You're not the choices you've made."

"That's easy for you to say. What have you ever done?" Ai asks her, and it sounds desperate. Ran doesn't blame her. Ai's hungry, and tired, not thinking straight, and pushing herself too hard because of guilt. It's destroyed lesser people.

Ran closes her eyes, thinks back to scissors in her hands and the lack of air, purple spots in front of her eyes, dark thoughts in her mind and greying vision, sound of cracking bone ringing in her ears. It's threatening to destroy her. "Enough," she says, eyes still closed, "I've done enough," she repeats.

"How can you stand it?" Ai asks.

"I take it a day at a time," she says, opening her eyes to find Ai watching her.

"And if that doesn't work?"

"Then I take it an hour, a minute, a second at a time," Ran wrings her hands. "I met your sister, you know. She was nice." She's not sure if this is the direction she should be going in, but it feels right.

"She deserved better," Ai says bitterly.

Ran nods. "Yes, she did. And so do you," Ran says. "You don't have to spend the rest of your life paying for your mistakes."

"You don't understand. People are dead because of me." Ai's being dreadfully honest. Ran's not sure if it's because she's so tired or Ran finally knows, but it's something she's been holding in for a long time. And with Shinichi being the only other one…she loves that boy, but sometimes he emulates Holmes a little too much when he shouldn't, especially where emotions are concerned. How long has Ai been keeping this in? It can't have been good for her.

"No, I don't. And I'm not going to pretend I do. I can't even imagine the things you've been through or the choices you had to make," She walks forward, limping, one hand on the desk for balance. "What I can do is be here for you if you need me," Ran says, reaching out her hand. "In whatever form you need that to take."

Ai stares at her hand for the longest time, a river formed between her brows. "Not all of us can be you," she says at length.

"Just the fact you're here at all says enough, Haibara," Ran says. Much to her embarrassment, her eyes are welling up with tears again, and now her own hand is shaking. "Can't you see that? Because of you, we have a chance of getting back to who we used to be." She doesn't say normal because normal is relative.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be like this to begin with," Ai says.

"I'm not so sure. Shinichi said both your work and hers was based on an older project," Ran says. She takes her other hand and rubs at her face, attempting to stop the flow of tears. She's such a stupid crybaby; why does she have to be like this? "It would have—It would have probably happened anyway."

"You're crying," Ai says, bewildered.

"S-sorry, I can't help it," Ran says. "It's just so sad!"

Ai shakes her head. "Just like Akemi," Ai says, and then she's crying, too, throwing her arms around Ran, hugging her tightly, twisting her hands in her dress. Ran holds her until they're both cried out, giving Ai her handkerchief.

"Feel better?" Ran asks. "Please take a break," she begs, as Ai wipes her eyes and blows her nose.

"Yeah." She picks up the bento and eats; her hands are steadier. Ran makes sure she drinks both juice boxes to keep her energy up. When she's done, Ran pulls out her comb and gets to work on her hair.

"You don't have to treat me like a child," Ai says, cracking a huge yawn.

"I'm not. It might make you feel better, that's all," Ran says. "It always helps me when I don't feel so well." She's gentle, with the tangles, starting from the bottom and working her way up, and Ai doesn't say anything else, which is as good as permission. When she's done, Ran arranges the bed, makes her lie down.

It's a token of how tired Ai is she doesn't protest, not even when Ran covers her with her own lab coat.

Ran leaves when she's asleep, closing the door behind her softly so it won't wake her.

There's a whole chorus of questions and comments directed at her; Ran looks every single person in the eye and says, "We're coming back later," in a tone as firm as her girlish voice can manage.

"But—" Shinichi and her father try to protest almost as one.

Ran smiles sweetly. " I said we're coming back later."

Her father and Shinichi both shudder. Her mother looks rather proud.

Ahh, Ran still has it.


Only three days later, and she and Shinichi are back in Ai's lab, thankfully away from her still hovering parents for the moment, and Ai is handing each of them a pill. It's an innocuous little thing, and it doesn't look like some kind of concentrated growth serum. She says as much.

Ai twists her lip, a wry thing. "Looks can be deceiving," she said. "I tested it the best I could in the time I was given. The nucleic acid chains appear stable. The rats I dosed with apotoxin and again with the regen-idote don't appear to have any adverse side effects after a day of careful observation. Ideally, I'd like to wait a month or to perform more clinical tests, get a bigger sample size, but," they both look over to Shinichi, who is fidgeting. "somebody doesn't want to wait. You sure you're fine with it?" She directs that question to Ran. "Because you know I would prefer you to wait. I'm still only ninety-three point zero six percent certain this will work, and unexpected side effects might yet develop."

Ran nods. "I have faith in you, Haibara," Ran says.

A faint smile crosses Ai's face. "Ai. It's Ai."

"Then it's Ran." She returns the smile. "I'm not worried. Not with you looking out for us."

Shinichi's eyes flicker back and forth between them as Ai checks his blood pressure one last time. "When did you two become such good friends?" he asks.

Ai ignores his question. "Are you ready?" she asks instead, noting down the last of his vitals.

"As I'll ever be," Shinichi says.

"Yes," Ran says, and she takes the pill.