DISCLAIMER: Detective Conan belongs to the rightful owner, Gosho Aoyama. I do not claim ownership of the anime/manga characters used. Other than that - the story and setting are fictitious and are products of the author's imagination.
With Spring Comes a New Beginning
Mid-April brings a lot of things for Conan and Haibara. For the first time in a long time, a sense of tranquillity washes over them as they silently walk side by side each other.
Haibara walks little steps at a time with her hands clasped behind her and a small smile gracing her face. It is the most relaxed Conan has ever seen of her. She has always been secretive and full of tension. At this moment, however, she seems to have let go of her guard and it makes him relieved somehow. The young detective on the other hand matches her little steps as he ambles beside her, his own hands clasped behind his head like he usually does. They have not spoken in a while now, but he is not complaining. He likes the silence and the peace. He likes the underlying notion that they are no longer in danger.
Conan is so deep in his thoughts that he has not noticed that his companion is no longer walking beside him. Looking back, he sees Haibara standing several feet behind, looking up with an expression of what he regards as astonishment. "Haibara?" he calls.
"Sakura," she mutters so softly he barely hears her.
"What about Sakura?" he queries.
"It is raining Sakura flowers, Edogawa-kun," she says, smiling at him so suddenly, it figuratively floors him.
For a moment he is awestruck. After all, it is not all the time that someone can see one Haibara Ai smiling so carefree. Especially not this Haibara Ai in front of him. Not that he knows a lot of Haibara Ai's, he adds in his mind.
He shakes out of his thoughts and looks around. Indeed, it is raining Sakura flowers. They have been taking random detours so he has not noticed that they are now walking along a pathway lined with blooming Sakura trees on the side. The gentle breeze is naturally pulling the flowers from the trees, making the beautiful pink blossoms sway in every direction before they fall to the ground.
"Indeed, it is," he agrees. He looks back at her and says, "It's beautiful." Gazing at her with pink flurry petals in the background- it is such a picture-perfect moment that he wants to pull out his smartphone and literally take a picture of her.
She starts walking, ever so slowly, while looking up in total admiration of the scenery. Not being able to hold himself back, he takes out his phone and surreptitiously captures this breath-taking moment. Just as he finishes taking the picture, Haibara looks back at him and he hasten to move his hands behind him.
She raises an eyebrow at his suspicious behaviour but does not question him, thank goodness. Instead, she says, "It's a personal favourite." Seeing his confused expression, she adds, "This flower, that is."
"Aah," he nods. Suddenly, he smirks at her and asks, "What, because it's pink?" If he remembers correctly, this woman-kid has an assortment of things that are pink. Perhaps her favourite color? Somehow, it is unexpected of her, but at the same time it is just so like her.
She rolls her eyes and responds, "That's not only it."
When he figures that she will not explain further, Conan groans and complains, "Come on, don't leave me hanging. Why do you like this flower?"
"Well, it's not just the flower but actually the tree in general," she says vaguely, making the shrunken detective even more confused. So she likes the Sakura tree but she has not answered his question yet.
"Okay, I'm not following you at all, Haibara," he says.
Haibara suddenly chuckles before smirking at him, the same teasing smirk that she always shows him. "For a genius detective, you are surprisingly clueless," she comments.
Conan frowns. He does not really like it when someone questions his deduction skills, but it is Haibara. He knows she means well. Instead of going full-on defensive mode, he settles with a little pout. "Well, I don't have enough clues to come up with a plausible reasoning."
The smirk never leaves her face as she raises one elegant eyebrow. "Okay, genius, here's another clue: because it blooms in spring."
Spring.
That's why.
He understands her now.
Emulating her smirk, he dons his own assured one and confidently says while nodding in understanding, "Aah, spring. Okay, I get it."
Haibara is not really surprised. He is a great detective after all. But playing along, she responds with "Really? Pray tell, how exactly do you get it, Mr. Great Detective?"
Conan shrugs. "Exactly as you said it. Because it blooms in spring." He then goes into full explanation mode that is typical of him when given the chance. "The Cherry Blossom trees may mean a lot of things, you know, but basically they symbolize beauty and mortality. Blooming season is such a sight to behold, just like now," he gestures around him, indicating this picturesque scenery they are in. "But Sakura flowers only live for a short time. This describes the life of a human, beautiful but short-lived, which basically tells us that beautiful things don't last forever, and so we should not take them for granted."
Suddenly, Conan stops walking and looks at her. "But," he says. "A Cherry Blossom tree will bloom again the next year, and the year after that, and the years after. They bloom in spring and so - because it's you we are talking about - I could only think of the meaning of 'rebirth'. A new beginning. The start of something new. That is why you like it, right? Because it symbolizes a renewal of something that is already worn out or broken." There is a slight pause before he continues like an afterthought. "After the frigid and gloomy winter comes the blossoming of flowers. It's totally befitting of you right now, Haibara."
Haibara merely stares at him. She can only nod at his words. She honestly doesn't know what to say. Leave it to him to make a connection of everything. It is exactly as he said it, and it is making her speechless.
They stand there, staring at each other, neither wanting to break this moment. There is no tension at all, but there is something that both of them just cannot explain. Neither dislikes it so neither wants to break it.
After a while, before things become awkward, Conan decides to break the silence first. "But its flower meaning may mean different depending on the color. Like these pink Sakuras here, they also symbolize love, affection and femininity," Conan continues his sudden burst of knowledge about the flower that Haibara cannot help but laugh. Of course, this is Conan Edogawa - apparently, a walking encyclopedia.
"Yeah. You sure are a know-it-all, Edogawa-kun."
Conan gives a deadpan look before rolling his eyes, and says nothing after.
They continue to walk, this time in silence, along the Sakura-lined walkway. Suddenly, Conan jogs a little ahead and crouches down, picks something up, and stands back up to face her. "Give me your hand," he commands, to which the little scientist only responds with a raised eyebrow. "Come on, Haibara. Just give me your hand."
The said woman sighs but complies anyway. She reaches a hand to him and he takes it with his own. He turns her hand over, palm up, and places his other loosely-closed fist on top of it. "Here's to a new beginning for Haibara Ai."
On her palm is a pretty pink Sakura flower still in good condition.
Haibara looks up to him in surprise. Conan simply grins. She does not want to admit it but this is probably the sweetest gesture and the loveliest present she has ever received from him. She smiles back.
This time, it is her turn to give something back. Haibara fishes something from her skirt pocket and takes Conan's other hand. She too places something on his hand – a small clear container. Inside is a white medicine capsule. "This-"
She beats him to whatever he is about to say and softly declares, "It's the rebirth of Miyano Shiho and a new beginning for Kudo Shinichi."
So maybe he has other reasons for giving her the flower. So maybe it is not purely a representation of a new beginning for her. However she takes his gift, it does not matter. For now, that is.
But this thing in his hand is so unexpected. He has always thought this day will never come but here it is. He is going to go back to his life as Kudo Shinichi, and this time he will make sure that she – that Miyano Shiho – will be a part of it.
Conan looks like he wants to hug her at the moment. However unlike a while ago, this time he resists to do so. It will be awkward and embarrassing for sure, but he is definitely not denying –not to himself anyway- the urge to wrap her in his arms.
Instead of giving in to his impulses, he settles for a boyish grin that can probably make anyone fall in love. This will do for now.
"You're right. It's now spring for us, Miyano."