Disclaimer: Anything you recognize doesn't belong to me.

A/N: I think I am getting scatter brained. I forgot to say this. There are some references made in the previous chapter about the promise Shinichi made to Ran in the restaurant. This is from vol. 26 of the manga.

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It's Been You All Along

Chapter 3

The shrill ringing of the telephone broke the silence that filled every corner of the nearly empty house of Professor Agasa and interrupted the thoughts of its inhabitants. The small blonde girl who had been leaning against the door to the room in which a little boy was in, walked calmly and coolly in long strides to reach the telephone.

"Hello," Ai Haibara answered, her voice clipped and cool.

"Ai? Is that you? This is Ran here… I was just wondering… if Conan is around?" from the other end of the telephone, came the worried anxious voice of Ran Mouri.

Her large eyes of a chilly blue turned to fixate on the door on which she had been leaning on earlier. Without even pausing to think, Ai allowed her voice to sound more child-like as she said wondrously, "Conan? He's not here… Are you looking for him urgently Ran? I shall tell him that you are looking for him then, should he stop by…"

For a while, the person at the other end said nothing. Then, a soft voice came, "All right then… I guess… I… Please tell him to return home immediately. I…"

Sensing that she probably had more to say, Ai prompted sweetly, "Yes?"

"Nothing… Thank you Ai…"

"No problem… I will pass the message to him. Bye Ran!"

Without even waiting to hear the other party bid farewell, Ai hung up the phone with a satisfactory click, her thoughts heavy and her suspicions confirmed. Ran knew pretty much the gist of the entire story already. The expression on her face unreadable, Ai turned to face the door once more before retreating to the basement.

Something had to be done.

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Up and down the room she paced, finally settling in a position by the window, which allowed a good view of the roads below. Perhaps if her mind weren't that occupied, Ran would have noted the odd false cheer in the little girl's voice. Out of the window she looked, stationing her self behind the glass pane, almost expecting to see that familiar little figure of a bespectacled child dressed in a blue suit hurry home.

But he never did appear… and so, she waited. What more were a few hours to her? She had, after all, waited for almost a year, an eternity to her, for Shinichi's return.

Shinichi…

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The door swung opened abruptly as revealing a small figure of a young boy in the doorway. Wordlessly, the boy walked out of the room, heading for the main door, only to be stopped by a voice that came from behind him.

"Well?" a questioning tone sounded from Ai as she crossed her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at Conan.

"I… Tell Professor Agasa to contact my parents. I'll be joining them in America…"

"So this is it? That's all that you are going to do? Run away and leave the rest of us here with a mess you created to clear?"

At this, Conan raised his voice harshly in reply, "There's nothing else I can do!"

He had never felt so helpless in his life. How did it turn out to be like that? He knew deep down that running away was not a solution, but… there was nothing else he could do…

Crossing the distance that stretched out between them, Ai reached out a hand to pat him on the shoulder. With a gentler tone, she continued, "Running away is not a solution… You know it too don't you? There will be too many things left undone while you're gone. Your abrupt departure will surely attract attention. If the Black Organization gets wind of it… There may be nothing left when you return… If you manage to return that is. And even if they don't… I'm sure Ran will find you in America eventually… Besides… you can't really bear to leave her behind, can you? You rejected your parents' offer to follow them to America for a reason right?"

Fixing her eyes upon his, she said, "That reason… It's her isn't it?"

At a loss for words at her perfect analysis of his state of mind and flow of thoughts, Conan looked away.

"However… there is another option."

At that, Conan returned his gaze sharply. "What is it?!"

Fishing a clear little plastic bag that contained a single blue pill from her pocket, she handed it over to Conan.

"This can erase recent events from a person's memory."

Examining it from every angle, Conan returned it, replying in utter disbelief, "You are kidding."

Crossly, she retorted, "No I am not kidding. It really can erase memories of a few days from a person's memory bank." Then, with a self-satisfied smirk, she continued, "It's be tried and tested, and proven true."

Narrowing his gaze that fixated upon her, he drew his words out slowly, "You… You didn't happen to test it on Professor Agasa did you?"

With a shrug, she said, "Take my word for it. Go on… It's the only solution for now. There are no side effects to the drug. A little fatigue perhaps with a gaping hole in the memory… But nothing more… Trust me."

And as the boy reached out a quivering hand uncertainly, Ai added silently to herself, "You've got no one else you can trust now."

For an instant, silence hung in the air like a thick blanket as both held their gaze, as if trying to read the other's mind through the eyes. An intense pair of blue eyes behind a pair of thick glasses met those of a blank icy blue. Then finally, Conan turned and left wordlessly, his hesitant steps betraying his inner feelings.

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A/N: Aha! Long time no see! Sorry for the long wait for the next update… I must admit that this chapter is rather short and has plenty of dialogue… Sorry! I guess I still am not used to writing after such a long break from it. My exams are over!!! Yay!!! I'm going nuts from the joy... Anyway, I'll do my best… If all goes well, this story will probably end in the next chapter… Please review and give me your comments… Thank you!