Rules are rules, but ...

by SoulsFire (former PulsingSoul)

Chapter 5

Rule Nr. 5

Every sentiment or energy is either useful for this Organization, or useless.

They had soon fallen asleep, both too tired to deal with anything else but sleep. Life, though, does not just stop because you´re tired. It would be really great if it would, but reality is far different.

When he woke up, his eyes adjusting to the now very very evil sunlight, which by the magic of Prof. Agasa had made it into the room, he instantly buried his head back into the soft pillow he was sleeping on.

Slowly he recognized the sophisticated perfume of someone he knew, and upon opening his eyes he suddenly saw perfect milky skin, so soft and so beautiful when warm rays of sun tiptoed across it.

Turning his head slightly, he found himself face to face with Ai, her face so close to his their breaths mingled. She looked . . . he had seen Ran when she was sleeping, and he had thought she was an angel, a beautiful angel, the comparison had seemed natural to him, but right now, he was lost.

He did not wish to compare her to anyone or anything for that matter. No one could do her justice, no one could be like her. She was not what anyone would call angelic, and the thought made him smirk, but she was . . . amazing, fragile, strong and so many other things.

Smiling, he suddenly noticed her eyes open, the intense blue gray of a morning mountain sky making him blush. He did not turn away though. How could he do that? Why would he do that? There was nothing he could hide from her . . .

He was half sprawled over her, yet she did not mind it, not one bit, it made her feel strangely warm and safe, feeling his arms around her waist, their legs tangled together. She was not going to move, no way . . . this actually felt . . . nice. And she was warm, even though that blasted window was open, letting all the sunlight in.

Just what was the Prof. up to? Wanting them to get a tan?

bet he just wanted us to wake up so we could finally leave for

that trip in the woods. With no water. With no heat. And oh, did I mention, no way to find a civilized human being, ourselves excluded, for miles. ¨

She smiled at him, a smile which clearly told him she enjoyed his mock sarcasm. Turning over onto the side, she made him turn as well, making him land on his butt.

,Ouch! What the hell were you trying to do, kill me? ¨

She was looking at him, one hand covering her mouth, her eyes showing that glint of maddening fun, her hand suddenly shaking, chuckles becoming outright laughs.

She had a great laugh. Not, too soft, not too loud, and even if it was something too ... something, he would not give a dam about it, to him it would still be great.

There was still one thing to which he objected : she was laughing at him. No, no, not nice at all.

Grabbing the pillow closest to him he threw it at her, and when it hit her, fair and square, he knew he was in big trouble, serious big trouble.

Prof. Agasa had had just about enough of the waiting, and was currently making his way up the stairs, when a twerp whooshed down beside him, a murderous looking Haibara holding a pillow in her hands, throwing it very closely to his head. Now, normally, he would not believe such an action being taken by Haibara, so it is only logical that a very good reaction could not take place, and thus the Prof. was hit by a gigantic pillow, while Conan was holding his stomach because of laughter, Ai looking plain shocked.

One hour later, a few shouts from Prof. Agasa having echoed throughout the house, Ai and Conan were sitting in the car, neither of them looking at the other, silently blaming each other for the sermon they had each received, now being punished severely, having to take their three little ,friends" on their trip as well.

Yes, the Prof. was indeed a very cunning torturer. Just to think of what he could have done during the Inquisition, developing seemingly harmless torture methods.

,Ok, well, now Simon says Conan has got to, got to, hmm, got to, jump on one foot.¨

Said person looked up, noticing the highly amused eyes of the girl sitting next to him, who was just daring him to get up and jump on one foot in a driving car.

Conan could not hide his look of dis contempt and much more, the look which clearly said ,how much stupidity can reign in the brain of these children, and especially Genta? ".

,I´ll do it once we´re at the camping site. "

A heavy sigh rose from his lips, while Ai smiled deviously at him, for the first time in her life behaving like a pouting child. She had never been a child, had never really had fun, had no friends.

Looking at the faces of the smiling children, listening to their game, she was very well aware, she could never make it up to herself. There was truly no use trying. A child should be a child when he or she still was a child. And she was not. She was someone who had lost every chance at innocence there was.

How could she ever ... have fun? Her sister was dead. Her parents were dead. She had ruined Kudo´s life, and had ended the life of many others.

A hand suddenly touched her own, squeezing it gently.

She looked back at him, cursing herself for ever thinking she could hide something from a detective, who could clearly see when she was upset. How could he see? How could he look into her eyes and see behind the facade she had spent years to build?

She was so easy to read, not as if he had known her for years, or as if he was a very skilled people reader, although he was, but with her that would have been of little, if not no use, at all. It was like he instinctively knew when she felt discomfort, when she felt sadness, or pain, like he had a mystery in front of himself, the only thing which remained to him, was solving it, all the clues being there.

They looked at each other, and it did not seem to matter anymore. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Death, danger, pain, what were they more but unsuccessful tries to live, to be happy, to allow yourself to be free of the guilt of the past?

, You´re Ai here, and I´m just Conan. "

The other three children looked at him as if he had grown another head.

,Of course you two are you two, what kind of sentence was that?" Ayumi said turning around to the front, shaking her head at the boy.

Ai however looked at him.

Not the scientist, nor the detective.

Just Ai and Conan.

Feelings are not useless, no matter how hurting or freeing they are. They are the ones who make us who we are. We don´t feel the same, no one can feel the same.

And yet, now, these two felt only one thing . . .

They felt safe and cared for in the others company.

Feelings are never useless.

Not the feelings that now began to grow in both their hearts.