So… I know it took me a while, but I finally updated… and I think this chapter is still kind of crappy… I kind of ran out of ideas in the middle.
As or my late update, I pray that you'll forgive me.. high school is more difficult that I had expected… well the homework is, anyway.
This is the only song I don't credit to the author inside of the story, so "First Love" is strictly property of Utada Hikaru. Not me.
Silent Life
Chapter Nine
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"I can't believe you're serious about this… this doesn't even count as studying… it's just reading off lines that we memorized weeks ago," Haibara yawned.
Conan rolled his eyes and took a sip of his coffee, "Don't complain. I bought you coffee and a slice of cheesecake… it's not as if I get a large allowance as an eight year old. Besides, it was your idea to tell those kids that we were dating." He said the last words with a little shudder, causing the woman sitting across from him to look down quietly before taking a bite of the cake.
"The cake is good," her voice was neutral. "And it was worth it to see the waiter's face when you ordered coffee for the both of us."
"See? Now stop complaining and start rehearsing," he opened his script book and took another gulp of coffee.
Haibara almost laughed at the sight. A small boy wearing a suit like outfit (the one Conan always wears) drinking coffee. "I get it," she teased. "You haven't memorized your lines, have you? Do you have trouble with stuff like this, Mr. Sherlock Holmes?"
He glared at her, but did nothing more than grumble about annoying women on their periods. Again, she almost laughed… what eight year old child had her period? Deciding to take pity on him, she opened her script and read aloud, "So we meet again, Mr. Holmes. I don't suppose you're here just because you missed me." Her tone fit her character. Sarcastic.
"Unfortunately, you're only half correct. True, I do have some business with you… but I also was hoping to see you again."
"Oh?" She paused to take a drink from her coffee. "Mmm… that hits the spot… um… Oh… really?"
"Will you please at least try to put some feeling into this?" he buried his hands in his face. "I really need to practice."
She regarded him silently. What was going on with him? Why the sudden change of attitude? Why was he so desperate… he's not a bad actor, I know that for a fact. "Let me guess… Ran-nee-chan coming to see this play?"
Bingo.
Conan turned beet red and looked down at his reflection in the coffee. "MmHmm…"
"Fine then," he looked up at her, surprised as she took a deep breath and began once again. "So… we meet again, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. I don't suppose you've come here just because you missed me." Her eyes were lidded and her tone was a mix of sarcastic wit and hushed urgency.
He gaped at her for a few seconds. Her renewal of vigor and sudden determination was great… but most of all… Haibara was just good… but he continued nonetheless. "You are half correct," he gave her a sly smile. "I do have some other business to attend to here… but I have been hoping to see you again as well."
"Oh… really…?" Haibara broke their stare and looked away from him, both shy and disappointed. "But I suppose it doesn't matter. Have you come to lock me up for blackmailing the king? Or… I can assure you that I had only that one photo… of us ever being together…" she whispered the last part of the sentence, and bit her lip, as if struggling with something inside of her.
"Um…" Conan reddened once again. "This is the part where we-"
Haibara brought her face forward and placed her lips gently against his.
Conan's eyes were wide. Hers were shut. But he didn't pull away, instead he slowly began to shut his own eyes… only halfway, and they stayed like that together for a few seconds until some people around them began to take notice.
It was Haibara who pulled away first, but it was Conan who took the initiative and spoke, "No!" he stammered, still blushing. "T-That's not how it works. I-I… I mean, Holmes was the one who was supposed to his Irene Alder… not the other way around." Haibara decided not to meet his eye and instead looked down, a pink stain spreading across her cheeks as well.
"What? You want to do it over again?" she sighed when he merely looked down and said nothing. "I think that's enough practicing for one day. You're a good actor… you won't let her down."
Between them… or maybe at least to Haibara, her always meant… Ran.
Ignoring the squeeze of pain in her heart, she stood. "Don't look so surprised, it's as if you've never been kissed before," her tease was not heartfelt, and it seemed as if Conan realized it too, because he also stood and took her by the hand.
"Actually… I haven't," he grinned sheepishly. Haibara only nodded to acknowledge his words, her entire focus was on their intertwined hands, and she looked up at him, questioningly.
"Ah…" he let go over her hand reluctantly… it had felt nice holding her hand… "I was wondering, do you feel up to a date?"
She merely stared.
"Ah! What I mean is," he looked around for an excuse, but found none. "Er… I mean, you told everyone we were dating… might as well go on a date. A first date." He smiled at her, and, not knowing why, wished with all his heart that she would agree.
Haibara eyed the half-eaten cheesecake on the table and sat back down in the seat, "Well…" she took a small bite. "You know, if you don't plan on continuing this silly little charade, we could simply tell them that it was… a dare. I honestly don't expect you to take me out on dates… don't feel responsible for doing that. I'm not some lovesick teenager like someone is."
Choosing to say nothing about her last implication, Conan shrugged, "The truth is, I just want to get to know you better." When didn't offer up a sarcastic remark, he continued. "I mean, we are friends now… right?"
No longer enemies, you mean. But you're wrong Kudou… I'm still Sherry… Sherry will haunt me for the rest of my life… whether I want to be a part of her or not.
"Fine. Where did you want to go?"
"You can't possibly be serious," she crossed her arms as they sat down on the sofa of… a karaoke room. "And what are they doing here?"
"You know as well as I do," Conan sighed. "They saw us going in… and followed."
Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuiko flipped through the list of songs excitedly.
"Mitsuiko-kun! What do you want to sing first?"
"I think you should sing first, Ayumi-chan. You have such a pretty voice."
"I agree with Genta-kun!"
"But…" the three of them chimed in in unison. "Conan-kun should never sing!" And they gleefully went back to their business, with Ayumi casting looks at Conan every once and awhile, and Mistuiko eyeing Haibara shyly.
She ran a hand through her blond her and leaned back into the soft, blue cushioning of the chair. "I am also surprised as to your choice of our… date. I thought you detested singing."
"I don't hate it…" he grumbled. "I'm just really bad at it."
Haibara resisted the urge to laugh. As satisfying as it would have been to keep on teasing and beating on the genius detective the entire day, she would rather just relish the moment. The first… and probably the only date she would ever have with him.
"Ai-chan!" Ayumi giggled, running over to her. "You should sing too!"
Not sure whether or not Ayumi was trying to embarrass her as revenge for 'dating' Conan, or whether the girl was simply a saint, Haibara declined. "No thank you… I'll just watch."
"Hey! I spent good money getting us into here… you better sing. That's why I asked you to come here in the first place. Plus… this is the nice kind of karaoke house… they even grade you on your singing," Conan frowned, placing his hands on his hips… acting like the eight-year-old he looked like.
She said nothing in response, and watched as the detective boys sang the theme song to "Meitantei Conan"… for which they received a five out of a possible ten on the grade scale.
Ayumi sang "I'm Dreaming of You" by Selena:
"… and there's no place I'd rather be…
than here in my room…
dream with you, can this be!
Oh… I'm dreaming… of you tonight…
'til tomorrow… and for all of our lives!"
And, of course, she sang all of this while staring at Conan. Her gaze didn't budge, and it succeeded in getting the poor boy to become extremely nervous. In the end, he managed to give her a shaky smile, which she took as a sign that he would most likely as her to be his girlfriend soon, and promptly seated herself between Haibara and Conan. She squealed with delight when he singing received a seven point five.
Mitsuiko and Genta sang a duet of "Bloody Venus" while glaring at an uneasy Conan (Haibara was laughing quietly to herself), and, to everyone's surprise, (not) received a three.
Conan's dark eyes widened in surprise as Haibara stood and made her way to the stage. His gaze followed her small figure as she silently ordered a song and raised the microphone to her lips. The background music came on as a soft piano… and she sang…
"Saigo no kisu wa tabako no flavor ga shita
Nigakute setsunai kaori
Ashita no imagoro ni wa
Anata wa doko ni irundarou
Dare wo omotterundarou
You are always gonna be my love
Itsuka darekato mata koi ni ochitemo
I'll remember to love you taught me how
You are always gonna be the one
Ima wa mada kanashii love song
Atarashi uta utaeru made
Tachidomaru jikan ga
Ugoki dasouto shiteru
Wasureta kunai kotobakari
Ashita no imagoro niwa
Watashi wa kitto naiteru
Anatawo omotterundarou
You will always be inside my heart
Itsumo anata dake no basho ga aru kara
I hope that I have a place in your heart too
Now and forever you are still the one
Ima wa mada kanashii love song
Atarashii uta utaeru made
You are always gonna be my love
Itsuka darekato mata koi ni ochitemo
I'll remember to love you taught me how
You are always gonna be the one
Mada kanashii love song
Now and forever."
No one seemed to notice as she finished the song, but a small tear ran down her cheeks. Conan wasn't sure if it had been present. Ayumi's desperate attempt to shield his eyes from Haibara's high score of a nine point nine out of ten (he wondered why she didn't get a ten… she deserved it) kept him from being positive, but he had been able to tell… while Haibara had been singing, that she was singing to someone… about someone… and he felt a pang of jealousy in his heart.
His first thought was…
Who did she love?
His second thought was…
Her singing is the most beautiful thing I have heard my entire life. Two Mix didn't stand a chance.
"Ai… that was…" he whispered.
She looked away from him, unable to meet his gaze.
He stood, almost pushing Ayumi off of him, and would have gone over to Haibara, but the door opened and a worker stepped in.
"Yoshida-sama? Mitsuiko-sama? You both have calls up front."
Reluctantly, the two children left the room before reentering and announcing that their parents wanted them home. Not wanting to be left behind, Genta followed them, leaving Haibara and Conan alone in the room.
"We're alone now… aren't we?" Conan wanted to punch himself for stating something so ridiculously obvious.
"Hn…"
"Hey…" he began again. "That was really very pretty, Haibara… the score board agrees with me as well."
She still wasn't looking at him, and it was driving him insane. He wanted to… he wanted to walk over there…to do something he would before have only dreamt of doing to Ran… he wanted to kiss her sweet lips again… he wanted to…
"Do you think you could teach me how to sing?"
At this, she finally looked at him. "You called me Ai."
"Can I… call you that? … and you're avoiding the question," he crossed his fingers, praying that she wouldn't leave… he desperately wanted to get to know her better… though he didn't know why.
She regarded him silently before nodding, "Call me Ai… call me Shiho… it doesn't matter. As for singing lessons… do you really think you're up to it?" She seemed to have recovered from her bout of nervousness and sarcasm dripped from her words like they usually would have.
"Shiho… I like that."
She blushed.
"J… Just get over here," she turned and ordered another song. "This is… I Want to Communicate With Your True Self."
(For those that don't know, that was a song that song was in an episode of Detective Conan.)
"For starters… just hum along to the tune… slowly, don't worry about keeping up, just hum whatever you can…"
And, of course, he was the exact opposite of Haibara. For his terrible humming, he received a zero.
"Fine… just try and hum along to the tune that I sing then," she sighed.
"La… I love you more… no! stop! Listen carefully. The tone starts a little lower… try and sing the 'I'."
"Okay… just a little lower… you've got it!" she smiled, and he smiled as well. "Now try it again…. okay.. now let's move on… try 'love'… a bit higher… no… not that high… got it!"
Taking a deep breath, Conan sang the entire tune, "I love you more…"
"Perfect!" Haibara smiled. "How do you feel?"
"I feel…" he smiled back. "Like I'm in love… I mean, that I love it when you smile! You should smile more often."
She blushed and crossed her arms, "Don't get smart with me mister. I'm teaching you how to sing as a favor."
He drew closer to her, and she backed away from him, now a little nervous. "I'm serious, he whispered. You're amazing… nobody could teach me how to sing… even Ran tried."
His body wasn't listening to his brain, which was yelling "what are you doing!", but instead kept walking towards her, backing her into a wall.
"I think… I…" he leaned down and lifted her chin up with his hand so that she was staring straight into his eyes. "I… I don't know why but…"
Haibara shut her eyes… and leaned forward, resting her head on his chest.
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To Be Continued…
How do you like it? Don't forget to review! Can you see the… 'sparks' flying between them yet? xD REVIEW OR DIE!