File Fifty-Six: Refusing The Offer

"So, do you understand, Conan-kun?" Conan could only drop his head, as Ran went on and on. "You're going straight home after school."

"Yes."

"No detours."

"Yes."

"No soccer, no cases, no mysteries, no secret trips to any bookstore..."

"Yes."

It was too early for this.

After basically skateboarding ─ flying ─ his way inside a burning, escapeless, 75 floor building, the news of his grounding hadn't been quite the surprise. He had been forced through yet another stern and deadly lecturing from Kogoro ─ aided by Ran's severe glare ─ the entire way home, and all dinner.

They had finished right when it was time to go to bed, not without being ordered to give all his prized books to Ran. That was probably what it hurt the most.

And there he was now, sitting in front of Ran and his breakfast as she repeated every single rule he was supposed to follow today, daring to extend it to all spring vacation if he disobeyed.

Yeah, he was determined not to let that happen.

"By the way," he managed to speak, once she had gone over everything for now. "Where did Kogoro-ojisan go? He wasn't in his bed when I woke up."

"He left early," Ran explained. "He said he had some stuff to do."

That caused Conan to blink, momentarily confused and curious about what in this world would cause Mouri Kogoro, of all people, to leave so early in the morning. Figuring out it wasn't his business, however, Conan shrugged and continued to eat. Ran did the same.

"So, did you talk with Shinichi?" the girl asked. "He was a bit worried last time we talked."

"More like 'hysterical'," his head shook from side to side, even if the tips of his lips were fighting to remain in place. "I assured him everything was fine, though. That should be enough for now."

"Not that I can blame him. What you did there was pretty reckless," Conan merely shrugged, doing his best to ignore the glare she was probably sending his way ─ but refusing to say anything in case this set off another fit of scolding from her part. "And I'm not only talking about the way you got back into the building, or how you got out of it."

Conan paused, looking up so his confused gaze could meet her stern one.

"Did you tell him?" her eyes narrowed. "About the way you rushed up to the front of that elevator, right after a sniper tried to shoot you?"

She didn't miss the slight widening of his eyes, or the flash of horror in them as he flinched violently. "What are you talking about, Ran-neechan?" Ran couldn't help but notice how much this child resembled his brother, forcing a smile like that. "There was no sniper. Probably a pebble just fell from somewhere and..."

That argument sounded weak, even in his ears.

"I saw it," she said, prompting him to shut up. "The laser point in the middle of your forehead, Conan-kun."

"... Are you sure you didn't just imagine it?"

"Conan-kun."

"Ah, look, it's so late!" Conan glanced at the clock, standing up, and rushing to get his backpack. "We have to hurry, Ran-neechan!"

He didn't get to, however.

It didn't matter how fast he had intended to leave that place, Ran was taller and, in two long steps, she had reached the door and rested a hand against it, blocking his only way back.

"I know what I saw, Conan-kun, as you do as well," Conan just stood there, refusing to look at her. "So, you better tell me what you are hiding or-"

"Or what?"

To say that she was surprised at the challenging tone this little boy used, which he had never done to her before, was an understatement. Far too shocked to say anything, she watched as he raised his head, a frown etched into his features as he simply stared back at her, unblinking.

"I'm sorry," the boy continued, in a quiet voice, almost pleading. "Can we please let this go?"

"You're not going to tell me anything," the girl frowned as well. Just like that idiot detective.

Conan let out a long sigh, focusing his eyes on the floor, as if currently they were the most interesting thing in this entire world. "Aren't we the same?" he then asked. "You hid stuff from me too, Ran-neechan."

She blinked. "What...?"

"You never told me that I was supposed to be dead," shrugging, as if it didn't matter, he placed his hands inside his pockets. "That Kudo Conan is dead," but he didn't meet her in the eyes. "That he was killed in that kidnapping case... Or was it in a car accident? I don't know anymore."

For the longest time, none of them said anything. Conan could feel her intense gaze on him, even if he didn't even take a look at her, and could hear that she was holding her breath, in quiet shock.

Even so, he didn't bother saying anything.

"Conan-kun, I..." finally, Ran let out a long sigh, taking her hand away from the door. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

The girl kneeled down in front of him, and gently grasped his hands. He didn't react, even when he could feel that her hands were shaking, slightly.

"At that time, we talked it over with your parents," her grip tightened, and Conan wondered if she had noticed it herself. "They thought it would be better for you if we made you remember as little as possible about that incident."

Conan didn't speak, which only made Ran's heart clench, painfully.

"We thought... I thought..." another sigh. "I wanted to protect you."

"... I know," then, to her surprise, the boy looked back at her.

It genuinely surprised her when he did. In his eyes, she had expected to see everything ─ from betrayal, to sadness, or even disappointment ─ but she saw none of that.

There was a bright, understanding look in his big blue eyes. And then, he let out a very sweet smile.

"That's why I said we were the same, Ran-neechan."

Baffled as she was, the girl didn't even notice she had released him until he rushed away to pick his stuff up. As if nothing had happened, the boy soon came back and told her that they really were running late, so they had to leave.

That conversation confirmed what she had suspected, the boy knew something about the case his brother was involved in and was determined not to say anything. And, if he was anything like Shinichi, he would never speak of it if he truly wanted to.

Ran frowned.

That didn't mean she was giving up there.

"Mouri-kun? What are you doing here?"

When the detective laughed, making his way inside his office as if he owned the place, Megure's expression shifted from shock to annoyance, partially hoping that this man didn't cause a murder to actually happen inside the Tokyo Police Department.

Now, on a second thought, it was the kid who attracted the corpses, so he guessed he would be safe.

"There's something I want to talk about with you, Inspector," promptly sitting in the chair in front of the inspector, the detective's face went oddly serious. "About the case from the other day."

"Ah, but it has been solved already. Conan-kun found the evidence and Kisaragi Hosui-san is now in prison. What else do you want?"

"I still can't understand why."

"Why? The Mount Fuji, of course."

"No, I don't mean the motive! Why was he declared the culprit for Hara-san's murder when he had a solid alibi?"

Inspector Megure frowned, not speaking for a second, while staring at Kogoro. "He admitted to the crime," he spoke, standing up and looking over the window. "We didn't have any evidence that he wasn't the criminal, so he was declared guilty. Kisaragi-san didn't argue."

"And are you leaving this just like that?" Kogoro exclaimed, clearly distressed. "Hara-san was clearly killed by somebody else."

Megure didn't speak, agitating the detective even more.

"Who was behind the explosions?" Kogoro continued while raising from his seat. "Ran, Conan and those children could've died! And you're telling me there isn't going to be an investigation?"

"That was a terrorist attack that-"

"They were targeting Conan."

Instantly after those words left his mouth, Megure spun around to face Mouri, realizing with a shudder that he was honest when he said that. There was such an intense look on his eyes that let him know that he wasn't lying.

"Ran told me the elevator stopped because of a bullet. Before then, there was a laser pointing at Conan's forehead, and he would have died if she hadn't pushed him away... A sniper was targeting an innocent child, Inspector."

"Do you... Do you think this case is related to...?"

A solemn nod from Kogoro's part caused the inspector to frown, turning to look over the window with a thoughtful expression. "I understand, Mouri-kun," finally, he said. "But you're helping me out."

"Of course," Kogoro replied without a doubt in his mind.

"But this must remain a secret between us two," he declared, turning to look at him, with a severe look. "If the wrong information got into the wrong hands..."

There was no telling what would happen.

"Yesterday was scary, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I really thought we would be gonners."

"Right! I'm so glad that's over."

Tell that to your faces, sighed Conan, watching their friends talk amongst each other about the close call they had the other day, with bright, happy grins all over their faces, as if they were talking about Kamen Yaiba or something of that sort.

But all of sudden, Ayumi stopped smiling, and turned to look at Haibara, who was simply walking in silence. There was a concerned look that neither the scientist or the detective missed.

"But is Ai-chan going to be okay?" the girl asked the other. "You said that they were trying to get you..."

"And there's also the fact that Conan-kun saw Gin's car the other day..." commented Mitsuhiko.

Haibara didn't reply, probably because she didn't have an answer to give them.

"It's alright," Conan spoke up instead. "The only reason Gin was around was because they were after Hara-san. True, he might have bombed the engine room because he knew she would be at the Twin Tower Buildings after hearing her voice message, but once she stopped calling, all clues disappeared."

The other three kids, who had been told about everything when they asked ─ like fifteen times in a single hour ─ could only nod, in understandment, before dropping the topic altogether.

"Gin must have seen it," Haibara wasn't able to drop it, evidently, as she slowed down her pace so she could match and they could walk together, behind their group. "That Ford Mustang convertible that went from one building to the other."

"Yeah, he definitely saw it."

"You don't sound too preoccupied about it."

"Why should I? You said it after the incident at Haido City Hotel. That he can read each and every move you make. Or at least, the old you."

"What's your point?"

"Would cold, collected, and logical Sherry give up her chance to escape by elevator in place of a woman with a baby?" Haibara actually blinked at that. "Word got around that you guys got stuck because of that. Gin must have believed that you either were one of those kids that walked out the elevator, or that you slipped into the crowd with the men and left through the Sky Bridge."

"I have become more stupid, that's what you're saying."

"No, I meant humane," he shrugged, with a small smile. "Believe me, I know. It's downright impossible not to soften up a bit when you're around with those guys for so many hours a day."

The girl honestly had no idea what to say about that, but still turned to gaze at the three children in question, chatting amicably under an umbrella that protected them from the rain pouring over their heads.

"In other words, there's nothing to worry about. Gin might be able to predict Sherry's movements, but it isn't like that with Haibara Ai. So as long as you maintain that identity..."

Crossing his arms behind his head, Conan grinned once more at her, before his eyes fixed back into the road. Haibara, in turn, gave him a long stare, before her eyes went to her feet.

The laughter of her friends filled her ears but far from being recomforting, it was painful instead. Incredibly painful. That was because, deep down, she knew this would be the last time she would hear it.

Everything she had, unknowingly, put everyone through, had prompted Haibara to decide on an answer. An answer that she would give Jodie later that day.

So a new life, huh?

Sherry, Miyano Shiho, Hirota Hana and Haibara Ai... I wonder what new identity I will be forced to get this time around.

None of the other children seemed to be aware of the turmoil she was going through, but she figured it would be better that way. With a smile, she continued walking in silence.

Her head turned and she stared at the reflexion in the glass of a random store. Her smile soon faded into a weird grimace.

A young, lost girl was staring back at her.

... It makes you wonder who, out all those people I have been, is the true 'me'.

"Well," all of sudden, Ayumi paused and turned to her friends. "My house is this way. Until tomorrow, see you in school!"

In turn, the rest waved at her until she disappeared around the corner. Conan contemplated the direction his friend had left for a beat, until he took notice of something.

That melancholic look that haunted Haibara's gaze while she looked at Ayumi's back.

"Haibara-san," there was a frown pinching his features. "You aren't... thinking about something stupid again, are you?"

"Rest assured, Kudo-kun. I'm definitely not thinking about you."

"Idiot, I'm-"

A loud scream didn't let him finish his sentence causing him, and everyone else, to run towards the source, upon recognizing Ayumi's voice. In no time they spotted her, sitting on the wet floor and staring intently at her hand.

"I see. Then you don't remember what that person looked like?"

It wasn't unusual for Conan to end up in the Tokyo Police Department one day after school, but he was glad that nobody had died today. Someone had stabbed a woman in the arm before running off, bumping into Ayumi on his way out. The victim had called him 'the phantom killer'.

He had been wearing a raincoat and a hat, so nobody had been able to recognize him.

Not even Ayumi, but she had heard him yell, so she knew it was a man. That was something, Conan guessed.

Deciding that she would remember something else if they went to the scene of the crime, Sato left with the children in tow. Conan did the same, without any complaint.

But as they passed by Megure's office, Conan saw something that actually caused him to pause and blink.

From a window, the boy could see inside. Kogoro was there, discussing something with the inspector. He looked angry, for some reason, and it made the child wonder.

"Conan!" Genta's voice called before he could try to eavesdrop. "We'll leave you behind!"

With a sigh, and a last glance to the office's direction, Conan followed the group, figuring he could look into this later. The seemingly unimportant fact slipped from Conan's mind as soon as they arrived back into the crime scene.

Between the crowd of people that had formed around them, the children told Sato about what had transcurred. Ayumi had bumped into the man, and he seemed as if he was about to run off, but returned, scaring the girl badly. The girl had heard a 'clink' sound before he left, and when she had glanced at her hand, there was a strange symbol.

She agreed to draw it. It was similar to a '5' or a 'S'.

That symbol, Conan frowned. Where did I see it?

"O-Over there!" suddenly, and for the second time today, Ayumi screamed, pointing somewhere in the crowd.

Of course, it didn't take a second for Conan to run off, Mitsuhiko following suit, and Genta trailing behind, clumsily bumping into some objects that were in his way. Eventually, the children managed to get through the forest of legs and onlookers.

The bespectacled boy was the first one to spot someone standing there, wearing the same raincoat that Ayumi had described. "There he is!" he exclaimed, reading his wristwatch.

He didn't get to, because Genta rushed forward.

"Wait!" Sato tried to stop them. "That person is-!"

Too late. The boy had already tackled that person into the ground, who groaned in pain upon the forced landing he had gone through. "... Takagi-kun," the woman completed with a sigh.

Conan and Mitsuhiko grimaced upon seeing that, indeed, the person there was no other than Takagi.

"That was mean..." complained Takagi, once rising from the ground.

Sighing tiredly, Conan's head shook from side to side. "That's what you get from jumping into the wrong conclusions, Genta," he crossed his arms.

Mitsuhiko blinked at his friend. He was going to shoot him a dart just a few seconds ago.

"... I don't want to hear that from you," Genta huffed, turning around with a very offended look.

Just as he did that, both boys gasped, causing him to wonder what it was. "Don't move," Conan was quick to stop him. "This is... unbelievable."

"Eh? What's wrong?"

"The clue to solve this case... is in your butt, Genta."

"... What?"

Soon they found out that Genta had been sitting on the bonnet of Detective Sato's car earlier, thus leaving its logo imprinted on his pants. Since the symbol had been smaller on Ayumi's hand, and because of a blood imprint on her cuff, which had left a sawtooth pattern on it, they figured out that the object the culprit had dropped was his car's master key.

A quick search through the city, for cars with the same model and owners that had lost their key ─ because it was evident that the criminal would do anything in his power to not have his key examined, since it had been covered with blood ─ left them with three main suspects.

Instantly, Ayumi had offered herself to go and tell the phantom killer apart, since she had heard him yell before.

Haibara had been just as fast to disagree, claiming that it would be dangerous. If the culprit was let off because of lack of evidence, Ayumi's life could be in danger.

So, Conan had suggested taking the middle road.

That was why they were there, currently inside a car with smoked windows, watching the three suspects being interrogated.

The first thing that caught Conan's attention was the middle one, Fukuchi Naokazu, that had been parked very close to the other car. That person then claimed to be a terrible driver.

He repaired his car himself then went to test it... in the middle of the city?

He guessed they wouldn't need Ayumi's help after all, but he couldn't be sure.

"Hey, did you notice something?" Takagi discreetly leaned over the car, whispering to the children.

"Nothing at all," admitted Ayumi. "And none of them yelled either..."

One of the suspects called Takagi, asking him what he was doing, sneaking around. He could only shrug, pretending it was nothing.

"Hey, Detective Takagi," but Conan whispered before he could leave. "I have a favor to ask..." he trailed off, realizing that Mitsuhiko and Genta were strangely close to him, curious eyes staring at him.

Far from being distracted over what the guys were doing, Ayumi got even closer to the smoked glass, frowning slightly. "As I thought, I should go over to take a look," she muttered to herself. Haibara's head turned to her almost instantly. "If I'm right beside them, I may be able to recognize the culprit."

"Don't," her tone didn't leave room for disagreement. "Didn't I already say? If the culprit isn't convicted there's the possibility that it could become dangerous."

"But..."

"It's not only you. Everyone connected to you may fall victim to the culprit's vengeance."

Haibara closed her eyes. It took every ounce of her not to shudder at that woman's cold smile that flashed behind her eyelids, pointing a gun at her. Wordlessly promising a painful death to every single person she knew and loved.

"It requires courage to hide oneself," she then added, with a softer voice.

Even if Shinichi would believe that woman's words, even if Conan would blindly trust his brother's judgement, Haibara couldn't risk it.

This is the correct choice. For your own sake... And for everyone else, too.

Too focused on whatever Conan was asking Takagi to do, nobody noticed the way Ayumi faced her friend, determination burning behind her irises and told her something. Something that left her speechless.

"Ask the forensics team to bring a flathead screwdriver?" Takagi blinked.

"Exactly. Just trust me, okay?"

Honestly speaking, the adult had absolutely no idea of why he was listening to an eight year-old in the first place, but he did.

Meanwhile, the investigation continued. The forensics team came and did a Luminol reaction test in each of the keyholes belonging to every car.

The children watched as they worked. For some reason none of the children couldn't understand, a big, mischievous grin took hold of Conan's face when the car beside Fukuchi's had to be moved so they could make the test on his keyhole.

It remained in place, even when the forensic officer declared there was no reaction.

Takagi was confused and equally surprised, but that feeling became overwhelming when he spotted Conan right beside the door. Giving it a quick glance, he promptly opened it, gathering everyone's attention at the instant.

Wordlessly, he began to hit the cover with a screwdriver, which he had probably borrowed from the forensics team, until he took it off.

"Hey, little boy!" understandably so, Fukuchi wasn't happy with that, so he plucked the child off the ground. He didn't let go, however. "Hey-!"

The lock cylinder was severed. Everyone gasped.

And Fukuchi could do nothing but to watch, with a white face, as they all realized that the key cylinder was lined with vinyl tape.

Could it be...? cold sweat rolled down Takagi's face, turning around to watch the little kid, who simply stood there as Sato inspected the keyhole, with such an innocent look that actually made him more suspicious. Conan-kun predicted this at the start...

It wasn't long until the culprit was cornered. Seeing no way out, while pretending to look for the key number, he jumped inside his car and locked the door.

Grinning to himself, Fukuchi was about to start the car.

When he noticed something on his feet. A pair of blue eyes were staring at him.

"Hi," the plain, childish voice said.

Before something knocked him out.

A loud noise caused everyone to cover their ears and Conan to sigh, annoyed, at the sight of the criminal that had fallen face first on top of the driving wheel and, therefore, his car's horn.

Roughly, Conan pushed him out of the way. His ears were grateful for that.

Pathetic, he could only think, as he stepped out of the car.

Takagi's eyes did not leave him for a long, long time.

"But thank goodness!" Genta exclaimed. The sun was setting down, so the children were on their way back home, this time for real. "The culprit was captured!"

"Now Ayumi-chan doesn't have to worry about being targeted," Mitsuhiko added.

Ayumi paused. "It'd be okay, even if I was targeted."

"Eh? Why?"

Honestly, Conan didn't know why he was still getting surprised everytime Ayumi would cling into him, just like this time around. "Because Conan-kun would protect me," she grinned, brightly.

"Hey, hey..." he wasn't surprised, however, when another two set of glares settled into his being. There are things that are not bound to change... Aren't they?

"Of course," Ayumi turned to face the rest of her friends. "I can depend on Mitsuhiko-kun, Genta-kun and Ai-chan, too."

The two boys in question looked at each other, shocked, before awkwardly nodding and starting to walk once more, this time in silence. Of course, that isn't going to change anytime soon, Conan mentally sighed. Ayumi-chan's ability to tame these two with a simple smile...

Shaking his head, the boy couldn't help but let out a soft smile. But I guess I'm okay with it.

To live just like this, with everyone. It doesn't sound so bad, does it?

"Sorry," Haibara's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

The entire group spun around to see Ai, standing there with her eyes fixed on the floor, shadowed by her bangs, thus rendering them unable to understand what was going through her mind.

"I need to attend something," she turned slightly the other way.

... Haibara-san?

Her head rose and they saw it, her sweet smile. "Bye-bye," she said to them.

Then finally left, running the way opposite them, not giving them another look even when Ayumi, cheerfully, waved goodbye, and the others joined her. The three of them then turned around, continuing their way.

But Conan didn't react, rendered unable to focus on anything but Haibara's back, which grew smaller and smaller the further away she got.

"Conan-kun?" the boy jumped a bit upon the realization that all gazes were on him. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing," he pulled a hopefully reassuring smile. "I just forgot that I had something to do as well."

"Eh? You too?" Mitsuhiko blinked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "See you all tomorrow!"

Without any further word, the three friends had no other option but to see their friend starting to run as well, more or less like Haibara had not long ago. Conan paid no mind to that, willing his body to run faster as soon as he turned around the corner.

"Bye-bye," despite the smile she had flashed them, there was something that didn't sit well with him.

He didn't know what it was, he didn't know if he had just imagined or if he was being just a tad too paranoiac, but he didn't care either. Conan was not risking it.

Because he had seen plain fear behind those eyes earlier that day. And that same fear had prompted Haibara to do many, many stupid things in the past.

His hand went to his glasses and he instantly found it. That blinking dot that moved across a map, belonging to Haibara's badge.

Is she heading to the hospital? Conan was more than confused at that. Why?

Despite it all, the boy still bursted inside the building, earning a few quizzical looks, which he ignored, head snapping from side to side. She must be here, it shouldn't be hard to spot a strawberry blonde little girl in the middle of Japan, right?

And he found her, rushing upstairs. He followed instantly, making sure to keep his distance, so not to be spotted.

When he saw Haibara going inside a room, Jodie's room, Conan felt his body freezing in his spot. His wide eyes did not leave the door she had disappeared from, as the implications slowly, but surely dawned on him.

"If I give it any more time," he could hear Haibara's voice as he got closer to the door. "I might change my mind again."

"Then," Jodie was, of course, there as well. "You've already decided whether you want to accept the Witness Protection Program offer?"

Frowning a bit, Conan slid his hands inside his pockets, turning so his ear would be as close as possible to the closed door. So that was going through her mind, he realized, even though it should have been obvious. Haibara had been, after all, directly threatened by Vermouth.

There was no doubt that Jodie, who had seen the woman pointing a gun at the little girl, would propose something like that to her.

He wondered how he didn't see that coming.

"Yes, of course."

And there it was, the solution to all her problems. The end to all that constant fear for her life, and the end... to all this. Haibara would become someone else, and live a comfortable life somewhere else. Far, far away from this cursed place.

... I'm glad for you, Haibara-san.

He was glad. He should be glad for her, right?

Then... Why?

Why was that he couldn't find the strength to genuinely smile?

"Of course... I refuse."

It seemed like Conan wasn't the only one to be stunned at her unexpected answer, because Jodie had fallen quiet. Blinking twice, the little boy fully faced the door, shock written all over his face as she continued.

"Indeed, it may be safer to become someone else by changing my name and address, but... In the end, it will all repeat again," Haibara's voice could barely be heard from the hallway he was standing at. "To stay in hiding and to live in fear... If my identity seems exposed, I have to become someone else yet again. There's no end in sight... And... and..."

Haibara closed her eyes, picturing Ayumi's determined frown.

"I don't want to run away!" she had said. "If I keep on running away, I can't win! Definitely not!"

"... I-It's because I don't want to run away."

Without even realizing it, Conan's ear was already pressing against the wooden door, eyes opening in full capacity as he tried to hear something more.

"Oh," Jodie finally answered. "As I expected."

"You're not going to object?"

"Yeah, as an FBI agent, I'm entirely against it, of course," from the sound of her voice, Conan could tell she was smiling. "But as a girl who once was on the run for her life, I hope you can treasure those feelings right now. Do your best."

Does that mean... that she...?

Before Conan could even think of moving, he felt gravity doing his thing and pulling him inside the room, upon the door opening. As he stumbled forward a bit, the boy yelped, before recovering his footing.

"Cool Kid?" the agent's clueless voice rang in his ears, causing his gaze to snap towards her, and to pale. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah," he let out a nervous laugh. "I heard that Jodie-sensei was about to leave for America soon soI wanted to..."

He trailed off into silence when he caught sight of the plain look the scientist was burning into his soul, causing all possible excuses he could think of to die down in his throat. A sheepish smile was pulled out in its place.

Closing her eyes and sighing, sounding terribly resigned as she did that, Haibara simply passed by him and began to walk away.

Conan stood there, shifting in his place uncomfortably, not having a clue of what to do. Then, he gave a jerky nod towards the FBI agent. "Wait, Haibara-san!" he took off running after her.

He didn't notice the way Jodie giggled as soon as he disappeared from her sight.

"What is it?" she rolled her eyes once he caught up with her. "Didn't you say you were there to visit that woman?"

The look she gave him was more than enough for him to understand that his lie hadn't been bought. Not that it surprised him.

If she noticed, however, that his face had warmed up a tiny bit, she gave no indication of it.

"Is it true?" she did hear him ask, quietly. "That you decided to stay."

Just as they were about to reach the stairs, Haibara suddenly stopped walking. Conan turned his head to face her, only to realize she wasn't doing the same.

"You heard me, didn't you? I'm tired of running away," her gaze was fixed on the window right beside her. "That's all I have been doing, all my life."

"I take it you have been doing it, even before you became Haibara Ai."

Haibara didn't speak for a beat, then shrugged. "My sister told me before, that she didn't wish this life for me," she passed by him, slowly starting to descend down the stairs. "But she didn't have any choice."

Conan kept silent, simply walking beside her and listening.

"In order to protect me, she taught me to never let anyone know about my true identity," she continued. "She did the best she could to raise me, as she was seventeen when I was born... I never met my parents. They died in an... accident a few days after that."

An accident? Conan frowned. When it came to the Organization, the boy couldn't help but to try and doubt about the truth of those facts. ... Was it, really?

"How did you end up in Japan?" the boy wasn't able to help himself.

"My sister ran away with me," Haibara let out a humorless laugh. "Even then, she had always been so reckless..."

"And they didn't find you?"

"As impressive as that was, she managed to get away from them for five years," she stated, with a genuine smile. "We had to move around a lot, but... But it was nice. We had each other."

At that point, they had reached the first floor and were slowly walking back to the entrance, Haibara's smile fading into nothing, undoubtedly thinking about what had happened before.

Conan didn't need her to tell him, as he could more or less tell. They found her in Japan, where she had been posing as Hirota Hana and they must have started grooming her so she could take over that project. Apotoxin 4869.

Akemi must have lived because of Sherry, it wasn't hard to imagine them threatening Haibara to kill her beloved sister if she didn't cooperate.

Why did they kill her three years after, though?

What reason would be more important than the project that Sherry was in charge of?

"What are you thinking about now, detective?" her voice rang through his ears. "None of what happened in the past is important anymore."

"Why would you tell me all that, though?" Haibara seemed to be genuinely surprised at that question. "You always seem... unwilling to talk about this."

Shrugging slightly, Haibara pushed the glass door open, finally exiting that hospital. "You're a good person," she finally said, and this time it was Conan's turn to be surprised. "I guess you have showed me I can trust you with this."

"Haibara-san..."

"And, even if I didn't tell you, you would poke your nose where it doesn't belong and would find out anyway."

"Hey, hey."

She paid no mind, and kept on walking. The boy following close behind, an offended frown etching his features as he glared at her back. She ignored it.

But then, he sighed, letting his shoulders drop.

"You're wrong. I don't think I'm a good person."

He received a questioning look in return.

"Because I'm glad," his mouth stretched into a broad, and very bright smile. "I'm glad you said 'no', Haibara-san."

Haibara had no answer to grace him with, but he paid no mind, and continued walking. That was when his eyes fell somewhere and froze on his spot.

"Seriously guys!" he then shouted, stomping towards a random bush. "That's a terrible place to hide."

To her surprise, from behind the plant, the three children she knew more than the palm of her hand stepped out, matching dejected expressions pinched on their face. She barely heard Conan scolding them from following them around, or Genta calling out on him because he had done exactly the same.

Slowly, she began to walk towards them.

Yes, this is the place I truly belong to.

And a happy smile crossed her face.

The only place where I can truly be... 'me'.

As soon as she reached them, however, she noticed Conan suddenly freezing in place and, ever so slowly, reaching for the phone in his pocket. He paled, upon noticing it was still on mute from class that morning.

"I completely forgot..."

"Huh?" the three children blinked, confused at the horror in his features.

"... I was supposed to be grounded."

A/N:

ajjr12: I will think about it ;)

Guest: Well, I was a bit disappointed, of course, since I really wanted to see it. But, in a way, I was kind of relieved they did. If they let all that amount of people conglomerate in cinemas and the virus to spread even further, it would be a chaos, really.

abc: I don't think I can guarantee to finish it before this year ends, since there's still a lot of stuff I haven't covered yet. Even so, I'm confident that this story will, eventually, reach a proper ending.