Chapter 18

The following weeks were spent at the hotel. We rarely saw any of the Hatamoto during that time period. Due to Gonzu Hatamoto being a big investor his death brought numerous news and television reporters to his funeral and his family. The scandal within the Hatamoto family became known on the news and disturbed the public with how three family members of the already small family were dead.

Surprisingly none of the Hatamoto revealed the existence of the two children (or us) to the public. I suppose they thought the whole thing would be traumatizing to two normal kids but we were trained to not show or express our feeling so their efforts were futile. It is a nice gesture though.

Nowadays our time was spent keeping prying eyes away from us or suspicion on who we were since the family fortune was involved. As if Haibara and I needed the money, especially with our hidden billion yen.

I failed to mention that the days spent in the hotel with Haibara were not pleasant. We keep our interactions to a minimum. The tension in the room every day was suffocating. Until one day I snapped.

I looked at her glaring and she in turn looked the other direction with her arms crossed over her chest. She won the battle of wills since it was only a minute later that I gave into the choking atmosphere and reacted.

"What?!" I gave her my full attention.

She turn to my direction with piercing and disgusted look. Her legs slowly moved her farther away from where I stand.

"What is your problem? I understand that you have all right to be angry at me but this has been going on for over three weeks. I have said sorry or tired to say it but you walk away or close the door in my face. If an apology is not what you want then I ask again what is your problem?

"What is my problem? Are you trying to be funny or just stupid?" Her eyes looked at me angrily.

"haibara tell me"

"I can't believe it. You're serious. Wow, you have no idea. You 'Conan' are soo stupid. I don't want an apology I want you to understand. Did you think that because of the murders on the boat and everything that had happened I would simply forget or overlooked what occurred last week?That you lied to my face, hid the fact that my sister was in danger, and apparently you don't even trust me with information?"
She sneered in front of my face, "I thought we promise to look out for each other. I thought we were partners, now I know to look only after myself." She walked and reach towards the door to leave the private room.

"Haibara wait,"

She paused and looked at me expectantly. Her face was cold and I noticed her fists shaking.

" I-I apologize. I understand why you are upset and I acknowledge that I was out of line and my actions were not done to spite you. I understand-."

""You understand. You are a Baka! Do you not think?! " A jerk of the head was the only response that I gave a reaction to her scream. "you don't understand. You underestimate me and have this idea that you need to protect me. I don't need your protection, more so from a child younger me, who is still wet behind the ears. Do you think you are the only one that seen the horrors in the syndicate because your mentors were Gin and Vermouth? I lived in the organization my whole life! There was never an exception for me to learn about the outside if my life is to stay in the organization lab. It was only through my sister that I experienced movie theaters, sweets, toys, games, laughter, innocent happiness! And you took my only opportunity to say goodbye to her away." Tears were flowing out of her grey colored eyes. Her round cheeks were tinted red and the raw pain was expressed on her face.

In a low whisper she spoked " You had no right to dictate if I wished to see my only family member or not. It was not your choice to choose, even if you thought I would have acted reckless I will not risk anything for my sister. Now all I have left of my family are these photographs in my pocket. You do not understand. You could never understand was I felt for my sister when you never had any siblings. So-so just leave me alone and let me hate you."

I stand there looking at the ground. A gut twisting pain and heat draining from my face left me cold.

" I would be lying if I told you I didn't tell you was more than me thinking of you being overly emotional or not trusting you. And for that I am terrible sorry!"

I get on my knees and bow in front of her. "I never thought this would happen. I didn't tell you because ...I didn't want to. I approach meeting Akemi as a mission and therefore ignore anything that could have endangered the mission. I knew you were emotionally compromise and that there was a possibility that Gin was involved with Akemi mission. If you were to be caught or captured by Gin in trying to warn Akemi I wouldn't know what to do. Our relationship in syndicate could be consider acquaintances but I consider you to be my friend. I-I didn't want to be left alone.I..I"

A hand reached out and grab onto mine. The blurry outline of her face was all I could see. "Stop it. I was wrong in accusing you for everything. My sister once said that making mistakes is part of growing up. I forgive you but I always told you everything now don't expect that to be anymore. I also want to apologize for my earlier actions and blaming you for my sister death. The way I reacted wasn't the best so I am sorry. "

She gave a sigh and gives a weak squeeze against my hand."do you forgive me ."

I only nod in return.

It was then that the door opens and we see Natsue-San walking in together with Takeshi-San. They didn't think or commented much on the scene they enter, just asking if we were okay and with a simple lie we said we missed our mom. At the mention of our supposed mother that Natsue- San purse her lips and looked down at us. She told us that she reported to the police and asked if there was any leads but it seemed that she disappeared. She seemed agitated when speaking but Takeshi- San reassured us that her agitation was towards how they immediately wished for us to be put in an orphanage or handled by social service. Thank goodness that the name Hatamoto can cause a few heads to turn and she somehow was able to get custody.

We were soon told of the home they had purchased in Hokkaido and asked us for our opinions of it and if we wanted them to be our legal guardians. We immediately agreed. It seemed like everything was going to be okay... That we found a family to stay with where we can live on a farm and live in bliss...

It was the strong chill I had when walking to the train station that I question myself if everything was going to be okay.

end of chapter

I have finished retyping some of the lost work and I have outlined what I wish to do with my other stories. So this chapter was way too emotional for me the first time I posted it. I knew it was too mushy, so I re edit it. And this time I reread the work instead of hot off of the computer. Now seems more realistic and sorry for the earlier rough chapter. I thought I have been having my readers waiting too long not to post.

oh! And does anyone have any suggestions in naming the chapters I haven't done, like this one? And happy reading!😀