DISCLAIMER: I do not own Detective Conan.
Happy Christmas, everyone!
-07-
Beautiful
It is a cold, cold night.
And he feels alone in his huge house with nothing but his thoughts to keep him occupied.
In his solitude, Shinichi cannot help but reminsice. He finds himself thinking of those times when things are, well, less than the ordinary.
He remembers the time he turned small after taking that drug. He remembers when he took his pseudonym and started a new life; when he has lived as Conan Edogawa, because his life has made such a drastic turn ever since then. He has met new people, made friends with some, and made enemies with a few others.
Despite the dangers and other unfortunate events, Shinichi thinks that he will never, not in any way, trade the time he has lived as Conan. Not when he has had several moments, good and bad, with the people he later comes to cherish.
Who will have thought that he will become best friends with Hattori Heiji? Who will have thought that he will be working alongside the FBI and the National Police Agency to bring down a big underground syndicate? Who will have thought that he will become partners with a former member of the same organization? Certainly not him as Shinichi Kudo. He will also never even become friends with the kids who always go camping with him if not for Conan.
In some weird, if not disturbing, way, he finds himself thanking the drug that shrunk him for bringing him to these people. Albeit, he will never condone the creation of such a dangerous drug, but without it, he will have not met its creator herself.
He smiles.
He smiles because he remembers her. Who will have thought that he will come to really care for this person as well? Not Shinichi, that is for sure.
In his solitude, he finds himself wanting to see her, wanting to hear her voice, wanting to be with her at that very moment. It is a sudden longing, but surely it is fine to miss her, right? He has not seen her for some time now.
He thinks, shall he go see her? Or shall he just call her?
And then he decides, why not both?
And so he fishes his phone and dials a familiar number.
Waiting for her to pick up, he walks out to the balcony of the Kudo's old Western house, clad in a thick wool jacket to counter the freezing temperature. He looks up to the sky as the the call is being processed. And for the second time that night, he smiles to himself. This winter night sky is clear and stunning.
When a soft "hello" is heard over the phone, Shinichi braces himself suddenly and stutters a hello back. He is suprised even though he knows she is going to pick up.
"What is it?" she says.
And he jokes how cold she is this Christmas night.
"Well, it is cold," she reasons and he laughs. She is still the same, he thinks.
"Pick up your jacket and come up," Shinichi says.
"What?" She sounds surprised. Who wouldn't be? When you're suddenly told to 'come up'. But where?
But he seems to know what she is thinking as Shinichi adds, "To the roof."
"Why?" she asks.
Even though she cannot see, Shinichi rolls his eyes. "Just do as I say."
And then the call goes silent. The genius detective may have thought that the line is cut if not for the rustling in the background, the soft footstep sounds, and the sound of a door opening and closing. Finally, she lets out a heavy sigh and declares, "I'm here. Now what?"
"Look up."
And from where he stands, he can see her do as he say. He can see the upwards stretch of her lips into a small smile. He can see her get mesmerized at the sight above her.
"Beautiful," she mutters, pertaining to the stars dotting the night sky, and he agrees wholeheartedly as he stares at her.
When he thinks about it now, it will seem like yesterday when they started working together as Conan Edogawa and Ai Haibara, but really, a long, long time has passed. Now, he stands as Shinichi Kudo and she as Shiho Miyano. Different names and different bodies, leading two different lives. Even so, even after all this time and even after everything, she stays unchanging. He is too.
Because they are partners.
And that, he believes, will forever remain.
"Merry Christmas, Haibara," he says.
She looks down from the roof of the Professor's house to him at his balcony. "Merry Christmas, Kudo."
And suddenly, he does not feel so alone anymore.