Kiss of Death Chapter 3
"Aspirin"
Note: Detective Conan belongs to Gosho, not me.
Warning: This is an AiCon fanfiction dedicated to AiCon fans.
MAJOR EDITING HERE.
Summary for this chapter: As Ai pushes Conan away, Conan is having a difficult time deciphering his emotions after the Ran's wedding. How will the great detective decode the mystery muddled in his heart?
"Welcome back, Sherry," a cold voice welcomed Ai. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Gin pointing a gun at her. She started to shiver in fear when that murderer's eyes stared at her menacingly, yet attempted to hide her and regained her composure.
"If you want me dead, then just do it. Just kill me," she mocked him scornfully.
He smirked and replied, "Well, you know that I want you dead and I want to kill you. But I'd rather see you get killed by someone whom you trusted and loved with all your life." She was puzzled by his reply but that didn't bother her. He flashed an evil grin and made way for someone.
"Kudo-kun, why?" she questioned him. He didn't answer, he didn't even react. He just raised his arm and pointed a gun at her face. He had a solemn expression and his eyes stared at her in a deadpan manner. There were no passion nor emotion in his eyes. Nothing.
It was the first time she had ever seen him so cold before. It was so like her.
"Sherry, don't blame him. I sort of had him brainwashed. He's not Kudo Shinchi, but I told him that it was you took his perfect life away," Gin whispered to Ai softly.
"I'll leave you two alone," Gin said to both of us, and left. No, that boy isn't Kudo-kun.
"Wait, that's not true! Don't you remember me?" I yelled at him, but he didn't listen. He was like possessed by a demon.
Too late-
He pulled the trigger-
BANG!
Ai woke up in cold sweat.
As usual, the blaring Sun was rising from the East, breaking the darkness of dawn. She saw the golden sun rays, and yes, it was another dreadful day she had to spent in this hopeless world.
However, today, she discovered something which she was oblivious to, though it was always visible every morning. It was the light. The golden rays of the Sun was purifying the darkness of her room.
The image of Conan dashed across her thoughts, for he was the light in her fearful life.
'My light...', she muttered. As for now, the circumstances were different. She killed her own light by rejecting his sincerity but it'll proceed to nowhere, isn't it?
There was guilt surfacing in her heart for she had missed Conan. But no, she had long murdered her romantic feelings for him.
Ever since that evening...
Ai drummed her fingers on her study table, tapping her foot harmoniously with the clock's second hand.
She sighed, it was past midnight and Conan wasn't back yet. Sure, she was more anxious than normal, but she couldn't help regretting her refusal to attend Genta's birthday party.
Ai was very aware that the Detective Boys have all grown up. A 15th birthday celebration does not consist of just cakes and helium balloons. Yet, Ai was never surprised by this. Growing up in a syndicate apparently made this dark aspect of teenage life a norm for her.
It wasn't a condemning sin to practice vices, there were other crimes that can sentence a soul to hell. Murder, treachery, harassment.
Maybe Ai estimated Conan's capacity of propriety. She's not in a position to control his life, but shouldn't the great detective be the one to be the paragon of virtue for the 3 kids?
Now her mind started running wild. Repetitions of Genta's words made her insane with growing worry.
"We're gonna have such a blast, that we're gonna blow the roof sky high!"
What the hell did Genta meant?
What, what if-
Knock.
Ai turned abruptly towards the door.
Thud. Bang.
The knocking grew louder with an impending act of increasing violence.
"Oi-oi," a raspy yell emerged from the door.
Thud. Thud!
"Hakase," Conan slurred, "I can't find... my goddamn keys."
She heaved a sigh of disappointment and approached the door, only to find a tipsy Conan upon unlocking the door. She immediately regretted it. Gradually, the impending regret on her face disappeared, replaced by a frown raged in fury.
"Kudo-kun!" she exclaimed, partly in anger, partly in surprise when Conan suddenly leaned towards her. As if it was an automatic self-defense mechanism, she pushed him away, but upon seeing him leaning himself again, she had no choice but to have his one arm around her shoulders for support. Gingerly, she guided the intoxicated boy to his bedroom, like a soldier carrying his limp partner to the safety zone.
Both of them collapsed on the bed, unable to bear Conan's weight.
Since when did he had grown so much? The last time Ai checked, she was taller than him. Right, middle school's the time where boys would grow at a rapid rate.
"You..." Ai started, squinting her eyes at him, "you should know better. You're still 15, that's underage drinking."
"Shut up Ran," Conan spat. Ai widened when she heard that name.
"You idiot," she reprimanded sternly, "you can't even differentiate between your girlfriend and me. Don't drink more than what you can handle."
Conan pouted, "I'm 25 damn it. I can do whatever I like."
"But in the eyes of everyone, you're still a minor," she retorted, touching his cheek. Her eyes softened at seeing him in this intoxicated state. He placed his hand on top of hers, accepting their touch. He found himself staring at her, unfazed, the vision of his was unsettling and chaotic.
"Ran..." he whispered, his breath smelt with lingering whiskey, "why did you leave me? You could've chosen me..." His speech was shaky, uncoordinated, and before Ai knew it, tears streamed down his cheeks.
Poor tantei-san.
"No, you're mistaken. It's Haibara..." Ai whispered softly, caressing his ebony hair, "tantei-kun, you're too much of a tough guy for this."
"Ran, I'm not...as strong as you think..." he struggled to vocalize his thoughts. He slapped her wrist away from his hair and pinned them on the sheets. As fast as lightning, he shifted his body so that he was on top of her.
"What are you-!" Haibara yelled. But not enough to snap Conan back to soberness. But as if to be wonderstruck, she was spell bound by the intensity of his cerulean blue eyes.
They were so close, yet so far.
"Ran..." Conan whispered in her ear, "I can't take this crappy life sometimes... I may act like I'm fine... But I'm not..."
"All because of that damn drug," he added. Ai gasped. Her tears were accumulating, threatening to fall.
He still blames me. I should've known.
He gazed at her face, trying hard to concentrate his vision on her, but the clarity of his sight kept fluctuating. His headache that was pounding on his brain didn't help either. After a futile attempt, he felt his knees weakened and could no longer support his posture.
He stumbled towards her and before Ai could react, his lips crashed onto hers.
She couldn't believe it. By an ironic stroke of bad luck, they kissed.
He tasted like liquor. Ai felt like she was getting intoxicated. She was slowly succumbing to her desire for him, the yearning desire that she had repressed deep within her heart all those years. But rationality snapped her back and she hastily pushed her away.
"Baka ne," she muttered, "I'm not Ran."
Hearing this, Conan's eyes grew more circular and she could see a glint of guilt and shock.
"Haibara?" he gasped and once again, he trembled, like there was a lump in his throat, "I didn't... I didn't mean to... I lost my balance...Ah shit."
The persistent pounding on his head was acting up again, the ache was clouding his train of thoughts like a road blockage. Meanwhile, Ai subtly retreated away, with a stare that screamed fear. He could only stumble in his movements while trying to regain his composure.
"No, Haibara... Wait..." he cried desperately, his hands reaching out aimlessly for her. But she continued to back away in such a fashion, and Conan wasn't in the right mind to think of solutions to handle this.
She carefully glanced to the side and grabbed an unknown item, then hiding it behind her back. It was too quick for Conan to notice the item she grabbed. The dimness of his room didn't contribute to his observation skills either. He grew even more wary at the thought of a potential weapon.
No, she wouldn't... Hurt him right?
"If your life as Conan is so crappy, then why do you have pretend that you've forgiven me about making that stupid drug!" she hissed with a strong vibe of contempt and threw the item in question on the bed.
As a reflex, Conan dodged and shot a glance at the thrown object. Using this as a diversion, Ai turned her heel and dashed towards her room and slammed the bedroom door, leaving an anxious intoxicated detective behind. Her fingers fumbled through the doorknobs of her door, locking it as quick as she could.
"Haibara!" he run after her, banging the door open, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to kiss you! Please open the door, I just want to talk. Don't be angry with me."
"I'm not mad at that, Kudo-kun," she replied as pragmatic as she could, but it was obvious that her tone was indeed, shaky.
"I'm tired. I've been waiting. I just want to sleep."
"Then, what are you mad for?"
"I ruined your life," she whispered in a raspy voice, her tears finally escaping her eyelids.
"Haibara, just open up. Don't shut me out like this."
"No."
"Haibara, plea-"
"No means no, okay?" Ai said tersely, her throat was swelling enough that she no longer had the strength to scream, but the ice queen still had the capacity to deliver sharp icicles of hurtful words, even with a calm tone.
Feeling rather rejected, Conan muttered helplessly, "Haibara... I'm in a mess... Don't do this... You're the only one who could understand me. I may screw up, but I care about you, a great deal. Don't shut me out like this."
He was almost at his knees, pleading to her. He was unsure of what to say to fix this situation.
All he knew that he didn't want to lose his "partner".
He silently teared, with a ton of heavy bittersweet memories of his life as Kudo Shinichi. It wasn't so easy moving on from a heartbreak from his childhood sweetheart. The transformation of APTX4869 bore dreadful consequences to both of them. So to him, Ai was the only person that shared his fate. She was his partner that he could always count on. A friend. A darn good one. The one he can't afford to lose.
You're hopeless... But so am I, right?
Unknowingly, the strawberry blonde girl from the other side of the door cried soundlessly too, she felt as if her heart has been ripped off into shreds. Again. Ai was helplessly in love with him, why can't he notice that? Of all the observational skills the detective had, he couldn't decipher the depths of a woman's love.
With a heavy guilt, he plodded back to his room. Using his watch, he used the flashlight function to navigate his way, and found a bottle of aspirin on his bed.
And it occurred to him. Ai must've thrown this intentionally not just for a diversion, but for him to cure his headache.
Caring yet cunning as ever, Haibara.
He smiled at the thought of her pure intentions that was often disguised in a dirt of sarcasm.
I would cherish and protect her even more from now on -he promised.
I would try my hardest, to murder my romantic affections for him. -she thought.
But was their bond really unbreakable as what the Teitan middle schoolers speak of?
Guess not, they didn't speak a word to each other for a month or two.
Ai snapped back from her nostalgic state, a frown knitted on her forehead when she noticed the empty seat beside her. First he walked out of the house, now this?
I should've known.
A/N: Alright. A bit of a shocker there. I don't think it's unusual for teens to venture out on underage drinking. I'm not sure about other cultures but they are quite common. It's sort of "a part of growing up" for teens to dare to do certain things that aren't for them.
Do R&R for the major editing. I hope that I'm gradually bringing out the complexity of their ambiguous friendship.