Bonus Chapter 1 - At the End of the Path

The gravel path led up a hill, not far from the playground. Shiho felt Conan's grip slowly loosening from her hand.

"Kudo?"

"Something doesn't add up.", he muttered.

"Huh?"

"Why would the organization be interested in the drug once again?"

"Stupid question. Obviously, they want to lure us out."

"No, that's not what I mean. I'm talking about the actual purpose of the substance. What do you know about it?"

"Why are you asking me that? You seem to be hiding a lot from me."

"Nonsense... I'm referring to what Hive had passed on to us. About the boss of the organization... He seemed to need the drug for something."

"Maybe to research mutations, like the ones Ayumi experienced back then."

"Mutations, huh... What did Dr. Marshall say about the incidents?"

"Not much, but he was certain that his device could influence not only psychic abilities."

"So that means Natsume could have also suffered from physical pain back then."

"Exactly. I think he just wanted to test the abilities of the Medusa."

Shiho looked at the silhouettes of the skyscrapers on the horizon, capturing the sunlight like raised signs. They had reached the highest point of the hill and watched the sunset from an observation platform.

"Don't you want to go up?", she asked hesitantly.

"What?"

"On my shoulders, I mean."

"Why are you asking?"

"I thought that way you could see much more instead of the railing in front of your face."

"You're just making fun of me, aren't you?", Conan replied with an annoyed tone.

"What nonsense are you talking? I'm not... now come up.", Shiho said, reaching out her hand.

"Fine."

He finally took her hand. Similar to their little trip to the university hours before, his hands were unusually rough and cold. With little effort, she lifted him onto her shoulders and let him enjoy the entire view from above.

"And how is it now?"

"It looks beautiful from up here."

"We should have come here earlier. The sun is almost gone now."

"Yeah..."

"We've both been busy for a while."

Conan hesitated.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"N-Nothing...", he hesitated.

"Just say it.", she replied, looking up at him.

"Did you... did you hear it?"

"What do you mean?"

If she had been wearing the glasses with the transmitter earlier, she must have heard every word, he was sure of it.

"What Ayumi told me."

Shiho blushed slightly and looked down.

"Well...", he began.

"No, I didn't.", she interrupted with a slightly irritated expression.

"Oh."

"Why? What did she say?"

"Oh, nothing... Nothing really important."

Nothing important... How could he say something like that? Shiho wanted to tell him how ridiculous his statement was, but...

"Haibara, what... Hey, Ai, what are you... whoa!"

Shiho felt her heart pounding stronger than ever. So, that was it, huh? Her time was up again already. The increasingly intense pain forced her to clutch her chest, letting go of Conan's leg and he fell from her back. Both screamed in pain as she stumbled forward and fell to the hard ground in a semi-conscious state.

"Haibara!", Conan called out as he struggled to get up. The pain in his back prevented him from getting up.

"Co..."

She could only groan in agony. Everything seemed blurry before her, as if the whole day had been just a dream from which she would wake up now, of all times. How unfair.

Why? Why couldn't this day last longer? As if time had flown by in an instant...

Summoning her remaining strength, she gathered her senses and began crawling on the ground, moving forward. Further and further. Her arms and legs felt like rubber, without any bones. She screamed in pain again, but she didn't stop. Sweat dripped from her forehead into her eyes and fell from her chin onto the gravel.

"Co... nan..."

"Hold still! Don't move!", Conan shouted, trying once again to stand up with all his might.

No, please not like this. Please don't say that, she vehemently thought. Her legs went numb. She felt her cells detach from her body. The rejuvenation process was happening again, and she couldn't do anything about it. She kept crawling.

"You have to rest, damn it!"

As if hours had already passed...

The constant pounding in her heart, beating against her chest, became almost unbearable.

"Hang in there, I'm almost there!"

With her last bit of strength, she gave up and instead laid on her back, gazing at the darkening sky.

"The moon looks truly beautiful.", she weakly murmured.

With these words, she slowly closed her eyes as she lost consciousness. The last thing she could feel was Conan lifting her frail body from the ground. She smiled heavily...

You're an idiot, you know that? But that's why you...

The memories of the day appeared before her as if she were reliving them for a second time. Only now did she realize how many things she could have done differently. Was that fear? Would he possibly hate her if she had reacted differently?

– Bonus Chapter 1 END –

Bonus Chapter 2 - When All Seems Lost

Conan sighed as he walked alone down the hallway in the hotel. Kogoro was probably receiving the highest praise from the inspector and the other police officers for the case he had supposedly solved in his sleep. Oh well...

He shook his head in disappointment and looked at the room numbers on the hotel doors.

548, 547, 546, 545, 544...

("Come alone. We need to talk.")

There it was. Room 541...

What did Ai want to discuss with him so urgently that she had to choose a room for it? He stood in front of the door and looked up at the room number sign. Conan hesitated before raising his hand and sliding the key through the hole. Then he carefully opened the door and it swung open slowly. The room that opened up to him was dark, with the lamps turned off. The blinds and curtains were also closed. The room was dimly lit by sunlight, giving the surroundings a faint dark blue hue. Everything around him was silent.

"Weird...", he murmured and pushed the door further open. Conan stepped further into the room and looked around. The hotel room wasn't particularly large, furnished with just a double bed and a television across from it. He felt the soft blanket with his hand as he examined the bed out of sheer curiosity. Then he laid down on it and stared at the ceiling. Perhaps he should wait for her, maybe she was still busy with the Detective Boys. But it could also be that she just wanted to make fun of him for being so foolish and falling for one of her tricks. Conan closed his eyes and calmed himself. The recent events after the world trip had truly exhausted him. All those losses... She must have gone through so much.

Click...

What was that? He opened his eyes and raised his head. Was that her? Did she come after all? He saw, past the wall, how the gap of light at the door slowly grew smaller.

"Haibara?", he said and jumped off the bed onto the floor. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw her silhouette standing at the door. Ai didn't respond but quietly closed the door behind her.

"What's wrong...?", he asked.

No answer. Something was off with her.

"You knew about it, didn't you?", he muttered, his expression serious. She hesitated but said nothing and locked the door.

"I'm sorr...", Conan continued.

"Sit down.", she said.

"What?"

"Just sit down."

Conan looked around and glanced back at the bed behind him.

Click!

"Haibara, what did you...?"

She put the hotel key in her pocket and moved away from the door. Conan couldn't find words for her behavior. She had always been a person who carried many secrets with her, which still hadn't been revealed. How much had she actually told him?

He felt her hand on his shoulder and turned to face her. She was standing right in front of him, so close that he could feel her breath. Ai's hand was colder than he had expected.

"Haiba..."

She pushed him onto the bed. The darkness made it difficult for him to see what was happening in front of him. One thing was certain, she wanted more from him than just exchanging information. She pressed his arms onto the sheets, making it difficult for him to break free from her grip. But Conan didn't intend to. Something held him back. Was it because she was still under the influence of the Medusa? Were these perhaps the side effects? Or was it something else...?

"Have you ever wondered how a kiss feels?", she began.

"Ai, what are you talking about?", Conan replied, surprised.

"You heard me. A kiss."

"Y-You're joking, right? A kiss?"

"No, I'm serious."

"You're out of your mind. Just saying something like that..."

"And what if no one knows about it?"

She smiled. The faint rays of light from the windows highlighted her features slightly as she slowly leaned down, getting closer to his face. He looked into her eyes. No, he didn't want to accept this. He still had... but Ai was... he had to...

Conan struggled with himself again, when suddenly he felt a gust of wind in his ear. Then she pressed her entire body against his, and both could feel the warmth of their bodies. Their heartbeats accelerated, irregularly at first, but gradually finding a rhythm and beating rapidly together. Ai felt it deep within her. She was happy. She would do anything to forget her past. Anything to finally lay this terrible truth to rest. Despite her racing pulse, she breathed slowly and cautiously.

Conan first felt something warm and wet near his ear, then the spot turned cold.

"Hai... bara...", he muttered, trying to free himself from her grip, but Ai wrapped her legs around his, preventing him from resisting.

She continued.

For a while, they stared at each other. Their breathing remained steady and even. She gently took off his glasses and looked at him with a satisfied smile.

"So, this is how you must have looked as a child. The glasses don't suit you, after all."

No response. Conan didn't move anymore; he just looked into her eyes. Nothing could be heard except their breathing.

(Why...?)

"I just wish I had met you earlier back then. Then maybe I could still find true happiness."

"Haibara..."

"Y-You know...", she began stuttering.

No, change of topic.

"I would never have invented APTX, we would never have been shrunk, you would have your body back, and I would have my parents. Have you ever thought about that?"

"Please..."

She approached his lips.

(No, why...?! Why?)

Conan still didn't budge; he just stared at her with a disappointed expression.

("Because what can be seen beyond the horizon can only be seen when the sun rises.")

The sniper? No, not him. She wanted to forget him, right?

"Or were you happier with her after all?", she whispered.

She opened her mouth. Her hands were trembling.

("Do you really want to go back there?")

"Shiho... stop it.", Conan muttered. When she heard her name, she stopped. Something wet landed on his cheek. Then another droplet. And another.

"Please, let me go.", he whispered.

Although he saw the tears on her face, he remained serious.

"That's not you.", he muttered, freeing his arm from her trembling grip, which slowly loosened. Conan wanted to get up from the bed, but she pulled on his arm. So, for a brief eternity, he ended up lying in her arms, his face touching her cheek.

"Please, don't go.", she said and her tears ran onto his cheek.

"What?"

He remembered what Ayumi had said to him back then when she had a high fever.

"I don't want to lose you too. Just like-"

So, that's how it was. After his death, she didn't find anyone else to turn to. No one who could give her the feeling of family anymore. Conan smiled.

"But you still have us. Genta, Mitsuhiko, the professor, Ayumi, and me... we're all here for you."

She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I..."

"But what you're doing is going too far."

Ai remained in that position for a while, holding him tighter and tighter.

"Why do you always do this to me?", she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing.", she said.

The two remained in that position for a whole 5 minutes, with her clinging tightly to him. It felt like she was in her most vulnerable state right now.

She let him go.

"Th-Thank you, that's enough.", she murmured softly and looked down sadly.

Conan reached out his hand and smiled.

"Come down... We should go. The case is closed."

Ai wiped her tears from her face again and grinned.

"Alright then."

She took his hand and followed Conan through the open door into the hotel corridor. Ai watched him go and thought about the face she had seen in the car half a year ago for the first time. Who would have thought that fate would bring them together?

– Bonus Chapter 2 END –

Authors Note: I think some may guess why these scenes wouldn't make it to the final story. Some reasons might be because of Ai breaking her Character, since she already went through that "hedgehog dilemma" phase. Still I thought I could bring it back, just for the sake of making tragic moments and I think I succeeded. I hope it's not cringe enough so people won't think I'm writing stories with my d*ck instead of putting in real thought process and hard work behind every chapter I'm writing.

Nevertheless, I really love her character and I hope I've nailed her and Conan's personality well. With this final chapter I will officially nail the coffin on this Oneshot project, that I've been working on since last year and fully continue with the original Story and its' second Oneshot with Ayumi at the forefront of the story. I want to thank everybody so much for reading this Oneshot and I hope I can surprise you, dear reader, with another great chapter from the "Two Bullets" Series, I'm currently writing on. Chapter 18 & 19 will be translated very soon...