Disclaimer: Look at the past eighteen chapters and you'll know.

Well, this is it everyone! The final chapter! The end, finally. One week of ConanAi written in one month. haha ^_^

Last note: I couldn't think of anything to describe how Haibara looked... I'm not good with descriptions like what she wore, how's her hairstyle etc etc etc, so just be satisfied with this, okay?

~~~~FINAL CHAPTER: YOU DON'T LIKE ME, YOU LOVE ME~~~~

This is it, I thought, as I waited for Haibara to finish dressing up. I had worn a suit, my mom forced me. She didn't even have to, I would've worn something formal anyway.

I sat on the sofa at our house, my thoughts on the girl who had disappeared behind the door with the promise of coming back looking like nothing I'd ever seen before. Haha... Trust my mother to make promises like that, I thought, trying to distract myself.

The day had gone by uneventfully, the sun had been shining. I took that as a good sign. Even Mitsuhiko and Ayumi had wished me the best of luck before we parted by the school gates. Genta, clueless as usual, asked, "Huh? Is Conan gonna enter a contest or something?" We had all laughed, except Haibara, and Mitsuhiko told him, "Genta-kun, you're as slow as usual."

"Ta-dah!"

The voice snapped me out of my thoughts. My head turned in the direction it came from. Seeing only my mother, I frowned and said, "Where's Haibara?"

She grinned mischievously at me. "Have you got your heart under control, Shin-chan?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Stop it with the jokes. Where's Haibara?"

She winked at me, mouthed 'good luck.' She stepped aside to reveal Haibara standing behind her. I stared at her. For a long time. She looked so beautiful I couldn't express it in words.

"You look like you've got something to say, tantei-kun," she commented.

I forced my gaze off her. My mom was smiling in the background, that 'I told you so' smile that used to annoy me. At that moment, I just ignored her and walked towards Haibara, avoiding her gaze, and offered my hand. She seemed surprised for a moment, but she took it with a small smile. I led her outside where a taxi called by my mother was waiting.

~~~~FAST FORWARD~~~~

I was so nervous, I don't even what happened in the taxi. I don't even remember what we ate. My memory started after dinner, when I told her I had something important to say. We climbed the stairs to the rooftop garden, her hand in mine. As we reached the top, I let go of her, walking towards the railing and off the pavement.

I could hear her footsteps behind me, stopping before they even reached the grass. She was waiting for me to speak.

Turning to face her, I gazed at eyes, trying to see if she had any premonition of what I was about to say. But her eyes betrayed nothing, her expression still unreadable.

I took a deep breath, and told her the three little words that meant so much.

"I love you."

She stiffened a little. I detected that faint movement, and for a moment, I could've sworn there was a faint blush on her face. But it disappeared as soon as my eyes caught sight of it.

Silence reigned. I knew she had heard my confession, her stiffening confirmed that. I decided to repeat the words anyway. "I said I love you," I told her clearly, my voice carrying echoing in the night.

She seemed to have regained her composure. She started walking the distance toward me saying, "Ara, is that so?" in the same voice she used whenever she was teasing me.

I blushed. Not because of what I was gonna say, but more like, my body had an automatic reaction when hearing that tone. I tried to keep calm, not wanting to ruin anything. "Yes, that's so." I took another deep breath, and slowly removed my glasses, bowing my head to hide my face.

"And I believe that you feel the same way."

Her steps ceased, and she raised her eyebrow at me. The expression she had on was slightly teasing, slightly amused, yet still slightly indifferent. But, if you looked closer, you can see a hint of interest, a hint of hope. "And why would that be, tantei-kun?" she asked.

"Do you remember the time I asked if you liked me?" I said, answering her question with a question.

"What about it?" Her steps started again.

"Your answer was, 'Don't flatter yourself,'" I replied.

"And?" Her steps were getting closer.

I looked up, meeting her gaze squarely. "You didn't say no."

She smirked, the familiar tug on her lips that always seemed to ridicule me. "So I didn't," she said.

"That means there is a possibility that you liked me back," I stated clearly.

She didn't respond. She just kept walking, taking step after step. As the silence between us stretched, my mother's words echoed through my head. Don't flatter yourself... Isn't exactly a no is it? And even if it were, think about it. Her words calmed me and propelled me to continue.

"And even if you were to say no, that would've only meant one of two things." I held up a finger. "One, you don't feel anything for me."

She raised the other eyebrow. "And two?"

I raised another finger. "You don't like me," I said gently. My hand dropped to my side. My eyes softened and a faint smile formed on my lips. "You love me."

She stopped, just a few centimeters away from me. Despite my words, the smirk on her face had widened and she said, "Arrogant words coming from an arrogant detective."

"They're true anyway," I immediately retorted, in the same I always did whenever she taunted me. I expected her to snap back at me, to tease me like she did before, but she did none of the sort.

Another lengthy silence. Her face had receded to an unreadable expression. Her actions caused me to doubt myself. Just a few moments ago, I was one hundred percent sure that what I had say would be true, but her lack of reaction made me think otherwise.

"They're true anyway," I repeated, more to myself than to her. Then in a whisper, "Right?"

My eyes never left her face, looking for a sign that I was right, but she remained impassive. Seconds passed, six... seven.

"The great detective finally solves the case," she said before she taking the last step, pressing those tender lips against mine.

What..? was my first thought, and I was too surprised to respond. The great detective finally solves the case. I repeated her words in my mind, and only then did I understand.

I smiled, wrapping my arms around her neck to draw her closer. I was about to close my eyes, when light suddenly flashed in the background, a bang accompanying it.

Our lips broke apart at the sudden sound, but my arms didn't let her go. Our heads turned in the direction of the light.

Fireworks. Is there any celebration today? I was gonna voice my thoughts when they formed a word. Two words. A name, in fact. They spelled:

哀 江戸川

Ai Edogawa

~~~~A FEW MINUTES EARLIER SOMEWHERE ELSE~AUTHOR'S POV~~~~

"Hakase, is it ready yet?" Yukiko asked impatiently. "They're about to get to the good part."

Agasa-hakase, who came back from the convention a day earlier and had stayed over at the Kudo's, didn't look up from his latest 'invention.' "Just a little more, Yukiko-kun. I'm almost done."

She was looking at the monitors connected to the video cameras set up all over the restaurant and rooftop garden. "Oh my God! He's about to confess! Go, Shin-chan! Go!" she cheered.

Hakase laughed a little at her enthusiasm. "Do you really think he'll appreciate what you're doing, Yukiko-kun?" he asked.

She grinned, a grin that could crack her beautiful actress face into two. "What he doesn't know can't hurt him, Hakase."

He matched her grin, walking towards her full of soot. "I'm done with preparations. Tell me when, okay?" He was holding a remote control with only one red button.

Words were transmitted from the rooftop to the speaker. "The great detective finally solves the case."

"When Hakase! When!"

~~~~ROOFTOP GARDEN~CONAN'S POV~~~~

Haibara was looking at me again with that amused expression. But this time, mixed with the amusement was gratitude, and on those soft lips that had been on mine just a second ago, was a real smile. On the tip of her tongue were the words 'Thank you.'

I put my finger on her lips, silencing her. Her eyes widened, asking me, 'Why?'

"As much as I would like to take credit for it, this wasn't my idea."

The light burning up the sky had receded to smoke. The words were gone, but they had been engraved in my heart.

"In fact, I haven't even heard about anything like this."

One of my hands slipped from around her neck to cup my chin. "I suppose it was my mom's idea. She was looking kind of excited a while ago, but I didn't pay much attention to her. She probably worked with the Professor. That would explain the gunpowder. He probably got back earlier on to-"

I was cut off by the feeling of her lips locking with mine. It only lasted for a few seconds before she pulled away. She looked at me in the eyes. Her mask had completely fallen off. The girl I could see now was the true Haibara Ai.

She whispered, "Just shut up and kiss me."

I gladly obliged. My right hand caressed her cheek gently, the other snaking around her waist. I kept my hold on her which, I hoped, would last longer than the fire in the sky.

~~~~FINAL CHAPTER: end~~~~

Did it make you laugh? Make you cry? Make you want to smash your monitor and scream like a chimpanzee? Tell me your thoughts! Review please!

Okay, so the ending sucked. haha ^_^ Anyway...

Please participate in my poll and look forward to a sequel and my new fic, 'The Playboy' featuring Shinichi, Shiho and Kaito. An unusual love triangle!

Thanks to everyone who helped me, reviewed and stuck around to see the ending. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed uhhh... staring at the monitor waiting for the words to type themselves on the screen. haha ^_^

Special thanks to the characters who let me do what I wanted with them:

Haibara Ai. You are the Goddess of my life and I hope everybody else thinks so, too. I'm glad you had the happy ending you deserved (even if it's only in my fic). After all, the ones who deserve happiness are the ones who dwell in sadness.

Edogawa Conan. So you were a little OC... Sorry 'bout that. Take care of my beloved Ai, okay?

Kudo Yukiko. Sigh... You are such a nosy old la- I mean, young and youthful (doesn't that mean the same thing?). I guess recording everything wouldn't be such a bad idea, if only the everything didn't include the- well, you know what I mean.

Shounen Tantei. I guess they're not as annoying as I thought. They've grown up a bit, especially Genta. haha ^_^

Kudo Yuusaku, Agasa Hiroshi, Kobayashi-sensei. Thanks for appearing in my fic!

Okay, is that everyone? Oh, wait! I forgot someone!

Mouri Ran. Ummm... Thanks for letting Shinichi go? And ummm... helping him with the Koi wa nani? question and the rejection for Ayumi.

So I'm a little hard on her, can you blame me? I'm a die-hard Haibara fan...

Ja ne! signed ~roankun~