Ai has been sitting in front of the dresser for an hour now, a lady was blow drying her hair and another was dabbing makeup on her face. She sat very still, like a mannequin being dressed up for the display window. The day of the party has finally come, the day when she was officially going to be black again. Her pulse was racing, droplets of cold sweat were forming on her forehead, and her eyes were quite heavy because she wasn't able to sleep the night before. All of these made her makeup artist work a bit harder.
The door to the hotel room opened and Vermouth entered, clad in her dress, her hair and makeup already done. Ai beheld the former actress, standing tall and confident. "You look good.", she noted.
"Good? I am perfection personified." Vermouth twirled around as she said this. "You look awful. Your styling team has to work very hard."
Vermouth told Ai that she will head down to the venue already because she had to make sure everything was in place. "I will signal you when you should enter."
Ai didn't want to enter the party alone but it seems like she didn't have a choice. She gave a short nod and Vermouth went on her way.
Conan was panting when he arrived at the hotel. The Professor's beetle stopped working when they were two blocks away. He decided to run the rest of the way. He caught his breath and wiped his forehead before proceeding to the table outside the venue where guests registered. He waited for them to clear out before approaching. He was going to go for the lost child script since that always seemed to work. "Hello there young sir.", greeted one of the ladies on the desk. "How may I help you?"
"Uh, I'm looking for my uncle.", Conan replied in his childlike tone, pointing to the entrance. "He's in there."
The lady asked him his uncle's name and he glanced over their guest list to find suitable candidates. As he was looking over the list to find his 'uncle', the other lady noted the 'K' on his jacket. "Maybe your surname starts with K?", she suggested with a smile.
Conan gave a short nod and decided to just say yes to whatever surname she comes up with. It's as good as any, he thought. After checking her list, the lady looked up and said, "Could you be Kudo Shinichi-kun?"
Conan froze for a second. Why was his name in the guest list? Who expected him there? There were so many questions racing in his head and the ladies behind the desk noticed his concern. They asked him if he was alright and he muttered 'yes'. "There's another thing Kudo-kun.", the lady added. "This is for you."
The lady handed Conan a paperbag. He gave a short thank you and ran to a corner where he could inspect the bag. In it were clothes fit for his true size. He looked deeper beneath the suit and shoes, and saw a small box. Outside was a note saying 'Drink me' and in it was a pill.
He knew what would happen if he drank the pill. Would it be alright to morph back in such a venue? The little boy heaved a deep sigh and proceeded to the male washroom. It was time to turn into Alice and enter the crazy world of wonderland.
The hotel's function hall turned into a garden. There was a small elevated area which acted as a stage by the wall. It was bordered with bright daisies and sunflowers. There was also a screen behind it with an intricate iron border. In the middle was a space sprinkled with rose petals. The tables were surrounding this area, each one with a beautiful vase of tulips. The hall's main attraction was its ceiling which was filled with flowers. The sky of flowers looked down on the well-dressed guests as they entered by the door.
Vodka and Gin were standing in a corner still clad in black watching everyone coming in. Vodka looked up from his glass, appreciating the ceiling of flowers above him. "So this is where all the flowers went."
Vermouth approached them, two brooches in her hand, a disappointed look across her face. "Didn't you hear about the theme?", she complained as she pinned a brooch on Gin and Vodka's chest. Vodka did not dare complain. Gin didn't really care. "Better.", she said with a smile.
"There's more in the bar Vodka." Vermouth said as she herself went to the bar where Bourbon handed her a drink. She said thanks and leaned back. Bourbon warned her against drinking too much and Vermouth reasoned out. "There's no way I'm saying anything nice about that bitch if I'm sober."
Vermouth ended the drink with a big gulp, stood up straight, took a deep breath and proceeded to the stage. "Showtime.", she said with a wink.
"Try to behave.", Bourbon teased. He was in good spirits today. He knew questions will be answered in this party and he was not going to miss any detail.
Vermouth called everybody's attention. That wasn't very hard to do since the lights dimmed and the spotlight was on her. She thanked the guests for coming and proceeded to introduce one of her most esteemed colleagues. "As you all know, someone we have deeply missed has come back to grace us with her presence."
Vermouth fought the urge to puke so badly. Keep your poise, she said to herself. She said a few more words, none of which she really meant, and called on Spirytus. A round of applause came from the guests. Gin smirked, Vodka put down his drink, and Bourbon watched intently. Spirytus thanked Vermouth for her introduction. "It's great to back!", she exclaimed with such energy.
"You know, one thing I deeply missed...", she gave Vermouth a glance and Vermouth did her best to smile. "is your bullshit Vermouth."
Vodka stifled a laugh, Gin's ears perked up, and Bourbon was carefully waiting for Vermouth's reaction. This bitch is really pushing my buttons, Vermouth thought. She's not going to get me mad. This is my party. She took deep breaths and kept her pleasant disposition.
"You even remembered I'm allergic to pollen. I am deeply touched.", Spirytus said to Vermouth with a smile. "So much consideration for your guest of honor."
At that point, Vermouth grabbed a microphone and corrected Spirytus. "Oh no, you're not the guest of honor."
Shinichi beheld himself in front of the mirror, not only back in his true size, but wearing a light blue suit at that. Might as well do this in the right form, he thought. He left his child clothes in the paperbag and hid it in the washroom. "This is it.", he whispered. He took a deep breath and headed out the door.
He was checking his clothes as he walked, still a bit uncomfortable, and when he looked up, he saw the back of a lady with auburn hair clad in a blue dress standing by the entrance. She was standing very still and he could see her knees trembling. Why won't she go in?, he wondered. He kept on walking and the lady sensed his presence. She looked behind her slowly and Shinichi was surprised to recognize the lady. "Haibara...", he whispered.
Just then, a spotlight shone brightly on Haibara's location. She tried to smile at Shinichi before facing forward. Haibara was beautiful, no doubt, but she was also terrified and Shinichi clearly saw that in her blue eyes.
"Don't...", said Shinichi softly, but Haibara was already getting increasingly farther from him and into the dark.
Vermouth snapped her fingers and the lights went out. People were abuzz because of the sudden darkness which lasted for a few seconds. A spotlight finally went on and everybody looked to its direction. It illuminated the entrance and they all witnessed Haibara enter the hall.
Ai was nervous as hell. Why does everything have to be so dramatic?, she thought. For the past few months, all she's been doing was hiding. She's always covered her face with a hoodie or a cap or Conan's back or anybody else's back for that matter. There she was standing in the spotlight, all eyes on her, all black organization eyes on her. The presence she could feel was overwhelming. She could feel Gin's glare and Vermouth's self-satisfied smile. She can hear hushed whispers about her return. There is no turning back now. She thought of the high school detective behind her and sighed. "This is it."
Ai took a deep breath, stood as tall as she can, and walked as steadily as can be towards the middle of the hall. She felt eyes on her with every step but she didn't dare look to her sides. "Keep walking forward", she kept repeating to herself. Every step tightened the Black Organization's grasp around her and it was easier to just succumb as she got closer.
"She looks great huh Aniki.", whispered Vodka. Gin just smirked and hissed her code name "Sherry."
After what seemed like forever, Ai was able to reach the stage where Spirytus and Vermouth welcomed her - the two ladies who want her by their side. Spirytus wanted to hug her but Vermouth quickly grabbed Ai by her side. Spirytus welcomed her back and the guests gave her a round of applause. Ai smiled timidly and bowed. "You looked like you were walking to your execution.", Vermouth whispered to Ai. She was clearly disappointed with the catwalk.
"Isn't that what this is?", she whispered back.
"We are happy to have Sherry back with us but unfortunately the Boss cannot come", Spirytus announced. Voices buzzed once more upon hearing the word 'Boss'. Shinichi found his way to the back where he could go unnoticed and listened intently. "Instead, he prepared a short video for us."
The screen behind the stage lit up and was filled with hazy monochrome lines. The lines later gathered up to form a black figure and a robotic voice echoed in the hall. As expected from the head of the organization, Shinichi thought. The boss is not giving anything away.
'Greetings. I am sorry I could not come. Parties are not for me anyway. I am sure Vermouth did a great job.' A smile beamed across Vermouth's face when she heard this.
'I brought back two valuable colleagues in the organization because I know they are critical in this major change.' Gasps were heard among the audience and a buzz rose anew. What change is the boss talking about? Everybody's been gossiping about change recently but they all could only speculate on what it really was. The video spoke once more and the audience fell silent, listening intently on every word.
'I am terminally ill and in need of a replacement.' A replacement? There will be a new boss? Various alcoholic beverages were whispered from ear to ear as guests speculated who the new boss could be.
So that is what's up, Bourbon thought. Vermouth wants to be boss. He has always been by Vermouth's side but being under Vermouth was another matter. He wasn't sure how to feel about that especially if the other option was Gin. He could almost feel Gin's smirk from across the room.
'I already have two candidates from the code named members of the organization.' Ai could see Vermouth's grin and Vodka whispered 'Aniki' while Gin just nodded and smiled slyly. Vermouth and Gin?, Shinichi was deep in thought.
'Another announcement will be made once I have chosen. Meanwhile, Spirytus has another event planned.', with that the video ended, the lights shone again and Spirytus grabbed the microphone and spoke, "Well, that must have been quite a lot to digest."
"On a lighter note, I have a fun-filled event planned out.", Spirytus continued. "As many of you may not know, I am a Sherlock Holmes fan."
Shinichi grimaced when he heard this. I guess not all Sherlock Holmes fans can be trusted, he thought. "Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson have always been solving mysteries together.", Spirytus said further. "Mysteries abound so I need you ladies and gents to form your own Holmes and Watson pairs to help unlock them."
"We'll make a good pair Aniki.", Vodka suggested.
"We don't solve crimes Vodka.", Gin replied with a sly smile. "We commit them."
"Further instructions will be sent to the pairs.", Spirytus finally added. Ai could see Vermouth's forehead in a furrow the whole time Spirytus has been talking. To her surprise, Vermouth suddenly grabbed the microphone from Spirytus and announced, "For goodness' sake, let's start dancing."
The three of them vacated the stage and musicians took their place. The sound of cellos and a piano filled the hall. Vermouth walked across the room and danced with Bourbon. Ai was awkwardly standing at the side of the dance floor not quite sure what to do. "Let loose and dance Sherry.", Spirytus suggested and she went off to get a partner.
Shinichi was about to approach Ai when he saw Gin approaching. He stepped back for fear of being recognized by the man who shrunk him. Gin did not bat an eyelash at him and to his shock walked straight to Ai. He wanted to drag Ai away but was dragged instead by the red-haired lady. "Rin-sensei", he whispered.
"You can call me Spirytus, Kudo Shinichi-kun.", she replied with a smile. She placed his hand on her back and another in her hand as they waltzed their way to the dance floor. "I'm assuming the high school detective can dance."
Shinichi gave a short nod though the corner of his eyes were still fixated on Ai dancing with Gin. "I hope you'll join my Sherlock Holmes project. You will find it very exciting.", Spirytus added with a wink.
Ai could easily feel Shinichi watching her and she fought the urge to meet his gaze. She wanted so badly to dance with him instead of this villain but her need to protect that idiot who keeps diving into trouble was more important. Gin's hand on her waist was like poison. She didn't want him anywhere near her let alone in contact with her but she didn't really have much of a choice. She tried to keep it as cool as she can. "Sherry", Gin hissed as he stared into Ai's eyes, trying to get a glimpse of her soul. "Seems like you're not a traitor after all."
"I am black through and through.", Ai replied coldly and Gin grinned in satisfaction. "Thanks for the flowers by the way. Didn't know you still had that in you."
Vermouth was watching everyone on the dance floor. Gin was dancing with Sherry to her disappointment. Sherry is mine, she thought. Stop flirting you bastard. She scanned the floor for Spirytus and she saw her dancing with a high school student. What a cradle snatcher, she thought. She couldn't recognize who the guy was so she waltzed with Bourbon to get closer to the two. She studied the guy's appearance and realized that it was Shinichi. She let out a soft gasp. "What's wrong?", asked Bourbon who was about to turn around to check what Vermouth saw. Vermouth dragged him away from Shinichi and they danced on the other side. "Nothing really. You know that bitch appalls my eyes everytime."
Bourbon just smiled at Vermouth's antics. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you.", Vermouth said in a serious tone looking straight at his eyes. "There's really nothing to worry about. Sherry is our trump card. Whoever has the key to continuing the research will likely be the new head."
The song ended and the dancing pairs dispersed. Some danced with other partners and others left the dance floor. Vermouth was still talking to Bourbon and they continued to dance. Spirytus danced with Gin. Shinichi looked around for Haibara. She already signaled Vermouth that she was leaving and was already out of the hall. A waiter approached Shinichi and gave him a hotel key card. "She's already waiting for you there.", he said in a familiar voice. Subaru-san?, he thought.
Shinichi swung the hotel room door open and saw the Professor asleep on a bed and Haibara standing behind the window, looking afar. He closed the door behind him and uttered, "Haibara".
The lady with auburn hair turned around to face him. She gestured towards the professor and explained, "He's just asleep. You shouldn't have brought him here." Shinichi was just looking at her with concern.
"Haibara...", Shinichi didn't know where to begin. He witnessed too much in the hall below and he wasn't quite sure how to start discussing.
"Don't call me that Kudo-kun.", Shiho said grimly. "You know as well as I do that Haibara Ai does not exist."
"This is not you Haibara.", Shinichi's voice was tinged with worry. "Why did you go back?"
"It's inevitable.", Shiho replied with dead eyes. "This is who I really am Kudo-kun. I cannot escape it."
Shinichi couldn't believe this was actually happening. Ai used to shudder at the thought of the organization finding her, at the feeling of their aura nearby. And yet there she was back in the organization emitting that faint aura that she used to hate. What triggered such a drastic change? Are they threatening her?, Shinichi was trying to think of a possible reason.
Shiho got a small box from the table's drawer and handed it over to Shinichi who was still deep in thought. "What is this?", Shinichi asked as he snapped out of his train of thought. Shiho just looked at the box and Shinichi opened it. In it was a pill. "That's the antidote.", Shiho finally said.
Shinichi closed the box and to Ai's surprise, threw it across the room where it hit the wall with a slight thump. Ai looked back to the box and snapped out of her shock when the high school detective grabbed her arms and looked her straight in the eyes. "Don't tell me you sold your soul to the devil for what's inside that box.", he said, his eyes seething with rage. Ai has never seen him this mad and this wasn't exactly how she envisioned him to react.
"What are you so mad about?", she said with slight irritation as she got out of his grasp. "Isn't this what you've always wanted? To go back to your real size and live life as you used to with Mouri-san? Now you can do that. The least you can do is say thanks."
"I will not thank you for throwing away your life. How can you decide for me? How can you possibly know everything that I want in life?", Shinichi's voice was raised but it was also frail. Ai could see his eyes getting moist. She was about to reply when he hugged her. "I don't want that antidote if it costs your life.", he whispered.
"The devil has always owned my soul.", Shiho replied. "There's nothing you can do to save it Kudo-kun."
Shinichi held her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I can save you.", he said in a determined tone. "We will make the organization pay for everything they've done."
Shiho took his hands off her shoulder, picked up the box and put it back in Shinichi's hands. "Go home and get your life back. Live it well for both of us.", she said with a soft smile. "The Professor will wake up soon. Give him my love."
"Thank you for everything Kudo-kun.", she whispered in his ear. She went by the Professor's bed and kissed him on the forehead. And out the room she went without another word.
AN: I'm sorry it took me ages to update. I got distracted writing another fic (It's about Frozen if you guys are interested). I'm also back in school now so expect this to be a common occurrence. :( Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. What are your thoughts? As always, I really appreciate it when you voice them out. See you in the next chapter! :)