Well, I began writing this chapter immediately after I finished with chapter 10. It took so long because of multiple reasons. Still, hope you like it!
Chapter 11:
It was a sunny day, the birds were chirping and the grass was green. Everyone around the park seemed to be having fun. One bunch in particular were having a ball as they play a rousing game of soccer for one final time. Genta and Ayumi were the goalkeepers for each team with Conan left on his own to steal the ball from Mitsuhiko. Just as Conan was about to reach Mitsuhiko, as a last form of keeping the ball away from him, Mitsuhiko made the daring move of kicking the ball up in the air. Conan, surprised by the sudden move, reacted quickly as the ball continued to make it way to the goal, but before it could, the ball was about to land in front of Genta.
Conan was beginning to slow down but failed to realize that Haibara was close to the ball so before the ball could reach the ground, she kicked it with all her might and hoped for the best.
The ball was heading toward Genta's head and instead of defending the goal, he instinctively ducked, just barely avoiding the ball as it passed right through him to the goal.
"Yes!" Haibara shouted, happy to see them making a point. Mitsuhiko made his way to her and they both thanked the other while slapping their hands together.
"Hey, games not over. Besides, you guys are still losing 3 to 1." Conan stated the fact as he looked at them, slightly annoyed. They were making a fuss over making one point while they were still losing.
Ayumi came running to Conan before tackling him down while he was still busy looking over the other team. "Let's end it there. Besides, I think everyone should be done with the preparation." Ayumi said, whispering that last part, making sure only Conan could hear her.
Conan sighed. He looked up with Ayumi still on his back, before looking down. "Fine. Now could you please get off me!" He complained but it only made her latched onto him even tighter.
oooOOOooo
"So what are we going to do now?" Mitsuhiko asked as the group just left the park and now were walking to what he believed to be the professor's place. Today would mark the last day Mitsuhiko would live in Beika City. Starting tomorrow, he would wake up in a different city, preparing to go to a different school.
"We're going to play video games at Hakase's place." Ayumi responded with a smile. Everyone but Mitsuhiko nodded in agreement as they walked.
"You know, we should've invited Rei-kun to play with us at the park…" Mitsuhiko just thought of that, but then Haibara responded to his statement.
"He and Masudo-san are right now visiting their Aunt and Uncle in a nearby island. Something about an issue within the family."
"I didn't know that!" Ayumi declared.
"Me neither." Genta added.
"The benefits of dating one's older brother I suppose." Conan said nonchalantly. This caused a huge uproar among the Detective Boys.
"N-Nani! You're already dating M-Masudo-oniisan!"
"Congratulation Ai-chan!"
"Does that mean free samples at the bakery?!"
It was pretty obvious who said what, considering the personalities that her friends possessed. Still, they were too much to bear as they poured their attention solely on her. Instinctively, Haibara turned to the detective for some support, and in return, he let out a wicked grin. W-Wait! What are you planning?!
"You know what, I heard from the hakase, that when he finally got home that same night we had the double date, he was surprised by how happy Haibara was. He thought for a moment that someone replaced her with a phony. She even allowed him to eat as much food as he wanted." Conan added which surprised all three of the kids.
This further made the conversation more awkward and difficult as their curiosity just suddenly increased from the detective's words.
"U-Um, no… it like I said to you before Yoshida-san…" Haibara said as she turned to her only girl friend.
That night, Haibara received a text message from her, asking how the date went. Happy with how the date went by that night, Haibara began to prepare dinner for the professor. Not realizing she made enough for trice the amount the professor and herself would normally have eaten, she took in her portion and simply ate on her own. By the time she was done, the professor finally arrived, exhausted from the repair job.
FLASHBACK
"Oh, that's a lot of food. Are we having anyone coming over?"
Haibara shook her head before peacefully and happily washing her dirty dishes. "No, just felt like making that much."
The professor looked over the array of food and felt daring enough to ask her if he could have twice the normal amount.
"Go right ahead. Have as much as you like." Haibara said, not one bit bothered by his words, or hers, as she was finishing up the dishes in the sink.
This nearly gave him a heart attack as he looked at her, shocked. "Ano, Ai-kun… are you feeling alright? I could have sworn you said I could eat as much as I like."
"That's right."
Dr. Agasa didn't question it twice as he grabbed a plate and began to pick out some food to eat first. After the dishes, Haibara went upstairs in her room, changing for the night. Feeling like now was a good time to call, Haibara dialed Ayumi's phone number.
From then on, the girls were chit-chatting non-time until practically all night. Haibara first began her story with how she and Kudo were walking to the mall and met both Masudo and Ran at the candy store. The story would have gone faster if Ayumi didn't interrupt Haibara's story every single time she had a question or reaction, especially when she told her of when Kudo was holding her hand.
END OF FLASHBACK
"Although we're not going to ignore these feelings, it doesn't mean we're …a couple." Haibara began as she turned away. The word "couple" had a strong effect on her as her skin around her face began to flare up.
"Oh yeah… I do remember you saying something like that…" Ayumi said as she tried to remember more about their conversation a few days ago.
"Finally, we're here… I was beginning to get hungry." Genta let out, place a hand over his stomach. They were entering through the front gate, with Genta holding the gate open.
"Is there a time when you aren't hungry?" Ayumi responded, with Mitsuhiko, Conan and Ayumi giving a not so surprised look on their faces.
Upon entering, the house was completely dark as all the rooms' light were off.
"That's strange… I could have sworn the professor said that he would be home all day today." Haibara commented, pondering for a moment as they took off their shoes and walked to ahead.
"M-Maybe we should call him on his ce-"
"SURPRISE!" The light suddenly turned up as a bunch of their friends and loved one appeared from where they were hiding, with cheering faces, holding a cake.
"What is this?" Mitshuko asked. Everyone's attention was on him.
"This a surprise party for you Mitsuhiko-kun."Ayumi revealed, before pulling him closer to everyone else.
"F-For me?" Still stunned, although happiness evident on his face, he looked down on the cake they had. It said in big bold letters:
WE WILL MISS YOU
MITSUHIKO!
"We purposely planned to play soccer early in the morning while Ran-neechan and everyone else prepared the party" Conan added before they began eating the cake.
Beside the cake, Dr. Agasa, with the help of Ran and Sonoko, prepared a huge array of food. The children began talking among themselves upon what was to come.
"So tonight is the big move?" Ayumi asked, putting down her plate.
"I'm afraid so…" Mitsuhiko said, stopping himself from eating, looking down at his plate.
"It will be fine. We can talk over the phone or video chat each other. And once in a while, we'll pay a visit." Haibara said, placing a hand over his, for assurance.
"I'll be sure to visit you guys from time to time as well…" Mitsuhiko said as the young children spend their final moments together. While they were busy eating and playing video games, Haibara failed to notice the text message she received from the older Masudo sibling.
oooOOOooo
"Onii-chan! Our ride is here." Rei, his little brother, alerted him as the boat appeared and stopped in front of them. Masudo had just finished sending Haibara a text message. Hopefully she'll get it in time.
"Coming!" Masudo said as he caught up to his brother and both of them boarded the small boat. This family visit, though adventurous to Rei, was nothing but stressful to the older brother. He didn't realize the severity of the issue until he spoke to his uncle. To make matter worse, his cousin, the daughter of his uncle, just went ahead and left the island. She was supposed to leave with them in a few days but somehow she grew inpatient and with her power as daughter of the island's mayor, she was able to acquire a ride. Now they were on their way to catch up to her.
"Hey Onii-chan, is she really going to be living with us?" Rei was viewing the sea from the side of the boat, with his hands on the rail.
"I'm afraid so. Things gotten a bit complicated in the island and I couldn't refuse our uncle. You understand right?" Truth be told, there was more to it than what he was letting on, but he didn't want Rei to worry about it.
"I guess…but I don't really like her." Rei said, looking a bit sad.
This surprised Masudo tremendously. Rei, never had an issue with any other kid he came across with. Though Rei only met their cousin a handful of times, Masudo never figured he would dislike her. Sure, she was partly rude and somewhat spoiled, but it was mostly because of the way she was raised.
"I know she can be mean but please try to be friends with her. She may be different from us, but she is still family. Okay? For me?" Masudo began to play with his brother hair as Rei tried to shake his hand away.
"Fine!" Rei finally said, unable to refuse a plea from his older brother. He turned his head away, still showing a soured face though Masudo smiled from his brother antics. It was pretty rare to see him like this, though Masudo knew that Rei meant well. Hopefully this would give the two of them a chance to know each other, hoped Masudo as he looked ahead at the sea. The sun was close to set as their journey back home had just begun.
Silly onii-chan, the reason why I don't like her is because…
oooOOOooo
Haibara just finished taking a quick shower when she realized she left her phone down stairs. She left her room while drying off her hair. Today was exhausting though meaningful. With Mitsuhiko gone, the detective boys are down to four members. No, that wasn't entirely correct. He was still part of the detective boys, it just that he was unable to join them in their cases, hence the four.
She even remembered that thing she did before he left. It wasn't serious, just a mean to say farewell and to hope to see him soon. She knew he wouldn't misunderstand her actions for something else. She made that clear before, though she still couldn't help but worried if she may have gone a bit overboard with her farewell. As she arrived at the end of the staircase, she told herself she would explain it to Masudo when he got back. It was silly to be worried about it, especially when she knew Masudo and her are not quite a couple. But then again, she did not want any misunderstanding, even to herself. So she would tell Masudo about it, just as she planned, and end this feeling of guilt. After all, it was not everyday she would kiss someone on the cheek.
When she found her phone by the counter-top, she noticed its blinking light. A message? From who? She thought to herself though she had a feeling she knew who it was. Upon opening it, she saw the name Masudo as the sender. Almost instantly, her heart began to swell up, as she looked at the message though never really opening it until she got to her room.
oooOOOooo
Around the same time, a black Porsche 356A arrived at a nearby dock. The driver did not move to get out, instead, he lit a cigarette.
"Aniki, what are we doing here?" His companion asked, surprised they stopped by a local dock.
The man on the wheel did not response right away, instead took a deep breath before letting out the fumes. Just then, a man approached them. He was a man of the sea with a rugged face and slanted eyes while wearing a captain's hat. The man walked towards the driver and Gin lowered the window.
"Excuse me, but you can't park here. Please drive along." Said the man with much authority as he looked towards the eyes of the driver.
The driver took out a pistol and aimed it at the man. "I don't have time for your games. Did you make contact with the target?" He said with narrow eyes.
The captain let out a wicked smile before shaking his head. "You're no fun. But what else was I expecting from you, but a gun, Gin." The man said, with a now entirely different voice. "And yes, I did but I don't get why you are interested in this one. He didn't seem to be interesting enough to watch."
Gin lowered his gun before removing his cigarette. "Shut up! You just do what I ordered. We need to make sure about something."
"Alright, but I don't see the big deal. So what they were close when they were younger. From what I gathered, it been a while since they last talked to each other."
"Shut up. Did he accept the invitation?"
"No, not yet but I'll drop by to deliver a reminder later."
Gin said nothing but smiled.
oooOOOooo
Haibara was sitting down on her bed, legs crossed. She was moving one of her legs in a wagging matter as she stared down at her phone that lain in front of her.
It been hours since she received the message as the phone indicated but Haibara couldn't find the courage to open it up.
"Come on! It just a text message. You shouldn't be still crazy about a simple message." She said to herself before her phone vibrated again. The vibration surprised Haibara as she let out a small scream before looking down at the phone.
"A message from Kudo?"
oooOOOooo
Both Kudo and Haibara, with the help of Dr. Agasa were on their way to the train station. "I can't believe you didn't read his message. Some girlfriend you are."
Haibara turned to the detective and became enraged. "Huh?! What did you say?" Haibara said as she began pulling his cheeks. It seemed that Masudo also texted Conan as a reminder to pick up his cousin.
"Eeeehheh Waaaa"
"Hey, settled down. We're almost there. We don't want to give off a bad impression to the girl, right?" Dr. Agasa said. Haibara, agreeing with the professor, reluctantly let go of the detective's cheeks.
"So, who is this girl?" The professor asked, with his attention still on the road.
"She's their distant cousin. Apparently due to some family issues, she's going to be living with them." Haibara answered upon reading the message again.
"But why leave by herself?"
"The idiot went ahead of them without telling anyone." Haibara answered nonchalant.
"Hey Ai-kun, that's not nice. Maybe she couldn't stand it over there and decided to leave right then and there." The professor reasoned though Haibara didn't pay much attention. Instead, she looked through the glass, viewing the side road and the cars that past by.
After another 15 minutes, they arrived to the station. Both Haibara and Conan got out of the car and were waiting on the professor. "What was the name of the girl anyway?" Kudo asked.
"I believe her name was Mikami Su-"
"Conan-kun!" Said a voice from behind as she latched herself onto Conan's back.
"Wha- You again?!" Conan replied as he saw the familiar girl with pigtails.
"Oh my, if I knew you were going to pick me up, I would have come sooner!" She exclaimed, as she continued to embrace the detective around the neck tightly from behind. Haibara looked amused but also was curious about the girl. It was then that she noticed Haibara and her attitude suddenly shifted. "And who are you?"
"A friend of Edogawa-kun and the one providing you the ride." Haibara said, not feeling intimated by the girl's approach. When Conan felt the grip around his neck loosened, he quickly removed himself from Suzu.
"Her name is Haibara Ai and she's-"
"Are you the one dating my Taka-kun!" She said before pointing a finger at Haibara's face. "Just so you know, I'm the one that's going to marry him. GOT THAT!"
Surprised, would not even begin to explain the look on Haibara's face. She was shocked, yes, but she was also flustered. The words the girl spoke was normally taken lightly by any adult, but to Haibara who was older than she seemed, the idea of marriage caused her mind to be blown away. It would make sense that if two people were indeed in love with one another, they would eventually unite in a holy matrimony. Just the idea of her and Masudo together as husband and wife left a unique feeling inside her.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Suzu shouted, finally grabbing Haibara attention as she shook herself off the idea for now. "Did you hear me? He's my husband-to-be so you better back off."
Haibara then became annoyed by the girl as she gave the girl a look of anger before speaking.
"You don't get to decide something like that! BESIDE, YOU'RE JUST A KID!"
Suzu took a step back, surprised by Haibara's outburst. Too bad for everyone involved, Suzu did not end it there. "LOOK WHO'S TALKING! YOU'RE A KID TOO! BESIDES, I'M OLDER THAN YOU!"
True to her words, she was taller than Haibara and Conan by at least two inches, much to Haibara's dismay.
"Children settle down. We don't want to cause a ruckus now do we?" Dr. Agasa said as the two girls turned away from each other. Then Suzu poured her attention to Conan as she latched herself to his arm.
"That's fine with me, as long as I get to sit by my Conan-kun." She said, emphasizing the word "my". Haibara shook her head at the girl's affection towards the detective,
They then left but during the trip back, Haibara received a message from Masudo. She looked back and saw the girl sleeping peacefully while holding onto Conan's arm. The detective was still looking away, at the window before he noticed Haibara staring at them.
"What?" He said, embarrassed by the scene he was in.
"I got a message from Masudo-kun." Haibara began as she pulled away, with her body fully lying on her seatback. "It seems that their train has been delayed until tomorrow. They're going to be staying at a local inn. Hakase, would it be much trouble to have her stay with us?" Haibara asked, obviously not happy with the news.
"Of course. It would be like a friend sleeping over." Dr. Agasa said, trying to keep the mood light and pleasant.
"Yeah, something like that." Haibara said, propping her head on her hand while placing her elbow on the armrest.
OMAKE:
Following the Masudo siblings, the older one was just finishing up brushing his teeth when he received a message on his phone.
I got the okay from the professor. Don't worry, we'll watch over her for the night. Good night and hope to see you guys tomorrow morning.
-Haibara
Masudo let out a breath, happy to know that his cousin was safe and sound. He then began typing a reply back to Haibara.
Thanks again for your help. I'll be sure to make it up to you later. Also, goodnight and sweet dreams, I will see you tomorrow.
-Masudo
He clicked send, unaware of the impact it had on the recipient as her mind nearly exploded, knowing that she would get something out of this but mostly because he wished her goodnight and sweet dreams.
-END OF OMAKE
I want to take the time to answer a question from a reviewer. Roxifoxi, thank you for reviewing on multiple occasions and to answer your question about "the mystery", I did plan something with the letters but not sure on how to go about it. It sounded great when I first came up with the idea, but now that I have a better handle in the way I write, I want to tweak it a bit. Don't worry, I'm sure I will figure it out soon enough. Thanks again for reviewing!
-sorrowxdarkness