Alright, I finally finished this chapter. It took longer than I expected but hopefully you enjoy it.

Chapter 12

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In the morning of Beika city, many of the businesses were already opened to take in customers. The coffee were freshly brewed with the sweet aroma of the sizzling strips of bacon being cooked. Dr. Agasa decided the next morning to have breakfast at a family diner to welcome their new visitor. As they sat within their seats, they waited for two things. The first, was their meals that they ordered. It was rather difficult for them, especially when one of them was not much of a morning person. Her eyes were closed as she rested her head on back of her hands. Perhaps some coffee would do wonders for Haibara as she tried to stay awake.

Next to her was Conan and next to him was Mikami Suzu. She had her arms wrapped around the detective, literally. Since the start of the morning when Dr. Agasa knocked at her door, the distant cousin of Masudo was talking about her relationship with the detective. Apparently, she viewed herself as a beauty with spice and that Conan would eventually be her boyfriend. Haibara disregarded it at first, as she started freshening up in the bathroom. The girl did not know when to quit. From when they were at the car, to when they got to the diner, she would talk about nothing but her affections for the poor detective. Haibara only wished, everyone else would be here soon because she was close to her breaking point with this girl.

"Ai-chan!" Said a voice ahead. Haibara lifted her head up and saw her best friend Ayumi running towards her followed by Genta.

oooOOOooo

Good Morning Masudo-kun,

Dr. Agasa suggested eating out for breakfast. We're going to Donny's. If you like, we could meet up there and have breakfast together.

-Haibara

Masudo looked over at the message he received a minute ago. He was beginning his day like any other, by brushing his teeth when he received a text message. Unfortunately for him, he left it by his brother so upon receiving the message, the ring woke up Rei from his slumber. Rei was just beginning to brush off the sandman's powder when he saw his older brother checking out his cell phone.

"Who is it from?" Rei asked curiously. He shook his head for good measure before giving his brother his full attention.

"It's from Haibara-chan. How does breakfast at Donny's sound?" He asked his brother, earning him one excited little boy evident by the jumping and pleading to go. He ruffled Rei's hair which was already a mess. Hopefully some breakfast would get the two cousins in better standing with one another, hoped the elder Masudo as they prepared for what the day had in store for them. If only the elder brother knew, of how Haibara felt about his cousin. That, and what he was planning to do when he arrived at the diner.

oooOOOooo

Haibara spotted the younger Masudo brother entering through the glass door before running towards them. What she didn't see was the elder of the two. Just as she was about to stand up from her seat, she received a text message, evident by the vibration in her pocket. She flipped the phone open and saw that she received a text message from Masudo. Without haste she opened the message and read the contents quickly before Rei could arrive at their table.

It was rather concise and to the point as Masudo apologized for the suddenness. Although he did not work today, he needed to be somewhere and it was important to him that he was there. Simply asked Haibara to look after his brother for the day along with Suzu and he would return later in the evening. The younger brother finally arrived just as she was writing a response back to the original sender. Click. The message was sent as she closed her cellular phone. Rei arrived and everyone welcomed him back from his travels. Well, everyone except his own cousin who had her attention solely on the detective.

Naturally, they asked Rei of his brother's whereabouts. He simply said that his brother needed to see someone. He added it was someone really important. It was at that moment that Suzu entered the conversation after initially ignoring her kin. She scoffed as she revealed to them that her father told her everything.

Haibara's attention was instantly snatched as her eyes pierced Suzu's direction. Dr. Agasa tried to control the kids as the food finally arrived. With the mere presence of food scattered around the table, the topic died out as their attention was set on the dishes. Everyone began to chow down on the meal. Everyone except for Haibara who still had her eyes on the newcomer and Conan who slowly went along with the flow. Unknown to the group, Haibara's hands clenched underneath the table. It was a breakfast she wished was already over. It took around another hour before they began the topic again.

oooOOOooo

After dropping off his brother and sending a quick message to Haibara, Masudo decided to go to his house. After a quick change of clothes and a cup of coffee, he left. Just as he was leaving with his hand still on the door, he was greeted by the mailman who came by with a letter in hand.

"Good morning to you. I have just one letter today." The elderly man said as he handed the letter to Masudo. Masudo took it and thanked the mailman as the mailman left to continued his route. When he saw the back of the mailman, he turned over the letter and saw it was a letter of confirmation. It had 'IMPORTANT' on the envelope with his name and address. Not thinking too much of it, he placed it inside his pocket before leaving his house.

He then walked at his own pace as he began to think of the recent events that transpired when he visited his uncle. He received a call from his uncle's secretary that his presence was needed. She didn't really explain the circumstance, but merely said it was of the up-most importance. After notifying a few days ahead of his needed absence with his employers, he left with his younger brother to one of Japan's smaller islands. Practically everyone in the island knew each other and was apparently self-efficient as they grew their own crops and took care of one another. All in all, it was a rather endearing sight, but aside of the point.

They arrived and was shortly greeted by the secretary as they were led through the small town. His uncle was mayor of the town that resided in the small island and was currently occupied with the up-coming election.

They were given a room in the finest hotel the island had to offer with a grand feast for dinner. Despite the nice luxuries presented to them, they were actually uncomfortable with the set-up. People, from the common folks to workers in the inn, were constantly referring to them as the Mayor's nephews.

It wasn't until the next day that they were able to meet with their uncle. It was morning when a worker from the hotel knocked at their door, waking them up in the process. She informed them that the mayor would be coming to see them in about half an hour and they should get ready.

The next knock they heard from the door alerted them to get into position. As the door opened, they expected to see a rather old man that was dealing with thinning hair, but instead, they were greeted by a young girl with pigtails that charged right in and lunged herself at the elder brother.

Mikami Suzu, a girl with whom he came across only a handful of times through his visits to the island. Despite the gap in age, she became rather clingy whenever he was around. Even though it had been a while since they last saw each other, he greeted her affectionately as she received his hand ruffling her hair. She told them that her father only needed to speak to him and that she would stay behind and give Rei some company.

After a quick talk with his brother, Masudo left to meet his uncle in a separate room that was prepared beforehand. After thinking about it, he did not know what happened when he left his brother with Suzu, but whatever happened, it left Rei with a rather poor impression of her.

Aside of that, his meeting with his uncle was rather formal. Suzu had been on the local news from getting stuck on a ledge on the side of a cliff to kicking a news reporter in the shin. Overall, it was bad publicity for her father so he decided to send her to live with a distant yet trustworthy relative, hence Masudo. It surprised him that his uncle called him to come to the island merely to ask them to look after his daughter. However, Mayor Mikami Takeo had more to say as he revealed the real reason for their arrival. He left out a sigh before taking out a somewhat dated newspaper and presented it to the young adult. He didn't quite understand the meaning of it until he saw the main headline as well as the picture of the person in the paper.

With a flip of a page, he turned to page 3 where the story continued. It was then that everything went crashing down. Every word he read brought him to the inevitable conclusion. His life he was re-living as the newspaper trembled in his hands. Every word spoken by the person, every smile they gave, every touch of their hand on his head, and every time they looked at his direction went through his eyes as the tears began to flow out. The grief was setting in as his uncle came to his side and offered a simply pat on his back. He knew how close the two of them were and when he found out, he wondered if his nephew came across the news too. He had his suspicion, but ultimately he felt it was better to tell him rather than him finding out alone.

Despite the number of appointments and appearances he was scheduled to make, he canceled every one of them as he looked over at his nephew. They walked and allowed mother nature to tend their wounds although the mayor's was already dried. He knew about this for months, but felt compelled to hold off until he confirmed it himself. In the news, the person was under a different name but after weeks of investigation, It pointed back to that person. Then it was only a matter of picking a good time to inform the boy as news of this magnitude was never easy or any less heart-wrenching.

Takashiro Masudo had the whole day to grief until he would see his brother again late in the evening. He would visit every spot that held meaning to him as he was reminded what event occurred there with that person. From hanging on a tree branch on the side of a cliff to partaking in a festival within the island. It was toward the end of the day that he asked his uncle the whereabouts of their burial.

It turned out it was fairly close to where he currently resided; no more than 15 minutes as he stood by a small landscape filled with many tombstones. He walked for a bit as he followed the directions given to him by his uncle. Find the tree with a heart-shaped mark on the side and then take a seat on the wooden bench that was next to it. In front, there would be a tombstone with a chipped corner, in that same column, walked 5 spaces and then 3 spaces to the right. After that, he would see the name of the person etched in the stone plate.

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Haibara quick ran as far as her little legs would go. When the light turned green and she was alerted to wait as the cars passed by, she took the moment to catch her breath. It may have taken her an hour later to figure it out, but now she needed to be there. Rei explained to the group that his brother wasn't quite himself after he returned late in the evening. All he knew was that he was with their uncle. It was then that Suzu stepped in and told them what she knew.

Someone in which he considered his own sister had passed away. Haibara knew of the feeling of losing a sister. It was not something to be taken lightly as the pain continued to persist although she knew there was warmth as well. At first, all she could feel when remembering her sister was pain, but now, it was different. She remembered the smiles and sisterly gestures her sister did for her. When it was time for her to cross, she ran. She hoped he was still there. She only wished the stupid brat told her that she was buried at a cemetery nearby sooner. The detective quickly knew of the cemetery that was nearby and Haibara quickly left the group.

Still, Suzu had more to share. His sister apparently went to a life of crime and eventually was shot after a deal went wrong, The table got silent although Haibara was not there to know that. When she finally arrived, she spotted a figure standing there. She waited until she could control her breathing before slowly making her way to him.

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How long was he standing by while staring at the stone. He probably would have stood some more if it wasn't for the sudden sound of someone walking by. Were they walking towards him? The grass below them were long and untrimmed as they made some rustling sounds. He turned his head to see Haibara with a sympathetic look. She stayed no farther but a meter away as she waited for him to return with her. Knowing how it went, he didn't have the chance to eat. It would give her a chance to cook for him and be there for him.

He looked rather surprised but then his eyes return to their tired expression as a smile formed with his lips. Turning back to the tombstone, he muttered something before finally giving his farewell. He turned to Haibara and approached her. They walked together at their own pace as they exited the cemetery. Without her noticing right away, Masudo reached out and grabbed hold of her hand. When she did, she let out a mild blush. She said nothing about it, instead, she asked him if he had anything to eat. The motion was set as they shared another moment together, alone.

As they distanced themselves from the cemetery, they were also withdrawing from the tomb that had Masudo's attention. Etched on the stone was this:

Beloved daughter and sister

Miyano Akemi

oooOOOooo

The sound of bells ringing was heard by the girl assigned to stand by the entrance inside. It meant that someone either just entered or exited from the café. As she turned around, she saw an elderly man walking toward her. With a smile, she greeted him. He was rather easy to talk to as he informed her he was expecting someone. She then led him to a vacant table before asking him if he wanted something to drink while he waited. After taking his order of a simple black coffee, she left the man to his own.

She smiled to herself. It had been only a week since she started this job and she seemed to have a handle for it. Despite the café not being as popular as the ones around the town, it held on its own due to the customers that would frequently visit the store. Just as she was about to name a few, the door opened as indicated by the sound of the bells. It was time to work as she greeted yet another customer to the café. This time, it was a well-endowed woman wearing a pair of shaded glasses and a summer hat. She had her hair braided for the occasion as she walked to the attendant.

"Excuse me, I'm expecting someone. He's an old fellow that tend to forget stuff." The lady began as the attendant quickly caught on. There was an elderly man from before that was waiting for someone. The idea clicked in the teenage girl's mind as she nodded and led her customer to the table. When they both met, they greeted each other openly and fondly. If the attendant have to guess, she would say that they were either father and daughter or friends through work. Her imagination was quickly taking over as she walked away with the woman's order.

"Now that she's gone, what happened?"

"I delivered the letter as you asked. He took it with him as he left his place." The man lost his voice as it had been replaced by another one with a serious tone.

"Good. Did he look interested?" The woman adjusted herself with a shift of her legs, one overlaying the other.

"Hardly. He seemed preoccupied with something. If I have to guess, I say he recently found out that someone passed away." The man said before taking a sip of his coffee.

"How do you figure?" The woman looked interested as she asked though mostly amused. In return, the man spoke out.

"When I saw him, he didn't make direct eye contact with me and forced a smile as he waved at me. He didn't seem to be heading to any of his jobs as they were in the opposite direction. So seeing that he returned home rather quickly without alerting any of his bosses of his sudden return, it means that he's planning to go somewhere unpleasant though important. He must have heard about someone's death and decided to visit their grave. It would explain all of his recent moves."

"It matters not. The moment he reads that letter, he will want to attend the cruise ship."

The man took yet another sip of his coffee. "So am I squared away with my debt?"

The woman leaned forward as her lips stretched into a smile. "There is just one more thing I need. How are you in parties?"

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OMAKE:

"When am I going to see my onii-chan? Suzu asked rather loudly. After Haibara left, Suzu wanted to follow her so she could see her favorite cousin. Instead, Conan grabbed her hand and, for that moment, she was excited. Despite how he felt, Conan knew Haibara may take it out on him if Suzu went there and spoiled her time with the elder Masudo. Ayumi and Genta got the message as they too tried to detain Suzu by showing her around Beika City. Each time Suzu mentioned to everyone that she was on a date with Conan, Aymui's eyes let out a twitch.

Now, the sun was beginning to set and they already went to all of their favorite places nearby.

"Soon. We have one more spot to go. Promise." Conan assured as they head to what would become her new school for an indefinite amount of time.

-END OF OMAKE.

I know it has been a while since I last updated this story. I hope to update this one more frequently. Until next time!