For a decade (or maybe more), detective Kudo Shinichi never failed to solve any kind of difficult cases. He even got the title of the savior of Japanese police force. Yet few days ago he encountered this one case that was much more confusing than any other cases.

It was about his own feeling.

He tried to think back again and again, but there wasn't anything logic in it when the weird feeling suddenly aroused inside him. What he knew was this feeling appeared out of nowhere after he saw that boy getting so close to her.

Would this be his first unsolved case in his life?

However he was able to keep it aside for now. He had gone through his adolescence hormones after all. Gosh, he was now a married man too. Why did he need to get overreact over a single unsettling feeling?

"Feelings are the most complicated things in humans life, Shinichi-kun." Eri said to him with soft eyes, "I am so thankful the two of you have agreed to this."

Shinichi widened his eyes. He seemed lost for a moment. Where was he again?

Ah, right. He was meeting with Ran's parents on a dinner to discuss with them regarding Chiharu. They were her only living blood relatives left after all.

"It isn't a problem, Kisaki-san." Shinichi replied. "In fact, we are glad you asked this."

"I still can't belief Ran had arranged this all before the accident happened." Eri continued.

"Right, I still can't belief she left a legal will for this brat to take Chiharu's custody instead of leaving her with me." Kogoro complained with crossed arms.

Eri and Shinichi curled their lips at his words, speechless. He really hadn't changed much in the past decade.

"Looks to me she was right with leaving Chiharu under Shinichi-kun's care though." The lawyer remarked.

"What?!" The old man raised his voice a bit. "Don't you remember I'm her grandfather?!"

"Yes! And I'm her grandmother, but I still stick to my opinion." Eri also raised her voice to the same level as his. "I'm often busy going on business trips, while you are still the same old drunkard. How can I leave her alone with you?"

"Ugh. Then why don't you just stop working and come back to the house?!"

His veins started to popped up.

"And starve to death because you don't work anymore?!"

Her veins too.

Shinichi could only look at them with a dry smile as the argument between the old still separated lovers got heated up. Everyone started to gaze at their table upon the ruckus they made. He hoped someone would save him from their affairs soon.

Shortly after, he heard the entrance to the restaurant opened and the voice of the waiter welcoming the customers. He looked toward the front of house area and his heart fluttered when he found Ai, with Chiharu in her arms, walking in.

Finally, his angels came.

She sensed someone was gazing at her, so Ai took a glance to her right. She found his dark blue eyes and smiled at him before the waiter escorted her to their table. Shinichi couldn't help but blushed. She looked nice this evening, with her casual formal clothes and a light make up. She was usually nice too, but this was the first time he saw her wearing things that were so womanly.

"My apologies for arriving late." Ai said as she sat beside Shinichi, while Chiharu was on the baby chair between her and Eri.

"It's alright Ai-chan. I'm glad you came." Eri replied with a bright smile.

She diverted her attention to the strawberry blonde, leaving Kogoro talking by himself.

She greeted Chiharu too, which she replied with a very large grin and some baby talk. Despite of not meeting her for almost two months, she still recognized her grandmother. Eri's heart was touched yet a glimpse of sadness appeared in her eyes. The little girl reminded her of Ran when she was still a baby. How time flew.

"I'll say straight to the point then." Eri started the serious discussion after everyone was settled in their seats. "I want to ask both of you if it is alright for Kogoro and I to spend a day with Chiharu once a month regularly. By law, it is up to the adoptive parents to decide about this. That is why I am asking both of you for permission."

Everyone was saying nothing for awhile. Even though Eri was using her usual firm tone of voice, but her words made her sounded so weak. Even Kogoro turned quiet. He was dumbstruck by her plead.

Both Shinichi and Ai had all of a sudden felt like they were in the wrong. If only Ran hadn't left that will–

"Would every last Sunday of the month is fine with you?" Ai broke the tension.

Everyone's eyes were on her now.

Her hands on her lap were clasped together tightly and Shinichi saw it from the corner of his eyes.

"Even though we are her parents now, but I believe Chiharu definitely needs her real maternal grandparents." She continued. "At the end of the day, you are the only one that can link her to Ran-san in the future, aren't you?"

Just like how my sister was to me. She thought.

Shinichi was amused by her answer. She was right. No matter what happened, no one could really replace Chiharu's real mom in her heart. She needed to know about her one day once she grew up. Yes, he was her mom's best friend, but her grandparents knew much more than he did.

And who would ever really trust a word from their moms' ex-boyfriends?

He smiled as he put one of his hand on hers, giving Ai assurance that she did good. She looked at him with wide-eye, then she smiled back in relief. She was glad he thought the same.

"I agree." Shinichi said to the old couple in front of him. "Chiharu is your true grandchild and you are her true grandparent. No one can break such kind of a bond, even if it is the law."

Eri and Kogoro were amazed by their replies.

Perhaps Ran was absolutely right with leaving Chiharu in their care.

"Thank you so much." Eri replied with a teary smile.

They were all relieved everything was resolved in the end.

The dinner went well afterwards, with Kogoro and Eri arguing, while Ai was tending Chiharu and Shinichi was laughing dryly once again at the old couple. Fortunately, the death magnet wasn't attracting anything this evening, so no one was dying or accidents occurred near them.

"How lucky you are to have a wife this young!" Kogoro said to Shinichi with quiet a loud voice.

He was drunk by the end of the dinner, as usual.

Shit. Shinichi and Ai cursed inside their heads.

They hoped no one heard that.

Eri was getting embarrassed, so she twisted one of his feet with her high heel to shut him up. It made him shouted so loud in agony. She then apologized to the young couple, since she knew they tried to keep their marriage a secret to avoid the public spotlight.

"Well, I'm surprise when I heard both of you got married." Eri told them. "If there is anything, Ran must had told me. But she never told me that you two were dating."

The young couple froze all of a sudden. They tried to laugh it off. Of course Ran never told Eri anything about them because Shinichi had only proposed Ai on impulse and she only accepted it on conditions. There were never any true feelings between them to begin with.

"You look great together by the way."

Shinichi and Ai blushed. Aside from Yukiko and Agasa, no one had ever told them that. It wasn't that they wanted everyone to say that to their faces, but for unknown reasons they were delighted when Eri told them so.

"Just don't turn into something like us." She mocked her own marriage while looking at the now snoring Kogoro.

They both laughed.

There were never any true feelings between them to begin with,

right?

.

.

.

Chiharu fell asleep on Shinichi's arms before they reached home. It wasn't surprising since it had past her sleeping time now. The baby looked so sound when in slumber like this, snuggling to his shoulder.

The two were walking side by side in slow steps, not to wake the little girl. Nonetheless, they were actually enjoying their quiet time together with only the sound of Chiharu's snore filled the night.

It felt like a midnight date for them while it wasn't even past nine yet.

They were barely reaching their corner when Shinichi saw the park. It was the park where they sat and talked for the first time after eight years. Only two months had passed since then but it already felt so long behind.

"It feels just like that day." The detective broke the silence.

Ai was confused for a second. Then she saw where his eyes were looking and she smiled.

"Yeah." She agreed.

"I wasn't expecting to see you at that time, and I tried so hard to make you stay." He chuckled.

"Was that why you uttered dumb questions to me?" She smirked.

He blushed.

"It was our first meeting after those damn eight years, Ai." He replied.

"Right, and I almost didn't recognize you." She snorted. "Even the house looked like a den to me."

She never let her remarks modest even in this kind of mood, did she?

But it was true. He was in such a mess before he met her that day, with Chiharu's cryings and the lack of sleep. In addition to that, he had lost his best friend. So he didn't want to lose her either, did he? His partner.

"Thank you, Ai." He smiled.

The strawberry blonde was stupefied he wasn't retorting back, but instead, he said his gratitude. She accepted it without any criticisms though. She just didn't want to ruin the mood.

They walked in silence again guided by the moonlight.

It never crossed to her mind she would agree to his whim. If it wasn't because she was sympathizing the little girl.

Ah, talking about Chiharu; there was something she had been holding in her mind for quiet some time since the dinner this evening.

"Do you think I can do this right?" She finally spoke.

He hummed in question, signaling her to elaborate more.

"To be her mom, I mean." She continued. "You know that I don't have any better childhood memories than my sister and the tapes my mom left."

Shinichi stayed quiet for awhile. He recalled what the Professor said to him before his flight. He knew that even if she had lived through her childhood once again, but her state of mind wasn't.

And it seemed she was still haunted by her dark past.

"Do you know that babies have a great sixth sense?" He asked her.

Now Ai was dumbfounded. A detective with logic was talking a sixth sense to her? Really?

He saw that, so he chuckled.

"What I mean is babies can sense people's emotions especially their moms. And it's the same with Chiharu." He explained. "She had been crying for nights before that day. Whatever I tried to calm her down seemed to fail."

He then took her hand– the nearest one to him, and brought it to their view.

"But she stopped crying the moment you held her. Perhaps your arms and your touch felt like home to her."

A light tint appeared on Ai's cheeks, although she didn't know if it was because of his sudden physical closeness or his words. He was always good with those stuffs to make her emotional anyway.

Honestly, she was also surprised at herself when she knew she could calm Chiharu down that day. She did nothing special aside from stroking her back. However, the midnight cryings which could only be quieted by her hushes and cuddles.

Perhaps it wasn't merely because they shared a similar fate, but it was because the little girl trusted her to be the only one who she could share her feelings and burdens to;

her pillar of emotional support,

called mom.

She smiled once she understood what he had been trying to say to her. Despite of her past, Chiharu chose her to be her mom. Therefore, she had to belief more in herself that she would surely worth the trust Chiharu put on her.

"Thank you, Shinichi."

He smiled back at her.

The summer wind blew and touched their skin gently. It felt warm all through their hearts.

Shinichi was playing with her fingers now, as they walked while holding hands lightly– and she didn't resist. Her hand felt ticklish. She turned her face to the other side, but he knew she did it to hide her blush that was getting harder. He could see it from her ears.

His smile was getting wider.

He then held her hand tighter. He somehow didn't want to release it. Not while there was someone else out there who tried to get close to her.

He suddenly heard his own heart thumping. He was once again reminded of the case about the weird feeling he had. Guessed he won't sleep again tonight, trying to solve that certain case.

Truly, humans feelings were much more complicated than how it looked like.

"Frankly speaking, the moment I saw you held Chiharu that day, I had a hunch that one day you will be a good mother for her and to our kids too." Shinichi said with a sheepish grin.

Ai froze right away upon hearing his remarks. Her blush was gone and she turned her face back to him. Question marks were all over his face. They were looking at each other, speechless.

Come again?

He was blushing once he recalled what he had said to her just now. And Ai followed after she confirmed about it by his reaction. Both of them were blushing madly, even madlier than hers seconds ago.

Finally, he ate his own words.

"Ah- no- tha- wha-" He was flustered.

"I guess you have to wait for another ten years before I become a mom to your child, Shinichi." Ai mocked him, although she couldn't throw it on his face directly.

The detective's brain exploded. He couldn't contain his embarrassment anymore.

He tried to explain to her with whatever logic left of him, but he still failed in the end.

Even though she hadn't recover from her blushes, Ai was now enjoying his misery as they walked home together, still hand in hand.

"Stupid." She said in a low voice.

Author's note: Even moms with normal pasts would still question themselves if they could do their lifetime responsibility right, wouldn't they? Honestly, to be a mom was actually a privilege. They didn't choose who they wanted to give birth, but instead they were chosen to give birth to. Get what I mean? (haha). In this case, I guess Ai would ask the same thing when she gave birth to her own child– could she be a good mom?

Hope you like this chapter too.

Do not forget to give your comments and reviews. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: All characters of Detective Conan are belong to Aoyama Gosho. I don't own any single of them.