File One Hundred and Forty: Yellow Tulips
Surely, after such a frantic night, full of chaos, screams and danger, peaceful silence was probably the least Shinichi had expected to get today.
Granted, it was not entirely quiet, as he could still hear the children's voices from where he sat ─ there, alone in the Professor's living room, forgotten and ignored because of the excitement that prompted them forward. And yes, that also applied to his little brother, even if he would rather die on the spot than admit to it.
Muffling a yawn with his sleeve, the teenage detective plopped back onto the couch, allowing his gaze to rest somewhere in the ceiling. His eyes caught some movement in the upper floor, and he immediately wondered where those kids were getting such ungodly amounts of energy. Back and forth they kept on moving, organizing things that did not really need to be organized or checking on things that did not need to be checked any further.
Meanwhile, I'm beat, he begrudgingly thought. Maybe I should've walked out of this when I had the chance.
Realistically speaking, he supposed he still had that chance. Nobody was watching, after all.
By moving his eyes somewhere above his head, the vibrant colors filled his gaze in the forms that adorned every corner of the wall. A sign had been hung in the middle of the room, upside-down letters written on glitter that formed Ai's name from a normal perceptive ─ alongside a simple 'happy birthday' message you would see in any other ordinary party.
It left him no choice but to stay there. Frankly speaking, he might be a bit curious about the developments of events.
A faint buzzing against his leg brought his attention to the phone in his pocket. He had no idea who it could be from. Maybe it's Ran? he wondered. I wonder if something happened…
His eyes widened slightly when they were fixated on his screen. There was a number he couldn't recognize, and a new text sitting in his inbox:
"It seems like you've done it again."
Eyebrows slid lower with a low grunt. "Forget my number, Furuya-san," he typed back, then immediately added, "You know what? I'll just block you now."
True to be told, he fully intended to act upon his own words. But it had been a message popping up that stopped him from committing to it, leaving his finger frozen in mid-air before it could even graze the screen.
"How strange. Knowing you, I'd have sworn you'd want to know how she's doing."
Shinichi scoffed. Maybe he should just block him after all, he mused.
But instead, he wrote, "Has she woken up?"
"Not yet." Shinichi had expected that, to be honest. It would have been a miracle for anything different to happen. "But her chances of survival are drastically high."
That was comforting to hear. Not that he was allowing that man to know about it.
"I'd say, with almost one percent certainty, that she's going to live." Furuya paused for just a moment, and Shinichi could imagine him smirking, for some reason. "Good job, Shinichi-kun."
It took a moment further for Shinichi to respond, "You too. I guess."
Whatever Furuya might have answered was lost to Shinichi as he, in a single, swift movement, had finally blocked the number. He allowed the phone to plop back down on his chest, and for a minute or so, his gaze drifted towards the ceiling, once more ─ contemplating nothing and everything at the same time.
It wasn't me, but those guys, he reflected. They were the ones who brought her back to the light, with their own little hands.
Certainly, he deserved no credit for their most astounding feat. They had pulled her out from there on their own, giving her enough motive to keep on trying to live. And even if he had been the one to pull her out from that forklift, hadn't it been for Ran and Kogoro, Ayaka wouldn't have made it. Hell, he wouldn't have made it either.
His own actions might have amounted to nothing, but Shinichi was honestly fine with it. Because Ayaka would be safe, and that was all it mattered.
Ayaka-san, the only one whose hand I couldn't reach. A true singularity in her own right, that I was unable to save from her destiny.
The only one so far.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
It felt as though his very soul had shuddered, all because of that one voice that echoed from within. A voice so small, so young, but not unfamiliar enough to be comfortable with.
He twirled around, his lungs expanding and collapsing upon themselves, as if he had been running for a long time. Wild eyes darted across the room, glazing over the blinking lights of a computer screen somewhere in the corner, or the chair that was knocked over next to the door.
"I didn't think you would forget."
And then, he found him ─ and his bittersweet little smile. Somewhere beyond the balcony, solely illuminated by the lights of a busy city at night, he recognized the silhouette of a boy ─ older than Conan by a few years, yet too young to be there. Standing on the edge of the building with the wind hitting him on the face, messing with his hair like a playful child.
"I didn't think you would forget… about me."
And like so, the boy began to turn away.
A scream latched onto Shinichi's throat, but his hand stretched forward, desperate to reach.
"Shinichi."
He woke up gasping for air in a way that was reminiscent of a fish plucked out of water, horribly disoriented and trembling with contained adrenaline.
He sat up with a shuddering breath, and dimly, he noticed something sliding from his chest ─ his phone, he would later recognize, but for now, he couldn't care less. Not with a head that kept on pulsating in rhythm with his frenetic heartbeat.
Shinichi never heard the sickening clatter of the device against the floor. Another set of hands had clumsily reached for it, saving from its otherwise inevitable destiny.
Professor Agasa set the phone back, gently placing it on the coffee table before turning his attention to the teenager now sitting at his couch, rubbing at his face. He grumbled something out, but it was too garbled, too faint to be fully deciphered by his ears.
At the lack of proper response, he repeated himself, and Agasa thought he made out the word 'Conan' from there.
"Conan is upstairs with his friends," he answered. "You were tossing around in your sleep, so I thought I'd wake you up before they headed back down."
He seemed to relax somewhat. "Thank you," he murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose. "There's no need for Conan to… see me like this."
Agasa looked at him as if he had a million questions left, but settled with a weary sigh. Instead, he settled with a sympathetic smile.
A warm hand settled over Shinichi's knee as he asked, "Maybe some tea will make you feel better?"
It certainly sounded like it would. He might have nodded, Shinichi wasn't sure. But in any case, it prompted Agasa back on his feet ─ when had he crouched down next to him, anyway? ─ and start on his way to prepare it.
In the meantime, Shinichi wasn't certain of what he was supposed to do with himself. So he merely sat there, a palm pressed against his forehead, as it would soothe the pain away.
His eyelids slid close. Of course I didn't forget you, he thought. I could never-
He silenced his own thoughts with a firm shake of his head.
Just in time, too, Agasa walked into his line of vision once more, passing him a warm cup of tea, as per promise. Shinichi thanked him wordlessly, taking a small sip without even waiting for the professor to even acknowledge the gesture.
"I'll go check on the kids for a second," Agasa said. She stopped briefly to look over to the other end of the couch, smiling behind his beard as he added, "Watch over him for me, Irene-kun."
Momentarily confused, Shinichi looked over to notice the small cat that had settled comfortably at his side, and paused. He took a moment to observe the bright pink ribbon tied to her neck ─ ridiculously big, for some reason. Bigger than the animal itself.
As the cat promptly inched his way closer to him, nuzzling against his side, Shinichi appointed a certain little girl as the culprit of an action he could not see as less than a hideous crime.
"What did they do to you?"
Irene meowed, as if to agree.
When Ran arrived not long afterwards, she was smiling as brightly as usual. Except she barely had time to glance towards him and swiftly passed the freshly baked cake. Once then, she glanced over her shoulder, and the expression on her face turned even softer, gentler somehow,
"Come on in, Ai-chan," she said encouragingly. "You have to see this."
The children had long regrouped in the living room; some of them brimming with excitement, others, namely Mitsuhiko, shifting nervously on his feet awaiting her entrance ─ seeking to correctly gauge the reaction from the girl they had worked so arduously to surprise.
And then there was Conan. Standing right beside Shinichi with a dull glint in his eyes, as if, right now, he wanted nothing but to go back home. Yet Shinichi had been an older brother for over eight years, so he had a quite good idea of what Conan was gripping so tightly onto, despite his hands being safely concealed inside his pockets.
A hesitant, small head poked out from behind the doorway ─ strawberry blonde locks of hair carefully braided, held in place by a strangely familiar tulip-shaped, golden barrette. Teal blue eyes widened, as if to take in her surroundings better, her breathing slipping away. Renowned by confidence, she finally walked inside, thus allowing everyone to see the beautiful white dress she had chosen to wear today.
From that moment on, Shinichi knew the kids' plan was a success.
"Ai-chan!" Ayumi was the first to dash towards her dear friend, squealing at the same time. "You're so pretty~!"
She didn't even flinch as her friend threw herself in her arms to hug her. Genta and Mitsuhiko followed close behind her, and stopped right in front of the two girls while grinning from ear to ear.
"T-That…" Mitsuhiko stuttered, going all red while nervously averting his gaze. He coughed once, then proceeded, "That dress does suit you, Haibara-san."
Genta, on the other hand, blinked at her and asked, "Did you buy it on the way here?"
"It was a present."
As she spoke, her eyes continued to flicker from place to place; an action that Shinichi attributed to sheer curiosity and amazement, all the same. Originally, that was ─ the way her pupils moved wasn't like those of someone examining their surroundings, no. It was that of someone actively searching for something.
Or rather, someone.
Conan had remained rooted on his spot, unlike any other of his friends. Mouth slightly agape, he had not stopped staring at the girl, even from a distance away. It wasn't hard to notice the faint rosy tint on his face on itself, but even if it was too faint to be caught at first glance, soon it became all the more obvious ─ finally, she had managed to establish some eye-contact with her target. Pale pink turned into a fiery, vivid red, and in return, her lips curved in a smirk.
Just before the boy beside him could combust in place, their sight was abruptly cut off sight by a gigantic box. Grinning from ear to ear, an oblivious Ayumi nudged her present towards her friend. The other two were right behind her, smaller yet colorful boxes already ready in each of their hands.
Conan, who had unconsciously taken a step forward, backed away. Shinichi could not help the snicker that broke from the depths of his being, which the boy had clearly heard ─ and made it known by shooting back a rather nasty, dark glare.
Of course Shinichi ignored all of it, for he knew all his brother needed was a push in the right direction. Which he gracefully granted him with, quite literally.
Soon, the little boy was stumbling his way towards where their friends were ─ currently crowded over an adorable, ridiculously large pink shark stuffed toy Ayumi had picked for her. He made sure to growl and squint his eyes at the older Kudo, who simply waved back with a broad grin on his features, before ultimately joining the group.
"Then, I'm next! Look, Haibara-"
"Hey! Why should it be yours first, Genta-kun?!"
Mitsuhiko valiantly pushed his friend aside, and soon a look of utter surprise reigned over Ai's face as she held her newly acquired, purple swiss knife in front of her eyes.
Well, that's quite unexpected, thought Shinichi, just as Ai's lips began to move to form words he was unable to hear, yet made the boy smile bashfully, anyway. But incredibly practical, actually… To be expected from Mitsuhiko-kun.
"It's my turn now, right?!" Genta exclaimed. "Here, Haibara!"
And proceeded to deposit a handful of brightly colored candy in her hands, to which she smiled in pure amusement. That too, in a way, was to be expected from the boy, realized Shinichi with a shake of his head.
Then, last should be… His attention drifted to the young boy, whose hand had yet to leave the pocket it so contently hid itself in. He saw how his chest inflated with a deep breath, raising his head to, once more, meet eyes with the young scientist standing in front of him ─ still and awaiting.
An awkward smile crawled onto his face. "You like sandwiches, don't you?"
Ai's bewilderment was mostly palpable. "Huh?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Genta followed up with a broad grin. "We even got to put some eel in some of them!"
Ayumi moved closer to whisper in Ai's ear, "Genta-kun wouldn't stop complaining unless we agreed to it."
Mitsuhiko did the same to her other side. "You might want to avoid those, Haibara-san."
"Hey, I can hear you, guys!"
Like those, the children hurried elsewhere to do whatever they pleased. And, while throughout the rest of the party he paid special attention to him, Shinichi never got to see Conan giving Ai his present.
Bashful brat, he thought fondly.
And just like that, there was nothing else to do.
Not that there had been much left for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police to do to begin with, even after a disaster of such a magnitude. With the PSB taking matters into their own hands ─ including taking custody of the mysterious woman injured in the incident ─ all there had been left for the police to do was the ordinary damage control of the situation.
By some sort of miracle, there had been no further casualties. So, after a quick interrogation, every single witness had long been freed to head back home for some well-deserved rest.
"Like I said, that's everything I know!"
Well, most of them.
Inspector Megure stood quietly still, his hand idle in the air, just a moment away from entering the room. They had been in there for quite a long time, he mused, but he was yet to receive a sign that they were about to be finished; in fact, the voices only grew stronger, louder, as if to prove that they were, indeed, not done here.
"I know you're aware, Mouri-san," he could hear Sato's usually calm, yet firm voice from inside. "Lying to the police is a serious crime."
"Lying?!" Mouri huffed, irritation just beginning to get to him. "I just happened to be there!"
There was a pause. "So you know nothing?" she asked. "Nothing at all?"
"Nothing at all."
Sato hummed, however, in a way that denoted a clear lack of conviction in his words.
"Masuyama Yuji."
Only silence answered Sato's words, so she proceeded.
"You know that name, don't you? He was a victim in that incident at Touto Tower last Tanabata."
A sharp intake of air resounded from the inside.
"Oh, so that does ring a bell." It was followed by a sharp thud, as if something had been slammed on a table, or a desk. "Well? Does this help?"
"What the hell is this?"
"It's the autopsy record of Masuyama-san," said a third voice. Takagi-kun.
There was a brief pause, followed by snickering.
"So he died from a gunshot," Mouri said. Megure could easily imagine him rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I totally did not see that coming."
Megure actually agreed to that part. He had seen it, everyone had seen it ─ the helicopter that had appeared from literally nowhere and had opened fire for no rhyme or reason. No wonder he had experienced just a strong sense of déjà vu when that happened again at Touto Aquarium.
"He was shot from the back. It's as though he had been crouching over something, like he was protecting it," continued Takagi, as if he had never been interrupted. "We also found bite marks on his forearm. From the shape and size, we believe it belongs to a child."
A lengthy pause later, in which Mouri made no comment whatsoever, he added, "According to Chiba, Conan-kun was there. In Touto Tower, at the time of the incident."
"And I seem to remember that Conan-kun, who once did everything in his power to sneak into that police conference, just stopped tagging alongside you." Megure could visualize Sato's hardening features and deepening frown just as clearly as if he had been in there. "About that time, you began to behave strangely."
"Strangely?" Mouri said, seemingly unbelieving. "What are you talking about-?"
"You were aware that someone was posing as Superintendent Matsumoto, weren't you?" She got no answer, but it was as if she had. "And even knowing that, you decided to ride in his car. Nobody in their right mind would expose themselves to such danger. Unless, of course, they were at risk of losing something. Something important."
"It's worth noticing, too…" Takagi interjected. "Masuyama-san and the Superintendent had a similar body shape."
Alone in the hallway, the inspector allowed himself to breathe out, almost suffocated by the tremendous amount of information he was learning about, all of once. To think that all this time… Sato-kun and Takagi-kun…
He placed a hand on top of his head, grasping at his hat ─ as if that would be of any use at all to control his nerves.
"We'll give you our deduction on the matter, Mouri-san."
Clearly, none of his subordinates were ready to let the matter go just now. Not even close. Sato especially included.
"There were signs that indicated that someone else was trying to get to the victims before us. We're assuming that they wanted to get something from them," Takagi said. "And that someone must be the deceased Masuyama-san, who pretended to be Superintendent Matsumoto."
"At some point, Conan-kun was abducted and was used to blackmail you." That was Sato. "His life, in exchange for whatever he was looking for."
Her steps resounded all over, the click of her heels filling what otherwise would have been an unbreakable silence. One that Mouri did not seem willing to break.
"But something went wrong, and Masuyama-san's partners turned against him. He ended up protecting Conan-kun, dying in the act."
"Kaito KID must have been aware of the situation, too," Takagi added. "With the heist notice he sent out of the blue, it's hard not to believe that he might have wanted to help out Conan-kun, his one and only rival."
"We might not be certain about the true extent of the role he played, but it's only a matter of time." Sato's voice drawled into nothing, but never did her tone falter in the slightest. "Unless you are willing to collaborate, Mouri-san."
Under any other circumstances, Megure would have probably long invited himself inside the room, and told her that she was pushing things too far. That one was a different case altogether, so if she had no further questions about the incident at the aquarium, then she should just let Mouri go.
But he couldn't bring himself to do anything, but wait for an answer he knew wouldn't come.
There was a sound, like that of a chair dragging against the floor.
"I believe this interrogation is over," he heard Mouri say.
Without further ado, or even a protest from the other police detectives, the door opened gently to reveal Mouri's unusually rigid features and unreadable gaze. It fixated on Megure just as he stepped into the hallway who, without uttering a word, merely stood aside to let him pass.
And just like that, he left. Without answering a single question, spoken or not.
The party progressed smoothly afterwards, and Conan had to admit, it went fairly better than he had expected it to. With laughter filling every corner of the house, smiles everywhere, Conan could not believe it had worked this well.
A smile had blossomed on Ai lips, faint as it was, it was even more genuine.
Chin propped up on his fist, Conan found himself unable to look away from such a surreal sight; it was breathtaking, even from so far away.
"Shouldn't you be having fun with your friends?"
Conan flinched, his head whipping so quickly that his neck was in actual danger of snapping in half, and he did not move again. Eventually, however, he felt his shoulders sagging, whatever had jolted within him draining from existence.
His brother's grin did not falter. He simply settled on the couch he was apparently sharing with him now.
"Shouldn't you be seeing a doctor, by the way?" Conan asked back. "That's a nasty wound you have there in your head."
"I had a paramedic take a look at it before you climbed down from the Ferris wheel," Shinichi assured him with a wave of his hand. "It wasn't such a big deal, after all."
He gave him a long, analytical look in response. "Make sure to visit a doctor," he told him. "Go there tomorrow, at least."
Shinichi waved his concerns off with a laugh, which Conan did not find amusing in the slightest.
He, however, had no time to complain. "Will you be alright, though?" Shinichi beat him to it. "You were through a lot."
"Ran-neechan had a medic check me up. No serious injuries on my side, either." He scratched the back of his neck, an awkward laugh rasping through his throat. "Thanks to you, I guess."
But Shinichi said nothing at all, and merely watched as his strained smile waned. His laughter dragged into a whine that extended in time, before being abruptly halted by a heavy, exhausted sigh.
"Why do you keep on doing this?" the boy muttered.
Shinichi opened his mouth to reply.
"Because you're my older brother," Conan interrupted him, rolling his eyes. "I get it."
"Then why were you asking if you already know the answer?"
"I know the answer, I just don't like it." He turned his head away with a huff. Then, softer, he added, "You're the one who's always doing the protecting, the one who's always getting hurt in my place…" Little fingers curled into fists, gripping onto the cloth like dear life. "It's not fair."
"Hey, don't fret over it." Placing a comforting hand on top of his head, the older brother leaned forward and closer, trying to get him to lift his head and look at him. "Everything went right this time. Just like you wanted."
"I… suppose so."
The response had been far too soft, far too feeble for Shinichi's liking, but he knew that was the best he would get that night. He did, however, give his little brother's hair one last playful ruffle ─ which he replied with an irritated groan of his own.
Raising his gaze, Shinichi easily spotted the group of children Conan had been hanging with, before stepping out to mope about whatever afflicted him this time. Mitsuhiko and Genta were laughing about something, Ayumi was gushing from where she crouched next to Ai ─ who, in turn, couldn't stop staring, oddly wide-eyed, at the cat with the large ribbon in front of her.
"You still haven't given it to her," said Shinichi.
He didn't have to look to know that he had flinched, violently so. Or that, in the midst of the silence that had ensued, the boy's gaze was flickering everywhere, but that one sight.
"Maybe… I should just say I lost it."
Shinichi turned to look at him inquiringly. Conan shifted in his seat, apparently finding his empty cake plate vastly more interesting than anything else right now.
"I-I was thinking… It's not far-fetched," he began to stutter, leaving Shinichi to wonder if he actually didn't realize he was nervously twiddling with his fingers, or if he didn't care at all. "I mean, I could have dropped it somewhere at the Ferris wheel-"
"What are you so insecure about?"
Every single world that had been waiting to come out of his lips was mercilessly murdered before they could meet the outside world. With his mouth slightly agape without emitting a single sound, Conan remained frozen in space, his gaze stuck somewhere ahead of him in contemplation.
Everything crumbled apart with yet another sigh and hands that fell limply back on his lap.
For a moment, Shinichi studied him, deeply pensive for motives Conan could not figure out. But at the next, he had smirked, and before Conan could ask him anything, he had elbowed him roughly enough for the young boy to wince and nurse the spot had just been hit.
"Have more confidence in yourself." Then, with a dazzling grin and a wink, Shinichi added, "Trust your brother in this one."
Conan blinked slowly, as if unbelieving of what he was seeing. "But-"
"No buts, just go." He pushed him gently, maybe for the second time today, encouraging him to stand back up. "And make sure to give it to her before midnight!"
As urged by his older brother, the boy stood back on his feet, but this time around, he didn't even turn to glare at him. Instead, he paused, fixated his gaze on where his friends were fooling around, as always, and took a deep breath in.
Shinichi watched as he joined his friends for the second time today. Saw how Ai looked away from Irene, and for a second time, their eyes met.
But nothing else happened. Nothing.
Shinichi pressed a hand to his eyes, and sighed ─ not fondly, this time around.
With the departure of that bunch of loud kids he happened to be friends with, the once festive atmosphere plunged into a profound silence. One moment, they had been waving enthusiastically back at the birthday girl at the doorway, and the other, Agasa was driving the three of them back home in his Beetle.
And then, quietness ensued.
It's a miracle by itself that they were able to throw this party, reflected Conan. What did the Professor tell their parents to let them hang out today?
Especially after they had been on the verge of death hours earlier, which they must have been informed about already. Then again, that seems to happen almost daily. He held back a dry chuckle at the thought. The actual miracle is that they still let them hang out with me at all.
Well, it wasn't actually his fault, remarked Conan. It wasn't like he wanted to be a murder, or rather, a misfortune magnet like he had grown to be these few last years in his life.
I might have told her I don't want to run from fate, but 'fate' isn't being particularly helpful in that regard.
With that thought in mind, he stomped away from the kitchen he had been chased away by both his brother and Ran for wanting to help ─ in tacit agreement that caused him to grow more suspicious about than actually grateful for the offer. Not that it had sounded like an offer.
His steps halted somewhere in the living room, and maybe for the hundredth time today, his fingers grasped for something inside his pocket ─ the thing he had failed, not for the lack of opportunities granted by fate itself, to deliver to her.
Her, the figure she could spot easily if he lifted his head.
Spotless, pure white fluttered gently against the summer breeze from a window that had probably been left open. Her feet left to hang from where she sat, at the rails of the upper floor. A look of thoughtless contemplation was drawn to her features as she gazed outside, hugging a pink shark plushie against her chest; a rare sight Conan could barely bring himself to look away from.
Locking into place a few strands of strawberry blonde hair that danced alongside the breeze was a single tulip, bathed by the silvery glow of the moonlight. Its golden radiance prevailed, glimmering just as strongly, enough to be caught by his retinas.
Not for the first time, Conan was reminded of yellow tulips.
Abruptly, as if sensing his gaze, the girl sat straight, and turned her head to glance down to where he was. Conan jumped, then realizing he had been caught, managed a tiny smile that she replied with plain indifference.
For a moment, they just stared at each other. Unmoving.
"Have more confidence in yourself."
He tried not to think much of it as he broke eye contact and headed for the stairs. Before he could fully realize where his feet were taking him, where he was hurrying so much to arrive, he was stopping again, gazing at teal blue from closer than ever before.
She appeared to be both surprised and perplexed, but Conan gave it no further transcendence.
He stood there without doing or saying anything at all, staring back at her with a troubled expression pinching his face.
A heartbeat later, there was something cradled in her hands. A bag; small, simple, tied with a single red ribbon.
Conan looked away, blushing lightly. "Happy birthday," he whispered into the wind.
But the wind carried the words to her, making her smile a little; an expression that remained in her face as she carefully opened the bag to see. What would it be, she wondered. The one thing he had rejected to give her for so long.
Now, Ai had long learned that, whenever this one boy was involved, the unexpected was to be expected to manifest in front of her very own eyes. That did not mean that she wasn't surprised to see what seemed to be one end of a bracelet, of all things, in between her two fingers.
Urged by curiosity, she dragged it out from the bag, and then her eyes widened just a sliver.
"In my defense, I've already bought it when you got the other one," commented Conan, shrugging as if he didn't care enough about what he was saying. "And it was too late to get a different one."
A silver glimmer caught her eye, and a dolphin-shaped pendant dangled in front of her bewildered gaze.
She was suddenly remembered at how he had squinted his eyes at Ayumi's dolphin keychain just yesterday. It made so much sense now; she smirked at the thought, but commented nothing on the matter.
"It's a dolphin. Another one," Conan said, sitting right next to her. He could have been trying to hide the irritation from his voice, but it wasn't working. For Ai, at least. "Hope you aren't getting too tired of them."
Ai gazed upon her present for a little longer, then closed her hand around it.
"I don't care," she said, causing Conan's head to whip back to her. "Dolphins are such interesting creatures. I can't get tired of them."
Wide eyed, Conan merely stared at her with his mouth hanging open; a curious sight that made Ai unsure whether to be amused or highly disturbed.
He didn't give her time to decide, breaking eye contact to focus on the moon hanging in the sky outside. His head tilted, and he hummed for a bit, before finally speaking whatever was on his mind.
"But it's too bad," commented Conan. "At the end, we didn't get to see the dolphins at the aquarium."
"I don't mind." Ai's eyelids slid closed, her chin digging into the smooth fabric of her shark plushie. Softer, she added, "It's the perfect excuse."
His breath hitched, shock reigning all over ─ as if he was unable to believe what his own two ears were hearing, so she clarified,
"I heard Hawaii is a beautiful place, after all."
And so, she buried her face against Ayumi's gift, pretending she couldn't feel her face warming up, even if just a little bit. In vain, she tried to convince herself that the real reason for her actions extended beyond her own non-existent embarrassment, but was instead driven by fear of permanent vision damage.
Conan's beam was like the sun, after all; bright enough to illuminate the entire room solely on its own.
Originally, Shinichi had thought they could talk it out, like rational people would do.
Not that it was that much of a big deal ─ honestly, Shinichi had kind of expected to be the one taking the couch tonight, or the one spending the night at his own house next door in case Conan refused to share a bed with Ran at the guest bedroom. Whichever was the case, he had hoped they could sort it out before the Professor came back from delivering the kids to their houses.
Yet, the decision had already been made for him. Or so he could deduce out of the sight that awaited him, just as he stepped into the living room; right there, on the couch he was apparently not going to use tonight.
Shinichi was almost completely sure that it hadn't been a conscious choice, though. To begin with, he found it hard to believe that Conan would agree to being relegated to a substitute of a teddy bear for Ran to hug in her sleep.
Trying, and failing, to imagine how those two had wound up in that situation, Shinichi leaned over to carefully drape them both with a spare duvet Ai had let him borrow. None of them seemed to even stir; Ran only nuzzled into the kid's hair, and Conan continued to snore away without a care in the world.
And so, he stood there, watching his serene expression for a moment. It was almost radiant, a subtle hint of a smile in his features that reminded him of that of someone resting placidly after accomplishing something important.
"I assume you're the one taking the guest bedroom?"
At the sound of her voice, Shinichi looked over the opposite sofa that a certain little scientist, clad in her pajamas, had claimed to herself. Her lips were curved in a smirk, he noted, as she took on the sight before her.
"This is not what I had in mind," he replied.
"I get that feeling," she said, shrugging. "This… isn't what I had in mind, either."
Needing no further explanation, the teenage detective slowly approached the little girl, whose gaze remained fixated on her lap, or rather, the hands that sat there, clenched with one another. Her head jerked back up suddenly when he sat on the armrest, looking down at her with a gentle, patient smile on his lips.
She frowned. "Will she really be okay?"
"I wouldn't lie about that," answered Shinichi. He stole one swift glance towards the couch, and added, "I promised I'd stop doing that."
Ai didn't respond, but it didn't look like she didn't believe him either. She fell in a pensive silence; her gaze stretching far ahead, away from what could be seen by him.
"I wasn't lying either when I said you saved her," he told her.
Rather than being a source of comfort, it made her frown all the more prominent.
"She told me there were more of us," she whispered. At that, Shinichi stiffened, but recovered easily enough. Her eyes, however, narrowed slightly. "She asked me to save them."
"And we will. We'll save everyone," he said, nodding, a glint of fiery determination in his eyes she was tempted to blindly believe in. "Don't ever let yourself believe otherwise."
She said nothing for a beat. Then, after a chuckle, she continued.
"With you, it's certainly possible." She dropped her head and murmured, "You're… a hero who had saved countless lives, after all."
He let out a bout of awkward laughter. "What are you talking about? I'm no hero-"
"Why? It certainly fits. You're the typical conceited hero that keeps sticking their nose where it doesn't belong."
Shinichi's eyebrow twitched. Just a moment before he could open his mouth to speak, he stopped himself, surprised at the sight that awaited him. Her, looking at her own palm so intensely that he could almost see the ever-encompassing darkness, the raging flames; the memories of that day, flashing behind her eyes.
"You extend your hand to anyone who needs it," she whispered. "Whether they ask for help or not."
"I couldn't let you die in that fire."
To his surprise, she shook her head. "I don't mean that."
It was almost laughable, a ridiculous sight for Ai to witness. For such an impressive detective, capable of seeing through deception and shed light into the most obscure truths of dangerous criminals, that he could make such a confused face. That of someone incapable of seeing, of deciphering what lied before his eyes.
You don't understand anything, do you, Shinichi-san?
Even before you helped me escape the clutches of the Organization… Even before you saved me from that fire…
Before that, she had been Miyano Shiho. A girl that grew without knowing the love of her parents, beyond an old recording of her mother's voice left behind for her. Tender, loving words that wished her the best of birthdays, that she had played on replay since morning, wondering what it would have been like if nothing had happened to her.
For the first five years of her life, her sister had been everything for her. But even that loving, comforting presence had been stripped by her when the Organization found her, leaving her young self to navigate in darkness.
But then…
"Nice to meet you. I'm Shinichi."
Then, there was light.
Even before then… you had already rescued me.
It was impressive how things had changed ever since she met him. Ever since he had stumbled into her life uninvited, stayed by her side, grinning so brightly despite her cold indifference.
She couldn't begin to imagine what her life would have been like had he not been there for her.
"It's surreal. Having a party even after an encounter with the Organization…"
An unbelieving laugh rose above the silence of the night.
"To be able to have fun without worrying about what comes next… That it's okay to be this careless… It's honestly hard to believe." She pulled a strand of hair away from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. "But you taught me how to believe. Even though I'm not a quick learner."
A pink dust covered Ai's cheeks, her gaze drifting downwards; an unusual sight Shinichi could not help but be surprised to witness.
In response, he let out a good-hearted chuckle. "It wasn't only me," he told her.
She crooked her head, almost imperceptibly. Nevertheless, the movement allowed Shinichi to see that, all this time, her attention had not been focused on her feet, or her lap, as he had been led to believe. Instead, her gaze was cast upon the bracelet wrapped around her wrist; a warm smile posed on her lips as she contemplated the silver dolphin pendant attached to it.
"I know," she murmured. "I know it better than anyone else."
Shinichi sighed ─ suddenly relieved.
"Let's get some sleep."
Having said that, the detective promptly stood up, offering one last wave of a hand before disappearing somewhere among darkness. It took her a moment later to do the same, landing gently on her feet to follow after his example.
But just before leaving, she paused to glance over to the couch where Ran and Conan remained, blissfully asleep.
Later, when she got to her room, her gaze would fall on the pristine white dress she had changed out from lying across her bed. She would gently take it into her hands, lifting it in front of her eyes to get a better look at it.
And she would see herself again, her muscles unusually stiff as she stared back at her reflection. Her fingers grasped the skirt gently, as if unable to believe that what they were feeling was actually real.
It was white. Pure white.
But, strangely enough, it fit perfectly.
"Oh, you look so cute~!"
Mouri Ran's squeal of utter delight was caught by her ears first, and then her figure appeared in the mirror. Hands fell on her shoulders, and her knees gently hit the ground. Even so, Ai did not move ─ just gazed back quietly, not moving an inch as a face came to press against hers, eyelashes tickling her cheek ever so lightly.
"I had a feeling it would look nice on you," continued the older girl, smiling from ear to ear. "So, do you like it, Ai-chan?"
She nodded faintly, but it was enough for Ran's smile to grow even bigger, if possible.
"Now, I think you're missing something…" A troubled expression pinched Ran's face as she stepped away, disappearing somewhere far from what the mirror could reflect back. "Let's see… What could it be?"
Finally, Ai's gaze flickered away from her own form to glance over her shoulder. Ran was going through her drawers, a look of utter concentration crossing her face. A brush had been set apart, thrown carelessly over her own bed, but Ran continued to shake her head, unable to pick the right thing for her to use.
She didn't notice the little girl wandering over her discarded clothes, or pick something from inside its pockets. She did not see her hesitation, or her giving the object she had retrieved one long, almost analytical look before curling her fingers around it.
And sure enough, there it was now; a certain tulip-shaped barrette forgotten at her bedside.
No matter how much time passed, she would be always be remembered of it.
Yellow tulips, she thought, gently picking it back up to be held over her eyes. If we go by the language of flowers, they have a very specific meaning.
Yellow tulips… stand for one-sided love.
Slowly she lowered herself onto her bed, the golden tulip already growing warm in her hand thanks to her body warmth.
A bright smile appeared in her mind. In her memories, a violet gaze lit up after the surprise subsided, accepting the barrette without uttering another word.
Ai's eyes slid closed as Ran settled behind her, brushing her through her hair with an impressive amount of care. A gentle humming filled the air as she worked, and the little girl could not help the bout of nostalgia that rose upon, threatening to take over everything and anything.
"Is the one from the other time okay?" asked Ran, all of a sudden.
Ai managed nothing but yet another timid nod, but it was more than enough for Ran. That one familiar feel of her fingers weaving through her hair did not take long to make itself noticeable, and Ai fell silent once more. Yet, it wasn't uncomfortable.
Her hands were just as warm as she remembered.
The golden yellow tulip rested atop her hand. Indeed, it was the carrier of a meaning that nobody would be fond of. Yet, for some reason, it did not sting as badly as it did before. It spoke of more, of something beyond what the barriers of language would admit.
Well, that's as far as the traditional Japanese hanakotoba goes, Ai reflected. In some other cases, their meaning varies…
She cradled it to her chest, close to her heart.
Joy. Happiness. Hope.
Her lips curved, painting a radiant smile on her features.
It does fit me, after all.
Surprisingly enough, the interrogation was much shorter than he would have expected to. For a wide-scale disaster they had directly been involved in, the questions were light, not nearly as exhaustive as it normally would have been. It didn't drag much longer than a light-hearted conversation and he, alongside his friends, was free to go. Just like that.
It also helped that it had been Chiba. Conan dreaded the thought that it had been Sato ─ or even Takagi. He had the distinct feeling that the guy was a load sharper than people gave him the credit for.
"That took much longer than I expected," complained Ayumi the moment they stepped outside the police station that morning.
It was funny to Conan how differently people could perceive the same events.
"Yeah…" Mitsuhiko agreed wholeheartedly, his hand raised to place itself atop his stomach. "I'm getting hungry-" He stopped himself suddenly, blinking ahead in contemplation, before his head dropped with a dejected sigh. "Oh, no. I'm beginning to sound like Genta-kun."
Genta perked up at the mention of his name, but rather than feeling offended by it, grinned widely. "Hey, hey, why don't we go eat something? Let's go!"
Conan paused long enough to stare at the back of his three friends. Despite everything that had occurred just the other day, the events that they were forced to recall for the police's sake, they were laughing as if nothing had happened.
They are amazing, in their own way, thought the boy, settling for a slower, calmer pace beside a certain scientist that, much like he was, kept on smiling in amusement at the scene before her. It would have been a widely different story if she…
"Say, say! Why don't we go to that sushi restaurant?"
"Eh, again in that place?"
"We don't even have money for that, Genta-kun."
"Then, let's go to Poirot! We can go there, right, Conan?"
Conan blinked dazedly, startled at the notion of being addressed so suddenly. Once he processed the question, which, admittedly, took much longer than it should have, he put on an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, but I can't hang out today," he said. "I was told to get back home as soon as I'm finished here."
Ai glanced back at him, curious. "Ran-san?"
He shook his head. "She's having lunch with her mother today." In fact, that was the reason she wasn't there with them anymore, but rather, she had dropped by the police station to give her statement somewhere in the earlier morning.
Or so his brother had told him when he got up this morning to find she was gone from the Professor's house. Apparently, he had been sleeping so soundly that she hadn't had the heart to wake him ─ which was embarrassing, but kind of plausible after thinking about it for a while longer.
"Then," Genta inquired. "Is it Tantei-niichan?"
Conan shuddered. "It's… Occhan."
Amidst the silence, Conan could have sworn that he heard the collective wince that struck all of his friends, right at the same time. For the strawberry blonde of the group, it was a bit different, though. He heard her snicker, and just before he could hear what she had to say, a scowl had creeped onto his features, triggered by instinct alone.
"Someone is getting grounded today, huh?" she teased.
Indeed, he had good instincts. The scowl turned into a heated glare, which she replied with dull indifference.
He gave up easily, sighing wearily. "Why is that none of you guys ever get grounded?"
"Unlike you, they weren't looking for trouble," Ai answered, easily. "They were simply caught in it."
"Alright, sure. But what about you?"
A smirk curved her lips upwards, and Conan suddenly felt like sighing again.
"I'm sorry for that, Conan-kun." Mitsuhiko's heartfelt apology, alongside the guilty smile that suddenly was on his face, made him blink in utter confusion. "You got into this trouble in order to save us…"
Conan struggled to reply, only managing a muttered stutter at the lack of words.
I didn't even know you guys were there, he thought, but decided against reminding him about it, and nodded accordingly instead. An awkward smile still perched on his lips, he resumed his pace, that he had previously stopped without realizing, and sure enough, his friends followed suit.
Not all of them, however. Confused, he glanced over his shoulder, and spotted their missing member standing there, staring at the tip of her shoes.
"He did," Ayumi murmured. Her face scrunched up in a frown. "Oneesan did, too."
None dared to say anything for a while, unsure of what words would be fitting for such a situation. As it would be expected from her, however, Ai was the only one who gathered enough courage, if only to murmur, "Ayumi-chan-"
"I want to see her!" exclaimed the girl, finally raising her gaze to meet her friends. "Can't we visit her?"
Conan's eyes opened slightly wider, but yet again, the words failed him.
"You want to visit her?"
Unbothered by the bewildered look that fell onto him, Conan nodded his head, a determined glint crossed his gaze ─ focused on the man before him, anchored on his form. Attentively, he watched as his muscles relaxed somehow, how that apologetic smile painted itself onto his features; a telltale of the disappointed answer he was going to get.
"I'm sorry." Sure enough, that was the kind of response he had been expecting, and fearing, all the same. "But even if you're asking me…"
Conan sighed dejectedly, his entire stance gone. His chin came to rest over the table he had claimed just earlier and proceeded to groan over the fate he apparently couldn't fight.
"The PSB is protecting her as we speak," he told him. At this hour, without counting them both, the café was empty, leaving them free to speak about whatever as they pleased. Not even Azusa had arrived yet, which was a plus. "But it's likely we'll have to pronounce her dead, for her own safety."
To that, Conan could do anything but to frown. Beyond any doubt, this was hardly the first time he heard such an idea ─ crazy, yet ridiculously sensible at the same time. He had been aware that would be the outcome, from the very beginning, so really he had no clue of what he had been expecting to hear.
Then again, Ayumi and the others would be heartbroken if they were to learn about their supposed demise ─ because, knowing them, they were definitely going to hear about it, one way or another.
He made up his mind to tell them about the plan in advance, just in case. They were pretty good at keeping secrets, believe it or not ─ like, nobody learned he was actually a Kudo from their mouths. And that was a pretty big secret to keep, if you asked Conan, so that had to amount to something.
Of course, he wasn't forgetting that one time that Mitsuhiko told Ran about everything. But as much as it pained Conan to admit ─ which he wouldn't, not out loud at least ─ it was probably the most sensible choice, considering everything. If they knew it would endanger her if word of her surviving got around, he was certain they would keep their mouths sealed shut.
Obviously, he wasn't going to tell that to Furuya Rei, of all people.
Conan hummed, allowing the words to sink in. His gaze drifted away from the waiter, eyeing him carefully from the other side of the counter, to the front, where his hands were stretched over the table.
From behind uncurling, little fingers, red peeked in ─ smiling red dolphin he had found himself clenching ever since the day began.
"You're a weird one." Conan looked up to see him chuckling, for whatever reason. "For such a justice-loving young detective, you seem to bond with criminals easily enough."
It took him a while, but eventually, the boy broke into a smirk. "Who is speaking to me right now?" he asked. "The scary law enforcer Furuya-san, or the terrible liar Bourbon-san?"
He received a grin in return. "Just your friendly waiter, Amuro Tooru-kun."
"Sure, sure." Conan rolled his eyes. "Friendly or not, there's a certain someone who would probably kill me if he found out that I'm hanging out with you."
"You're not the one whose head he'd be after. Believe me."
It was not possible for him not to believe him ─ in fact, Conan wondered how did his older brother manage to stand in the same place as this guy, that hated for motives beyond human comprehension, without doing anything drastic. So he shrugged, deciding that the guy wasn't entirely wrong, and jumped back onto his feet.
This time, he hadn't bothered to order a coffee he was probably not going to pay for.
But Furuya's sharp gaze was just as strong as every other instance. He pretended to ignore it, even though he could easily feel the uncomfortable burn in the back of his head, and trotted over to the door. He had agreed to meet Genta and the others to go together at the police station, and they would certainly not like it if he ended up running late ─ later than it already was, in any case.
One hand clenching the dolphin doll, the other reaching over to the doorknob, Conan turned to glance over his shoulder, to Amuro, one last time.
He hesitated. Posed on the blonde waiter's features was a look he couldn't possibly read. With a frown deeply carved onto them, he had crossed his arms over his chest, appearing fairly more serious than he had seen him all day.
But it all went away in a single blink of an eye. Amuro had breathed out, and a gentle smile had reigned over everything.
"You will see her soon, Conan-kun," he assured him. "I promise you that."
Conan did not fight the smile away from his features, nor did he stop himself from nodding vigorously before finally leaving that place.
"You will see her soon," Conan suddenly said. "Don't ever doubt it, Ayumi-chan."
It earned the attention from all his friends, bewildered by motives not even the detective could begin to understand. Perhaps it had been the unusual, apparently unfounded, nature of his claim, or maybe it had been the reassuring smile that had crawled onto his face without any warning.
Ai was the first one to break from her daze, smirking in understanding.
"We just need to be patient, that's all," she said, then turned to the other three children. "Just make sure to remember to keep that secret Conan told us about earlier, alright?"
"Yes~!"
"I can't wait for it!"
"Say, Ai-chan, did you know? She said she wanted to ride the Ferris wheel with us!"
"Ah, she told me the same thing, too."
"Conan-kun, too?"
"Let's ride one together, then! With Conan-kun, Ai-chan and Oneesan! Everyone, together!"
"Sounds like fun."
Hands lazily tucked inside his pockets, Conan allowed his gaze to drift over to the blue sky above. His friends' excited mutter blended in with his own thoughts, a welcome interference to his ever racing-mind ─ as much as he would complain about it, he felt as if he could stay like this, forever.
Smiling, laughing, alive.
For once, things had seemed to have gone right.
He had probably spoken way too soon.
The realization had struck him as soon as he set foot inside the agency office, in the form of Kogoro's pointed, unusually sharp look. An eyebrow raised, arms crossed over his chest, and a foot that kept on tapping on the floor. Expectantly. Irrevocably unhappy.
No words were needed for the boy to lower his head. Prodigy genius or common sense, every cell in his body knew that he wasn't supposed to say a single word, that he had to sit on the sofa in front of Kogoro's. And explain himself.
So he did, pointedly keeping his gaze away from the man in front of him. Instead, it focused on his hands, resting over his lap. He knew the words were supposed to flow from those lips of his, his brain should have been running for a plausible excuse for his behavior.
He needed to explain himself. But his lips remained sealed shut.
A weary sigh broke through the silence that currently felt too heavy on his shoulders.
"I thought we have been through this already," Kogoro said, instead. "But old habits die hard, I guess."
Conan offered no reply, nothing further than a silent narrowing of his eyes to indicate he was, indeed, listening to him. Kogoro waited for any other sign that they would be having a two-sided conversation today, but evidently it wouldn't be like that.
So, he stood up. Conan let his eyes slide close, unable to decide whether to be glad that it was over or not.
But they snapped back open right away. The other end of the sofa sank slightly with Kogoro's added weight, lazily leaning on the backrest, right beside him. He looked blankly ahead, a nonchalant, almost bored look in his eyes.
Conan could only stare back, unable to decide what to make out of the situation.
"I'm not gonna pretend I don't understand why you did that," Kogoro said suddenly. "This is because of what happened at Tanabata, isn't it?"
Conan winced violently, but Kogoro neglected to comment on it. So, he glanced downwards once more, focusing his every attention on the little hands that, without himself being fully aware of it, had been gripping onto his shorts, clutching onto the cloth.
"I… I didn't want things to end the same way."
Kogoro had yet to glance back at him, but the solemn silence spoke much more than any words could. Even as the boy beside him hesitated, breathed deeply.
"R-Ran-neechan was hurt…" The words crawled out of his throat with great difficulty ─ as if their release physically pained him. "You… You almost…"
The rest of his sentence was muted, his mouth clicking back shut as if they had let out much more than he was supposed to say. They left the kid to hunch back, his eyes drifting downwards but unseeing ─ or rather, seeing all too well, distant memories that were hidden by what Kogoro was capable of perceiving.
"But we are okay," Kogoro said. "All of us."
He then leaned forward. Conan watched him, curious, as he rested his elbows on his knees, then for the first time, turned his head to glance over his shoulder. To glance over at where he was.
A serious expression, that Conan would probably never get used to, painted over his face.
"Ran and I might have been there by chance. But hadn't we been here, things could have gotten a completely different turn."
His eyes widened just a sliver wider ─ he was right. Absolutely right, and somehow, he had failed to see it, even though it had been right in front of him. And that, right there, was the reason that things had gone right, as per his deepest wishes, against what common sense would have said.
The reason, the single reason his brother and Curaçao had survived that night, were those two. Ran and Kogoro ─ the ones he had been trying to chase away, all along.
Before he could even begin to debate with himself how to feel at the most recent realization, something fell over his head, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"No more keeping stuff like this quiet," Kogoro said, his nonchalant, almost careless tone a clear contrast to the hand that remained there, idle in Conan's hair. "So that we can figure things out together. All three of us. Got it?"
It took him a while longer than it probably should, but eventually, a timid, hesitant nod made itself known. Satisfied by the answer, Kogoro rose back to his feet, lazily making his way over to his desk, probably ready for another day of work ─ doing nothing, like it was the norm for him.
Conan did not move, immediately at least. Hesitantly, he glanced over his way, then looked sharply away the moment he was caught staring.
Kogoro raised an eyebrow. "What now?"
"So, uh…" Conan let out a nervous giggle, scratching his cheek for some reason. "I'm… I'm not, after all, are I?"
"Try to make sense, brat. I'm busy."
He was certain he was not, but whatever.
"I thought you were going to… You know."
"What? Ground you?" Conan nodded, and Kogoro waved a lazy hand off. "I was definitely going to do it. But Ran asked me to go easy on you because you had good intentions in mind… And I mean, she's not wrong, but…"
A faint glimmer of hope lit up his gaze. "Then…"
"I did confiscate all of those fancy books of yours." Conan deflated with a groan ─ he had kind of expected such an outcome. "If you pull something like that again, I won't hesitate to make a fire with them, you hear?"
Now, he knew. He had definitely spoken way too soon.
A/N
CherryGirl 21-6
Yes, I totally did! With Akemi showing up there, and the last part where she's reunited with everyone… I honestly loved that ending.
By the way, it's been a while since you suggested the birthday scene, and I'm sorry it's taken so long. I hope it turned out okay in the end xD Thank you for suggesting it :)
shahralSAH699
Yeah, that's a point I haven't been able to clarify yet, but I'm working on it. For now, let's just say that Conan tried to escape after hiding in there and Rum spotted him. And for the rest… I wonder ;)