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Ai picked up the call without reading the caller I.D. and answered blandly, “This is Haibara.”
“Hi, it’s Ran,” the girl on the other end replied. Ai sat up, frowning.
“Is everything okay? Did you need something?”
“What?” Mouri asked, apparently surprised. “Oh, no, nothing’s wrong, I just… Sonoko and I were going shopping, and I thought maybe… you might like to join us?” Mouri continued.
Ai blinked a few times in surprise. Mouri wanted to hang out with her? As a friend?
“You’re inviting me to go shopping with you?” Ai asked, trying to wrap her head around the situation.
“Yes. I understand, though, if you’d rather not or if you’re busy or…”
“I’d like to,” Ai said quickly. “I… I love shopping. When are you going?”
“We were thinking maybe later today? Around 3?”
“Okay. Are we meeting at the mall?”
“Yes, if that’s alright?”
“It is. See you soon.”
“See you soon, Haibara.”
Ai stared at her phone in surprise, not entirely sure what had come over her. Mouri was always so kind, though, trying to include her in things… She was so kind…
She shouldn’t be involved with the Organization in any capacity. She should distance herself from it as soon as she could. She deserved to be safe and happy. Kudou was a fool, including her in something that could get her killed.
Ai sighed, and got up to get ready. No sense in getting upset about it now, so long after the fact.
“Haibara!” Mouri called from across the food court, waving happily beside Suzuki Sonoko.
From a more respectable distance, Haibara greeted them, voice low, “Mouri, Suzuki.”
Suzuki snorted. “You’ve gotta be the only friend of Ran’s that calls her by her surname. Wouldn’t you rather call her Ran, too?”
“Sonoko, don’t be rude! I don’t mind if she’d rather call me Mouri,” Mouri protested.
Ai glanced away, considering. It was better not to get too attached. “Were there any stores you wanted to go to in particular?” she asked, changing the subject.
Suzuki grinned, quickly diving into what sounded more like an itinerary than a shopping trip. Mouri, on the other hand, looked relieved, shooting Ai a warm smile. Ai could feel her cheeks heating up under her kind gaze. It was probably too late for her after all.
When Suzuki was busy in one of the fitting rooms, Mouri settled in at Ai’s side. Ai studiously examined each of the designer bags on the table, trying to ignore her proximity.
“I just wanted to make sure you were really okay with all this. I know it was last minute,” Mouri admitted, sounding sheepish. “I’m sorry, I—”
“I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t want to come,” Ai said, keeping her eyes on the bags. “I’m just… not as effusive as you or Suzuki, that’s all.”
“Oh, then…?” Ran asked sounding brighter already. She sighed in what Ai thought was relief. “I’m glad. I was so worried you weren’t having a good time. Especially because I wanted to keep inviting you to things.”
Ai felt her cheeks heat in her surprise. She was just too nice, too lovely. Ai fidgeted restlessly with one of the straps she’d been examining.
“I… That is, later this week, I was thinking about… There’s a concert,” Ai finally managed to say. “If you wanted to come—with Suzuki, even—well, that would be… nice.”
“That sounds like a lot of fun, but how about for this one, we keep it just the two of us, hm? Unless there was someone else you wanted to invite?” Mouri asked, sounding so unbearably fond…
“No, that’s fine. I was going to go alone, but I… I’d like it if you joined me.”
“Then it’s a date!”
“What’s a date?” Suzuki asked. Her voice made Ai jump. Had she really been so focused on Ran—Mouri that she hadn’t noticed? “And what do you think of this skirt? I’m not sure it’s my color.”
“You should have grabbed the red one,” Ai said, voice soft. “You always look especially confident when you’re wearing red.”
“You…” Suzuki trailed off. “Do you think Makoto would like the red one?”
“Definitely.”
“I’ll be back in red, ladies,” Suzuki said, probably winking.
Ai could feel Mouri’s happiness without even looking at her. She sighed, closing her eyes. Shit.
She’d only been gone for 10 minutes, Ai reminded herself. She was in the bathroom. She would be back right after. She was exactly where Mouri had left her. Mouri would find her.
But the crowd was bigger than she’d expected for the band in question—only just recently rising through the charts—and the crowd was pressing in around her. She was trapped in a sea of bodies, drowning in the hot press, throat tight and hands shaking. Shadows seemed to be lurking around every corner, in every unknown face.
She closed her eyes and mentally recited the properties of any gem she could think of and how to recreate it. But each time she got through a gem, someone jostled her, sending her mind reeling once more.
She felt like she was going to shake out of her skin.
“Haibara?” someone asked, drowned out by the noisy people pressed too close… “Ai, Ai, are you alright? Please, look at me.”
Ai glanced up fearfully, gasping in relief at the sight of Ran’s beautiful, worried face. A beacon in the storm.
“Ran… Welcome back,” Ai said weakly. Ran laughed, but it was as shaky as Ai’s voice.
“Why don’t we move further back?” Ran suggested, offering her hand with warm compassion. Ai took the hand at once, letting Ran pull her up and into her space, into safety.
“Please,” Ai said, voice probably only just audible over the din.
Once Ran had pulled her out of the crowd, she urged her to sit and passed her a water bottle from her bag. Ran was still holding her hand.
“You scared me back there—please drink at least a little of that, you look like you might be feeling a bit faint,” Ran said, frowning. Ai considered it for a moment, before deciding she was right. She took a long drink of the water. “Are you feeling any better now, I mean, now that we’re not in the crowd?”
Ai nodded slowly. “I think so.” She finally made eye contact with Ran again, blushing. “I don’t know how well I would have fared without you, so… thank you,” Ai trailed off, dropping her gaze again, blush deepening, “Ran.”
Ran squeezed Ai’s hand, startling her into looking back up. Ran was beaming, eyes shining with delight.
“May I call you, ‘Ai’?” she asked, leaning in. Ai nodded, biting her lip. It was far too late for her anyway. She was already in too deep.
Ran had a way, Ai thought, of drawing people in. She was just so comfortable, and she seemed to put other people first, seemed to live to make people feel safe. She was dangerous in a way most people never were—before Ai knew it, she was deeply attached to Mouri Ran, and there was nothing she could do but try her best to keep her safe.
Which reminded her…
“I… Are you sure…” Ai sighed. “The life Kudou and I live is dangerous. You could leave, keep yourself safe. Why don’t you?”
“I could…?” Ran seemed confused, frowning. “Shinichi and I are a package deal. If I leave, so does he. It’s something we agreed on as kids,” Ran said. “And I don’t leave, because a lot of people I care about are too involved to do the same. I can’t help keep them safe if I’m not involved, too.”
“I see. I suppose that makes sense,” Ai admitted, leaning back. “I just wish someone as lovely as you wasn’t in any danger from people as evil as them…”
“You think I’m lovely?” Ran asked immediately. Ai jolted, her faded blush returning with a vengeance.
“I don’t—that is,” Ai backpedaled, pressing a hand to her mouth.
“I feel the same about you, you know,” Ran said. “You don’t deserve to be in this situation either, after all.”
Ai blinked, not sure how she should respond. Ran smiled, squeezing the hand she was somehow still holding.
“You’re one of the people I care about. If I can do anything to keep you safe, I will,” Ran promised. “We may not have known each other long, but…” Ran looked away, her cheeks turning a cute pink. “Well, suffice to say, you matter to me.”
“Thank you,” Ai said, voice soft, hesitant. “Thank you.”
The way Ran smiled at that made Ai want to… Her eyes moved between her eyes and lips, distracted by her thoughts of leaning in and just…
Ran pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.
“We should get a little closer so you don’t miss your band,” Ran said, standing up, still holding Ai’s hand.
“Okay,” Ai said, stunned into simple compliance. Had that even really happened?
Ran turned a brilliant smile on her, “We should do this again sometime. Maybe get dinner and see a movie sometime next week?”
Ai nodded immediately, ducking her head with a slow smile. “It’s a date.”