Chapter Text
With the defeat of the Black Organization, Ai worked day and night on an antidote that could revert her shrunken body back into her original one. The data their team had managed to salvage from the takedown proved to be extremely valuable and contained more than enough data for Ai to understand and work out from. Almost everything she had worked on in the past; her notes, reports, drawings and videos, were safely stored on a hard drive connected to a computer in her own personal lab at Hakase’s.
Conan had warned her not to overwork herself. To take it easy and rest up. To heal from the emotional trauma that had transpired during the raid and enjoy the freedom she had now that the organization was completely gone.
But despite how much Conan urged Ai to rest, nagging her day after day, the scientist chose to ignore him. She felt like she didn’t deserve to rest, because the antidote that connected her and Conan together was still not done.
The drug Apotoxin-4869 was the last thing connecting Ai to the Black Organization. It persisted as a daily reminder to her. Now more than ever. It was her responsibility to clean up the mess she had created and caused on so many innocent people.
For the organization to be truly gone forever, the scientist known as Sherry still had one last mission to complete. To follow through with her promise to Conan and create the antidote that would revert him back to his former self: Kudo Shinichi.
This was Haibara Ai’s... No... Miyano Shiho’s fate.
“Oi.”
Ai gasped when she heard a voice speak up from behind her. She turned slowly around in her old office chair and instantly released a relieved sigh when she saw who it was. It was Conan. His glasses reflected the light coming from her multiple monitor set-up while he stared at her from the open doorway.
“You still up working on the antidote?” He asked and started walking towards her with both of his hands in his front pockets.
“Yes.” She answered and turned back around to face the screens filled with biochemistry notes and formulas.
Conan stood beside Ai and stared in slight awe at the number of documents she had opened on her screens while she worked diligently on the cure that would someday revert him back to his original form. He glanced at the small scientist and noticed how dark and serious her face looked. Dark circles hung under her tired eyes. She strained her eyes as she sat and pondered on the complicated formula before her.
“Haibara, don’t you think it’s about time you took a break?” He asked as he felt himself starting to worry that she might be overworking herself.
Ai ignored his timewasting suggestion and began rereading over her notes and the formula she was very close to completing.
Conan let out a disgruntled sigh. He reached out to the hard-to-reach switch to turn on Ai’s table lamp, giving her some much-needed light. But the room was still too dark. He therefore went to turn on a few of the fluorescent lights that hung lowly over the table beside her which contained her important lab equipment used for testing and creating.
“You know sitting in the dark like this is bad for your eyes, right?” Conan chided as he went back to Ai, this time dragging a spare office chair beside her and sat down.
“It’s fine.” She muttered, still focused on her work. “I’m almost done.”
“Heh.” He scoffed and crossed both of his arms over his chest. “You always say that, but I know you’re just going to sit here for one to two hours more once I leave.”
“I mean it this time.” She said sternly.
“Really…?” He raised a doubtful eyebrow at her.
Despite being worried for Ai’s wellbeing, Conan respected her determination to keep at it. He understood how it was like to get into the zone. However he also knew about the danger of being too invested.
Being a self-proclaimed detective, Conan often found himself consumed with cases every now and again. It was hard for him to turn down a cold case or an unsolved mystery. He didn’t mind sitting hours upon hours with it in the middle of the night. But when his frustration for a case became evident, his partner showed up from seemingly nowhere.
Ai would always regard Conan with a stoic, uninterested look when she approached him sitting alone in Hakase’s dimly lit living room. She sat down beside him and claimed she had no interest in what he was doing even though she looked curiously down at his scribbled notes.
He glanced at her with tired eyes. “Do you want to help me?” He asked.
But knowing her usual pattern, Conan had a good guess of what she would say. “No.” She answered.
He also knew what would follow next. Ai would try to discourage him from solving the case that laid before him. She would purposely distract him, tell him to stop, and urge him to pick it back up tomorrow with a fresh mind. But being the great detective that he was, he did not listen.
Conan retorted stubbornly back at Ai, all because he believed he was close to solving the mystery that haunted this case. But his partner knew better.
If Ai let Conan continue like this, the detective would only go around in circles and wear himself down. Instead of arguing with his stubbornness, she would retaliate by staring silently at him and play with his vulnerability. By abusing his sensitive sense of awareness, Conan’s concentration broke when her silent, judging stare made him shudder. He glared at his partner who smirked amused, then sighed when he knew he didn’t have a choice than to retire for the night.
Whenever he got stumped, whenever he got frustrated and mad, Ai would always show up to break the tension and force him to rest.
He hated to admit it, but it didn’t take much to convince him to stop. Because the moment he gathered his case documents together into a file and leaned back into the couch to yawn, the observant detective would always manage to catch a rare sight of Ai. All he could do was admire her when his subtle glance noticed the small, earnest smile on her face.
That was when he realized that Ai was concerned about him. And as her partner, he felt responsible for her now that she was the one overworking herself in front of him.
He frowned a little annoyed at how easily he gave in compared to her.
Instead of complaining vocally about how unfair it was for Ai to ignore his concerns towards her, Conan decided to stay by her side till she was done for the night. He brought up his phone and started reading on it.
… … …
… …
…
“Done…” Ai murmured and disturbed the silence that hung over the lab.
Conan closed his electronic book on his phone and looked at the time. Just as he had predicted, about an hour had passed since he had decided to stay here. He yawned and brought both of his hands up to his face, rubbing his tired, stinging eyes. His back and neck whined in pain which urged him to stretch his arms to relieve himself from the uncomfortable position he had been sitting in.
“Finally done?” Conan asked her with a slightly tired voice.
“It’s finally done.” She repeated his words.
Then as if exhaustion came crashing in on Ai all at once, she suddenly slammed her elbows sloppily on the desk, pushing the keyboard before her away, and rested her head on her closed fists.
“Haibara…!?” Conan called startled out and looked worryingly at her.
Ai shook her head ever so slightly back and forth while the back of her fingers held her forehead in place. Her eyes were closed as she breathed calmly with a smile teasing her lips.
“A-Are you alright?” Conan asked as he jumped off his chair and put his hands on Ai’s back and arm reassuringly.
“Are you maybe too tired to stand up?” He asked and tilted his head slightly to the side to see if he could get a better look at her state. “If so, I can help you.” He offered kindly.
“Kudo-kun.” She uttered with her tired voice.
“What? What is it?”
Ai sighed, then turned her head to face Conan and opened her eyes. She smiled amused when she saw his worried expression. “The antidote for Apotoxin-4869 is done.”
“What…?” He uttered bewildered with wide eyes as his hands fell slowly off her. “…R-Really…?” He asked her in a low voice, unsure if he had heard her right.
Ai snorted softly when she noticed that Conan’s surprised face held a desperate glint of hope in his eyes. She turned around in her chair and forced the small detective to back slightly away in response when she stood up. She looked up to meet his eyes and smiled gently.
“Mm.” She nodded, answering him.
Conan blinked once, then twice, before his dumbfounded expression quickly turned into a big, excited grin.
“Amazing! That’s so amazing, Haibara!” He exclaimed happily and blushed lightly from joy.
Just as quickly as Conan uttered his words, Ai suddenly felt a pair of arms embrace her tiny body. Overcome with joy, Conan tossed away his cool and collected self and let his subconsciousness do as it wanted in this happy moment. Ai froze on the spot as she couldn’t believe what had come over the detective hugging her.
Conan’s warm, gentle hug overwhelmed Ai as she felt how her face was quickly starting to blush from embarrassment. Her hands trembled while she shyly lifted her arms to return his comforting gesture. Feeling Ai’s hands on his back, Conan hugged her reflexively tighter into his body. Their hearts drummed loudly against each other as they quietly enjoyed the emotional moment together.
“Thank you…” Conan murmured softly into her ear and unconsciously leaned his face closer into her neck, nuzzling her.
Ai flinched. Conan’s deep voice in her ear and hot breath hitting her skin, sent shivers down her back. In a shy effort to calm herself down, Ai reluctantly grabbed a tighter hold of Conan’s shirt for emotional support before uttering her weak words out loud, “Y-You’re welcome…”
***
It didn’t take long for Ai to create the definitive version of the antidote. But Conan and Ai knew they couldn’t leave so suddenly without a word to those who didn’t know of their real identities.
With the help of Agasa-Hakase and Conan’s parents, it was announced that Edogawa Conan and Haibara Ai would be moving back home to their ‘real parents’ in America. The Mouri household and the Tokyo MPD were saddened to hear of Conan’s departure, but understood his circumstances and wished him good luck. However, the announcement did not translate well for his friends.
“…America…?” Mitsuhiko uttered speechless.
“What do you mean you and Haibara are moving!?” Genta exclaimed upset.
“Please don’t leave us, Conan-kun, Ai-chan!” Ayumi cried.
The two shrunken teens looked at the kids with pity in their eyes.
It broke their hearts seeing them like that. As much as they wanted to tell them the truth, they just couldn’t bring themselves to do it. Even though they knew the kids wouldn’t take the news well, there was nothing else they could say than to reassure them that they would still keep in touch.
After a few coaxing moments from Conan and Ai, the kids came to terms with their situation. In an attempt of wishing the two of them good luck with their move, the original members of the Detective Boys decided that they would hold a farewell party, as well as a Birthday party for Ai. The Birthday party caught both Ai and Conan off guard. But the kids claimed that it was appropriate since it was August. Her birth month.
The small scientist looked at the calendar that hung in her room. The month of August, the week of her Birthday, taunted her gaze. She smiled lightly as she stared at today’s date.
“Oi Haibara! Are you ready?” Conan called for her from downstairs.
Ai went to the mirror and looked at her childlike form for the last time in her favorite clothes. She sighed, then walked out of her room to walk downstairs and meet Conan who waited for her in the living room. With a suitcase in hand, Conan greeted her with a smile and gestured to her to grab the other suitcase beside him. She did and followed him outside.
Ai’s eyes went wide with surprise the moment she stepped out of the front door. Hakase’s front yard and the street behind it were filled with friends and companions known to both Conan and Ai. Even though Ai knew most of them were here to see off Conan, she couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty, because only a small handful of them knew of his real identity. But despite their differences, everyone conversed as if they were good friends. Ai stared silently at the strange sight and carefully eyed every familiar face that she knew.
“What, nervous?” Conan asked her in a low, teasing voice when he noticed that Ai looked a little nervously at the crowd.
Ai narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t be stupid.” She scoffed and trotted on towards the Detective Boys who eagerly awaited her.
Conan smirked amused and went to join her.
Only a few of the invited guests traveled to the airport. The Detective Boys joined Conan and Ai with Hakase as the driver while the Mouri and Sera households drove in their own individual cars.
With their plane ticket and suitcase in hand, Conan and Ai bid their last farewells as their seven-year-old selves. Their friends cried, the Mouris looked at them solemnly, and the Seras smiled at them understandingly. The moment Conan and Ai passed the inspection gate and were safely over on the other side, the heavy burden they had been forced to live with disappeared all at once in a soft, weeping sound only the two of them could hear.
They both turned to look at each other. And before they knew what had come over them, a sudden urge to laugh overwhelmed them. They laughed loudly amongst themselves as if they were the only two people left in the world.
Ai blushed with embarrassment when she noticed that people were staring at her weirdly. She quickly tried to cover her mouth with one of her hands to stop herself from laughing, but failed when she felt someone take her moving hand. She turned and blinked a little startled when she saw that it was Conan.
Holding Ai’s hand protectively in his, Conan grinned. Effectively brushing all of her worries away. The nonchalant detective led her deeper into the airport as if they were on an exploration journey. With a small blush on her cheeks and a warm sensation running through her held hand, Ai diligently followed Conan.
Conan led Ai confidently through the biggest airport in Tokyo. Some people eyed them as they probably wondered where their parents were, but Ai didn’t pay them any mind as her eyes curiously glanced at all the stores she and Conan were passing by. The two eventually settled down at a quiet café that wasn’t overflowed with traveling people. She was thankful for Conan’s choice as she felt that the loud airport noise was slightly getting to her.
After finishing their afternoon coffee and lunch, Conan checked his watch for the time. They were supposed to wait at the airport for about an hour or so before Hakase could come back and pick them up.
“We still have some time to kill. Want to check out some of the stores?” Conan suggested.
“Sure.” Ai nodded and went ahead of him as she had a destination in mind. He followed her closely from behind.
After a little bit of experimental traversing, Ai eventually stopped when she had found the store she wanted to go into. Conan stopped alongside her and examined the clean, bright store that had caught her fancy. It was a big jewelry store which sold all kinds of accessories, small gemstones and glass figures. The detective looked a little surprised at the amount of people who were inside the store. He wondered for a moment if they were all there to buy something or were just looking to pass the time.
“Huuh ~, I didn’t know you were interested in this kind of stuff.” Conan remarked in a teasing tone.
“Well, I am a girl after all.” Ai retorted with a small smirk.
“I guess you are.” He smirked back.
The two separated slightly as they wandered inside the jewelry store. Conan tried his best to look as interested as Ai was at the displayed stuff, but his expression quickly fell to boredom. He didn’t understand much of the appeal of just aimlessly looking at things like clothes and accessories like most could do for hours inside different stores. But as he went by one display case to the next, he started to wonder if he should buy something for Ran as a surprise gift. He would finally be coming back as Shinichi permanently after all this time, so it was only appropriate that he came back with some sort of gift, right?
Just as Conan considered that thought, he couldn’t help but notice by the corner of his eyes that Ai was staring very intently at something. One of the shop attendees smiled subtly down at her as she stared into a display case. He walked over to her and stood by her, making his presence known. He curiously followed her lingering gaze and noticed that her eyes were fixed on a certain pair of golden earrings. Their form was as small as a stud with an aquamarine gemstone at its centerpiece in the shape of a teardrop.
“Do you want that?” Conan asked.
Ai glanced at him and noticed that he was referring to the earrings she had longingly stared at. Her gaze returned to the earrings as she felt she had somehow gotten attached to them. Her face drooped into a sad expression when she realized how silly it was for her to want something this small and insignificant.
“I can buy them for you.” She heard her partner utter nonchalantly when she didn’t speak up.
Her eyes went wide. She slowly turned to face Conan who looked at her curiously, innocently, as he couldn’t understand why his simple offer had brought such a surprised expression on her face.
But she shook her head.
Her face turned into a mixed expression of guilt and worry. She wanted them, but she knew at the same time that it was wrong of her to want them. It was stupid of her to want them.
So why did her heart drum so loudly in her chest by his words? Why did she feel like her ears and her cheeks were getting hotter by the second? Why did the thought of Conan buying her such a personal gift make her hope for something more? Something she had longed for ever since she had met him?
She didn’t know. And she didn’t dare to let herself know, because she knew he already belonged to someone else.
“Don’t.” Ai mumbled as she lowered her head to hide her face. “I don’t want them that much...”
“Hmm? Is that so?“ Conan hummed and tilted his head curiously at her, but she shied away from his gaze. Refusing to look at him. “Then how about I buy them as a Birthday gift for you?” He asked.
She narrowed her eyes slightly at that suggestion and felt guilty that the keen detective had managed to read her want for the earrings so easily by the dismissive way she was acting towards him.
“It’s fine. I already got a lot of gifts from that party, remember?“ She said as she tried to remind him of the good time they had with the kids a few days ago. “I don’t really want anything more. And besides… those earrings are way too expensive for a Birthday gift.” She added as she eyed the price tag that was sticked on beside the earrings.
“They’re not that expensive.” He said and shifted his gaze to look at the price as well. “Aquamarine isn’t such an expensive gemstone as you may think it is. Also, the small size helps with keeping the price low.” He informed her.
“Kudo-ku—"
“Haibara.” Conan turned and grabbed her gently by the shoulders, facing her head on. He smiled gently at her confused, startled state, then lowered his head slightly to meet her shy gaze as he wanted her to listen to him closely.
“It’s okay for you to be a little selfish sometimes. Especially today of all days.” He said with a serious tone of voice.
“Huh?” Ai blushed lightly from his sudden words. Her eyes wavered under his serious gaze. Conan noticed and gave her one of his reassuring grins to assure her that what he said was sincere.
“…What do you… mean…?” Her voice trailed off confused.
“Today’s your Birthday, right?”
Ai blinked and looked at him surprised. “You… remembered…?” She couldn’t believe that someone like Conan who couldn’t even remember his own Birthday, would remember hers.
“Heh.” Conan let go of her and smirked cheekily from her expected reaction. “Yep! It’s not like I was reminded by a certain someone and a group of somebodies of today! Nope! I remembered!” He boasted with a big, teasing grin that managed to soften Ai’s expression and make her chuckle from his silly improvised speech.
He smiled earnestly at her soft chuckles. “Let me treat you at least today, okay? Then you can complain and be angry at me all you want when you’re alone.”
She quirked an annoyed eyebrow at his last rude comment, but let it go because she couldn’t stop smiling at how cleverly he had managed to manipulate her sad mood into a happy one.
“Fine.” She uttered as she gave into temptation. She took Conan’s offer and let herself be selfish for once around the boy she liked.
“Excuse me, Miss!” Conan was on it before Ai could take back her word.
The nearest worker attended Conan as he spoke to them in a childlike manner and pointed at the earrings he wanted to buy. The attendee smiled kindly at him, bowed down to his level and asked where his parents were so they could pay for it. However the small detective was one step ahead as he smiled innocently, dug in his pockets for a moment, pulled out his wallet and showed the attended a very, exclusive credit card only the rich of the rich would have.
The attendee looked at Conan bewildered. Then slowly stood up as they collected themselves and walked behind the display case to attend to the small detective accordingly as if he was a valued customer. Ai watched from afar the scene that played out before her. She couldn’t help but giggle lightly at how professionally the attendant handled the rich child before them.
Once everything was properly packaged and paid for, Conan jogged back over to Ai who was waiting patiently for him.
“Here you go.” Conan said as he stood before Ai and raised the small bag that he was holding with his hand, offering it to her. “Happy Birthday.” He congratulated her in a shy mutter while he looked at her with an embarrassed frown.
Ai raised one of her hands and accepted his gift quietly. She pulled the small bag close to her chest and opened it slightly, seeing a silk ribbon tied jewelry box inside. A warm, fuzzy sensation swirled deeply in her chest while she looked down at it. The warm sensation traveled upwards, up to her face, as she felt a small smile form on her lips along with a light blush grazing her cheeks.
Reluctantly, shyly, Ai forced herself to look back up at Conan.
“Thank you.” She uttered softly as her deep emerald eyes met his cerulean ones.
A light breath escaped Conan as he stared at Ai’s warm smile.
At a loss of how to react, his eyes started to quiver when he suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. His eyes widened with surprise as he couldn’t understand why his emotions stirred so unruly by just looking at Ai.
‘It must be some sort of mistake…’ He swore deeply inside of himself.
He tried to blink once, then twice, but the annoyingly warm feeling inside of himself refused to fade away. He groaned silently and fixed his expression into an embarrassed frown. He stared intently at the dark auburn haired girl who had made his heart skip a beat and wondered if she had any idea of how much her uncharacteristic expression bothered him.