Chapter 1: The Antidote

A Chapter by Kiel

ok so here's chapter one, the antidoe

After much planning with the FBI, it was finally time for the organization to be taken down. All the branches in different countries had already been removed and only the main branch in Japan was left. A month since the initial start of the war had passed and the headquarters had been located.

In the professor’s house a small crowd of leading FBI members were stuck in the living room with the professor, detective of the west, Hattori Heiji, Conan, and Ai.

While the preparations were going on, Ai pulled Conan aside and to the basement.

“What is it Haibara?” asked Conan, completely oblivious of the way Ai was feeling at the moment.

Ai was barely trembling, with a nauseating feeling in her stomach. She swallowed inaudibly. She was having a conflict inside herself, and in truth, it had been going on for about a week, since the time she finished the full antidote. She wasn’t sure whether to give it to Conan. She had realized since long before how much she liked the little detective, yet he was always talking about returning to Ran once he changed back. It hurt her deeply.

With trembling fingers and a calm voice, she rustled through her desk and pulled out a pill.

She placed it into Conan’s hands, wrapping both of hers around his. “This is it Kudo-kun, the antidote. I finished it and thought that it’d be good to give it to you before the raid. You’ll need your body back to be of real use.” She smirked at his astonished expression, hiding her heartbrokenness underneath a cool and composed mask.

He beamed a smile at her and took the pill happily.

“Some spare clothes are on the couch, I’ll leave the room so that you can change back.” With that Ai left the room and leaned against the door.

She heard Conan move around, preparing to take the pill. A lone tear rolled down her cheek and she leaned against the door and slid to the ground into a sitting position.

Conan hurriedly consumed the pill with a smile on his face. As he felt it start to take effect, a sudden question popped into his mind, What about Haibara?

That was the last thought he had before the pill rendered him unconscious.

Ten minutes later he groaned and sat up. Sweating profusely, and skin still glistening from his perspiration during the change, he sluggishly fixed his clothes and hair. Then as if on cue, Ai walked in with her usual calm and composed mask, no trace of tears left.

“Come, Kudo-kun, everyone will be excited to see you back to normal.”

As she turned to head up the steps, Shinichi grabbed her wrist.

She turned and quizzically looked at his hand. Her heart picked up the beat slightly but she kept her mask on.

“What is it?” she asked with a sigh.

“What about you? Aren’t you going to change back?” he asked with a confused expression.

She swallowed slightly, preparing herself. “Sorry Kudo-kun, I think I’ll stay like this. My friends are here.”

“But,” he trailed off.

Ai looked straight into his eyes and he lost the ability to speak.

With a sigh she continued, “I haven’t decided whether I’ll change back. For the raid I’ll take the 24 hour pill. Then when everything is over I’ll consider it.”

Shinichi knew he couldn’t fight back, so he bit his tongue and held back his urges to continue talking to change her mind. He realized though that there was a good chance that if he did that, she would refuse to change back. It was her life. He hat to butt out. He no longer needed her by his side to create the antidote. As that thought struck him, he felt a bit hollow. She no longer had a reason to stay near him. She was no longer bound to him by guilt. If she felt like it, she could just up and leave, no longer with a guilty conscience.

The thought scared him, yet he didn’t understand why.

Slowly, as he was coming to these conclusions, he followed Ai back up the stairs and into the swarm of shocked people.

With a smile he said to them, pushing his thoughts of Ai aside, “Hey, I’m back, for good.”

People cheered and pat him on the back, and others congratulated Ai on her accomplishment. Everyone there knew who Conan and Ai really were, so it wasn’t a shock to see him in that form. At least, it wasn’t a huge shock.

That’s when it finally dawned on everyone. They turned to Ai. “What about you?” they seemed to ask with their stares.

She sighed and said, “Look, I don’t know if I even want to change back. I may stay a child to be with my friends. Sometimes I wonder if it would be better for me to change back, but nobody’s waiting for me in that form. My friends are ones I’ve made as Haibara Ai, not Miyano Shiho or Sherry.”

Nobody said anything.

After a while they went back to their plan. They had decided that the next day would be when they began the raid.

The headquarters was in a heavily forested area, across from a beach with only a road to separate them.

After planning for a few hours, everyone settled down for an unrestful sleep.

When the morning rolled around, Ai was surprised to see that she was first to wake up. Every agent was fast asleep. She let a small smile play on her lips when she looked at Shinichi, and her eyes showed traces of sadness.

“You love him,” whispered a voice.

Ai spun around after pulling on her mask.

“Akai,” she muttered.

“Don’t try to deny it. Although nobody else knows, including Shinichi, you can’t hide it from me.”

Ai sighed. “Just don’t tell anyone ok? I’m quite sure he is in love with Mouri still. I doubt I’ll ever change that. It’d be easiest for me and him if I just pushed theses feelings aside and stayed as I am. Besides, as soon as this is over, if I were Shiho nobody would want me. If my past was known my life would be over, but as Haibara Ai, my life is just beginning.”

Akai nodded his head in understanding, and after that they stood there in silence.

A bit later, Ai headed to the kitchen and began to cook the biggest breakfast she ever has.

Akai joined her in silence, helping her prepare. They had finally come to be on neutral terms after meeting again. At first Ai highly protested against him, but now, now she wasn’t against him anymore and actually slightly trusted him.

When they had finished making breakfast Akai and Ai started to wake everyone up. Akai started with the FBI and Ai started with Shinichi.

Gently, Ai shook Shinichi’s shoulder. He mumbled something incomprehensible and slowly opened his eyes. When they had finally opened, the first thing he saw was Ai. He blushed at the closeness and pulled back a bit.

Ai raised an eyebrow and said, “Breakfast is ready.”

Shinichi blinked twice and finally nodded his head in understanding. He slowly got up, stretching, and headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

Ai then continued to wake everyone else up, including Hattori and the professor, and a few FBI agents.

After 5 minutes, everyone was up and eating in silence, going over the plan in their heads.

Around 10 in the morning, everyone filed into the cars parked out front.

Ran was coming to check on the professor’s house because he, Ai, and Conan, had supposedly gone camping, and she wanted to check on the house just in case.

She was surprised to see lots of vans parked out front and people leaving the house.

Right before she called the police she saw the professor leave the house. Behind him came Shinichi, Hattori, and Ai.

Her eyes widened at the sight of them, and watched as they stepped towards one van. When she saw Akai and Jodie step out of the house as the last people and join them in the car she realized that they were all FBI agents.

Confusion hit her. She understood why Hattori and Shinichi would go, but why Ai and the professor. She was surprised to see Shinichi, but everything else had overwhelmed her more.

She wanted to follow them, but she knew there was no possible way to do so.

Instead she mustered up the courage and walked towards them.

Hattori poked Shinichi in the ribs and whispered, “Kudo-kun, you’ve got company.”

Shinichi swiveled his head around to look where the other detective was looking.

His eyes widened as they landed on Ran.

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