"How are you?" Professor Agasa who was facing the laptop screen asked Ai worriedly.
"Same as always, Professor." Ai tried to smile a little bit. She was in Shinichi's room as always, she sat on the sofa located at the right side of his hospital bed.
"I'll be there next week. To see him." Sadness was evident on the old man's voice.
He missed Shinichi as well and just like Ai- Professor Agasa still believed that one day he will wake up.
Ai answered him with a simple reassuring nod.
"So, did you find out why Shinichi is not turning into Conan even if it has been 5 months already?" Agasa politely asked, since the horrifying accident- Shinichi stayed on his original body which was kind of odd because the antidote Ai gave him before the party supposedly would not last at least for two consecutive days.
But, it has been five months and he was still Shinichi.
"Isn't it really possible that it happened because you created the real antidote already?" Professor added.
"No, Professor- I already said this to you before, hypothetically speaking, if I completed the perfect antidote then why did I became a kid again? I tested it first before I gave it to Kudo." Ai sighed before continuing,"My theory is that this is somewhat connected to his condition."
"What do you mean?"
"Since, Kudo's brain was as what they call in medical terms 'dead'" she hesitated and there waa a lump im her throat, it was still hard for her to accept that fact.
"Maybe it affected the Aptx 4869 and made the drug effect stop for some reason?" Ai added unsurely.
Professor Agasa sighed "So what's your plan now?"
"I'll continue my research while waiting for him to wake up." She said in low voice.
The professor nodded.
"By the way, the kids stop asked me some questions about you and Conan.Finally." Guilt was visible on his voice.
The kids were close to Professor Agasa too and lying to them for five months was really hard for him. Emotionally and mentally draining.
The junior detective squad got tired of asking the professor about Ai and Conan, they kept on pestering Professor Agasa about their two friends who just vanished all of a sudden.
"I guess this is for the best." Ai replied on a sad tone, even if Conan and her were older, both of them treat Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta as their true friends.
Leaving them clueless is the least thing she wanted but Ai can't tell anything to them especially they're just kids. She can't forsake everything just so she can tell them every bits and pieces. There was too much at stake.
Ai winced her eyes and heaved a deep breathe as she decided to avoid the topic.
"How is she?" She referred to Ran, Shinichi's childhood friend and kind of a bit of a lover.
They both love each other and Ai painfully accepted that fact, that's why she won't lose her hope for Shinichi- she was still blame herself for ruining his life.
At least she wanted them to reunite then that would make her feel less guilty.
Even if, it was killing her inside. A slow excruciating pain in her mind.
"She's fine I guess? I saw her last friday with her friends- she's laughing and seems like having fun, maybe she thought that Shinichi was just being himself and just investigating some cases somewhere in the world."
'Great.' She thought, Ai felt relief and disappointment to Ran- relief because she was doing fine and a tad of disappointment because Shinichi was in this situation but the girl he loves was doing fine because she doesn't have a clue that he's suffering.
Ai turned her laptop off and leaned on the sofa and stared at Shinichi's direction again.
Her eyes begun to water again but this time, she never let a single tear to drop. She's afraid that if she let herself cry again, she won't stop that that easy.
She knows that for a fact.
"Wake up. I rather want to see you happy with her than see you like this." She whispered in the air. As if all the Gods were hearing her genuine prayers.
xoxo
"Shiho?" Ai stopped walking when she finally hit the floor right after the stairs.
"Yes Kudo-san?" She answered in low voice, showing some respect on the person who called her.
"What did i tell you to call me?" A familiar grin is now visible to the old man's face.
Ai sighed deeply, she felt her cheeks heated up a bit.
"D-dad.."
"What?" The old man said in teasing tone.
"Dad.." She said as she sigh.
An amused smile creaks up in his face.
"Very well, I assume you're going to see my son?" Ai sense the loneliness in his voice even if he tried to speak in normal way.
Kudo Yusaku walk to Ai's direction and kneeled down- patting the little girls head.
"Thank you for staying in his side, Shiho."
Ai felt the same warm feeling touches her heart again when everytime Shinichi's parents thanked her.
But, beside that- she always feel that she doesn't deserve it at all, of all people.
She didn't answer and just gave him a small smile.
"Alright.." Yusaku stood up. "Victor.."
A blonde man on his early 40's rush inside the house.
"Please take a good care of my daughter.." Yusaku took a glance on Ai's direction who's by the way blushing again which he find amusing.
This young girl rarely shows her true emotions, especially the embarrassing one.
What can she do? She's not used to this 'daughter' thing, Yusaku teases her just to light the mood around her even if it only last for a few seconds and besides- other people thought that Ai was his and Yukiko's child.
"Yes Sir.." Victor followed Ai's on the way out.
Yusaku watch the car vanished from his eyesight before sighing.
He can't imagine how hard this is for that little girl, even if he doesn't know Ai fully- the information that his son gave him is enough to know how terrible her experience was.
Now this?
The years of his existence in this world is enough for him to know that Ai is blaming herself which is not right.
"If she keeps doing that, she'll break sooner or later.."
A chime in the phone took him by surprise.
"Hey hon, will Shiho be back here in the hospital?" Yukiko asked.
"Yes, she's on her way- you know her, she'll come back here just to get some things."
"Oh well, it's obvious she doesn't want to leave Shinichi for that long, your son is too charismatic huh?" She tried to joke which worked cause Yusaku chuckled.
"Ma-ne~ hopefully our son will wake up soon so she can breathe freely again." Of course, as a father he wants his son to live normally again but he is indeed concern for Ai.
"Yeah, I know what you mean, this is getting too much for her to handle- I don't think she will be okay if we l-lose Shinichi." Not just Ai, Yukiko and Yusaku will be devastated for sure- they already lose their hopes but Ai brought it back to them, now- imagining a world without their son is too much.
But they also know, if Shiho loses Shinichi- it will be the end of her too.
XOXO
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-Siehan