"Damn, how can you be this good?" Heiji frustratedly messed his hair up while glaring at the chess board.
"I'm not that good, it appears that you just suck." A smirk was visible on Ai's face.
"Darn you, kid." Heiji jokingly glared at the little girl in front of him.
Ai on the other hand, stuck her tongue a bit at Heiji to mocked him.
Heiji let a chuckle on that, both of them are amused- and was having fun on Shinichi's room in the hospital.
Ai and Heiji grew closer since 'this' happened, they consider each other as friends.
"Both you and Kudo is good at this, ugh.. I hate it." Ai smiled a bit about ths remark.
Thanks to Heiji since he did a great job on lighting up the overall mood.
"You're going back to Japan?" Ai asked all of a sudden that made Heiji halt.
He grinned first before he decided to open his mouth.
"You're gonna miss me, aren't you?"
Ai rolled her eyes at his question.
"I can't miss my flight later, it's the end of the summer you know." Heiji stayed for two months in America, it has been 7 months since the day Shinichi was in a coma.
"I know." That was only what Ai can answer at the moment.
Ai knew that if Shinichi learned what Heiji was doing for him, certainly, he will be glad.
Heiji visited Shinichi once a month and it was not an easy thing to do since America is far from South East Asia.
Even if he was a friend, it was pretty much not a normal and practical thing to do.
This just proves how Shinichi is important to Heiji.
"I'll be back here, once a month again as much as possible- tss.. Kudo really do own me a lot now." He playfully glared at the sleeping setective.
A glare turned into a soft glance.
"I hope the next time I'll visit him, he will welcome me with sarcasm. I'm looking forward for it." He laughed a little bit.
Ai just shooked her head in agreement then looked at Shinichi too.
She hope so too, she missed teasing him and Shinichi teasing her back or glaring at her nonchalantly.
She called that their 'little bonding', it may be nonsense to others but for her, she's treasuring those moments.
A vibrating phone caught both of them off guard. "Hello?" Heiji stood up and now his back was facing her.
"Oyaji?" (Old Man - Father) Heiji looked at his watch "My flight is 2:00 pm here, so yeah- see you soon."
He then faced Ai and hang up the phone.
"Ops?"
"What is it?" Ai curiously asked as Heiji stared at his phone.
"I thought I heard Kazuha's voice on the other line." He raised his eyebrow up but then, he put his phone on his pocket. "Must be my imagination." He shrugged.
He thought he heard Kazuha yelled 'Wait!' on the other line.
Ai on the other hand, tried to remember who's Kazuha is.
"So? Another game?" Heiji back on the couch as he stare at the chess board.
"Haven't you have a tiny bit courage to surrender?" Ai raised her eyebrow then plastered a smirk on her face.
"Surrender? What's that word?" Heiji smirked back.
And, the one last round of chess battle begin- and once again, Ai won.
xoxo
"Shiho, do you want to cut your hair?" Yukiko said as she brushed the little girl's hair.
Ai looked at Yukiko's reflection in the mirror, she saw Shinichi's mother looking at her too.
"No, I'm fine with it." She answered normally, she liked her short hair but long hair was not a bad idea too.
"If you say so." Yukiko smiled and started braiding Ai's hair.
The shrunken chemist was silently watching Yukiko doing her work on her hair, she felt weird as always- this is not the first time Yukiko did Ai's hair but still- the little girl felt the same feeling she's having while Yukiko is doing something like a mother would do on her daughter.
She felt something people called "happiness".
So much happy and it seems like for her- a warm feeling is touching her heart.
Is this the feeling of having a mother?
If it is, then she liked it.
When Yukiko was done, she leaned down and smiled at the vanity mirror.
"Aww.. You look cute! I've always wanted a daughter but I got Shinichi so I can't do this on him." Yukiko pouted that made Ai smiled a little bit.
"I'm so glad you're here ~" she stared at Ai with a gentle smile on her face.
Again, Ai felt that fleeting feeling.
She stared at their reflections, even if they don't have any facial feature resemblance- she saw a mother and a daughter.
Thanks to Shinichi's parents for making her feel and experience what she should feel when she have a mom and dad too.
"Guys, we need to go." Yusaku knocked and interrupted.
"Coming~" Yukiko got her hand back on Ai's bed and walk towards the door. "Shiho, let's go?"
Ai stayed for a second, staring at those two people who's currently what she called- a family.
She followed without saying anything but with just a small smile on her face.
xoxo
"Hi Ai." The blonde nurse greeted her on her way to Shinichi's room, they just arrived from airport where they bid their farewell for the meantime to Heiji.
Ai nodded as her response.
She was in the garden area and then she stopped as she watched the flowers dancing slowly on the rhythm of the wind.
She sighed.
"Another day, with you- sleeping." She whispered, but no matter what- she'll still be there for Shinichi.
Ai continued walking towards his room, she gently opened and closed it.
She quickly went to the couch and placed her bag with her laptop on it, she was going to the bathroom when she heard something.
"Uhmm.. Hello?" She freeze, right on the spot.
That voice, that voice that she last heard 7 months ago.
Ai slowly face Shinichi's bed.
Her lips slowly parted as her eyes widen.
Her eyes begins to water as she watch Shinichi looking at her while sitting on the bed- leaning on the headboard.
"Sh-- Kudo.." She whispered.
Shinichi tilted his head a bit, starring at her carefully.
"Kudo.." She repeated, she choked.
"Ah.. Yes?" Shinichi answered.
Ai finally gasped and then quickly run towards his bed, she hide her face in his chest and start crying.
Shinichi on the other hand, awkwardly wrap his arms back- start patting Ai's back gently.
XOXO
-Siehan
proofreader: lonelypotatohannah 💕