DISCLAIMER: Case Closed/Detective Conan belongs to Gosho Aoyama. I, like everyone else on this fanfiction site, make no claims of owning it. I can come up with ideas, but I'm not a genius like him.

AUTHOR: Melpomene-the-Tragic-Parody

MAIN CHARACTERS: Conan Edogawa, Ayumi Yoshida

CHAPTER: #1

TITLE: Walking Home

~D.C~

She knew he was uninterested in engaging himself in their conversation. Like most days, his hands were casually stuffed into his pockets and his cute face was tilted towards the sky. His sharp blue eyes were distant, gazing on at something she couldn't see, with his lips puckered and his brows narrowed.

She wondered what he thought about when he went off into the distance like this, inattentive to the jokes and games. He only ever brought himself back down to earth whenever Mitsuhiko tried to stump him with a riddle, and only spared a few seconds to correctly solve the riddle, leaving Genta and Mitsuhiko disappointed once more that they couldn't outwit him.

They all stopped with the crowd and waited to cross the street. Haibara stood between Ayumi and Conan, her passive expression unwavering as the cars sped past them, blowing back their hair. Ayumi fixed the strap of her bag as she waited with the others for the light to change color.

A minute later, the light changed color and they continued on their journey to their homes.

"Conan-kun?" Ayumi asked after a while. "Are you alright? You haven't spoken."

Conan's relaxed posture tensed as his blue eyes snapped towards Ayumi and the others. "Ah," he said nervously. "I—uh, I'm fine, really!" he added in a cheery voice, rubbing the back of his head anxiously. "I was just thinking about… about…" His lips trembled as he tried to think of an answer. "—about the next camping trip that Hakase's taking us on this Saturday. He-he!"

Haibara sighed and shook her head, the hint of an amused smile gracing her ever passive face.

The very mention of the camping trip excited Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko greatly, and they immediately began chattering about what they wanted to do when they went camping. Haibara occasionally offered a comment or remark, whether to correct an assumption or to explain a fact that the three other children didn't know. Ayumi laughed and teased with the boys as they walked along the sidewalk, but after a while, she began to notice that Conan had gone quiet again, this time, with his hands resting behind his head. His expression was serene as he gazed across the blue sky above, a faint smile turning the corner of his lips upwards.

Ayumi liked Conan's smile. She was smart enough to know and understand that Conan was more mature than all of them—besides Haibara—and it showed on his face. It was obvious in his sharp, focused eyes, his literate speech patterns, his calm and ever resourceful abilities, and his leadership qualities that kept them all out of too much trouble. He wasn't like the other boys she knew, who were always so eager to go out and play. Conan was content with reading and learning advanced school work.

A pale pink flush flooded across Ayumi's cheeks as she turned away, not wanting Conan to catch her staring. However, she immediately fell under the gaze of Haibara and turned red. When they finally came to the crossroads where Genta and Mitsuhiko departed for their homes, Ayumi was left alone with Haibara and Conan as they walked her towards her home.

"So, Edogawa-kun," Haibara finally said. "I need you to come to Hakase's house later."

Conan huffed. "What for?" he asked suspiciously.

"Another test," Haibara said, sounding amused. "Why else would I ask you to come?"

Conan perked up but immediately caught sight of Ayumi between himself and Haibara. Ayumi's eyes widened in surprise at the expression on Conan's face. His eyes were glowing and his face was flushed with excitement as he turned away from Ayumi and Haibara, gazing up at the sky with renewed joy. Ayumi couldn't recall ever seeing him so happy before. What test could Haibara give him that could put him in such a state?

Ayumi gazed back and forth between the two children on either side of herself. Conan's face was lit with happiness, his eyes gleaming brightly and a slow grin widening on his face. Then there was Haibara, her expression smug as she proudly held up her head while she walked. What was it that they knew that she didn't?

"Conan-kun!"

Conan stopped in his tracks and whirled around as a tall, beautiful teenage girl with long dark hair, also wearing a blazer uniform from the Teitan high school, ran towards him with an eager expression on her face. It was Ran Mouri.

"Ran-neechan!" Conan called back, waving his hand.

Ran stopped in front of them. "Hello, Ayumi-chan, Ai-chan," she greeted them cheerfully. "Did you have a good day at school?"

Ayumi grinned at her. "We learned something new today in class!" she replied eagerly. "Right, Conan-kun?"

Conan hesitated before turning up to Ran. His glowing face had relaxed to an innocent, childlike expression as he nodded his head helpfully, offering a cute smile that made Ayumi's heart flutter in her chest.

"That's great!" Ran said approvingly before turning to Conan. "I have to stop at the store to buy ingredients for dinner tonight. Wanna help me, Conan-kun?"

Conan turned pink under her gaze as he nodded. "Of course, Ran-neechan," he said, faintly breathless. He turned towards Haibara. "I'll stop by later."

With that, Conan left with Ran. Ayumi watched their retreating figures chat as walked in the opposite direction of herself and Haibara. Conan said something that caused Ran to laugh, and even from this distance, Ayumi could see that he was blushing.

"Well, I suppose that I should walk you home then," Haibara said, shrugging her shoulders. "You shouldn't walk by yourself."

"What about you, Ai-chan?" Ayumi asked with a hint of worry, glancing back to where Conan and Ran stood, waiting to cross the street. He was smiling at the older girl, and even when she turned away, his expression never changed. Something dropped in Ayumi's stomach.

"Does—does Conan-kun like Ran-oneesan?" Ayumi asked hesitantly.

Haibara studied her before saying, "What do you think?"

Ayumi thought to herself, and she couldn't understand the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Though she loved Ran as though she truly were an older sister, whenever she was around, Conan always seemed to be a bit fixated on her, unless there was a mystery to solve. When it came to Ran, Ayumi knew that he cared deeply for her. That was impossible not to notice.

Ayumi hung her head. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ai-chan," she said as they reached her street. She ran off to her apartment complex, leaving Haibara by herself on the sidewalk.

Haibara shook her head. 'Hey, Kudo-kun, at this rate, you'll end up hurting another girl who loves you,' she thought to herself. 'For someone intelligent, you can be so dense.'

And with that thought, she started on her way home to get the prototype pill for the shrunken detective. The shrunken scientist may not care much about Shinichi Kudo's love life, but she did care about Ayumi's feelings.

She didn't deserve any heartache.

~D.C~

FURTHER NOTES:

This story is the first of several one-shot stories, and some of them might be connected to others, but out of order. They will all be mixed up, and some are going to be completely AU, but I'll go ahead and give notes on which story is related to another. Otherwise, you'll know that they are just one-shots alone.

Reviews and criticism are welcomed.

—MELPOMENE-THE-TRAGIC-PARODY, signing out.