EDIT: Pretty much this entire chapter has been rewritten from scratch, and I tacked the original epilogue onto the bottom because I rewrote it from scratch too and it turned out to be a lot shorter than before. Since it's brand new, it's well over my modern 1,500 word limit so you've got a bit of a read ahead of you. I hope you enjoy the new ending! :) ~CK94

Oh, and if you want to suggest another story for me to update like this, there's a poll on my profile right now about it. There's several that need it bad.

Here's the confession scene! But since Haibara's still mad about the whole jealousy thing, I wonder how smooth or rough it's gonna go? Read on and find out!

Chapter Nine

Over the following weeks, Haibara noticed that Conan had gone back to his old routine, which was fine by her, since she had suggested it. She knew he'd probably just been doing that to make either her or someone else jealous, and it had worked on her like a charm. The problem was, once she'd realized what he'd been doing, she'd gotten really mad at him. If he'd just told her his feelings straight out, she would've accepted them. But he'd decided to test her instead, manipulating her for his own ends. She'd had enough of being manipulated in the Organization, and having Conan do it was the last straw.

A thorn in her side during all this was Ayumi. She'd been trying to convince her the whole time to just confess her feelings, but Haibara was still mad at him, so she hadn't gotten the courage. She eventually completed the permanent antidote, finishing right around the time she'd predicted.

Looking at it, she thought, 'Why am I feeling so sad right now? I'm repairing the damage I've done and I'm giving him his life back. So why?' She bottled the antidote powder in a capsule and, after hesitating again, sent a message to Conan to come over as soon as possible.

She was sitting on the couch upstairs when Conan burst in the front door. "What is it, Haibara?" he asked, sounding flustered. "Your message sounded urgent."

"It is, in a way," she responded, taking a sip of coffee from the cup she was holding and then putting it down on the table. "I just wanted to repay you for all you've done for me. So come here." Conan looked at her oddly, but complied. Then she held the pill up in front of his face. "This is step one in repairing the damage I've done. It's permanent this time, just as I promised."

She gave him the pill, but Conan just looked at it with various different expressions passing over his face. "Are you sure you won't take it too?" he asked eventually.

"Quite sure. This is my home now. I have a nice family and nice friends. I couldn't ask for anything more."

"If you're sure, Haibara, then," he gave the pill back, "I won't take it either."

Haibara was stunned by that."Really, you won't?" she asked incredulously, "Why not?"

"I've gotten used to being a kid again. Kudo Shinichi is already back in America, and he'll stay there. I've started my new life, and people know me as something other than a celebrity. Edogawa Conan would be missed a lot more than Kudo Shinichi would ever be missed. That's why I'd like you to hold on to the pill. I don't want to have the temptation to 'kill myself'."

"Is that really the only reason?"

Conan looked at the floor for a moment before looking back at her and saying, "No, it's not. There's someone I want to stay for."

"Someone…you want to stay for?" she asked, surprised. Could Ayumi have been right about him liking her after all?

"Yeah. I need to stay for someone who'd rather try to save the world by themselves and shut everyone else out. If I go back to myself, I wouldn't be able to keep them from retreating back into their personal shell. Plus, she's kind of cute."

'Eh?' Haibara thought. That didn't sound like anyone she knew, including her. Even if he went back to himself, they'd still be able to keep in contact, so it must be someone else who didn't know his secret. "So this is all for a girl, huh?" she teased.

Conan suddenly blushed. "Well, yeah, I guess so," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I kind of made a promise to protect her, and I'd like to keep it for longer than this."

Now Haibara was very confused. He'd made that promise to her, but he was clearly talking about someone else. Or was he? Maybe she was misunderstanding the situation. "So is this girl that one you were trying to make jealous by hanging out with Ayumi-chan more than normal?" she asked suddenly. She knew she sounded accusatory, but she didn't care.

Conan jumped like he'd been hit on the head with a bat. "You found out about that?" he asked, sounding scared.

"You weren't exactly subtle about it, Kudo-kun," she replied, her voice turning hard. "But know this: some girls don't like being manipulated into revealing their feelings. It might bring back bad memories for them. Surely you thought about that before you started your stupid plan? You made sure the girl wouldn't feel hurt by that?"

Conan said nothing, looking at the ground with his eyes hidden. "So you didn't stop to consider her feelings," Haibara went on, now thoroughly enjoying the situation. "You just decided to manipulate her for your own ends. Well, let me give you one word of advice: if she were to ever find out about what you'd done to her, do you think she'd forgive you for it? Do you think she'd accept your love confession? I know I wouldn't."

Seeing the devastated look on Conan's face, she knew she'd touched a nerve. 'So Ayumi-chan was right after all!' she thought happily. But she composed herself before continuing, "Of course, you probably could make her forgive you if you were to apologize sincerely for what you've done. Maybe."

Conan's face had suddenly lit up when she'd finished. Then he took a step forward and hugged her, an out of character move that caught her completely off guard. "I'm sorry, Haibara," he whispered. "I never thought how badly I might hurt you."

'So you finally said it, Kudo-kun,' she thought happily. But she was still angry with him, so she didn't hug him back. "What's with the hug, Kudo-kun?" she asked, feigning confusion. "Shouldn't you save that for the girl you're in love with?"

The change in his demeanor was instant. He let go and stood back up, his eyes hidden. "Yeah, I guess I should, shouldn't I?" he said quietly, looking at the floor. "Good-bye, Haibara." With that, he took the pill from the table where she'd put it down, turned around and started walking to the door.

It was when she saw him looking so sad and depressed that she realized she'd crossed the line. Taking the pill he'd just said he didn't want was a massive red flag. She might've been mad at him, but he didn't deserve this. With each step he took away from her, she felt a piece of her heart shatter. Unconsciously, she stood up, ran to him, and put a hand on his shoulder, making him stop walking.

"I was just kidding, Kudo-kun!" she exclaimed, not even caring anymore that she didn't sound like herself. "You were supposed to say 'But that girl is you,' not walk off depressed! Why couldn't you be a man and just tell me the truth?"

"Haibara…I'm sorry," he replied, apparently not really listening. He broke free of her grip and continued on his slow trudge to the door.

'No!' Haibara thought, absolutely horrified. She'd only meant to tease him; she hadn't meant for it go this far! If he stepped out that door, he'd revert back to himself and she'd lose him forever. It would've been all her fault, too. She couldn't leave him like this, but he was too distracted to listen to her. That meant she'd have to use her last remaining option: her most well hidden secret. Taking a deep breath, she shouted, "Kudo-kun…I love you, too!"

He stopped dead in his tracks, as if struck by lightning. Then she slowly turned around and looked at her. Haibara had tears in her eyes now, which she was trying her hardest to stifle. "You really mean that, Haibara?" he asked, sounding surprised, but happy.

"Yes, you big dummy!" she shouted. "Who did you think I was talking about earlier? Some other girl that acts exactly like me?" The tears had started flowing now, but she didn't even care. Embarrassed by her outburst, she looked at the floor, waiting for him to respond.

Instead, Conan walked back towards her, put a hand under a chin, and raised her head up so he was looking her in the eyes. "Haibara, I truly am sorry for all the pain I caused. I wasn't thinking straight. Could you forgive me?"

Seeing as the immediate crisis was now averted, and Conan now knew her most hidden secret, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Yes, Kudo-kun, I forgive you," she whispered. "And I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have done that to you."

"Well, with that out of the way," said Conan, giving the pill he was still holding back to her, "how about I take you to dinner tonight as an apology for being so inconsiderate of your feelings? I'll let you pick where to go."

'You'll never change, Shinichi-kun,' Haibara thought, nodding silently.

XXX

Conan was happier than he'd ever been during the next few weeks. There had been little resistance from anyone over him and Haibara getting together, so that was a good thing. In fact, most people just made comments of 'it's about time' whenever they found out. Haibara herself had also become much less cold towards people, and while she'd cut down significantly on it, she still teased him occasionally.

He still felt bad about nearly walking out on her. He'd been so anxious the whole time, especially when she'd basically been berating him, he hadn't even considered the fact she might've been teasing him again. At least that had just been a massive misunderstanding. Now, the two of them were sitting on the couch at Agasa's house alone, watching TV and enjoying each others' company.

"Hey, Ai-chan?" Conan asked during a break. "Could I ask you something personal?" The two of them had started calling each other by their given names after they'd started seeing each other.

"Oh, what is it?" she replied curiously.

"It's just…there's been something on my mind. Do you remember that day when I nearly walked out because I misunderstood you?"

"Of course," she replied, sounding concerned. "Why, are you still feeling guilty about it?"

"Sort of," he replied. "What would you have done if I'd just left the house like a big idiot?"

"What do you mean like a big idiot?" she teased. Then, seeing the serious look on his face, she stopped. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Honestly, I don't know what I would've done. Confessing to you was my absolute last resort. It was my fault you misunderstood, so I probably would've hidden somewhere and cried."

"Well, I want you to promise me something, then," said Conan, picking up on her gloominess. "If you ever feel that down from here on, come to me and I'll cheer you up. You don't have to do everything by yourself anymore."

"Shinichi," she breathed silently, her face taking on a reddish tinge. "Then, will you prove that to me, right here?" Conan, not getting what she was suggesting, just nodded. "Close your eyes, then," she told him softly, apparently working up the courage to do something. Conan closed his eyes, waiting for what was going to happen. Then he felt a soft, warm sensation on his lips. He cracked an eye open to find Haibara right in front of his face, kissing him passionately. It was a simple kiss, not anything elaborate like a French kiss, but it sent a clear message.

And that message was all he needed to hear to feel happy and purge his doubts and regrets from his mind.

I figured it'd be too OOC for them to just start making out right away when both their emotions were shot up, so I saved it for the ending. Hope that didn't disappoint anyone. ;)

The reason the kiss isn't overly wild is because neither of them have ever been in a full-on romantic relationship before, so I figured they'd still be awkward around each other. Especially so with all the crap that happened during the confession. If you're disappointed, then check out some other fanfics, because there's plenty of ridiculous kissing in them.

To celebrate the milestone of completing my first story, I'll go ahead and post the first chapter of another ConanXAi love story sometime in the near future, so look out for it! Try some of my other stories as well, and please review!