DISCLAIMER: I don't own Detective Conan. I do not claim ownership of the anime/manga's characters used in my story. Other than that - the story and setting are fictitious and are products of the author's imagination.

BOMBS AWAY

It was cold. It was hard. Shiho was on the brink of consciousness, brain still fuzzy from being forced into oblivion. Slowly, events prior to that moment came rushing back to the forefront of her mind.

She remembered getting caught by Gin while she was gathering the necessary files about the Apotoxin. She remembered having a verbal dispute with the nasty man all the while thinking of ways to escape alive. Knowing him, he would never leave his victims to see again the light of another day. She remembered pulling out the revolver that Kudo Shinichi gave her early that day when Gin slowly came to her (because she was so adamant to come even though he insisted she not, so he gave her a gun to protect herself from the likes of Gin). She had fired it a few times on her way to her lab when she came across a few other low-ranking members of the organization. She had only incapacitated them; a certain righteous detective would be livid to know she had killed someone so she made sure to only make them unable to pursue her.

She remembered firing the remaining four bullets on her gun. Perhaps due to her inexperience or perhaps Gin was just elusive like that, the said man escaped the onslaught of bullets with only a graze on his left shoulder. Gin sneered at her, taunting her to fire more. Shiho visibly flinched when he took another step closer to her, which only caused to widen the evil smirk he had on his battered face.

Shiho took in his appearance. Gin had let go of his infamous long, black coat. His once long hair was now chopped to uneven lengths. He had a possibly huge wound on the side of his stomach, seeing as how he was clutching it tightly and ignoring the new graze that Shiho inflicted on him just now. He was panting, he was sweating. Obviously, he was not in good condition to fight her. Right then, she knew that it was due to her inexperience with guns that she had not landed a critical hit on him. If at all possible, she had started thinking of different ways to escape this deranged man in the few seconds she had been spared to have.

While her mind was preoccupied with escape strategies, she had not noticed Gin snatching a rather heavy ring stand from the nearest laboratory table. It was only when he posed to strike did she become aware of his intentions. As a reflex, she moved away from his striking hand but was still slow enough that she still got hit at the back of her head. The impact caused her to wobble and sway, her sight also wavering. She tried to focus to no avail. However, she still had half a mind to move away from the evil man, but only just. Gin laughed maniacally behind her as she had finally succumb to unconsciousness.

This brought her back to the present, where she lay on the cold, hard floor with her hands and feet bound together using duct tape. Her mouth was also covered in tape. What was worse was the ticking of something akin to a functioning clock somewhere in the background. They don't have clock like that in the laboratory. She could only think of one thing.

This is bad, she thought.

She tried to sit up. Her head was pounding. She winced when she felt a particularly painful sensation at the back of her head as she sat up. She willed herself to focus and look for the source of ticking. It wasn't a hard feat as the unmistakable digital clock on a complicated wiring could be seen at the wall right across from where she was.

She had less than five minutes before the bomb would tick off.

Panic started to rise to her chest where her heart started hammering painfully hard. She had less than five minutes to save herself. She ran a mental simulation in her head. Even if she could miraculously get out of her tight bound, it would still be impossible to get out to safety before the time stops at zero.

She sighed, already accepting her fate.

Fate, huh.

She suddenly remembered something. Something that someone had said to her.

"Don't run away from your fate, Haibara."

Yeah, Kudo-kun, I'm not going to run away anymore, she thought. Quite literally, she added. She couldn't run away even if she tried. So she was resolved to just accept her fate.

With glassy eyes, like she was looking but not really seeing, she watched the numbers under the second side of the clock move at a fast, systematic pattern.

Was this it? Was this what they say about time seemingly slowing down and memories of the past flashing in the forefront of one's mind when they were about to die? Because to her, the three minutes left she had seemed to last a year. It was slow that it made her think of so many things, of so many people, and of so many happenings. Particularly, a certain young, overconfident but extremely capable detective.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to shed any tear that was starting to form at the corners of her eyes.

"Kudo-kun," she whispered, as if drawing strength from simply saying his name.

Suddenly, as if hearing her, a loud, frantic voice of someone she knew so well broke her out of her thoughts. It can't be!

"Haibara!" The unmistakable deep voice of the high school detective, Kudo Shinichi could be heard just behind the door of the laboratory. "Haibara, where are you?"

Her eyes widened. It can't be! Kudo-kun, you idiot! She tried to say that but with her mouth covered in tape, only muffled sounds came out.

With Kudo Shinichi's sharp hearing, it was expected he heard her amidst his shouting and a thick wall separating them. "Haibara, are you here? Answer me!" He tried to twists the knob of the door but it was locked so he started pounding on the door instead. "Haibara!"

"Kudo-kun, leave! Please leave!" But like earlier, only her muffled voice came out. Her eyes started to water as she glanced at the blaring red light in the digital clock across from her. Three minutes. There's no time. He had to leave.

"Haibara! Hang in there. I'm going to break open the door," he assured.

No, no, no! Please leave, Kudo-kun. Go back. Don't come here. Don't save me!

By this time, the tears that she was suppressing earlier were freely falling down her cheeks, and she kept yelling, screaming in her muffled voice, trying to tell him about the danger he was putting himself into. Why did he have to come?

The ticking of the bomb kept ringing in her ears. Couldn't he hear it?

Kudo Shinichi, you idiot!

He kept pounding, and banging the door, and jiggling the knob to no avail. "Shit," she heard him mutter. "What the hell is with this door?"

With only less than three minutes, Shiho heard the booming sounds of a gun being shot several times. Before she knew it, the door was pushed down to the floor, revealing a panting and sweating young man.

-0-

As the FBI agents handcuffed the remaining organization members amongst the rubbles of what was left of the black syndicate's headquarters, Kudo Shinichi found himself frantically looking around for a sign of a brown-haired woman. There were not many females in the vicinity so it should be easy for him to locate her; only that, he couldn't find her. At all.

In that instant, Shinichi's heart felt like it plummeted from such a high place. He started to panic. He went back to where he left her, only to find an empty space.

Dammit, Haibara! He thought. In his heart, he was also hoping that nothing bad happened to her.

If he knew this was going to happen, he should not have let her come with them. She insisted on tagging along because she had to get the files for the APTX-4869 that she kept in the basement. She was adamant; there was no convincing her. That was why, despite his reluctance, he had agreed to bring her on one condition – she should not leave his side.

At one point, Shinichi left her at an isolated place because it was raining bullets out there. Thinking about it now, it was him who broke the condition. He left her. Now she was nowhere in sight and he did not like the thought of not seeing her.

However, he did have a clue where he could find her.

The basement.

Quickly, he found himself in the dark corridors of the basement. There were doors left and right and some would not budge open. He started calling her name, each time his voice got deeper and more desperate.

He had to find her.

"Haibara, where are you?" he called once again as he tried to twist the knob of another door. It was locked but he heard some noise from inside that room.

He kept asking if she was in there while attempting to open the door with his body, to no avail. He was not sure if it was her. Regardless, he still had to open the door since he was certain someone was inside.

With no other choice, he pulled out his own revolver and shot at its hinges and knob. With one forceful push, the door fell down in front of him.

There, a few feet away from him was a woman his age bound tightly and looking so beaten.

For a while, Kudo looked surprised, as if he was not expecting to see something unordinary. In his mind, he was looking for an eight-year-old little girl with brown hair. He totally forgot that, like him, she also took the temporary antidote.

He stared at the adult form of Haibara Ai – now Miyano Shiho – battered and tied up. The ticking sounds of something can be heard in the background.

Shiho, on the other hand, just kept on shaking her head while tears continuously pour down from her eyes. "No, no, no! Please, this can't be happening. You shouldn't be here! You shouldn't be here, Kudo!" She kept on begging, but with her mouth still covered, her words only came out unintelligible.

Coming back to his senses, Shinichi was alarmed at seeing the state she was in but a little sigh of relief came out of his mouth.

"Miyano," he muttered, using her real name this time. He hastily approached her and crouched down to her level; his back facing the wretched bomb, which he had yet to discover. Meanwhile, Shiho continued to whimper and shake her head, silently pleading him to go.

Her tears remained relentless and her voice stifled. Shinichi carefully removed the tape, all the while reassuring her. "It's alright. It's gonna be alright. I'm here."

"-o, no, no, no! Kudo, please leave. Please leave. Please! If it's you, you can do it. Please leave, I'm begging you!" She said quickly as if she didn't have enough time. And she hated the fact that it was true. She sobbed even more. "You have to save yourself. Run! Leave! Don't worry about me. Please, just go. Just-"

"Miyano!" Shinichi held her by the shoulders and shook her hard. "Calm down. Speak slowly. It's going to be alright, don't worry."

Shiho glanced behind him.

One minute, thirty-four seconds…

She took a shaky breath and said slowly albeit still shaky, "It's not alright. It's really not. You have to go, Kudo. There's… There's a bomb behind you."

Shinichi's eyes widened. The ticking sounds! He should have known. He looked behind him, and true enough, there was a bomb with a moving time that says they only had a minute and twenty-seven seconds left before it would explode. In front of him, Shiho continued begging him to just leave her alone and to get as far away from here as possible, which was absurd because he would never leave her. Not even when there was a ticking bomb behind him.

One of Kudo Shinichi's commendable traits was his ability to think and act calmly during the direst situations like this one. Thinking fast, he stood up and looked around for any useful tool. He didn't have any other choice, either he disarm the bomb or they both die together. He couldn't do the latter, not when they were so close to solving this dark case with the organization.

Seeing his resolved face, Shiho immediately knew what he was thinking. She continued to whimper, saying things like they were going to die and that it would be her fault.

Meanwhile, Kudo was busy opening and closing built-in cupboard doors. "Miyano, is there anything sharp here? Like scissors, knife, cutter… anything!"

One minute, eight seconds…

Seeing the determination on the man's face, Shiho tried to copy him – be calm and rational. Right. She had to believe in him. She believed in him. After all, the word 'impossible' is not in this detective's own dictionary.

She tried to remember where things were when she was still a member of the organization while silently hoping things were not rearranged. "In the cupboard to your upper left, there should be lab knives and pairs of scissors stored."

Without missing a beat, Shinichi opened the said door and took one pair of laboratory scissors.

Crouching in front of the bomb, the detective examined the mess of wires of the small device. It wasn't that complicated, he thought.

The time says he had less than a minute. He could do it. He had to.

Behind him, he heard sniffles and repeated apologies. He turned to look at the face of the woman he came to save. Even in the mess and the battered state she was in, Miyano Shiho was still beautiful. He knew that, but admitting it at such a time was just… unexpected and totally random. Still, seeing her looking so concerned for his well-being gave him strength.

He smiled at her. "I'm going to save us both, I promise." He said. Turning back to that dire task at hand, with less than 40 seconds left, he picked one wire from the contraption and carefully cut it. He had to hold his breath for that one cut. When nothing happened, he expelled a small sigh and continued with his assessment.

28 seconds…

He was sweating. His heart was thudding hard and his breaths were coming out short. He had to inhale deeply to steel his nerves.

23 seconds…

He carefully cut another wire. Nothing happened.

20 seconds…

Only two more wires left – blue and red. This was the crucial part because only one should be cut. One wrong move and it would be the end. Somehow, he started to feel nervous about this whole ordeal. He did not want for things to end just like this.

Suddenly, Shinichi was brought back to the time when he and Ran were trapped in a collapsing building with a live bomb inside. It was the same situation as this time, but only with different people involved. He remembered telling Ran to cut whatever she decided between the two colors. He felt like she would choose red, but ultimately Ran decided on the blue. Because to her, the color red was a sentimental symbol of their relationship and she didn't want to cut it. Everything worked out well in the end after that.

To Shinichi, Ran was a special friend. A special person. A special first love. But so was the sobbing woman behind him. She may not be his first love – he wasn't even sure if what he felt for was love – but he knew he regarded her as an important part of his life.

15 seconds…

Without turning to face her, Shinichi asked in a low voice. "Hey, Miyano. Do you believe in the red string of fate?"

For a moment, Shiho was stunned at the random question, but she was quickly brought back to reality when she heard the incessant ticking of the bomb. Panic rising back, she said in a desperate tone, "What the hell are you talking about, Kudo? We're dying and that's what you're concerned about?"

Shinichi smirked. Amidst all this, there was still the edge that Shinichi was familiar of about the woman behind him, and knowing this, he felt a bit relieved and significantly calmer. For reasons unknown, he felt like he knew what wire to cut now.

For someone who believed in science and logic, Shinichi found himself relying on pure feeling and belief, something with no concrete basis at all. However, he felt like he could do it.

And he would do it.

With barely 10 seconds left, Shinichi positioned the sharp edges of the pair of scissors at a certain colored wire.

10… 9… 8… 7…

He took a deep breath. Behind him, he could hear Shiho muttering, begging, and praying to save him.

Idiot. Include yourself too.

I'll save you too.

6…

Out of the blue with only a few seconds to spare, Shinichi heard Shiho's soft voice which shocked him to the core. "Kudo-kun…" It was just so startling and the serious tone in her voice tugged the strings in his heart. "Thank you."

5… 4…

They were not just simple words of gratitude. He knew she was thanking him for everything. It was weird but Shinichi suddenly had the feeling of wanting to hug her.

3…

With newfound resolved, he steeled himself and snapped the pair of scissors which effectively cut the wire – the red wire that would determine the fates of the both of them. At that same time, the young detective closed his eyes shut, waiting for an impending impact.

Which did not happen.

Seconds passed and to the distressed people in the laboratory it felt like a lifetime had.

Yet nothing happened.

No more ticking sounds. Definitely no explosion and no casualties.

They were both safe. He was able to disarm the bomb.

They both released the breaths they were holding. Shinichi looked behind him, at her, and smiled in relief. He slowly made his way towards her, knelt down and wiped her tears with his unoccupied hand while the other one was holding the pair of scissors. His arrogance and the teasing just came back to him naturally. Smirking, he said, "What did I tell you? I told you it's going to be alright."

"Idiot! Idiot, idiot, idiot-"

He merely laughed as he started removing the tapes tying her hands and feet. When he was done, he was surprised by the sudden attack from her.

"You are a big idiot, Kudo Shinichi!" She attacked him in the form of a hug. It was so sudden that he didn't have time to brace himself and he fell down on his butt. The hug was so tight that he was afraid she would break his bones. "Idiot, idiot, idiot!"

The earlier impression of wanting to hug her was satiated, he thought.

She was crying profusely and repeated the word 'idiot' over and over again. At that moment, Shinichi was overwhelmed with the onslaught of emotions she was baring to him. This was only the second time he had ever seen her crying and so vulnerable and it moved him greatly. Releasing another breath of relief, Shinichi returned the tight hug. He wrapped her arms around her back and buried his face on her shoulder, while his legs were bent up on either of his sides to support their weight.

In truth, Shinichi was also scared. Scared of the other possibility had he been unable to stop the bomb. He did not even want to think about it. He was just so afraid, not of dying but of losing her. This thought just came to him at that time. Normally, he would question himself about this but he let this one go this time. He was alive. She was alive. That was all that mattered.

"You," Shiho said once she had calmed down a little. "Why would you risk your life just like that? You should've just left me here."

He thought for a while about what she said. Leave her? Tightening his embrace, he muttered, "I could never."

And he really could never.

Was it because of his righteous principle of saving other people's lives no matter the circumstances? Or was it something else entirely?

He did not know and he did not want to think of it. Not now. Because she was fine and she was all that mattered at that moment.

Author's Note: Please understand that I had absolutely no idea how bombs work. I merely based this one from the anime's first movie (The Time Bombed Skyscraper) which was also mentioned briefly here. I hoped I wrote it right though *insert waterfall tears*.

Somehow, this did not come out the way I first imagined it. I had a really hard time finishing this one, honestly. I also was not sure if the timing with the bomb and all was realistic. I tried to be consistent with the characters too but somehow I felt like Shinichi and Shiho were out of characters here. Still, I hoped you liked this one. I also have another oneshot titled Period Crisis. That one is more lighthearted, you can check it out too.

xoxo

Miss SunnySunshine