Stay! By My Side

Chapter 31

Heiji's POV

It was nine o'clock when I woke up in horror. The sky was already dark which led me into a realization that I've carelessly fell asleep throughout the daylight. Agasa's face couldn't be more lifeless as he quickly dialled a number on his phone, panicked. Took me quite a while before I jumped off the couch to run towards the house next door.

My head was filled with wild imaginations of what could possibly be happening, and it's getting uglier everytime. I knocked and knocked, getting impatient and desperate at the same time. Once the door opened, I barged into the mansion while blurting out everything inside of my head. Yukiko-san was the only one presence, which got me almost in tears. In conclusion, the team was scattered everywhere, leaving myself as the only guardian which was dumb enough to fell asleep.

"Let's search the neighborhood first, Hei-chan. Let's split up and back here in one hour."

"Okay, let's do that."

"Shin-chan?"

"Agasa's giving him a call."

I went back to the Professor's house only to take my coat and yelling out to inform him about the search.

"I'm splitting up with Yukiko-san, see you in one hour. You better not move your ass off of this house, professor."

I ran down the street, desperately  hoping for any sight of the tea colored hair little girl. Uncomfortable feelings were crawling inside my heart down to my growling stomach, an uneasiness I'd wish I would able to get rid of easily.

Guilt.

A series of if only I were running inside my heart mercilessly, dragging me down further into a deep regret. What would Kudo thought of me after this? What would his face be like after hearing the news? And on top of that, what was truly happened to the little lady?

"Hattori!"

It was the voice I don't wanna heard at the very moment, but I stopped running despite having no courage to look over my back. I panted and dropped my knee on the street, waiting and expecting any dissatisfaction that might come out of him. But he was silently walking towards my back, walk passed me and I suddenly feel his slow breath in front of my face. I didn't dare to open my eyes until I felt his palm in my shoulder.

"Hey, Hattori", he said while I slowly open my eyes, "look at me, did you lose her?"

It was those teary eyes that stabbed my heart like a thousand daggers. This was the first time I've seen tears in his eyes and I was the one who caused this by recklessly allowing him to lose grip of a dear friend.

"Forgive me, Kudo. Please forgive me."

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Agasa's POV

I still couldn't believe Ai-kun disappeared, not even after three weeks since that night when both Shinichi and Heiji came back from the search drenched and pale. That night, the rain was hard and so was Shinichi's tears.

"She left no trace. She planned this", was the first sentence he uttered after a full week of silence. Shinichi had searched the laboratory thoroughly after that night, but Ai-kun left nothing except the antidotes along with its usage directions. He decided to not taking the pills as if a certain Ai-kun would rummaging through the front door for him in doing so.

The lost of Ai-kun affected him more than I expected. Shinichi had always been composed and focused in every situation, even when his own life was at risk. This is the first time I've seen him stumble as if the world was falling apart in front of his eyes. He desperately search anything new in those damn computer, refusing the meal, avoiding people, living his days inside the laboratory.

"Shinichi, you can't be like this. Please."

"She left."

"I know, but in your state you're not making the situation any better."

"What makes her change her mind, professor? Try to remember any conversation you had, she might have left hints, or a hidden message, anything."

"I don't think such things existed, Shinichi. I told you everything."

"She didn't bring any of her belongings, professor. But I don't think she's being kidnapped. Nothing makes sense."

"Let's focus on important matters first, Shinichi. By then, we might find something. Maybe we would find a lead to Ai-kun."

A loud bang startled me at the moment, leaving me in great shock, confused of what was just happened. When I got back in my feet, the lab table was upside down and what was on top of it has been scattered everywhere now. Shinchi was furious.

"Haibara is the focus now, professor. You, of all people, should've been agree with me."

The silence that came after was suffocating. For him, the absent of Ai-kun was deafening, dragging his soul away into an endless reasoning. At this very moment, one thing I could be sure of. This was just another form of love. Shinichi was in love.

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