Chapter 7: Welcome Back, Sis
The silver light gradually faded, and the room returned to a state of quiet tranquility, the only sound being the chirping of birds outside the window.
Ai Haibara floated in mid-air, the silver-white Soul Gem on her chest pulsing with a soft light. Before her, a dark-haired woman stood in confusion, blinking as her eyes adjusted to her new surroundings.
"Shi... Shiho?"
Akemi Miyano looked at the small girl before her, a girl who looked identical to her little sister, Shiho, as a child.
Haibara's body slowly drifted to the floor, her legs barely able to support her trembling frame.
"Sis..."
That single word contained all the longing and agony she had carried for so long.
Akemi reached out, her fingertips gently touching Haibara's cheek as if to confirm she wasn't just a dream. "It's real... you're really here."
Tears streamed down Haibara's face, her voice choked with emotion. She threw herself into Akemi's arms, clinging to the person she thought she had lost forever.
"Shiho... what's happening?" Akemi whispered, her voice laced with confusion. "I remember... I should be..."
Her words trailed off as the final, sharp memories came rushing back. The rainy pier, the searing pain, the spreading coldness. The little detective's desperate shouts.
Then, darkness. Complete and total darkness.
And now, this light.
"I brought you back, Sis," Haibara said, pulling back to look at her sister, her face a mess of tears and relief.
It was only then that Akemi noticed her sister's strange outfit and her child-like appearance. "Shiho, why are you so small? And what are you wearing? Is this some kind of... magical girl cosplay?" she asked, half-joking, never imagining it was the literal truth.
At that moment, Conan and Mitsuhiko finally snapped out of their shock.
"Masami... no, Miss Akemi Miyano?" Conan said, his voice filled with disbelief.
Akemi turned toward the sound of his voice, her eyes widening in surprise. "It's you! The little detective... Shinichi Kudo!"
Oh, crap!
A sudden, tense silence fell over the room.
Mitsuhiko looked at Conan in confusion. "Who's Shiho? And Shinichi-niichan? Where is he?"
Haibara quickly grabbed Akemi's hand, shooting a cautious glance at Conan and Mitsuhiko. "Sis, there are some things I need to tell you in private."
She pulled Akemi aside and began explaining the situation in a rapid, hushed whisper. Akemi's expression shifted from confusion to utter shock, and finally, to a dawning, impossible understanding.
"So... you're saying you resurrected me with 'magic', and that little boy is actually..."
Haibara nodded, then quickly shook her head. "It's much more complicated than that. Please, don't mention his real name for now."
Akemi's gaze shifted to Mitsuhiko, still in his own magical girl outfit, and then back to Haibara's. A ridiculous thought crossed her mind.
"Shiho, you and that little boy... you aren't..."
Haibara instantly understood her sister's misunderstanding. "No! It's not like that at all!"
Akemi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, patting her sister's shoulder. "Good. I'm happy you've made friends, but..." She looked at Mitsuhiko. "Maybe you should tell him that it's probably better for boys not to wear dresses?"
Haibara couldn't help but let out a small, choked laugh. The misunderstanding was just too much. "It's not a choice, Sis. It's... because of the magic."
Meanwhile, Conan had rushed over to Mitsuhiko, trying to do damage control. "Mitsuhiko, you don't want her sister to see you in that outfit, do you? And what were you saying? I think you misheard. I thought she said something about 'shingles' and a 'washing machine'! You must be hearing things!"
"D-Did I mishear?" Mitsuhiko's face turned bright red. The thought of being seen in a dress by his friend's older sister was mortifying. He nodded frantically, closing his eyes to concentrate. "Y-Yeah, I need to change back!"
A flash of blue light, and his magical outfit dissolved, replaced by his normal school uniform. He let out a huge sigh of relief. Conan glanced nervously back at the two sisters, hoping Akemi had bought Haibara's explanation.
Haibara led Akemi back to the center of the living room. Akemi's face was calm, but the shock was still evident in her eyes.
"So... all of this is real? Magic, contracts, resurrection...?"
"Yes, Sis. I know it's hard to believe, but..."
"I believe you, Shiho," Akemi interrupted softly. "After all," she added, a small, wondrous smile on her face, "I'm the proof, aren't I?" She reached out and cupped Haibara's cheek. "To be able to see you again... even if it's magic, I'll accept it."
The two sisters embraced again, holding each other tightly.
Mitsuhiko watched the heartwarming scene, his own eyes welling up. He was genuinely happy for Haibara.
Conan, however, was lost in thought. He scrutinized every detail of Akemi. Her voice, her movements, the look in her eyes... it was all correct. This was, without a doubt, the same woman whose death he had witnessed on the pier. He could even see the faint, silvery trace of a scar where the bullet had entered, long since healed by magic.
This wasn't a look-alike. It wasn't a twin. It was a true, honest-to-god resurrection.
His entire worldview had been shattered. Science could not explain this. Logic was meaningless here.
"Well now, little detective?"
Kyubey had appeared silently at Conan's side. "Do you believe in the power of magic now?"
Conan turned, his expression grim. "What are you? What is your goal?"
Kyubey tilted its head, its red eyes unblinking. "I help humans achieve their wishes. Ai Haibara wished for her sister to be resurrected, and I made it happen." It paused, its voice dropping to a persuasive whisper. "Don't you have a wish as well, Shinichi Kudo?"
Conan's body went rigid.
"You want to return to your original body, don't you? Make a contract with me, and you can become Shinichi Kudo again, permanently. You'll no longer have to search for some unreliable antidote."
Kyubey's words were a snake, coiling around his heart.
To be myself again... To stop lying to Ran... To stop living behind a mask...
His scientific worldview was already in ruins. What was impossible anymore? But his rational mind screamed a warning. There was a price for everything. Why was this creature so obsessed with making contracts? What did it truly want?
"Get lost," Conan growled. "And stay away from me."
Kyubey seemed completely unfazed by his rejection. "The offer will always be there, little detective. When you change your mind, you know where to find me."
With that, it leaped lightly into a corner of the room and vanished into the shadows.
In the living room, Akemi and Haibara sat on the sofa, talking softly. Akemi listened as Haibara recounted everything that had happened since her death: the Organization, shrinking, her escape, and her new life under Dr. Agasa's protection.
"You've suffered so much, Shi... Haibara."
"None of that matters anymore," Haibara said, leaning against her. "You're back now."
Mitsuhiko watched them, an involuntary smile spreading across his face. But Conan's mind was racing. If the dead could be brought back, what else was possible? A more terrifying thought followed. If the Organization ever found out that Akemi Miyano was alive... He couldn't even begin to imagine the consequences.
[Non-Human Beings Chat Group]
Tom Cat: [Cat_Jaw_Hangs_Open_in_Utter_Disbelief.jpeg]
SpongeBob SquarePants: Wowee! Magic is the best thing ever! Her sister is back! She must be SOOOOO happy!
When Dr. Agasa returned home at four o'clock, he was startled to find a strange woman in his living room. "And who is this...?"
Conan and Haibara exchanged a look. Haibara gave the professor a concise, heavily edited version of the day's events. Dr. Agasa's eyes went wide, and he was momentarily speechless.
"So... this is Miss Akemi? Haibara's sister? But... wasn't she...?"
He looked to Conan for confirmation. Conan gave a slight, complicated nod. The professor, bless his heart, understood that some things were better left unsaid. He thought about the impossible things he had witnessed over the past few days—Mitsuhiko's powers, the Soul Gems. If he could accept all that, why not a resurrection?
After a brief discussion, he looked at Akemi with a kind smile. "Miss Akemi, you are welcome to stay here. It will be good for you and Haibara to be together. You'll be safe here."
That evening, in a guest room in Dr. Agasa's house, Haibara and Akemi sat side-by-side on the bed. They talked for hours, about everything and nothing. Haibara's hand unconsciously went to the silver Soul Gem on her chest. It was her soul, the price she had paid to get her sister back.
It was worth it. Infinitely worth it.
"I don't know what's going to happen now," Haibara murmured, leaning her head on her sister's shoulder, feeling years of tension and fear finally melt away. "But just being with you... that's enough."
"Welcome back, Sis."