ShinShi - The Perfect Pair

Chapter 1 : The beginning

3 weeks before

She opened her eyes slowly. At first, her vision clouded, but then gradually cleared. So, as she stared into the face bending over her, did the fear.

The face wasn't familiar. It wasn't one of them. She would know it, wouldn't she? Her confidence wavered a moment, but she remained still. The face looking at her was round, with white hair curling around his half bald hair, and rounded glass around his tired but kind eyes. When he took her hand and cupped it with his chubby hands, she didn't struggle.

"Ai-chan," his voice trembled. "I'm glad we have you back."

Her eyes shifted from this man to wander around. Hospital. She can smell the anticeptics. Then she realized the other man standing in the room.

This man had tall and slim figure, with thick dark hair. He breathed confidence. His cobalt blue eyes fixed his gaze on her, the eyes that captived her even though it also looked tired as the old man.

"You're safe now," she heard the young man said as he approached the bed.

Was she?

"Who are you?" She asked.

Both men's head jerked up. "Who--,"

"Haibara, stop with the nonsense," the young man answered in annoyance.

Shiho raised her eyebrows. A gesture that she did naturally, without knowing that it was her move known by the men well. "I was not saying nonsense, I really don't know who you are." She said calmly while shifting her gaze to one man and another. She paused herself a little before continuing, "and I don't know who I am".

When she realized what she just said, a raw sickness began to roll inside her stomach. She had a body, but inside the body was a void, and her mind blank. Her voice was surprisingly strong when she spoke again. "I don't know where I am." Beneath the old man's hand, her pulse jerked once, then settled. "I don't know who I am."

"You've been through a great deal" The old man spoke soothingly while his brain raced ahead. "You remember nothing?"

The young man had straightened at her words and his gaze even deepened. Confused and fighting back fear, she started to push herself up, and the old man murmured and settled her back against the pillows. She remembered...dark. Dark and small room. Alone.

She struggled to keep her voice strong, as she began to tremble when repeating, "I don't know who I am. Tell me."

"You're Shiho Miyano." The young man said. His heart beat strongly until it ache, but it wasn't shown in his voice. "My partner."

***

Shinichi's head was spinning and his heart was beating so fast, it started to hurt. Did Shiho really lose her memory? Is it permanent? Temporary? What actually happenned to her?

"Your partner?" He heard Shiho asked. "In what exactly? And what should I address you?"

"Shinichi Kudo," Shinichi answered the last question, avoiding the first one. "Detective," he added, wishing Shiho would take it as the answer. He's not sure how to explain his own statement. Partner in what exactly? In solving crimes? In taking care of the detective boys? In life and death experiences?

Shiho turned to the old man, "And you are?"

"This is Hakase Agasha, professor," Shinichi answered for him. He could sense that currently the professor was too stunned to speak.

"A detective and a professor, and what does that make me?"

"A scientist"

Shiho raised her eyebrow again. "Impressive. I should be pretty smart then." Eventhough she doesn't feel so at the moment.

Shinichi and Hakase smiled at her flat response, as it really suited their Haibara. "You are."

"At least enough to realize that you didn't call me Shiho. Or Miyano." It was a statement, not a question.

Silence hung in the air for a moment. Shiho tried to recall the names that was just mentioned to her. He said that her name was Shiho Miyano. She tried to recognize the name, and clung on to it, but nothing come up. No feeling, no familiarity, no sense of owning it. She tried the other names. If she was not mistaken, the old man called her Ai-chan, and the young man called her Haibara. So...Ai Haibara? But she still felt void toward the name.
And why would they called her different names in two seconds anyway?

She passed the question inside her head aside, as she still tried to find the feeling of familiarity, in anything. Her hands felt cold and her heart beating fast at the emptiness of her mind.

Then she tried these men's names. Shinichi Kudo and Hakase Agasha. Nothing came up also.

Did she somehow had an accident and this detective tried to investigate it? Wait, no, he said they were partner, whatever it meant, so they were not strangers -- at least from his perspective. And what kind of detective had a scientist as a partner?

Actually he could said that he was her brother, or husband, and she would not know whether it was true or not. But since none of them had the same family name, she concluded the simplest thing. They were not blood related.

"So, detective, professor, what happenned to me?"

How should I answer this? Shinichi felt panic start stirring inside him, as he was not prepared for the current situation. He glanced at Hakase for support.

"Ai-- Shiho...", Hakase called softly to get her attention. Shiho turned to him. "I think it's better for you to rest for now. You've been through a great deal. We will give you answers later, but for now, please rest."

It seemed like she should be satisfied with that answer for now. The pain reflected in the old man's voice prevented her to fought for answer, as Shiho fought her willing to weep. Instead, she only looked straight at them and nodded once.

Once they left the room, Shiho closed her eyes and let a tear fell down her cheek out of the emptiness she felt.

***