Disclaimer: Detective Conan belongs to Aoyama Gosho.

And That is Enough

"I love you," he must be saying, "more than anything else in this world." He may be blushing.

What is her reaction? Blushing and looking down at whatever is in her hands—a glass of juice, an ice-cream cone? Returning the same words with a "too" at the end? Kissing?

I don't know where they are. It can be this park or that hotel. All I know and all I want to know is that somewhere in the world, two people so deserving of each other are finally together. Always and forever.

The Sun is shining. The cirrus clouds are drifting high and far. It is a beautiful day. Even when seen from behind the window.

He brought down the Organization, unbelievably. He protected me, just as he'd promised. And I'm glad to have helped him keep his promise to her when I handed the antidote to him.

"You know what?" he said before he took off with the antidote. "I think I understand now—why you don't want to change back. It's not running away. It's finding what's been lost. And it's only fair. Just...be happy, okay?"

I smiled in reply.

Yes, it's only fair. I now have what I could've had before but didn't. And that is enough. To be happy.

His justice has been served. There is nothing else between him and me. I've only heard of him, and he doesn't know me. With his confession, the few times he drops by to say Hi will become even less.

Sometimes, it's like this. Love, death, maybe.

I didn't tell him and I'll continue to remain in silence. This shall be my last escape.

I've talked to him before. I've held his hand before. I've been saved by him before. I've been close to him before... And that is enough. To be satisfied.

I never thought I'd meet someone like him. No one is perfect. Not even him, of course. But I failed to consider those whose imperfections add to their perfections. I love his smile.

I don't dream. I don't hope. He does, however, and she does. Maybe that's why fairy tale is reality for them.

He'll be fine. She is gentle and her fingers are loving.

I envy her.

Everything is so predictable, and yet the emotion didn't contain itself. It still doesn't know how, even though I command it to.

Maybe one day, I'll learn to believe, to hope, and to wait for another him to come along. After all, such people do exist. Even if there is only one among all the people in the world and he is gone, at least I knew him. And that is enough. To live and remember.

Maybe it's not even romantic love. Maybe I just see him as nii-san. In place of nee-san. Just someone who is family and who can give "home" its real definition. Someone whom I can love and someone who can love me. Not as a lover but as a sibling. And that is enough. To...

But that shall be enough.

(END)

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Author's note: Cliched one-shot, I know. I just couldn't help it. I didn't feel like working on ch17 of Galatea, so...