Disclaimer: Detective Conan belongs to Aoyama Gosho.

Author's note: I salute anyone who reads this one-shot till the end (without having the desire to murder me). Hint: this fic is told in Haibara Ai's point of view, and the other person she's speaking to is Edogawa Conan. Everything in this fic is done on purpose; there are no typos. So flame me if you want, for violating English grammar rules and not making sense.

Untitled

Once upon a time

Oh. Once upon a time. An opening as such, this is a fairy tale?

Yes, this is a fairy tale. This is a very beautiful fairy tale.

Very well, I'll continue reading it.

But as I read, the words become just words, meaningless. Sometimes, there will be a few scattered, non-gibberish sentences, but these are few, too few. Yet among too few, too many contradict each other. So as I read, even the sentences become smudges of black lines.

I'm not called Haibara Ai. Sherry—that is my codename.

Why am I sitting here and reading this book? What is the point?

Don't shut the book!

I'm sorry, but I can't continue. It's just a very chaotic thing, a very senseless thing.

But the protagonist—

The protagonist has nothing to do with me. I'm not her.

You're really calm. Every morning when I stare into this, I'll shiver. I'll ask myself, "Who are you?"

Not her. Huh. I don't even know who she is. The book in front of me has already become blur. What exactly do you want me to do?

I just want you to finish this book.

I look at him. To finish this book. Such a thick book...

Of course, if you don't want to, you can shut it and leave.

Isn't it nice? To forget everything, leave, and escape to a faraway place where there're no signs of contempt...

Oh, testing me. I place the book aside without shutting it, and without glancing at him, I leave. The sun is shining, I'm feeling terrible. To understand a part of a book, we have to understand the whole. But to understand the whole, we have to understand the parts...

To hell with it. Just pick up the book, and read.

Yet oftentimes, before I can understand the book, the book is taken away from me. I can't get it back anymore; it won't come back anymore. My book...

But, although I speak of leaving, there's really no place to go...

Here. Your book.

My book. I don't understand, I don't understand what I'm reading.

You don't understand. Take it one step at a time.

One step at a time.

So many stories begin with this. So many stories end with that.

Yes, this is the right decision. For myself, and for others.

Once upon a time

(END)