-1((I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito))

((I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito))

((Had to put two… I forgot it in the first chapter o.O;))

-Two months earlier-

She watched as he leapt off the building above and disappeared into the night sky. His white form seemed to vanish rather quickly. The brown haired girl waited for the sounds of the task force leader's cursing before deciding that the thief was gone.
The little boy was going to be bummed that he missed the heist, her young charge was staying in Osaka for the next week with their tanned Kensai friend, Hattori Heiji. The girl watched the sky for several more seconds before turning away focusing on the sidewalk. She started to walk towards home, the crisp, cold air nipping her skin lightly. Her nose and ears were little pink but Ran had a scarf to keep from getting too cold. She shoved her freezing hands into the pockets of her winter jacket as several flakes of white snow fell to the ground.

"So pretty." She looked up at the sky once again, this time to admire the falling snow. She smiled to herself and then continued on her way to a nearby coffee shop. Not for coffee but for some hot chocolate, she was really starting to want some. Something about the snow made her crave it. She walked down the street, snow getting stuck in her chestnut brown hair. Ran had almost left the area of the museum when a boy bumped into her.

"Ojousan, we meet again it seems." The confident voice said in her ear. Ran turned around quickly to face him and gasped. She actually recognized him.

"H-Hakuba-kun?" She blinked. The individual smiled and took her arm in his.

"May I escort you to your destination?" He inquired with the charm of a gentleman. Ran blushed a light pink and looked towards the falling snow.

"I-I guess that's okay…" She let him start to lead her back towards her house. She blinked. "A-ano… Hakuba-kun… I was actually headed to get some hot chocolate." She admitted. The blonde stopped.

"Hot Chocolate it is then." He steered her in the direction of the coffeehouse. "Allow me the honor of buying your drink?" Ran blinked and agreed before she could stop herself. She smiled slightly. She hadn't seen Hakuba in awhile, not since the High school detective koshien. He looked well enough, and good-natured for some one who had been beaten by the arrogant thief. She watched as he went up to the counter to order two hot chocolates.

She sat down at a table and set her purse on the ground next to her, watching the detective. He was charming and he made her feel like she was royalty. At least, in this moment she did. Her mind then ventured to Shinichi, he didn't treat her in nearly the same fashion but he didn't treat her unkindly either. Being treated like this though… it was nice.

"Hai." He set the cup down and sat down across from her watching her. Her cheeks flushed red and she took a small sip.

"A-ano… arigatou." Hakuba blinked, taking a sip from his own.

"No need to be so shy Ran-san." He said smirking lightly at her. "Is it good?"

"Hai." Ran took another sip, going over things to talk about in her head. She didn't want to sit in silence, which just wasn't fun.

"So, what brought you to one of his heists?" Hakuba asked casually. Ran blinked as the question set in. Obviously he didn't want to sit in silence either.

"Otousan went… I followed." She answered. "There was really nothing for me to do since Conan-kun is off in Osaka." Hakuba took another sip of the steaming cup and nodded.

"Reasonable, didn't want to stay home alone?" He offered. "It must get lonely."

"Yes… but it doesn't bother me." Ran smiled, privately thinking that she was already lonely. She took another sip of the drink and set it down. She stared at Hakuba for a few seconds. He had pretty, brown eyes and his hair fell in certain way Ran found very attractive. She was starting to find him attractive. Hakuba blinked.

"I-is there something on my face?" He questioned, reaching for a napkin. Ran flushed pink this time and looked at her lap.

"No… nothing I was just… gomen." She felt his warm hand touch her and looked up. Her eyes were snatched by his.

"Don't worry about Ran-san." He said happily before releasing her hand and taking another drink. Ran nodded and took a drink as well, only to realize she out. Hakuba seemed to have run out too.

"I'll take it?" He offered, picking the cup up and carrying it too the trashcan. She grabbed her purse and stood up as Hakuba returned to her.

"Well…" Ran started, looking into his eyes again. "Thank you, and good night." She started to head out. He caught her arm lightly.

"Ran-san, would you mind if I walked you home?" He asked hopefully. She blinked, he made it sound as though it were privilege the gods gave him, and him alone. Shinichi would have just shrugged and pulled her along.

"We're going." He would have said simply. She blinked again and shook her head.
"A-arigatou demo…"

"A pretty lady like you shouldn't have to walk home alone." Saguru held out his hand to her.

"I… It's fine if you do, but I'm in Karate, I'm not really worried about walking home on my own." Ran explained. Hakuba blinked.

"Karate? Then I guess you don't need me to escort you. But may I?" He asked. Ran blinked.

"A-ano…" She started. "I said it was fine." Hakuba blushed a light shade of red and took her hand gently, ignoring his moment of ignorance as they stepped out into the snowy atmosphere.

The snow crunched slightly under their weight as the two walked. The sidewalk was wet and a thin layer of ice was steadily beginning to form, the sky was a dark purple as the city lights of Tokyo lit it up. They walked in silence for several seconds.

"Forgive me." Hakuba said suddenly. Ran blinked, had he done something wrong?

"I forgot to ask how you were."

"Oh." She blinked again. He was very polite, the complete opposite of Shinichi, he always said: 'I'm a detective, I can tell how you are by the sound of your voice.' Maybe that was so, but it was nice to asked once in awhile.

"I-I've been okay." She smiled as they walked. "And you?" She returned the favor.

"I've been well enough," Hakuba started, his hand wrapped around hers. "But you seem unsure of your answer."

"Eh?" Ran blinked. "I-I do?"

"You're stuttering." He pointed out. "It's a sign someone's unsure of something. Ran blinked again and tilted her chin up.

"Maybe I'm stuttering for a different reason."

"What other reasons would there be?" Hakuba asked gently a little surprised by the girl's reaction. Ran's face turned a bright red-ish color and she looked down, becoming aware of how warm his hand was.

"Bitsune." She said stubbornly. Hakuba sighed.

"So you're not doing so well?" He reasoned. "You seem a little depressed actually."

"I-I'm not." Ran denied. "I don't need him. He's nothing but a mystery freak."

"I-I don't think I said something about someone specifically, Ran-san." Saguru pointed out. Ran turned a brighter red.

"S-sou…" Hakuba continued to lead her back home.

"Now come, tell me what's troubling you? You'll feel better." He offered. Ran sighed, she had no reason or obligation to tell him. Somehow, she wanted to though.

"I'm not depressed." She said calmly. "It's… it's something else." Hakuba blinked, stopping briefly to look at her.

"If you don't mind my interrogations, what is it then?" He pressed as gently as he could. He sure knew how to drive information from her. Ran took a deep breath.

"I think I'm going crazy." She blurted. Hakuba stopped again.

"And why do you think that? You seem sane to me, and one losing their mind would not admit to it, Ran-san. I think you're okay." He offered a smile. Ran blinked and then shook her head, even if she was reassured.

"I'm sure it though." She stated. "Sometimes I think that-" She stopped. Hakuba waited patiently for her to continue.

"You think that…?"

"I think I'm going crazy." Hakuba sighed, he seemed to have an endless amount of patience.

"Sometimes I think that Conan-kun… Sometimes I think that he is Shinichi." She said quickly. Hakuba blinked.

"But, that's not possible." He offered.

"I know." Ran said in defeat. "How can I be sane if that's the conclusion I keep coming too?" Hakuba looked at her for several seconds.

"Why do you think that? Surely there's a reason, and that will prove you aren't crazy." He offered. "People who are mentally unbalanced can't think logically." Ran smiled a little, that was also reassuring.

"Shinichi and Conan-kun have the same birthday."

"Couldn't that be a coincidence?"

"Well… that's what I though too… at first. Demo… Conan-kun is very smart for his age, and he doesn't act like his age."

"He's just a little mature."

"But he acts like Shinichi. They both love soccer and mysteries, they both have the same habits, blood type and they look the same." She finished. "And also… Conan-kun showed up on the same night Shinichi disappeared."

"Well, you have your reasonings." Hakuba mused. "Which means that you aren't insane." He smiled. She smiled back and they continued to walk. "Maybe there's another reason for their similarities?"

"They're related." Ran offered. "At least, Yukiko-san says they are." Hakuba mused over it.

"How distantly?"

"Very Distantly, I forget how, but I remember it was distant." She said thoughtfully.

"Hm…" Hakuba thought about it. He knew that if they were distantly related then they wouldn't looked too similar.

"Conan-kun is related to Shinichi from Yukiko-san's side of the family, but appearance wise… Shinichi takes after his dad." Ran supplied, also pondering.

"Then… it's completely impossible for Conan-kun to look so similar to Kudo-kun, ne?"

"That's what I think too… but the only other reason he would… isn't logical." Ran said sadly.

"No… that's not entirely true… there's another way…" Hakuba mused. "Ne, How old is Kudo-kun?"

"Seventeen." Ran blinked, wondering what the other way could be.

"Ah, so it would have to be like that." He seemed to be coming up with something. "Ran-san, don't worry, you're not going crazy." He realized they had reached the agency.

"How do you know?" She blinked. Hakuba looked uneasy.

"I just do. So don't dwell on it, ne?" He handed her a piece of paper and kissed her cheek lightly. "I hope for a call?" He said with a smile.

Ran blushed, touching her cheek.
"H-hai…" She watched him. "Oyasumi…" She said as he started to leave.

"Oyasumi." He waved.

Conan returned from Osaka and found Ran had seemed different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but she was definitely acting different than she normally did. All went normal as he climbed into the taxi and rode home with the small Mouri family. Kogoro announced his evening plans to play mahjong with his friends at the police department and Ran promised to have dinner ready when he got back. Not like her promise mattered, Shinichi knew that Kogoro would be back at a quarter till two, half passed out and drunk.
The taxi pulled up to the agency and Ran and Conan got out. The girl fished her key out as she bid her father goodbye and opened the door.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Conan asked after several seconds. Ran looked up as she pulled the key out of the lock and stored it in her purse.

"About what?" She asked, half distracted.

"Ojisan… you hate it when he goes out like this." He pointed out. Ran blinked.

"Otousan can go out if he wants. He's a grown man after all Conan-kun." She stepped into the house. Conan followed after her and slipped his shoes off while she closed ans locked the door.

"I guess…" He said climbing onto the couch. Ran went into the kitchen and the conversation was done. 'He doesn't act like a grown man at times.' He thought to himself as he grabbed the remote and clicked on the T.V.

"No! Don't leave me!" –click-
"Get some today!" –click-
"Lose weight in two weeks!" –click-
"Tanaka-san! It's not like that!" –click-
"Come down to-" –click-

The T.V. went off. Nothing good was on. Shinichi sighed and set the remote aside as Ran stepped in with a tray of cookies and offered one to Conan.

"A-arigatou." He expressed as he took the Conan shaped cookie from her. Something was different about it. The last time she made cookies like this… there was something missing that this cookie had. He then noticed the shapes of the cookies on the platter that had been set one the coffee table. 'Ayumi, Genta, Mitsuhiko, Haibara, Agasa, Occhan, Sonoko, Hondou, and a new one… it looked familiar but where had he seen this person, and who was it?

"Ne Ran-neechan," He addressed his caretaker. Ran came out of the kitchen where she had been fixing the promised meal.

"Nani?" She asked with a caring and cheerful voice.

"Who is this person?" He asked, holding up the cookie. Ran blushed a light color of red.

"Th-that's Hakuba-kun." She admitted. "I met up with him at a Kid heist." She explained. Conan raised an eyebrow. He was okay with her talking to Hakuba but why was she blushing?

"Sou ka!" He chirped and set the cookie down. "Saguru-niichan is very clever isn't he?" He decided to test Ran. Ran nodded happily.

"Yes, he is." She started humming as she stepped back into the kitchen. The mere mention of Hakuba's name had brightened her mood. Something was up. And Conan did not like it.

"Ran-neechan, I'm going to the professors after dinner." He announced.

"That's fine." Ran called from the kitchen. "You'll have to get the spare key in the paneling. I'm also going out tonight."

"Eh? With who?" Ran came back out and looked at him. He'd get inquisitive if she admitted to going out with Hakuba.

"Sonoko of course, silly." She smiled. Conan blinked.

"Oh." He shook his head, convincing himself that he got suspicious over nothing. "Okay!"

-

"I don't get it." Conan looked down at the cookie had wrapped up and brought to the professors for proper analyzing. "It's different. But how?" He stared intently at the cookie, which was in the shape of his face, as though expecting it to answer his questions. He had also brought Agasa and Haibara their's. He lifted the cookie up from the napkin it had been sitting on and looked beneath it. It seemed the same there. Maybe the taste? He nibbled on it, just a little. It still tasted really good to him.

But something was different. It was starting to drive the detective nuts that he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something obvious was obviously hidden.

"So her mood has improved." Haibara's cool voice ghosted past his ears.

"Eh?" He spun around quickly to face her. "You know what's different?" Haibara sighed.

"Men are helpless and clueless…" She muttered. "Yes, I do." Conan looked back down at the cookie, too proud to ask for help. He studied for a good five minutes.

"The cookie is happy." Haibara said after awhile. "Honestly, Kudo-kun, would it kill you to ask my opinion once in awhile?"

"I don't know, but I won't find out." He looked at the cookie again. Now that she mentioned it this cookie looked like it was overflowing with joy. "I wonder what put her in such a good mood…." Conan mused.

"Well, did something happen while you were away?" The shrunken scientist inquired.

"She met up with another high school detective, Hakuba Saguru." Shinichi admitted.

"Maybe she's starting to develop feelings for this guy." Haibara mused. Conan glared, wanting to shove cookie in her face. "Where is she now?"

"She's out with Sonoko." Shinichi answered with out much effort. Haibara shrugged.

"Are you sure? She could have lied to save you heartache."

"She wouldn't so that. Ran's not like that!" Shinichi snapped, although… in his mind he was worried he might be wrong.

-

"Achoo!" Hakuba sneezed.

"Bless you…" Ran said as she set across from the detective. "Did you have a cold?"

"No, no, someone must be talking about me is all." Hakuba said good naturedly. Ran smiled just as a sneeze came her way and she was forced to cover her mouth.

"Someone's talking about us both then." He offered her a napkin.

"Arigatou." She took it.

"So…" Hakuba started. "How is everything?" Ran set the napkin down and looked up at him.

"Everything's okay." Ran sipped her tea. "Conan-kun and Otousan both went out." Hakuba nodded.

"I see, and where did they go?"

"Otousan went to play Mahjong and Conan-kun went to Agasa Hakasei's."

"Family friend?"

"Hai." Ran nodded. "I should pick him up later." She looked over at her phone to see the time.

"I suppose you haven't heard from Kudo-kun?"

"No, Shinichi is off on a case, and only calls when he has the time." She explained. "Demo, I don't care, when he does call he only talks about himself and Sherlock Holmes." Hakuba blinked.

"A Sherlock fan?"

"A-ah… a little too much." Ran sighed. "It all he ever talks about."

"Ne, was Conan-kun named after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?" Ran blinked at the seemingly random question.

"A-ah… I believe he was." She said thoughtfully.

"I thought so." Hakuba said just as thoughtfully. "Enough about that though, Ran-san, I want to know how you are, you're in Karate you said?" Ran smiled she wasn't really used to talking about herself.

"Hai." She said cheerfully. "I'm the team captain."

"Really? You must be pretty good at it then." Hakuba said kindly. Ran nodded.

"I won the championship for the region."

"You must be very good then." Hakuba corrected himself. Ran smiled as she sipped her tea, which had since cooled down.

"A-ano… I have a tournament in a few weeks… if you're not busy would you-"

"I'd love to come." Hakuba smiled, already aware of what she would ask.

(end chapter two?)