A/N: OI!!! The first chapter is finally up! I apologize in advance for any spelling and grammar mistakes I may have missed.
Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan, this anime/manga belongs to Gosho Aoyama! I only own Double-M, Kasuma, and the plot. (By the way… This little disclaimer will apply to all chapters that are added to this story, so I don't think I'll need to repeat that fact before every chapter)
Warnings: There are some references to some small things like Alice in Wonderland (for example) in here. Of course I don't own any of them.
Double-M and Kaito KID vs. Conan: Obsidian Black
Osaka, Japan
Hattori Residence
July 9, 9:52
KONBANWA…AT LEAST IT WILL BE WHEN Y0U GET THIS LETTER. LET'5 HAVE A PARTY TO WELCOME MY RETURN TO THE RISING SUN. I3EFORE I 2ANCE AWAY WITH THE NIGHT.
Last Day Before Summer Break
Beika, Japan
July 10, 3:47 PM
"'KONBANWA…. AT LEAST IT WILL BE WHEN Y0U GET THIS LETTER. LET'5 HAVE A PARTY TO WELCOME MY RETURN TO THE RISING SUN. I3EFORE I 2ANCE AWAY WITH THE NIGHT.'" Detective of the West, Hattori Heiji, read off through the phone. "Oi, Kudo, did you get that?"
"Yeah, I got it… I just don't understand it. You said there was no signature, right?" Conan spoke through the phone. He looked down at his own copy he'd written down and frowned. "Did the fax have anything else strange, Heiji?"
"Ya mean other than the note itself? Yeah, there are a couple a' numbers mixed in the letter. Let's see…" Heiji scanned the note for the said numbers, "Hey Kudo, ya listening? Alright, first there's a zero replacing the 'o' of the first you, a five replacing the 's' in let's, a three standing in for the 'b' in before, and a two instead of a 'd' in dance."
On the other side of the line, Conan wrote down the four numbers at the bottom of the page in his detective notebook and studied them furiously, only ending up ruffling his brown hair vigorously. 'What the hell do these numbers mean? Could it be an address…? No, there's no street listed in the note. A landmark? But what landmark uses numbers like these—'
"What have we here?" Conan heard Heiji mumbling. A quiet beeping noise eradicated from Heiji's side of the line along with the distinct sound of a printer. "Hey Heiji, what's going on over there?"
"Apparently, I've got mail. Well… a fax, to be more accurate."
"What does it say? Is it from the same person?" Conan asked, curiosity aroused.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Heiji exclaimed. There was a rustle of papers heard form the other line as Heiji seemed to be frantically searching for papers of some sort.
Conan frowned, "Heiji, what did it say? You'd better spill."
Heiji growled, "It says. 'I wonder who your friend is. Maybe I should introduce myself to your small friend. I think I'll send him the location of my upcoming heist as well as a time frame. From your Double-M,'"
'Double-M? What does that mean?' "Say, Heiji, did that letter say 'heist'? Meaning a thief." Conan asked walking over to the beeping fax machine and staring at the paper sliding out of the printer.
"Yeah, it says 'heist'." Heiji answered, "Is it the Kaito KID?"
"Can't be, KID doesn't work like this. It must be someone new. Whoever he or she is is apparently 'returning' to Japan so maybe an international thief who's Japanese?" Conan suggested.
"Or maybe this 'Double-M' person pulled off heists here in Japan however many years ago and decided to return." Heiji growled, "I wish I knew what those numbers meant. Oh, while we're on the topic, has KID pulled any burglaries lately?"
"None whatsoever, his most recent heist was three weeks ago. He stole a series of opals from an extremely rich family in Tokyo. He hasn't shown up since. Ne, Heiji, how does this person know who you're talking to?"
"Oi, did you really get a fax from this person? What does if say?" Heiji asked.
Conan read the brief note before reading aloud, "'Konbanwa chibitantei-kun. Please inform your friend of the contents of this note: Be at Beika Museum for the appearance and disappearance of Beika's prized Night jewel on the twenty-third at midnight. DON'T be late.'" Conan frowned.
"Twenty-third? That's almost two weeks from now. Why would this person let us know two weeks in advance? That's too much time to prepare for his arrival. Huh, I guess that's how he works."
Conan looked out the window and saw Ran and what seemed to be one of her classmates approaching the Detective Agency, "Hey, Ran's coming, I gotta go." CLICK.
Conan set the phone back in place and dragged the sheet of paper from the desktop, staring intently at it as he sat down at the couch and sunk into the cushions. The doorknob rattled as Ran twisted the knob and opened the door, very nearly dragging the girl in with her. "Ah, there you are Conan-kun."
"Hello Ran-neechan, who's that?" Conan asked in his high-pitched, innocent, childish voice.
"Ah," Ran murmured, turning to smile at her guest. "Conan-kun, I'd like you to meet Kazuki Kasuma, she just transferred this year." She addressed Kasuma, "I need to get my wallet from upstairs but you can hang around here with Conan-kun."
Ran walked out the door and ascended the stairs. Conan turned back to the piece of paper in his hand and didn't pay attention to the extra figure in the room. So… he didn't notice her come up from behind him and look over his shoulder. "What ya lookin' at Conan-kun?"
Conan jumped and turned in his seat, "Oh, Kasuma-neechan. It's just a piece of paper I found on Oji-san's desk. It looks like a letter!" Conan said plastering on a face of false excitement.
"Oh, just a piece of paper, nothing else interesting on it?" Kasuma read the contents of the letter before Conan could hide it under a magazine on the table. "Huh, is your oji-san playing games with you. Like Cops and Robbers?" she smiled, "Sounds like fun… but I wonder if the Night jewel in the note refers to the Night Phantom jewel that's going to be exhibited soon. I read about it in a magazine… let's see, ah, it was this one." She exclaimed, picking up a magazine on the desk. She flipped through the pages and stopped somewhere in the middle before laying her eyes on the small bag she brought with her, "Oh, I completely forgot. Conan-kun, is there a bathroom down here, I really need to get out of this annoying uniform."
"Uh huh, it's the first door on the left," Conan answered, pointing down the hallway closest to him.
"Thanks," she smiled and ruffled Conan's hair before picking up her bag and walking down the hallway.
Conan fixed his hair and got up when his eyes fell on the magazine Kasuma had left open. 'Heh, those uniforms are pretty annoying.' Conan thought as he picked up the discarded magazine on the desk and stared at the open page.
'So if that's the jewel this thief wants, there's no way I'm letting him get it.' Conan—or, rather, Shinichi-- thought as he ripped the ad out and stuffed it into his pant pocket.
Just then Ran walked in and stuffed her wallet into her small white purse. Only then did she look around, "Where's Kazuki-san?"
"She said she was going to change out of her uniform, she's in the bathroom over there." Conan explained, pointing to the hallway for the second time within the last ten minuets.
"Oh, Ran-san, you can call me Kasuma." Came a faint sound from within the bathroom. The door opened and Kasuma walked out, twirling her drawstring bag around in a circle, "I really don't mind."
She indeed had changed… a light blue tank top and a pair of flare jeans had replaced the blue uniform and she had pulled her long brown hair up into a loose braid. "So can you Conan-kun." She looked down at the boy sitting on the couch once again.
"Aw… but I liked Kasuma-neechan better." Conan flashed a disappointed face.
The girl in blue laughed softly, "Fine, whatever suits you best. Come on Ran, we have to meet Sonoko up at the mall." She looked at the boy in the room again. "Are you here alone Conan-kun? I'm sure we'll be able to bring you along, right Ran-san?"
Ran turned around, "Oh right, I forgot Otou-san was working on a case in Osaka. Conan-kun, do you want to come?"
"Yeah!" Conan exclaimed. 'It's better than being cooped up here all day.' Con--Shinichi added.
"Alright, it's settled. Come on then." Kasuma piped up, picking up a small coat she saw hanging on the coat rack by the door. Assuming it belonged to the boy, she lightly tossed the object to the fast approaching boy who caught it neatly and slipped it on.
Beika, Japan
Outside a Floral Shop
July 10, 4:03 PM
Standing outside a nearby floral shop, the two high-school girls and first grader waited for yet another person to join their small group. Ran was holding Conan by the hand to make sure he didn't run off like he normally did while her friend, Kasuma, admired the many floral arrangements. Suddenly she smirked and faced Ran, "Who was that friend of yours that Sonoko mentioned? I've forgotten his name."
"You mean Shinichi?" Ran asked quietly.
Conan looked up at Ran. "Yeah, that's who it was. Famous High-School Detective of the East, Kudo Shinichi, right? Why don't you get him one of these bouquets?" Kasuma said, smirk widening.
"What? That's stupid, Shinichi wouldn't like flowers!" Ran said blushing furiously.
"Oh? I beg to differ." Kasuma nudged Ran's shoulder, "Then why do you look like an over-ripe tomato? You know you want to, Ran-san."
"No way," Ran exclaimed, shaking her head profusely. "No way on Earth!" Ran looked away and focused her attention on something other than Kasuma or the shop behind them.
"Ne, Conan-kun, why are you blushing? You're almost as red as Ran-san." Kasuma asked, leaning down so she was at his level.
"Ah nanimonai, Kasuma-neechan." Conan waved his free hand wildly while shaking his head.
"Are you sure Conan-kun," she pressed. "You seem really embarrassed."
Conan nodded and added silently, 'That was low… Please change the subject, please change the subject, please change the subject.'
"Oiii, Ran, Kasuma! Hayaku!" another familiar female voice exclaimed.
'Heh, saved by the bell,' Conan thought, relieved.
"Sonoko, there you are." Ran turned around (the blush receding), secretly thankful for the distraction. "What took you so long?" Every single word in that sentence screamed out 'Thank god you're here. You just saved my skin.' And 'Please don't let me endure that again.'
"Say, Sonoko, don't you think Ran should sen—mmph!" Ran had rushed up to Kasuma and clasped her hand tightly over her mouth to avoid any more words from slipping from her mouth.
"I think Ran should what?" Sonoko asked, curiosity growing like a wildfire. A wildfire that was nearly impossible to put out… Except for this specific case.
"Hi, Sonoko-neechan!" Conan exclaimed, rushing up to the newest arrival and jumping up and down.
Sonoko's attention was instantly diverted, "Who brought four-eyes here?"
'Heh, it's just that easy.' Shinichi smirked internally. "Sonoko! 'Four-eyes' here has a name." Ran retorted.
Sonoko looked down at Conan, "Nope, not in my books."
Conan rolled his eyes and looked up at the three girls, "Where are we going Ran-neechan? Kasuma-neechan?" He plastered his most innocent face on.
"Somewhere you don't need to be at." Sonoko exclaimed, peering down at Conan.
'Humph, says you.' Shinichi added rather childlike (at least for his age).
"Well he does today," Ran pointed out. "Dad's out on a very important case and there's no one else to watch him."
"We're going to the new super mall that just opened. Does that answer your question, Conan-kun?" Kasuma replied.
"Uh huh, thanks Kasuma-neechan," Conan nodded and smiled.
It was Kasuma's turn to grab Conan's hand and follow the other girls. Conan flinched slightly at the unfamiliar hand but didn't pull away and followed quietly, sometimes lagging behind. Kasuma would, at that time, then tug lightly on Conan's hand and he would snap out of his trance and quicken his pace.
Beika, Japan
Beika Mega Mall
July 10, 4:56 PM
"Hey, hurry up, we're goin' in here. Come on, come on!" Sonoko announced, running into another shop.
"Sonoko, this is what, the twentieth shop we've been to. You're still not done shopping?" Kasuma asked gripping tightly at a few of her bags along with some of Sonoko's purchases. Grudgingly, she followed suit and looked around. Ran appeared behind her, holding onto Conan's hand lightly.
Ran giggled quietly, "That's Sonoko right there, might want to get used to it Kasuma."
"Heh and I thought I was bad. Sonoko beat me—or I guess it'd be more of a landslide—that's just crazy." Kasuma snickered and adjusted her grip on the bags.
Ran looked down at her onus, "Uh, Kasuma, do you want me to take some of those bags? You've got a lot already." She started to reach down for some of the bags but Kasuma pulled away.
"No way, you are not getting any of these. Well…" an evil smirk appeared.
'I have a bad feeling about this,' Shinichi thought.
"I'll let you carry some of these only if you buy something." The smirk turned into an equally evil grin, "Like for Shi-ni-chi." She added in a singsong voice.
Ran blushed madly, "Uh, I think I'll take back my offer."
Kasuma shook her head vigorously, "Iie, you already offered, you are going to buy something for Shinichi, and I will watch your every move until you make a suitable purchase." She looked down at Conan briefly but shifted her gaze back to Ran. Kasuma switched all her bags to her left hand and used her right to grab Ran's free hand, pulling her all the way to the men's department and added, "He is a man, right?" jokingly.
Sonoko joined the two girls and Conan in the men's department murmuring, "Good idea, maybe I'll buy something for Makoto…"
Ran instantly jumped at the diversion, "Yes, you should. What were you thinking of Sonoko?"
Kasuma rolled her eyes and stifled a giggle. She bent down and faced Conan, "You were doing it again Conan-kun."
"Huh, what are you talking about Kasuma-neechan?" Conan asked innocently.
"Nope, that whole 'I'm innocent, please don't hurt me' look is not going to work on me, Conan-kun. I've been around too many kids to know that you're trying to divert the conversation, or at least make it seem like you don't know what's going on. It's cute but… not working." She smiled, "So…. Doushite? Spill boy. It's okay if you have a crush on Ran-san, it happens."
"N-no, that's not it! Really, it isn't!" Conan whispered urgently.
"Are you sure? Hmm… doubt it. You're hiding something, Conan-kun, and I will find out what."
'Shit, she's a lot more observant than she first let on. I'll have to be careful around her. She might blow my cover.' Shinichi thought, fighting the urge to Back. Away. Slowly. "Heh, I'm not hiding anything!" Conan assured.
Sonoko, curious on what Conan and Kasuma could be talking about, began advancing to where Kasuma was squatting. Suddenly Kasuma laughed, stood up, and ruffled Conan's hair. "Good one Conan-kun, I'll have to tell that to my little brother someday."
"What were you talking about Kasuma?" Sonoko asked, hints of a frown appearing on her face.
"Oh, nothing really, Conan was just telling me about a riddle he learned at school." She turned to Conan, "That one was fairly hard, I'm surprised you were able to come up with the answer so quickly. I guess what Ran said about you was true," she ruffled his hair again, "You really are a clever boy."
'Sugoi!' Shinichi thought, clearly impressed, 'That was some quick thinking.' Conan smiled, "Arigato Kasuma-neechan!"
Kasuma smiled and scanned the store for Ran who, very timidly, was searching through a bucket of assorted sweatshirts. Kasuma groaned, "Ran'd better not pick something from there for him." She rushed over to Ran, locked her arm around Ran's, and, fairly swiftly, dragged Ran to a different section. Conan rushed over to the two along with Sonoko who was taking her sweet time in reaching the others.
Kasuma let go of Ran and pushed her toward a collection of different colored shirts and pants. Ran stared at her companion with a tortured expression but Kasuma merely replied with a light, but slightly evil smile. 'Wow, Kasuma can be really scary. Worse than Ran… and that's saying something.' Co—Shinichi thought.
Kasuma helped Ran search through the racks pulling out pairs she found 'flattering' though how she'd know this was beyond anyone in the small group. 'She hasn't even seen a picture of me and she seems to have an idea on what would 'look good' on me.' Shinichi smirked.
A small snicker escaped one of the girls' lips. Conan looked up and found a blushing Ran, a grinning Kasuma, and a snickering Sonoko. The reason for their reaction, the object Kasuma was holding up: Shirt. Green in color with a very, and I mean very vivid arrangement of colors. Hawaiian styled, the piece had lots of different colors (bright colors), all splattered with flowers of different size and style. Ran's expression said it all: 'That does NOT belong in the men's department, please take it away.'
Conan found himself blushing for the third and, hopefully, the last time that day. 'Shit, if this keeps up, Kasuma will be on my tail.' Shinichi thought, dismayed but also slightly amused at Kasuma's antics.
Kasuma caught Conan's eyes and held them for a brief minuet before smirking and tossing the atrocity back into the pile that had easily become a discarded heap. Before long she had narrowed it down to three shirts: one blue, one red, and one white. All simple in design but at the same time, all different. The blue shirt adorned a soccer emblem (don't ask me how she knew about his interest in soccer, she just somehow knew) white in color. The red shirt held black and white stripes along the bottom of the shirt and along the sleeve. While, the white shirt bore blue and green stripes decorating the middle and top of the shirt. Kasuma looked up at Ran who was staring intently at the red shirt. Kasuma instantly discarded the red piece of clothing, "I have a feeling you've already given him something red."
The response from the other two girls; outright shock and astonishment. Kasuma took that has a 'how did you know' and nodded, looking back and forth at the remaining two. "You're a male," she looked at Conan, "Which of these two do you think Shinichi should get? Blue or white?"
"For Shinichi-niisan? Uh, I guess they would both be fine demo… shouldn't you be asking Ran-neechan not me. She's known Shinichi-niisan much longer than I have."
"I guess you're right," Kasuma shrugged, "Ran? What do you think, blue or white? You can do it, there's only a fifty-fifty chance you'll get it wrong."
"Um… Blue?" Ran suggested quietly.
Kasuma imitated a buzzer sound, "Wrong, seriously Ran, you need to work on this." She made her final discard and folded up the white shirt, "Now… for matching pants."
"Ka-su-ma!" Ran exclaimed, "Shinichi doesn't need a pair of matching pants!"
"Yes he does, don't you think Conan-kun?" Kasuma asked, another smirk appearing.
"Kasuma, do you have to bring the kid into this?" Sonoko asked.
Conan regarded Kasuma, "Uh… hai?"
Kasuma smiled, "Well then, it's settled."
Ran groaned but followed anyway, 'Gomen nasai Ran.' Shinichi smiled.
Beika, Japan
Agasa Residence
July 16, 6:52 AM
I RATHER LIKE IT HERE IN Japan. MY FIRST WEEK HERE HAS MADE ME FEEL SO WELCOME. I'VE DECIDED TO HANG AROUND HERE SO I CAN STAY AND PLAY WITH YOU CHIBITANTEI-KUN. –Double M
P.S- TO FIND OUT ABOUT ME, I SUGGEST YOU SEARCH THE INTERNATIONAL WANTED LIST.
Conan sat on the bed in a guest room of Dr. Agasa's house, watching as the professor scanned a small piece of paper then referred to the tab on the computer. The Professor's hand slid across the keys joined by a soft tapping sound. Conan laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling pondering yet another note from the mysterious 'Double-M'. "Its strange doc; in this note, this 'Double-M' person actually wants us to find out about him. A thief normally doesn't want to reveal himself. They always want to lay low." Conan sighed and sat up, gazing intently at the Professor.
"Reminds me of another thief I've heard of." Professor Agasa replied. He scanned the screen, then the paper. "Alright, Shin-chan, I'm in the International Wanted List."
Conan jerked to his feet, "Anything about Double-M?" he asked, excitement arousing.
The Professor shook his head, "There is no such criminal, was there anything else this guy addressed himself as. Think back, Shinichi."
Just then Haibara Ai walked out of the basement by way of stairs. Wearing her usual white lab coat she replied, "1412."
Conan scoffed, "Baka, KID has nothing to do with this."
"Fine, then how about 0532?" Ai suggested.
"0-5-3-2?" –lightbulb flash- "Of course, in the first letter!"
"This so-called 'Double-M' probably found out about you not being able to find his identity so he sent you a bigger hint." Ai stated.
"Doc," Conan turned, "Try 0532, this site should also be adaptable with ID numbers."
Doctor Agasa punched in the designated numbers. Nothing came up, "Nani?"
Ai smirked, "As to be expected; this person wouldn't outright give their ID number. And, knowing you were a detective, placed a riddle within the heist note. This kind of puzzle is probably an anagram. I'm just surprised this isn't from Kaito KID, he loves riddles—"
Conan tuned out all other sounds and focused on the first letter. 'Let's see…. It started out like: KONBANWA…'
'KONBANWA… AT LEAST IT WILL BE WHEN YOU GET THIS LETTER. LET'5 HAVE A PARTY T0 WELCOME MY RETURN TO THE RISING SUN. I3EFORE I 2ANCE AWAY WITH THE NIGHT.'
Conan rushed up to the computer and typed in four numbers. A profile appeared and, satisfied, selected the print option. Finally, Conan grabbed the printed pages and rushed out towards the Mouri Detective Agency.
Beika, Japan
Mouri Detective Agency
July 16, 7:28 AM
Conan raced up the stairs of the Mouri Detective Agency and opened the door, jumping up onto the Sleeping Sleuth's desk where Mouri Kogoro was watching a Yoko Okino drama… again. "Ne, Oji-san, have you heard of an international thief called Masked Magician?" Conan asked.
"Shhhh!!! Shut up kid." Mouri admonished, gorging down what seemed like his third helping of sake. "Can't you see I'm watching Yoko Okino's drama? Go bother someone else… like Ran.. or that other girl that's been comin' over recently."
"You mean Kasuma-neechan?" Conan asked.
"Didn't I tell ya to SHUT UP!" Mouri yelled.
"Now what's going on her… Oh Conan-kun. I thought you were at something Agasa's house." Kasuma said, walking in carrying a fairly large box. "Did he drive you out or something?"
Conan shook his head, "I decided to come home early. What's in the box Kasuma-neechan?"
"Ran-san's present for Shi-ni-chi. Ran-san's too scared to wrap it herself." She smiled, "Ain't that cute? Kawaii?"
Kasuma set the present of the table and grabbed a marker, carefully beginning to write down the address of the Detective Agency. Once done with that, she pulled a sheet of paper and copied down the address written on it. Shinichi's address… 'Oh shit!' Conan inched foreword, "Uh, Kasuma-neechan, Shinichi-niisan isn't at home, he hasn't been for a while. Ran-neechan keeps saying stuff about him being on a big case oversees."
"I know. Ran-san won't stop blabbing about it. So… when Shinichi-kun comes back to visit, he'll have a present from Ran-san waiting for him…" Kasuma smiled, "You're blushing again Conan-kun. Don't want someone stealing your girl?"
"NO! Chigau," Conan shook his head. Conan ran back up to Mouri's desk, "Oji-san, can I go and visit Megure-kebu?"
"Yeah, yeah, just don't bother me." Mouri brushed off.
"Arigato!" Conan said, running out the door with Kasuma watching him go with a quiet but stern face.
Beika, Japan
Police Headquarters
July 16, 7:47 AM
"Um, Megure-kebu, have you heard of an international thief called Masked Magician 235?" Conan asked timidly.
"Conan-kun? Why the sudden talk of thieves?" Inspector Megure asked.
"Well, I heard Heiji-niisan mumbling about a thief named Masked Magician and I was just curious." Conan smiled. "Have you heard of him?"
"Well, I've heard a little about a figure calling himself Masked Magician, but I don't have much information on him. Heck, I don't even know if he's a he!" Inspector Megure exclaimed.
"What do you know about him, Heiji-niisan wanted me to ask you?" Conan asked, a tone of child-like seriousness appearing.
"Why doesn't Hattori-kun just ask his father about this guy?" Conan shrugged. "Oh well, pretty much what I know is that this Masked Mage's gender isn't known yet, he/she gets places using a pair of silk-like wings that act like hang-gliders. As the name suggests, this guy's an extraordinary magician whose skills could rival the Kaito KID's. Some quirks this guy likes to pull would be sending his heist notes several weeks in advance, I suppose he likes to give all the officers time to fret as well as time to prepare. When he does appear, he is never wearing the same thing twice. The only article that remains the same is his (or her) long white cape. And when I say never the same thing twice, I mean it, even when it comes to hair, it's always different. A master of disguise as well a trickery and just as slippery as KID; this thief is insanely similar to Kaito KID, one of the similarities being he always returns the stolen object to the family he stole from. The difference between the returning process is that the stolen products are always found sitting on the edge of the family's house's chimney, and always after a full or sometimes even a new moon. And that's about all I know Conan-kun. Do you think that'll help Hattori-kun?"
"Yes, that helps me plenty." A voice flitted into the Police Officer's office.
Two heads swiveled as the figure of Hattori Heiji was discovered. He walked foreword, his usual hat sat the wrong way on his head. He looked up, "Yo Ku—I mean Conan-kun."
"Sheesh, you really need to stop calling the kid Kudo, Heiji. What do you see in that boy anyway?" a second voice piped up.
Heiji turned and looked at his companion, Toyama Kazuha. "Ah, no, it's just that this lil' critter reminds me of Kudo… I've told you this before."
"Oh yeah… Kudo's hardly around anymore. Sometimes I wish he were here tailing me endlessly." Inspector Megure sighed.
Conan laughed weakly, "Heiji-niisan is visiting Beika? Yay! This is gonna be fun," Conan gave Heiji a glare clearly displaying a message that said: You're dead, you know that right? "Oh, how about you show Megure-kebu that note from the Masked Mage you got a week ago."
"A-a WEEK ago?! Why was no one informed of this sooner! Masked Mage is coming? Why! He's never come to Japan."
Conan shrugged, "According to the letter that was faxed to Oji-san's machine, Masked Mage likes it here. He's decided to stay in the area."
"Why didn't you tell me anything about this Hattori-kun? Information about thieves should be reported." Inspector Megure scolded.
"Yeah, that's why I came here… This is the city the heist will take place in. Oh, and I made copies of the heist note." Heiji sorted through a large bag on the floor. "Here, Megure-kebu… oh and Conan-kun, you can give this copy to Ran's Otou-san."
Heiji handed out the copies in which both receivers read the note.
"Oi, why doesn't this note have a date and time?" Inspector Megure asked.
"Well, ya see, funny story. Ya see I called the Mouri Detective Agency so I could talk to Oo-chan. Except, uh, he wasn't there and Conan here picked up the phone. So I thought what the heck, Conan-kun can relay the message to Oo-chan and I told him about the case. I guess the sender was nearby the Agency and saw Conan-kun talking to me so he decided to send me a second fax." Heiji pulled out another slip of paper and set it on Inspector Megure's desk before continuing. "Imagine my shock when I read that this guy had found out about my conversation. He said he'd say hi and that he'd send a fax to the Detective Agency where Conan-kun was. And guess what? A few minuets later, a fax came in on Conan-kun's side." Heiji looked down at the boy as he pulled out his own fax. "Just like the second fax to me said, the third note contained the date and time of his heist." Heiji laughed.
Inspector Megure frowned, "And how was that a funny story? Wait… why is Conan-kun referred in this letter as chibitantei-kun?"
"I was confused about that too," Heiji began. "But it makes sense I guess; I mean Conan-kun is staying with Ran-san and her father who's a famous detective. He probably just assumed that Conan-kun'd pick up something from being at all of those cases with the Sleeping Sleuth."
Conan glared at Heiji's smiling face. He then pulled out another piece of paper and plopped it onto the desk. "This was sent to the Detective Agency at midnight exactly. What's strange is how it's formatted; it's almost like a letter someone would supposedly send to a friend."
"Are you two friends with this Masked Mage?" Inspector Megure asked, suspicion clouding his expression.
The two boys shook their heads. There then came a beeping sound from Inspector Megure's desk. The four people in the office stared at the incoming fax. Before the machine even finished spitting out the paper, Inspector Megure grabbed the sheet and read the contents. He then read aloud. "'Congratulations, detectives! You found out my identity, I applaud you. As everyone now knows, I will visit your interesting museum and grab a little souvenir on my way out. I would so love to meet you all officially so, I invite you as well and any guests you wish to bring along, the more the merrier I always say, right? Ja, I'll see you on the twenty-third of this month. From Masked Magician.'"
The officer passed it to Heiji who bent down to show Conan as well, "Hey, this person also included a caricature."
Kazuha and Inspector Megure leaned in to study the drawing, a pair of white wings with a shining gem in the middle. The gem was covered in thin branches and was drawn so that, if you looked close enough, you would see a smaller image of a pair of wings sitting in the middle of the gem. Conan looked at the top of the page, "There's no fax machine number. Which means—"
"Masked Magician has his own portable fax machine-like object. It allows him to send messages wherever he happens to be. But that also means we won't be able to track him as easily as we could." Heiji finished.
"Right," Conan nodded.
The fax machine beeped again and Inspector Megure groaned, "Not again! This guy really likes faxes."
Conan and Heiji looked at the incoming fax. As the first line appeared, the two detectives looked at each other. Conan smiled and nodded. As more and more lines appeared, Kazuha looked at the note and said, "It's KID isn't it Heiji?"
"Ah," Heiji confirmed.
Conan tugged at the paper and pulled it out of the printer, "He decided not to use a riddle this time. It says: 'I've decided to reappear at Beika Museum and steal the Phantom at midnight."
Heiji grabbed the paper out of Conan's hand, "Is this 'Phantom' what I think it is?"
"The Night Phantom jewel. It's what the Masked Mage is after too. Hm, two phantom thieves after the same jewel. That's going to end badly." Conan mused.
Suddenly Conan's head snapped up and he looked around anxiously. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he bolted out the door and ran outside with Heiji on his heel. Conan clutched his Solar-Powered Skateboard and looked behind him at Heiji. "You noticed it too?"
"Yeah, a sudden feeling of being watched."
"Oi, Kudo, be subtle about it but there's someone watching us on the rooftop across the street. He's wearing all white."
"What?!"
Three things happened right then: 1) The person on the roof, maybe KID, scrambled up to his feet, 2) Conan jumped onto Heiji's motorcycle behind the teen, and 3) both high-school detectives caught a glimpse of the fleeing face. Something white: a mask bearing a sequence of dots colored red at the place where the hairline would be and trailing down the sides of the mask while also fading down into a bright yellow at the chin. The eye slots were lined with a vivid, thick blue strip, easily causing the eyes to stand out. Above the eyes were six curved, green lines, starting fairly short on the inside and gradually getting longer as they extended outward. Right in the middle sat a painted-on nose colored purple. A straight, black line stood in for the mouth.
The motorcycle engine revved up and, seconds later, began the chase. Conan kept an eye glued on the fleeing figure, watching as the cape and hair blew fiercely in the wind. "That was Masked Mage!" Heiji exclaimed. "Does that mean he's a she?"
Conan's head shook underneath the helmet, "Not necessarily. Masked Mage never wears the same thing twice, meaning, this will be the first and last time we see him/her in white with a blonde wig."
"Damn, that snake. Trying to make our lives harder," Heiji swore.
Conan looked back up at the thief just in time to see him (or her) pull out a gun-like object, stop several rooftops ahead of the two boys, and shoot. Heiji's eyes widened as the object approached and jerked the handlebars to the left to swerve out of the way. Seconds before the bike collapsed, Conan saw the thief's mask crack from a different small object as the person tripped and fell off the roof.
Conan and Heiji got off the bike and watched as the ball that was shot at them exploded, leaving behind a column of purple smoke and a small strip of paper that said: Konnichiwa.
Beika, Japan
Alleyway
July 16, 8:30 AM
Masked Magician 235 slipped as what seemed to be a playing card struck his/her mask. Instead of falling to certain doom, someone from below caught him/her neatly. "Why the hell did you shoot at me?" an angry, muffled voice demanded.
"Simple, I wanted to know why you shot at those tantei." Came the answering purr.
"I'm not sure why you want to know Kaito KID but fine, I'll tell you." 235 placed a hand on the bottom of the mask and broke the already cracked mask, revealing 235's mouth. 235 spoke again with a now clear voice, "The ball I shot has a message I wanted to deliver to those two and those two alone. And so, two minuets from now, it will burst into flames. Nothing big of course but it will ensure safety." 235 smiled, "I hear you're also after Night Phantom. I expect to see you there, don't disappoint me. Oh, and don't expect to see me in this form ever again. I'll see you around, Kaito KID." 235 dropped the mask fragment and jumped up onto the roof, activating a hidden pair of wings that was neatly concealed behind his/her cape and flew off.
Beika, Japan
Alleyway
July 16, 8:33 AM
Conan and Heiji rounded the corner of the alley to the place where the Masked Mage was supposed to be. Instead, the detectives found the bottom fragment of the Magician's mask sitting facedown on the pavement. Conan bent down and picked up the mask fragment with a white cloth that had been resting inside his pocket then scrutinized it. Heiji bent down and studied the small piece, "So this is one of the two things Masked Magician doesn't change. Huh, I thought it'd be fancier."
"Maybe he does have a fancier one." Conan suggested, "You think we should give this to Megure-kebu? Or do we hang onto it?"
The two boys walked out of the alley and down to where the fallen motorcycle was. Heiji bent down and pulled the bike back up in order to wheel it down the street with Conan at his side. Heiji sighed, "What's wrong with this thief anyway? He didn't have to shoot at us to give us that one word. Why didn't he just say it to our faces?"
"That's probably part of the problem, if Masked Mage got too close to us, he might be in jail right about now. Who in their right mind would let an international thief who was standing right in front of you get away?" Conan sighed, "This week's gonna take forever to pass, especially if Masked Mage keeps this up. He gonna end up wearing us out even before the heist date comes."
"Hey Hattori-kun!" a female voice called out. Heiji looked up where his eyes landed on Ran, Kazuha, Sonoko, and…
"Oi, Kudo. Who's the other brown haired girl?"
"Kazuha?" Conan asked.
"Idiot. I mean the other one… besides Ran or Kazuha."
"Probably Kasuma. She's been hanging out with Ran a lot recently. And if you ask me, I think she's getting closer to figuring out that something's wrong with me. She's so damn observant." Conan mumbled.
Kasuma, Ran, and Kazuha ran foreword and met up with the boys. All three girls looked up and down the two of them, Ran and Kazuha frowning. Although it was Kasuma who spoke up, "Why are you too so dirty? Did ya trip or something?"
"Something like that," Heiji grumbled. "Damn thief."
"HEIJI!" Ran exclaimed, "Don't use that language around Conan-kun!"
Heiji didn't answer but instead ran his eyes over the unfamiliar person in the group. "She a transfer student?"
"Who me?" Kasuma pointed to herself, "Yeah. And you're from Osaka I assume."
"How… never mind." Heiji kicked his motorcycle with frustration.
Kasuma stared at Conan, then behind her where the Police Headquarters happened to be. Though Conan expected Kasuma to address him with a question or two, nothing happened. 'That's odd; she always tends to speak up, no matter where we are.' Shinichi thought.
Shrugging it off, Conan examined that mask fragment in his hand, gazing at the lines (or dots) of the yellow and black paint. Again, Kasuma looked at Conan but, this time she decided to speak up, "Oh, Conan-kun. You must be hungry," Conan looked up at Kasuma with a confused look. "C'mon, I'll take you to a restaurant I went to a while ago." Kasuma lightly grabbed Conan's hand.
"Do you want us to go with you Kasuma? We can split the money." Ran advised.
Kasuma shook her head, "I'll be fine with Conan-kun here. You should take Kazuha and her boyfriend to a nice place to eat."
Both of the Osaka residents flushed, "WE ARE NOT DATING!!" the two of them yelled simultaneously.
Kasuma smirked, "Sure you aren't," she added sarcastically. She looked down at Conan, "C'mon Conan-kun. I know the perfect place."
Conan looked back at Heiji, who seemed to have a hard time containing both his laughter and embarrassment, with a pleading look. Heiji just smiled and waved back to the faux first-grader. Conan looked up at Kasuma, "Where are we going Kasuma-neechan?" he asked as innocently as he could.
"We're going to a restaurant like I said earlier." She looked down at the boy, "Is something wrong Conan-kun?"
Conan shook his head, 'Shit. Where's she taking me? She couldn't have figured out about me that easily.' Conan looked up at Kasuma who was humming an unfamiliar song. Kasuma stopped in front of a fancy looking restaurant. A small gasp escaped Conan's lips, "But Kasuma-neechan. This place is so expensive."
Kasuma smiled and walked in, requesting a booth in the back of the restaurant. "It's alright. I've got a good paying job. You know, when you're old enough to get a job, you should get a job at a mall, their pay is pretty good. Just make sure you don't grow up to be a juvenile delinquent, in that case, it'd be pretty hard to keep a job." Kasuma smirked, "Unless you end up getting a self-employed job, I guess in that case you'd have more leniency."
Conan whimpered quietly, 'And what if I do end up as a delinquent?' Shinichi retorted.
Kasuma sat down and handed Conan a copy of the menu who was also seated. There was silence between the two as they looked through the contents of the menu. After a few minuets passed Kasuma looked up, "Have you figured out what you want Conan-kun?"
Conan nodded, "I'm ready. Demo… Kasuma-neechan, is it really okay, I mean, this place is so expensive."
Kasuma smiled, "Its fine Conan-kun, I don't mind. Besides, it's nice to go out to a fancy restaurant every once in a while, don't you think."
"I guess so," Conan mumbled as Kasuma waved a waiter over.
A tall, burly man approached the pair, "Are you two ready to order?" he asked pleasantly.
"Yeah, let's see. I'll have the Four-cheese Lasagna. How 'bout you Conan-kun?"
Conan looked at the menu again, "Um, I'll have the Spinach Tortellini."
A waiter nodded in approval, "Wonderful choices. And would you like any drinks, ma'am?"
Kasuma shook her head, "Just water," she looked at Conan, "Would you like some orange juice Conan-kun?"
'I'm not a kid,' Shinichi thought, slightly annoyed. "Sure!" Conan nodded happily.
"Alright, so one Four-cheese Lasagna, Spinach Tortellini, water, and orange juice. Correct?" the waiter clarified.
"That's right," Kasuma nodded.
The waiter walked away and left Conan and Kasuma alone to talk freely, "What did you want to talk about Kasuma-neechan?" Conan asked, masking his sudden worry.
"Hm, I'm not sure… I guess I was just curious." Kasuma murmured.
'Shit, here it comes.' Shinichi thought grimly. "What are you curious about?" Conan asked. 'Did she figure me out already?'
"I don't know. Most of the time it's just a strange feeling in the pit of my gut but…. Sometimes I wonder if something's bothering you or if you're hiding something important. If it's the latter, you can always talk about it. And… if it's the former, well," Kasuma smirked. Not an action to be worried about, just… well, almost like a concerned smirk. She laughed it off, "Well, I guess you could talk about that too. Sometimes you look as if someone's chasing you."
Conan's eyes widened, 'Heh, close enough.' Conan shook his head, "Impossible! Nothing like that's happening to me, honestly."
Kasuma's eyes narrowed, "It is possible. There are such things as stalkers." A waiter came by with their food and drinks. Kasuma was silent for a minute. Suddenly she smiled, "I guess I'm just being paranoid. Why would anyone want to stalk a cute boy like you?" Kasuma leaned across the table and ruffled Conan's hair. She then picked up a fork and knife and began to eat. Conan followed and the next few minuets were silent except for the silverware scraping the plate or the ice clanging against the sides of the glasses.
Conan took a sip of his juice and glanced at the high-school girl across from him. She was silently chewing her food while looking out the window. 'A stalker's saying it nicely. How much has she figured out?' Conan sighed, 'For her sake, I hope she doesn't put two and two together. Some people just don't know what they're getting into.'
Conan leaned back in his seat and fiddled with the skateboard next to him. Kasuma paused and looked at the boy. "Are you done Conan-kun. Do you want to go back to Ran-san's place?"
Conan looked up, "Uh, I guess so. Are you done Kasuma-neechan?" Conan returned.
Kasuma smiled and looked inside the small folder that a waiter had placed on the table. She swiveled in her seat and looked through her purse, satisfied with whatever she came into contact with. Kasuma pulled out a small white wallet and opened it up, pulling a small bundle of bills and setting it inside the folder before closing it and placing it back on the table. She smiled, "That should be enough of a tip." She faced Conan, "Let's go Conan-kun."
"Hai!" Conan exclaimed, getting up and grabbing his skateboard. The two of them walked outside and started walking down the road towards the Detective Agency. "Kasuma-neechan?"
Kasuma looked down, "Yes? What is it?"
"Are you really going to send that box to Shinichi-niisan? I mean to his house?" Conan asked, blushing slightly.
Kasuma smiled, "Silly, I already sent it. I delivered it myself. I thought maybe Ran-san was lying when she said Shinichi hadn't been there in was it a year she said? Anyway, I went to check myself. I didn't think that huge place would be so, well… un-orderly! A family that rich well…" Kasuma snickered, "Who knew Ran-san's boyfriend was so rich! Heh, that sounds a little mean. I guess I never imagined her with some rich kid."
Conan blushed harder, "I think Ran-neechan said that Shinichi-niisan's father is a writer and his mother is, err, was a famous actress."
"Oh?" Kasuma frowned slightly, "I guess that would explain the money." She shrugged, "Anyway, I opened the gate—didn't think it would be open—and hid it behind a small bundle of rose bushes. If anyone passes by, they won't, at least, see a bright red present sitting by the door."
They approached the Detective Agency and Kasuma waved and continued down the street to where her own home was. When Kasuma was out of sight, Conan revved up the skateboard in his hand and set it down, jumping on and heading towards his old home.
Several blocks (and minuets later) Conan hopped off the skateboard and paused outside the Kudo residence. He set the skateboard against the wall and walked to the gate, opening it as quietly as he could but failing as the gate made a rather loud creak as it opened. 'Note to self: Bring some oil next time you decided to visit your own home.' Conan ran up the narrow pathway and swerved to his left and to where the roses rested. Conan looked behind the bushes and caught sight of a fairly large present covered with a, just like Kasuma said, bright red wrapping paper. Smiling, Conan picked it up and walked back down the pathway, turning the corner and walking inside the neighboring Agasa residence.
Beika, Japan
Beika Museum
July 23, 11:50 PM
Ran, Conan, Heiji, Kazuha, and Mouri stepped out of the car Mouri had rented and walked toward the entrance of the Beika Museum where Inspectors Megure, Nakamori, and Shiratori, along with Detectives Sato and Takagi were waiting. Mouri looked around the entrance of the museum, more specifically, at the members of both the Task Force and the Beika Police Force. He turned to Megure, "Is this enough people Megure-kebu? A mean, we are dealing with not just one but two phantom thieves."
Nakamori piped up, "It's never enough. No matter how many officers we place, KID always seems to bypass them all. And now we've got two of them to worry about. That means double the trouble!"
Conan cocked his head and looked at Inspector Nakamori, "Ne, Nakamori-kebu, does it really matter how many people are outside? What we should be worried about is the amount of people inside the museum. How many people are in the museum?"
Mori turned on Conan and gave him a good wacking on the head, "Stupid boy." He mumbled.
"The kid's got a point. If there are a certain amount of people inside the building, we'll know immediately if any of the thieves get in. Well, Nakamori-kebu?" Inspector Megure asked.
"Uh, well let's see. There's me, Megure-kebu, Sato-san, Takagi-kun, Shiratori-kun, Mouri-san, Ran-san, Hattori-kun, Kazuha-chan, and Conan-kun…. So ten people."
"Alright, as long as no other officer or person for that matter gets in, then the gem will definitely stay safe." Inspector Megure announced.
"Um, Megure-kebu, where exactly is the jewel?" Heiji asked.
"Right, Nakamori-kebu, lead the way."
Nakamori nodded. He led the group into the museum and through a series of hallways to a glass cased room with a black jewel in the center. Heiji leaned down, "Oi, this museum itself is like a maze, what are the odds of KID and Masked Mage getting lost in here?"
"Zero," Conan whispered. "They wouldn't be that careless. Those two would have most likely researched the place to find every kink in the building. Even the best security system probably wouldn't catch them… especially if they decide to work together."
"Baka. KID works alone and most likely Masked Mage does too." Heiji's voice rose slightly.
"Yeah but they both have a common goal… That Night Phantom over there." Conan pointed out, facing the black jewel.
Heiji bent down and studied the gem, "What's so special about this thing anyway?"
"Other than the money? Who knows." Conan shrugged. "Not like they'll use the gem for money, they'd return it."
"Still don't get why they'd return it." Heiji mumbled. He looked down at his watch, "It's almost midnight."
"Ah," Conan nodded. Conan turned when he heard static emitting from a hand-held radio. In fact, everyone turned to the sound. Inspector Megure picked up the radio from his belt clasp and answered, "What is it?"
A police officer's voice rang through the speaker, "KID has just been spotted on the roof of the neighboring building though he's not doing anything. It seems he's surveying the place."
Inspector Megure nodded, "Alright, keep an eye on him, we still haven't seen the Masked Mage. He could already be in the crowd or, worse, inside the building. Keep your eyes peeled."
The connection cut off and all of the officers save Sato, Nakamori, and Shiratori ran outside to survey the matter. Heiji bent down and whispered in Conan's ear, "Is it possible the KID out there is a fake?"
Conan frowned, "It's highly likely. Of course, we don't know how Masked Mage will try to get in here but as long as we have a small amount of people inside, we'll be ready."
Heiji looked around nervously then back at Conan, "I have this strange feeling that one or both of them are already in the building."
Conan shrugged, "Then I guess we'll have to be extra cautious."
The clock struck midnight. Heiji and Conan exchanged glances, "Oi, Kud—"
"Shhh!" Conan silenced him. Conan then skipped over to Detective Sato, "Sato-keiji?"
The detective looked down at the boy, "Yes Conan-kun?"
"Um, I was just curious, where are your handcuffs?"
Sato looked down at her belt then laughed quietly, "I guess I must have left them in the police car. I guess that was a mistake on my part. Should have made sure I had a second pair I guess."
"Are you sure your handcuffs aren't being used to secure the real Sato-keiji to a post maybe in this very building?" Conan asked, eyes narrowing.
Heiji ran foreword, "Ku-I mean Conan. What brought up this?"
Nakamori stepped foreword, "Sato-san isn't tied up somewhere. I made sure myself that this was the real Sato-san."
"Really? It's just that, Oji-san happened to park right next to Sato-keiji's car but, when I happened to get a glimpse inside, there were no handcuffs. I remember you mentioning something about always having a second pair of handcuffs because your original pair was getting old. I think you said they were your father's. So, why don't you have a second pair?" Conan's eyes narrowed again, "It's because you're not the real Sato-keiji. Right KID? Or maybe it's Masked Magician."
Detective Sato smiled, then grabbed a small object from her pocket and threw it on the ground. Instantly the room was filled with thick, black smoke and when the smoke cleared, there stood, not Detective Sato, but the Masked Magician. "Good job boy, you saw right through my disguise. I didn't think something as small as an extra pair of handcuffs would give me away that easily. It's true, the real Sato-san is tied up in a bathroom stall several floors above us."
Inspector Nakamori stared at the thief in shock, "Th-then, how did you pass my test?!"
Though the Mage's face was covered by the mask, the smile was clear, "Easy, I only switched after you administered your 'test.' I switched places with her as she was securing the perimeter of the top two floors." The Mage shrugged, "I was already in the air vents, it was just a matter of patience." Masked Mage jumped up and flipped toward the center of the room, his/her mask gleaming under the light. Masked Mage landed lightly on top of the case and paused, pulling a pair of white gloves and slipping them on. Masked Mage flicked the purple wig behind the glimmering mask and readjusted the light purple suit he had on. As the Magician spoke again, the occupants could notice the brief wavering of his voice from a deep male tone to a higher register female voice. "My, my. My stay here in Japan will be so much fun."
The lights blacked out. There was a brief rustling of fabric as, most likely the KID, entered the room. Almost immediately after that, there was the sound of cracking glass coming from the middle of the room. "Damn it!" Nakamori growled, "One of them has got the gem! Quick, find them."
There was another crack of glass followed this time by KID's soft purr. "I'm terribly sorry for the intrusion officers, but I've got a gem to steal. I do hope we get to meet up again soon."
The lights flickered back on. Conan scrambled to his feet and ran to where he heard the glass break: the doors leading to the stairs. Conan ran through the hole followed closely by Heiji and flew up the stairs. Both boys caught a glimpse of a white cape retreat through the door leading to the roof, "Damn, we have to hurry Kudo or they'll make past the helicopters!"
Conan pushed open the door just as KID was about to activate his hang-glider. "KID!"
KID turned, meeting the detectives' eyes and smiling. "Sadly, detectives, I don't have much time to stay and chat."
Conan flicked open his stun-gun wrist-watch and aimed it at KID. "Now, now boy, there's no need for weapons." A very familiar female voice said smoothly.
"Kazuha?" Heiji asked.
Masked Magician laughed, "Like it? It took me a while to get the right pitch but I guess that was it." Masked Magician said while switching into another female voice, "Isn't that right…" the Mage looked at Conan with clear, blue eyes. "Shi-ni-chi?"
'Ran,' Shinichi thought, eyes widening.
Masked Mage laughed again, "I did a good job on Mouri-san's voice too, I can tell." The thief sighed while tossing the Night Phantom lightly into the air. "I'll have to try that disguise someday. Both of them," the Mage looked at Heiji then shrugged. Masked Magician looked down at his 'watch' and gasped, "Well, would you look at that. I'm late, I'm late…"
"Don't even try finishing that sentence." Conan hissed.
"Well, impatient little tantei I see." The thief folded his/her arms across his/her chest. "Not letting me enjoy my childhood filled with Disney."
A hang-glider appeared, followed by a pair of silk-like wings and both thieves jumped into the air and flew—or glided, which ever way you wish to look at it— away.
Final Notes: Yatta! First chapter done! ooh! (There's some implied RanShin in here but since I suck at romance stories, that's about all that's gonna come out of my work) So, how did you like it? Please let me know what you think of it (through R&R's *cough, hint, cough*) And feel free to give title suggestions (though it seems there's a title, I want to add something possibly after 'Double-M and Kaito KID vs. Conan') Reviews make authors happy which makes more chapters!