AN: Hello, chapter two here. Yes, as you can see, my updates are more frequent currently. Not going to stay that way though. Expect a sudden silence from me as soon as my exams really begin.

Also, I do hope people are enjoying the story. I'm a bit concerned since this is the first time I'm writing full-fledged angst+romance fic. No idea how I'm doing, but I do hope it's enjoyable.

So, do be kind and leave a review, yes?

Enjoy~

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"Dialogues"

'Thoughts'

Chapter 2: Revelations

"You could choose no other place, could you?" Shinichi asked as the Sakura blossoms swirled in the air and around them, "This is romantic. Why am I even here? You could have introduced me at some café, or something. Watching the two of you get cosy – along with Hakuba and his girlfriend – is going to be awkward. What am I? The third wheel? Fifth wheel? Seriously, Ran…"

"Shush, Shinichi!" Ran hushed him, "I'm not asking him out today, only introducing the two of you and let you make your deductions. Free rein, see?"

Shinichi sighed.

"Besides, you'll get along really well with Hakuba-kun, I know," Ran paused then, "Oh. I keep forgetting you've already met him as Conan."

Shinichi grinned, "Yeah, I have, but meeting him as Shinichi is going to be different. Still, did you have to choose such a grand place?"

"Getting jealous, Shinichi?" Ran teased, "Or is it disdain? Thinking it doesn't match up to the Big Ben?"

"Naturally," Shinichi puffed up his chest proudly, winking at her, "My grand gestures are always breath-taking, you must admit."

Ran giggled, "I definitely enjoyed the Tropical Land fountain that activated when we stood at the centre and the car ride in New York with your mom took a few years off my life, but the Big Ben was pure coincidence. Coincidence, I tell you!"

"Was not!"

"Definitely was! And Kuroba-kun is just as keen on big gestures as you are!"

"Already thinking about where he's going to confess?"

"Mou, Shinichi! I told you that this is not certain. That's what you're here for, right? To see if he likes me that way…"

"Hai, hai,"

The two of them came to a stop under a huge Sakura tree, the meeting spot that had been decided upon, waiting for Ran's friends to arrive.

A girl, looking bizarrely like Ran – Nakamori Aoko, Shinichi's mind supplied – was chasing a teen who looked quite like Shinichi. That, the Heisei Holmes realised, must have been Ran's crush.

'Ao-kun' was laughing as he dodged away from his childhood friend's swinging fists, running up to them and ducking behind Ran. Keeping his hands on her shoulder, he peeked out, sticking out his tongue at the girl.

"Ran-chan, get away from him!" Aoko growled, "I'm going to throw him into the koi pond!"

"Nooo, Aoko, anything but that!" the boy pleaded, mischief dancing in his eyes.

Already, Shinichi felt uncomfortable. He also had the sudden urge to tell the guy to get his hands off Ran, which was absurd because he no longer liked her that way and if all went well, Ran was soon going to enter a relationship with him.

"Maa, maa, Aoko-san," Ran placated, "What did he do this time?"

"Dyed my hair green," Hakuba said, making his appearance at last.

And Shinichi couldn't help but stare, because, truly, it was green. Hakuba Saguru's blond locks were green. Green.

Shinichi snorted.

As everyone's gaze suddenly turned upon him – Aoko's mouth doing a passable imitation of a fish's, while Hakuba looked like he was visiting his worst nightmare – Shinichi bowed politely.

"Two Kuroba's?" Hakuba muttered faintly, "Good God!"

"Ah," Shinichi chuckled, "not quite. Allow me to introduce myself; I'm Kudo Shinichi, a detective."

The other teen – Kuroba – groaned slightly, while Hakuba turned speculative.

"The Great Detective of the East?"

"You've met Heiji, I presume, Hattori Heiji," Shinichi smirked.

"Yes, unfortunately,"

Hakuba held out his hand, which Shinichi accepted. A moment passed, then –

"Fencing?"

Hakuba smirked, "Violinist?"

"Horrors of horrors," Kuroba sighed dramatically, "Another Sherlock Holmes fan,"

"How do you know he's a Holmes fan?" Aoko asked, confused.

Curious to hear his reasoning, both detectives refrained from answering.

"That was Holmes famous test to find out a person's profession," Kuroba replied, "And that's also how he guessed – sorry, deduced – Watson's."

"True," Hakuba narrowed his eyes, "you certainly know your Holmes trivia. I didn't know you were aware of it, did you read?"

"No! I've had enough of your deductions, no need to read anymore! A friend told –" Kuroba stopped abruptly, leaving his sentence unfinished. Suddenly changing tactics, he bowed in front of Shinichi, "Anyway, I'm Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire!"

"Magician?" Shinichi repeated in surprise, and at his questioning glance, he elaborated, "Ah, Ran mentioned you were in the Drama Club. I'd presumed you were an aspiring actor,"

"No," Ran shook her head with a smile, "I said performer, as in, magician."

"And I'm Nakamori Aoko," the girl smiled at him, "Ran-chan talks quite a bit about you. And Aoko's heard about Kudo-kun from Otou-san; you're a very famous detective,"

"Thank you," Shinichi grinned at her.

After introductions were over and done with, the five of them decided to first visit the shrine and then get a place to sit and relax. Occupying one of the tables placed near a food stall, Aoko and Ran went off to buy a few plates of okonomiyaki, yakisoba and a couple of ramen bowls.

Shinichi and Hakuba immediately delved into a conversation of Sherlock Holmes, with Kuroba interjecting now and then.

"I wouldn't call that canon," Shinichi scowled when Kuroba mentioned Arsène Lupin outwitting Holmes, "Maurice Leblanc used the character without Conan Doyle's permission,"

"Pay him no mind," Hakuba advised, "he'd support the thief over the detective any day,"

"Oi!" Kuroba huffed, "How many times do I tell you, KID-sama is no mere thief!"

"Oh what, pray tell, is he then?" Hakuba asked sardonically, entering what seemed to be the beginning of an age old argument.

Shinichi immediately felt like he was missing something about this conversation.

"He is a magician first and foremost. Or have you not noticed that he always returns what he steals?" Kuroba retorted.

"You're a KID fan, then?" Shinichi asked, amused.

"The greatest!"

"Hmm, you might have to compete with Sonoko for that title, Suzuki Sonoko that is," Shinichi told him.

"She wins," Hakuba declared with a snort, earning a glare form Kuroba, "she wins, hands down. No doubt about it."

"You seem pretty sure," Shinichi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh believe me, I'm positive –"

"Hakuba!" a glower from Kuroba.

"– Suzuki-san is definitely KID's biggest fan, no competition,"

Before they could debate further upon it, the girls arrived with the food and the topic was left alone.

Shinichi couldn't deny the charisma Kuroba had; he could see why Ran had fallen for him or was beginning to fall for him, at least. Apart from the fact that he was handsome – and that might be narcissism rearing its head, seeing how similar the both of them looked – Kuroba was all smiles and cheer and witticisms packed into one genius, hyperactive, nineteen year old young man.

He could hold a conversation with Shinichi about various different books, the properties of belladonna (A highly poisonous herb used in both cosmetics and medicine), discuss old and archaic Roman architecture and successfully hold his own in a three-way debate between himself, Shinichi and Hakuba on the merits and legalities of recently proposed bill (The Court had been leaning more towards over-ruling it, but that was another matter).

So; well read and opinionated, with a good head on his shoulders, Shinichi had only good feelings about Ran and Kuroba getting into a relationship. From what he'd seen, Kuroba seemed to possess at least a little bit of attraction towards Ran – who wouldn't? Shinichi knew all too well what a charming woman she was – and might even be enthusiastic to date her.

Only…

'He gives me an odd feeling,' Shinichi thought as he watched Kuroba produce flower after flower from numerous hidden pockets and decorate a giggling Aoko-san's hair, 'I feel as if I've met him before…he seems familiar, and that is odd…'

Because Kuroba was nothing if not memorable. Shinichi was sure that if he'd ever come across the teen – while working on a case or on a school trip, because he'd certainly not encountered him as Conan – he'd never be able to forget him.

Wait… Conan?

Shinichi gulped, anxiety crawling up his throat as he fought to maintain a placid expression on his face.

"Are you alright, Kudo-kun?" Hakuba asked in a concerned tone, gaining the attention of the others.

Ran immediately turned to face him and Kuroba stopped putting more flowers in Aoko's hair – she looked quite like the Goddess Persephone already.

"Shinichi?"

"I'm fine, Ran," Shinichi attempted a smile,

She frowned and pulled him aside, muttering excuses to her college friends.

At a safe distance, she asked him, "Are you sure? It's not some side-effect of the cure suddenly surfacing, is it?"

Guilt immediately overcame Shinichi; he hadn't meant to worry her needlessly.

Adopting a much more natural smile, he reassured her, "No, no, Ran. I'm fine. It's been months since I took the cure! Nearly a year, even. If there were any side-effects, it wouldn't be making itself known now."

She smiled back in return, "If you say so, Shinichi…"

"I do," he asserted, "Now, why don't you go and re-join them, while I take a bathroom break, okay?"

Convinced, Ran agreed and went back to her friends where Kuroba started decorating her hair now – Aoko's was quite filled already. Ignoring the brief flash of pain – dammit, he wasn't even sure! – Shinichi made his way to the toilets. Thankful at finding it deserted, he leant against the wash basin, turning the spout on and splashing his face before letting the water run its course, providing a soothing background noise to compliment his tumultuous thoughts.

'Okay, Shinichi, calm down,' he urged himself, 'let's look at the facts chronologically,'

Retreating into safer territory, his mind and fast paced deductive reasoning, he felt his heart rate going down. Logic, as always, was reliable and never failed to deliver the truth. And since there is only one truth, Shinichi would have to face it – be it pleasant or not.

Fact: Ran called him 'Ao-kun' because of his eyes.

Shinichi, as Conan, had been close enough to see that KID had blue-indigo coloured eyes.

Fact: Kuroba was a magician and also in the Drama Club at Tokyo University.

Shinichi knew that Kaitou Kid was a magician, he had to be, and that he was a master of disguise. Acting came with the territory; he'd seen enough examples of how talented an actor a disguise master could be by living with his mother and facing Vermouth.

Conjecture: Kuroba might live close by, possibly in Tokyo, if he'd chosen to attend Tokyo Uni instead of another.

Reasoning: Hakuba knows him from high school, and the blond does live in Tokyo, lending credibility to the fact Kuroba and he know each other since they meet on a regular basis. Thus, Kuroba must live in Tokyo too.

Shinichi disregarded that last thought process since it was nowhere useful to him in his current focus of consideration.

Fact: Kuroba plays the piano and is very good at poker.

Shinichi knew that KID did too. They'd also played a duet once, with KID on the piano and himself on his violin.

Fact: Kuroba is quite fond of chocolate.

KID is too.

Fact: Kuroba has a tendency to play pranks.

KID had told Conan often that he loved trolling the KID Task Force and attacking them with prank materials than any harmful weapon.

Fact: Kuroba was good at juggling, had a great sense of balance and played a lot of indoor games. Terrible at billiards, master at sleight of hand to cheat at card games and a soccer fan.

KID was brilliant at juggling; he did it quite unconsciously at times from what Conan had seen; and the sense of balance did not even need to be questioned.

Sleight of hand? He was thief, enough said.

A soccer fan… KID had proclaimed his dislike of the sport enough times after Conan had gotten the soccer-inflating-belt from the Hakase.

But Kuroba liked soccer?

Inconsistency: Dislike for soccer.

Conjecture: Recent change in opinion?

Reasoning: … … …

"There's no reason I can come up with," Shinichi murmured to himself, "Does that mean that Kuroba is not KID?" Then Shinichi shook his head, "Wait, these are small things that many people may have in common, it's not enough to build upon…"

Fact: Kuroba is nineteen years old.

Shinichi knew that the Moonlit Magician was closer to him in age than what the police believed. There had been a possibility, that Conan had entertained, that this KID was the legacy of the first.

Conjecture: Kuroba had taken upon the mantle after his predecessor passed away.

Reasoning: KID had spoken of the Black Organisation being after him because they refused to steal for them. It was possible that the Black Organisation had tried to kill the first KID for the same reason – and succeeded – but had no idea about it and were trying to finish off the job. Also, Kuroba's father was no more.

"No, coincidence," Shinichi muttered, "That's not enough proof. I haven't ever seen KID's real face, or even shook hands with him. If that had been the case, it would be easy to find out by shaking hands with Kuroba now. The hand can never lie after all,"

Perhaps it was time to see this from a different angle? Also, considering the company he keeps…

Fact: Kaitou Kid's most known pursuers were Inspector Nakamori Ginzo and the varying Task Force members.

There were rumors that KID always knew what was going on within the Task Force and his ease in out-manoeuvring the traps laid for him, cementing the people's belief that he was a Phantom Thief.

Nakamori Aoko was Kuroba's childhood friend and had to have access to her home and thus Nakamori-keibu.

Fact: Detective Hakuba Saguru was also known to have attended several KID Heists, and apart from the Kid Killer (A name that had amused Conan as much as it had exasperated him), was said to have come closest to catching him.

Shinichi had seen the interactions between the two teens. They seemed comfortable with each other, but every now and then Kuroba would do something that would irritate the other or Hakuba would put forth some inane comment that would make Kuroba annoyed.

Most of the times, Shinichi hadn't even understood which hidden nerve Hakuba had stepped on to make the cheerful magician cross or what was so aggravating about Kuroba's pranks that would make the normally composed blond so flustered.

But their seemingly baseless rivalry had a reason to it now.

What if…what if, Kuroba was Kaitou Kid?

A lot of things would make sense then.

Shinichi had never had any problems with thieves. Most of those he'd encountered stole because they were too poor and had a family to feed. Others were kleptomaniacs – an impulse control disorder that required treatment rather than a sentence in prison. And the rest of them – robbers who picked locks in the middle of the night to loot a rich man for profit or worse, bank robbers who terrorized and held patrons hostage to raid a bank – those were past the line of Shinichi's tolerance. They were criminals who needed to be caught and punished to show them the error of their ways.

Kaitou Kid had fallen into none of these categories. That was something that had flummoxed Conan at first, but after their second meeting at the Magic Lover's Murder Case, where the thief had done his utmost to help Conan instead of hindering him, the detective had known that thief was more than what he seemed.

Hakuba, on the other hand, Shinichi could see why he would not be pleased with the thief. KID, who whimsically went after big jewels and diamonds in a seemingly random manner, before returning them – it would no doubt make Hakuba angry at the thief for wasting the police's precious time.

Shinichi had seen how OCD the other detective was about time at the Sunset Mansion Case and the Tantei Koushien Case. And for Hakuba, who didn't know the real reason behind KID's thieving like Conan did, it had to have been frustrating.

That was not all though. It was Hakuba's words,

'…He'd support the thief over the detective any day…'

'…Oh believe me, I'm positive, Suzuki-san is definitely KID's biggest fan, no competition…'

"Of course there was no doubt Sonoko was KID's greatest fan," Shinichi sighed, "if Kuroba is actually KID himself,"

Coupling all that with Shinichi's intuition and feeling that he'd met the magician before, there was only one conclusion he could come to. Because while Shinichi may be a detective, and relied heavily on facts and proof, it was not to say that there were so many times he'd played upon his hunches and instinctual reactions to pursue the truth and reveal the murderer. And here, instinct said that…

Kuroba Kaito is none other than Kaitou Kid.

When Shinichi returned to the others; a scant five minutes after his retreat into the rest room; his face was a mask of polite inquisitiveness as he asked Ran where they would be going next. The anguish that had consumed him at his realisation of Kuroba's hidden identity was nowhere to be seen, bottled tightly up inside him for now.

"We're planning to visit Beika Park now," Kuroba informed him with a smile, "There's been stalls put up, and Ran-san and Aoko want to have a go at darts,"

"Yes," Ran informed him, a gentle look of concern on her face, and a silent question – Was he okay? Did he want to accompany them? Or would he prefer to go home? – to which Shinichi grinned reassuringly.

"We have a bet," Aoko told him, slipping her hand into Hakuba's, "If I win, he's treating all of us to ice-cream,"

"Ha! As if I'm going to lose," Kuroba snorted arrogantly, a smirk dancing upon his lips and suddenly reminding Shinichi of KID's similar expression, "Come on, Kudo! When I win, Aoko's gonna treat us to free ice-creams! You can't turn down such a brilliant offer!"

"IF you win, Ba-Kaito, IF!" Aoko corrected with a smirk of her own.

"Of course I'll win, Aho-ko! You're never going to defeat me!"

Immersing himself into the mindless chatter, Shinichi went along with them, lagging behind with Hakuba as Aoko slipped away from him to link hands with Ran. Kuroba twirled around them to start walking backwards, performing an impromptu juggling show to entertain the girls, both of whom were smiling at him in wonder and amusement.

"I must admit," Hakuba began after a while, "that when Ran-san talked about her childhood friend 'Shinichi', I did not expect it to be you,"

Shinichi shrugged and grinned, pushing his thoughts of KID to the back of his mind to focus on his fellow detective, "Can't say the same. I've been hearing Ran's complaints at finding another Holmes nut for months now,"

Hakuba barked a laugh at that, "You're different from how I envisioned you,"

"And how was that?"

"Somewhat similar to Hattori, I suppose. But he was the only one who ever talked about you apart from Ran-san, and since I didn't think of Detective 'Kudo' and 'Shinichi' as the same person, my views were rather varied,"

"Nah," Shinichi dismissed with an easy laugh, "Heiji and I are only similar when it comes to our work. Apart from that, we're very different,"

"I can see that now,"

Shinichi chortled, falling into a teasing banter with Hakuba and finding it quite relaxing.

The other detective was not Heiji, the loud and in-your-face Osakan with an easy-going attitude and fiery personality, but he was pleasant nonetheless. The blond was quiet, a man of few words, but with a good humour and gentle affection – as Shinichi had gleaned from his interactions with his girlfriend – and would be a good friend to have.

"I've noticed you eye Kuroba speculatively," Hakuba said after a while.

Shinichi showed no outward reaction, wondering what he meant, 'Eye him as a prospective boyfriend for Ran or eye him as a possible candidate for KID? What is he talking about?'

"I presume Ran-san asked you to?"

'Oh,' Shinichi realised, 'he's talking about my subtle questions and glances before I began to consider that he might be a certain thief I'd gained fondness for,'

Shinichi hummed, "Was I that obvious?"

"To a detective?" Hakuba retorted, "Yes. Kuroba and Aoko-kun might simply think that Ran-san's brought a friend to introduce them to. But considering that I was the one to introduce her to Kuroba…"

"You were hoping they'd get together?"

"Yes," Hakuba admitted, "Kuroba's been rather – low, we could say – since the past few months. I thought a relationship might do him good. He's a social person by nature. New friends, if not girlfriend, would be helpful to say the least."

"And you know Ran from your encounters with her in the past, at cases,"

"Exactly," Hakuba nodded, "Ran-san is a lovely girl."

A beat of silence, then, "And, what is your judgement?"

Shinichi wondered what to say.

On one hand, Kuroba was KID – the man he'd fallen in love with. Kuroba was Kaitou Kid, the person he's chased around when he masqueraded as a thief and Shinichi as Conan. KID, who was at first a simple thief to him, then a rival – an object of fascination – slowly a friend and trusted comrade and finally…

KID, whom he didn't know so much about but wanted to.

KID, who did not know him at all…

Because, KID might know Conan, but not Shinichi.

KID – Kuroba – who was surely interested in Ran and definitely hadn't looked twice at Shinichi.

What was he supposed to say? Because on one hand, Shinichi liked KID. But on the other, Ran liked Kuroba. Both were as similar as they were different.

There was no doubt in Shinichi's mind that Kuroba was Kaitou Kid. But from what he'd heard from Ran about 'Ao-kun', Kuroba was a whole different side to KID that he'd never known.

And Ran did.

'But Ran doesn't know about KID, does she?' A voice whispered in his mind.

But even as that thought formed, Shinichi squashed it. Even if Ran did not know about KID, there was always the possibility that Kuroba would tell her about it one day, if things got serious.

And wasn't that the thing? Ran and Kuroba were clearly interested in each other – there was potential there.

Kuroba did not even know Shinichi.

And that decided it for him.

Ignoring the brief flash of pain that blossomed within, Shinichi smiled. He knew that it came out pained, but it was the best he could do. This decision that he was making, was hurting him on a level that could be nearly physical if Shinichi did not know logically that it was all in his mind.

"Kuroba is a decent guy, certainly," Shinichi swallowed down his agony at having to say the next words, "He'd make a good boyfriend for Ran."

AN: How was it? I hope I've done a convincing job portraying Shinichi. And his deductions...hopefully the way he found out about Kaito being KID was believable enough.

Do let me know what you're thoughts are, yes?

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To Rawrz6358 - Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you're liking the story. And any comment you give me is appreciated :) So, I do hope to hear from you to know how you liked this chapter :)

To Zeroxydeous - Thanks for reviewing! Twice a day? My, not even I can type so fast :P But, it's always wonderful to know that your stories are being appreciated, so thanks for that :)

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All of you silent readers out there - I hope you are liking this story. If you are (and if not) do please let me know by reviewing! It does not take much time and highly encourages me to write faster! But, thank you all the same :)

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