((I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito))
-Present time-
"Arigatou Haibara." Shinichi told the shrunken girl before heading over to Ran's.
"Hai." Haibara said lazily as she hid the other temporary antidotes so the reckless one couldn't get to them. Shinichi hurried up the steps and knocked on the door. No one answered. He sighed and went down to the office and knocked on the door there.
"Nani?" Kogoro answered curtly. "Oh it's you." He went back to his desk. Shinichi scowled at the self proclaimed great Detective.
"Where is Ran?" He asked hurriedly. Kogoro gave him a skeptical look.
"You're too late boy, Ran has moved on." The words stung but Shinichi hid it well.
"But still, where is she?"
"She went out with that Hakuba guy, I think they're down stairs." Kogoro shrugged. "Now leave, I'm busy."
"Busy doing what?" Shinichi's arrogant side picked. "Finishing off you latest case of beer?" He stepped out and hurried down to the café beneath the agency.
-
Ran was in the middle of conversation with Hakuba about school. The two were chatting happily as she explained about Jodie.
"Too bad she left though… it was so sudden." She was saying. "Ne…" She froze as he walked through the door, looking around and then spotted her.
"Sh-Shinichi…" She blinked. Shinichi walked over as Hakuba turned around.
"So you're Kudo Shinichi-kun?" He asked. Shinichi looked at him for a brief moment and then back at Ran.
"Ran." He said as though he were out of breath. Ran looked at him with strange look in her eyes, she then looked at Hakuba. She felt a little awkward, she hadn't told Shinichi about him yet.
"C-Conan-kun… said you were… with him…" Shinichi gestured to Hakuba. Ran looked at him. Was she with him like that? She supposed she was. He was nice to her, he treated her like gold and never belittled her, unlike a certain arrogant detective that was always running off on her. She looked up at Shinichi again, sadness in her blue eyes. She couldn't be with him. It was too painful. He wasn't ever around when she needed him, or when anyone needed him. Only when it was of convenience to him. Like now.
"Gomen." She said softly, her eyes falling on her lap and studying her hands closely. Shinichi and Hakuba blinked.
"Sorry?" They said together.
"Shinichi… gomen." She clarified. "I… you're wasting your time." She said quietly. Shinichi's mouth opened in shock.
"N-nani?" Ran couldn't look him in the eyes, she would stop herself if she did.
"Y-You're never around." She said, her hands twisting the napkin that found it's way into her lap. "It's hurting me… so I… I've decided to not… not to wait anymore." Shinichi swallowed, trying to get rid of the large lump in his throat.
"I… I understand." Shinichi said after several seconds of silence. "I never meant to hurt you…." He said just as softly. "To prove it… I'll quietly support you and him." He gestured to Hakuba. Ran blushed as she looked to the blonde across from her. "But, I'd like a word with Hakuba-kun." He stated. Hakuba stood up.
"I'd also like a word." He admitted. The two males left the café and stepped outside. The two stood in silence for several seconds.
"Don't threaten my life Kudo-kun, I have no intention of hurting Ran-chan." Hakuba stopped Shinichi before he could say anything.
"Good." Shinichi shrugged. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Conan-kun." Hakuba didn't miss a beat. Shinichi's eyes widened slightly.
"What about him?" He asked quickly and curtly. Hakuba looked at him inquisitively. Shinichi was definitely hiding something.
"He's related to you, isn't he?" Hakuba pressed. Shinichi shrugged.
"Yeah, he's the nephew of the grandfather of the cousin of the daughter of my mom's uncle." He remembered, by some miracle, the relation his mother had come up with. Hakuba nodded, seeming to have fallen for it.
"I thought you'd say something like that." Hakuba smirked. Shinichi started to sweat.
"And why is that?"
"No reason." Hakuba said serenely. "I guess I'll be seeing you around?" He questioned.
"M-maybe…" The detective of the east was a little skeptical.
-three weeks later-
"Ran-neechan!" Conan tugged on her skirt lightly but urgently. "Ran-neechan!" She seemed very distracted as she washed the dishes. "Ran-neechan!" Conan was forced to shout.
"N-nani?" She looked down at him, shaking her head and snapping out of her trance like state. Conan pointed to the oven.
"It's burning!" Ran looked over at the oven to see Conan was indeed right, smoke was coming from the inside of the appliance.
"Eep!" Ran quickly pulled the oven door open and pulled the dish out and set it on the counter.
"G-Gomen Conan-kun!" She apologized quickly. "I lost track of the time." She smiled sheepishly as she got ready to clean the inside of the oven after it cooled down of course.
"Daijobu…" Conan blinked. "Demo… what was it?" He asked, looking at the burned substance.
"It was your cake." Ran admitted. "But I burned it to a crisp." She said, dumping the ruined thing in the trash.
"Cake?" Conan blinked. "Why were you making me a cake?" Ran sighed. He really was just like Shinichi.
"Your Birthday is in a few days. We were going to have a small party here since, Otousan got a all expense paid Vacation to the Izu this weekend." She smiled.
Conan blinked.
"Is my birthday really this weekend?"
"Hai!" Ran smiled. "Silly boy, you forgot. You're going to be seven, ne?"
"E-eight…" Conan corrected, stopping himself from saying eighteen. Ran blinked.
"Gomen Conan-kun! I guess I just don't want you to grow up." She giggled.
"I guess not…" Conan voiced. 'No one does… apparently.' He thought to himself. Ran decided the oven had cooled off enough and she started to clean it.
"I'll make you another cake, this one won't burn, ne?"
"I know it won't!" He chirped happily. "I'm going to go play soccer, okay?" He dashed out of the Kitchen.
"H-Hai…" Ran blinked as he assumed it was fine. Conan grabbed his soccer ball and headed out the door, slipping his shoes on as he did. He hurried down the steps and nearly plowed into Hakuba.
"Slow down Conan-kun, you can hurt yourself going down stairs that fast." He advised. Conan stopped and looked at him.
"Gomen ne!" He ran off again. Hakuba blinked and then went up the stairs Conan had run down. When he got to the door he knocked lightly. A few seconds later Ran answered and opened the door so he could step inside.
"Konnichiwa, Saguru-kun!" She said brightly.
"Konnichiwa." Hakuba smiled at her. "Conan-kun was in a hurry to get somewhere." He commented as he watched the girl head back into the kitchen.
"Ah… he was going to play soccer." She explained as she started to clean the oven again. Hakuba watched her.
"Need some help?" He offered. Ran shook her head.
"It's okay, I'm almost done." She assured as she got the last of it out. "Ne?" She set the cloth she had been using to clean it with aside and strode over to the refrigerator and pulled out some eggs, milk, and other ingredients.
"Who are you making a cake for?" He asked, recognizing them.
"Conan-kun." Ran didn't question his deductive abilities. "His birthday is this weekend so Otousan and I agreed to have a little party for him here tonight." She explained. "We're going to the Izu this weekend. According to Conan-kun he's turning eight. I thought it was seven." She rambled. Hakuba nodded.
"Don't want him to grow up on you?" He asked with a smile. Ran giggled.
"That's what I think." She started to mix the ingredients together.
"Anything I can do?" Hakuba offered. Ran shook her head and continued her work.
-
"Happy Birthday Conan-kun!" Ran said happily as he blew out the candles. Somehow it was insulting that only eight candles sat on the cake Ran had expertly made to look like him. All the candles were the same color, he couldn't say that one stood for ten years. Of course he didn't let this be known.
Ran pulled the cake away from him and started to cut it in equal amounts.
"The first piece goes to Conan-kun." She announced, setting the small slice in front of him. He picked up the fork and started to eat it.
"Itatakimasu." He chirped happily. Ran had managed to pass out a slice of the cake to everyone who had come.
"Can we open presents now?" The children asked. Conan sighed. He didn't really care what he got. Ran blinked and then nodded.
"Hai!" She smiled. Conan blinked. Suddenly several gifts were in front of him.
"Open mine first Conan-kun!" Ayumi pleaded. Conan sighed and selected the gift wrapped in bright pink paper. His deduction skills told him it was Ayumi's.
"Arigatou Ayumi-chan!" He said as opened a new soccer ball. "My old one has hole it it… I think." Conan remembered the ball was unusually flat while he was playing with it.
"Ai-chan poked a hole in it." Conan looked over to Haibara who looked innocent.
"I should have known." He started to open Mitsuhiko's present. It was a set from a new mystery series, one he hadn't read yet.
"Sugoi!" He expressed, having been expecting a child mystery series, but it wasn't. He then opened Genta's present.
"Ah re?" He looked down into the empty bags which had a few crumbs in it. "Genta-kun…" Conan said in his voice that told everyone he was not amused. "Did you eat my present?" Genta smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.
"G-gomen… Okasan made you cookies, and I got hungry." Conan sighed and moved onto the next present.
"Eh? Arigatou Haibara." He pulled out the new detective notebooks she had gotten him. Haibara shrugged.
"Yours is almost full." Conan sighed and then sat back in his seat.
"I also got one for the kid." Sonoko announced happily, setting a rather large present on the table.
"Arigatou Sonoko-neechan!" Conan piped. Sonoko looked at him for a second.
"Open it." She instructed.
"H-hai…" Conan quickly started to rip the paper off. A large box was now sitting there. He stood up on the chair to open it up. He blinked in wonder.
"A-Arigatou." He breathed as he looked down at its contents. File folders. A brand new set of pens and more notebooks. A year supply of notebooks by the look of it. Same with the pens. Sonoko beamed, convinced she had gotten him the best gift.
"Conan-kun." Hondou handed him his present. "I'm afraid it's not as good as Suzuki-san's…" Conan smiled and happily opened it.
"It's fine." He now held a biography of Arthur Conan Doyle. "I like it."
"I'm glad." Hondou sighed in relief.
"Conan-kun, you have one more." Ran smiled happily setting it down. "I-I don't know who it's from." It was a small white box wrapped in white paper with blue ribbons.
"I think I know." Conan recognized the style. He opened it and inside set a card.
Tantei-kun,
I couldn't get this to you over the weekend.
I think you'll find it resembles our little games
-Kid
Conan sighed. 'As I thought.' He pulled out a book, Herlock Sholmes V.S. Arsene Lupin.
"Figures." Conan muttered. He then noticed there was more to the present, A sparkling jewel, the object of his last heist. Conan let out a sigh and reached for the phone.
-
"Why is he coming?" Conan whined. Ran blinked she hadn't expected him to respond in this way. She sighed.
"Because I want him too and Otousan said it was fine as long he had his own room." She explained. Shinichi scowled and sank into his seat next to Hakuba. "Gomen Saguru-kun!" She told the blonde. "I didn't think he would act this way."
"A-ah… it's fine." Hakuba smiled. "I don't mind, he must be tired or something."
"No." Conan said bluntly.
"Conan." Kogoro rounded on him. "Don't act like that!" Conan blinked.
"Hai…" He said in defeat. It had been three week and four days since he had officially given Ran his blessing. The girl was even happier than before, although she still worried over him. Shinichi still didn't like Hakuba but there really wasn't anything he could do. Except for be a brat to the blonde detective. Which didn't work as well as he had hopped it would.
Several hours later they pulled up to the hotel and all got out. Kogoro walked confidently over to the lobby to get the room keys. Conan watched him, not paying attention to Ran's and Hakuba's conversation. A pair of hands with darkened skin covered his eyes.
"Yo Ku-Conan-kun!" The familiar voice with a kansai dialect met his ears.
"Hattori…" Conan muttered and then brightened. "Heiji-niichan!" He pulled the older's hands away from his eyes.
"Happy Birthday." Hattori ruffled his hair with a smirk.
"Oi." Conan shoved his hand away. "Could you stop?" Hattori blinked, seemingly oblivious as to why Kudo was in such a foul food. He shrugged and turned to Kazuha engaging into conversation with her. It then that it fully registered who he had just been annoyed with.
"Why are you here?" Hattori turned back to him and offered a sheepish grin.
"It's your birthday, isn't it, we came to help you celebrate." Conan sighed. This was going to be a long weekend.
"The girls will stay in the same room as me, and you boys can all share a room." Kogoro handed Hakuba and Hattori their key.
"I'm sharing a room with him?" Heiji blinked, completely appalled. "Can't he have his own room?" Kogoro raised an eyebrow.
"I was only given two rooms." He said bluntly. "I'll not pay for another one." Heiji sighed and turned to Conan.
"This is the worst." Shinichi looked over to where Hakuba and Ran were happily flirting with each other.
"Yes. It is." He agreed. Heiji looked sympathetic for a few seconds before picking Conan up without permission. Hattori headed to the elevator and pushed the button too go up and waited patiently for it open up. Much to the displeasure of both detectives, the third detective joined them.
"It seems we will be rooming together this weekend, Hattori-kun." Hakuba said condescendingly. Hattori swore under his breath.
"Alright Hakuba-kun, I won't put up with your snobbish attitude, and don't even think about trying to sneak out at night, either I or the kid will wake up." Hakuba blinked.
"Snobbish? I assure you Hattori-kun, I have no intention of sneaking out at night."
"Good." Hattori stated.
"Heiji-niichan… could you put me down?" Conan requested. Heiji blinked, he hadn't realized he was still holding him and set him down. The elevator dinged and they arrived at their desired floor. Hattori found the room first and unlocked the door. The luggage had been brought up earlier, as a feature of the hotel.
"I'm going to the hot tub." Hattori announced as he dug through his large suitcase.
"I'll come too!" Conan decided, thinking it was dumb to announce it like that. Hakuba shrugged and then blinked at Conan.
"Should he really use the hot tub? He's kind of young." Hattori eyed him for a second.
"Ahou… do you really think I would allow him to get sick?" The tanned boy grumbled under his breath and went to change. Conan waited for Hattori to get out before changing as well.
"Ja matte Saguru-niichan!" Conan waved goodbye before following after Hattori.
"So that guy's with neechan?" Hattori started up the conversation he had wanted to have.
"A-ah…" Conan admitted as the two reached the elevator. They stayed silent all the way up till they reached the hot tub, which was empty, thankfully. Hattori slipped in first to see how deep it was.
"Watch it Kudo, it's easily four feet." He sat on the ledge. Conan nodded and slipped in across from him. "How are you holding up?" Conan looked up at him and shrugged.
"I'm okay I guess." He decided. Hattori sighed and leaned against the hot tub's interior. The door opened and Kazuha and Ran entered.
"Heiji! Ahou! He can't be in the hot tub!" Kazuha pulled Conan out. Hattori blinked before it registered what was happening.
"Ahou! Did you think I'd let him stay in too long? I'm not irresponsible!" Kazuha set Conan on the ground.
"Apparently you are if you're going let a small child in the hot tub!" She huffed as she slipped in. Ran blinked.
"Ne, Ran-neechan, I think I'll go to bed." He decided. Ran smiled and nodded.
"Okay Conan-kun, we have to wake up early anyway." She winked, hinting something was planned. He blinked and then nodded.
-
Conan trudged into the room, having borrowed the key from Hattori and pulled some clean clothes out of his suitcase and changed quickly. Hakuba had been reading a book in the corner when he came out.
"Conan-kun, mind if I have a word?" Hakuba set the book aside. Conan blinked.
"A-ah…" He climbed onto the bed he would have to share with Heiji.
"Excellent." Hakuba smiled. "I met Kudo-kun the other day." Conan started to sweat again.
"D-did you? Shinichi-niichan is very nice."
"I wouldn't say so." Hakuba said bluntly. "What is your –real- relation to Kudo Shinichi, the relation he gave me doesn't work out. How can you look like someone you're related too on his mothers side yet, his appearance takes after his Father." Conan blinked. He had him, there was no way out now.
"We're related…. That's all you need to know."
"It's an immediate relation isn't it?" Hakuba pressed, making Conan more and more uncomfortable. "Is Edogawa even your real last name?" Conan hopped out of bed and ran to the door.
"I forgot to tell Heiji-niichan something!" He dashed out.
((end chapter three... props to those who can guess what Hakuba is thinking))
