Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the third story of this series!
So, I'm leaving on a trip again – unfortunately I didn't have time to figure out completely the next chapter of F&H, so instead I'm giving you this little story :D Hope you'll enjoy it~
Time in F&H – a few months before Chapter 1;
Characters in the story - Edogawa Conan, KID, Haibara Ai, Agasa Hiroshi, Hattori Heiji (Ran, Kogoro and Ginzo in the background);
Genre - crime, general;
Warnings - none;
Background information - This story takes place in the near future of the series' events. As I did not like the Movie 19, I'm not including it here, all others are included - so Kaito knows Conan is Shinichi and has disguised himself as the detective a couple of times. The description of KID in the story is copied from the manga I've read.
So without further delay…
Please enjoy and review! :)
Story 3: The wrongs and guesses
Conan woke up with a grumble and shot an unimpressed glare at the snoring Kogoro, who, once again, has shifted in his sleep and had a leg laying on top of Shinichi's. The boy felt an itch under his shirt, so he raised a hand to scratch it, while trying to set himself free from under the man's weight. He frowned, feeling a paper under his fingers and froze, then he pulled out a card from under his clothes. He looked at it and read the familiar looking letters.
Dear Tantei-kun! Have you missed me~?
If you don't have any plans, I'd be most delighted, if you came to see me at noon in Beika Park near the fountain~ I do believe you won't regret accepting my offer~
KK
Despite the lack of his usual doddle, the detective had no doubts it was a message from KID. But what did the thief want from him? Shinichi grimaced and squirmed his way out from under Mouri's leg. He put the card under his day clothes and went to the bathroom, absently noting the current time. It was still 7:34 AM.
It was disturbing and shocking that the kaitou went into the room while Shinichi and the elder detective were sleeping and managed to not only roam the place, but also put something under his clothes. On second thought, maybe it wasn't so surprising. Conan rubbed his eyes in annoyance. Kogoro was always loud in his sleep and sometimes moved around, bumping with his little roommate, so it was only to be expected that Kudo build up a heavier sleep. And it was KID's specialty to move quietly around. Still it was disturbing that he decided to do it at all.
He didn't like the idea of going with the thief's plan, but it did stir his curiosity. And after all the kaitou never did anything to threaten him, nor anybody else. On the contrary – Shinichi had to admit that a couple of times KID did go out his way to lend the detective a hand, so it probably wouldn't hurt to check out what it was all about. In worst case scenario, he was up for having his dignity ruffled up a bit.
Shinichi rode his sun-powered skateboard hastily, cursing under his breath. It was already noon and he was nowhere near the park. Unfortunately this was the day when Ran decided to insist on spending some time together and he had some trouble leaving her, as she was having one of those days that she missed his older self. Which was odd, since he managed to meet with her briefly not long ago. He sure hoped the whole thing was worth it, or he would make KID pay. If he was still waiting that is… Conan cursed under his breath and stepped on it, narrowly avoiding colliding with a passerby.
He hopped off his vehicle 15 minutes late and started frantically looking around. He wanted to call out for the kaitou, but it's not like he could be screaming out for the internationally wanted criminal and expect to be answered to. He trailed his gaze over the few people standing around and sighed in annoyance as neither looked like they were the master of disguise waiting for him. For all Conan knew, the man could have already left, seeing as he had a heist later that night. He sighed heavily and sat on a bench, taking out the card from KID, wondering what it could have been all about.
"Tsk, tsk… you sure are rude Tantei-kun. Making me wait for so long. And here I thought you had manners~" The young man stopped behind the bench Conan was sitting on.
Shinichi couldn't help the gasp of surprise leaving his mouth as he turned to the person. This time KID was disguised as lightly tan male with long chestnut hair. The only thing that stood out were the indigo eyes glinting at the detective from over his sunglasses. With a smirk, the kaitou pushed the spectacles back on. Conan snorted with annoyance, inwardly happy that the thief waited for him.
"Like creeping around a child's bedroom are good manners."
KID snorted in amusement and returned to playing with his phone. "Touché~ But I do believe it is not your room, but rather Mouri-tantei's~"
"Still, creeping around anyone's room, especially while they are sleeping is disturbing." Shinichi pointed out with flat stare. "What is it about? I'm not up for idle chatter today and I will make you feel sorry if-"
The man laughed, cutting the boy off and shook his head. "Tantei-kun~ Really, as much I appreciate our conversations, I am a rather busy person myself. But the latest gossip I've overheard sounded like something that should interest your… ah! cousin~" He said the word with a mocking grin.
Shinichi frowned, alarmed by those words. KID may have used his identity a couple of times already, but this was not a heist. He doubted the thief would be pulling his leg just for the kicks. Or maybe he wanted his rival to be chasing his tail, while the kaitou would go on with his heist, undisturbed by his adversary. He narrowed his eyes with suspicions.
"I'm listening."
The man sighed and his expression turned serious. "Apparently my dear inspector's superiors are growing impatient with his constant failures concerning catching little old me. They expect results, or at least extending the range of investigation aiming to uncover my identity…"
"What does it have to do with me?" Conan cut in with annoyance, not liking where this was leading.
"Patience, my dear Tantei-kun~ The point is, my faithful inspector decided to expand the number of suspects and keep a closer eye on them." He turned to the detective, letting his sunglasses slide of so their eyes met. "I do believe it would be in the best interest if Meitantei graced my today's event with his presence. If he doesn't, I'd say it is highly possible he might find himself questioned and held in custody, until I hold another heist."
Conan's eyes grew wide, as his jaws clenched. He did have a few missed calls from Nakamori on his other cell phone (he couldn't answer it because of Ran) and it did explain why the girl was so uneasy today. "You…" He growled angrily. "It's all your fault and your disguising as me!"
The kaitou's eyes narrowed in slight annoyance. "Oh~? That is where you're wrong." He hissed back in sharp tone. "I have disguised as you only once for my own gain, out of my own will and it was in exchange for me doing this for your gain, as I moved the suspicions away from your tiny self, mind you. And that time I made sure that Meitantei had a valid reason to disappear. The only dubious time was when YOU asked me to dress up like that, so we could fly with the police helicopter. Despite it was being your idea, I did take my time to make sure your friends' testimonies were enough for the police to believe I'm not a detective outside the uniform. Your current problems are hardly my fault. And I am giving you a heads up, so you could easily slip any suspicions. I could have ignored this."
Shinichi flinched and looked away. "Sorry…" He grumbled. It would have been so easy to just blame the thief. "So what do they have on me?"
KID sighed heavily and snapped his fingers. A thin file appeared in his gloved hand. Was it gloved before? The detective dismissed the question and took the offered papers.
"It's a copy, feel free to keep it." He assured, seeing uncertainty in the other's eyes and sighed. "I am afraid Tantei-san used to be quite frantic about catching me. And apparently after one of my early heists, he found a hair on a scene. Shocking, isn't it? I wouldn't call the places I hold my events filthy, but they are hardly sterile. Anyway… for some reason, the dear detective believed it's mine. So he ran a few tests and added the results to what he already found out about me."
The detective focused his gaze on the file and muttered as he read out. "Height 174 cm, weight 58 kg, eyes left 2.0, right 2.0, highly intelligent with IQ 400-"
"I do feel flattered that it is so transparent~" The kaitou cut in with a grin. Shinichi just rolled his eyes and continued.
"Has several voices, good at playing all kinds of sports, has a lot of power, but lacks intention."
"Now that was rude…" KID cut in once again with a scowl.
"Will you stop that?" Conan growled and continued. "Japanese male, blood type B, age 15-17…" The detective trailed off, running his gaze through the description again.
"Sounds familiar?" The thief asked, after a few minutes of silence.
"This has to be some kind of joke…" The boy mumbled, clenching his hands over the paper.
"Well… what can I say? There are rather few certified geniuses, fewer who live in Tokyo. And the number with matching blood type, plus being conveniently away…" He spread his arms in a helpless gesture without ending the thought. "But I am truly sorry about this misunderstanding." He added honestly.
Conan cursed under his breath. Like he didn't have enough problems already. Even if the kaitou really did do his best to throw off suspicions from his times when he dressed up as the detective, in the light of this evidence the case could easily be opened again. And it seemed there wasn't much he could do to stop this.
KID sighed heavily and stood up, dusting off his pants. "Well I wouldn't worry too much about it, Tantei-kun. Nakamori-keibu didn't believe in this research and it is doubtful he believes in it now. He just has to do something to take the higher ups from his back. I'm positive that if Meitantei manages to come to today's event then after brief questioning and cheek pulling, he will be left alone."
"It's impossible…" Shinichi mumbled through his clenched teeth.
"Then prepare some valid evidence of him being elsewhere during the time. I am sure you can think of something. Anyway~ It's been nice seeing you, but now I have to prepare for tonight~ Hope to meet you there. Whatever the form~" He added with a wink and turned around, leaving the boy on the bench.
Conan hopped off and moved to stop the thief, but then dismissed the idea. There wasn't any point in it and he had to act fast. He took his sun-powered skateboard and rode it fast to Agasa's.
"No." Was a blunt response from Ai, even before Shinichi managed to finish his explanation.
"But Haibara! It's important! If I don't come, it can turn into a disaster!" He urged.
"And if you take the antidote after such a short period, it can ruin your health." She pointed out calmly, after taking a sip of her tea.
"I already took it once right after I changed back and I was fine!"
"No, it wasn't fine and don't even try to trick me like that!" She hissed at him, placing the cup on the counter. "I am the one who makes your blood tests, so you can quit hiding how badly it influenced you. I am not going to let you risk your life over such a stupid reason and that's final!"
"It won't matter if I don't have a life to return to!"
"Oi, oi Shinichi… calm down please…" Agasa raised his arms, attempting to end the quarrel. "I'm sure we can deal with it, even if you get accused of being KID. You'll just have to be careful with who you show yourself to after taking the temporary antidote for a while-"
"Yeah? I'll have to hide from Ran as well?!" He snapped at the old man and sighed, driving a hand over his face, mumbling. "Sorry, professor… It's just that I can't deal with more of this crap…"
"I understand, Shinichi… But from what Ai-chan is saying this is too dangerous. Can't you ask your mother to come and stand in for you?"
The detective shook his head. "They are on the other side of the globe. There is no way they could make it in time. Besides… Nakamori will undoubtedly want to pull her face and that would ruin the disguise. The only one who could manage it is KID himself, but even he can't be in two places at the same time. And even if he did, then there is no certainty that they wouldn't want to put him in custody for a while. It wouldn't help me if he decided to break out of arrest." He rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Why don't you try calling this whole Nakamori and throw him off?" Haibara proposed, not looking at him.
"I will. I have to call him back anyway. But I wanted to see if I can get you to help me. It would be easier…"
The girl slowly shook her head. "Sorry, Kudo-kun, but I won't let you throw away your chance for the antidote to ever work just for the sake of your fame."
The boy winced, but didn't want to argue anymore. There wasn't any point anyway. With a heavy sigh, he took out his phone and called the inspector, thinking of his best excuse. At least he had to try and assure that they wouldn't try to lock him up for questioning the next time he managed to turn back to his teen self.
Shinichi didn't really feel like going to the heist at all. Usually he enjoyed the cheerful event and merry chases after the thief, but this time he felt angry at the man. It wasn't exactly KID's fault, but on the other hand it somewhat was. In the end, if the kaitou wasn't there, then he wouldn't get accused of being him. He knew it was low of him, but he wanted to blame somebody. So he buried his face in the pillow and mumbled to Ran, who came and see why he wasn't leaving, that he felt bad and wanted to stay in bed. He didn't usually mop, but felt that he had every right to this time.
He knew he could deal with it. He doubted Megure or other officers from Division 1 would doubt him, but still… He really did have too much to shoulder and didn't want to deal with any more trouble. He just wanted his old life back, was it so much to ask for?
It was already late and the heist was either already at its end, or nearing it. Depending on how much KID wanted to play with his pursuers this time. Mocking them with his superiority, like he usually did. Shinichi started regretting that he didn't go, just to rub that annoying smirk off his face with a well-aimed soccer ball, when his phone started buzzing. His other phone. With a grumble he looked at it, half expecting it to be Nakamori, but was surprised seeing that it was Heiji calling. He decided to pick up, without using his bowtie.
"Hattori? What's wrong?"
"That's my line. I dropped everything after your call and now I'm on Beika station, just like you asked. Where are you?!"
Shinichi blinked in surprise. He certainly did not call the Osakan, seeing that there was nothing his friend could do to help him and he didn't want to whine to him about his own misfortune. And it clicked. The detective groaned in annoyance. What was the idiot thief up to now? Did Shinichi not suffer enough today?
"It wasn't me. It was most likely KID who called you… Sheesh…"
"What? Why would he?" There was a brief pause, before he continued. "You think he is somewhere here?"
"No idea… Sorry, Hattori, I'll meet you half way, alright? Had a lousy day anyway. I'll tell you when I meet you."
"Sure. See you then."
Conan disconnected the call and gave the phone a small smile. He probably could use to talk to a friend right now. Maybe that was the stupid thief's intention? He rolled his eyes in annoyance, while walking out of the agency. The last thing he needed was a kaitou taking care of him.
He was nearly there when his "Conan's" phone called. This time it was an unidentified number. The detective frowned and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Tsk, tsk Tantei-kun. You missed my show~!"
"Why are you calling me?" He growled back with all the buildup anger.
"Ouch! Seems it was a good decision to call instead of showing up~! Seems you would bite my head off if I did~!"
"Get lo-"
"Gladly." He cut in with more serious tone, but returned to his cheerful one right away. "But before that, I'd like to inform you that at least your dear cousin did grace my event with his presence~"
Shinichi stopped in his tracks, startled by the thief's words. "Come again?" He blurted out.
"I said that Meitantei came to my humble heist and viewed it from the side lines. Sadly, apparently he did not join the merry chase, but was seen by Nakamori-keibu. Unfortunately before their talk could last he got a phone call and took off~ Not that long ago, might I add~" The detective could hear the thief was grinning right now. "Although Nakamori-keibu did manage to pull his cheeks before he did…" He added with slight annoyance.
"This is why you brought Hattori here. KID y-" He started, but got cut off again, by the kaitou's smooth tone.
"I do believe you might have quite a bit of talking to do tonight, but hopefully you can manage~ You might want to save an image I've send you. Do not think poorly of me anymore~ Good night Tantei-kun~"
There was a click and the call has ended before Shinichi could respond. A text message came right afterwards with an image attached. He saw his teenage self smiling at the camera, held by somebody a lot shorter than him. Kudo in the picture was standing in an excited crowd, which was cheering for KID who was flying on his glider above them. He had no idea how the thief has done it, half expecting that the kaitou in the air was either his assistant or one of his dummies.
He met up with Hattori a few minutes later, explaining him the situation. Together they thought of a reason for Shinichi's sudden departure that covered both his own excuses he made earlier to Nakamori and Heiji's arrival. The Osakan growled in frustration when it became clear that he was the one who had to later go to the station and lay it all out. It was a pain, but as much as KID predicted, the inspector wasn't very much into the whole investigation and after a lot of cursing and foul promises to the 'absent' detective he let them both out, deciding that the picture 'the boy made', his own sighting of Shinichi, Hattori's testimony and all of the previous assurance that Kudo couldn't be KID were enough for him to close the wretched case and return to more serious matters.
They were walking back the empty streets towards the agency, with Shinichi worrying slightly about Ran's reaction when they reached their destination, when Heiji broke the silence with a snort. The shrunken detective raised an eyebrow at his friend.
"Nothing~" The Osakan waved a hand. "I just figured that you found yourself a nice protector here~"
"Ha-ha… Very funny, Hattori." He grumbled back, but couldn't help a small smile showing up on his face.
"I think it wouldn't hurt if I saw the guy sometime myself. And watching him on the TV was always fun. Give me a call when he announces his next heist?"
Shinichi snickered at that and gave a shrug. "Sure. Might be interesting to chase him with you~"
"Wanna bet I'll catch him before you do~?" The other responded with a snort, accepting the challenge. "So? You thought out how you will repay him for the help?"
"Barou… It was his fault to begin with." He stated with bemused glare, but sighed afterwards. "Well… Maybe I'll go easy with him the next time I manage to corner him."
Heiji smirked, but bit back a comment for the fond smile his friend tried to hide. "Alright then. Give me a shout out when you manage that. Wouldn't be fair to challenge you before that."
Another snicker and an eye roll "Sure."
Later when he was getting ready for bed, Conan found a tiny listening device on the brim of his shirt. He wondered what to do with it, suppressing his first thought to crash it. Carefully he attached it to the card KID left with him last night and whispered to it.
"Thanks. I owe you one."
As he stood on a chair to clench the card on the window, he noticed a white dove descend towards him from a nearby electricity line. It landed gently on his extended hand so he smiled fondly at it and gave it the card. The bird obediently took it in its beak. The detective stroked it gently before sending it off to the sky. He watched the white dot fly away until Ran called out to him, asking to close the window and go to sleep. Reluctantly he obeyed her.
End notes: It took Conan a few months to corner KID, as either the kaitou did not hold any events, or the detective was unable to attend them and two times the thief managed to slip from his grasp.
As you can see I choose that Shin has B blood type, because I tried researching it and it is only said that he has some rare type, which is not 0 - so it's either A or B.