AN: Oh hey, here's chapter eight! We're gearing up for something that's going to be real fun for me to write in this chapter, so I'm really looking forward to it! As always, thanks for reading, and please leave a review on your way out, if you could be so kind!

Until next time!


Black Echo

Chapter Eight

Invitation


"I'm tellin' ya, Ran-chan, Heiji's been actin' completely out of it lately." Sighing deeply into her phone, Kazuha flopped back onto her bed, closing her eyes. "Lately, I can't help but get the feelin' that he's been avoidin' me, even. Do ya think he's gotten tired of me or somethin'?"

"I'm sure that's not true." Even though Ran's reassurances came through loud and clear over the phone, somehow, they didn't seem all that reassuring this go around. Perhaps it was just simply because of the distance between them. "Hattori-kun cares about you a lot, Kazuha-chan. I don't think he'd ever get tired of you, or anything like that. I'm sure he's just got something on his mind."

"Yeah well, it feels like he's had it on his mind fer over a month now." Kazuha grumbled. "He's never usually this distracted, Ran-chan, not fer this long, anyways. I can't help but worry that somethin' is wrong with him, an' he's just not tellin' me what. You've got experience with childhood friends keepin' things from ya- how do ya deal with it?"

"Well," pursing her lips together, wondering what would be best to tell her friend, Ran racked her brain for a moment. Some days she handled Shinichi's essential disappearance better than others- but that probably wasn't what Kazuha needed to hear right now. After all, if her intuition was on the mark, she knew exactly what it was that Heiji was keeping from Kazuha- and it was hardly the sort of thing that she needed to worry about. "...I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I'm sure it'll pass eventually."

"I mean, it is Hattori-kun we're talking about here." Ran couldn't help but add. She felt a little bad not cluing her friend in on Heiji's own increasingly obvious feelings for her- but that really was not her place. "He's not really the type to keep secrets."

"I guess not." Kazuha said after a moment, letting out another long sigh, opening her eyes. "I just don't like it when he goes out on cases an' leaves me behind, Ran-chan. It feels like he's been doin' that a lot more lately. I thought he was gettin' better about it recently, but I guess maybe I was wrong." It hadn't quite gotten to the levels it had been from before he had met Shinichi, but it still felt like it had been heading back in that direction again lately. "I can't help but worry about that idiot whenever he leaves my sight. He's not very good at stayin' out of trouble, ya know."

"So I've learned." Ran couldn't help but quip. "But I'm sure he'll be fine, Kazuha-chan. If nothing else, Hattori-kun has the devil's own luck. I'm sure even if he gets himself in a bad fix, he'll find his way out of it just like he always does. Besides, he hasn't gotten himself into any bad trouble recently. Except for the uh, cat thing, I guess, if you count that."

"Oh, you best believe I'm countin' that." Kazuha said with a grin, once more recalling the sulking expression on his face when he told her exactly how he had gotten himself so badly scratched up. "I'm never goin' ta forget him losin' a fight ta a cat fer as long as I live, Ran-chan. But I just can't shake the bad feelin' that it almost seems like he's overdue for trouble, ya know what I mean?"

"I understand." Ran said, nodding her head even though she knew Kazuha couldn't see her. "Is he out on another case right now?"

"Yeah, left bright an' early this mornin'. Didn't even say goodbye. I think he thinks if he sneaks out early, nobody'll stop him from goin' off on his own." Grumbling to herself over this, recalling how she had burst into his room to invite him to check out the new hotcake place that had opened up near the shopping street, only to find a note informing her that he had left on a case in his place. "Maybe yer boyfriend's a bad influence on him, Ran-chan."

"I'm sure that's not the case. Besides, he's not really my boyfriend." Ran said lightly, laughing a little, in part to cover her own nerves. It was a good thing that Kazuha couldn't see her flustered face- even if she knew her friend knew full well it was there.

Well, granted, she didn't exactly know the extent of Shinichi and Heiji's friendship- they had become rather close ever since they had first met each other, even though it felt as if they only saw each other about as often as she saw Shinichi herself. She did wonder about it sometimes, that if there was a chance that Heiji knew what was going on with Shinichi.

Sometimes she thought about cornering him about it, pumping him for information, but she almost felt bad about such an idea. Heiji was a terrible liar, after all, it would only make her feeling like she was cornering a dog that had done nothing wrong. If he was keeping anything he knew about Shinichi from her, it was probably only just because he had asked him to- and no matter how much she wanted to be, she couldn't be angry at someone who was keeping a secret for the sake of their friend.

Even if she didn't quite understand when and how the two had become such close friends.

"Not yet, he's not." Heaving a sigh for a different reason now, Kazuha turned on her side, directing her attention to her window. "But it's probably only a matter of time fer the two of ya. I don't even know what I need ta do in order ta make Heiji realize my feelings fer him. An' I'm still not completely convinced that he didn't say what I thought he said back on Ebisu Bridge, ya know."

"Well, I'm sure things will work out for the both of you as well. You just have to give it time, sometimes." Ran told her, turning her head as she vaguely heard the sound of Conan calling out her name. "Ah, I have to go though, it looks like. Conan-kun just came home. Feel free to call me later if anything comes up though."

"Ah, sure." Turning herself so that she lay on her back again, Kazuha nodded her head. "I'll let ya go then, Ran-chan. Thanks fer puttin' up with my whinin'."

"I wouldn't really call it whining." Ran told her, turning on her heel slightly as the door to the Mouri apartment opened up, flashing a small smile towards Conan as he entered. Upon seeing that she was on the phone, he quickly held back on anything it was that he wanted to say to her. "Then, I'll talk to you again some other time, Kazuha-chan. Bye bye."

"Was that Kazuha-neechan?" Curiously looking up towards Ran, Conan gave her a small smile. It had been about two weeks since he'd seen the pair of Osakans last, and as always, he couldn't help but wonder how they were doing. It felt a little like Heiji hadn't been calling him as often lately- but chances were, he was probably just preoccupied with matters pertaining to Kazuha.

"Yes, it was." Ran said, nodding her head, tucking her phone back away in her pocket for the moment. "Did you have a fun day over at the Professor's, Conan-kun?"

"Yeah!" Nodding his head, Conan knew there was no way he could tell her that he hadn't gone over to the Professor's place for fun. He'd gone in an attempt to rack Ai's brain again in regards to Paikaru, since he hadn't been able to get any new information about the Organization member since his brief encounter with him. She had nothing new to offer him sadly, leaving him back at square one. He had a rough idea about his height and basic body type now- but that really wasn't all that much to go on. "How's everything with Kazuha-neechan and Heiji-niichan?"

"Ah, it seems Kazuha-chan's a bit worried about Hattori-kun lately. Says that he seems to be preoccupied with something. But well," a hint of a sly grin crossed her face as she spoke, a knowing look twinkling in her eyes "...I get the feeling that I know exactly what it is that's troubling him so much."

"Ahh. Well, you're probably right." A look of realization dawning across his face, Conan nodded his head, letting out a small laugh. While there was still a chance that the Osakan detective might be preoccupied with thoughts of the Organization making moves close to his friend once again, chances were, if there was something he was even more distracted by, it was his own efforts to try and confess to Kazuha. He'd never really pegged Heiji as a romantic type- and he couldn't help but wonder how much of his desire to confess to Kazuha in a romantic location was borne out of his desire to one up him.

Probably less than he gave him credit for, really.

"Right?" With a bright smile, Ran let out a small laugh of her own. "Well, right now she's just worried because Hattori-kun went off to work on a case without her. Not that I can blame her, really."

"A case?" Blinking a little, a slight frown crossed Conan's lips. Well, it wasn't like Heiji contacted him every time he was working on a case. He knew full well that he didn't need his help on every case he worked, even though he found it fun to have sometimes. Still, he couldn't help but have his interest piqued by the mere mention of such a thing, wondering what type of case it was, and why he didn't want to bring Kazuha with him this time. "Maybe I should give Heiji-niichan a call myself, then."

"Come now, Conan-kun, you know the rule." Folding her arms in front of her chest, Ran scolded him lightly. "If we know Hattori-kun is working on a case somewhere, that we don't know the circumstances of, we don't call him, we let him call us. Knowing his luck, he might very well be trying to work himself out of a difficult situation that our timely phone call will mess up for him in the worst way."

"...you've got a point." Conan admitted after a moment. He wasn't sure when that had been decided on, but given the fact that the Osakan detective was the type to consistently draw worst luck fortunes during the New Years shrine visit, it made a certain degree of sense. "Heiji-niichan does have pretty bad luck. No wonder Kazuha-neechan is worried about him. I'm sure he'll be fine, though!"

"That's what I told her." Ran said. "Honestly though, if I could give him some of my own luck, I would. Shinichi too, for that matter. He hasn't even called me recently, speaking of troublesome high school detectives."

"I-is that so?" Stammering a little, suddenly realizing that he had been so preoccupied with the matter of Paikaru lately, that calling Ran had completely slipped his mind, Conan made a quick mental note to do so as soon as possible. "I'm sure he'll call you soon, Ran-neechan! He's probably just a little busy!"

"You're probably right, Conan-kun." Reaching down to lightly rub his head, Ran gave him a small smile. "Now then. How about the two of us go out and get something to eat for lunch. We'll keep it a secret from dad, of course. That's what he gets for going to the pachinko parlor again yesterday. And he thought I wouldn't notice."

"Sure!" With an eager nod of his head and a bright smile, Conan quickly agreed. He couldn't wait for the day when he could safely go out to eat with Ran again in his real body, but for the time being, this would just have to do. Hell, maybe if Heiji ever got his issues with Kazuha sorted out, the four of them could try going on a double date or something- so long as said double date didn't end with a murder, that was.


When his father made mention of the latest case that he was involved in, Heiji didn't even flinch. The murder of the leader of a rather prominent yakuza group, one that he already knew full well would work it's way onto his father's lap eventually. It wasn't the first time that something he had involvement in had crossed his father's desk, and he doubted that it would be the least, not unless Kudo brought the Organization crashing down overnight- and not even he was that good.

The picture that had been painted was one of the man being murdered by a member of a rival group, and the perfect scapegoat for that had already been picked out. His father might not believe it wholeheartedly- but if there was one thing that the Organization was good at, it was covering their own tracks. It would remain as a lingering feeling, but not anything that he would ever get evidence to prove- and if he did somehow obtain evidence, well...

That was also sort of his job too. Among the number of people who would likely never forgive him for his involvement with the Organization, his own father was pretty high on the list. He might very well be even higher up on it than Kudo was- he'd betrayed the man who had took him in and raised him like his own flesh and blood far more directly, and far more often, than he ever had Kudo. In one case, he knew that the information that he provided them with had already directly lead to the death of one of the officers underneath his father's command. He hadn't done anything to the man himself, but what difference did it make, really?

After taking such a gamble on the son of murderers, to bring him into his own family, to treat him as his own flesh and blood, to think it had turned out this way for him. How ungrateful a child could he get?

The Organization's goal this time, he knew, wasn't so much the murder of one man, but likely the creation of a war between the two rival groups, spurred on by their leader's murder. He didn't know how it was these groups conflicted with the Organization's interest- perhaps they merely wanted to obtain their resources as they tore each other apart- and frankly, he wasn't all that interested. He doubted it would be useful information for Kudo, even if he could figure out a way to tell him about it. The last thing he wanted was for him to wind up being involved in was a yakuza grudge war, not in that shrimpy body of his.

Payment for the matter had already been received, flowing like water into the account that he had secretly set up underneath an alias. There was more money than he knew what to do with in it, really. He would withdraw a portion of it later, to put it away for safekeeping in a safe place. The Organization knew where he lived, and they knew where his storage locker was, but there were any other number of places he had stashed things that would be necessary in the off chance he had to go into hiding. As much as he never wanted something like that to happen, knowing it would put those he cared about in the line of fire, it was still an eventuality that he needed to prepare for.

And he knew that if he one day suddenly disappeared, his father would never stop looking for him- nor would Kazuha, for that matter. He could only hope that in doing so, they wouldn't turn anything up that they weren't prepared to handle- the last thing he wanted to do was to have those around him be in danger because of his actions. If they somehow managed to not be put on a list of targets in the event the Organization learned what he was keeping from them, he didn't want them to do so by poking their noses around in such dangerous affairs, no matter how capable his father was.

"Sounds like things are goin' ta be dicey fer awhile then, huh?" Heiji observed, polishing off his breakfast, setting down his rice bowl. "Ya tellin' me this ta tell me ta be careful or somethin', old man, or are ya tellin' me this because ya want me ta stay out of the way of this case?"

"Both." Heizo stated plainly, briefly locking eyes with his son, watching as he gathered up his plates and rose to his feet. He didn't quite like that underlying tone to his son's voice- the last thing he wanted was for Heiji to get mixed up with the yakuza, not under these circumstances. The situation was already explosive- it would probably only be a matter of time before the situation escalated into violence between the two groups. He'd rather not see Heiji get mixed up in such a situation, especially not given his son's personality. "I'm sure Toyama has already told her, but take care to keep an eye on Kazuha-san as well, Heiji."

"I will, I will." Heiji said simply, making his way to the kitchen. "Well, although I think Kazuha's the one they'd have ta watch out fer, not the other way around." He observed, flashing his parents a quick grin. Time for a subject change. "They say she's the favorite ta win her next tournament this time round."

"Do you know when it is, Heiji?" Shizuka asked, peering over towards her son. It could be a bit difficult to pry information about his tournaments out of him- but Kazuha's he talked about freely. She wished he would speak a little more openly about his own school life- sometimes she got the feeling that there were too many things that he wasn't telling her. "If I recall, it's the semi-finals next, isn't it?"

"That's right!" Heiji told her. "I think it's takin' place somewhere in Kyoto, but I'd have ta ask Kazuha fer more details." He was sure she had told him when and where it was going to be, but it had kind of slipped his mind at some point. Of course, he would go if he could- she did have a point the other day, that he was flaking on her too much.

Whatever was to come, he at least wanted to enjoy the time he had, as much as he could. One way or another, be it because the Organization had discovered the truth, or if the Organization and all it's members had been thrown into the light because of Kudo's efforts, it was probably limited. There was nothing wrong with enjoying his current life for everything he had worth in the small amount of time he had.

Of course, confessing to Kazuha was now completely out of the question. It had been a nice dream while it had lasted- even if he was still pretty miffed about the JSDF thing, but when the eventual fallout came, it was better if the two of them were only just childhood friends. Both for the sake of her heart, and the sake of her reputation, really. He couldn't put her through any more than he already was eventually going to.

Not that it did anything to stop his actual feelings for her- he'd probably carry those to his grave. With any luck, it wouldn't be an early one.

"Well, be sure to." Shizuka told him. "Are you already heading to school, Heiji? There's still an hour and a half left before classes start."

"Mornin' practice." Heiji told her, making his way out of the dining room. It wasn't jarring at all, slipping back into the life of a normal teenager like this, after murdering someone. He'd long since gotten used to that too- although this was the first time he had helped spark a yakuza turf war in the process. He could only hope that there wouldn't be too many innocent bystanders caught up in it. He'd keep an eye on that, at the very least- if there was something he could do to prevent that, then it would probably help take a slight edge of his deep well of sins.

"Well, good luck then, Heiji." Shizuka told him, watching as he left the room, before glancing back over towards her husband. She knew that look on his face, though some might say he wasn't one to express himself much, it was easy as could be for her. "Are you worried that he's going to try and involve himself in that case, Heizo?"

"No." Heizo said simply, a slight frown on his face, as his eyes followed the path his son had taken. Although there had been an undercurrent to Heiji's tone that he didn't quite like earlier, after a moment's reflection, he realized that the telltale gleam in his eyes had been missing when he said it. His son was as easy to read as a book- if he was going to involve himself in something, then without fail, that gleam would always be there. "I don't think that's something I have to worry about this time."

"Well, even Heiji has some sense, sometimes." Shizuka lightly observed, her tone mostly teasing. "He probably is just worried it carries too much risk that Kazuha-chan might get involved."

"That may be it." With a firm nod of his head, Heizo carefully began to collect his own dishes. He'd speak with him again about the matter if he needed to. "We'll do what we can to prevent the situation from escalating- but it may be beyond our means to predict and prevent everything. It almost feels like someone wanted this to happen."

"What makes you say that?" Shizuka asked, glancing up towards her husband. His instincts were rarely off the mark, so when he said something like this, she couldn't help but take note.

"Nothing concrete. It's only just a feeling."


"You've seemed rather troubled by something lately."

It was that rather cool observation coming out of the mouth of Amuro Tooru that had Conan momentarily sporting a rather deep frown. He had already since considered trying to see if this man- this double agent, had any information of his own about Paikaru, but had decided against it, for the same reasons he had decided against asking him about Rum. He might be a mole, but he'd already shown that he had motives of his own- and that made him a dangerous man to trust. Although he didn't doubt that he was already aware of the fact that he had been looking into matters regarding Rum- he'd rather keep the other Organization member he was looking into as much of a secret as possible.

He already knew that Kir was working for their side- even though his plan to capture Akai Shuichi has failed, it was a plan that had still ended with them being forced to reveal that card to him. He hadn't quite put aside the idea that Okiya Subaru and Akai Shuichi were one and the same either, and that was something he wanted to keep him from finding proof of for as long as possible. He didn't want to put their only real contact inside of the Organization at risk, for any reason.

"Even kids have their own worries, Amuro-niisan!" Conan piped up, leaning across the table a little. "More importantly, is my food ready yet?"

"In just a moment. Are Mouri-san and his daughter going to be joining you in a little while?" Amuro asked, not missing the way he had deflected the question. Something was clearly on the boy's mind- and that look on his face was one that he had come to know well. An expression that only surfaced when his thoughts were dwelling on either a case- or them.

"Yeah, once they get done with Uncle Kogoro's client." Conan said, nodding his head.

"Oh? I'm surprised you're not up there with them." Amuro noted, arching a brow. "You always seem to have a knack for butting into that sort of thing."

"Not always." Conan insisted, giving him what he hoped was a rather childish pout. Besides, the only thing that uncle was doing right now was reporting his findings in regards to an adultery case- that wasn't something he was interested in, nor was it something that he needed him around for. At the very least, he could handle that much by himself. "You make it sound like I'm bothersome, Amuro-niisan. That's not very nice."

In the back of his head, Conan could only think that he would likely never live it down if Amuro ever learned the truth about him. Of course, there were many other reasons why he was never going to allow something like that to happen- but he'd be lying if he tried to say that wasn't a small portion of it, at least.

"Sorry, sorry." Flashing him an apologetic smile that Conan knew was entirely fake, Amuro merely brushed off his act. He didn't know what Edogawa Conan's deal was just yet- but the things he worried about were hardly the same as what a normal first grade student would worry themselves about. A normal first grade student wouldn't be involved with the FBI, trying to take down a dangerous international Organization. "You're very helpful, after all. I'm sure the police and Mouri-san alike appreciate you a great deal."

"No, no, I'm just saying what I notice sometimes, that's all." Conan said, not letting his smile falter. Two could play at this game. Besides, he was pretty sure that while the police might appreciate him to some degree now, Kogoro was another matter entirely. Telling him that he had been using him as a puppet for the past half year or so wasn't going to be fun, even though it was something he knew he needed to do eventually.

Not until everything was over, though.

"Still, you're quite bright for a child." Amuro observed, locking eyes with him. "No wonder you can manage to go head to toe with them as easily as you can."

"Well, I'm only just doing my best, Amuro-niisan." Conan told him, peering behind the blonde man, fighting back the urge to let out a sigh of relief as he spotted Ran and her farther. "Ah, Ran-neechan! Over here, over here! I've saved us a spot!"

"Thank you, Conan-kun." Ran told him with a smile, as she carefully slid into the booth next to him. "Did you already give Amuro-san your order?"

"Yes, I did!" Conan told her. "He said it'll take just a little bit longer!"

"Then, I should hurry up and figure out something to order as well. Are there any specials today, Amuro-san?" Ran asked, glancing up at him, accepting the menu that he passed her way, watching her father do the same out of the corner of her eye.

"None today, I'm afraid." Amuro told her. "We ran out of ingredients for it earlier, during today's lunch rush."

Watching as the brunette lamented that it was too bad that was the case, Amuro carefully slid his gaze back towards Conan, keeping half an ear out for what Ran and her father told him. The kid was definitely worried about something- and it wasn't hard for him to guess what that something might be. He'd heard about Paikaru's near brush with the FBI after all- and even though information about Conan's involvement hadn't been part of what he had heard, he got the feeling there was a high chance that the kid was there.

Paikaru hadn't told him that much either- but he got the feeling that as much as he had told him some pretty damaging information, he still didn't entirely trust him. He couldn't even really use knowledge of it to blackmail the truth about Conan out of him- which he had reason to suspect now more than ever that he knew. Not so long as he knew his own secrets, at the very least. For the moment, it was for the best to keep the situation as it was. His deal with Paikaru- or rather, Hattori Heiji, was more advantageous to him than it would be to sell him out.

Selling him out to who, of course, was the real question. He'd promised not to say anything to Conan- but he'd said nothing about people like the police, the FBI, his own coworkers, or to the Organization itself. He'd never tell the FBI something like this in the first place- this was Japan, and this was a matter that needed to be solved by the Japanese, not some foreign power. The police had basically no idea the Organization existed, and somehow he got the feeling that telling Hattori Heizo that his own son was a murderer probably would not go over well.

For himself, that was.

Selling him out the Organization was a terrible idea- not unless he wanted to be exposed himself in the process. Akai Shuichi was one thing- but he didn't know if his loyalty to Conan would be enough to keep Paikaru from telling the Organization the truth, as a way to divert their attention from his own actions. Either way, it wasn't worth the gamble.

Still, he couldn't help but feel it would be for the best if Paikaru simply bit the bullet, and told Conan the truth. Nodding his head as he heard Ran place her order, carefully writing it down in his notepad even as his thoughts dwelled on other matters, Amuro had to admit that he was vaguely interested in seeing how this situation turned out.

If there was one thing he couldn't help but wonder more than anything, however, it was if Vermouth was aware that her dog wasn't nearly as loyal to her as she thought he was.

Somehow, he got the feeling that she did.


"Aren't ya a little old ta be dressin' up as a high school girl?"

"I think it looks rather nice on me." With a rather coy smile that didn't quite fit the fresh young face of her current disguise, Vermouth couldn't help but pick up either ends of her skirt, lifting them up in a mock curtsy. The fact that she could disguise herself as someone quite a bit younger than her apparent age was testament to her skills, really. "I am American, after all, I've never had occasion to wear anything like this before. I must admit, I do enjoy the experience."

"Spoken like a true old hag." Heiji couldn't help but observe, heaving a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. Of course, he knew full well about Vermouth's talent for disguise- it was because of that he could conceal his scar now. He had even had a few times to see it in action before. But he never really got used to it- and part of him was just grateful that she wasn't trying to do an Osakan accent to go with it. She'd probably do it perfectly, and honestly? That would just piss him off more than someone doing it badly.

"You're the only one who would ever call me such a thing, you know. It's almost refreshing, in a way. Still rude, though." Vermouth couldn't help but observe, lifting her brows. "Well, a famous actress can't exactly walk around freely on a high school campus. And I'm sure you wouldn't want that boy to receive word that you had a clandestine meeting with Chris Vineyard, now would you?"

She had clearly caught him out of his comfort zone, to boot. She had come to recognize when he flipped his switch, going from the high school detective to the Organization member, and it wasn't often that she had cause to speak with him as the former. There was something about being in the middle of his own campus- or behind the kendo dojo, to be more precise, that prevented him from doing so now. It was a bit amusing, in a way.

He was much more interesting to tease than Gin, at any rate. And teasing Bourbon, as she had long since learned, was a fruitless endeavor.

"An old hag is an old hag. I hear ya looked the same as ya did now when that FBI lady was a kid." Heiji observed, folding his arms in front of his chest, openly glowering towards her. The face that he could very clearly make out the voices of his kendo club mates whispering in the distance really didn't help matters- he knew that they couldn't actually hear anything the two of them were saying from this distance, but what did those guys think they were doing, slaking off like this? He'd have some words with them later, and there would be hell to pay if rumors made it to Kazuha that he was having a secret meeting with an unknown girl.

"So? What is it that ya want from me? Honestly, ya could have at least called me. Ya didn't have ta come all the way out here. It's trouble fer me." Heiji told her. He had been wondering what an upperclassman would have wanted with him- he almost hadn't noticed it was her until she opened her mouth, really.

It made his skin crawl.

"An invitation." Reaching into her skirt pocket, Vermouth produced a sealed envelope, holding it out to him. "I've need of your language skills this time, as it were, Hattori-kun. The Organization is attempting to recruit a new scientist, and I've been instructed to gauge him myself, to see if he's really fit to join us. Unfortunately, I don't speak Korean as well as I would like."

As much as the sound of his real name on her lips made him twitch, Heiji nevertheless took the envelope from her, not yet opening it. Well, working as an interpreter was the least objectionable thing they usually had him do- he could live with that. "An' so ya want me ta pick up yer slack, in other words."

"Indeed." Vermouth told him with a smile, one that fit the face of her disguise perfectly, but not that of her own. "I'm glad that you understand, Hattori-kun. The instructions are all inside of the invitation, and of course, you'll need to bring the invitation itself in order to gain access to the party. It will be a rather formal affair, so be sure to bring the proper clothes."

"And behave yourself, of course." She added, almost as an afterthought.

"What, ya don't want me ta gargle the whole punch bowl, embarrassin' ya in front of everyone?" It was a quip that he couldn't resist, even if he knew full well what she meant. His manners were admittedly lacking sometimes, he knew that much already. "Fine, fine. I'll behave. Anythin' else ya need me fer, or can I get back ta practice already?"

"That's all. If you need any further details, you know where to contact me."


"I heard from Ran, Hattori." Even over the phone, Heiji knew that teasing tone right away, and it was enough to make him groan- especially since he could guess what it was that he had heard about. "Kazuha-chan told her that you apparently got a love letter from an upperclassman at your school?"

"It wasn't a love letter, idiot!" Groaning as he fought the urge to outright hang up on Conan, Heiji instead leaned back in his chair, casting one eye towards the desk drawer where he had hidden the party invitation. "That's just a stupid rumor that idiot girl decided ta take at face value!"

"Then, what was it?" Conan asked, a teasing note still clear as day in his voice. If only he knew that the one he was teasing him about was Vermouth- well, Heiji actually kind of half wanted to see his expression upon learning that, for once. "I don't understand why someone as oblivious as you is so popular with women, Hattori."

"Yer just sayin' that cause yer stuck in a body that doesn't even reach up ta most people's knees. Jealousy, much?" Heiji teased right back, unable to help himself. "Well, even if it was a love letter, I would have just turned her down anyways. Ya know that better than anyone, Kudo."

"Yeah, but does Kazuha-chan know?" Conan asked. "Ran told me the other day that Kazuha-chan has been feeling a bit lonely lately. Just because you're worried about how you're going to confess to her doesn't mean it's a good idea to ignore her while you're doing that, Hattori."

"I know, I know." Heiji grumbled, grateful that this was a conversation that they were having over the phone. There was no smile on his face at the moment- only a solemn look, of someone who had already long since given up on something like that. "I don't wanna hear the detective boy wonder lecture me about my love life. An' I haven't been ignorin' her that much lately, either."

"Are you still worried about me, Hattori?" Changing the topic to something serious out of the blue was another one of Kudo's specialties, Heiji knew.

"Can ya blame me?" Heiji asked, closing his eyes. "Yer off chasin' a dangerous Organization over there, an' ya won't even let me do a darn thing ta help, no matter how many times I tell ya I'm here fer ya."

"We've already-"

"I know, I know, we've already gone over yer reasons. An' really Kudo, I'm flattered that ya think that much about me." Heiji's heart clenched at his own words, and he had to fight to keep that feeling from showing up in his voice. In this instance, he wasn't asking so that he could help him- but to hinder him. He would do whatever it took to prevent Kudo from realizing Paikaru's true identity, even if that meant getting in his way. "But I don't like feelin' useless."

"I'll be fine, Hattori. You know I'm not alone up here anymore." Conan reassured him. "I haven't been able to make much headway anyways. I'm not sure I even have anything that I could ask of you, even if I wanted to."

"I guess even great detectives get stuck sometimes, huh?" Heiji couldn't help but tease, not quite feeling the faint smile that crossed his face. "Well, maybe what ya need is a break, Kudo. Somethin' ta take yer mind off of them fer a little while. Ya think too hard about something, yer like ta get yerself stuck in a rut."

"Well, you could say that I've got a break coming up." Conan told him. "Uncle got an invitation to some fancy party through his work. For a case he solved, for once." He couldn't help but note. "Ran and I are invited as well, it seems. She's really looking forward to it, because one of her favorite drama stars will be there."

Given the absence of jealousy in his voice, Heiji could quickly guess that the drama star in question was probably a woman. He half wanted to tell Kudo that that didn't mean he didn't have nothing to worry about- but that was for a later day, maybe. Speaking of parties though... no, no, what were the odds of that? "A party, huh? What kind?"

"It's taking place in Tokyo. In Shibuya, I think. This Sunday, at the Grand Hotel." Conan told him.

"Heeh, this Sunday, huh?" Fighting the urge to tear into his desk drawer, all but ripping the invitation that Vermouth had given him from it's hiding place, Heiji felt his heart clench in his chest in a different way than it had before, a cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck. Somehow none of this was reflected in his voice, and once more, he found himself grateful that this was happening over a phone call.

Sunday, at the Grand Hotel, in Shibuya. The time and location were exactly the same. There was no way that he wasn't talking about the exact same party.

This was bad. This was bad, bad, bad.

"Well, I hope ya have fun, Kudo!" Somehow managing a cheery response, Heiji racked his brain, wondering what he should do. He couldn't turn Vermouth down- and he doubted she'd be attending the party wearing her own face anyways, so it wasn't like this would lead to Kudo catching her tail. Even as his thoughts reeled, he slowly began to piece together a plan- even if it involved something he never thought he would have to do again. "Ah, by the way, Kudo, can I drop by sometime this week, after school? I can meet ya at that Professor's place."

"Sure, but why?" Conan asked, wondering at the sudden change of topic.

"I can't talk ta ya about what I need with Neechan around, now can I? I gotta figure out a way ta clear up this love letter misunderstandin' with Kazuha, after all." Heiji said simply. That would do for getting him in, all he needed to do once he got there was to create an opportunity. He knew that old man had a stock of them leftover from when he had recalled them from production, after all, if one went missing, he probably wouldn't even notice. Even if he did, he would only think that he had misplaced it. "Just tellin' her it's not true isn't good enough."

The only thing left was to actually pull it off, and to get Vermouth to agree to it in the first place. He had a feeling that she would. Briefly, he wondered if he had chosen to invite him because she knew that Conan would be coming- but after a moment of thought, he dismissed the idea. She was a mysterious one, that woman, but she wasn't omnipotent.

"Ah, that." Conan said. "That's fine. How about this Friday?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Thanks Kudo. I'll treat ya ta dinner that night ta make up fer it. That little neechan too, if she wants." Heiji added, almost as an afterthought.

"Are you sure you just don't want to treat Haibara to a meal so she'll delete her ringtone?" Conan couldn't help but ask. "You'll need to do more than that for her, Hattori."

"Wait a second, hold up. Is that seriously still her ringtone?"