AN: And here's chapter nine, my friends! With this, all of our lovely boys are gathered in the same place, and naturally there's only one thing that can end up happening when such a thing occurs, just like clockwork. Please enjoy!

Thank you all for reading, and please don't forget to leave a review on your way out!


(Don't) Believe What You Know

Chapter Nine

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Stop Abducting People Already


"Who's the doppelganger?"

Those were the first words out of Hattori Heiji's mouth, as he cast a disinterested glance up towards Kaito- and frankly, Kaito couldn't think of a more befuddling greeting.

"Come now, Hattori-kun, Kuroba-kun is hardly a doppelganger. Does he resemble someone you know?" Akako asked, effortlessly sliding into the booth across from him. As usual, she had become the focus of the male gaze ever since she had entered the cafe. Merely being in the same booth as her caused those same men to all but glower towards the two teenage boys, something which they both decided to ignore.

"I'm Kuroba Kaito. I'm classmate of Akako's." Kaito said after a moment, his poker face the only thing keeping his smile from being strained, as he offered a hand for Heiji to shake. "I assure you, I'm definitely no doppelganger."

"Least as far as ya know." Heiji remarked, nevertheless taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. "Hattori Heiji. Does this guy have anythin' ta do with what ya called me here fer, Koizumi?"

"I simply ran into him by chance." Akako observed smoothly, a coy grin on her features. "I thought that I would invite him along for some coffee. Isn't that right, Kuroba-kun?"

Heaving a long sigh, Heiji flicked his gaze over towards Kaito, looking him up and down, watching as he took a seat next to Akako. He couldn't help but notice the fact that he wasn't fawning all over the witch- which was something rare, to say the least. Even Kudo appeared to be a little smitten with her, in spite of his shrunken state. Himself aside, Akako's charm seemed to work pretty soundly on most men, so he couldn't help but be more than a little curious about why the one whose face was too close to Kudo's for his liking was seemingly impervious to it. Either he was flat out uninterested in woman to begin with, or there was something more to him.

That witch was obviously planning something, though quite frankly, when was she ever not? 'Ran into by chance', his foot. She'd brought this guy here for a reason, of that Heiji had no doubt.

Still, whatever it was, it didn't appear is if Kaito himself had any knowledge of whatever Akako's plot might be- rather, he guessed that Akako was stringing the guy along just as much as she was him. She had an awful lot of nerve, calling him out here like this and then making him wait for over an hour past their meeting time, but he'd more than gotten used to such behavior from the red witch. Finally turning his gaze back towards Akako, he sent a sharp look in her direction. "An'? How freely can I speak with Kuroba-han here lingerin' around?"

"As freely as you like, Hattori-kun. We can even use tongues, if you like." Akako said simply, her amusement as clear as day in her eyes, watching as Kaito visibly startled as her words suddenly became completely incomprehensible to him halfway through. Switching back to plain Japanese, she continued to smile. "He's already quite aware of your reputation as a detective. After all, we are both classmates with Hakuba Saguru."

"Oh, that asshole." Heiji grumbled, watching as Kaito snorted into one hand. Quirking an eyebrow, Heiji glanced back over towards him, getting the feeling that this guy might very well not be all that bad, in spite of being associated with the likes of Koizumi Akako. "Well, whatever. Ya know I don't like bein' called out by ya in the first place, Koizumi, so whatever it is that ya want from me all of a sudden, ya might as well get straight to the point."

"My, my, so uncouth." Akako observed, letting out a slight laugh, before she reached into her purse, pulling out a photograph. "I want you to retrieve an item for me, Hattori-kun. I believe the matters that pertain to it also fall within your line of duty, so you should thank me for informing you of this matter."

"A mirror?" Heiji asked, glancing down at the photo. It was of a rather antique looking full-length mirror, it's silver frame having already started to tint darker and darker with age, making the cherubim worked into the metal of the frame appear almost sinister. Even from just a photograph, it gave him a bad vibe. "If it's just obtaining a mirror, ya should be able ta do that much yerself, Koizumi. What's so special about this one that ya need ta ask me ta get it fer ya?"

And, after a slight pause. "An' what makes ya think that I will, anyways? We're not exactly friends, ya know."

"As payment for alerting you to this case." Akako said simply, a placid smile on her face. "It's rumored that this mirror is haunted. It's said that those who come in contact with the mirror disappear, and when they return, it's almost as if they've become a different person. I'm sure you know what that means, Hattori-kun."

Judging from the disgruntled click of his tongue, it was obvious to Kaito that Heiji knew full well what the witch was speaking of- even if he himself was somewhat in the dark. Certainly, mysterious disappearances would be right up a detective's alley, but Akako had specifically told him that she wasn't interested in hiring a detective, and somehow he got the impression that there was something more to this case. Watching as Heiji tucked the photograph away in his pocket, the Osakan detective let out an irritated sigh, turning that sharp gaze of his back towards Akako.

"I'll look into the matter at least. Yer right, though I'm loathe ta admit that, this is somethin' that falls within my jurisdiction." Heiji said, briefly casting a glance towards Kaito as he said that, before turning his full attention back towards Akako. Kaito couldn't help but feel like he was choosing his phrasing very carefully. "I can't promise ya that I'll bring ya the mirror though, Koizumi, or that it'll even still be intact once I'm done."

"That's quite alright. Even the mirror's fragments would prove quite useful to me." Akako noted simply.

"Ya know this girl's bad news, right?" Heiji asked after a moment, directing the question towards Kaito. "Ya really shouldn't hang out with her that much, Kuroba-han."

"Don't worry, I know that much." Kaito readily replied. At the very least, he'd been able to establish that Akako's earlier claim of not being on the best of terms with the detective of the west was true, if nothing else. And if he didn't miss his guess, Heiji also knew full well that the girl was a witch. He could also gather the impression that they'd known each other for some time now. "How did the two of you meet, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It was back in middle school." Heiji replied shortly, seemingly leaving it at that. "It's not a story worth repeatin'."

"You certainly caused me a lot of trouble back then, Hattori-kun." Akako told him, a vague hint of irritation crossing her otherwise collected demeanor. "Especially since I was quite certain that your kind was long since extinct."

"Koizumi." Heiji's tone was sharp, as he glowered at the witch, sending her a silent threat to not say another word. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Kaito blinked slightly, glancing between the two in what appeared to be mild confusion, before the Osakan detective let out a long sigh, turning his attention back towards him. "Don't worry about anythin' she says, Kuroba-han. She likes ta be as cryptic as she possibly can."

"You're honestly not that much better than me sometimes, Hattori-kun." Akako noted, an amused smirk appearing on her face, letting him know that her earlier slip-up had been quite deliberate.

As confusing as the exchange between the two of them could be at times, it was nevertheless somewhat amusing, Kaito had to admit, glancing between the witch and the detective. The mutual dislike the two of them had for each other was as clear as day, as much as they both seemed to be resolved to put up with the other. He'd always heard that the detective of the west was the hotblooded, temperamental type- namely from Hakuba, now that he thought about it- and that much quickly became clear to him from the way he interacted with Akako, sometimes looking as if he was just barely holding it together around her.

"Come to think of it, Hattori-kun, I guess you know Hakuba, don't you?" Kaito asked, almost not certain what spurred the question on. "Given the way you reacted to his name earlier." He felt it best not to mention the time that Hakuba had returned to his school with tales of his encounter with the famed detective of the west on his lips. He wasn't certain how Heiji would take the news that the half-British detective had been talking about him behind his back, but he couldn't imagine that it would be pretty.

"I met 'im, once." Heiji noted, quirking a brow. "That was enough. Ya say yer his classmates? I always thought the guy spent more time overseas than here in Japan."

"Well, he only shows up from time to time, but we are classmates when he does." Kaito told him. He could sort of understand why Heiji didn't seem to like Hakuba very much- they had two very contrasting personalities, and although he'd never had the chance to see Hattori Heiji doing actual detective work, he got the distinct impression that they way they handled cases was completely different, judging from the story Hakuba had to tell alone. Still, in the end, it seemed as if the half-British detective did end up with some kind of respect for Heiji in the end- although he still didn't seem very fond of him, even with that.

It would appear that Hattori Heiji was the type of person who evoked a strong reaction in people, one way or another.

"That's right, Kuroba-kun." Akako said, gaze trailing over towards him. "Why don't you go with Hattori-kun to check out the mirror in question? Of course, I'm afraid that I won't be able to accompany him myself, so why don't you go with him in my stead?"

"Say no, Kuroba-han, she's askin' ya ta be bait." Heiji said frankly, glancing across the table at him. "'Sides, I'd rather not just be luggin' someone from the outside around with me, Koizumi. Ya know that much. Whatever yer tryin' ta pull, I want no part of it."

"I'm hardly trying to pull anything." Akako said, placing a hand over her chest, her eyes fluttering in faked shock at the mere accusation of such a thing. "I just think Kuroba-kun could prove himself useful. He's a rather skilled magician, you know."

"Magician?" Heiji asked, tilting his head slightly. "You?"

"I am." Kaito said, flashing him a quick grin. He wasn't quite certain what Heiji meant by bait- and he was pretty damn certain that he didn't like the sound of it. However, he had to admit, his curiosity was still winning out on him in spite of that, as he'd only grown more and more intrigued by Heiji during the course of their meeting. "My father was Kuroba Toichi, though I don't know if you would have heard of him."

"Vaguely." Heiji replied, his gaze dating slightly to Kaito's side, before he shrugged his shoulders. "Still, I'd have ta advise against it. Flashy card tricks won't exactly come in handy."

"I can do far more than just flashy card tricks, I'll have you know!" Kaito said, a slight huff escaping from him, nearly taking offense at the suggestion that was all his skills amounted to. "But it's fine, Hattori-kun. I'm sort of curious about this as well, so I wouldn't mind coming along."

"Yeah, that's what I thought ya'd say." Heiji said, scratching the back of his head, heaving a long sigh. "So? Where's this place supposed ta be anyways, Koizumi? Ya haven't hold me that yet."

"Why, it's right here in Ekoda." Akako told him, rattling off the address from her memory. As she did, Kaito couldn't help but cringe slightly- he knew that place, and also recalled that it had been famous for being haunted ever since he was a little kid. They used to have to pass it on their way to elementary school, and Aoko would always hold his hand so tight he could have sworn his fingers would have popped right off. "It's a very charming western style manor, very hard to miss."

"Ya look like ya know the place, Kuroba." Heiji observed, taking stock of his expression.

"Yeah, I know where it is." Kaito said, slowly nodding his head. Well, he doubted that the claims of the place being haunted were actually true- at the very least, that's what he would like to think. However, given the fact that it was Akako who was the one interested in it... maybe there was something to those rumors after all. "I could show you the way, in fact."

"Well, maybe I'll take ya up on that offer, then." Getting to his feet, Heiji slid out of the booth, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Ya sure ya aren't comin', Koizumi?"

"I'm quite certain." Akako said, giving him a rather placid looking smile. "I would hardly want to get in the way of your work, Hattori-kun. Besides, I'd rather avoid you stealing my magic from me again."

"Koizumi." Heiji said again, glowering down at her, before his gaze flickered back towards Kaito. The boy only looked slightly fazed by the statement, which cemented Heiji's theory that he knew she was a witch already, and once again he couldn't help but find himself wondering exactly what Akako hoped to accomplish by having this Kudo look alike tag along with him today.

She was definitely planning something, Heiji thought, and he was going to find out what. And then he was going to put a stop to it.

Again.

Stealing magic? There were times when Kaito felt grateful for his poker face outside of heists- and this was one of them, he thought to himself, only showing the barest reaction to the otherwise strange phrase. Even if he'd been suspecting that Heiji tipped more towards Akako's side of the magical scale, hearing his suspicions more or less confirmed still took him a moment to process.

Of course, if he could use magic, that would explain the business with the Dragon's Egg from earlier. He already had a slight taste of what real magic could do from Akako's antics at his past heists, so it seemed quite within the realm of possibility. If there were real magic involved in that trick from the other day, then everything would make perfect sense. Still, what on earth was that 'stealing magic' bit about?

Hattori Heiji, Kaito decided, was quite interesting indeed.


Hakuba Saguru had no intention of admitting that the reason he had returned to Japan had anything to do with a girl. Much less that strangely charming Koizumi Akako girl, whose very voice alone sent a wave of emotion through him that he didn't quite know what to do with, a feeling that he wasn't quite acquainted with. He certainly wasn't going to admit that he, a detective with numerous cases underneath his belt, had decided to return to Japan just because said girl had called him in the middle of the night, telling him that there was something that troubled her, and that he needed to come right away and resolve the case, so she could sleep well again.

Certainly not. He'd only returned to Japan because he'd been invited personally to solve a case. That was the only reason that he found himself navigating the streets of Ekoda once more, trying to find an address that Akako had given him. When he'd asked after it at a nearby store, the cashier had paled, but had nevertheless given him directions on how to get there.

It wasn't as if the reaction surprised him. He'd done some research before he'd arrived here, learning that the house in question was rumored to be haunted. Foolish nonsense, of course, there were no such things as ghosts. Still, the case in question did trouble him- people who entered the house for tests of courage would sometimes disappear, and when they did return, around a day later, it was as if their personalities had changed. They became colder, more cruel- as if their good aspects had been stripped away from them, only leaving behind the bad.

It was odd, and it had more than caught his attention. What could cause such a thing? And why had they vanished in the first place? There was clearly something there, though not anything that had to do with the supernatural, Hakuba thought, even as he looked up towards the somewhat ominous looking western styled manor in question. It looked as if there had been nobody living here for at least the past fifty years- although it had clearly seen plenty of foot traffic since then.

Like, for example, the film crew that was busy setting things up in front the house. Judging from the logo plastered on the van parked just outside, it appeared to be for some kind of ghost hunting show.

Joy.

What he did take note of however, was a rather familiar looking face that was hovering just outside the manor, an assessing look that belonged to someone much older written in those young eyes. It was a surprise to Hakuba, considering that he was quite certain that Edogawa Conan's usual stomping grounds were a few cities away, in Beika, rather than here- and he couldn't help but wonder what had brought him out here to this place, by himself.

"Huh?" Breaking out of his thoughts and glancing up, Conan had to do a brief double take as he took notice of Hakuba. "Hakuba-niichan?"

"Conan-kun." Hakuba stated, quickly approaching the young boy, a hint of a fond smile on his face. The boy was something of a curiosity to him, a wisdom behind that young face that was well beyond his years. "I wouldn't have expected to find you here."

"I could say the same thing." Conan observed. Of course, he didn't quite want to be here himself- and he wouldn't be, were it not for the strange letter that he'd gotten in the agency's mailbox that told him that he might be able to unlock the secrets behind Hattori Heiji should he come to this address, on this date. He'd been skeptical of it, but decided to follow up on it in the end. Judging from the look on Hakuba's face, he at the very least, had nothing to do with it. "What brings you here, Hakuba-niichan?"

"An investigation." Hakuba told him. "This house is tied to a rash of disappearances."

"Eh, really?" Conan blinked, more than taken aback by the news. "But I hadn't heard anything about that on the news."

"The victims generally all seem to reappear after one day, so that's probably why. However, it appears that during this time, they experience a severe personality change." Hakuba explained. "A classmate of mine asked me to look into it, which brings me here today. What of yourself, Conan-kun?"

"Well, you could say that I'm waiting to meet someone here..." Conan trailed off, glancing around him. Leave it to Heiji to never show up when he actually needed him to. "Did you run into Heiji-niichan around here anywhere?"

Well, probably not, seeing as the half-British detective looked perfectly collected.

"No, I haven't seen Hattori-kun." Hakuba replied simply, leaving off the 'thank god', he'd added in his thoughts. "Don't tell me the one you're supposed to meet here is...?"

"Huh?" At the sound of the voice of the Osakan detective in question, Conan and Hakuba turned their gazes towards him. "What are ya doin' here, Ku- Conan-kun?" Heiji asked, before shooting a dirty look towards the taller of the pair. "An' what the hell is Hakuba doin' back in Japan period?"

"It's not as if I'm not allowed in the country, Hattori-kun." Hakuba stated simply, almost heaving a long sigh. It had been quite some time since he'd seen the Osakan detective last, and although he'd managed to redeem himself a little in Hakuba's eyes after his somewhat lackluster first impression, he nevertheless was on the short list of people that he didn't want to deal with.

What caught his attention all the more, however, was the young man who had arrived alongside Heiji, a rather unexpected face indeed. He wasn't even aware that Kuroba Kaito knew the detective of the west, and couldn't help but wonder if Heiji had any idea that he was standing next to the person who was very likely Kaito Kid.

"Hakuba? What are you doing here?" Kaito piped up, before slowly turning his gaze downwards, only the virtue of his poker face saving him from allowing his panic to surface on his face. What the hell was Edogawa Conan, of all people, doing here? Akako hadn't mentioned anything about this!

That damn witch- she really had been planning something, hadn't she?

"An investigation." Hakuba said simply, repeating his earlier statement. "I wasn't aware that you and Hattori-kun were already acquainted, Kuroba-kun."

"We're not." Heiji stated simply, folding his arms in front of his chest, feeling a vague headache coming on. Of all the people to cross paths- it had to be Hakuba Saguru. That damn witch- she had arranged all of this, hadn't she? "We just met."

"He's a friend of Akako's." Kaito stated, ignoring Heiji's glower in favor of watching the startled look that crossed Hakuba's face.

"M'not her friend, Kuroba. Thought we'd established that much already." Heiji half growled, eyes casting fury towards the other boy.

"Geez, you are a temperamental one, aren't you?" Kaito asked, making a small face, taking a half step back from Heiji. "Right, okay, so he's not so much Akako's friend as someone she happens to know. I ran into Akako, and then I ran into him, if you're wondering about the exact sequence of events, Hakuba. And what about you and...?" He asked, daring to glance down towards the pint sized detective, carefully masking the slight flinch he felt as he noticed that the child's full attention was directed towards him.

"Edogawa Conan." Conan himself spoke up, tilting his head slightly as he looked over towards Kaito. He had to admit, he was more than a little taken aback by the resemblance they shared with each other- but well, they did say that there were at least three other people in the world who looked like you. He could only hope that it wouldn't cause this 'Kuroba' person any trouble in the future. "I came here to meet up with Heiji-niichan!"

"Wait, why wasn't I informed of this?" Heiji asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"Consider it payback for all the times you've snuck up on me, Heiji-niichan." Conan said lightly, his cute child act on in full force.

"That's fair, actually." Heiji admitted, giving him a slight nod of his head. He had a feeling that Conan just didn't want to talk about it in front of everyone else- eyes casting a glance over towards the house, he could think of a couple of reasons as to why. "An'? What about Blondie over there? Don't tell me yer the type who believes in the occult?"

"Of course not." Hakuba snorted. "As I said before, Hattori-kun, I'm here on an investigation. Is that not what brings you here today as well?"

"Well, somethin' like that." Heiji said, shrugging his shoulders. It was better to go along with that story than tell him that he was trying to collect a certain item for Akako. He seriously doubted Hakuba had any knowledge of that witch's true nature, and it was better to keep it that way. The last thing he wanted was Hakuba Saguru on his tail. "Oh, yeah, Conan-kun," Heiji blinked, glancing behind him over towards Kaito. "This guy's Kuroba Kaito. Nobody gave ya his full name yet, right?"

"That's right, I'm Kuroba Kaito!" Kaito flashed the pint sized detective a grin, half wondering if he could leave this situation without rousing suspicion. The fact that Hakuba was here pretty much shot that idea to hell though- if the half-British detective caught him running from the mere sight of the so-called Kid Killer, then that would only confirm his suspicions all the more.

And he hardly wanted to leave these three detectives alone together. If only because he was pretty certain that at some point, Hakuba and Heiji might actually try and kill each other if left unsupervised.

"Well, we might have some trouble getting inside right now." Conan noted, glancing over towards the van. "When I tried to go in earlier, the people working on the set pushed me out. Apparently they're setting up for some kind of ghost hunter show. Do you know anything about it, Heiji-niichan?"

"Ah, they're a bunch of frauds." Heiji said simply, catching the rather purposeful glance that Conan shot over towards him, glancing over towards the logo on the van himself. He left out the fact that they were also a bunch of fraudulent amateurs likely to get their asses killed one of these days. People like this only managed to make his job ten times harder than it already was. "The whole show is a load of hooey."

"Don't you think that's a bit rude?"

The sound of the new voice startled the four boys, as they turned to see who it was that was speaking. Instantly, Heiji grimaced, recognizing the faces of those behind him- none other than the cast of that blasted ghost hunting show in question. It was a shame he wasn't alone right now, otherwise he'd use this chance to give them a piece of his mind.

"We're hardly frauds." The long, black haired woman that was the leader of the group, spoke up, an offended look on her face. Out of the four, she was the only one who usually had some idea of what she was doing, Heiji noted in the back of his head. "We're professionals."

"Well, it can't be helped, Reiko-san." The young redheaded man behind her spoke up. "There will always be people who don't believe in the world beyond the veil. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do to convince them."

"Still, haven't I seen the two of you before somewhere?" The third member of their group spoke up, a young man with large glasses, who glanced between Hakuba and Heiji. "Don't they look familiar, Aki-san?"

"Now that you mention it, they do." The last member, the one named Aki, spoke up, a light of inspiration striking in him as he seemed to put names to their faces. "I see! The two of you are those high school detectives, aren't you? I've read about you in the paper sometimes. Let's see... it's Hakuba Saguru and Hattori Heiji, isn't it?"

"That's right." Hakuba said, slowly nodding his head. However much he had to agree with Heiji's assessment that these people were nothing more than a bunch of frauds, that was hardly a reason to be impolite. "These two here are Edogawa Conan and Kuroba Kaito."

"I'm Kawasaki Aki." Aki introduced himself, flashing them a quick smile. "This here is Hokusai Reiko, Nagasawa Kazuya, and Haruaki Souji." He told them. "We're the stars of the program that's filming here today."

"And I'm not certain why there's a bunch of people who have nothing to do with us clustering around the filming location." Souji noted, pushing up the bridge of his glasses with one finger. "I don't know what your intentions are here, but you'll only get in the way of filming, so please leave."

"Well, don't be that way, Souji-san." Kazuya said, glancing at the group of boys. "After all, isn't it our job to turn skeptics into believers? What say the four of you watch us work? It's not that often you get a chance to watch a television show being filmed live! What do you say, Reiko-san?"

"As long as they don't get in the way of the filming, I don't mind." Reiko said after a moment, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, if there's not one but two high school detectives here, then I'm certain there's a good reason for it. Did something happen?"

"I was asked by a classmate of mine to investigate some strange occurrences in this house." Hakuba spoke up, glancing over towards Heiji, who cast him a quick glower, before he nodded his head, silently agreeing that was the reason he was here as well. "Perhaps you've heard about them?"

"Ah, the disappearances?" Reiko asked. "Well, that's part of why we're here too. I'm amazed that someone who sounds as skeptical as you would take such a thing seriously, though."

"Well, it's a fact that people did disappear from here, and it's likewise a fact that their personalities changed after they returned. It's not like I can just ignore it." Hakuba stated plainly. "Though I doubt the cause is anything supernatural."

"Then, what other explanation would you have for it?" Souji asked, sending him a sharp glower.

"Now, now, there's no need to get at each other's throats like this." Kaito interjected, flashing the assembled group an easy smile. "Nagasawa-san, was it? I'd be more than happy to take you up on your offer, though I don't know about the other three...?"

"I don't mind." Heiji said finally, shrugging his shoulders. At least this way he could keep an eye on the four of them and made sure that they didn't get into any trouble. Now that he was close to the house himself, it was easy for him to pick up on just how close it was to the boundary- no wonder that it had a reputation for being haunted, as Kaito had mentioned to him on the way over. "Provided they don't get in the way of our work."

Well, mostly his work, really. Screw Hakuba's.

"Your-?" Souji began, before Aki cut him off, casting him a warning look.

"That's fine. We'll both work hard to not get in each other's way. I believe that's something that we can more than manage." Aki said, a somewhat placid smile on his face. "We've still got some setting up to do out here, and some exterior shots to take, so why don't the four of you go ahead and go inside? We'll clear it with the crew."

"Then, we'll take you up on that offer." Hakuba said, giving the man a slight nod of his head.


"Hey, Kudo," Crouched down by his side, dropping his voice low so that the others couldn't hear him, Heiji took the first chance he could get to ask the burning question that was still in the back of his mind. "What are ya doin' here?"

"I got a letter." Conan said simply, dropping his own voice. "Helpfully informing me that if I came to this house, on this date, I'd learn some of your secrets. Judging from all the mentions of that Koizumi girl, I'm going to assume she's the one who sent it."

"Yeah, probably." Heiji grumbled, feeling a slight vein pop in his forehead. Of course this was all the work of that witch. She was probably having fun throwing him in the middle of these three while he was just trying to do his damn job- although what the hell Kuroba Kaito had to do with either Conan or Hakuba, aside from being the latter's classmate, Heiji had no idea.

He assumed he'd figure it out eventually. Knowing Akako, there must have been some reason behind his inclusion, other than hoping he'd serve as bait for whatever it was that they were dealing with here. Most likely some kind of fairy or evil spirit, if Heiji didn't miss his mark.

"So are you here today as a detective, or as something else, Hattori?" Conan asked frankly, making certain to keep his voice to whisper. Honestly, he was leaning towards option number two, though whatever that something else was, he was just as clueless as he had been when he left Osaka two weeks ago. He hadn't had many chances to talk with Heiji after that, so the task of solving the mystery he present to him had been put somewhat on hold.

"A bit of both, really." Heiji noted with a slight shrug. "Anyways, I need ya ta babysit Hakuba fer me, because of that somethin' else, Kudo." Heiji said, shooting the half-British detective a look, who was already busy looking for any sign of anything that would be out of place in a supposedly abandoned mansion that couldn't be explained by it being used for frequent tests of courage.

"Babysit?" Not doing much to mask the incredulity of his tone, Conan arched a brow. "Hakuba's the same age as we are, Hattori. He hardly needs a babysitter, especially not one who looks half his age, at the very least."

"Listen, Kudo." A rather dry expression crossed Heiji's face as he locked eyes with the shrunken detective. "Let's say hypothetically, the four of us found ourselves in a horror movie. Which one of us is gonna die first?"

"...Hakuba, probably." Conan admitted after a moment of thought, not entirely seeing how that question was related. "Incidentally, you'd probably be the killer."

"Okay first off, that's cold, Kudo." Heiji told him, casting a disbelieving look towards his friend. "I'm obviously the red herring that ends up savin' yer sorry butt in the end, but I digress. Anyways, I need ya ta just keep an eye on Hakuba an' make sure he doesn't get in my way."

"He's investigating the same thing you are, Hattori, why not work with him?" Conan asked. "I know the two of you don't get along, but... why are you looking at me like that, Hattori? Don't laugh, I'm being serious here."

"No, no, I mean. Think about it fer a second Kudo." Heiji told him, unable to keep an amused grin off of his face. "Do ya really think someone like Hakuba is gonna be able ta keep up with me? Like ya asked, I'm half here as somethin' other than a detective, an' I think ya've unlocked enough about what that somethin' other is ta know why I'm findin' that suggestion of yers so funny right now."

There was a slight pause, before Conan gave the briefest of sighs, rubbing his forehead. "Alright, yes, I can kind of see where you're coming from, Hattori. I'll look after Hakuba as best as I can, provided you tell me exactly why you're here in the first place. No lies, nothing cryptic."

"I'm lookin' into a mirror fer a witch." Heiji stated, watching as a disbelieving look crossed Conan's face. Shrugging his shoulders, he could only give him a slightly helpless look, the effect of which was somewhat hindered by the fact that he hadn't wiped that amused grin of his off of his face just yet. "Ya said no lies, Kudo. That's the other part of the reason I'm here."

"There's no such thing as witches, Hattori." Conan said, dropping his voice low, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Kaito's attention had strayed over towards them, growing more and more curious as their conversation dragged on, much as the messy haired teen seemed to try and act otherwise.

"But there are such things as prophetic dreams an' shrinkin' teenagers, huh?" Heiji asked, not even attempting to mask the amused tone on his voice. "Anyways, ya heard me, Kudo. Keep an eye on Blondie over there."

"Hattori-" Was all Conan managed to get out before Heiji gave his hair a playful ruffle, heading off towards another area of the house, leaving him alone with his fellow high school detective and whatever Kuroba Kaito was supposed to be.


"And stay in there."

Watching as Hattori Heiji was rather unceremoniously shoved back into the room, the other members of the group had found themselves stuck in once the filming had begun in earnest, three sets of questioning eyes turned towards the Osakan high school detective, watching as he cast a rather dirty look towards the door that had been slammed shut behind him. Folding his arms in front of his chest, Heiji mumbled some things underneath his breath, before he plopped down on the nearest couch, planting his booted feet on top of the rather dusty coffee table.

He'd barely even got a chance to look at the damn mirror.

"What did you do this time, Hattori-kun?" Hakuba couldn't help but ask, turning back to the book he had been paging through. The one thing he'd managed to conclude during his initial investigation was that it looked as if whoever had originally lived here had simply just gotten up and left- the shelves were still lined with old books, clothes still placed in their dressers, and the kitchen shelves were still stocked with all manners of plates and platters. He'd even made the huge mistake of peeking into the fridge- something which he still regretted, still half smelling it on the inside of his nose. The fact that there was still electricity and running water was strange as well. Who was paying for it?

That, in itself, was curious. Perhaps it could have been a midnight flight, but even if that were the case, there were simply too many left behind items. He'd had his housekeeper look up the address in the police archive before he'd arrived here, but no violent crimes, or crimes of any kind had been reported from before it had abandoned, and no traces of it's previous owners could be found anywhere. There were no photographs, or any papers left lying around that would have given hint to their identities- only children's drawings, left on the fridge.

It was as if whoever had owned this house had simply vanished into thin air, and nobody even noticed they were gone.

"Kept makin' all their stupid equipment go off." Heiji muttered, brows knitting together, unable to help but notice the way that Conan- and Kaito, oddly enough, allowed a hint of a curious expression to creep onto their faces. He was just surprised that half of the stuff that they had even seemed to work, even if those using it didn't seem to have any idea of how to actually properly interpret the results they were getting. It wasn't his fault that electromagnetic field detectors went wild around him, or at the very least, it wasn't as if he was doing it on purpose.

Man if that Yamamura guy ever got it into his head to buy one of those... ugh, Heiji didn't even wanting to think about the yammering he'd have to put up with. Maybe he really should just erase all of that annoying memories, non-interference vow be damned.

"Ah." Hakuba merely said, simply assuming that Heiji had been messing with the film crew somehow. "Frauds or not, you should be a bit better behaved. They're only doing their job at the end of the day."

"Yeah, yeah, stow it, Blondie." Heiji grumbled to himself, not really in the mood. The longer he spent in here, the more aware he became that this place was practically crawling with things that existed just outside of the human eye- like that very pleasant looking young lady who'd taken to following Hakuba around, head only attached to her neck by the barest of threads. Well, as grotesque as her appearance was, she wasn't dangerous- if anything, she appeared to be enamored of Hakuba.

What lousy taste.

There were no spirits lingering around Heiji himself, he knew. Lower level ghosts tended to avoid him like the plague. It had been different when he was a child, and didn't understand anything about his own abilities, but with awareness had come the blessed lifting of the threat of being ever possessed by something no longer of this world again.

That'd been a pain in the ass.

There was the usual cluster of underdeveloped spirits hovering around Conan, though this was nothing new, all of which quickly darted away from Conan the moment Heiji looked towards them. Any time they went anywhere with a high concentration of the things, that sort of thing would happen, and probably had been happening for his entire life, judging from the way he'd learned to ignore the heavy air they brought with them. That was kind of scary in it's own right, Heiji thought to himself, his gaze flickering over towards Kaito.

The ghost of the man who surely must have been his father merely held a hand up to his lips, a placid smile on his face, and Heiji merely shrugged his shoulders, turning his gaze away from him. He wondered if Kaito had any idea he was being haunted by his old man, but he kind of doubted it. Akako had apparently never felt so inclined to tell him as much either, he suspected, no real surprise there. Unlike the fawning ghost girl who was giving Hakuba the doe eyes, hoping in vain that he'd take notice of her, he knew that the man's ghost could do what it wanted, not bonded to any one place or person, simply choosing to remain by Kaito's side at the present time.

It was also the reason why he didn't need to worry about Kaito getting into trouble here, given the fact that he was pretty certain that the fatherly specter wouldn't allow anything of the sort anywhere near him.

Which was a good thing, it gave him one less person to worry about. Because sure enough, just as he had suspected, there was something malevolent in this place, one that was already fully aware they all were here- and had only grown angrier the very second Heiji had stepped through the door. He hadn't been kidding about that horror movie analogy, not really.

Thankfully, whatever it was, it seemed to be confined to the upper floor of the house.

When the blackout happened, Heiji almost bolted to his feet, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He knew at once that there was no supernatural source to said blackout- but nevertheless, there were things in this house that thrived in the darkness.

Thankfully, the power came back on quickly, barely even a minute having passed before it seemed someone found the breaker and switched it on. Any relief was short-lived, however, at the sound of pounding on one of the doors on the upper floors, and the shouting voices that drifted downwards, at once catching the attention of the three detectives, all of whom darted towards the source of it. Lagging a little behind, Kaito suddenly wondered if perhaps he should have actually stayed home today.

Because that sure was a corpse, he thought to himself, after Heiji all but broke the door down without a moment's hesitation, shoving the men twice his age out of the way, the bulge of Hokusai Reiko's eyes and the way that she still vainly attempted to remove the rope that had been used to throttle her, her body slumped in front of an antique mirror. Mentally counting to three in his mind, the three detectives each quickly spoke up.

"Call the police!" Conan's tone would have surprised him, were Kaito not already used to the unchildlike way he could act.

"Nobody enter the room!" Hakuba didn't exactly shout, but nevertheless raised his voice, speaking a firm command.

Hattori Heiji, meanwhile, just let out a rather colorful litany of swears, half of which in languages that Kaito didn't even recognize.