I know it's short, but I felt bad for making you all wait so long. But I had some difficulties with the conclusion. Scratch that, I'm still having difficulties. So it might be a bit of a wait for the next chapter. Sorry about that.

xXx

"Whaddaya mean 'the culprit doesn' know'?" Heiji asked aggressively. "Kudou, if he doesn' know, then how do ya explain—"

Much to Heiji's annoyance, Conan completely ignored him, turning to KID instead. "KID, exactly what did the culprit say to you over the phone?"

"Um…" KID assumed the all-too-familiar look of concentration that Heiji had noticed on Conan's miniature face so many times before. "I answered the phone—after ojou-san gave it to me—with 'This is Kudou.' But the guy said, 'Hello, KID.' Then I, shocked, started to ask how he knew, but he finished the question for me, and said that he had 'done his research.' Then he changed the subject."

"Right." Conan nodded. "That's it then, definitely."

Hakuba's eyes widened. "You're not saying that the culprit thinks…."

KID groaned as he began to understand. "Really? Again? This time it's not even convenient!"

As Conan shot KID a death stare, the conclusion to which the rest had come slowly dawned on Heiji. "The culprit thinks that KID is Kudou?" He paused as he realized the implications of the timing of Conan's realization—"Neechan thought that you were KID?"—and fought the urge to double over in hysterical laughter.

"He told her that he was," Conan growled defensively. "I imagine that he was in a position in which she was about to catch him."

"That may or may not have been the situation," KID huffed as he crossed his arms in indignation.

"This is about KID, then," Hakuba realized. He turned to the thief. "So the culprit is an enemy of yours."

"Or—" KID quickly snapped his mouth shut and Hakuba glanced at him knowingly.

Heiji and Conan shared a bewildered glance. "Or what?"

Hakuba raised an eyebrow at KID questioningly, then faced the other detectives. "Or…an enemy of the predecessor of the Kaitou KID you see before you. I once ran a genetic test on KID's hair and…let's just say, he wasn't even born at the time of Kaitou KID's first appearance."

"So ya are as young as ya look," Heiji concluded. KID looked mildly insulted.

"Impossible," Conan muttered. "It has to be this KID." The teenagers looked down, confused.

Heiji gasped. "Yer right! The culprit has ta know that this KID is young, or he wouldn' a' mistaken him fer Kudou!"

"So just your enemies, then," Hakuba amended. "And he probably has connections with the police to be able to waltz into the station and set that trap. Also, only the police knew the results of that genetic test."

"Hakuba's right. And not just for that reason. By now the police should know that KID—" Conan was cut of when a hand clamped over his mouth.

"—that KID's a genius, like Kudou Shinichi!" KID said quickly, with a glance at Hakuba, who rolled his eyes.

"Do any of the people on the Task Force get really furious when KID gets away?" Conan continued, ducking out and away from KID's hand.

The thief shrugged. "Nakamori-keibu's the only one who really seems to care. But there's no way it's him, if that's what you're thinking," he added.

Hakuba nodded. "KID's right. And I'd wager that no one knows the collective Task Force better than we do."

The thief didn't acknowledge this, however, for he suddenly started, his hand twitching toward his thigh. "Right, ah—anyway, I, uh, have to go to the toilet!"

"The toilet?" Hakuba repeated incredulously.

"Now?" Conan raised an eyebrow.

"Like we haven' heard that one before…" Heiji muttered to the boy as KID rushed off.

"Maybe if you'd stop calling me so often, Ran wouldn't think I have a bladder control problem!"

Heiji snickered. "Ahou, it's not my calls that're the problem, it's hers." He turned to Hakuba to elaborate: "Kudou here runs ta the toilet when someone calls him an' he needs ta use his voice-modifyin' bowtie ta answer in Kudou's voice."

"I see," Hakuba muttered. "So that's how you accomplished it—I suppose you suspect that KID is employing the same tactic?"

"His hand did flinch toward where his hip pocket should be—he could have the phone set to vibrate and it went off," Conan suggested.

"He's in the presence of three detectives; either he trusts us—which is highly unlikely, given that I'm fairly certain that he trusts me about as much as a snake trusts a mongoose—or he's fielding a call from someone who can't be ignored."

"Who'd be important enough fer him ta risk that?" Heiji wondered. "Maybe that guy who sometimes helps him? His accomplice?"

"Possibly…" Hakuba admitted, giving Heiji the impression that he was holding something back.

"In any case…" Heiji adopted a devilish grin. "Wanna find out?"

"No," Conan deadpanned immediately. "Bad idea."

"Why's that?" Hakuba, who had apparently been looking forward to the prospect of spying on his nemesis, questioned with a hint of annoyance.

"KID is not the enemy, not for the time being. Right now, he's out teammate, and we need to trust him…for the time being," Conan repeated at Hakuba's scandalized expression.

Ya'd think Kudou told him ta cut off his own arm, Heiji thought. "Alright Kudou, I guess yer right." He sighed melodramatically. "We'll wait aroun' fer him—no matter how borin' it may be."

xXx

Kaito's eye twitched. "You called me to tell me that? Why would I care?"

"You were thrilled last time!" Aoko protested shrilly. "It's the same exact situation! And where are you, anyway?"

Kaito switched the phone from his right to his left hand and shifted to the side in an attempt to put more distance between his person and the toilet bowl. "A portable toilet. Now, if that's all, I'd like to leave this stink-hole as quickly as possible, so—"

"Why are you in a portable toilet?" Aoko's disgust couldn't have been more obvious.

"Hiding from Hakuba," Kaito admitted unthinkingly. He promptly slapped a hand over his mouth. Baka, baka, bak —

"You're hiding—Kaito, are you stalking Hakuba-kun?" Aoko screeched. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? There's a serial killer after him! And that just makes it worse if Hakuba-kun doesn't realize you're there! Did it occur to you that you could be hurt?"

Too late, Kaito thought, rubbing the bandage on his upper arm.

"You know what?" Aoko continued threateningly. "I'm going to call him right now and kindly inform him that a certain magician is stalking him."

"No!" Kaito shouted. "No—don't tell him that! It's not even true!"

"Oh, no? Then be at my house in ten minutes to prove it, or I'm calling him. See you soon, anata!"

"Don't call me anata!" Kaito grumbled as he hung up his phone. Jeez, Ahouko…. He dropped the phone into his sleeve to be safe: the detectives might have noticed when he had instinctively reached for his pocket. And while he was skeptical that any of the detectives could out-pick-pocket the legendary Kaitou KID, they could always steal the phone in a less stealthy manner: Kaito cringed at his sudden vision of blacking out after incurring blunt force trauma from an inflatable soccer ball.

Pushing the grim possibility out of his mind, Kaito barged out of the fume-filled toilet, gasping for breath. He then proceeded to wander nonchalantly over to the spot at which he had abandoned the detectives, who—Kaito was mildly surprised to discover—hadn't moved an inch.

"I'm back!" Kaito announced cheerfully before morphing his face into an expression of sorrow. "However, I regret to inform you that I must take my leave now."

"What?"

"Are you insane?"

"We need ya ta crack this! It's yer enemy an' yer life at stake!"

"And Ran's!" Conan added angrily.

Well, that went better than expected. I was anticipated a Task Froce-esque pile-up. Kaito placed his left hand over his heart and raised his right as if taking an oath. "I swear to you that I shall return within twenty minutes. Give or take. Just tell me where to meet you."

Conan sighed in frustration. "We can't get anywhere without you. Only you know all your enemies."

"Just keep an eye on your girlfriend for the next twenty minutes and it shouldn't be a problem." Kaito paused when the only response he received was a brief glare from Conan. He pouted, and began imitating the child's voice perfectly: "Oi, KID, you still shouldn't separate from us. You're in danger!" Kaito laughed, winked, and reverted to KID's voice. "Oh, don't worry about me, tantei-kun. I can handle myself. Ja ne, mina-san."

He disappeared in a puff of smoke as the three detectives rolled their eyes.