Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan. :(

Chapter 11

"You should have seen her, Kazuha-chan!" Sonoko exclaimed on their third day on the island, as the gang—minus Jirokichi and Aya—sat around in the hotel lobby drinking coffee at 10 AM in the morning.

It wasn't that crowded but there were enough people to make a faint buzz in the background. Kazuha and Heiji had arrived the day before around dusk and Jirokichi was more than willing book them up with the guys and girls. Currently, he was working on the big party that was two days ahead, making sure everything is done perfectly and smoothly.

He wanted to catch Kid. And for the life of him, he'll do it!

"Yes." Aoko exclaimed brightly from the other side. "Aya-chan was amazing in that case! She totally floored the two irritating women and proved that the main suspect was innocent."

"Her deduction and reasoning were flawless." Sonoko smirked. "After all, she is Shinichi-kun's cousin."

"Honto?" Kazuha's eyes widened as Heiji shot Conan a look.

Conan smirked back.

"I bet she could floor Hakuba any day!" Kaito exclaimed, grinning manically. "I would love to see that."

"Yes. I think she'll be better in Hakuba-kun with that." Aoko smiled cheerfully.

"I bet she could outsmart 'tousan too!" Ran laughed, shaking her head. "She has that kind of aura around her!"

"Ne, can she outsmart Heiji?" Kazuha smirked at her childhood friend.

He shot her a glare. "Aho. What are you saying?"

Kazuha laughed.

"I think she'll even make Shinichi-kun's deduction skills into dust with that logic of hers." Sonoko smirked.

Shinichi's smirk faded, lowering his cup of coffee. Tck! That's just over-rating it a bit, ne?

"I think so too." Haibara said nonchalantly.

Shinichi shot her a dead look.

Agasa just smiled, sipping his coffee lingeringly.

"Good morning!"

Aya dropped into the place between Ran and Sonoko, before yawning and placing her head against the table, closing her eyes contently, sighing heavily.

"You can wake me up once the sky is turning dark blue again!" she mumbled, placing her arms under her head for better comfort.

"Mou, Aya-chan. What's wrong with you?" Ran asked, concerned.

"No sleep. Me is tired."

Aoko looked at her. "You okay? You're not catching a cold, are you?"

"In this weather, who wouldn't?" Sonoko asked, tugging at the collar of her jacket. "But it's warm inside the hotel."

"I'm fine." Aya mumbled, groggily. "But someone was intent on sleeping while talking the whole night about dark-skinned, eye-glassed karate champion that I never heard about."

Sonoko blushed. "Hey, where you eavesdropping on my dreams?"

Everyone fell over with a sweat-drop, while Haibara sipped her coffee nonchalantly again, internally smiling in amusement.

Aya popped an eye open. "Sonoko-chan, I don't think that its physically possible to eavesdrop on someone's dream. I mean, they are in your head. Do you see me as a mind reader? Geez, you were just loud, that's all."

She sighed again, closing her eyes.

"I don't know what's wrong with you people! First, I get stuck as a detective and now, I'm supposed to be a mind reader...?" she mumbled to herself.

"That's right. Heard about your big case. Congratulations, Aya-chan. I didn't know you had it in you." Kazuha smiled.

"Thanks, Kazuha-chan." Aya looked up slowly, smiling small. "Demo, I'm no longer in service. I'm just Kudo Aya again. An ordinary—very ordinary—high school student with a dream to enter Julliard's Academy to complete mastering her piano skills."

"Aya-san, sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm hiring you." Jirokichi's voice dropped into the conversation, a hand on Aya's shoulder.

Lupin barked, emphasising his master's words.

Slowly, Aya looked up at him, eyes wide. "Nani...?"

"I said I'm hiring you." he grinned down at her. "You're very talented, young lady. Your mind is very well-developed and you could see through the smallest clues. And as you know, I am hosting a party after two days to show off my latest purchased gem. And as you know more, Kaitou Kid has issued a notice expressing his interest in it and he's coming to get it."

Aya raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So, I want you to catch him for me."

Kaito face-palmed as Aya blinked slowly.

"Excuse me?"

"As you heard. I bet you could predict his every move. Police have always had trouble in catching him and I want to catch him, even if it's the last thing I'll do..."

Oiy, oiy! What's this old man up to now? Kaito and Shinichi found themselves asking at the same time as Heiji shook his head slowly.

Tck! We can never get peace, can't we?

"Nakamori-keibu is more than enough, though," Aya pointed out, looking towards the hard-working officer who was talking with his comrades. "He's the one taking care of Kid's case. I'm sure he's fine."

"And I'm sure that Nakamori-keibu is capable enough and will do all his best for that. But two minds are better than one, right?" Jirokichi hinted.

Aya went quiet.

"I'll pay you as much as you want."

She looked up at that. "I don't want money. Besides, I never said I'll take hold of that. Ojisan, I'm flattered that you think I can do it, but really, I can't. They say to retire just as you're on the doors of glory, and I'll do just that. Besides, I don't think I even want to catch Kid."

She shrugged.

"B-B-But..." Jirokichi stammered, eyes widening.

Aoko's jaw dropped. "Aya-chan, please don't tell me that you're a fan of the thief, too?"

"I adore his outfit." Aya answered honestly. "And frankly, I don't care what he does or who he really is. I have no interest in the thief whatsoever, except for his outfit."

She looked up at Jirokichi. "If you want me to catch him so that I can borrow his outfit, I certainly wouldn't mind. It'll be fun." She smiled at the thought. "But other than that, I'm just not interested in anything."

For some reason unknown to anyone—except Heiji, Agasa, and Haibara—Kaito was laughing pretty hard, almost falling down his chair and rolling down on the ground.

Jirokichi opened his mouth to say something but before he could finish, he was called away and he had to leave the teenagers.

"You're...serious?" Sonoko's eyebrow twitched eyes half-lidded.

"Yes." Aya yawned, placing her head back on the table. "Besides, I don't think that anyone who would wear white could be bad. I mean, white is the color of innocence."

"But he's a thief." Aoko protested, eyes flaring at just the thought of the cocky, egoistical thief.

Aya sighed, not looking up at her. "Do hate him, Aoko-chan?"

"With a passion." Aoko replied automatically, not noticing the shadow passing her childhood friend's eye at that moment before it disappeared behind his mask.

"Interesting." Aya mumbled, already slipping into the dream world again.

Abruptly, the world went quiet around her, the guys' voice drowning and moving away, and she was alone in the darkness. She didn't mind though. She wanted this sleep, craved it actually. It has been hard the last couple of days to sleep even before the murder case of the ship.

Nightmares haunted her. But, she couldn't let anyone know.

She hated being weak. She hated having to be depended on someone else. She had to be strong now. It was the only way.

She was sinking slowly into the sweet, blissful sleep when something invaded her senses. A smell of something sweet. Apple cider. Coffee mixed with caramel. Milk. Whip cream...?

Her eyes flew open, looking at the steamy cup of hot macchiato that was before her, before looking at Ran's smiling face and Conan's mischievous smirk.

"Nani...?"

"Your favourite, right?" Ran gestured as both took their places.

"Just figured you'd like to wake up sooner or later." Conan shrugged.

"Because we're going on a tour around the island," Ran smiled excitedly. "And you need your full strength. Afterwards, we can head back and sleep all we want. Right now, we need to be active, ne?"

Aya smiled. "Thank you."

They nodded.

"Now." Ran tilted her head. "Tell me, what's all this about white and innocence?"

-.-

"Oh!" Sonoko's eyes shined as they entered the jewel store on the island, looking at all the diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and many other precious stones which sat on silver or golden bands. They sparkled back at the girls' eyes as they peered at them from the glass containers.

"They're beautiful." Kazuha sighed dreamily.

"Honto!" Aoko whispered just as dreamily.

The guys looked from the corner of the shop. "Girls." They all mumbled together.

"What's wrong with that?" Haibara asked, crossing her arms. "That way you could understand what they like, ne?"

The two youths of seventeen, plus the shrunken seventeen year old, looked at her incredulously before they heard Sonoko asking...

"Ne, what's your favourite, Aoko-chan?"

"Favourite?" Aoko blinked, looking back at the collection. She hummed, eyes resting on the sapphires stones.

"Sapphires, I guess." She smiled. "They're very beautiful and blue means peace and calm."

Typical her. Kaito smiled. Of course she'll say sapphires. She loves blue. Besides, her own name means the Blue Child...

"What about you, Kazuha-chan?" Sonoko looked back at the pony-haired girl.

"Emeralds." Kazuha's eyes sparkled. "Green is my favourite and the emeralds are very unique in their color."

Of course. Heiji smirked. Besides, it'll go beautifully with her eyes.

"Well, for me, I love rubies." Ran smiled, eyes shining as she looked at the beautiful collection of the sparkling stones. "They are majestic and elegant, yet simple. Beautiful in their own way."

Exactly like you, Shinichi smiled to himself, eyes trailing after the excited girl as she laughed at something Sonoko was saying.

"See?" Haibara smirked.

They all shot her a dead look.

"What do you like, Haibara-san?" Kaito asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm not really into all those things, but I guess diamonds would do." she shrugged indifferently.

"Ne, ne, Aya-chan, what do you prefer?" Sonoko looked up, only to find Aya humming to herself at the other side, looking down at the collection of shiny small pearls.

"Excuse me?" Aya smiled at the merchant. "Are those real pearls?"

"Hai, ojousan. These pearls came from the best shells along the beach of Koyakejima."

"You abstract it yourselves?" Aya asked.

"Hai. We have specialties on those things and they abstract it very carefully and efficiently, making sure the pearl doesn't get any scratches along the way." he replied, smiling.

"Can I see one?" Aya asked, pointing at one ring that was holding a pinkish-white pearl.

"Of course. This is a very rare pearl, ojousan. Pinkish-white. A rare color if you ask me. None of the other pearls we have owned ever gave out this kind of color, except for the one it came from of course."

"I bet it costs a fortune." Aya mumbled.

"Hai. It costs 2 million yen, ojousan."

She whistled, studying the pearl intently with sparkling eyes.

"Beautiful." Ran breathed, looking at the pearl from Aya's shoulder.

"Isn't it?" Sonoko nodded.

Aya smiled, handing the ring back.

"Ano, ojousan?" the merchant began, looking faintly embarrassed at her.

"Hai?"

"Can I please see your ring for a minute?"

Aya blinked, surprised, looking down at the ring around her ring finger. The guys raised an eyebrow at the question, walking over to see what the commotion was all about.

"Ah, yeah! Okay." Aya took off her ring, gently handing it to the seller. He looked over it, studying it with high interest.

"Just as I thought. It's an amethyst."

Aya smiled sheepishly.

He gave it back to her. "If you don't mind me asking, ojousan, where did you get it?"

"Actually, it's a gift from my friend." She replied. "Why?"

"It's very rare these days to find a real amethyst, ojousan." He smiled. "And even if we did, it'll cost approximately 60,000 yen around here."

"Nani?" Sonoko exclaimed.

Shinichi's eyes widened.

"60,000 yen?" Aya asked, faintly.

"It's that expensive?" Kazuha mumbled. "Whoa!"

Aoko just blinked rapidly. Who in their right minds would want to buy such an expensive gem? Her father would probably have a heart attack if she ever asked him to buy her that!

Kaito whistled. "I knew it was real gem. But to actually cost a fortune..."

"Ah." Heiji was still paralyzed.

Haibara smirked, shaking her head.

"Thank you." Aya choked on her words, sliding the ring into place and quickly exiting the shop.

Everyone else followed her as she leaned against a wall, hearing her mumbling to herself.

"60 thousand yen? Wait, 1 yen equals 0.01 US dollar. So if we add up everything so 60 thousand yen equals..."

She paused, closing her eyes before she opened them wide, breathing accelerating like never before.

"Aya-chan?" Ran asked, worried.

"Oh my God!" she shrieked, looking up at the guys in horror. "Do you have any idea how much this ring cost Jesse?"

Shinichi cupped his chin. "Hmm...approximately 714 US dollars."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Oh God! Oh God! I'm never going to be able to look at him in the eye again! Never! Ever!" Aya was still hyperventilating. "How could he? He knows I don't like people spending money on me!"

Sonoko raised an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that he never spent a penny on your dates?"

Aya shook her head. "It's a date, Sonoko-chan! A date. And what do we do on a date? We go to watch a movie! 6 dollars per ticket. Not much. We go to have a snack on a small restaurant. 15 dollars on each meal. Not a big deal either! But this ring cost him 714 dollars!"

"Aya-chan, daijoubu." Ran smiled, taking hold of her wrist. "It's okay."

"Okay! Ran-chan, do you know what he could have done in those 714 dollars? He could have paid for half-year tuition over his guitar lessons. Plus, he could have probably brought that stupid cap of that famous superstar basketball player that he had always wanted. And he could have paid for the two of us to go over to Disney Land on a weekend. And mind you, all those things are not so cheap!"

Everyone gaped.

Aya took a deep breath. "Okay. Once I get back, I'll just ask him to take it back and go retrieve his money! I don't care what he'll say. I mean, I'm not running away from him and he's not running away from me. So we'll be fine! Yes!"

"But, isn't that an engagement ring?" Aoko asked, confused. "You can't just give it back to him once you said yes to his proposal, right?"

"Proposal!" Sonoko exclaimed, shocked. "Aya-chan, you're getting married?"

"Ah! That's great!" Kazuha exclaimed.

Aya blushed pink. "It's not an engagement ring, which makes everything worse. It's just a promise ring!"

"But you are getting married?" Sonoko insisted.

Aya groaned, pushing away from the wall. "I'm never going to live this down. Ran-chan, I think I'll take your offer. I might just move to live in Japan for a year now; until I make sure I can actually face Jesse again."

Ran laughed, walking with her as everyone else lagged behind—the girls murmuring excitedly at the promise ring—while the guys just walked on, not knowing what to say or think.

"Aya-chan, you can't actually be serious about this, ne?" Ran asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I…don't know, Ran-chan." Aya sighed. "It's too much. Don't get me wrong, I was so happy when he told me that this is a promise that we'll stay together until we are old enough to get married, but…" she sighed.

"He knows I hate it when someone spends a lot of money on me. I just feel like I'm intruding, you know. I don't like it…"

"But he sure does love you," Ran smiled lightly, eyes showing her sadness. And pain.

Aya opened her mouth to answer her when abruptly, both of them pumped into something making them fall down on the ground against their rear with a hard thud.

"Ouch!"

"Oiy!"

"Ran-neechan! Aya-neechan!"

"Oh! Mi dispiace tanto! Stai bene? (1)" another voice, unfamiliar and rough, speaking in an unfamiliar tongue echoed around them.

Aya and Ran looked up, seeing a tall, board man with sandy brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. He had a small scar against the side of his face, but other than that he looked pretty handsome.

The gang had already been approaching the two girls, helping them up.

"Stai bene? (2)" the man asked again, seemingly really concerned.

Everyone raised an eyebrow, confused as to what he was saying. They didn't understand his language. He must be a tourist, they all concluded. Once Aya's brain clicked, she recognized the language.

"Si! Siamo okay! (3)" she answered.

Everyone stared at her.

He looked startled for a minute, for she understood him before he smiled, fishing his pocket for a small white folded paper.

"Mi scusi, signorina, lei leggere il giapponese? (4)" he asked, tilting his head.

She blinked. "Che faccio, si. Perche? (5)"

"Potete per favore tradurre questa lettera per me? (6)" he requested.

Aya took hold of the paper, opening it to see the printed out words in Japanese.

Go to the Seaside Hotel...

That's our hotel, she thought, surprised, but anyway, translated it to the foreign in his own tongue.

"Si dice "Vai al Seaside Hotel. (7)" She told him.

He blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Sapete le direzioni? (8)"

"Si. Si cammina dritte attraverso questa strada"—she gestured to the road behind them—"poi girare a sinistra e proseguire a piedi lungo la spiaggia. Lo troverete nella visuallizzaziane direttamente." (9)

The man smiled, looking at her with sparkling baby blue eyes. "Grazie mille, signorina! Addio!" (10)

"Addio!" (11)

And the man went in his way with a last wave.

Sonoko's eyebrow twitched. "What...was that?"

"Huh?" Aya snapped up from her trance. "Oh! He was just asking for a translator because he couldn't read Japanese. I translate the letter for him and gave him the direction to the hotel."

"What were you talking in?" Aoko asked, blinking.

"Italian. He was talking Italian—" she cut off, eyes wide.

"I didn't know you knew Italian, Aya-san." Heiji said, raising an eyebrow at her shocked face.

"Aya-chan?" Ran snapped her fingers in her face. "Daijoubu?"

Aya blinked, a grin stretching her lips. "I'm fine. I just realized something..."

"Nani...?"

"I actually talked with him Italian." She grinned wider. "I didn't know I was that good at it!" she clapped her hands excitedly.

Shinichi sighed, shaking his head.

She could be such a child!

-.-

Later, when everyone came back to the hotel and Kaito suggested that they eat for he was hungry, everyone said that they'll change and meet in the dining hall. And since the girls shared a room and the guys shared another, it wasn't much of a problem. However, Aya absented herself once she was sure she was alone.

She walked towards the reception desk where the receptionist looked up.

"How may I help you?" she smiled.

"Excuse me, but did a huge, sandy brown haired man with blue eyes come up here?" Aya asked, tilting her head. "He was a foreigner."

"Oh yes!" the receptionist nodded. "I remember. He spoke English."

"English?" Aya was stunned. "No. I mean, he was an Italian. I..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, ojousan." The lady shook her head. "He spoke English. I remember it well, for I had a hard time understanding all the words. I'm not an expert you know. I had to call my workmate to talk with him."

"Oh."

"But, he didn't actually take a room or anything. He just asked about a person named Edogawa, left an envelope for him and went out."

Aya raised an eyebrow. "Edogawa?"

"Yes. Are you Edogawa-sama?" the receptionist asked.

"Iie." Aya shook her head. "Demo, he's my cousin."

"Really? Well, if you want you can take the envelope from me and give it to your cousin."

"That would be great. Thank you."

After taking the envelope and thanking the receptionist, Aya sat down on one of the lobby's couches staring down at the neatly folded envelope in her hands. Something hard was inside.

Her curiosity flared and she opened the envelope only to stare at the rounded CD inside and the single white paper accompanied with it.

Enjoy it, Cool Guy.
XXX

Translation of the Italian Speech:

(1) Oh! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?

(2) Are you okay?

(3) Yes! We are okay.

(4) Excuse me, miss, you read Japanese?

(5) I do, yes. Why?

(6) Can you please translate this letter for me?

(7) It says "Go to the Seaside Hotel."

(8) Do you know the direction?

(9) Yes. Walk straight through this street then turn left and walk along the beach. You'll find it in your view directly.

(10) Thank you, miss. Goodbye.

(11) Goodbye!

Note: To those who are wondering, I am learning Italian and I have allowed Aya to speak it in this story as well. I love the language. Anyway, you'll understand the use of it in the next chapter. I am sorry if it is too much. :S As I said before, I am kind of nervous. But anyway...I hop you enjoy.

P.S. Sorry if I converted the Yen currency to the Dollar currency wrong. I live in neither conutries. But when I converted it at Google, this was the result. Sorry.

Next chapter should be up in a day or so...

Till next time...