Of course, Kaito's mother did return home later that afternoon and discover the strange cartoon animals sitting around her kitchen table and eating the sushi from her fridge (according to Sonic, he'd never eaten much human food before due to differing diets of the species) with her son looking on rather contently and clutching that red gem that seemed so oddly important. The only thing she did when she came home, however, was smile, ask their names, and then steer Kaito away to inquire just what was going on in the calmest voice she could muster.

Kaito of course replied that they were from another world, something he didn't want to lie about, and that they were looking for the red gem he now had in his possession. However, he had told them that he needed to use it to help a friend of his; with the most amazing luck Sonic had gotten Knuckles to accept it. Sure, this wasn't getting the Chaos Emerald back, but it was a compromise as Kaito still required it. He didn't tell the reason why to his mother.

That was because the reason why was a bit crazy.

After talking a little more with Sonic, he'd discovered the more extreme side of the Chaos Emeralds – they were little more than objects of amazing power that allowed most Mobians to do incredible things. That was most likely due to the species' size and part of their genetic build-up. Not that the humans were barred from similar effects if they tried hard enough. Kaito already knew that they had quite the strength due to the video feed on the military website, but he certainly hadn't expected any of this to come up. Because according to Sonic, the power could result in some of the more mundane things happening much more quickly. Such as human cell division.

And remember the heist note earlier?

Bingo. Kaito wanted to help his tantei-kun.

He remembered the first time he'd ever seen Kudou Shin'ichi – a proud and honestly electric individual, with sharp sapphire eyes and a sharper mind. Kudou had been the man trying to stop him at the clock tower while he attempted to defend it. Every move Kaito made was in vain that night. Kudou had been able to see through his every manoeuvre and was able to direct the police in his way every single time. That is, until a short while later, when he made his departure. For some reason, no decent move was made against him near the end of the heist, despite the amazing view Kudou had from his helicopter with the small handgun aimed in his face. Kaito's only guess was that Kudou had figured out the reason for the heist in the first place; that being to defend his memories with his childhood friend Aoko.

A while after that, Kudou disappeared in a figurative puff of smoke. None of the newspapers covered it, but it was on the tongues of the majority of students in Ekoda High School who knew friends of friends of friends... and so on, in Teitan High School where Kudou attended. Most of the people who heard it from them denied it as a stupid rumour. But as the weeks followed, Kudou's name stopped showing up in the papers and news of the new detective in town, Mouri Kogorou, replaced most instances of his name. The new favourite, the man who solved crime in his sleep, literally. So the rumours were maintained. There was the odd admittance that maybe he was just resting or on holiday. These admittances, however, were eventually disproved when no news turned up for several months, and the rumour was still popular.

But then Kaito had met a strange young boy on the heist he'd planned those several months before after the clock tower heist. The strange boy who had the exact same stare as Kudou, and was also standing in his way just like him, was sitting on top of a building sending up a firework to notify the police of his position while they fled in another direction after a false clue. Of all the weird things, said child even had a similar face to Kudou. Kaito had excused it as his being related to Kudou, or trying to imitate him. Maybe it was simply a stroke of luck. It was possible, after all. But the following night, the kid had been able to find him again after he disguised as his pretty little carer Ran, despite the fact that everybody else had been fooled, even her own father. Maybe it was just something that kid realised?

No. The real shock came even later, when he disguised himself to go to a meeting with some members of a forum he was popular at. The little boy came over with Ran. He crossed a burning rope bridge to get to her when he found out about the death of another member of the forum who was meant to be there. And he solved the murder that happened in that little house in the snow all by himself, performing an expert charade as the Suzuki girl's voice using a little device hidden in his bowtie to change his voice (a bowtie. He'd heard of microphones hidden in ties but this just took it to the extreme).

Kaito had been horrified at the killing – what if one of Snake's friends had discovered him and was taking pot-shots at him? But the little boy had uncovered that it wasn't them; in fact, it was simply another member of the forum who had gotten angry and decided that the best course was killing the source of aggravation. And Kaito had been forced to open his eyes and realise that this little boy had worked out everything that first night.

And done it exactly like Kudou at the clock tower.

He'd been scared when he'd thought of it. Things like that did not happen in the real world. People did not simply shrink down to half their height, after all! So maybe Kudou was acting as a force behind the kid? No, that boy, Edogawa Conan, had not made any phone calls and, besides, the landlines were dead that night. An even more amazing theory came into his head. Maybe this boy was the force behind Kudou? Probably, probably not – Kudou had been on a walkie-talkie talking to police the entire night in Ekoda, not switching off that channel, and there certainly was no small boy in the helicopter when he'd looked. Was it even possible for a human to shrink?

So he kept watch over the next few heists that the boy appeared, trying to assure himself that he just wasn't thinking straight and that the kid maybe was getting advice from Kudou or something. But the boy had no advice; everybody was helping the detective, not him. Meaning it was his own brainpower driving it. Eventually, Kaito had had to bring up the subject with Jii, and the response hadn't been favourable.

"Who knows if it's possible and if it isn't?" he'd said. "Modern science could possibly try it. I may know as much about it as you, but I believe that somebody may have found a way to do so."

So he continued to watch the boy. Finally he got his answer.

They were after the same people.

MKMKMKMKMK

The following week was calm for Kaito. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were polite-enough houseguests. They didn't mind sharing the guest room and certainly wanted to help out around the house. Heck, even Knuckles was alright after staying for a little while. Sonic had explained that Knuckles' life was naturally quite rough since he lived alone on an island with only improvised shelter, and so maybe the comfort of having a mattress, a carpet and food available several times a day was getting to him. It didn't explain the full change of heart, but it explained some of it at least.

However, the same week was not so pleasant for Conan and Ran on the other side of Tokyo. As the days went by, Conan's personality change become worse and worse as he retreated within himself, until he refused to come out of the house in case something happened. Whereas before he had been just a little fearful of everybody around him, now he had been driven inside his room, only coming out for food and maybe to read some of the newspapers for information on the KID. Ran noticed the change almost immediately, since Conan had never been extremely childish before unless he wanted something really badly and was willing to annoy everybody in order to get it. Even Kogorou knew something was going on, and he hardly ever paid attention to the boy.

They had no idea what was going on. Conan had always been particularly friendly and outgoing before. Sure, there were always problems, as mentioned before: not bonding with others too easily, a slight nosiness that turned him into an annoyance, a certain problem with walking away from Ran unless the suspect of the week was running off in another direction and he was sure that there wasn't an accomplice ready to slit her throat when he wasn't looking...

Ran blamed whatever incident had caused him to run away. It was the only thing that she could blame.

Eventually, though, one Thursday that Ran had taken off-school to look after Conan – sickness was a grand excuse, and all she had to say over the phone was that Conan had caught a huge and debilitating cold over the weekend – the boy did venture out, and was currently helping her in the kitchen. He was acting remarkably shy, but considering how bad it had been just the other day, this was certainly an improvement.

That was when somebody knocked on the door. Surprised, Ran put down the wooden spoon that she was using to stir the mixture (she had decided fairy cakes a good way to wake him up). She walked out through the office and opened the door.

Before her stood a young man with tussled golden hair and sharp brown eyes. He was fair-skinned, and his eyes were oddly wide. He was also very tall, about half-a-head to a head taller than her.

"Excuse me," he said, his Japanese very polite. "I was just wondering if I could see Mouri Kogorou-san?"

She scanned him over. After what had happened last week she could never be too careful anymore. "You're... Hakuba Saguru-kun, aren't you?" she guessed. "We've met before. The last time was at the High School Detective Koshien, wasn't it?"

"...Oh! Sorry, sorry..." he mumbled, embarrassed. "Yes, we have met before. Then again... how could I forget those meetings...?" He rubbed his brow, and then looked back down at her. "Anyway, is Mouri-san in?"

"I'm afraid not," the young girl said. "Otou-san left earlier this morning after a phone call. Many clients aren't visiting this place anymore. I wish they would; it might help us warm Conan-kun up to other people again."

The news seemed to take Hakuba by surprise. "Something's wrong with Conan?"

"Ever since last week he's turned very... introverted," she replied. "Today is the first time I've gotten him out of his bedroom for a period other than lunch and supper, and even then it's only cooking."

"Interesting..."

"Anyway, why did you come here?" Ran said, inviting him in. He complied, walking in and settling down on one of the green sofas, shedding his large overcoat. Ran noted the Inverness that he was wearing, and the black school uniform underneath it. He was taking time from school to come here. Not to mention the fact that he sat on the very edge of the sofa. Not exactly settling, really. More like perching, like a bird or a cat waiting to pounce on its prey. It was an important bit of body language you had to recognise when you were the daughter of a detective. It meant the case must have been very important.

"I've been going around the different police detectives trying to find out which one of them is known as 'tantei-kun'," he answered, his voice not quite as pleasant and relaxed as earlier. "Unfortunately, I've yet to have actually found the man. Then I heard that the phrase is thrown about quite a bit when it's Mouri-san there, so I was just wondering."

Ran frowned. "This is because of Kaitou KID, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is," the blond teenage detective replied. "The thief visited me the morning after the last heist-"

"He was okay!? But the police never reported him coming back!"

"Don't worry, they have the message," he replied. Although I had to wait until I could secure the contents of that video file from them without looking suspect. "He mentioned how somebody named 'tantei-kun' was the only other person he'd trust with the events of the heist, and then fled when I bothered to ask. I don't know where he disappeared to after that, but it had me wondering just who he was talking about. So I've been asking around to see if he's taken a shine to any other detectives in the city.

"I see," Ran replied. "Would you like some tea? I was also making cakes, so if I could finish... Then we can call otou-san and see if he knows anything." With a nod from the young man, she stood up and left the room.

She walked back into the kitchen to see Conan's face as he stood near the door. Curiosity had overtaken his shyness and he had decided to listen in, it seemed. She smiled down at him.

"It's Hakuba Saguru-kun," she said. "He's here about something Kaitou KID mentioned to him." At once, Conan's old sharp face seemed to return, his posture straightening out. "...That's right, before what happened last week you were very agitated about what Kaitou KID was doing, weren't you?"

"What happened?" Conan asked shakily.

"Kaitou KID said that the only two people who should know what happened on that heist were Hakuba-kun and somebody named 'tantei-kun'," she said. She turned to the cake mix and started stirring again. "So he's been looking to find anybody who goes by that nickname. He's waiting out in the office. Is that okay?"

"...I suppose..."

She smiled. At least he was answering her. "I've heard from the police station that Hakuba-kun is very interested in Sherlock Holmes stories as well. Maybe you two could talk with each other about it."

The small boy looked up at her oddly, then at the door. Slowly and carefully, he opened it just a bit and finally screwed up the courage to go through.

MKMKMKMKMK

Very good, said the voice in his head, now faint. You can do this, Conan-kun.

Ever since last week, he'd thought Shin'ichi had been growing stronger. Sure, his voice had grown much louder after Kaitou KID's appearance. Hence why he'd been quiet that day. It was Shin'ichi just trying to make him screw up the courage to talk. And it had still been quite powerful afterwards. He'd felt better. There were even times when Shin'ichi was in control and Conan took the virtual backseat.

Then he began fading away.

At once, Conan began to see the world on his own, without anybody there to guide him through. Nobody else knew what was happening. Okay, sure, the phone calls from Ai had hinted that she might have realised something was going on deep within his psyche, but what was clearly a mystery to her. For example, she'd been asking him to come over without Ran's knowledge. How on earth did she think he could look after himself on the street like that? He was only... how old?

Two. Just two measly years of existence. He knew he'd taken to life a lot faster than others, understanding how a lot of things worked better, but it was Shin'ichi who had taught him all of that. The teenager had once been his life. Now he was simply a fading ghost unable to move from the armchair that was slowly rotting away, while Conan had to fish through the steadily-decreasing books for himself. All the knowledge in the world was disappearing from his head because Shin'ichi was...

Was...

"Hello?" Conan looked up into the eyes of the half-English detective ahead of him. "Is that Conan-kun?"

The boy racked his brain for anything that might remind him who this was again... Hakuba. Hakuba Saguru, only a little older than Shin'ichi was. He was a special consultant who originally offered service to Scotland Yard, but was brought over by his father to help Ekoda's Kaitou KID Task Force. He happened to be an expert on all things KID-related. Right, Ran had said earlier... Shin'ichi had met him some times. They had first met at an old mansion, where all the detectives had turned on and killed each other. It had actually been Shin'ichi's plan, to trick the murderer into thinking their trick was working. Then, there was the Detective Koshien, where they'd also collided. Hakuba was also clutching that Sherlock Holmes book of his. He had his thumb in the pages.

He smiled meekly. "Good morning, Hakuba-nii-chan," he mumbled.

"It's very good to see you again," Hakuba replied. He was speaking like he was talking to an idiot. Well, he was talking to a child. Idiot and child were two different things. Perhaps he was just out of practice at talking to a child. And either way was rather a low blow to Conan and Shin'ichi combined. "And it's especially good to have you talking to somebody. Mouri-chan says you've been having some social troubles recently."

...She mentioned that?

"She said something about you looking for a 'tantei-kun'," Conan said.

Hakuba looked as if he had been caught off-guard by that statement. He knelt down and crossed his arms. "That's correct," said Hakuba. "I've come to ask Mouri-san if maybe he knows anybody who might be called 'tantei-kun'. But it's a nickname that was given to them by Kaitou KID, so I don't know if I'll ever find them. After all, his perception of who is a threat and who is a friend has always been very subjective." The ainoko gulped visibly. "And it can be switched around at any moment."

Conan glanced over at the door to the kitchen. Ran was there... probably listening in on the conversation. He couldn't say anything to Hakuba while she was there.

We know who tantei-kun is, Conan-kun, said Shin'ichi. We need to tell him. After all, there's no way to get us out of this, and if anybody's kept out of a loop involving KID then there's going to be a lot of confusion.

"Conan-kun?"

He looked up. The other teenage detective was giving him a very worried look. The smile had drained from his face, and his eyes seemed darker than before.

"Something happened a week ago according to your onee-chan," Hakuba said, still applying the odd speech patterns, "and you apparently changed a lot. Would you mind telling me what happened exactly?"

Kaitou KID started this mess and let Hakuba-kun into the loop deliberately. That means we're allowed to let him know what happened, since that day and the heist seem to be interrelated.

The little boy nodded slightly. That was right. Kaitou KID was at the heart of all of this. A master phantom thief who had probably confused the entire situation even more by just visiting Shin'ichi's house a week ago. Conan knew that there was no reason for him to have been there on that day. Kaitou KID wasn't even supposed to know that he and Shin'ichi were basically the same person (or, by now, living in the same head at the very least). And yet he had been found in the deserted building, saving his life from a weird monster with a Ruger pistol that didn't distinguish between a threat, the police and a small child, who had also invaded his house for no particular reason except for shelter.

He sighed. "Hakuba-nii-chan. Tantei-kun... is me."

The teenage detective stuttered, eyes wide. "W-w-what?"

"I said, Kaitou KID calls me tantei-kun," Conan said again, more clearly. "He has since the second time we bumped into each other."

Suddenly, Ran stumbled into the room with some tea. "The cakes will be out in a few minutes if you'd like some," she said. Hakuba blinked, and took the cup, still in shock.

A/N: Hakuba re-enters the fray, finally. And poor little Conan... once wonders if he'll ever be back to his old self, ne?