Chapter 14: Meetings and Greetings

Hattori woke me up at seven. It was dark out and I noticed that Sato never gave me a time to meet her, after I was conscious enough to think about it.

I sat up at the bed and looked at him with tired eyes. "What happened?"

"Kudo didn't tell me nothin'. I ended up goin' to Osaka an' back to get some of my friends. I can't really talk ta them over the phone 'bout stuff like this. I've got five. I couldn't do more. They're all stayin' out here 'till tomorrow so they can talk with the Tokyo guys."

"Thanks." I got off of Kudo's bed feeling sick. Sleeping seemed to make everything worse. Hattori nodded before continuing.

"I went ta that old guy's place on the way back. He said he could have it ready tomorrow 'round five. I don't know if that's gonna hurt anythin'."

"It's fine." I stretched. "I expected as much. I'm okay getting the jewel myself if I have to. It was just something to make things easier."

"Hakuba-kun's still out. What are we gonna do?" His eyes never left mine and I could tell he wanted me to wake up the detective before we left. As much as they disliked each other, Hattori had some sort of honor code that I couldn't feel my way around yet.

"I've got to stop by my house. Alone. Meet me with him at the police station. I'll be there as quickly as I can. It would look bad if we showed up together anyway."

"How're ya gonna get ta yer house? I don't think ya should be flyin' when yer sick if ya don't hafta."

"I'm not. I'm going to take the bus."

Hattori's eyes widened at me as if that was something unbelievable.

"I am human. I do take the bus."

"No. Ya just agreed with me so fast. I thoughtcha were gonna put up a fight."

"I'm not an idiot either. I know how to recognize common sense when it stares me in the face."

"Common sense never seemed ta apply ta ya before." He shrugged. "Whatever. Yer not gonna take the bus back to the police station anyway, so at least I know yer not gonna kill yerself gettin' ta yer house."

"And why wouldn't I take the bus to the police station?"

Hattori grinned, tilting his head. "Yer gonna be surrounded by cops that have no choice but ta let ya walk around free. I can't see ya passin' up the chance ta make some kinda grand entrance an' the bus ain't the best way ta do that."

I couldn't hide my growing smiling. "I was planning something but I'm not sure it's the best way to make friends. I don't want to get someone killed because I couldn't play nice for a few hours. That doesn't mean I'm going to roll over and do tricks for them. The cops can't stop me if I decide to go against them."

"No, they can only handcuff ya so that it makes it easier for these guys ta kill ya."

"I've been able to slip cuffs since I was seven. I'm not afraid."

"Good." Hattori clapped me hard on the shoulder. "That's the best way ta go inta battle. We're gonna win an' no one's gonna get hurt this time either. I don't really feel like limpin' around for another two months."

Or dying.

"I'll meet you there then."

Hattori followed me to the door and I waved to him, taking a peek at Hakuba along the way. He still looked too sick to even stand, but his breathing was deeper than it had been earlier.

The bus ride was so boring. I was used to being stressed out at this point. Nakamori and Aoko helped in big part to that. My responsibilities as Kid kept it at peek. The bus ride though was so inane that I kept expecting something to happen. Anything. I wouldn't have been surprised at that point if a heard of rhinos came rushing at it.

It only took around ten minutes to get to the stop a few streets before my house. I was already making my way through back yards and alleys that I had memorized since I was a kid. Getting in was a little harder because we only had two rooms on the first floor, the kitchen and the main room, but luckily no one was near the large window for the main room and I was able to slip in and right up to Kid's room with no difficulty. I glanced around every now and then, feeling like things were going too easy. I shrugged off the paranoia before grabbing whatever I thought could be useful and stuffing it into my pockets and coat after putting on my disguise for the evening. I could easily switch it to Kid's pockets when I needed to. The problem was I couldn't pretend to be Hakuba's cousin anymore, because that would lead the officers who'd been there last week to wonder about the detective's part in all this. Sato and Takagi didn't seem like one's to spread the information. I vouched for the guise of a man in his early twenties, leaving my hair its original color but gelling it back on the left side to hide my hair style and flattening out the other side. I added sunglasses instead of contacts to hide my eyes. I wasn't going to risk anything in front of the police.

I slipped out as easily as I entered, this time hearing Aoko's voice travel down the stairs as she complained about something. I couldn't hear her words but the tone was unmistakable.

True to myself, I did take the gilder to the police station. The simple facts were that it was both easier and faster than taking the bus and I wasn't going to bother with dad's car if the police happened to see me a little too early.

The air was cold and ill-suited for gliding. I could feel the currents shifting under me as I changed altitude every few minutes. It wasn't a good night to fly. Hopefully tomorrow would be better. I wanted every advantage over Snake that I could get.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department wasn't far. I landed early so no one would see me coming. I was in a dark outfit tonight incase Snake's men were watching the place. As much as I liked the attention, announcing myself to over 40,000 officers and the bad guys was a very bad idea at the moment. So I walked in, wondering where in the world I was going to find everyone. I hadn't specified a place either. I really was slipping.

Sato wasn't.

She was standing against a beverage machine with a smile on her face while she talked to another officer who was dressed in a different divisions' uniform and had long hair. Sato was alone besides the other girl and looked like she didn't have a care in the world. She held a coffee in one hand and the tenseness of her fingers was the only thing that gave the impression that she was worried.

I smiled and moved passed her to get a bottle water out of the machine. Her eyes never left me and I moved around to her side to whisper into her ear.

"Our date went so well yesterday that I thought we should continue it. Where would you like to go with me today?"

The girl with the longer hair widened her eyes and stared at Sato, confused and worried but with a blush on her cheeks. Sato narrowed her eyes at me and threw away what was left of her coffee.

"Sorry Natsuki-kun, you're too young for me."

"You're right." I leaned against the wall. "Why would I want to date someone as old as you?"

Sato clenched her fists but she didn't get as angry as most women did. I put that down as one of her oddities. Honestly, Sato was one of the only people I could see working with me because she could keep her temper. Or at least, she could do it while Ran was in danger and I was one of the only people that could saver her. Any disobedience from me and Ran would die. I'd have to see how Sato was when her hands weren't tied. I wanted to make her not worry about it, but my reassurances would mean little to a police officer who'd probably seen enough criminals break their words.

"Natsuki-kun, I think we should get going."

"But Miwako-"

"Later, Yumi-chan." Sato waved the other girl off. "I don't think I'll be back tonight but I'll see you tomorrow."

Sato grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me outside with her. I turned and gave Yumi a devilish smile that would have her guessing what we were up to all night. I couldn't help it.

Once we were outside, Sato led me to her car that was parked out front. I looked at it a moment before getting in and trying not to feel uncomfortable. I was in the front seat this time and I knew that Sato didn't plan on handing me over to anyone just yet. And, as for her car, the flaring red sports car looked fast as well as stylish. It was my kind of ride.

"So, were you able to make the fake?"

"No." I sighed and lowered the seat back a little as she started the car. "I can have it by tomorrow but that doesn't leave you much time to switch them."

"It's fine. Find me as soon as it's done so that I can work around the obstacles." Sato sighed as well. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Honestly," I looked at her. "I can't believe you're doing this either."

"If it was any one else that was taken and if the situation were the slightest bit different, I wouldn't have even thought twice about turning you in. Know that." Sato looked at me hard, taking her eyes off the road for a few seconds to drive her point across. "I don't consort with criminals. If Ran-chan's life weren't at stake, you'd be sitting behind bars right now along with these kidnappers."

"I'm aware of how you feel." I closed my eyes and kept quiet so that she could watch the road. A few too many sharp turns and her tailgating every person we wound up behind made me realize why Hakuba was afraid of her driving. It didn't scare me, but I wasn't going to take any chances if I happened to distract her.

We pulled up to a dock near the riverbank ten minutes later. Sato cut the engine and I got out of the car. I hadn't asked where she was going. I wasn't sure how they had all planned it, considering that they came from different places, but I knew we wouldn't be able to meet in public. They took care of that on there own it seemed, so that none of them would be caught associating with me.

Sato opened the door and I followed her in, pushing the sunglasses down slightly so that I could see the room in the dim light.

The first thing I saw was Hakuba and Hattori. Hakuba was sitting in a chair near the door and gave me a smile when I came in. His eyes were dark but he wasn't coughing. Hattori nodded to me and inclined his head to the side where I saw what must have been the five officers he'd brought with him. One was familiar to me. He was larger set with small eyes and had been the one driving the squad car that Hattori had gotten me into. The rest I didn't know.

"Kid-san."

I looked down as Kudo pulled on my coat. "I have two people with me. I don't know if they'll be of any help to you, but you can trust them with anything." He did as Hattori had and inclined his head towards two people who looked more at ease than anyone else in the room. I recognized the one who had interviewed me at the hospital. Jodie. The second person was larger and heavyset, with a Frankenstein look about him. I'd seen a few F.B.I. agents, but he hadn't been one of them.

"Thanks Conan-kun." I smiled. "I don't know how many this is going to take, but the more skilled they are the better."

Kudo nodded, eyes darkening now that he'd played his role of the child in front of Sato who'd been waiting while he spoke with me. He dropped the act a little too quickly and I was sure that Sato knew that something must have been up with him, but she said nothing.

"There're nine of us from the Tokyo police station including myself and Takagi-kun. That makes twenty including Conan-kun and the other two detectives. You make twenty one."

"A lucky number." I scanned the room to take in the other officers. They were visually nervous and a few were giving me looks that said they knew who I was, but wasn't sure what to do with the information. I recognized Chiba and Shiratori. The first I wasn't shocked about but I'd taken on the other's role before and knew how closely he stuck to the law. His dark eyes trained on me and his shifting stance showed as much.

"I need to know I can trust them."

Sato leaned closer to me and followed my gaze. She nodded. "You can. We may not like it but we know what has to be done." Sato clapped her hands loudly together so that everyone was looking at her and the quiet chatter stopped.

"All right everyone. Nothing is happening tonight. We're going to lay out some basic plans for the return of the hostage and the take down of the kidnappers tomorrow. You all should know by now how dangerous taking on these people is. They're armed and know their way around a gun as well as we do. I don't want anyone getting hurt tomorrow." She turned to me. "And yes, against better judgment we are going to be working with Kaitou Kid to free the hostage. If anyone is against this, please leave now and keep your mouth shut."

Everyone was looking at me by this point and I tried not to seem as tired as I was. No one left.

"Okay then. The first thing we're going to do is switch the stone with a fake so that Kid can take the real one without any of our fellow officers catching him. It's the bait we're going to need to lure out the kidnappers. If anyone gets close to catching the Kid, please try to hinder them. Don't do anything obvious, but helping him is for the greater good right now and I refuse to lose a life in the next day. Any life." Sato paused again. She was a good speaker and no one said anything against her words. She nodded. "The Kid will get their attention. I'm going to plant a wire on him for the first part of this." She looked at me. "You're going to have to lose it before you meet with them so that they don't notice."

I nodded.

"Kid will tell us where they are. There's a chance that there will be some gun-"

"Excuse me."

Sato stopped and we both turned to look at Hakuba. The blond smiled with half-closed eyes. I hadn't noticed when he crept up behind me. Hattori was next to him in a defensive position and was looking at me as if preparing to fight me on something. I'd been smiling since I'd walked in the door but I lost in when I saw the expression on his face.

"Kid doesn't have to be the one to do it."

I looked at Hakuba and raised an eyebrow. The detective continued while meeting Sato's eyes. "I can fly the glider too. Kid can still pretend to steal the gem and I can wait on top of the nearest building to draw the police and enemy attention away from him. You can give me the real gem before hand."

"No way." I forced him to look back at me. "You're sick."

Hakuba timidly raised his hands. "And you're injured. Hear me out. While I have their attention, you can sneak in with the police and free Ran-kun. This way you don't have to worry about getting both of you out of there safely and if anyone can mix in with them to get her back, you're the best candidate."

"And you'll be a sitting target."

"I'm prepared for that just as much as you were." Hakuba nodded to Sato. "Don't you agree that this is the best way?"

Sato put a hand up to her face and thought about it. The other officers were nodding to one another and I was standing there, fuming internally.

"You won't be able to get away from them."

"I'll wear a bullet-proof vest like you were going to. I don't see any flaws in my idea."

"I see a million. You aren't as fast as me. I have a better chance of getting away. You don't."

"Ya but with this, everyone else has a better chance'a walkin' away." Hattori stood up to me and folded his arms. "Find one problem with that an' I'll take it back. Right now, you gettin' Ran-chan is the best option."

"Please." Kudo watched me from his smaller stature. "We've been talking about this. Don't fight us on it."

The detectives had been making plans behind my back? That didn't sit well with me. I was being conspired against.

"We didn't do it ta get ya mad. We did it 'cause we know best. If it weren't for Hakuba-kun knowin' how to use yer glider, I would be takin' his spot. No matter what, you hidin' in the shadows an' gettin' her out while the police take down the criminals is the best option."

"It will make some of the officers uneasy, but I agree." Sato clapped her hands again and turned back to the bulk of the group to repeat what had been thrown at me. Hakuba was going to take my place and I'd be among the police. She didn't explain the details, and I was sure she was wondering how Hakuba knew how to use one of my gliders, but she knew we were connected already so she didn't stress it.

"I suppose I have no say in this then." I sighed and folded my arms. I hated the idea. I hated the very notion of someone taking my spot and getting killed in place of me. I had to admit though, this plan made it easier for me to get Ran. As long as they didn't try and shoot Hakuba in the head right away, he should be fine as well. Snake favored the chest, so it was unlikely they would. Once I got Ran out, I'd make sure to get Hakuba out as well if he couldn't get away on his own.

"Nope." Hattori let his own hands fall, knowing that he had won. I smirked with a hint of malevolence that said I'd get back at him later for this.

"How do we know that you're Kid and not trying to deceive us?"

I turned as the woman from the F.B.I spoke from behind me. Unlike Hakuba and Hattori, I had noticed her moving to get closer to me.

"I suppose my word would be no good to you."

The F.B.I. woman shrugged with a smile. I couldn't tell if she was trying to hide it or not, but it was easy for me to see her suspicion. "You could be one of the bad guys, trying to lure us into a trap."

"One." I held up a finger and looked her in the eye. "That would be a tireless charade and I doubt they would kidnap Ran-san to weed out the people in the police force willing to work with a criminal. They're not good samaritans. Two, I doubt they'd be foolish enough to send in one person alone, especially one who the entire police force was looking for. If I was one of them, it would be pretty stupid for me to be here right now."

"Did you just call yourself stupid?" Hakuba tapped me lightly on the shoulder and I turned around, grinning.

"No, I said it would stupid if I were one of them. Being the real Kid and coming down here is downright insane."

Jodie turned away from me, keeping the smile but her eyes and the Frankenstein man's who was guarding her showed how much they distrusted me. I returned the hostility. Policemen I could handle. I grew up with them. FBI agents were something different. I may not have been internationally wanted, but dad had been. I could see them looking at me like a hungry dog does a piece of meat.

"I'll follow you all tomorrow then. I can't dissuade Hakuba-san from taking my place, so I'll make sure that I do my job perfectly." I turned to Sato. "I'll send you the gem some time in the afternoon. I hope that fits your time schedule."

"It's fine. There are a few people here who will make my job easier."

"Um, Natsuki-kun?"

"Yes?"

Takagi lifted his eyes to make them level with mine, if not slightly higher up. Even with some padding in my shoes, he was taller than me. "How are we going to know it's you? It would be easy for one of the kidnappers to slip in with the police and we mistake them for you."

"I'll look like this tomorrow too, so don't worry about it." I already had the dark clothes on and my gilder was safely tucked away in my bag where it couldn't be seen. My hair was naturally dark and so were my eyes, even if they were blue. It would be easy enough to walk around in the same outfit the next day.

Takagi nodded and looked at Hakuba before looking back at me. "So you're the one who's going to pretend to steal the diamond?"

"Unless Tantei-san thinks he can do that as well, I believe that part is best suited for me. Sato-keiji will have handed Hakuba-san the real gem so there is no need for the detective and I to cross paths after this starts. I'll pretend to disappear and he'll draw their attention upward as Kaitou Kid seemingly escapes to the skies."

Takagi nodded again in understanding as he made sure that he'd gotten the plan down. The rest would rely on what Snake and his men did after they spotted Hakuba.

Apart from the F.B.I members and the police force in Japan that were already acquainted with me, everyone kept their distance. The people from Osaka hadn't even spoken up. Shiratori and Chiba were close, but that seemed to be only because Takagi and Sato were. They weren't even talking to each other, though the Osakan's were. The one who I'd driven with appeared the most nervous and kept glancing at Hattori who seemed to be purposely ignoring him. I was tempted to jump and scare them, but enough guns were in the room that, as funny as it would have been, I wasn't going to get shot again.

"I'll be leaving then. There's not much we can plan for when we don't know our enemy's actions."

Hattori and Sato both nodded at me, the Osakan walking towards the door. The other officers from Osaka started to get really restless being left in the room with me without Hattori so I followed him out. Sato was going to get the equipment everyone needed. I'd let her be the one in charge of the police for now. It wasn't my place to order them around.

"Hakuba-kun ain't coming?" Hattori looked back after we made it outside. Because we were so close to the ocean, the air was even colder and held a salty scent that didn't help the stinging in my nose. I shook my head.

"No. I didn't think he would. He needs to talk to Sato-keiji and make sure that everything is set up, along with getting that receiver from her. I'd let her borrow mine but a police one would work better. I'd have to guess that Kudo-kun's staying too because he wants to make sure everything is going to go according to plan. He knows what one wrong move could mean. Honestly." I put my hands above my head and breathed deeply to stretch. The cold air entering my lungs burned but it was better than being in the stuffy building. "They both worry too much. Kudo-kun I can't fault, but Hakuba needs to learn to lighten up."

"Ya know that I came here with Otaki. We're gonna have to take the bus back."

"I know. It's too cold to fly anyway."

"Um." Hattori looked around before moving his hands around in his pockets. "Where are ya goin' right now?"

"Kudo-kun's. I can't go to my house. I've got some uninvited guests with keen eyes."

I didn't know why but Hattori seemed relieved after that. "I guess I'll go with ya. Who knows how long Kudo and Hakuba'll be. Might take all night with those two."

"Avoiding someone?" I grinned and raised my eyebrows. Hattori coughed and stared at the street pole as we left behind the docks and came upon the denser suburban population.

"Not really. Kudo's is close an' I'm sure the guy wouldn't mind if we stayed there. Better'n gettin' a hotel anyway."

"So where is she?"

Hattori choked on his breath. Glancing around, he settled on looking ahead. "Donno. Knowin' her she could be anywhere. After goin' back, it was impossible to shake her. My dad's pretty suspicious too. I don't know how I'm gonna explain this. I mean, Kazuha knows Ran's been kidnapped. Has fer days. I can't really tell her I went behind her back ta help."

"I'm having a similar problem, but at least I know where my stalkers are. Aoko nearly gave me a heart attack 'cause I forgot she was at my house."

"Yeah, but she ain't gonna knock ya out if she gets mad at ya." Hattori sneered at the sidewalk. "Kazuha's gotta learn ta act more like a girl."

"You've only seen Aoko's good side." I smiled and looked up at the sky. She was more docile then Ran and Kazuha, but she had her moments. "Give her anything that she can swing or throw and you better watch out. I think I got so fast dodging her as opposed to trying to make myself fast as Kid. I don't know how she'd fare against normal people." I elbowed him softly. "Flip her skirt next time and we'll see."

Hattori turned bright red.

"Why would I wanna do that?"

I closed my eyes and laughed at him. "Oh naive little detective. Have you never seen girl's underwear? I mean, I've snuck into the locker room often enough to see the whole package. You're really missing out."

Hattori turned away with a sigh, still brightly colored on his dark face. "Why am I surrounded by perverts? Kudo's been naked with Ran-chan an' yer a peeper. Why am I the only normal one?"

"Kudo-kun's been naked with Ran-kun?" My brain filled in the reasons why that could have been and quickly found an answer. "Wow. That's cheap. At least people know it's me when I get caught." I laughed. "That is, if I chose to get caught. Its fun having a group of girls chase you around. And by the way, we're not weird. We're the normal one. You should have at least tried to look by now."

I still couldn't see Hattori's face.

"It didn't really work out."

I started laughing again. Just hearing the embarrassment in his voice got me going. I knew he wouldn't tell me what happened, but my mind had fun with it anyway.

"So Heiji, what happened?"

I couldn't completely bit down on the instincts that were ingrained in me. My hand automatically went in my coat to get my card gun and I was half turned around before I relaxed. Hattori had reacted similarly, but had no weapon to draw and had recognized Kazuha's voice before I could because of his familiarity with it. Kazuha's eyes went to me and I let go of the gun and grabbed my jacket as if I'd move to protect myself instead of fight. I don't think I fooled her though, because she looked nervously between us where she'd been angry seconds ago.

"Kazuha, I told ya ta go home."

She shook it off but always kept an eye on me. "How could I? You were walking around me like ya were on thin ice. If ya'd just tell me what's goin' on I wouldn't hafta follow ya all over the place."

"As ya can clearly see I ain't doin' anythin' so go back home."

"No." She inclined her head to me in a questioning matter, trying to ask who I was without words. I always kept a few wipes on me so I used one and took off what little makeup I'd put on to define my features more, scratched my head with my fingers after so the gel would let up and grinning at her.

"It's just me." It was dark, so she couldn't see exactly what I was doing. She relaxed a significant amount after that.

"So the two of ya are out havin' a good time while one'a yer friends is in danger. I certainly love bein' in that category then. I suppose that if somethin' were ta happen ta me, you'd be out enjoyin' yerselves like ya are now."

"Kazuha, there's nothin' ta do. How are we supposed to help?"

Kazuha frowned. "That's never stopped ya before. This guy right here even snuck passed my dad ta get me." She jabbed a finger in my direction. "I don't believe ya."

"Kazuha-kun." I let myself relax, the tension I'd picked up when she first startled me disappearing. My smile of a mask was back up and I lounged against the wall. I grabbed Hattori's hat off his head on the way. I was happy he was wearing it because I didn't think to bring one of my own. I was shadowed against the wall. "How exactly did you know where we were?"

I spotted the man out of the corner of my eye and shook my head slowly before she could answer. It looked like she was uncomfortable anyway. He probably told her not to say anything. "Both of you do whatever you want. I told you where I'd be Hattori-kun." I made sure that I was close to Kazuha so Hattori wouldn't hear me. "And if you're keeping your informant secret from me, please keep me secret from him. You know Hattori and I aren't just sitting around." I winked at her and she nodded slowly. She may not have understood what was going on, but it looked like she was going to listen to me. A million things could go wrong if she didn't.

"Hey, wait-"

I slipped away from Hattori and into the shadows near the closest house. He could follow me if he wanted, but he sighed and turned back to Kazuha with a curious look.

"What did he tell ya?"

I finished making my way around the house. I didn't really care if she told Hattori, I just didn't want it getting further than that. Especially not to the person who told her where to find us.

The figure in the dark clothing was trying to get away from me, but I followed. Hattori hadn't seen him. It didn't matter and I thought it better that the detective didn't notice. I smiled and kept pace, getting ahead of them for a while before falling back. The figure sighed after ten minutes of this and stopped in their tracks with their hands in their pockets.

"Kid, stop doing that."

"It's your own fault." I jumped the fence next to him where he hadn't seen me hiding. I landed softly in front of him. "I told you to stay out of this."

"As if I could." Nakamori let out a rough snort and turned away from where I was still crouching. I didn't move to stand because, being this close, he would notice that I was shorter than him, and I didn't want to bother with worrying about my age anymore. The chaos of a heist always had his attention, and his men's, elsewhere. We were alone right now and it would be noticeable. "I happened to see a few policemen looking serious and heading this way earlier. I wasn't sure if you'd be here."

"But you thought it." I tipped the hat. "I know you want to be a part of this too, but it's too dangerous for me and for the girl they have in their possession. If anyone had followed you, it could have ruined it for all those officers that came, who are putting their jobs on the line to save her."

"I know the risks." Nakamori moved to stand closer to me, inadvertently shielding me more when he blocked the light across from us from reaching me. "I still can't sit back and do nothing. Not this time. I won't do it again."

Ah, I understood now. I wondered what was bothering him so much that he must have left Aoko alone again. There were precious few things that could do that right now.

"Fine, lets see if there's something you can do for me."