Chapter 20: Playday III: Discussions

He sat patiently for the other to wake up in the infirmary. With a rueful look, he glanced at his watch.

Three p.m., the end of the school day. The unruly haired teen had been out for the rest of the day. Nakamouri-chan had told the rest of the teachers of Kaito-kun's … condition.

He had kept up the charade as Ookami-sensei. To be honest, he rather liked being a teacher for a Japanese school, although it doesn't negate the fact that it was so boring! At least he enlivened those poor students. They really need to change their structure or the children of the future are doomed.

With a quiet shake of his head, he returned his stare to the young thief. His worries sated by Nakamouri-chan assuring him that he would be just fine; something like this happened occasionally when he was in very close to fish.

… Who knew that he was afraid of fish…?

… Sad… but understandable… and funny.

He pushed up his glasses and leaned his head on his hand, it resting on his chair with a faint smile on his face.

'Nggg.'

Oh! He's waking up!

Those... f-f-finny things surrounded him!

They weren't letting him go!

And that man… he gave a demented grin as he ripped off his face exposing those scales and those soulless eyes that were mocking him.

"You can't escape! I win!"

He waved his hand and those…those… finny things attacked!

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Kaito sat bolt upright, echoes of his scream reverberating in the room. He was sweating profusely, his eyes darting back and forth to make sure that dream wasn't a reality.

"Okay?"

He gave a long exhale and his eyes flickered to the 'teacher' that was sitting on his chair, a ghost of a smile on his lips. Closing his eyes a little, he calmed down his rapid heartbeat. The magician opened his eyes and started to poke the man's face, arms and chest.

Ookami-sensei laughed. "I'm not made of fish." The boy twitched. "Huh, that bad?"

"How did you know?" Kaito whispered. He knew that man wasn't able to keep tabs on him to discover his hatred of those… scaly horrors! Or maybe the elder thief was better than he thought.

He raised an eyebrow. "The redhead told me, after she told me… other things." The man's face was blank after that small pause, and Kaito got the distinct impression that he shouldn't ask what that witch told him. Oh well, he won't ask; it wasn't his business and it probably had nothing to do with him.

"She said, and I quote," the man continued in a surprisingly perfect rendering of that Koizumi-san's voice, "'Pisces is always the worst time of the year for the dove.' Dove, I guess, refers to you, and Pisces made no sense to me since today wasn't under Pisces. So I winged it. Sorry about that, I sometimes do anything to win."

Kaito shrugged. "It was fun either way," he grinned. The smile vanished as the magician mentally shook himself. This wasn't the place that he really wanted to ask those questions he thought about for this moment. But he will do it.

Yet the moment he was about to open his mouth, the 'teacher' quietly placed a finger to his lips grinning. Frowning, Kaito looked up and saw the reason for the silence. The frown turned into a scowl.

Damn it! Why do you have to ruin everything again?! I promise you after all of this, I will make your week a living nightmare!

Said reason gave a mild shudder, stared at the magician with an added twitch, and deadpanned to the teacher as Ookami-sensei began with, "Can I help you with anything, Hakuba-kun?", without turning around. The wild-haired teen had to admit, the elder thief did a good job with his acting, that confident, steely, playful voice close to perfect. If Kaito wasn't already … well, his alter-ego, then he would have believed that the person sitting on the chair was the de facto Kaitou Kid. It certainly caused the Brit to pause and actually doubt his (true) theories.

Oh, how he want to look at the detective's face when he realizes that Ookami-sensei is another famous 'master of disguise' thief, Lupin! He wants pictures of that historic moment! Note, bring a camera!

The blond further entered the room with a thin mouth line and annoyed eyes. "Sensei, teachers should teach like professionals… not acting like five-year olds."

In one fluid motion, he rose from his chair, turned on one foot to face the Brit and placed his hand on his chest. "But Hakuba-kun~!" he said with a pout. "I was professional! I was livening up those poor kids' lives! They actually appreciated what I did and truly learned something! They thanked me!" He turned his head towards Kaito. "Is he always like this?"

Kaito nodded. "He has no funny bone in his body. I suspect he was born with no sense of humor."

"That's an absolute shame. How would he be able to enjoy the fruits of life?"

"Eh-hem!" The two looked back innocently at the scowling blond. "Can I ask how did you get to know Kuroba? The fact that you used the classroom for your tricks is similar to the way Kuroba does it!" It became more of a demand with that pointer finger of justice! Geez, that habit of his is annoying!

Ookami-sensei quietly cocked his head slightly in thought, and then brightened. "I was a big fan of his father's a long time ago!" His eyes twinkled. "I wanted to be just like him, so I trained and trained until I can show him how I improved!" And then they turned into saucers, an off-putting look shining in its depths. "Did you know how many times I tried to visit his changing room and then be forced to turn back?" He pouted and sniffed. "They acted like I was harassing him!" He abruptly gave look to Hakuba. "I was not! I knew he was busy, but he couldn't see me for a little while? I was not crazy and obsessed! What do you think, Hakuba-kun~?" He finished with a smile.

During the entire exchange, both detective and magician unconsciously gave a wide berth to him. Kaito couldn't help but flinch at the man's words. He didn't understand why he made himself sound like a stalker. But although funny and creepy, he secretly wondered if there was a grain of truth there. It wasn't helped by that smile; there was something… unholy about it and it was freaking the half-Brit out. A part of him had to suppress a laugh at the 'unflappable' teen standing at the door, slowly backing away.

Completely losing his nerve, Hakuba gave a very weak smile. "I see." His hand was already touching the door knob. With an added cough, he said, "Then I believe that we can talk later, as it is time for me to lea—" He bumped into someone at the door.

"Hakuba-san!" cried Aoko cheerfully. She looked into the room. "Kaito! You're up! Ookami-sensei?!" She shook her head and smiled at the three men. "Tou-san just called me about a new restaurant that just opened up in Beika City!" The puppy-dog pout reared its sappy head aiming at Kaito.

His eye twitched a little. He knew that look. Not only was it used to bully this poor innocent thief into doing whatever she wanted but it also manipulates him into paying for her. And damn it! He couldn't refuse; she had her trusty mop by her side! Why the hell did she bring that thing with her?! Stupid Ahoko!

…And stupid thief! He was mocking him with that smirk of his! Like he doesn't get roped into doing whatever a girl says!

The unruly haired teen exhaled, defeated. "Fine."

"I wish to come along as well, if that is alright Nakamouri-san?" piped in the blond. No one but Ookami-sensei detected the faint twitch of Kaito's lips. He then smirked.

"And I'll come along, too if you don't mind?" the teacher added. No one but Kaito detected the faint twitch of Hakuba's lips. The sensei's smirk edged wider.

Aoko blinked. "I was planning on asking Hakuba-kun to join us anyway! You don't have to come, Sensei but I don't mind and I'm sure my dad won't mind either. These two of course wouldn't mind, would you?" She strangely didn't seem to notice the one second of bewilderment on both boys' faces. The elder thief wondered if she was oblivious to the tension that was in this room earlier. They gave weak nods. She turned to Kaito. "Kaito, will you be alright to stand?"

"Just peachy!" And to emphasize, he flipped off the bed and did a perfect handstand on the teacher's shoulder before landing on a crouch. He soaked in the applause (actually a glare (Aoko), an eye roll (Hakuba), and frenzied claps (Ookami-sensei)). "So… what's the occasion?"

"Tou-san is introducing us to his acquaintance, and he said we should meet. We saw him yesterday, Kaito, remember? At the precinct?" Wait… him? Who did she mean by…?

?

Oh. Oh!

... Oh crap! He could see the teacher raising his eyebrows and blinking a few times, probably thinking the same thing.

"Who are you meeting, Nakamouri-san?" Hakuba asked.

She smiled. "Kogorou Mouri."

The trip to Beika City was … uneventful (There were far better word in his repertoire, much of it curses for the blond). Because Ookami-sensei was closely watched by the Brit, Kaito didn't have many chances to talk, to relieve the teen of some of his questions. Minor questions left unanswered by the detective swooping down and pulling the elder thief into his conversations. Damn it! And these weren't the ones he wanted to ask like Oyaji, Tantei-kun, or the secondary reason for being here. Hakuba is going to pay double time for this!

Ookami-sensei, however, was starting to become very annoyed at the blond. He really wanted to answer some more of Kaito-kun's questions (not every one; got to stay mysterious). But Hakuba-kun keeps interrupting! It wasn't entirely the detective's fault, though. Kaito-kun's notes on the boy had warned him of his persistence when following clues… and he revealed pretty big clues. The poor detective now became conflicted with his Kaitou Kid beliefs. And now has become an agitating thorn. Well it's the thief's own fault for the 'insinuations' and that thorn. Whelp, you reap what you sow. Now he has to gear himself for his second (or third) encounter with the inspector, detective, and those kids that will be with him… again.

Hakuba, thirdly, as he was talking to the 'teacher' about the man's travels was himself doing his own mental preparations for the few insufferable people in this dinner date. He suspected that the Sleeping Kogorou would be bringing the hot-blooded barbarian tantei and Edogawa-kun. Hattori-kun had better matured from that brutish personality; he genuinely can't stand the Osakan. He also couldn't stand Ookami-sensei…. That… man was mocking him! Taunting him with glimpses, hints, of that white suited nuisance that haunted his dreams! Oh, how he will have the last laugh when he threw that insufferable thief in jail! But… the detective had to wonder, why was 'Kid' here in the first place? Was it to check up on him, one of the participating detectives? If Kuroba-kun had figured out that Ookami-sensei was Kid…. That was the reason he had continuously pulled the 'teacher' into Hakuba's own talks. He did not want the bouncy magician to try to ask for pointers for his tricks nor do some sort of scheming on his watch. It would be worth it to really keep an eye on both if his faltering theories strengthened in some way. He had to hide his amusement at the twin masked irritation on both males' faces, even if there would be repercussions later down the line.

Aoko, lastly, thought how nice and civil the three people were being. She had to admit, she had expected some sort of prank or trick that Kaito would pull to either the teacher or Hakuba-kun. I guess Kaito really respects Ookami-sensei… or he's taking his time. Just like that BaKaito! He knows what I'll do to him if he even thinks about acting up! She genuinely didn't know what to think about the substitute teacher. She admits he was funny and cool; he actually taught English far better than most English teachers. She gave a faint blush at the implications, she and the class learned far more from a class clown teacher! What does that say about the faculty?! Aoko glanced thoughtfully at the adult as he chatted with Hakuba-kun with Kaito hovering around them. She kind of overheard Ookami-sensei's chat for his connection to Kaito, but she didn't think that he was really stalker-ish to Toichi-ojisan. She wondered why he pretended being so 'creepy'.

Oh! This was their stop! She called out to the men to let them know.

The scowl on his face spoke volumes on his thoughts on being here. He was in the middle of his plans for the heist party (It was really in the middle of beer and reruns, he's not going to admit that!) when the blowhard, er, Nakamouri-keibu asked him that he wanted Kogorou and the group of kids to meet his daughter. He'll humor him just for the free food, if he's paying. The scowl deepened and he looked at the boys quietly talking among themselves. They were probably thinking about that college kid that died in that Kudou-brat's home. Personally none of the minds could figure out anything more than that it was a professional hit. The question was what did Okiya-san do to get himself killed? Or was it a random killing disguised as a hit. Too many questions. After about two hours of checking and re checking, Keibu-dono decided to let them go back to the Detective Agency. He would let them know of any extra details they find.

Ran and the Osakan's girlfriend decided to leave for the grocery store for ingredients to make a light lunch, while Conan and the Osakan talked with hushed voices. He long since tuned them out as he grabbed a can and pulled his TV set closer. The girls returned, made a quick batch of gyouza and thus was a quiet lull in the agency... That is until the phone rang from the Task Force inspector. Thus, where they were now, waiting in front of the new restaurant for their remaining guests.

"Mou, Tou-san! You're acting more like Conan-kun's age than Conan-kun!" admonished his daughter. He winced and gave a little cough, looking away from her.

"Gomen," he muttered, properly chastised. The scowl returned with a vengeance when he heard the boys snickering beside him, his eye twitching at the loudest,youngest one...

WAM!

He couldn't hit the Osakan but the freeloader... As such, Conan cried in pain, rubbing the bump on his head. He was once again reprimanded but with twin glares from the girls. He flinched. The Osakan's giggling grew louder, then cut off abruptly into a cry of pain. Kogorou noted the girls' glares redirected to Hattori-kun, the dark-skinned kid favoring his right ankle and the sunny smile of the midget. Both he and Nakamouri-keibu had to suppress a shudder at the kid's expression. Creepy.

Ginzo's amusement to these people's antics was admittedly fun. His daughter does the same thing in the admonishment so there was some sympathy. He gave a quiet sigh.

Some time ago, he had called Aoko about visiting him again in Beika. He thought that he could take her out to an early dinner to that newly opened restaurant that was getting some good reviews. He hoped that this can soothe the strain of their father-daughter bond. Being a police officer, especially one focusing on Kid thefts, was taxing on his relationship. But he did want Aoko to be proud of him despite his failures in previous Kid heists. He also told her that he was bringing Mouri-tantei and some of his associates. She herself added that she will bring three people, too. He wondered who, although he suspect that she might bring Kaito-kun; he's in the dark about the rest.

Oh, speak of the devil!

The two loud voices could be heard before four people appeared, walking up the sidewalk; three in gakuens, one in a dark gray suit. He suppressed a grin; he already knew those two voices that always fall into an argument, hearing the catches of "BaKaito!" and "Ahoko!" Really surprised to see a familiar head of dark blond hair standing between Kaito-kun and the suit-wearing gentleman, ignoring the fight for chatting with him. He guessed he flew all the way from England to participant in the heist... Great.

Mouri-san's daughter, Conan-kun, as well as the two Osakan kids gave different levels of shock at the quartet as they got closer, specifically Kaito-kun and Aoko. He blinked as he noticed the physical similarities between their daughters as well as far closer resemblance between Kaito-kun and Conan-kun. I wonder if they're related?

Mouri-chan took one shaky step forward. "Shin'ichi?" Shin'ichi? Who's that? A friend of hers?

Kaito-kun blinked while the grey suit man chuckled. The teen produced a yellow rose out of thin air and presented it to her. "Gomen. I'm not who you think I am. My name is Kaito Kuroba, magician extraordinaire!" he finished with a flourish. Mouri-chan blushed and took the rose, apologizing as well.

"You were right, Nakamouri-keibu," muttered the elder detective. "Our daughters look a little alike, but not to the extent of Kuroba-kun and another kid I know. Those two look like twins."

"I see." It must be that 'Shin'ichi' Mouri-chan mentioned. Ginzo started when a growl ripped itself out of Hattori-kun's throat as he glared and pointed at Hakuba-kun. Said boy gave an ugly scowl. He also saw the little boy, who had been wide-eyed staring at the magician throughout the exchange looked between these two in great amusement.

"YOU," the Osakan and the Briton said, the former practically yelling, causing mostly everyone to flinch at the volume.

"Do you know him, Hakuba-san?" asked Aoko. "Ahh! Gomen, my name is Aoko Nakamouri."

The blond slowly exhaled, his eyes flickering to Conan-kun and giving him a polite nod, which the boy returned. "Yes. Some time ago, at different stages, I have met them all... Especially the hot-blooded tantei-san." Hattori-kun gave another growl and was smacked at the back of the head by Toyoma-chan. "I suspect that you wish to know my presence here, Nakamouri-keibu?" At Ginzo's nod, the blond gave a wary sigh and a quick glance at the quiet man next to him; the man blinked back innocently. "I had received a last-minute invite while in England and had arrived last night. I was going to tell you at your precinct in Ekota but the officers said that you were in Beika. I planned on being here after school but Nakamouri-chan indirectly saved me the trouble." He reached into his pocket to show the Task Force Inspector his invite card (eliciting a muttered "Damn it!" from Hattori-kun and an eyebrow twitch from Kaito-kun).

Hakuba-kun stared at Ginzo straight in the eyes and added, "I will do everything in my power to stop Kid and this other thief... But I am quite curious, Nakamouri-keibu, Mouri-san. Do you know who the other thief is?"

The four newcomers were quite surprised by the reactions of the rest of the group, combining different levels of frowns and pale faces. Nakamouri-keibu coughed and murmured, "I know but I can't tell you in front of civilians." He pointedly looked at the blond's other companions. Hakuba nodded.

"I guess I'm the forgotten one, hmm?" The English words startled everyone as they turned to the bi-speckled gray suit, who for the entire time had rocked on his heels with a curious expression on his face.

"Aoko, I didn't know you were bringing an adult!" said the inspector.

She smiled and gestured at him, "He was our substitute English teacher for today. He and Kaito knew each other so I asked him to join us."

"His name is Sasuke Ookami-sensei," piped in Kaito.

"English teacher?" chorused the group. They swarmed the man who blinked once at the close-ups.

"My name is Ginzo Nakamouri, her father."

"Kogorou Mouri. Uhm, I'm the famous detective, Sleeping Kogorou!"

"Ran Mouri. I'm his daughter."
"Heiji Hattori, a famous detective from Osaka."

"Kazuha Toyoma, I am Heiji's friend and from Osaka."

"Conan Edogawa. Mr. Mouri is teaching me how to become a detective."

Ookami-sensei stared at them for a beat before smirking and pointing at the two other adults. "Your English needs work." The men deflated. "Your English is a little better, then again you're probably learning it as well." The two girls he referred to nodded. He glanced at the last two with a smile. "How long have you've been learning? You know far more than what is usually taught."

"I taught myself." Hattori-kun beamed.

"I lived in America before being in Japan. My parents taught me." Conan-kun beamed also.

"I see." With a nod, Ookami-sensei gestured to the restaurant door. "Shall we go in?" The group agreed and entered one by one.

The teacher suddenly stopped and turned to the two remaining guests, Hattori and Conan. Before he spoke, the grin he held vanished replaced by shock. Said shock lasted a half a second before the grin returned, heavily strained. Conan frowned and turned towards the man's line of sight. Two people, possibly a couple or business partners had just entered the restaurant's other door. The first was a blonde woman dressed in a dark red dress suit, wearing red-rimmed glasses and her hair tied in a bun. The other was a man wearing a light gray suit, his black hair in a pony tail and sunglasses. They didn't look anything suspicious... unless he knew them.

"Ookami-sensei, something wrong?" He shook his head, the smile curling up a corner.

"Say Conan-kun, how old are you?" Conan frowned at the abrupt change in topic but didn't let it show on his face. In his usual cute-little-boy face, he chirped, "8!"

"Are you related to that missing high school detective, Shin'ichi Kudou?" Conan gaped for a second, suspicions rising for the teacher.

"He's Kudou's cousin!" Hattori chimed in, a little too quickly for the not-child's liking.

"I see." With a nod, he turned... but didn't move from his spot. After a beat, he gave a sideways glance at Conan. The little detective's eyes widened. Why do I feel like I'm in danger?!

"Every person wears masks to hide behind reality and truth, believing themselves being safe. Unfortunately, it's only a matter of time before someone or something shatters it, exposing things not even the wearer realizes they've suppressed. I'm quite good at detecting lies and masks... People sometimes need caution not to slip in front of the wrong person."

"Hey! Are ya coming are not?" cried Toyoma-chan. Ookami-sensei grinned and cried back, "Coming~!" strolling into the building.

Hattori blinked. "What the hell is that all about, Kudou? Hey are ya listening to me?"

Conan said nothing, staring horrified at the retreating back of the teacher, only one thought in his head.

"Who the hell is he?"

1) gyouza - Japanese dumplings of Chinese origin, can be filled with ground meat or vegetables and are usually fried, baked, or steamed. Are served with a soy-vinegar or chili oil dipping sauce. Another common name for them is pot stickers or "yaki-gyouza" (only refers to fried).

And here ends Chapter 20. Next up, Brooding, encounters and a murder, oh my!

Finished 3/6/2014