Mikau: Hello guys. Thank you for your continued patronage. Thanks also to everyone who reviewed; there were a lot: Nechangi, perfectly flawed woman, Sirastar, icarusdg, XxAkatsukiFanxX, Aniki-xvi, and kakashikrazy256. As the end of my study abroad in Japan draws near, I find myself depressed. All of the advertisements for the new Conan movie that I'm not going to be in the country to see are not helping. In other news, a lot of people have been asking about the pairing. I've had it decided since the inception of this fic, but please feel free to write in about whom you want Kaito to end up with whether it be KaiShin, HakuKai, or HakuKaiShin. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I'd switch up the eye colors a little more. Most of the main characters have blue eyes. There needs to be some variation. I mean, most Japanese people don't have blue eyes, so "realism" is no excuse. Throw in some purple or red or yellow every once in a while, why don't you?

….

Interrupted Invitations

"I feel like the Grinch that stole Christmas," Kaito sighed, sinking into the agency couch.

"Did she really take the news that badly?" Conan bit his lip, going to fetch the tea.

"Yes. No. Maybe. I have no earthly clue." The magician began scratching his head with both hands in confusion. "I confronted him with the evidence at dinner tonight, and Mom had a fit. I almost felt sorry for the poor slimeball; I think she scared him within an inch of his life. He probably won't be fooling around with other women any time soon. Mom even went so far as to call his wife, and there was mention of divorce and lawsuits. Then, after he left, she went up to her room. She didn't even look at me or saying anything. I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry." The pocket-sized investigator set the tea down on the coffee table and climbed up into Kaito's lap. "Your mom is one tough lady. I doubt she'll sink into depression or anything. Just give her some time to sort things out. She'll be fine."

"But what if she hates me for ruining her relationship?" The taller of the brunettes moaned, squeezing his therapist tight to his chest.

"Kaito, that woman loves you more than anything." Conan couldn't help but roll his eyes. His crush was such an adorable worrywart. "She's just a little vulnerable right now. She probably doesn't want you to see her weak, so she's keeping her distance. Give it a few days. She'll thank you for looking out for her later."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive, you silly thing." The bespectacled boy chuckled. "Now ease up on the death-grip. You're choking me."

"Sorry." Kaito smiled sheepishly. "I know I'm being silly, but…you know, I worry when it comes to the people I love."

"I understand." Conan smiled, giving Kaito a reassuring squeeze. "You always wear that calm, in-control mask in front of other people, but it's okay to let your guard down and fall apart in front of me. You don't have to be afraid to show me the real you."

"You're such a charmer, Shin-chan," Kaito laughed, his anxiety leaving him. "You always know just what to say to make a boy feel all warm and fuzzy." And then all teasing left his voice. "You're a good friend, Shinichi. Thank you."

"Kaito, I…" Conan opened his mouth to respond, but the tender moment was ruined by Mouri Kogoro.

The older detective stuck his head into the office and barked, "Are you here again, Kuroba brat?"

"Ah. Mouri-san." Kaito slapped on a great big smile. "Good to see you again, Sir. I read about your case the other day in the paper, and it was just amazing how you solved the murder trick with the duct tape and the ping-pong balls. I never would have been able to see through that."

At this, the sleeping detective stood up a little straighter and cleared his throat. "Well, yes, but for a great detective such as myself, a case like that was simple. I could have solved it in my sleep!" And then he started to laugh that great big, obnoxious guffaw.

Both Kaito and Conan gave a half-hearted "Ahaha."

Once the laughter thankfully died down, Mouri motioned to the kitchenette. "There's some ice cream in the freezer that you can help yourself to, Kuroba brat. Just don't eat it all."

"Thanks, Mouri-tantei." Kaito chuckled with a grin as the private detective went upstairs to the apartment. He then turned to Conan once Mouri was out of hearing range. "That really was a brilliant deduction, though. You'll have to tell me about your process one of these days."

"If you'd like." The real meitantei smiled, a little giddy at his love's praise. "Kaito, I…" Conan tried again, but this time he was cut off by the thief's cell phone.

The younger teen checked the caller display and quickly apologized. "Sorry. Got to take this one."

"Don't worry about it." Conan shrugged, wondering how his friend knew the identity of the caller when the number showed up as "private."

"Kiku-chan?" Kaito asked upon picking up.

The mini Heisei Holmes could barely make out a muffled threat about annoying nicknames from the person on the other end. There was also some mention of parts that Kaito had requested.

"You've got them already?" The magician seemed utterly floored. "How much do I owe you?"

Conan could discern something that sounded like "no need for payment," and then Kaito argued that it must have been expensive since whatever he'd asked for had to be imported.

The mystery woman said something like "already been paid in advance" and "come within the hour," and then the line went dead.

Kaito sighed and shook his head. "Sorry. Work."

"Oh." Conan nodded. "Then that was…" He wasn't sure if he should ask.

"A miracle worker. I needed some parts for a new gadget for scaling buildings, but they're hard to get a hold of." The magician set his friend down and made his way to the door. "Sorry to run off like this, but I have to go stop by her place. Thanks again for earlier, Shin-chan."

"Don't mention it." Conan smiled. "Hey, Kaito?" He might as well try one last time, though it was obvious that the higher powers were against him since he kept getting interrupted.

"Hm?" The taller of the two blinked.

"Are you free this Friday? I'd like to take you somewhere."

"Like a date?" Kaito grinned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeah. Like a date," the grade school sleuth chuckled.

"Sure, but if it's a date, you're paying. Check ya later, Tantei-kun." Kaito snapped Conan a sharp salute and made his way out the door.

…

i 22 i

I.…I

Mikau: I made myself a birthday cake. Most of the other international students have gone home already, and my Japanese friends are away on Spring Break, so I have no one to celebrate with this year. As sad as that sounds, it's not really a big deal. My fam sent birthday cards, and I'm going home on White Day, so I'll have a party with my family and friends in the US when I get there. As for the day itself, I plan to go see the new Sherlock Holmes movie, eat dinner out, and buy myself a small slice of cake. It's Saturday, so there'll be Conan to watch as well. It'll be fun. Speaking of movies, I went and saw the new Liar Game. It was good, but I don't like the new heroine. Her actress was great, but the character was not a worthy successor to Nao-chan. Thank you for reading.