A/N: Movie six will be dubbed on February 19th! :'D Oh MAN, am I stoked! *can't wait, can't wait*

Anyhoodle, there was a bit of a technicality pointed out in the last chapter about the badges. For…um, making-sense's sake I'm going to make up my own functions for the badges. …If you think about it, I'd have to: they never show with detail how they use those things. :|

Well, moving on…

Marie Ravenclaw – Headaches suck, but I'm glad my guess was right. xD Things will be revealed in this chapter. :3 You're cold, too? Our basement is colder than the rest of our house so that doesn't help much when the weather outside is -45 degrees Celsius (with wind chill) and we have bad heating. :') I WILL PREVAIL

Miyanoai – *towards the 23rd chapter's review* It seems like the latest update has eluded you once again. xD Anyway…NOW I know what you're talking about. I remember that…good episode. :D Oh, I didn't think you were yelling at me. xD Well, the question about what Kaito was thinking…I already answered. xD' I LOVE ALL THE MOVIES~ I'm one of the people who likes the dub, but I have watched the original version (because I loved the show so much, I needed to know what happened) so yeah, I've skipped a few of the subs, but I'll watch ALL in the dubs. :3 *cough* anyway…

Mel72000 – You get a 0 on an exam if you miss it? D: That…really, really sucks. :C May this chapter make you feel better! :D

DetectiveConanFan13 – Glad you liked the events of the last chapter. xD I really hope you enjoy the way things turn out in this one. :D Plausibility is something I try to hold dear, so by Genta, I WILL make it plausible! …or at least try to. xD *shot* Weird? :/ Seems perfectly normal to me. xD Maybe that's because I'm weird. :|

Phantom-Akiko – Oh, Aoko wasn't in the last chapter at all, actually. I was using the fact that Aoko and Conan have the same voice actors to make an interesting situation. There are two options you can decide from at this scene: 1) Conan was so mad that he used 'BaKaito' on his own, confusing Aya into thinking it was Aoko since she uses that a lot. 2) Conan purposefully sounded like Aoko to catch Kaito off guard and rant to him without Kaito hanging up on him right away. I'd say the first one makes more sense, but the second could work, too. Nice work with your deductions there on the cookie. :3 Glad you liked the outcome and that Hakuba didn't seem to be OOC. (I also didn't think it was OOC since it was a quote, but I wasn't completely positive.)

DfK – O_O …Timbits? You…like Timbits too…? I think I just found a new bonding point. xD (Seriously, I love them so much, one of my nicknames is 'Timbit') As you pointed it out, I went over the Clonan scenes and noticed that you were kind of right. O_O I think that's a good sign because of the quote 'You're never truly a writer until the characters start to write themselves.' …considering he snuck in his own little actions on his own there…YAY xD Um… *lousy with emotes* …Kaitou Kid? :'D

Pretztailfan95 - *throws cookies in your direction* WHOO, you were the ONLY person that pointed out the fourth wall thing. xD No doubt others noticed, but I was just waiting for 'Wait a sec…Heiji!' :3 Yeah, the Clonan thing I saw on YouTube a few months ago and I decided to put it in here. xD It's kind of funny when you mention Houseki because it seems like you don't like her, but she's the one you hope kills others that have done something stupid. xD …Houseki (in real life) when I talk about her…we make her doing funny things, and then I realize she wouldn't do that but we go on anyway. xD Must be a way to make villains less scary… *recalls all the jokes made about Gin* A cat? I was confused by that for so long until I realized you meant the actual Magi-chan from your story. As you were saying 'Too bad she eventually' right at that point you were shot. I was saying that the same gun that took that shot there came over to me and shot me in addition. :D *shot again*

RHK – With the mechanisms of the badge, I'll attempt to explain it in the best way I can. Although, as I mentioned, you never see exactly how the badges work so I'll have to improvise. Hopefully, for the readers and myself, I manage to explain it so it makes sense. xD'

Pandakitty – It's okay, I suck at explaining things. :'D With the 'usual' 'usually' thing, I actually meant usual, '…news reporters and police are usual in these situations…' it sounds weird I know, but Conan was saying that their appearance was routine. Perhaps a better word in that place would've been 'normal.' …it's hard to explain. OTL No, the Houseki Jenga thing will probably never get in here. xD lol, 'put a CHILD in jail!' …you know as well as anyone the flaw behind that statement. xD Hm… I'll try 'niichan' in this chapter and see how it feels. If it's weird I might go back to niisan. (I doubt it'll be weird)

Allied Enemy

Blue and yellow: usually happy colors, but right at that moment they brought nothing but horror. Hakuba…how had he gotten his hands on the badge? Anxious to know and also worrying that he might jump to the wrong conclusion, Conan regained a calm face; the only present emotion a slight surprise that would fit naturally with his coming statement, "Saguru-niichan, why do you have Mitsuhiko's detective badge? He was looking for that." Placing a bit of blame himself, he added, "…Did you steal it?"

"…Steal?" as the word left Hakuba's lips, Conan realized that his own statement was about to lead to his downfall. Knowing this himself, Hakuba smirked, "I suppose in a way, yes; I did steal it. However, it – along with the other one – were used for a good cause."

'Other?' That was the only necessary hint. With it came Haibara's words, '…As you gave Kojima-kun his badge, Tsuburaya-kun mentioned that he had lost his, too.' During their visit to the agency Genta's badge was lost. The only other that had had theirs was Ayumi. Conan hadn't seen Mitsuhiko use his; he'd already lost it. Most terrifying was the recollection of the place Genta's badge had been found: on the floor, a small distance from the open window. No doubt as Conan picked it up the dial was in the 'ON' position; sending messages to any other badges nearby. Messages like the conversation between Kuroba and himself, for instance.

In front of them, his smile still presumptuous, Hakuba repeated some phrases – familiar phrases, "…'I'm aware – too aware – that the police haven't seen the notice yet'…'but Hakuba Saguru did show up'…'he's getting close to finding out who I really am'." His stare had been aimed at Conan, but it shifted to Kuroba. "Most interesting, though, has to be this…'you don't need to speak like a caveman Kuroba. I know: …

"…You're Kid. …You're Kid.'"

Stubborn as ever, Kuroba still hadn't backed down. "So? In no way does that directly imply-"

"'Why are we bothering with this heist?'" Hakuba interrupted. "A very interesting question; followed by a very interesting answer. What was it you said, Kuroba? …'I don't want the public to start being suspicious about the Kid's whereabouts'?"

Silent – even Kuroba couldn't deny the truth behind that statement. However, his silence didn't only represent his defeat; it also meant that Hakuba still wasn't going to get the answers he pursued.

Knowing this, he went on, "I'm surprised you failed to notice the interesting device I have." He ignored the confusion in their faces and continued, "Think back; did any of you actually see me at the heist? …If my intention was to denounce the two of you, why would I miss the moment of your crime? …The answer is much simpler than you'd think." Unzipping his jacket, he revealed the small microphone protruding from under his shirt. "…Setting this up takes quite some time; especially if the audio playing through is to be automatically recorded in another location of the city."

"…Why would you go to all that trouble?" with a bit of hesitation, Akako had finally spoken up. She was stubborn as well, but the shock of Hakuba's information must've affected her more than Kuroba. Nonetheless, she began her defense, "If you're so confident in this 'evidence' of yours, why wouldn't you have just phoned the police right away?" It was risky, almost begging to be caught, but to escape suspicion she had to try.

Pausing, the answer that came from Hakuba was not what they had expected. "As a detective, every lead must be brought to light. I pursue the truth, and unless you tell me, my other detective habits will come into play as my partner phones you into the police."

"What…?" Conan managed to mutter under his breath. The other two had also said the word, but he wasn't paying attention to them at that moment.

"Your reasons; I'm curious as to what they are." The detective responded nonchalantly.

This caused Kuroba to clench his fists. "Why would we tell you that? If we did have anything to do with Kid, you'd just arrest us anyway once we told you!"

"On the contrary," remaining calm, Hakuba's face was confident, "Depending on your honesty, I may or may not report you. The summary is this: tell me the truth and you may not get thrown behind bars; continue to resist, and jail is inevitable. …It's your choice."

"…Kuroba Toichi." Teeth clenched along with his fists, Kuroba started his explanation. "My dad; he was the original Kaitou Kid. Roughly nine years ago, he died in an accident. …At least, it looked like an accident. About a year ago, I learned that wasn't the case. Dawning the old monocle and cape, I went about the business he used to, searching for his murderers.

"…Happy?"

Absorbing the information being sent at him, Hakuba glanced Conan's way. "…and Kid Kaitou?"

Indifferent, Kuroba went about his fabrication, "Along the way, Koizumi-chan ended up discovering my identity. Much like you, she threatened to tell others if I didn't tell Conan-kun here. She didn't want to have the hassle of keeping it a secret from him. When he knew my story, he offered to help." Twitching at the lie, Conan sent a small glare his way.

Repeating himself, this time more irritated, Kuroba said, "…Happy?"

"I suppose you could say that."

Examining Hakuba's face, Conan felt that something was wrong. Knowing the entire truth, he himself knew that Kuroba was lying, but in Hakuba's ears, those lies should've made sense. …and yet…

But then it hit him: two small pieces of information in the call. They were tiny, they could've been missed easily, but they were there. As Hakuba smiled, Conan knew the trouble ahead of them. He had to stop it.

"As a detective I'm always joyful to hear the truth-"

"However, as a detective I'm ecstatic to hear the whole truth." Just as Hakuba began, Conan finished the phrase for him. "…That's what you were going to say, right?"

At the horrified looks of Akako and Kuroba, Conan lowered his head. "Sorry, but those lies – however probable – won't convince him. You forgot two small aspects, Kuroba."

"That was quite close, I was just about to give the order for the evidence to be sent to the police, but you caught me halfway." Letting out a small laugh, Hakuba continued, "I have a feeling you'll tell me anyway and those two no doubt already know, so I must say…I thought you'd be much taller…

"…Kudo Shinichi."

Kudo had been right – the two aspects were small. Almost as if he had subconsciously figured it out partway through the conversation, Kaito had avoided calling him Kudo. There had only been one time in which he had mentioned the name, but that one line was all anyone needed to make the connection. In response to Kudo's statement that Hakuba was getting suspicious about his identity, Kaito had joked, "Wait, you mean he knew you as Kudo Shinichi?" Those few words; if he hadn't said them, Kudo could've gotten out of telling Hakuba. But it was too late already, each of them had taken the false step, and now they were falling into the abyss.

Playing back the colloquy, Kaito analyzed the words for the second aspect. As he scratched his head in frustration, he felt the jewels in his pocket bump against his waist. In that instant, he knew. "…The second aspect…is Pandora, isn't it?"

"…Again?" Koizumi said with her hand on her forehead, sounding slightly peeved. Putting her foot down, she huffed, "Uh-uh, no way. I am not explaining this time. Considering how many times you've heard me say it, the two of you should have it imprinted in your brains by now."

Kaito couldn't blame her; giving the magic lecture about four times already she was no doubt tired with it. Indeed, the speech was imprinted in Kaito's mind, but in no scenario would he ever want to tell someone; least of all Hakuba. Passing the responsibility, he casually stated, "Well, I don't use the arts, so if it came to an example, I wouldn't be of much help," he smiled at Kudo. "…would I?"

That plan backfired, "Oh, I'll explain magic alright, but among us… Kuroba, you've known about Pandora the longest. You're the reason she-it was brought up in that conversation after all."

Receiving the impatient glares of not only Kudo but Koizumi and Hakuba, Kaito sighed in defeat. "…Fine. But no one said I had to like it.

"…'Of all the large jewels in the world, there's only one that has a secret power. When the Volley Comet approaches the Earth every 10,000 years take the gem under the moon's light. As you do tears will come out; tears that, if you were to drink, you would become immortal. To distinguish this gem from the others, hold it under the moon in a similar fashion as you would when the comet draws near. Inside of the right jewel should glow a smaller one, red in color.'

"This," Kaito paused for effect, "is the Pandora gem."

Assimilating the information, Hakuba began to form questions along with conclusions. "Kuroba, how did you come across this information? …Did your father search for this 'Pandora'?"

Scoffing at the statement, Kaito let out his own, "That wouldn't be likely. My dad would never stoop so low as to look for some fairytale escape from death. …He was a better man then that." Peeking over his shoulder, he saw only the wall behind him. 'What I wouldn't do to see through Hattori's eyes…to have a conversation with him. …Even just to get a short glimpse of him after all this time…'

Drawing Kaito away from his thoughts, Hakuba let out his second guess; far closer than any of the three would've suspected, "Then this Pandora gem has something to do with his murder? Perhaps the ones who killed him were looking for it?" As Kaito nodded, Hakuba peered down at Kudo. Concentrating for a few seconds, he correctly deduced another of the situations, "Those murderers…also have something to do with Kudo's appearance, correct?"

"That's right, Hakuba-kun." Koizumi said, her arms crossed, "But tell me, how'd you come to that conclusion?"

"Well," he shrugged, "I can't think of any other reason that Kudo, a detective, would help Kuroba, a thief." Staring at that same thief with an accusing look, he added, "Of course, he could be adding to his crimes by using blackmail."

Waving his arms in defense, Kaito asserted, "H-Hey! I would never do that! Right, Kudo?" A skeptic stare was his reply. Looking quite guilty, Kaito grabbed at straws. "U-Uh…w-well, you're one to talk Hakuba! You hypocrite!"

Bothered by the accusation, Hakuba raised his brow with irritation. "This isn't blackmail, it's an interrogation."

'You conceited condescending son of a-' halting his anger, Kaito twitched with animosity. '…Maybe murder will be "added to my crimes"…'

Feeling that the need for his explanations was no more, Kaito grabbed Kudo by the collar. Thrusting his arm forward, he presented the next speaker. Hatred in his voice, he insisted, "Well, I'm pretty sure I'm finished. Go on, Kudo."

Indifferent, Hakuba pointed a lone finger at Kudo. "I can't speak from experience, but I don't believe giving an explanation while being held like that is very comfortable."

"Well I don't believe we should be telling you this, but…we all make sacrifices." Aggravated, Kaito stared into Hakuba's eyes, those of which quickly narrowed with their own annoyance. Sparks flying between their pupils, they leaned closer, all the while Kudo got lower.

Close, low…

Closer, lower…

Closest…too low.

Suddenly jolted, Kaito crippled to the ground. Cringing, Kaito made a note to himself, '…Never let the soccer maniac within kicking range of the crotch…ever.'

As Kaito lay paralyzed on the floor, Kudo went about his own lecture. "…You're right; the ones who killed Kuroba's dad were the ones that shrunk me. …APTX 4869: a prototype poison with the rare side-effect of physically becoming a seven-year old again. As of this moment, the organization believes that the poison had its desired effect; that I died. I've been able to hide my identity and I've had a few encounters with them, but so far I'm not any closer to finding the antidote." Recovering slowly, Kaito noticed the thumb pointed at him. "…This is why I'm helping him. I figured it's time to go on the offensive and locate them rather than waiting for them to show up."

"So you go after jewels that might hold the Pandora they're looking for." Hand on his chin, Hakuba inquired, "Might you tell me what magic has to do with all of this? You said that you would explain that, correct?"

Blinking, Kudo paused for a moment, probably looking for the right words to describe the anomaly. "Well…you've personally experienced one spell. The one Akako-sensei used to look like Kuroba." Turning toward Koizumi with a smile, he finished with "Right~?"

"Oh, yes, the deception spell." Seeing the question written on Hakuba's face, she began to explain. "Well, using magic you build up a wall of particles. These allow you to look and 'physically' be of the stature of the one you're basing the spell off of. The same particles modify your voice to sound exactly like your base's. High level wizards can easily see and hear past these particles, however, so first level deception spells don't work on magic users like Kudo-" terminating the sentence, she seemed to recall her earlier commitment. Full of chagrin, she puffed, "…You sly brat."

Caught trying to lay off the speech, Kudo scratched his cheek. He luckily had the explanation stalled once more as Hakuba spoke, "Another one of these spells…wouldn't happen to involve flying on a broom, would it?" Each of the three nodded, causing a look of befuddlement to crease his face. "That does sound plausible as a reason behind that…but in the same sense it isn't plausible."

Crossing his arms, Kaito remained sitting on the floor. "It's your choice whether you'll believe us or not. In all honesty, it's still a little strange for me to accept."

"I do accept it; it just doesn't seem likely the laws of nature would." Walking out of the door, he gazed down the hallway. "However, I'm standing in the evidence: a house that should be ashes right now yet looks perfectly fine."

Following Hakuba out the door, Koizumi suggested a small tour; mostly to point out magical objects and such. As she did, Kaito knelt down and took Kudo's hand. 'Hey…can't you wipe his memory of all this or something?'

'No.' Kudo sighed, discouraged, 'I already asked Akako-chan about it, but she said that those types of spells wear off if the memory presses through due to reminders. You, Akako-chan, and I would be those reminders…not to mention Kaitou Kid and Kid Kaitou. It just wouldn't last.'

'Well, that sucks.' Pouting, Kaito noticed something. Intriguing enough, he asked about it, 'Hey, didn't you call Koizumi-chan "Akako-sensei"? Why'd you change to "Akako-chan"?'

'To suck up, obviously.' He sighed once more. 'I hate explaining.'

Unable to resist, Kaito asked, 'Really? …In all those murder cases or when you were revealing one of my tricks in a heist, you always seemed to enjoy yourself. …Or is this scenario different since you're telling your own lies?'

Walking at his full height, Kaito's previously targeted area was safe. His feet however, were not. Pressing and twisting the heel of his foot into Kaito's, Kudo broke free of Kaito's hand as the thief bounced around massaging his foot. Eyes watery from the pain, Kaito glared at Kudo's retreating back, 'He's more violent than I thought.'

In front of him, no doubt Hakuba had raised a question of Kudo's sudden assault on Kaito's poor foot. Koizumi replied, "Oh, that's just telepathy for you. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly what Kuroba-kun said, but it was obviously stupid."

'This house is full of conspirators…' Kaito thought as he limped behind the group.

The tour didn't take long, and although countering her resolve, Koizumi had explained the remaining bits of information. Among the details, she had left out the seal, ghosts, along with Hattori and Haibara. Hakuba, however, already knew of the last two. Strolling toward the grand front doors, he had turned and remarked, "You haven't mentioned anyone else that knows about this yet. I believe the Osakan along with Kudo's classmate know all of this. Is that right?"

"Yes," Koizumi answered. "Along with Kudo's parents, Kuroba-kun's mother, and the man Ai-chan lives with, Agasa-hakase."

"Speaking of those who know," Kaito brought up the topic slowly, "who's this partner of yours?"

There was a good, long pause before Hakuba let out a laugh. Still chuckling a bit, he smiled at the three, "I'm surprised you didn't catch on, Kuroba. I already told you; this wasn't blackmail." Gradually, Kaito's eyes widened as Hakuba stated, "If I actually had a partner and a recording of all this, it would most definitely be blackmail. However," he pulled the microphone from under his shirt, revealing that the wire wasn't connected to anything. "I don't have a shred of evidence against you besides speculation."

Everyone stood without a word. None of the three could guess at his intentions, or whether they were good or bad.

Being the only one capable of speech, Hakuba continued, "Finding the truth isn't all detectives do, they strive for justice. As it stands, you are committing mild crimes to catch those committing greater ones. In my eyes, this is a slight exception to the laws. However," his tone hardened, "you are still breaking the law. Right now, arrest isn't a problem, but in the future it very well could be.

"Perhaps this encounter was an advantage, perhaps not. As long as justice is the goal, I'll help you, if not; I won't turn a blind eye. Some crimes may be for the greater good, but that doesn't mean they all are." Fitting his shoes onto his feet, he turned the knob of the door ahead of him. "For now, I will take my leave." He did, and all that remained was silence.

Leaving more prints in the snow as he walked on, Hakuba grew further and further away. At a certain point, Kudo blurted out, "W-Wait! He doesn't know his way through the woods!"

Running out, Kaito stopped him as he commented, "Wouldn't it be easier to just let one of those trees eat him?" With the looks he received, that wasn't an option.

Hollering out to Hakuba, Kudo caught up to him in the distance. At that moment, Kaito considered Hakuba's arrival as an advantage. His mood hadn't been great that evening, but because of Hakuba there was a viable reason for Kudo to leave (besides Ran's karate).

Making sure that Kudo and Hakuba were long gone, Kaito turned to face Koizumi. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about…in private?"

"Ah, I'm glad you remembered." She smirked and headed back inside, Kaito at her heels. "Well, to summarize it in short terms…

"We're going on a road trip~"

Tired out by boring hours of Wednesday Elementary school, Conan had barely any energy walking down the sidewalk. His heavy winter clothing along with the snow piled up didn't help much.

…Snow.

Stopping in his tracks, Conan peered over his scarf down at the white flakes. The precipitation that Hoshi seemed to be able to summon with his song…it brought back those memories; along with the mysteries behind them.

Why had they stopped? Surely there had been more to the story than that, Conan was certain of it. However much he wanted, there was no way for him to summon up the images again. He still wasn't sure how he had done it the first time. Stubbornness, along with his curiosity, caused him to try. Just as it seemed it was about to work, Conan was broken from his trance by the cell phone ringing in his pocket.

Uncertain of the caller, he answered with a slight caution. "Hello, this is Edogawa Conan."

"Oh, yes! Finally! You have no idea how long it took me to find your cell number!" it was Akako. Getting to her point, she remarked, "You haven't had an actual lesson in a while, have you?"

Remembering all too well the exhaustion from the last lesson, Conan recoiled, "B-But Akako-chan, I did have a lesson. Last Friday, remember?"

"I consider that a while." She said determined. "Besides, there's something I want to tell you, and the perfect opportunity to do that is if we have a lesson. I think this skill would be ideal for you to master, as well. It's quite useful."

"…and what would that skill be?"

Teasing him over the phone, she let out "You'll see~!" before hanging up.

Sighing, Conan dialed the detective agency's number to tell Kogoro of the new development. Complaints about not seeing Akako himself were the last thing Conan heard as he hung up. Darting off into an alley, Conan searched about for a transportation device. Not wanting to walk the rest of the way to the agency to get his skateboard, Conan settled on the next best thing.

Patiently, Akako stood on her front step. For winter the weather was actually admirable; perfect conditions for the lesson of the day. She couldn't wait to see the expression on Kudo's face as he heard just what he'd be doing that day.

Summoning him with his mention, Kudo flew in from the East. He still had his own surprises; riding in on a garbage can lid, for one. When Akako asked, he merely replied there was nothing better around at the time.

Smiling, Akako took the lid from his grasp. "What a perfect conversation starter…only in this situation of course. There's no doubt that this was hard to fly on, right?"

"Yeah…" Kudo nodded, slightly confused, "I almost fell off a few times actually…why?"

"Well, after today, that won't be a problem anymore." Throwing the lid off to the side, she stood tall and confident. "Today, we'll forget the old broomstick. Today, we'll forget the strain of keeping it in flight. Today…

"…you'll grow your own wings, Kudo-kun."

(January 6th)

This chapter was a little shorter than normal, but that's because of all the information coming at Hakuba. …BLAME HIM *runs*

That reminds me; it feels weird when I think about it, but Hakuba's the only real main character that I call by last name. I don't know why, Saguru just doesn't seem right to me. xD

Anyway, it's almost finals time at school, so chapters may be bogged down due to that. Sorry, but I'd like to get good marks so I can make a career! :'D

Hope you enjoyed~