Mikau: Hey guys. Been a while. Sorry to keep you in suspense, but life happened. Fortunately everything is going well. I got moved in to the dorms, got my independent study proposal signed and turned in, and have begun translating Magic Kaito. And reading a play for Spanish. And reading articles for Sociology. So yeah. In other news, did anyone see the new Conan episode? It was awesome! Though, I don't know if it's subbed yet. I watched it online raw, but it was really great. I suppose I was kind of partial to it because Kansai-ben was crucial to the case, and I really miss Kansai-ben now that everyone around me speaks English. I feel like I'm back home when I listen to Heiji talk. Though, I never noticed before, but Kazuha uses 'haru' at the end of some of her verbs to be respectful (I noticed particularly when she was talking about what Kogoro had ordered to eat), and I thought we only did that in Kyoto. I guess they do it in Osaka too, but I never heard it while I was there. Or maybe I just didn't notice because there are so many other things that Osakans do when they speak that you have to pay attention to. Anyway, sorry for the super-long tangent. And now we start the long-awaited romance part of our story! Thanks to MyNameIsWren, Immortalis Cruor Elf, angelwingsonline, ShortLittleAngel, Aniki-xvi, PhoenixShadow, H.A.R.M. Girl, and NightPounce who reviewed! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I'd include a wider variety of death/crime scenarios. For example, I'd throw in a suicide made to look like murder or a kidnapping or fraud or arson or something to liven things up and break up the constant murder murder murder. A serial murderer would also be interesting, I think. Maybe even a theft or two. I mean, the murders that Aoyama-sensei writes are always clever and interesting, but I'd really like to see a wider range of crime. There's so much to choose from, and I'm sure he could write it really well.

…

The Return of Heisei Holmes

"Are you going somewhere, Honey?" Chikage called from the kitchen, smiling as her son walked past the doorway for the seventh time. "Like…on a date?"

"None of your business." Kaito stuck out his tongue while fastening his shirt buttons.

"So who's the lucky lady?" the former thief chuckled.

"It's a guy."

Chikage blinked. "O-oh?"

"Just Shin-chan," Kaito snickered, grabbing a banana to snack on. "He didn't say where he's taking me, so I'm not really sure how to dress or whether to eat or not. Just said he'd be over around six-thirty…. Did I scare you?"

"Just surprised me slightly." His mother shrugged. "I was expecting you to say 'Aoko.'"

"So you're saying you wouldn't flip if I suddenly decided to start seducing other men?" The magician raised an eyebrow in question.

"Whatever makes you happy, Honey."

The doorbell rang.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Go have fun on your not-date." Chikage smiled knowingly.

Kaito shrugged, checking his appearance one more time in the hall mirror before running off to get the door. "Hey, Shin—"

The magician froze when he realized he was seeing midriff where he had expected a face.

Violet-blue eyes slowly trailed up the taller teen's body until they found what they had been looking for.

Kaito blinked. "—ichi."

"Hey, Kaito," a slightly familiar voice responded. "Ready to go?"

"Uh…un." The magician nodded, not really trusting his voice just yet. He hesitantly followed the detective.

"Are you surprised?" Shinichi chuckled, giving the slightly shorter teen a bright grin.

"Un." Kaito bit his lip, studying the guy walking beside him.

Shinichi was taller, if only slightly, much to Kaito's chagrin. He looked a lot like Tantei-kun with a thinner face, minus the glasses and bowtie, but he was completely different at the same time.

This boy was smiling openly while Shin-chan had always been a little guarded. Shinichi's smiles where downright happy while Conan's had been slight, ironic, and sometimes even bitter.

The eyes were different too. They were the same shade of blue, but Shinichi's held an expression that Kaito had hardly ever seen in Conan's. Tantei-kun's eyes had always been a little dim. These eyes were shinning.

While the differences were slight, it was enough to make the thief feel that he was with another person entirely.

"So…where are we going, Shin…ichi?" Kaito inquired, following the other teen just a step or two behind.

"You can still call me 'Shin-chan,' Kaito," the great detective chuckled at the magician's reluctance. "We're going to a restaurant I thought you'd like for your birthday. They have a giant chocolate fondue fountain."

The shorter brunette blinked. "My…birthday? How did you…?"

"I asked some of the people at your school while I was waiting for you the other day. Glad I did, otherwise I would have missed it. Sorry that I'm a day late." Shinichi pulled out a small box wrapped in a red ribbon. "Happy Birthday, Kaito."

"Th-thank you." The indigo-eyed boy blinked in surprise, accepting the gift. "You didn't have to."

"Go ahead and open it," the former grade schooler urged.

Inside was a set of three tie pins, one in the shape of a dove; another, a clover; and the last, one of his Kid caricatures.

"Where did you get these?" Kaito chuckled, admiring his present.

"Had them made." Shinichi shrugged, wearing a smug grin.

"Thank you," the magician-thief whispered once more. "So…not to be rude or anything, but why am I going out with Shinichi when Tantei-kun was the one who asked me on a date? I thought the great Detective of the East was gone for good."

"It's not a permanent cure," the now regular-sized sleuth sighed. "I've got about four hours before I go back to being…that, but I wanted to show you the real me."

"Oh." Kaito nodded, fighting the urge to defend his friend against this stranger.

Tantei-kun was not a "that."

"So? What do you think?" The Heisei Holmes grinned, turning around like some kind of model.

"Uh…you look…different—good. I meant you look good," the magician mumbled, feeling extremely uneasy.

"I know, right?" Shinichi chuckled. Even his way of speaking was slightly different than Tantei-kun's.

000

"You're really quiet tonight," the talkative sleuth observed half-way through dinner. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh—n-no. I just don't have anything to talk about, so I was just letting you do all the talking." Kaito's poker face was seriously malfunctioning. He honestly had no idea how he was supposed to act around Kudo Shinichi.

"Kaito…" The blue-eyed brunette frowned, and Kaito thought, "Ah! There. Now he looks like Tantei-kun."

"I told you…you don't have to pretend in front of me. If something's wrong, tell me," the Shin-chan-lookalike pleaded. "You don't look like you're having a good time."

"It's nothing. I mean, I'm really grateful for the gift and you taking me here. It's really thoughtful of you, but…I'm sorry. I'm just a little uncomfortable dealing with people I don't know well."

Shinichi blinked. "What do you mean 'people you don't know well'?"

"Uh…" Kaito bit his lip. "I mean…Kudo Shinichi." He sighed, looking down into his plate. "I know in the back of my mind that it's you under there, Shin-chan, but…all I see when I look at Shinichi is a stranger. You're different. You don't look like you or talk like you or act like you. I was really looking forward to hanging out with my Tantei-kun, but you're not him. I'm sorry."

Shinichi sighed.

"Is this better, Kaito?"

The magician snapped to attention at the sound of Shin-chan's voice. When he looked up, he found Shinichi wearing Conan's glasses and speaking into the bowtie. He laughed.

The bespectacled gumshoe rolled his eyes.

"So this is what Tantei-kun will look like in ten years," Kaito chuckled. It was funny how much of a difference glasses and an annoyed expression made.

"Kaito, you're an idiot," Shinichi sighed in Conan's voice.

"I'm sorry, Shin-chan." The younger of the two smiled sheepishly.

The detective shrugged. Whatever made his beloved happy. "Sorry for making you uncomfortable. I just wanted you to see me for who I really am."

"I already do, Shin-chan," the thief assured. "Have I ever babied you or treated you differently because of your outward appearance?"

"I know you've always treated me like an intellectual equal, but physically, you only think of me as a child, Kaito. I just wanted to remind you that I am a man inside of that adorable little shell. I don't mind, of course. I like being affectionate with you, but sometimes I don't think you realize that whatever you do with Conan," He lowered the bowtie and took off the glasses. "you're actually doing with me."

"Oh." Kaito blushed. "Oh." He thought back to all the times he had hugged, snuggled, nuzzled, and even kissed Tantei-kun. "S-s-sorry." Even the magician's ears went bright red.

"Don't apologize." The bowtie and glasses were back in place. "I think we both need the attention. I didn't do this to make you feel uncomfortable or embarrass you. I just wanted you to know that I'm me too. I kind of wanted to get you used to my adult form."

Kaito nodded, face still flying through a spectrum of reds and pinks.

The rest of the night went well in Shinichi's opinion.

Kaito opened up considerably after the detective had conceded to wearing the glasses and using that damn voice changer.

The Meitantei was formulating a plan to slowly wean Kaito off of Conan's voice. He'd keep the glasses, if it made his crush happy, but the grade schooler's voice had to go. There was no way he was confessing his love through that thing. When he did it, it was going to be as Kudo Shinichi, in his own voice.

"Did you have fun?" Shinichi asked, walking as slowly as possible up the path to Kaito's door.

"Yeah, I really did. Thank you, Shin-chan," the magician chuckled. "Sorry for being so weird before."

"Don't worry about it." Shinichi smiled, tempted to kiss his beloved as they came to a stop on the porch. "Hey, Kaito? Close your eyes."

"Why?" the magician inquired but complied anyway.

The detective in love wrapped his arms around the younger boy's neck and affectionately nuzzled his ear like Kaito had done many times before.

The magician gasped as two lips gently brushed his cheek. "Happy Birthday, Kaito," Tantei-kun chuckled. "Good night."

Kaito kept his eyes firmly closed as his fingers searched Shinichi's face for the forehead. He hesitantly gave the skin there a little peck. "Good night, Shin-chan. Thanks." And then he opened his eyes.

"Oh my god," the thief exclaimed, pulling away. "Why didn't you tell me how awkward that was every time I did something like that to you?"

Shinichi could only laugh. "I've never minded."

"You should mind!" Kaito shrieked. "We've been acting like a pair of homos this whole time!"

The detective put the bowtie away, cupping the thief's cheek. "Get used to it. I like acting like a pair of homos with you, Kai-chan."

Kaito's other cheek received a light kiss.

Kaito's brain fried. "Eh?"

"Relax," Shinichi assured, pulling back and smiling. "I'm half joking."

"Eh?"

Mission accomplished, Kudo Shinichi took his leave, leaving an extremely confused Kuroba Kaito standing on his front porch, wondering why he was feeling dizzy, panicky, and warm and fuzzy all at the same time.

…

v(o.o v ) "Ne, shiteru?"

Mikau: It's a mameshiba! Ish. So…how was it? (Not the mameshiba. I know it sucks.) Everything you hoped it would be? Disappointing? Well, there will be more in the future as the romantic sides of the relationships develop. I personally had fun writing awkward, confused Kaito. If you think he's out of character, you're right. I think being out of character is in character for him at this point because he doesn't know which mask to hide behind. I'd like to hear your thoughts though, if you have the time. I'd also like to thank everyone who's been reviewing again because it's really helpful when you guys tell me what you liked and what you didn't. I appreciate that a lot of you have been taking time to leave comments lately. Thanks for reading!