Declaimer: I don´t own Detective Conan

Words: 4 229

A/N: I´m back again. There was this really serious math test I had to study for, I spent almost a week doing it... and then it went completely wrong and I think I´ll have 10 in 20 -.- No more studying for so long. If I can get a better grade and study only one day, screw the rules, apparently I have a good short memory. XD Now, ENJOY!

Rung, rung

The phone rung, rung and rung, its owner ignoring it completely as she quickly skipped past the many people whom rapidly walked through the streets; full aware whom was calling her. Maybe some other day she would have frowned, answered it swiftly and yelled at that person, but currently she was in a good mood, that cheeky smile never leaving her lips.

"Coming, coming…" She mumbled and jumped the stair steps two by two, quickening her pace. For the first time in ages she had somewhere to go where she was actually wanted, invited, where everyone liked her company. Sure, Ran´s place was good and all, but she always felt more like a burden than anything else, and Kogoro made sure to remind her of it every day.

Now, however, she had a place to go back without having to worry. She was not the one to offer it; neither had it been Hakase or Haibara. No, Kaito and Chikage-san had invited her themselves, and she was more than happy to accept it. A warm place to come back… a place with people, exactly how she had always dreamt.

The phone rung once again and Shinichi grinned. That was the tenth time he called in the last five minutes. Either he was bored and wanted someone to play with, or Kaito actually worried about her. She bet it was the second one… He did save her from Gin after all, despite the fact he could have been seen and caught. In addition, he promised he would be with her all the way until the disappearance of the org. "Coming." She mumbled again, noticing the house.

That day's negotiations, if you could call it that, went rather well. A plan had been made, the right people convinced to help (threatened, but there was no need for anyone to know it), and now there was only one person left to talk to. Thou Shinichi was sure there would be no problems in her regard.

Knocking on the door that belonged to the Kuroba household, she waited patiently as heavy, quick footsteps almost ran her way. Maybe she should have something else aside from the little not she had left saying she went out for a while… She could already imagine the scene. If it was Ran, that woman wouldn´t let her out of her sight for the next few hours, days in some cases, nagging her about how worried she had been…

This, however, was Kaito, so thought she expected him to be a little mad and worried, she doubted he would nag her for too long. Possible. Maybe. Hopefully? Oh, and Chikage-san was also there… So maybe she would have to listen to them nag a little bit. That though only made her smile even more, though she quickly hid it as the messy haired teen opened the door.

"Tantei…" Kaito mumbled, clearly irritated and agitated, as he allowed her to come in. "Where were you? I have been calling you repeatedly. Why didn´t you pick up your phone? Or at least said where you went so that we could call and make sure nothing happened to you? Do you know how worried we have been…?"

"Kaito." Shinichi interrupted him, trying really hard to hide the grin. So he did care. A lot apparently. Wait, maybe that´s why he just couldn´t leave her side… Maybe he actually like… Don´t go that way, stupid. She warned herself as she changed to a pair of slippers Kaito had given her. "I said I would be out. I needed to take care of some business regarding that thing you know, so…"

Frowning, Kaito resisted the urge to pick her up. Mom was there and she could get weird ideas… "Even then you could have called." Now it was time to resist the urge to pout. "You know my shock when I came back and only mom was here? For a moment I thought someone kidnapped you, before remembering this is you we are talking about. I bet kidnapping you would be such pain he wouldn´t be able to move."

Rolling her eyes, Shinichi gave the clock a quick look, noticing it was almost eight already. "You should know, you kidnapped me once, remember." But of course Kaito remembered. He remembered everything from that day. How it happened, how much of a pain it was, what he had learned, that unfinished kiss… Hmm… He should talk with that Haibara girl regarding the antidote progress. Kaito just couldn´t wait to finish the kiss, but in her adult form that is. He was no pedophile, and there wasn´t a need to give Hakuba even more black mail materials. "Kaito, what are you thinking about?"

Blinking, the magician noticed Shinichi was half in the kitchen, staring at him rather worried. "Nothing, just remembered something." Under her cold, almost piercing look, he just had to look away and pray he didn´t blush, aware his thoughts were not the… cleanest. If she knew about what he was thinking… Then again, it´s not like it was his fault. She was the one who was too pretty, with that gorgeous black hair, ivory clear skin, perfect body… The memory of one certain naked detective flashed in Kaito´s mind, the magician blushing like a mad man. "Damn it." He whispered as he turned around at hit the first thing in his reach, hopping pain would erase that memory. He did not need it! "Go away, cursed devil."

"O…kay…" Blue eyes narrowed in distrust as Shinichi disappeared into the kitchen, wondering what exactly was going on in magician´s mind. For some reason, considering his red face, and the fact he couldn´t look her into eyes; she assumed it was something she truly did not want to know. "Chikage-san, I´m back."

As if on cue, the older woman appeared right next to her, smiling gently with her apron on, a wooden spoon in her hand. "Welcome back, Christie-chan." They had decided to call her Christie all the time, in case someone bugged the house or something like that. "Kaito, stop fantasying or else I´ll hit you."

"I wasn´t fanta…"

A faint, struggled replay came from the entrance but no one was paying him attention, Chikage attacking the small girl with questions about how her day went. "Oh, it went fine." Christie smiled back, offering herself to help. The cook dismissed it with a smile, asking for details. "Today I met some interesting kids at a part at Beika. Thinking of going there tomorrow. And the house cleaning is almost done."

"That is great. You don´t mind peas, do you?" Noticing the no, she continued. "My day wasn´t as good as yours. You remember my friend I told you about a few days ago? It appears her baby girl died two years ago, and she only found out recently. Isn´t that horrible? She asked me to check it and it appears to be true. And she was thinking that her baby just had a teenager crisis…"

Blinking, Christie quickly caught on. Well… now she screwed. She forgot all about that Shinichi-is-dead thing she created… With everything that was going on around her lately, the time to call mom and dad and tell them about her plan just simply disappeared, along with every memory of making such an important call. However, it is not as if she could tell Chikage-san that… Better call mom later. Oh, she would be so angry.

"That really is horrible." For now, all she could do was try and explain without saying anything incriminating. If Chikage-san had started it that way, it could mean someone put listening devices in the house. Damn, maybe using their place wasn´t such a good idea. Now they were getting more and more involved. "But how come the police didn´t call them or why didn´t they notice something was wrong?"

"Apparently, the policeman who was supposed to notify them died a few days after it, and everyone just assumed he did call before he died." Shaking her head, Chikage tastes her latest creation, nodding. Apparently, it was going good. "And their child wasn´t social type also, so big time without calls between them or any contact was completely normal. Oh, and there is more."

Calling Kaito to help, the shorthaired woman sat down and closed her eyes, the face of seriousness. "It looks like someone stole that child's identity. After her death, some people said they have seen her, even thou that is impossible. And she did call sometimes, until three or four months ago. The thief, who looks a lot like her, took her death to his advantage. Now my friend is wondering wherever tell police or not, since it's not like it will bring her child back."

"Oh…" What else could she have said? Wait, who came up with the thief idea? Despite the fact it certainly worked quite fine for her, coming up with something without her agreement… Shinichi had a feeling it was mom and dad. "That really is bad… I don´t know, they should thinking about it well…"

"Yes, I think they should…"

"What are you talking about?" The sudden appearance of the teen made Shinichi jump slightly, while his mother only smiled, having completely forgotten he was in the house, or that she had called him. "I hope it wasn´t about me. You just can't imagine how horrible my day was…"

And so, Kaito started complaining about his school and his horrible classmates, the topic about Shinichi´s death completely dropped. Shinichi was honestly curious when he mentioned a photo of his that had been printed on the newspaper, but the magician refused to tell her exactly what that photo was about, ignoring every time she asked.

For a moment, she considered if maybe she should just ask Aoko for one of them… The detective had a feeling she had one, having noticed the big intellect the girl possessed. Then again, she managed to survive near Kaito, which said a lot about her. The teen, however, seemed to read her mind, clearly prohibiting her from contacting either Hakuba or Aoko, going as far as promising that there were no more photos left.

Frowning, Shinichi kept quiet the rest of dinner preparation, almost skulking when Chikage-san allowed, or more like forced, Kaito to help. She had dismissed her proposal like that and now… It´s not like her cooking skills were worse than his… she saw him cooking before and it wasn´t pretty. Nevertheless, Kaito seemed to know how to handle the knife, she could admit at least that, quickly chopping whatever his mom asked of him. She could imagine him fighting with knifes… his opponent wouldn´t stand a chance, even if he used a gun. Kaito was quick and precise, not wasting any moment.

And that´s how Shinichi found herself staring at Kaito all the time, almost as if she was… admiring him. Just that though made her blush, but even then she couldn´t look away. Kaito was pretty. No, not pretty… he was handsome, refined contorts and sharps edges. His messy hair begged her to sink her hand into it and see if it was as soft as it appeared. And every time Shinichi caught a glance of his eyes, his mysterious violet eyes, she found herself spellbound, unable of looking away, etching of seeing them closer, so, so close…

A chuckle woke Shinichi up almost cruelly, who quickly turned her gaze away from that stupid magician not to show her red as tomato face. Damn. Damn it all. That was Kaito! Why had Kaito to look so good when cooking? That face of intense concentration had caught her by surprise, then adding all other things just made it… Another giggle was heard and the little detective laid her head on the table, trying really hard not to blush, or maybe run away and hide until all her thought about how gorgeous Kaito was evaporated to the air. And she had not just thought about it! No, no she hasn´t!

"Tantei?" That stupid, sweet, worried voice snapped her out from her inner, and rather stupid, debate whatever Kaito was or not slightly cute (when had it started anyway?); as she looked up with her face miraculously not red. Now, she still couldn´t understand why exactly she started to lose it, but she wonder if maybe the tea she had had with Haibara had something in it…

Blinking a few times when she realized Kaito was still there staring at her even more worried; Shinichi forced herself to act normal. Or at least the way Kaito had learned her to be, since she had to admit there was more to her than she had shown to others. "Sorry, what thinking about something. What you want?"

Smiling slightly, Kaito pointed at the food, repeating his questions, since apparently he had asked her that two times already. "I was asking if you like mushrooms. Mom likes to put a lot, so you should be prepared." Shinichi had to admit having Kaito look at her was great, but then again it made her stupid heart skip a few beats and she had to fight against her blush… Haibara defiantly put something in the tea.

"I like them, don´t worry." Nodding, Kaito turned around to face his mom, leaving the teen once again to her own worries, which now consisted of the fact why exactly was she saying Kaito´s name in her mind every time… Damn, she was an idiot.

Looking down, as a precaution since she wasn´t sure she could keep her eyes away from the serious Kaito, Shinichi had to admit one thing. She had missed him. In the few hours they were apart just doing something completely normal, she started to miss him. For the last days, he had always been with her, by her side, and a whole day away from him felt… bad. Like something was lacking.

"You feel bad for him, Kudo." Haibara had said earlier that day, that stupid all-knowing smirk on her face. "It is time you admit it, or else everything will go wrong."

Shinichi just hated when Haibara was right. How weird was that for her, the great detective, to fall in love with the one of the greatest Japanese thieves? When had it started? She couldn´t remember… but she knew it was going on for a while. However, now that she knew him better, when she had seen his real face and almost real personality, since she knew he was still hiding some parts of him from her; she couldn´t help but fall deeper. The feeling was wonderful… and terrifying. Shinichi never felt something so strong, so powerful, so mind-breaking. She loved puzzles, mystery, but she wasn´t sure about the mysteries of love. For some reason, she felt as if she would never understand them completely, and the fact that she had no idea of how to act around the person you like only made it worse.

"Chikage-san, I am going to lay down for a while." Shinichi suddenly stated hopping down from the chair, smiling gently at her interrogating gaze. "My head feels a little heavy. Just call me if you need help or when dinner is ready."

The older woman stared at her for a moment, without saying anything, before nodding and turning back to her job. She rather understood what was going on through that girl´s mind. The looks she had just some moments ago while gazing at her son… And considering this is Shin-chan, that little dense and serious girl Yukiko had told her all about; she felt like she would have a hard time accepting her feelings. Uff, her son really knew how to choose a girl.

Walking into Kaito´s room, that had become her temporary one, Shinichi laid down. She had noticed Kaito´s worried look a minute ago, but she trusted his mother to keep him away from her for a while. After all, the detective needed to think. Think, plan, lie, run… Lately her life revolved all around thinking and lying. She was a detective, damn it all, why was it that hard to stick to the truth?

Because you aren´t allowed. Her mind provided her with the answer in seconds, and the girl sighed. Just one stupid mistake on her behalf, two years ago, and now she was stuck with lies, half-truths and poisons. Great, it showed how much the lady luck loved her. Then again, you could have died. Be thankful you are alive.

A phone call, one she was actually expecting for a change, rung through the silent room. Well then, time to seal the deal. Taking out the phone, along with a small device that was glued to it, she answered it. "Someone speaking." For the first time in days, she was in a good mood even when ti came to Vermouth.

"Hi there, sweetie." And of course she was right and it was Vermouth calling. "I see you are in a good mood. Let me guess, you finally confessed to your knight. Which of them, the thief or detective? In my opinion, you should go for the thief. That detective brat looks a little too serious, and for that we already have you."

Blushing, Shinichi counted to three before answering, aware she would yell. And there goes her good mood. "Quit it, stupid. Once, it has nothing to do with you. And second, how do you even know which is which? Not that I like either of her."

"Oh really?" Amusement. There was clear amusement in that woman´s words and Shinichi regretted continuing with that topic already. Vermouth was having fun on her cost! "From the looks of it, you appear to have a soft spot for the thief-kun. And I must admit I understand you, who wouldn´t? Hey, I bet he is a good kisser. He does look slightly like a play boy, but there is a chance he is actually a sweet one on the inside…"

For a moment, a brief moment, Shinichi swore she would kill that woman, aware the red that tainted her cheeks would not disappear so soon. "He is not a play boy, I do not have a soft spot and let´s talk about something else!" That topic was something she only half discussed with Haibara, no one else. "I need help."

Chuckle was the only answer she got, but the serious tone that proceeded it made her sigh in relief. Apparently, Vermouth would not persuade that topic, at least not that night. "I got that from the morning call. I should warn you I can only go one hours without warning Gin where I am. That bastard is becoming more and more controlling with every second. I´m afraid she is on to something."

"Let´s worry about him later." Now that she had Vermouth on line, Shinichi´s throat was becoming dry. She couldn´t believe she was going to do that… "I need you… to…" Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I need you to find me two bodies, one of a woman and a male child, approximately my height."

The glass Vermouth was holding almost fell down from her hand as she heard the detective's request, but she somehow managed to get pass the shock to put the glass safely on the table. "You need what?" For some seconds, she couldn´t believe the detective actually asked… oh, the poor girl would burry herself later for that. "I can get some from the hospital morgue. I heard there was a big accident on rod and few people died. When do you need it?"

"As soon as possible." Clearly, the girl´s voice wasn´t as happy as before, and Vermouth resisted the urge to sigh. Next time she saw Gin she would kick him. That man deserved for everything he had done, that and more. "Send it to…"

Making sure she remembered the address, the blond woman finished drinking her wine, staring at the dark city before her. For some reason, she had always adored staring into the night. "I will. Tomorrow at eleven, don´t forget. And send your honey a hi from me."

"You…" Before Shinichi had the time to end whatever she wanted to say, but nothing pretty judging from her tone of voice, Vermouth disconnected, smirking. Now that would keep her mind off other things for a while.

Sighing, Vermouth uncrossed her legs, slowly walking to the window. The black, strapless long dress with a slit on the side showed her long legs flew after her graciously. The blond woman stared out-side for a moment, a faint moment, before turning around and walking back to the party she was attending, her target in plain sight: the metropolitan police main doctor.

The room, apparently big if the echo provoked by the horrified screams was any indicator; was pledged in darkness. Complete lack of light hit its horrors, which were only betrayed by the faint smell of blood and the occasional screams, just like that day.

Thirty minutes later, a gunshot ended it all and a bloody corpse was dragged out of to be disposed as a man in dark vests walked out, nothing in his behavior or eyes showing that he just tortured and killed a man. The cold eyes reminded the same, frozen in time.

Taking out a cigarette, Gin smoked slowly as he drove through the city, his mood worse than ever. From the moment he had arrived to Japan, he had been searching for the man whom saved that little brat. The task, however, seemed rather difficult to accomplish. No one seemed to know anything about it, and that knowledge started to annoy Gin. Someone had to know something, since nothing in that world reminded a secret for long. That´s why Gin specialized in silencing people, since they would talk eventually.

Stopping near a certain detective agency, Gin started to listen to what was happening trough the listening device he had hid earlier that day. Usually he would just… ´ask them´, but Boss and that dammed blond daemon prohibited him from harming or even touching them, forcing him to used such methods. He couldn´t see what they had found in that man, but maybe it had something to do with his relationship with the police. His death could become troublesome.

"Dad, stop drinking." The girl, Ran apparently, stated rather furiously. "Ever since we came back from London you just drink and drink. What about work? And it´ll spoil your appetite, so stop this instant."

Mouri sighed as he laid down the beer, turning the TV off. Yoko´s program had just ended and there was nothing else worth seeing there. "Hey, when is the brat coming?" The lack of Conan was more than evident to him, not having that little brat around worrying slightly… not to mention the poor Ran whom every five minutes forgot he wasn´t there and called him to help.

"I don´t know." She admitted, rather sadly, remembering there was no need to put Conan´s plate. "I called Hakase yesterday, but apparently his parents came to get him. He hadn´t seen them since two days after we left and they hadn´t called since then."

Mouri blinked a few times. "Is it alright, not calling?" The brat had always been a strange one. Not to mention his parents whom allowed him to live at a stranger's house for two whole years without calling once.

"Apparently, this is normal." Sitting down, staring sadly at her food, she lost all her will to eat. "His parents were never into the ´let´s contact people from time to time´. They can stay years without calling once." And that obviously angered her.

"Oh, that explains why the brat was never sad or expected them to call." Taking a bite of his meet, he had to admit his daughter grew into a fine cook, unlike someone else directly related to her by blood… How could his wife be so horrible at it while the child was a genius? "He will call, sooner or later. I bet he just forgot completely about us. Two years without seeing their parents is a hell for an eight year old…"

"I guess… Then again, all I can do is wait." From that point on, the conversation took a turn that didn´t please Gin at all, who wanted to know more about the brat. From what he heard, his parents were strange and he possible even stranger, taking in account he actually went against an organization.

Staring at the clock, Gin drove away when he was certain nothing interesting would arise from Mouri´s, since they had decided to go sleep. Simple people with their habits, not even noticing such can be used against them. Humans became fools when they believed their lives, perfect and boring, couldn´t be touched by trouble.

Shaking his head, eyes on the goal, he narrowed his eyes when the message he had been expecting arrived. She took her time, that Maria girl. However, it´s not like he could do anything to her, her being the d… Opening the message, he carefully read it before a creepy, sinister smile rose to his face. He knew it. From the moment he had seen that teen, he knew he was the one. "Well then, Kuroba Kaito, let´s see what you know about Edogawa Conan."

A/N: Welcome back everyone. I said I would answer to your reviews, and I didn´t... -.- You can fry me. I have good short memory, but apparently not a long one. Uff, sorry again. And I´m off to sleep, and sulk, since I am pissed about the stupid test and want to burn our Minster of Education. :)

Drop a review or two XD

Kaggami-chan

Still the same day -.-