‾͟͟͞(((ꎤˋ⁻̫ˊ)—̳͟͞͞o

Minutes after Heiji called to relay Hayashi's location, Heizo and a squadron of police cars raced through the streets to reach Hayashi before she could do any further damage. A psycho-analysis based on all the information they could gather pointed to one conclusion: the woman was insane, burning people alive to sacrifice to the devil she named herself after. She would continue until she completed her ritual at least once.

There was no telling what she'd do after one ritual was completed. Possibilities ranged from turning herself in to committing suicide. The latter was the least likely option, though. She'd proved to be intelligent enough to evade the police and capture one of their own. She managed to hold thirteen people prisoner at one point, but that number was steadily dwindling. The three bodies found that day brought her body count to sixteen, including the eight she killed before being captured. Five more lives before she became unpredictable again. Five lives Heizo could not afford to lose.

His phone rang again. He wasn't driving, but Enomoto, known for his driving skills, was. Without a second thought, Heizo answered. "This is Hattori. What is it?"

"I was in the area when the call went out, sir. I found Hayashi. She's already dead, sir."

It took a considerable amount of restraint to keep his voice level. "I want your name, commanding officer, and badge number."

As the officer, Bando Sora, recited his information, Heizo typed it into his personal database. The information checked out, and Bando paused just long enough before reciting his badge number to have looked at his badge first. He wasn't a super genius like KID was, and no impersonator would accidentally call Toyama by his lesser known nickname: Speedy.

Satisfied, Heizo began to relay orders. "Bando-kun," (because the boy was still twenty-five) "secure the area. Make sure her prisoners are alive an' ensure that none of them attempt ta contaminate the crime scene. We will be at your location in eleven minutes."

"I can make it eight, sir," Enomoto said with a glint in his eye.

"Did ya say something? I think my ears are growing old," Heizo said in a suggestive tone. "Perhaps my vision, too. I can't read any of these street signs. Especially the ones with numbers. Was that forty kilometers per hour or one hundred forty?" He deliberately stared out the window. "Enomoto-kun, go the speed limit."

Enomoto shifted gears. "Understood, sir." He floored it.

‾͟͟͞(((ꎤˋ⁻̫ˊ)—̳͟͞͞o (つ･･)つ¤=[]::::::

Heizo knew his son well. Tell him to tie his shoes, he'll leave them undone. Order him to let a case go cold, he'll put it on the desks of any officer he can. Ask him to go home, he'll show up at the scene where a serial killer was murdered five hours after it happened.

Heiji's knuckles were white on his crutch handle, his eyes a smoldering green as he stared at the outline of the body left by the CSI unit. Heizo hadn't thought that someone could violently stare before. Heiji had burst into the building expecting some kind of fight. What he got was a shake of the head from his father and a small gesture towards the body bag. The moment he saw Hayashi's corpse, he froze, his feet glued to the floor. Were it not for the incredibly slow, controlled breathing, Heiji might have been a statue.

Heizo walked to Heiji's side. For appearance's sake, he growled, "I told ya ta go home." Quieter, he muttered, "I wanted ya ta be the first ta know Otaki was okay. No one expected Hayashi ta kill herself."

Heiji fiercely clenched his teeth, biting his lip. At last, he hissed, "But she didn't. Hayashi was murdered, an' we both know it."

"She wouldn't kill herself with three victims left," agreed Heizo. At Heiji's look of surprise, he added as an afterthought, "We found two more bodies three hours ago. They were her last victims, both sites forty-five minutes from here an' two hours from each other with traffic. A man an' a woman, suspected ta be two of her friends from college."

Heiji nodded stiffly. "Kajiwara Maho and Hayashida Akira, I know. From Enomoto-keiji an' Ida-keiji's report. But she wouldn't stop after killin' them. She killed her own daughter and parents first. Her friends wouldn't be what pushed her over the edge."

"That is circumstantial evidence at best. Whether ya're correct or not, the time of death doesn't exactly match up. She had ta remotely set up one of the fires ta be able ta kill both of her friends b'fore she died," Heizo said softly with a tone as though finally comforting Heiji. it was a ruse and they both knew it, but it kept the passing officers from eavesdropping. "My superiors are puttin' a lot of pressure on me ta close this case. I don't know exactly who, but someone high above me is all but orderin' my men ta close this as a suicide."

Heiji balked. "But it ain't-"

Heizo pinched Heiji's arm hard. "I know, but there's just enough evidence to prove that it was. The ropes she supposedly tied herself up with were looked at by a knot specialist- he testified that the chance of someone else tyin' the ropes on her is 'bout fifteen hundred ta one. The medical examiner said she died of the knife to her chest, the bruises ranged from days ta hours old, an' that her heart seemed weak already. She got hit in the neck with some kinda metal pole that we found covered with Hayashida Akira's fingerprints. The report can easily say that when she tried ta kill her friends, they rebelled an' attacked back. Even though she finally won, killin' her friends was too much for her an' it brought her back ta reality. She killed herself ta escape the hell she put herself in."

"But it ain't the truth-" Heiji whispered furiously.

Heizo gripped the arm he'd pinched moments before, and Heiji winced. "A man in black was seen leadin' Hayashida Akira an' Kajiwara Maho from this building within an hour of Hayashi's suspected time of death. The witness, when we tried ta press for information half an hour later, said that it turned out ta be his cousins. A background check on our witness revealed that he had no living family members. He hung himself before we got back inside."

A chill ran down Heiji's spine, goosebumps running up his arms despite the hot, thick air. "The little nee-chan's friends," he muttered.

Rather than dissuade his fears, Heizo nodded in agreement. "I can't do anythin' here anymore. The case is officially bein' handled by another detective. I've already been told other work is waitin' for me back at the station."

"We shouldn't hafta leave," grumbled Heiji. "She was murdered an' so many people know it."

"A hunch won't hold up in court." Heizo began to lead his son out to his car.

"They didn't find any fingerprints?" he asked, a final hope, a last resort.

"The knife only had her prints, no one else's. There was a sort of impression in a few places, but it was too smooth to be a human finger."

Climbing into the car, Heiji angrily ran a hand through his hair, groaning. "I wish Kudou was awake. He an' I would put our heads t'gether an' figure somethin' out."

"Overconfidence and arrogance like that is the reason Kudou-kun is in his current state," Heizo said sharply, cutting off Heiji's complaints. "I don't want ya ta reach the point he did. He crossed a line. You can never let that happen to you. I've had many more years of training than you. If you get in a tight spot, come to me." That's an order as your father, was left unsaid.

So was I do this because I love you.

ヽ(*´∀`)ﾉ┌┛

The caller ID sparked almost as much frustration as her ringtone for Shinichi. The name 'Kuroha Hikaru' glared Ran in the face for a whole five seconds before she finally answered.

Of course, he was not allowed to get in the first word. "Kuroha-kun, you've been missing for a while," Ran accused.

"Not missing, Ran-san. I've been on leave. Some of my other work had me tied up for a while," he explained.

"You could've called. Or texted. And when did you do a heist? There hasn't been one in Japan for two months," she pointed out.

He chuckled, a strangely chilling noise. It was like his KID cackle with more warmth and less volume, artfully accented with eerie echoes over the phone line reminiscent of a shout in an empty football stadium. "The qualifier there is 'in Japan.' Though it was kept quiet, I happen to know that a jewel at an event in Las Vegas in the Americas went missing. Unfortunately, King of Topaz was not the gem I've been seeking," he added sadly.

She glanced out the window at the stars, wondering if it was still light where he was. "When are you coming back? You disappeared after saving me from the fire, and I couldn't get your number from anyone. I wanted to thank you."

With laughter in his voice, a teasing she'd missed so much. "Here's your chance, Ran-san."

Almost patronizing, not at all serious, and all the melodrama she could muster: "I thank you dearly, Kuroha-kun, for rescuing me from that doomed building and saving me from a fiery fate."

"But it is my pleasure, Ran-san," he replied immediately. "And simply 'Hikaru' will do. I enjoyed being your friend, if I may be so bold. Now that my work is done, I would very much wish to rekindle our friendship, Ran-san."

"Please. I think Ran-san is too formal," she shot back, falling into a comfortable banter. "If you're just Hikaru, then I'm just Ran." A bit of adrenaline rushed through her veins. It had been a long time since anyone had really wanted to be her friend like this. Boys got close because she was pretty and ran away because she was too strong and impulsive, her instincts running rampant and causing too many injuries. Girls got close because she was strong but often backed away slowly once realizing that Ran could only do so much, that she too was a human with flaws. For the first time in a long time, Ran felt that a person had seen both sides— fiercely protective, painfully vulnerable— and wanted to stay her friend. It was… liberating.

"Call me the day you get back," she ordered, a grin spreading across her face. "There's a new ice cream place I want to take Conan-kun to. We need to approve of it before he's allowed to go."

"Your wish is my command," joked Hikaru. "I need to go and pack my bags. I'll see you soon, Ran."

"See you, Hikaru." She hung up the phone, and Ran collapsed happily back onto her bed. The lack of honorifics suddenly sent shivers down her spine and chills up her arms. Ran hugged herself.

"At last," she whispered with pure elation, "things are going my way."

°˖ ✧◝(○ ヮ ○)◜✧˖ °

°˖ ✧◝(・▽・)

Thousands upon hundreds of kilometers away, Kaito zipped up his suitcase. The heist had gone on a night earlier than expected thanks to the foresight of the convention center's coordinators. They decided to end the showcase a day before the heist so Kaito had to work fast.

Despite the repaired grappling hook not coming in on time, Kaito found ways to make do with a few modifications to his cardgun. He reworked his plans ever so slightly, accounting for the lack of an audience by creating his own (the things people would do for money, honestly) and easily pilfered the glittering Monarch of Topaz. Though it was a beautifully cut gem, tiny butterflies carved into each of the facets, little rubies woven into the frame, and a surprisingly sturdy pin, it turned out not to be Pandora.

With a mixture of disappointment (failure yet again) and anticipation (tantei-kun at my next heist!), Kaito began packing for his flight home.

He poofed another pair of jeans out of existence and into his backpack. "Kaa-san can handle things here," he muttered to himself. "Besides, I've got another heist to plan." He started to smile, his grin bordering on mad scientist (and, yes, Kaito knew what that looked like). "Tantei-kun won't know what hit him."

Kaito had plans. His fancy shoes actually overcharged (it wasn't his fault! no one warned it could happen!), so he had yet to display Hermes to the world. That's what he'd decided to name the modified footwear after reading up on some more mythology. Hermes was a messenger god who flew at incredible speeds with winged boots. With any luck (and he always had plenty), Kaito would accomplish the same with his specialized shoes. While they were only equipped with a jumping mechanism, the potential for wall climbing and muscle enhancement was very real.

Kaito knew tantei-kun couldn't kick that hard, no matter how hard he trained. He'd always messed with those powerhouses on his feet, and Kaito'd have to be blind to miss the electricity crackling out from tantei-kun's feet. It would be like using fire against fire. Finally, Kaito would have a surefire counter against those hellish soccer balls.

Hefting his backpack onto his shoulder and picking up his little suitcase, Kaito took another look around the apartment room. His KID bag sat comfortably on the top of the bed, a reminder to his mother to mail it to him before the next heist. The special shoes on his feet and a comfortable amount of magic supplies stored in various pockets, Kaito nodded with satisfaction. After a final check around the room, he left the room for one final confrontation with the Phantom Lady.

Chikage sat at the table, flexing her fingers again. The cast on her foot could come off at any time, but she wanted to leave it for a few days just to be safe. She looked up when Kaito's door clicked shut, watching him for a few moments before finally speaking. "Are you all packed?" she asked quietly, almost timidly.

Kaito nodded, his face painfully blank. "I left the KID stuff on the bed. Will you send it back soon?"

She nodded, a tiny movement with little enthusiasm. "Of course. Who knows when that Suzuki man will challenge you again."

"He'll be furious once he learns that I held a heist without him. Nakamori-keibu is likely to have my head when he finds out, too." Kaito said, an attempt at humor.

To his relief, it earned a little smile from Chikage. "Don't forget about Aoko-chan. She won't be happy at all."

Kaito groaned. "Don't remind me. She'll be hanging over my head for weeks after this."

The two of them laughed, and a weight fell off Kaito's shoulders. Yes, he was furious after the Corbeau incident. It threw him for a loop and made him question his father's death, made him wonder if he was needed as Kaitou KID. By everyone's standards, he should've broken contact with his mother and stayed furious forever.

But then there was the heist last night.

Corbeau did make an appearance. He (she) appeared in a black puff of smoke forty-eight seconds before KID was set to appear and triggered a painfully obvious trap. KID almost leapt from his hiding spot with a shout, but then Corbeau grinned. Though she was surrounded by over a dozen well-trained security guards, she threw down another smoke bomb and disappeared, providing KID with the nine seconds he needed to disable the unexpected fingerprint lock on the gem's case. KID escaped perfectly fine after that, but he knew that were it not for the distraction, getting the gem would have bordered on impossible.

Of course, once KID disappeared into the crowd, Corbeau found him.

"Toichi would be proud," said Corbeau into his ear. "The last gem in America he stole was the Monarch. You have become so much like him. Be careful. We can't lose KID a second time." Corbeau murmured a quiet apology before slipping into the night.

Kaito wanted to stay mad. He wanted to shout at his mother and make her understand everything wrong that she had done and he wanted to hate her entirely for all that she had and hadn't done for him.

Despite all she had done to him, he just couldn't. He couldn't hate her. She knew that she'd messed up. She felt guilty and treaded lightly around him, barely asking a word as to how KID was doing. She smiled with terribly concealed guilt, and for all she'd done, he couldn't hate her.

Chikage was his mother. He knew that so many things needed to change, but right now, all Kaito could do was this.

He set down his bags, letting them fall to his feet. He crouched next to Chikage and put an arm around her. "I forgive you, Mom," he said quietly, though the words were ash on his tongue. "I love you."

Chikage pulled her son closer, unable to speak and unable to refuse the olive branch held out to her. She by no means deserved anything from Kaito, yet here they were. He kept her job going for weeks with little prompting, cooking and running errands for her when she couldn't. He disguised himself as her to keep up with her frivolous friends, subjected himself to so much just because she needed help.

Tears welling in her eyes, she tilted her head to the heavens. Toichi, look at what our son has become.

(⌐▨_・)ﾂθ ●

Blearily, a young boy blinked his eyes open. Yawning, he stretched and sat up. Meeting the startled gaze of the teen in the room, he internalized his surprise and offered a too-big smile.

"Ohaiyo, Kazuha-neechan," greeted the boy between personas.

"Heiji?" Kazuha shouted out the bedroom door, her eyes never leaving the boy. "Shinichi-kun's awake."