Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 2:

Mission Impossible

          The plan hatched itself in Conan's brain during Math class. His curiosity was beginning to eat at him. He needed to know just what Ran was up to. Him and Hattori both. And he wanted to know exactly how Miyagi fits into the picture.

          Miyagi's sudden appearance seems to be too coincidental. He appeared during a period in time when Ran kept lying about her whereabouts. And Conan have his suspicions that Miyagi was the other man Ran and Kazuha were with when the former was in Osaka.

          So he decided to ride his skateboard to Ran's school and follow her, just to make sure that she isn't doing something objectionable. Like date Miyagi behind his and her father's back.

          However, thirty minutes after dismissal time, no Ran came out. After forty-five minutes, it was a lonesome Sonoko who walked out of the school gates.

          And so, Conan decided to follow her, hoping that the blond would lead him to Ran.

          Sonoko kept checking her watch for the time while walking. As if she was meeting someone who abhors latecomers.

          Then, Sonoko stopped just outside a ramen house.

          Conan waited to see if she's going to go inside.

          Suddenly, Sonoko's cell phone rang, startling both the child detective and his prey.

          Conan mused, Sonoko was acting strange, like she was nervous about something.

          "Hello?" Sonoko tentatively answered her phone. Sonoko nodded her head and started looking around.

          Conan wondered what she was looking for.

          "Found it!" Sonoko exclaimed triumphantly. She then folded her phone and slipped it back in her pocket. Then, she walked to a nearby bench and reached beneath it.

          Conan saw that Sonoko now held a blue paper bag.

          Sonoko didn't even look at whatever's inside it. She just took it and left.

          Conan followed her. This is getting stranger and stranger.

          After five minutes, Conan found himself walking in a deserted street in the wrong part of town. He began to get nervous. He didn't think Sonoko knows what she's doing.

          "Hello, Sweetie," a big, menacing voice suddenly boomed.

          Sonoko let out a small 'eep.'

          She was now surrounded by four big, and obviously intoxicated men.

          "What cha got der?" The largest and meanest looking of the group asked.

          "N-nothing," Sonoko gasped as she began backing into a corner.

          Conan's eyes narrowed as he crouched down and began adjusting his shoes.

          But before he could react, a figure hurled itself towards the group of men.

          "What da—" one of them exclaimed.

          Conan saw that a man had placed himself between Sonoko and the men. However, Conan can't see the man's face as he was wearing a hood over his head.

          "Looks like someone wants to join in our fun," one of the bullies snarled, obviously not intimidated as the Sonoko's savior was slender and undersized compared to them.

            One of the men attacked, only to be dodged and hit by Sonoko's hero on the back.

          Conan gasped as one simple attack from the smaller man rendered the bigger man unconscious.

          The three then attacked at the same time.

          Sonoko screamed as her hero pushed her out of the way and sent her sprawling to the ground.

          The smaller man bent backwards as to duck out a burly man's swings. He then gave a kick that connected at one unlucky guy's head that rendered the latter unconscious.

          Two down, two to go.

          "Why you—" the biggest of the bullies lunged at the man with his fist.

          However, the man simply caught the larger guy's fist in his hand. Then, the smaller man's knees met with the larger man's stomach. The man doubled over in pain.

          Sonoko's savior now turned to the last able person in the group.

          But upon seeing his companions' fate, he ran away with his tail between his legs.

          The man now extended a hand for Sonoko.

          Sonoko looked at him and tried to smile. "Thanks," she whispered as she took the hand and slowly stood up.

          The man shrugged and turned to walk away.

          Conan was stunned. That guy was good. Just who was he and how did he fit in into all of these?

          "Ran-neechan, I'm home!" Conan announced. After seeing Sonoko safely home, he immediately headed to the agency, knowing well that Ran would be mad if he got home too late.

          "She's with Sonoko." Kogoro Mouri called to him in irritation. "She left sandwiches in the fridge."

          Sonoko? Conan frowned. But he had just left Sonoko with no traces of Ran.

          Something was definitely amiss.

          "Good morning girls,"

          "Good morning, Charlie!" Ran and Sonoko chorused as the two lounged in Sonoko's bed.

          The man in the screen got all red. "Don't call me that!" He grumbled.

          Ran and Sonoko giggled.

          The contents on the blue bag Sonoko got earlier were spread on her bed. A video phone that they were now using to call their boss, a laptop, and ring.

          Sonoko tried on the ring on her finger. "I can't believe that I almost got mugged for this." She grumbled. "And I don't know why you had to hide behind that hood of yours," she said as she tugged on the hood of the jacket Ran was wearing.

          Ran's eyes became troubled. "I saw Conan following you," she admitted.

          "Conan?" Charlie, the man in the video phone frowned. "The small boy who's living with you?"

          Ran nodded. "I saw him following Sonoko from school." Ran shrugged. "He wants to be a detective, I guess. And he's sharp, and way smart. He probably noticed that I'm keeping something from him."

          "I guess I better keep an eye on him," Charlie said thoughtfully.

          "So, what's up for tonight? I told my dad that I'm here and dinner's all set and ready." Suddenly, Ran slapped her forehead and groaned.

          "What?" Sonoko asked.

          "Conan!" Ran replied. "He knows that I'm not with you,"

          Charlie frowned. "He's just a kid. Can't you lie around him or something?"

          Ran shook her head. "I told you he's pretty sharp, for a kid. And I have my own suspicions about him."

          "And that's what you want to talk to me about, right?" Charlie asked.

          Ran nodded. "But that's for another day. First things first." She smiled. "Our mission tonight?"

          Charlie shook his head. "Postponed." He told them.

          Sonoko and Ran groaned.

          Charlie grinned. "That's what I like about you girls. Always ready for action. But you don't have to wait too long. The mission's moved to tomorrow."

          "Anyway, what happened to you yesterday afternoon after school?" Sonoko demanded.

          Conan's ears perked up. He was walking between Sonoko and Ran that afternoon in the local mall. He thought he saw Ran blush.

          "An old friend of mine appeared out of the blue," she said.

          "Was it Shinichi?" Sonoko needled her.

          Conan smiled mentally. If Ran said yes, then he would know that all of it was for his sake. Somehow they found out that Conan was following Sonoko and that he knew that the two girls weren't together the afternoon before.

          Ran shook her head. "Remember Miyagi Ken?" Ran asked shyly.

          Sonoko's eyes grew rounder. "You were with him?"

          Ran nodded.

          Conan seethed. Miyagi Ken.

          "He invited me for coffee and we kinda lost track of time,"

          "Ooh, you sly devil," Sonoko said. "But you wouldn't believe what happened to me yesterday. I met my hero! My prince charming! My knight-in-shining armor!"

          Ran laughed as Sonoko proceeded to tell her what had happened.

          Then, the two girls stopped laughing as they found themselves before a jewelry shop.

          "Dare we go in?" Sonoko asked Ran.

          Ran laughed. "Let's!" She said as she dragged a protesting Conan in.

          Conan sulked in the corner of the store as he watched the two girls try on a piece of jewelry after the other. Shopping trips were a big bore to him, and trips to the jewelry store were pure torture.

          "Do you think he bought it?" Sonoko discreetly whispered to Ran.

          Ran shrugged. "There's no reason why he shouldn't." She hissed back.

          "Oh, Ran, this is sooo cute!" Sonoko said loudly for the benefit of the sulking boy. She then slipped the ring she was holding into her finger. "Look, it fits me perfectly."

Conan watched as Sonoko tried on one ring after the other.

          Then, the two girls did something that absolutely shocked him.

          He saw Sonoko pocket one of the rings that the saleslady showed her. Then, Ran took out another ring in place of the one Sonoko stole.

          Is that their secret, shoplifting?"

          "We got the ring you requested, Charlie," Ran told the man in the video. Ran had locked her room, mindful that she would have a lot of explaining to do if someone walked in on her conversation with Charlie.

          "Good, good," Charlie said. "But don't call me CHARLIE!"

          Ran laughed. "Relax, Charlie," she snickered. "Or my dad'll hear you."

          "How did the misdirection with Conan go?" Charlie asked.

          Ran shrugged. "I don't know. He was all quiet and sulky on our way home."

          "I see." Charlie absent-mindedly stroked his chin.

          "Will I be bringing the ring to you?"

          Charlie shook his head. "It's to be delivered in Osaka."

          Ran grinned. "Alright! I get to see Kazuha-chan again,"

          "No, you won't." Charlie said. "This time I want Mito Hajime to deliver the ring,"

          "Can his knight-in-shining-armor follow him then?" Ran asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

          "Of course." Charlie replied. "I'll leave you three girls to figure out the details."

          "Anyway, about the favor I'm asking," Ran began, the laughter leaving her face.

          "I'm on it, Ran." Charlie said. "In fact, I think I'll pay you and your friends a little visit."

          "I'm getting woozy," Mito admitted.

          "So am I," Kazuha said.

          Ran grinned as she watched the two of them hanging upside down. They were on the Yuko Manor, the home of a very rich politician and his wife. More precisely, they were on the ceiling of the politician's office, waiting for the remote instructions Ran was feeding them via earphones.

          "Try to hold it," Ran told them. "If your feet so much as touch the floor, Yuko's private army will swarm in there faster than you guys can blink."

          Kazuha grumbled something about if her father caught her like that…

          "Alright, just five more minutes while I try to crack the code," Ran said as her fingers typed the password on the laptop before her. She was in a vehicle outside the manor, trying to upload the facts Charlie was feeding her as fast as she can.

          Actually, Kazuha was the better choice to do this than her. Of the three of them, Kazuha was the computer whiz. But it was Mito and Kazuha who were together when the urgent command came. Ran was still in Tokyo, unable to cut classes (since she had missed enough to earn the concern of her teachers, Saintemillion-sensei, especially). Yuko and his right-hand man were to go out of the country that night, now was their chance to try and crack open the forbidden vault in the office.

          So Ran was stuck outside while the two were inside.

          "Password, accepted," Ran grinned as the words blinked on her screen. "Guys, it's now safe to land on the floor."

          "About time," Mito grumbled as he almost fell to the floor. He groaned. "My legs had almost gone to sleep."

          Kazuha had gracefully landed on her feet. "Alright, where's the vault?"

          "Behind the bookshelf." Ran said.

          Mito peered behind the shelf. "I think it's bolted to the ground. Between the two of us, there's no way we can move this thing,"

          "It probably has a secret switch or something," Kazuha said as she began knocking on the books. Then, she tapped a set of books that sounded different from the others. "Got it!" She grinned as she pulled the faux set of books. Behind it was a wall safe.

          Mito slipped off the ring from his gloved fingers. "The key, madam,"

          "Thanks," Kazuha said as she placed the ring on the keyhole. A perfect fit.

          The safe opened. Inside were files and papers.

          "So we just take all of these?" Mito asked.

          "Yes," Ran replied. "And leave no trace."

A/N:

Aargh!

Why do I feel that NOTHING happened in this chapter?

Feedback, people, that's all I'm asking. Thanks.

To bluedetective, yup. I watch Slam Dunk too. It's one of my faves; in fact, I liked it so much I watched it in three different languages. =) but I'm not familiar with Kim Possible. The Disney Channel was taken off our cable network before it was broadcasted. Oh, well…