Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N:

Thanks for the nice reviews, and also for those who reviewed Butterfly Kisses and The Case of the Wedding Jitters (insert shameless plugging here). You guys are the reason I continue to write. Btw, I'm also planning to repost The Case… because when I posted it, I was quite green behind the ears and the format sucked. But I now know better, for better reading, wait for the repost.

If you're a bit confused over what happened in chapter 2, please forgive me. It's been a while since I last wrote, my course in college usually requires me to read dry, straightforward cases, that's why my creative juices have been locked up under storage and it's taking a while for it to flow. Its been a year or so since I wrote creatively. All I'm writing before I entered ff.net are summaries of readings in school (boring!).

Anyway, if you would go back to chapter 2, I gave a hint as to who the blond guy was in the café with Ran and Kazuha (when Ran and Charlie were talking on the video phone). I think it's rather obvious. And I also think Charlie's real identity is also evident, but if it's still not clear who he is, read on, and you'll catch on, eventually. The hooded guy who saved Sonoko was Ran, or am I now underestimating your intelligence? Sorry. It's just that, sometimes, it's really clear in my mind but I have trouble putting stuff into words. But please stick with me and I'll get the hang of it eventually.

OK, this message is starting to become as long as the fic itself, again, my apologies.

Chapter 3:

The Detectives

          "Shoplifting?"

          Conan nodded as he absentmindedly swung his legs to and fro from his perch on the bench.

          Hattori had gone straight to Tokyo when Kazuha disappeared the day before. He had been hoping that Kudo would have more answers than he does.

          The two were sitting on a bench in a park, exchanging and analyzing what little information they have.

          "I've known Kazuha my whole life, Kudo, she wouldn't do something like this!" Hattori snapped.

          "And you think that I don't know Ran as well as I should?" Conan's voice had snapped back but Hattori found himself staring into Kudo's fiery eyes. "And I know Sonoko just as well, and this came as a shock to me. If I didn't see it with my own eyes," Conan's voice trailed off.

          "Just what is their game?" Hattori mumbled. "If it's just shoplifting, then why on earth would they need to go to Osaka for? Why would they need to drag Kazuha into this?"

          Conan glared at Hattori. Sometimes, actually most of the time, there seems to be no barrier between his mouth and his brain, causing the Great Detective of the West to blurt out what he's thinking and often times causing him no small amount of trouble.

          "What makes you think that Ran and Sonoko are doing the dragging?" Conan demanded.

          Hattori had the grace to blush. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Didn't mean it that way,"

          Conan sighed. They were getting nowhere. "Just what are they up to?"

          "Where does that Suzuki girl fit in?" Hattori asked. "She wasn't there when I saw Ran and Kazuha in the coffee shop."

          Conan shrugged. "I don't know yet," he admitted. "But she is Ran's best friend and she would cover for Ran if the need arises. Though I can't prove it yet, I have this feeling that whatever's going on, Sonoko's right smack in the middle of it."

"Hey, where's Ran and Sonoko today?" Hattori suddenly asked.

          "Home," Conan grumbled. "We all walked home together, just like we used to do before they started acting weird. And Sonoko and Ran were doing their homework in the living room when you called me to go here."

          "Kazuha's home too." Hattori said. "That idiot. I called her house after I called you and I almost dropped the phone in surprise. It's been a while since she's last stayed home after class. Then we got into a fight since she's asking me where I was and I wouldn't tell her." Hattori sighed. At least that was familiar. It was often her who asked where he was and she who didn't get a straight answer. Now it was the other way around. And now he felt what Kazuha often feels when he leaves her behind (for her own protection, of course). No wonder Kazuha wanted to pummel him whenever he gives her a cryptic answer to his whereabouts.

          Conan shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs away. As much as he hated to admit it, he was stuck.

          "Kazuha got a new laptop yesterday." Hattori suddenly brought up. "The weirdest thing is, she was sort of hiding it from me, like she didn't want me to see it or something,"

          Hattori was patiently (more or less) waited for Kazuha to come home yesterday. He had stationed himself on the Toyama front door. Kazuha arrived late, but before her father. Two bags were slung around her shoulder, her school bag and a black, rectangle-shaped bag. Hattori recognized it as the carry-case of a laptop.

          "I see you bought yourself a portable computer," Hattori commented as he stood from his slouch and approached the girl. He swallowed the hurt he was feeling that Kazuha didn't even consult him on her choice of computers.

          Kazuha was visible startled. "Ahou!" She shouted when she recovered. "What are you trying to do, scaring me like that?"

          "Ahou! I was not trying to scare you," he grumbled. "If you would look around, you'd see that I was right here all along!"

          Kazuha glared at him as she unlocked their front door. "Ahou! It was dark and I couldn't see you. You should've cleared your throat or something to indicate your presence."

          Hattori followed his friend in the house, his earlier accusation about the portable computer forgotten, loosing himself in the familiar banter that they haven't done in the longest time.

          "A laptop?" Conan's eyes narrowed. "I overheard Ran saying that Sonoko got one too. Does Kazuha have a video phone?"

          Hattori frowned. "I've no idea," he admitted. "But I can find out. Why?"

          "Ran has one." Conan replied. "In her room. Hidden in her closet."

          "You searched your girlfriend's room?" Hattori asked incredulously.

          "She's not my girlfriend!" Conan snapped as he reddened.

Hattori suddenly clutched Conan's arm. "Kudo!" He hissed. "That's the guy! That's the guy who was with Ran when she met Kazuha for coffee."

          A short, blond man walked a few meters from them.

          "Let's follow him." Hattori said as he jumped to his feet.

          Conan groaned inwardly. He was a detective, not some spy. And for the second time that week, he found himself tailing an unsuspecting person.

          "So did they follow you?" Kazuha asked as she huddled with the videophone in her closet. It was quite dark and stuffy, but she didn't want to lock her bedroom door because that would be too suspicious.

          Mito Hajime nodded. "Yes," he said. "But I lost them after half an hour or so. Those trainings Charlie had been giving are really effective, you know."

          "But it's your first time here in Tokyo, Hajime-kun," Ran's voice argued on the background. A minute later, she had squeezed herself next to Mito on the screen. "Hi, Kazuha-chan!" She greeted cheerfully.

          "Ran-chan," Kazuha greeted her. "That means Heiji saw the four of us here in Osaka when we went for coffee."

          Mito nodded. "No wonder Conan was suspicious. Hattori-kun was probably jealous so he called up Conan asking who the two men with Ran were," he said mischievously.

          "Ahou!" Kazuha called out. "He's just being overprotective and overbearing. That idiot," Kazuha grumbled. "He just can't stand to be left behind. Always sticking his nose in other people's business." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ran and Mito elbowing each other knowingly. Kazuha rolled her eyes. "Anyway," she said before the two can comment. "We have to be extra careful. We don't want them to find out what we're doing. The less people involved, the better."

          Ran grinned. "My father would just kill me if he finds out what I'm doing." She said mirthfully.

          "And who's to know what Shinichi-kun would do," Mito added.

          "Hey!" Ran protested. "Why is his name being dragged into this conversation?" She turned to look at Mito.

          Mito looked back innocently at her. "He's your boyfriend, that's why!"

          "He is not my boyfriend!" Ran denied as Mito and Kazuha laughed.

          "Yeah, yeah," Kazuha muttered. Then, she heard footsteps outside her door. "Hey guys, I gotta go. I'll contact you ASAP."

          "'Kay," Mito and Ran chorused as the videophone got disconnected.

          "Ran-neechan?" Conan called.

          "Get in!" Ran squealed as she shoved Mito into her closet. "I'm in my room, Conan-kun," she called back as she forced her closet door shut.

          "Ran-neechan, you've got a visitor!" Conan shouted.

          Ran grinned. "It's Ken-kun." She told Mito.

          "Send him in then," came the reply.

          "Shut up," Ran told the closet. "Don't make a sound until I tell you it's safe to do so," with that, she walked out of the room.

          "Ran-chan!" Miyagi Ken stood up from the sofa as his face broke into a warm smile. "It's been a while."

          "Ken-kun!" Ran called with a laugh as she closed the distance between them. "Please sit down. Can I offer you something to drink?"

          Miyagi shook his head. "I'm fine." He said as he sat down.

          Ran also sat down, but Conan went between the two.

          "Oh, by the way, Ken-kun, I'd like you to meet Edogawa Conan." Ran said. "Conan-kun's Shinichi's relative. Conan-kun, this is Miyagi Ken. Ken-kun's our, I mean my and Schinichi's, schoolmate way back in grade school."

          Conan trained his eyes on Miyagi. Outwardly, his eyes reflected curiosity and intelligence. But behind the façade, he was assessing the other man throroughly. Tall, dark hair, medium built, late teens. He could possibly the other man with Ran and Kazuha in the cafe Hattori was talking about.

          Miyagi Ken met Conan's eyes. It was full of mischief and delight; however, Conan detected intense scrutiny behind the taller man's hazel eyes. Conan felt like an amoeba under a microscope.

          "Ken-kun, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Ran asked him.

          Miyagi grinned at her. "Just revisiting old friends, Ran-chan." He replied easily. "You know Conan-kun, you look exactly like Kudo when I saw him last, and I should know, I've got a photographic memory."

          Conan reddened. "Uh, we're…uh…that's because we're relatives, Miyagi-san,"

          "Call me Ken-niisan, Conan-kun. Any relative of Kudo is a friend of mine," Miyagi declared. "So, how exactly are you and Kudo related, Conan-kun?"

          Thankfully, the phone rang right after Miyagi's question.

          "I'll get it!" Conan announced, a little too desperately as he immediately sprang up and almost ran to the phone. Saved by the ring, he thought to himself.

          "Hello?" He answered gratefully. His eyes narrowed when he turned around and saw Miyagi and Ran sitting very close together on the couch, whispering towards each other.

          "Distract him Ken-kun," Ran told the elder guy in a hushed voice.

          "Why?"

          Ran sighed exasperatedly. It's hard for a girl to ask favor these days. "Mito Hajime is in my closet. He can't stay there the whole afternoon, you know."

          Miyagi grinned. "Can I see him, then?"

          "No!" Ran groaned. "Can you be easy for once and just do me this tiny favor?"

          Miyagi shrugged. "But how come if it's my turn to ask the favor, you give me a hard time?"

          "That's different," Ran announced. "It's almost dinnertime. Why don't you join us?" she said loudly, for the benefit of the little boy who just hung up.

          Miyagi nodded.

"Who was it, Conan-kun?" Ran asked as Conan returned to the couch.

          "It's for Uncle Kogoro, but since he's not home, I just took a message." Conan replied.

          Ran beamed at him.   "Well done, Conan-kun. I'll be in the kitchen for a while to prepare our dinner. Make yourself at home, Ken-kun. Conan-kun, please entertain my guest." With that, she turned to the direction of the kitchen.     

          "So, Conan-kun, how are you and Shinichi related again?"

Conan grimaced. He'd rather be thrown into a snake pit.

          "What are you doing?"

          Hattori almost jumped out of his skin at the voice. He turned around, knowing what he would see even before he saw it.

          Kazuha was leaning on the doorframe of her bedroom, her arms crossed. She was glaring at him.

          He, on the other hand, was on his hands and knees, looking beneath Kazuha's bed.

She had just caught him red-handed.

"Ah, anou," he began, praying for inspiration. "I was…I was looking for your laptop, I was wondering where it went."

The two were doing their homework in Kazuha's house when Kazuha declared she needed a bathroom break. He then took the opportunity to look around her room. But he over-estimated the time his friend spends in the bathroom.

"Uh-huh," Kazuha said. "You could've just asked me, ahou,"

Hattori glared at her. "Well, you were in the bathroom, ahou."

"Ahou!" Kazuha snapped. "Couldn't you wait for like five minutes max?"

"Ahou!" Hattori snapped back, but inside he was rejoicing. Looks like things were getting back to normal. "It always takes you forever to use the bathroom." He stuck out a tongue to her for good measure.

Conan collapsed on his bed. He was exhausted. Miyagi kept asking him pointed questions about both Conan and Shinichi. Conan tried to dance around the questions as best he could. He knew that one slip and Miyagi would've been all over him. He knew that Miyagi was sharp, and he knew something was up the moment he stepped into the room and saw Shinichi's carbon copy who was only a distant relative. Then, he became even more suspicious to learn that Conan-kun was staying indefinitely with his Ran-neechan, because Shinichi-niisan had disappeared the day before he appeared.

And then, in between interrogations (or at least, that's what Conan felt like they were), Miyagi would shamelessly flirt with Ran, teasing her, making her blush…

All those things Shinichi used to do, but Conan cannot.

Conan groaned in frustration as he turned in his bed and vented his anger on his pillow.

One day, he vowed, one day he would once again do those things, and possibly even more…

TBC…

PS.

I gotta stop here.

The next chapter's demanding to be written…

Hope you understood it. But if it's still making your head spin, ask in the review thingy, and I'll try to answer it in the next chapter.

By the way, the next chapter would contain the explanation of how the girls fell into their new job.

'Till then. =)