Disclaimer:

Not mine. Never was. Never will be.

A/N:

Yeah!

This is my last chapter of sorts, but I'm still planning on adding one last one, sort of a bonus chapter. This chapter will (hopefully) tie all loose ends such as who on earth is Miyagi Ken and why the heck Kisaki Eri was mentioned in the last chapter. And also I would explain why the ambulances took Ai and Professor Agasa separately, and why didn't the bodies of the two men Gin killed were found.

Also, the Spy Girls say thank you and good-bye to the Kid, the Phantom Thief.

If you want mush from me, then wait for the next chapter. Hopefully, I'll be brave enough to post it. It's just that….ewww! I like reading mush. But writing it is another matter.

Also a warning: as much as I wanted my fic to be canon, I'm afraid that it is not. I had to bend some rules (and some characters along with it) a little to fit into my plot. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I have not read any DC, except for what is available for me on the web and I have not exhausted all of it. So if the characters are OOC or if I've written something that is not up-to-date, I give my apologies, then. But don't say that you have not been warned.

Bluedetective:

Before you shoot your bazooka, I strongly suggest you read this chapter first. You're in for a treat. Got your email, I'll contact you once I made my decision. I'm sooo looking forward to seeing Slam Dunk II… and I like the Filipino dub, it's really silly, but it tends to differ a bit with the subs and the English dub. I really like Hanamichi's voice in the Pinoy dub, it suits his personality.

Unfortunately, I don't have a MSN messenger. I do have a yahoo messenger under my email (Genghis_khay). Plus I'm swearing off the Internet for a while, with finals coming and all. But maybe we could hook up later, our summer vacation's just around the corner. Hope to hear from you again!

YunCyn:

Thanks! This is the end; you don't have to wait too long…posted three days after I posted the previous chap! Yeah! It's over! It's over!

Chapter 17:

Debriefing

            "Good morning," Ran entered the room tentatively as she walked towards the occupied hospital bed. "How are you doing?" With sure hands, she carefully arranged the flowers she had brought to replace the old ones on the table by the bed.

          Her companion gave no answer.

          Finally, unable to hold herself back any longer, a tear fell down her cheek. "I'm sorry," she sat down on the chair beside the bed. "I'm really sorry,"

          The only reply she got was the beeping sounds that the machine sustaining the person's life made.

          She tenderly stroked his cheek as her cries gradually subsided. She then took a pale hand in hers.

          "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you," she said, hoping against hope that he could hear her. "I should've been there for you, I should've known better than to leave you alone." She bit back a sob. "I also want to thank you, for being there for me when I needed you. I couldn't have done it without you,"

          Behind her, the door opened, unnoticed. Quietly, Kudo Shinichi, formerly Edogawa Conan, came in. He saw her and the figure lying in the bed. He leaned on the doorway, not wanting to disturb them.

          "When you wake up," Ran began again as she hastily wiped a tear from her face with her free hand. "When you wake up, I wouldn't be here anymore. They're taking you somewhere far away, to a safe place where they can take care of you. I'll miss you, but it's all for the best you know. Because even though we captured Gin and Vodka and Vermouth, it's not over yet. Their people here in Japan are crippled, but they're still alive. It's not safe for you here." More tears stream down her face. "I know you would've wanted to be there when they finally fall."

          Kudo's heart wrenched. He admits that he never really liked the guy, but he didn't deserve this, no one does.

          "About Ai-chan," she sobbed. "She's gone now. I just returned from her funeral." She swallowed before continuing. "And I know I let you down, but I promise you one thing. If ever you need me, if ever you get in trouble, just call for me, and I'll be there." She now held his hand in both of hers.

          Kudo was worried. Since that fateful day, it seemed that all Ran did was cry…

"Anytime you want your Sweetie, I'll be there," she sniffled. "I'll be there, Yoshke-kun. I promise."

After a long while of silence, Kudo finally cleared his throat, indicating his presence. "Hey,"

Ran turned around and gave him a small smile. "Hey yourself,"

He closed the distance between them.

Ran gazed back at Yoshke. "I guess," she began. "I guess I was just saying goodbye." Then, the tears came hard and fast.

And for the first time in a long while, Kudo Shinichi, the Great Detective of the East, was able to comfort her in the way he wanted to…as her Shinichi, not as her little brother, Edogawa Conan.

          Miyagi Ken grinned as he boarded the plane. He was now off to England. His real name was Miyagi Ken, but he was leaving it behind. Leaving, but not killing, at least not yet. Who knows, there might come a time when he would need it again. But one thing he does know. He would never be Akai Shuichi again. He was lucky to get off so easily…

          "Don't try to act all innocent with me," Ran spat out. "Kid saw you take my father,"

          Slowly, a grin appeared on Miyagi's face. "I guess this is it. You finally found me out."

          Ran adopted an offensive stance.

          Miyagi threw his arms upward as a sign of surrender. "Don't blame me, blame her!"

          "Who?" Sonoko frowned as she looked at where Miyagi was motioning. "Vermouth?"

          "No," a voice had joined in their conversation. "Me," a slim, beautiful woman had appeared calmly taking in their appearance, even the blood on Ran's and Kudo's clothes.

          Ran's eyes widened in shock. "M-mom?"

          "How was your trip, Nigel Holmes?"

          Nigel Holmes, formerly known as Miyagi Ken AKA Akai Shuichi, grinned at the screen. "It was rather uneventful, sir." He replied as he once again stared at the silhouette of his boss, seated behind the big desk before the fireplace, as usual.

          "Good," the man said. "Good. You deserve a break. I'll contact you when I need you."

          "Yes, sir," with that, Nigel Holmes turned off the line.

          "It's nice how things turn out," a feminine voice squealed.

          The boss turned off his voice-changing apparatus.

          Someone turned on the lights, revealing the slim form of Kisaki Eri seated behind the big desk in front of the fireplace.

          Contrary to popular belief, the head of their spy organization was not a man, neither a computer program. It was the famous lawyer, Kisaki Eri. But no one was supposed to know that, except the two people she was with that moment.

          "You're right," Eri smiled at the woman who squealed earlier. The computer monitor in her office showed a picture of Mouri Ran, Toyama Kazuha, and Suzuki Sonoko.

          "Kind of reminds us of us during our younger days, right?" The person who turned on the lights walked up to the desk and sat down on one of the chairs opposite Eri. "Nice to know that someone's now filling our shoes."

          Eri took the champagne bottle on her desk and poured it in three glasses. Her companions picked it up.

          "To the Spy Girls!" Kudo Yukiko, the former master of disguise, held her glasses up in a toast.

          "And to the original Spy Girls!" Kuroba Fumio, the former electronics expert, giggled as she, too, raised her glasses.

          Eri, the martial arts expert, laughed as the three of them drank the champagne, in remembrance of their adventures, and in anticipations of new ones with the new generation of spies.

          Who would have known that the Kisaka Law Firm is but a front of their organization?

          Certain not the head's daughter…

Ran's eyes widened in shock. "M-mom?"

Eri grinned at her. "I take it Miyagi hasn't told you our family secret."

"Told me what?"

"She was once like you," Miyagi interjected.

"Kisaki-san?" Sonoko gasped. "Wow,"

"I-I don't understand," Ran frowned.

"Your mother used to be like you, Ran-chan, a spy." Miyagi replied for her.

"Great," Ran muttered. "Does everyone I know have a dirty little secret?" She asked angrily.

"Don't be angry, honey," Kisaki Eri smiled gently at her daughter. "At least now, you wouldn't have to do too much explaining to the police. After all, you teens now have your counsel,"

And true enough; the police had begun to arrive.

          "Hey there,"

          Kuroba Kaitou had just exited the school gates when he saw someone got down a black limousine that was parked there.

          It was Mouri-san. Behind her, Suzuki-san and Toyama-san stepped down.

          Kuroba froze.

          His classmates who walked with him had stopped when she had uttered her greetings, the males especially. A collective murmuring arose, speculations who were the beautiful strangers who were rich enough to ride a limo. And more importantly, what were they doing, talking to Kuroba? Probably asking for directions, though heaven knows, he wasn't the correct person to ask.
          Kuroba pondered whether or not it was rude to just ignore them. Getting involved in his private life was not part of the deal.

          "Kuroba-kun, remember us?" Mouri-san asked with a toss of her glossy mane.

          "Kaitou, you know them?" Ran saw a slightly smaller girl with long, wild dark hair ask him.

          "Yes," Kuroba replied with a frown. "I'll just see what they want, you guys go ahead."

          Sonoko noted that the girl with wild hair and another exotic-looking beautiful girl look at them suspiciously before stomping ahead.

          "Why are you here?" He asked after making sure that they now have privacy.

          "You never gave me the chance to thank you for saving my life," Ran told him. She smiled at him (causing a chain reaction to the male students who were watching them from a distance).

          "And to assure you that your secret is safe with us." Sonoko grinned (this time, some male students vowed to learn magic, if only to impress the ladies).

          "And to give you this," Kazuha handed Kuroba a diskette (Kuroba was now officially the most envied, and hated, student on campus. Imagine, having Miss Nakamori as a best friend, Miss Akako as an admirer, and then add in three mysterious and drop-dead gorgeous females).

          "What's this?" Of course, for the Thief, business was business. He chose to remain oblivious to the dagger-looks he was receiving on his back.

          "It's a file about the Phantom Thief." Kazuha replied.

          "So you're turning over all the files you have about me,"

          Sonoko laughed. "Of course not. What do you take us for? We'll need it if ever we meet each other again."

          "So what is this for?"

          "It's about the original Phantom Thief." Kazuha replied.

          Kuroba paled. "You know."

          Ran nodded. "He worked with the original Spy Girls, at least that's what they told me. Even then our organization had been clashing with the Black Organization. Seems like they've been here for a while now. They've got their hands on everything: drugs, computers, murder, piracy; you mention it, they do it."

          "And your work is not over yet," Kazuha told him. "You still have to search for the Pandora Gem. After all, the Black Ops are still alive and kicking,"

          "But if ever you need help, don't hesitate to call us," Sonoko said.

          Kuroba gripped the diskette tighter in his hands. Another link to his father. "Thank you,"

          "No, thank you," Ran smiled sweetly at him.

          "But what about you?" Kuroba asked. "Would you be safe?"

          Ran grinned at him. "We have people in the organization, Kuroba-kun." She said. "As I've said, our organization had been encountering theirs for a long while now. My mom thinks that we have enough to bring them down in a few months' time. In the mean time, they'd be too busy dealing with the rest of us, they wouldn't have time to bother with three meddling teens."

          "And we all know that you won't make their jobs easier, either," Sonoko added with a wink.

          "We better go. I don't like the looks those two girls are giving me," Kazuha grimaced as she went back to the limo.

          Ran waved and followed after Kazuha.

          Sonoko smiled mischievously at him. She quickly kissed him on the cheek before he could do anything. "Bye!" She called out as she boarded the limo.

          "Hey! Kuroba!" Hakuba Suguru called out. "Wasn't that Mouri-san, the Sleeping Detective's daughter? And the one who kissed you was Suzuki-san, the daughter of the millionaire from Beika, wasn't it?"

          "The blond?" A feminine voice inquired, her voice crackling with tension.

          Kuroba winced as the diskette in his hand magically disappeared. He knew he would have a lot of explaining to do.

          Kudo Shinichi groaned as he felt someone shaking him violently. "Five more minutes, mom," he pleaded. His eyes flew open when he heard someone giggle. "Ran?"

          Ran placed a finger to her lips, indicating to him that he kept quiet.

          Shinichi grinned foolishly at her.

          It had been four months since their confrontation with Gin and Vermouth.

He and Ran had talked things through and decided to take their relationship slowly, one day at a time, but they had been inseparable.

Hattori and Kazuha, on the other hand, was now officially a couple.

However, they don't talk much about the girls' part time job by mutual agreement. But the girls did lay low. They only did those things occasionally now. If the detectives didn't knew better, they could've sworn that the girls had stopped their spying completely. Or maybe they had just gotten more discreet about it.

"We don't want to wake up Hattori-kun," Ran motioned to the man sleeping on the other bed.

The four of them (five if he counts Sonoko) had passed their second year of high school. Shinichi almost didn't, but thanks for his good memory and keen attention to details (not to mention his panicked cramming); he was able to pass the finals. And all of them would be seniors come the next school year, which would be in a few days.

So they decided to spend their last week of freedom on a beach.

"I'll wait for you outside," Ran grinned at him. "I have a surprise for you,"

Shinichi happily hummed a tune as he searched for his shirt and pulled it on after finding it, excited at the prospect of spending every waking moment of their vacation with her.

When Shinichi rambled outside from the bungalow they were renting for the week, he noted that the sun still hadn't risen. She probably wanted to watch the sunset with me. Well, he was amenable to anything she wanted to do, as long as she did it with him. He'd never take her for granted again.

Ran took his hand the moment he reached her. "Let's go!"

Kudo's theory grew stronger as Ran dragged him on the shore. But his hopes of watching the sunrise alone with Ran quickly disappeared as he noted that there was already someone on the shore. "Maybe we could pick another spot to watch the sunrise, Ran," he whispered to her.

To his surprise, Ran shook her head firmly and began leading him to the person on the beach.

The person, a woman about their age, was ankle-deep in the water. She seemed to be relishing her solitary reflection.

"Ran, I don't think she wants some company right now," Kudo stopped walking and planted his feet firmly on the sound.

Ran turned around and gave him a look that sent him walking after her again.

Shinichi looked at the woman, hoping that she leaves once she realized that the newcomers wanted to be alone.

The wind ruffled the woman's blond hair. She then turned around and met Shinichi's eyes.

Kudo's jaw dropped open as realization hit him. "Haibara?"

The woman laughed. "You've said my name quite beautifully the last time we've seen each other, Kudo-kun,"

"B-but how?"

Ran pulled him closer to where Shiho was standing. "It's all thanks to the Phantom Thief." She laughed. "Did you know that he broke into the armory of the Black Organization and toyed with their guns a bit?"

"So Shiho wasn't really hit?" Shinichi felt his knees go weak. Shiho was alive.

"I'm here, aren't I?" She laughed. Shinichi thought that it was the first time he heard her laugh. "But for the first time in years, I finally feel free! They think I'm already dead. They saw me die. I have a new life now. I'm not looking over my shoulders anymore."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded, the first few sparks of anger beginning to get in his eyes. It all made sense, Miyagi's insistence that Vermouth be there to witness the confrontation, the refusal to bring Ai with Professor Agasa in the same ambulance, the guilt in Ran's eyes whenever they talk about Ai. And he considered himself a detective…

Ran saw this and prevented the anger from multiplying further by giving his hand a squeeze. "Because it was his wish."

"His?"

Shiho indicated to a faraway bungalow to their left. On its porch was a shadowy silhouette of a man.

"That's our client," Ran explained. "He wanted for us to bring down Gin and save Sherry."

"Why?"

"He was my sister's fiancée." Shiho answered softly. "He's not with them. But he met my sister. They fell in love. But my sister broke it off when they found out, but her loyalty was questioned. And then, she—"

Shinichi nodded. Her sister died at Gin's hands.

"He's rich," Shiho told them. "He hired detectives but he still couldn't find out what happened. That is, until he stumbled upon Ran's organization. And the rest is history."

"Is it just my eyes, or did Yoshke just stepped out of that bungalow with your benefactor?" Shinichi squinted.

The figure that just stepped outside stumbled. The other man caught him just in time.

Ran laughed. "That's Yoske-kun, alright."

Shinichi made a sound of disapproval with his throat as his hand snaked around Ran's waist possessively. He turned back to the blond before him. "How are you?"

"He's been taking care of me, Kudo-kun, me and Yoshke-kun." Shiho replied. "He said he promised my sister that if anything happened to her, he'll take care of me."

Ran briefly touched Shinichi's hand to her lips. "I'll leave the two of you to catch up." With that, she untangled herself from Shinichi and walked away from them to give them privacy.

          "So, where's Kudo-kun?" Kazuha asked.

          The sun was just rising, and everything was just perfect.

          "Occupied," Ran replied. "He now knows Shiho-chan is still alive, so I think they're just catching up."

          "And you're not jealous?" Sonoko teased, but there was panic in her voice. "Are you sure this is the spot?"

          Kazuha nodded as she looked down from the cliff. Waaaaay down.

          "Where's Hattori-kun?" Ran asked.

          "Sleeping," Kazuha grinned. "He'd probably stay that way until noon or if someone wakes him up, whichever comes later."

          "Why couldn't the helicopter drop the parcel in a less dangerous spot, like in the park or in a rooftop of a mall? Why does it have to be down a cliff?" Sonoko didn't like the dangerous drop she was seeing before her. She felt dizzy just thinking about it.

          Ran grinned. "I guess they thought it'd be more fun that way."

          "OK, OK," Sonoko grumbled. "Let's just get this over with. The sooner we finish, the sooner you can be with your boyfriends,"

          "Well, you just wanted to fly back to Beika immediately," Kazuha said, turning the tables.

          "Because Makoto-chan's going to be there," Ran imitated Sonoko's voice.

          "You're getting better at that, Ran," Kazuha praised her. Then, she giggled as they saw Sonoko's red face.

          Makoto had come home the week before, triumphant in his quest for the championship. And during the victor's banquet, he publicly gave his medal to Sonoko before asking her to become his girl. Sonoko, red-faced but moved, accepted this proposal. They had been together since, barely spending two minutes apart from each other.

          "Ran-chan, since Sonoko-chan's in a hurry, what's the quickest way between two points?" Kazuha asked.

          "A straight line, of course," Ran replied.

          Sonoko didn't see the mischievous grin Ran and Kazuha exchanged. She didn't see the agreement wordlessly formed between her two friends. Therefore, she didn't see two pair of hands shove her down.

          Sonoko's bloodcurdling scream was heard for miles all around.

          Then the two girls sighed in relief as Sonoko's ridiculously hot-pink parachute opened.

          "Let's go?"

          "Lets!"
          With that, they jumped down after Sonoko to their newest adventure.

~End~

P.S.

Oh, I feel good! You know that I do now. So good, so good…

P.P.S.

OK, last minute explanations…

1. The Akai/Miyagi thing…

          A mysterious man was shown in the manga following Conan around (or something like that). Ran also saw him and she found him to be familiar. So I decided to integrate that with the story. In my universe, he was following them around because he was checking Ran out as a possible operative (read chapter 4).

          Therefore, bluedetective, the answer to your question is that Miyagi/Akai is good. He kidnapped Mouri Kogoro because the latter was endangered. If he weren't kidnapped, he would've been hurt/killed/taken by the Black org. Remember that the detective agency was ransacked (in search for the Pandora Gem and maybe for a hostage). And Miyagi was under the command of the ex-wife.

2. The missing bodies of the operatives

          There were no bodies found because there were no bodies at all. It was a set-up to get Gin to relax his guard a bit. Remember that The Phantom Thief had messed with the armory of the Black Org during his stint there as Vodka. Gin's gun was a fake. It wasn't able to kill anything.

 3. Kisaki Eri - Kudo Yukiko – Kuroba Fumio

          Don't mind this much. This is just me having fun. I thought, why not? It's my farfetched story. Might as well go all the way. So I decided to make them the original spy girls.

4. Ai/Shiho/Sherry

          She's alive! Gin's gun was a fake. It was all a set-up to get her out of the Black Organization's eye.

          She and Professor Agasa were taken separately because Prof. Agasa was taken to a hospital while Ai was taken to the client.

          Sorry, but it's the only way I know how she could totally be free of the Black Organization.

5. The New Spy Girls

          They're now full-pledged spies! Miyagi was their trainer, and after the events, he determined that they were now ready to take on the world by themselves. Miyagi went to England to take a short vacation and to scope out newer prospects.

6. The Black Organization

          No, they weren't able to take out the Black Organization completely. From what I understand, the BO has many arms…even if they defeated one side, it would most probably regenerate itself, so Yoshke-kun had to be hidden and Shiho to be killed.

7. The Phantom Thief

          Well, his adventures continue…

P.P.P.S.

Next chapter, if there will be a next chapter, I would attempt to illustrate Ran and Shinichi's talk that they would take relationship one at a time. I will also inlcude exactly how Heiji and Kazuha became a couple…but I'll probably do it after finals na. OK, 'till my next fic (if at all)!