Kon'nichi wa! Sorry that it took SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long to get this chapter up…gomen! Partially because of school and partially because...I've been...lazy. Sorry sorry sorry.
A great big THANK YOU to all those who reviewed--I love you guys! I was really nervous that nobody would read my story, so thanks!
Well I won't keep talking, on with the story!
Disclaimer ~ I don't own Detective Conan. ©Gosho Aoyama, all rights reserved.
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Part II ~ Meeting"Conan-kun! Heiji-kun! Breakfast is ready!" Ran called from the kitchen. "Hurry up before it gets cold!"
But five minutes later, the two boys were still nowhere to be seen. "Where are they?" Kazuha wondered, annoyed. "It's already nine in the morning!" A/N: I guess they like to get up early, huh? Well, except for Mouri Kogoro, that is ^_~
The girls went to Conan's bedroom to wake them up, but they found the room empty! The sheets were folded and stacked neatly, and there was a yellow note pinned to the pillow.
Neechan & Kazuha--
Gone with the kid to breakfast, we'll be back in a little while. See you later.
-- Heiji
"Ah, he's such an ahou!" Kazuha complained. "He could have waited just a little while!"
"Yeah…" Ran nodded slowly. "Ne, Kazuha-chan…you don't think that the two of them are out doing something dangerous, do you? I mean, although Conan--I mean Shinichi--is a great detective, he's still just a kid, you know…"
"You still think…that Conan and Shinichi are the same person?" Kazuha asked.
Ran smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I think so…it seems SO absurd, but it's the only way that makes sense." Her smile brightened. "Well, we shouldn't worry, Kazuha-chan! I'm sure that they're fine. We should eat breakfast and then go shopping!" She began to walk back to the kitchen.
Kazuha looked after her friend, smiling. "Sounds great to me, Ran-chan!" she replied with the same cheerfulness.
~ * ~ * ~
Meanwhile, Heiji and Conan had finished their quick breakfast at a café and were now on the way to the city library. They were walking slowly along the streets of Beika, each one silent and lost in his own thoughts.
"Hey, Kudo," Heiji finally spoke up. "Have you any thoughts about who it is?"
"Well…" Conan thought for a moment. "There's always the possibility of Vermouth. She seems strange…she seems to have her own plans, plans that don't involve the Black Organization at all. But I don't understand why they don't kill her if she's keeping secrets. The only explanation is that SHE'S the one giving orders to kill. So…what's her motivation?"
Heiji nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking about that, too. Women," he shook his head, "I guess we'll never understand them, huh?"
Conan eyed Heiji. "Did you get into another argument with Toyama-san?"
"Hey! Speak for yourself. When was the last time that Neechan yelled at you?"
"Gosh, when was the last time I called her? Every time I call, she yells!"
The two detectives laughed. The uncomfortable silence was finally broken.
"Hey, we're almost there," Conan said, stopping at a crossroads. "You ready, Hattori?"
"Ready as ever!" Heiji grinned. Conan grinned back.
~ * ~ * ~
"Hey, Kazuha-chan, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Ran asked excitedly, pointing to a sign.
The girls were at the shopping center, deciding which store to go in first.
Kazuha looked in the direction that Ran was pointing. "No way…" she said.
"OPENING SALE!" they shouted at the same time, and dashed across the parking lot to the shop. Once inside, they were immediately attracted to the beautiful displays of all sorts of clothing.
"Hey, I think this would look GREAT on you, Ran-chan!" Kazuha said, holding a sleeveless blouse in front of Ran. "Go try it on!"
"Okay, let me find some more clothes first!" Ran took the blouse from Kazuha and looked around. She found a few shirts and a pair of pants she wanted to try on and headed to the dressing room.
As she undressed, she let her mind wander. She thought of Shinichi. And Conan.
She knew that she was right. There was no way that Conan could be a normal seven-year-old child. There were too many coincidences. First of all, Conan's birthday was May 4th--the exact same day as Shinichi's. Also, they had the same hairstyle, the same blue eyes, the same triumphant grin. Countless times, Heiji had called Conan "Kudo". There must have been a reason to call him that--Heiji must know that Conan's real identity.
Then, there was the fact that every time her father solved a case, he was asleep. How did he just start doing the "sleeping Kogoro" thing? Conan must have had something to do with it. Why did Kogoro sometimes randomly fall and straighten himself back out again? Conan must be behind him, solving the cases using Kogoro's voice! Dr. Agasa must have made some gadget to let Conan do that. So, how did he get Kogoro to sleep?
Ran sighed. She knew that her theory was right, but she needed more proof.
"Why won't he tell me the truth?" she wondered aloud.
"Ran-chan, are you okay?" she heard Kazuha ask. "Did you say something?"
"Oh, nothing," Ran tried to sound cheerful. "Just muttered something to myself, that's all. I'm still trying on some stuff."
"Okay, I'll be there in a little while to try some more stuff, too."
"Mm."
Ran continued her thoughts. Shinichi, why do you keep secrets from me? We call ourselves best friends, but in reality, we've grown distant; the warmth of our friendship has cooled.
Why do you lie to me, Shinichi? How? How can you call yourself a detective, a defender of truth, when you're surrounded by your own lies?
She smiled, a sad, sweet smile, part longing and part hope. "But," she whispered. "I have faith in you, Shinichi."
And I will wait for you until the end of time.
~ * ~ * ~
"Well, we're here," Heiji said, stopping in front of the elegant city building. He looked around. "Huh. There's no one around here. Guess the library isn't open yet…and our mysterious 'Kudo' isn't here."
Conan checked his watch. "It's 9:55 right, so we're a bit early. Let's just wait a little."
However, fifteen minutes later, there was still no one to be seen.
"Kudo, do you think that it was a prank?" Heiji asked in a low voice.
Conan shook his head. "Don't let down your guard," he said tensely.
"Well, well, well," someone said. "I didn't think you'd actually come, Conan…or should I say…Shinichi."
The feminine voice was all too familiar. Conan turned around slowly, fearing what he would see…
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Heehee, that's where the chapter ends! Don't worry guys, the next chapter won't take as long! (Well…I hope not .) Okay, I promise, if I get lotsa reviews, I'll update a lot quicker!
ao_hoshi: Thanks! I hope you'll keep reading!
Kari Ishikawa: Sorry about the symbols. I fixed them now ^_^ Thanks for reading!
Naochan1: I'm such a Heiji x Kazuha fan! They're so cute together, don't you think? (I love your story, Kansai Couple More Than Friends)
Tenel-Ka: Thanks for the encouragement. I definitely needed that. I was nervous that nobody would read the story, y'know, since it's my first story & everything
Tara: I hope it'll turn out to be an interesting story! Please keep reading & thanks for the support!
Sorry, I don't have a lot of time on my hands to email everyone individually right now, so responses to your reviews will be posted in the chapters. To all those who read but didn't review: thanks for reading, but please please please…review next time! Arigatou!