Hey, everyone. Thanks for coming back. Sorry if I'm confusing you with the names. Yeah, I'm kind of going along with the "Case Closed" scenario instead of "Detective Conan" because I don't know everyone's Japanese names. Just so you know who's who, I'll give a list.

Richard Moore = Kogorou Mori

Rachel Moore = Ran Mori

Jimmy Kudo = Shinichi Kudo

Serena = Sonoko Suzuki

Michal = ? (I don't know his Japanese name, gomenasai)

Anyway, enjoy.

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Chapter Three: The Plan

Conan sat in his room, his eyes narrowed in thought. The only light filtered through the window from the full moon 'hanging' in the sky. How am I going to do this...?

The creaking of floorboards pulled him from his thoughts, and he turned to the door. A loud yawn was heard as the person continued down the hallway. Conan's eyes narrowed in slight annoyance at being interrupted. Really, old man, he thought, relaxing his muscles slightly, if you're gonna sleepwalk in the middle of the night towards the bathroom, and complain about it in the morning, you really shouldn't drink so much sake before bed...

He placed his chin into his palm, wracking his sharp mind for a plan. The floors creaked again as Richard walked back to his room.

He had noticed that Rachel had gotten pretty affectionate about 'Conan' and cared deeply for him like a little brother, and he wanted to make up a believable story as to not hurt her...much.

He sighed, and flopped onto his back and stared up at the dark ceiling. He pulled his arms beneath his head, and relaxed his body completely upon his soft bed. His eyes lidded slightly, staring at the soft shadows moving across the ceiling, as he fought back the urge to sleep.

A smile broke across his young face as an idea struck him. This is great. Hmm...but when should I...? Tomorrow? No, too soon. The day after...? His mouth lowered slightly in a frown as his eyes continued to lower over his eyes as sleep once again tried to overcome him. I forgot how much little kids needed to sleep... he thought, before his mind shut off completely.

The next morning, Conan sat at the table eating breakfast with Richard and Rachel. He rubbed his eye, and Rachel looked at him in concern.

"Conan? Are you alright?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. Conan shook his head.

"No, I'm fine," he replied, suppressing a yawn. "Just didn't get much sleep last night is all." The girl frowned.

"What were you doing?"

"Thinking."

"About what?" Conan's hand froze for a moment as he thought, fast, about what to say to her.

"Um...I was thinking about...what would happen in the next "Masked Yaiber" episode," he replied quickly. Rachel smiled at him as Richard stared at him in slight annoyance.

"That's all good, Conan," she said, turning back to her breakfast, "but your sleep is more important. You're only seven years old!"

"But Rachel...I'm eight." Rachel and Richard blinked.

"Eight?!" she asked, dropping her fork onto the table.

"Eight?!" asked the detective, standing up from his seat. Conan stared at both of them in surprise.

"What?" he asked.

"You're already eight years old?" asked Richard, raising an eyebrow in inquiry.

"Yeah..."

"When was your birthday?!" asked Rachel in alarm. Conan sweatdropped. Didn't think they'd make such a big deal out of this...especially Richard...

"...L-last month," he replied.

"Last month?" Conan smiled, pretending to be, once again, an excited little boy, this time about telling people his birthday. He pointed to the calendar.

"Yeah, today's May 3rd, my birthday is April 3rd! See?" Rachel and Richard stared at the calendar with a frown.

"A whole month passed already," murmured Rachel, as Richard scowled slightly at the date. April 3rd...why, isn't it that boy, Kudo was it?, wasn't it his birthday that day?! Why does he and that damn brat have the same birthday?! he thought, clenching his fist. "I'm sorry, Conan, we should've celebrated it. Even still, you're still a little boy. You need your rest!"

"It's ok, Rachel. I will, next time," replied the boy, though he mentally rolled his eyes at her motherly tone. It's as if she thinks of me as her own son...! he thought in annoyance as he picked at his egg.

After the three finished their breakfasts, they went back to their daily business; Richard sat at his desk and shuffled through the morning newspaper, waiting for a client to come; Rachel went about the house tidying up anything that needed cleaning, and Conan sat on the couch absentmindedly flipping through an old edition of "Shounen Jump".

An idea popped into his mind, and he almost dropped the book. That's it! That's the answer to my problem! A grin spread quickly across his face.

"Conan? What are you smiling about?" asked Rachel, pausing in her cleaning.

"N-nothing, really," replied the little boy, closing the book and setting it down on the coffee table. "Um...I just remembered, I had to meet some of my friends in the park. Can I go now?" Rachel blinked, and looked to her father. The detective shrugged, and continued to flip through the paper.

"Um...sure," replied the brunette teen, turning back to Conan with a kind smile. "Go ahead, have fun." Conan grinned at her, and slipped down from the couch.

"Ok! I will!" he said, heading towards the door with exaggerated enthusiasm. That was easier then expected...I wonder why she let me go so easily...Oh yeah, my birthday. He slipped out of the slippers, and pulled on his sneakers. He made sure the laces were tied properly, before standing back up and heading out the door. "I won't be long!"

"Ok!" replied the teenage girl from the kitchen. Richard grunted something that sounded like 'Good riddance', but said out loud, "Take your time. Don't hurry back." Conan inwardly rolled his eyes, but pulled the door closed. He reached into his pocket, and smiled as he felt the vial inside. I can't wait!

He raced down the stairs, and headed for his 'old' house, glad that the road leading to the park was the same that led to his house for Richard was sitting right by the windows. Sweat gathered at his brow, and he impatiently wiped it off.

When he reached his house, he skidded to a halt, and stopped to take a breather. After about five minutes, he straightened again, and wiped the sweat from his face. Man, is it hot out today...!

He looked around, and found that he was alone. He smiled, and headed towards his neighbor's house; towards Prof. Agasa's house. He reached the gates, and stared at the intercom. Please be home, please be home. He pressed the 'talk' button, and waited.

He heard faint ringing echo within the house beyond the gates, and slight worry overcame him. After a few moments, he heard small static coming from the intercom.

"Hello? Agasa here. Who is it?"

"It's Conan," replied Conan, letting out a breath he hadn't known he held. "I have something to tell you, and a favor to ask of you. But I can't say it out here."

"Oh, hello, Ji—ah, Conan. Of course. Sorry about that. Come on in." A beep sounded, and the gates slowly opened, creaking slightly as they did. Conan didn't waste any time, and as soon as the crack was big enough to fit him, he dashed right through and ran towards the front door. He stopped on the porch, and tried to catch his breath.

Once he did, he reached for the doorknob, and opened the door. The light outside flooded into the dark entryway, and Conan rolled his eyes. He's really gotta think about redecorating this place... he thought, as he made his way to the basement.

With every step he took closer to the basement, he felt the vial against his body. He reached the stairway leading down, and his breath hitched in his throat as he slowly made his way down. His excitement grew with every stair that he left behind him. He couldn't wait much longer.

He reached the landing, and looked around the dark 'room'. He blinked, and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He took a few steps away from the staircase, his brows furrowed up in curiosity and confusion. If Professor Agasa was down here, wouldn't he want to turn on a light or something...?

"Professor Agasa...?" he called, his voice sounding slightly weak, even to himself. "Are you here...?" Before another thought crossed his mind, two arms came out of nowhere and grabbed onto him; one about his body, the other around his neck and effectively covering his mouth. His eyes widened at the sudden contact. Wha—? What's going on?!

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So...what did you think? Sorry for the long wait. I hope I didn't confuse you this time. For those who are waiting for the shounen ai/yaoi, it'll come soon. I won't say how soon, but just soon. And here's a warning: rating might move up to PG-13 or R because of future content.

Heh, I know I said I didn't write lemons or limes, or even citruses, but I'm just going to try and see if I can. This'll be my first if I decide to do so.

See you next chapter.