Chapter II: Rachel's Disappearance

Morning arrived, yet Conan and Rachel hadn't reached home just yet. Conan had gone to Dr. Agasa to help Rachel, who renamed herself Tae Niu (TAY Nee-ooh). "Jimmy, are you sure Dr. Agasa can help us?" Rachel asked him.
"Trust me, he's made a lot of inventions that have helped me. My left lens are what I use to track someone with this tracking device--" Conan showed her a small loop, "--and this I can use to listen to someone." He also displayed a small piece of gum.
"Gum?"
"Not just gum."
"Oh...."
Dr. Agasa walked into the main room and noticed Conan with Tae. "Oh, Jimmy, who is your new friend?" he questioned in his usual accent.
"Rachel, renamed Tae," Conan simply answered with his usual expression. "She got shrunk by Gin and Vodka also."
"Oh my! What will Richard Moore think of this!?" Agasa exclaimed, suddenly waking Conan fully.
"AH! MY DAD! HE'LL FREAK WHEN HE NOTICES I'M MISSING!" Tae exclaimed in an outburst of shock. "What should we do?!"
"Rachel, calm yourself. I could help you in a way..." He then looked at Rachel. "...But I need to find some kind of item that you can carry around as a device but people are fooled by it, just like Jimmy's bowtie!"
"Bowtie?" Rachel's attention turned to Conan's bowite, who innocently walked away, not paying attention to her. "JIMMY GET BACK OVER HERE!" she threatened, nearly punching something random in Agasa's house. Though now a child, she still surpassed many people in karate. Conan flinched nervously, freezing on the spot.
I hope she doesn't do that often, Conan thought to himself, shuddering fearfully. He started feeling like he was talking to Amy and Rachel at the same time. He nearly jumped a mile in the air when Agasa's voice rang out.
"Oh yes, Jimmy, I have been working on a new invention for a long time!" Dr. Agasa exclaimed, reminded by Tae's threat. "Just like Tae you can do some master martial arts skills!"
"And how exactly will he do that?" Tae scoffed, blowing her hair up.
"With this," he answered, showing Conan what seemed to be a sweatband to be worn on the forehead.
"Eh?"
"This sweatband stimulates all of the muscles in your body to do quick martial art moves and a bit of swordsmanship, however, there is still the matter of you being able to sustain enough energy within your small body."
There's always a disadvantage, Conan thought to himself, taking the sweatband anyway. Tae leaned over to look at it. She looked a bit intruiged that something like this could match Conan's skills to hers. Rachel then looked up at Jimmy.
"But there's still the matter of my father," Rachel moaned, flopping down onto the couch.
Conan thought over things for a moment. Tae looked at him, blowing her hair up again. He always did that during crime scenes or during a type of situation that was a crime waiting to happen. One thing she didn't understand, though, is that Richard always solved the cases, but if not him, either someone else did or Conan makes the criminal reveal the truth by a somewhat mere accident. Even so, she'd already heard "young/little detective" many times. Were those people describing Conan? Well, of course they were. Conan is Jimmy after all. Tae sighed to herself, feeling very flustered as she watched Conan equip the sweatband onto his forehead.

"Come on, Rachel, quit moping around already. I've got an idea!" Jimmy yelled out as he ran out the door. Tae lept from the couch and stumbled after him.
"Jimmy!" she shouted out after him for the sudden leave. Rachel raced after him, fuming a bit. He kept catching her off guard, which she most likely hated. "Jimmy--I mean, Conan, what do you think we should say to my dad?!"
"I've got that part covered already!"
"Do you think it's good enough to trick him?!"
"WELL HE DRINKS BEER ALL THE TIME!"
"Conan? Who's the new girl?"
Conan halted in his tracks, nearly skidding into the child in front of him. It was Ai, the person from the Black Organization, creator of the poison. She had shrunk herself in an attempt to commit suicide, because no one had discovered the effects of the poison except for the victims drugged, whom were all disbelieved by the authorities, had been youthened (if that was even a word).
"A-Ai? Th-this is Rachel. She was drugged."
"Her, too? Now there are three people who were shrunk. Oh, and the antidote still hasn't been discovered..."
"Figures. Rachel, this is Ai. She created that poison, but not knowing its effects, tried to commit suicide using it."
"SHE made that thing?!" Tae thundered at Conan, overshadowing him.
"Yes, but she's on our side!" Conan answered in a quavering voice.
Tae, trying to maintain control, simply stood there with a reddened face. "Right. Okay."

At the Moores', Conan swung the door open, allowing Tae to enter first. Richard, noticing Conan's arrival, just looked at his newspaper, and in a dull tone, asked Conan, "Who's your new girlfriend?"
"Tae Niu," Conan replied flatly in an annoyed voice.
"Where's Rachel?"
"Uh...."
"Conan, you said you had this part covered!" Tae hissed menacingly in his ear.
"Okay! So I was gloating! What difference does it make?"
Tae looked away with a dark and evil glare about her. Conan cringed and backed off against the wall.
"Who? The girl with Conan? Oh, she went off chasing after Jimmy Kudo. Angry."
Richard lowered his paper, glaring at the new girl. He didn't believe her. After all, she was just a kid, right? He gulped down more beer. "Mm-alight I'll be in meh room then..." he yawned stupidly, walking away in a somewhat dizzy state.
"Told you he drinks beer all the time," Conan scoffed to Tae.
"LIKE I HAVEN'T NOTICED!" she spat at him with more venom than a rattlesnake. Conan cringed again, this time ducking behind the couch. At least I can still scare him...
"I think the rest should know you're missing?" Conan suggested with a still fearful tone.
"Sure. Let's go," Tae answered, dragging him out the door by his arm.

"WAH! TAE, LET ME GO!"

"NOT TODAY!"

Conan and Tae walked about Tokyo, informing the others about Rachel disappearing. Serena Sebastian, supposedly Rachel's best friend, turned away and muttered something about knowing Rachel was after Jimmy. Amy was shocked and started asking Conan questions too many to keep track of, then started interrogating on Tae and why she looked so much like Rachel. Conan turned down Amy's questions and explained that he didn't have a lot of time, then ran off. Mitch and George were a bit surprised but they were suspicious it indeed involved Jimmy Kudo. Tae felt guilty she had to lie about herself, but Conan always soothed her no matter how guilty she felt. Word spread quicker than a forest wildfire as people scattered chatter about Detective Moore's daughter, who was still too drunk to listen.

Tae turned to Conan with her worried expression. "Conan, Agasa said he was going to make me inventions as well...how long does it take for him to make one?"

"Several days. He doesn't have a Ph.D for nothing!"

The couple strolled back to Jimmy's house. All was dusty and cobwebs filled most corners of each room. "Ugh. I don't remember the last time I came here."

Tae shook her head. "You never come here even when you disappear for an odd reason..."

The house was dim and dust hovered everywhere they walked. However, some lights actually continued working in the house, illuminating an area with soft light. Conan kicked the couch--more dust. Conan turned and looked at Tae, who only returned the glance. "Maybe we should clean this place up," she merely suggested. Conan couldn't help but agree. They scattered about, dust floating everywhere, lights brightening rooms then being switched off again, Conan and Tae crashing into each other a few times.

Hours soared past as the house was cleaned. It took them six full hours before all seemed to be just like it was before. Conan flopped down onto the couch with Tae, sighing. "Well we killed several hours," he breathed, sinking himself into a pillow. There was a knock at the door--oddly rapid knocking. Conan slid off the couch lazily and opened the door to the visitors, who happened to be Amy, Mitch, and George.

"Came by to say hi to your new friend," Amy explained truthfully to Conan. "Is she a new student to our school?"

Crap, I forgot about that! Conan thought to himself, with a blank expression. He only blinked, then glanced at Tae on the couch. "Wait here," he ordered Amy and the other two as he rushed over to Tae. "Hey! I forgot to mention...now that you're a kid, you have to go to grade school, right?"

Tae abruptly looked up. "WHAT?!"

"Hey, I managed...and if I can, you definately can as well!"

Rachel's evil leer returned once again. Conan laughed nervously, backing away a bit.

"Oh, fine..." she moaned, resuming her light sleep.