File 5

"...this is a weird address," Heiji muttered as he was waiting at the train station, scratching his head. He was reading off a piece of paper where he copied from Conan. "I guess Tokyo is like that..."

Just then, his cell phone rang. He took it out and answered it. "Moshi moshi..."

"AHOU! DOKO NI IMASU KA?!"

Heiji had to hold his phone a foot away from his ear when he heard the angry voice of his childhood friend, shocked. "K-Kazuha?!"

"I asked you where you are, idiot!" Tohyama Kazuha shouted furiously on the other line. "You're supposed to be practicing Kendo this afternoon, and the tournament's tomorrow!"

Heiji hit his head. He had forgotten about the tournament! "Shimatta! Err, Kazuha, can I skip it? I have something very important to do..."

"No, you get here NOW or you'll be sorry!"

"M-matsu, Kazuha...!" But she had hung up on him. Heiji looked at his phone with a sweat drop. "This is not good...now what I'm going to do?"

He looked at his watch. The train would arrive in two minutes. He stood in the crowd, still in doubt.

---

Dusk had arrived. Ran was in the kitchen looking for anything that could be their dinner. Conan kept peering out of the window, not being able to sit and wait patiently.

"What are you doing?" Shiho asked, sitting across from him with a magazine in her hands. "Are you worried about the organization, or looking for Hattori?"

"Both." Conan sighed, sinking back into the chair. "And I guess...I'm expecting Kiddo to come up that driveway or something."

"You actually care for the thief?" Shiho asked, not looking up.

"He saved our lives! I don't care whether he's my nemesis anymore!" Conan snapped. "If he's dead, I---"

"Dinner is ready!" Ran's voice floated into the living room.

Conan stopped his sentence. He sighed again, jumping off the chair. Shiho got up as well. "I think you should be more worried about Mouri-san," she told him. "They're on to her too." Conan nodded grimly in reply.

Ran was setting the table when Conan and Shiho arrived in the dining room. "Hi, I managed to make some sandwiches, hope you like them," she said with a tired smile. She looked at Shiho. "Oh, I forgot...I didn't get your name. But you do look familiar..."

Shiho smiled. "Shiho...Haibara Shiho."

"Ehh, Haibara! You're Ai-chan's onee-san, right? That's why you look so much like her."

"Arigatou gozaimasu." Shiho took a seat.

Conan hopped onto a chair and looked up at Ran. He noticed that she was sweating a little. "Ran-neechan, are you okay?" he asked.

"Ah...I'm just tired, that's all." Ran managed a wan smile. "I'll just lie down a bit, don't worry." She left the room, leaving Shiho and Conan alone with their dinner.

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. Conan sprang up and rushed to the door. He reached up for the knob and opened the door to find Heiji standing at the doorstep, panting. "Hattori! Where is it?"

"Is that how you greet someone who came all the way from Osaka just to help you?" Heiji asked coldly as he walked right past Conan into the house.

"Oh, sorry...thanks for coming though," Conan said as he quickly shut the door. "Did anyone follow you on your way here?"

"Nope, didn't see a single person," Heiji replied as he scanned his surrounding.

"But you got it, don't you?"

"Yup, right here." Heiji fished out a pill just as Shiho emerged into the hallway as well. "I brought some presents too, I think you'll need them," he added, holding up a bag of what seemed like clothes. Then, hearing noises behind him, Heiji turned and saw her, raising his eyebrows. "Um, you are...Haibara, right?"

"I was afraid you've forgotten," Shiho replied as she took the pill and studied it.

"Where's Ran?" Heiji asked.

"She said she was just lying down," Conan replied. "Probably in some room."

"So, does she know yet?"

"...know what?"

"That you're Kudo, of course!"

"Of course not, it'll be too much of a risk!" Conan snapped.

"Oh, come on, the men in black are already after you, why should you hide from her? If you're worried that she'll break down...well, she's gonna have to accept it, doesn't she?"

Conan bit his lip. "I guess so...but not right now, okay? I still have other things to worry about."

"Like what?" Heiji asked.

"Like...like Kiddo..."

Heiji laughed suddenly. "You are actually worried over an internationally wanted thief Kaitou Kiddo? That's unexpected from the Great Detective of the East!"

THUD.

Both of them froze when they heard the noise. They turned very slowly---and saw Ran standing at the doorway, her eyes wide and her mouth opened a little. "Shi---Shi---Shi---"

OH NO! Conan was freaking out so much that he did not have time to even glare at Heiji for blurting out the secret. "K-Konbanwa, Ran-neechan!" he greeted as cheerfully as possible in his high-pitch voice, already out of ideas.

"Y-you ARE Shinichi, aren't you?!" Ran screamed, storming over. She slapped her hands down on his shoulders and shook him. "AREN'T YOU?!"

Conan was sweating vigorously. "Uh...uh..." His eyes widened to see tears sprinkling down Ran's cheeks.

"Why...Shinichi...why do you want to hide from me...TELL ME!"

Conan was looking at Shiho for help. She gave him a look that seemed to say 'you can't hide anymore'. He returned a glare, almost as if telling her 'is that the best idea you got?!'

Suddenly, Heiji laughed again. Ran turned to glare at him. "Gomen nasai, I just thought this whole thing was funny," he said with a chuckle.

Ran narrowed her eyes as she straightened up. She leaned so close to Heiji that he backtracked very fast with a sweat drop. "Hattori-kun, you know who Conan really is...WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"

Heiji was panicking now. "I---err---"

Just then, Ran felt something striking the back of her neck. She relaxed, and fell into a slumber. Heiji quickly caught her in surprise. "Ehh?" He saw Conan shutting his watch nervously. "Oh..."

"This is the first time I ever used it on Ran..." Conan said anxiously. "I'm really sorry, Ran..."

Shiho sighed. "All right then. This will be a good time now. Well, are you ready to try it?" she asked, extending the antidote out to Conan.

---

Ran slowly opened her eyes, feeling slightly dizzy. She could see a face looking down at him through her hazy vision. It slowly began to clear---and she recognized the face.

Kudo Shinichi was smiling down at her. "Sh-Shinichi?!"

"Finally awake, sleeping beauty?" Shinichi teased. He was wearing his casual clothes with a jacket as well.

Ran sat up slowly and looked around. Shiho was sitting on an armchair opposite her watching TV expressionlessly. Heiji was lounging around the window, peering out of it. Conan was nowhere to be seen. "Shinichi, how did you turn back to yourself?" she suddenly exclaimed.

Shinichi was taken back. "W-what?"

"You were Conan-kun! How did you---"

"No, no!" Shinichi quickly said with a laugh. "When I came here not long ago, I took the little four-eyed boy to somewhere safe. It's too dangerous to have a little boy like him around. You were asleep, so---"

"You're lying!" Ran suddenly snapped. Shinichi hit his head mentally. "I-I was so worried about you...and you keep disappearing like that..." Shinichi's eyes widened. Ran continued to sweat. "I don't understand you...doushite...doushite..."

To Shinichi's shock, she fainted. He knew there was something wrong from the beginning. He felt her forehead. "Oh, no...she's burning up!"