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See chapter one for disclaimers.

DC character name changes I know of and that you'll need to know for this chapter (for those who aren't lucky and don't get to know the original names):

Conan=Conan (duh) Ran Mouri=Rachel Moore (Kogoro=Richard)

Ayumi/Genta/Mitsuhiko=Amy/George/Mitch Prof.Agasa doesn't change.

Shinichi=Jimmy And, erm, Haibara Ai/Shiho Miyano/Sherry is probably quite the spoiler character for those who only watch Case Closed. She appears around ep. 120 if I recall.

For the Zelda Characters you only need to now that Ruthan (the zora boy) is an invented character.

This chapter is probably quite long compared to the first.

Oh, thanks for your review PK .

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The Lion's Ruby

By Dagron

Chapter 2: Strangers in the park.

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The birds were chirping away above the roof of the Mouri detective Agency. Ran lead Conan down the stairs and out into the street. The sleepy looking boy yawned and jogged up to his guardian's side. The seventeen year-old girl smiled at him, feeling content in the cool morning breeze. Freely they started their walk towards the professor's home.

Neither had classes today and they were going to make sure they put this time to profit. Ran's dad was sleeping off another night of gambling and drinks, but he was likely to be able to take care of himself okay until the evening. Ran had left some ready to heat up meals by the kitchen stove and she had her mobile phone with her in case of emergency. It sometimes felt really weird to be the one looking out for and taking care of the person who was supposed to be your parent. At least Conan wasn't as much trouble. It sometimes seemed as if he too was keeping an eye on her, but she didn't mind. He was so sweet and careful. The only times he really got annoying were when they accompanied her dad on a case. Sure enough, he would be putting his nose every where, but he was so helpful that she would have trouble stopping him.

Today they had planned to join up with the Detective Boys, Conan's school mates, and professor Agasa, to go to the science museum. The friendly old man was so proud that the museum's directors were interested in one of his projects; he had insisted on them all going along together.

"Yaaaay! Conan!!" A little girl was waving happily in their direction. They had just arrived in sight of the professor's house. Ayumi, the little girl with the yellow head band, and her two friends Mitsuhiko and Genta, must have just been dropped off by their parents.

"Hi you guys" answered Conan, a smile on his face. It was difficult to not smile in front of their anticipation and friendliness.

Ran walked up to the front door and rang the door bell.

"Good morning!" she said, as the door was opened.

"G'morning..." answered the auburn-haired child behind the door. Haibara Ai stifled a yawn, before giving the elder girl a tentative smile.

"The Professor's just finishing a few things," she explained, in her ever calm and soft tones.

"Hello everybody!" came Agasa's friendly voice. The four detective boys outside smiled their greetings up at him, although Conan did lift an eyebrow when he noticed the scorch marks on the professor's lab coat.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to take a wee while longer than I thought" he said, shaking his head, his hair bouncing at the base of his neck.

"I suggest you go to the park for half an hour. I won't be finished until than. Sorry about the delay."

"You don't want us to lend a hand?" asked Ran, but the elder man had already bustled back to his works.

Shaking her own head, Haibara closed the door behind her. "You really don't want to go lend him a hand." She looked towards the others, a weird gleam in her eyes. If Conan had thought she was of the impressionable sort, he would have thought she looked a bit pale.

"Trust me." She said.

Hesitantly Ran began to lead the children away from the door.

Then a loud boom was heard.

Haibara groaned as the professor's cries of "Every thing's okay! That was meant to happen" reached their ears. Ayumi and Mitsuhiko giggled, Genta laughed, Ran and Conan sighing reluctantly and smiling at their old friend's ever-lasting optimism.

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Ran was walking ahead, listening to the three other innocent children's blabber. Conan walked behind, beside Haibara.

"Hey," whispered Conan to the young girl. "What is it that the professor's working on? It seems pretty explosive."

"You can say that again," she answered, rolling her eyes in an unchildlike fashion. "It's not that I criticize his work, but I really don't like the idea of mixing inflammable gas with robotic gadgetry."

Conan chuckled. "I see what you mean. The morning before I got, er you know, he was working on some jet propelled travel belt. I thought hell had broken lose before I realised what it was."

The morning before I got shrunk... They both knew that was what he had in mind. Conan Edogawa was nothing less than Kudo Shinichi, astounding high-school detective and, until that day, neighbour to the professor. His brutal morning call hadn't been the only thing he hadn't been expecting that day. Heck, being shrunk by some experimental poison is more than you could call a surprise. Even Haibara, previously known as Shiho Miyano or Sherry, hadn't really been counting on it, when she in turn had taken the accursed pill, although she did suspect it's less common proprieties.

"Don't worry." Conan said. "He's always been happy-go-lucky with his research, but he's never injured himself badly before. Hey, I'd even say he's been getting more careful ever since you've been staying with him."

Haibara smiled. "That's only because I menace not to help him with the housework if he isn't." That comment made a tiny sweat drop appear on Conan's forehead.

It was then he noticed that something was strange. Looking startled, he jerked his face towards what had caught his eye.

"Hey, isn't that smoke over there?"

Before the others could react to his outburst, he was already running at full speed towards the park's gate. Yes, that was a small column of smoke he had seen. Someone, or something, had started a fire in the park. Ignoring the inquiring shouts from his companions, he jumped over the small gate and ran in.

Although the gate wasn't locked, he knew the park's caretakers wouldn't be in until they'd finished their morning coffee down at the Beika café. He crossed his fingers hoping that the fire wasn't out of hand, but he did find whoever had lit it stupidly irresponsible.

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When the other's joined him, they could see that he hadn't at all expected to find what he saw. Dumb, he stared on at the group sitting in the grass in front of him.

And the group stared back.

Link looked at the little boy that had suddenly arrived, running. The chatter and theories the others had been discussing stopped at the same time. Link searched his mind to name the funny shining black circled things the boy had on his nose.

What are they called already... Spectators? Er no... Plasters? Neither... Gasses? Er Nope...

"Conan, what...?" Four children and an older girl had now arrived. Zelda, being a princess, stood up to face the newly arrived group. The little boy that had been called Conan looked up to the elder girl, gaped, and then looked back at them.

A cute dark-haired girl with a pretty head-band decided to break the silence.

"Er, excuse me but, what are you doing...?"

"Around a small campfire...?" Added one of the two other boys.

"...In the middle of Beika Park?" Asked the freckled one.

Tassels? Er neither. Spectaltes? Link was still searching for that one word.

Zelda tried to give a warm smile as she answered the three children.

"We're trying to figure that out." She answered honestly.

The exchange seemed to pull the first boy out of his reverie.

"What in the name of A.C.Doyle do you think you're doing lighting a fire in a park?!" he near shouted. This startled Zelda and her companions.

"Ah!!! Now I remember! Glasses! It's called glasses!" Of course, they were all more startled by Link's sudden outburst. "The old scientist down by the lake wears them too, except he calls them Spectacles. Yay! I remembered it."

This made nearly everyone sweat drop, a little embarrassed, Conan fidgeted uncomfortably with his said glasses. That was before he was aggressed by what he had until then thought was a lump of stones.

"Hey look!" went Goron-Link "He's got round ears!" He was tugging at Conan's so-called ears.

"Waouh, really?!" exclaimed a small girl with green hair. "That is so bizarre!"

Conan yelped and squeezed his way out of the Goron's grip, before running to hide behind Ran. He might really be a seventeen year old teenager at heart, but these guys were just plain freaky. He hadn't noticed until that comment made by the lump of stone, but apart from afore-mentioned lump and some skinny blue-skinned guy? kid? They all had rather long and pointy ears. And that blond guy's get-up was pretty scary too. It looked like he was wearing some sort of green tunic and tights?!

Link too felt awkward upon seeing Conan's group. He was curious about why their ears weren't pointy, but having seen many different kinds of people and races, it didn't really disturb him. He did feel a bit self-conscious upon noticing that all but one in the group had dark, dark hair. He unconsciously put a hand to his brilliantly blond hair.

He then yelped and jumped up.

"My Hat!" He had known he'd forgotten something. Not only did he not have his sword and shield, but he had lost his hat. No wonder Navi the fairy hadn't bugged him yet.

Ruthan, Saria and Goron-Link were now observing and being intently observed by the three main Detective Boys, blabbing out their observations pretty loudly.

Sighing, Impa, seeing that Zelda didn't really know what to do, stood up.

"Come on Kids, stop being so noisy." She extinguished the fire with some earth she'd scooped up. Rauru had stood up too, and was now addressing Ran, who looked thoroughly confused.

"I'm sorry, my name's Rauru. If you'd be kind enough as to tell us where we are, that would be a great help."

Glad to be able to concentrate on something to put her bewilderment aside, Ran complied...