"W-what do you mean, Hakuba?"

Kaito really hoped that he had misheard. His voice came out shaky as struggle to swallow and digest the news Hakuba had said over the phone. Unable to stay still, he stood up from the couch and began pacing around.

"I said that Aoko-san has not been seen since yesterday. Kuroba-kun, are you alright?"

"That doesn't matter right now. Just tell me what's going on." He snapped back despite sensing odd stares coming from the two detectives who were nearby. It took everything just to not swear out loud.

From the echoing sounds coming through the phone speaker, Hakuba was walking down a corridor as he spoke. "Look, Inspector Nakamori has just contacted me to ask where Aoko-san had gone yesterday. I told the inspector that she should be at home since I advised her to not wander off last time I spoke to her. I didn't think she would be in immediate danger."

"S-so, she isn't answering her phone either?" Not good.

"That's right. The inspector has not received a single response from you nor Aoko-san all throughout the day, so he turned to me. He thinks you're in danger too by the way, Kuroba-kun. I haven't told him that it's related to you being Kaitou Kid though, but I am very tempted to do so given the current state of things. Explain, now."

Sweeping the blond's angry remark aside, Kaito jumped to the other most urgent problem he encountered. "Not now, you moron. And you better keep it to yourself!"

"Wha-"

He rapidly fired out what he knew, cutting whatever Hakuba was about to say in response. "There are moles inside the task force. You hear me? That's how they found me out. I'm betting that not even the rest of the police is safe either."

Kaito heard the person on the other side of the line rightfully heave an exasperated sigh.

"Just, why didn't you tell me that enemies knew about you when we met yesterday?" Hakuba took a second to take another deep breath before continuing. "Never mind, we have more pressing matters right now. So, does this mean I cannot talk to anybody about this?"

"Yeah. Wait, did you tell the inspector about my whereabouts?"

"No, I have not. Now that you told me about there being potential spies in the task force's ranks, I'm glad I kept quiet because Inspector Nakamori knowing about that would have drawn attention to him."

True, the man put a lot of trust in his officers and would have announced it out loud if he knew where Kaito had gone. "What is he doing right now? I need to know so I can plan what to do next."

"The inspector is directing what manpower he has to search for Aoko-san. Strangely though, the police have not found anything unusual around the area of the Nakamori house nor yours."

"Not possible. Two of them attacked me and left a mess. It's either a false report or they cleaned up real good after I went away." Kaito then heard the faint hiss of a pressurized door moving. "Where are you?"

"I just wrapped up some analysis for a murder case, but that is just my cover story. I'm inside my uncle's laboratory where there are robust security systems, in case they do anything drastic after what went down with you. But nothing has happened for now. I think I'm safe, so I intend to go to the police headquarters and meet up with the inspector to join search efforts. Before I can do anything however, I need to check on my family's safety."

Kaito felt a little better knowing that Hakuba could watch out for himself and the people around him. "I'm actually thinking about doing the same thing. Going to meet with the inspector, I mean."

Immediately, Hakuba protested. "Are you not being watched right now? I doubt that you would want your enemies to know your intentions of going out to speak to the inspector. Plus you're injured, according to what Kudo-kun said to me."

"Right… " Kaito groaned, wishing he could have his full range of motion and that the fever would go away. "I'll think of something, like I always do. See you then."

Shinichi had just finished his own call when the ringing of Kid's phone reminded him that it was still inside his own pockets. Trusting the thief's reflexes, he threw the phone at him. Although Hattori and him were standing a respectable distance away, both of them had an ear perked and aimed towards Kid.

At first, Kid seemed to be blinking out of a daze. It sounded like Hakuba was the one that called him. Suddenly, Shinichi could see the colours drain out of Kid's face from something said over the phone. The thief stood up and began pacing around in a nervous fashion, unaware that Shinichi and Hattori also became alerted at the unexpected display of distress.

The next thing to shock them both was overhearing Kid say that there were undercover agents inside the police. Hattori and Shinichi traded wide eyed looks. That's terrible news indeed, but they have yet to figure out what made Kid so upset at the start of the call.

After Kid ended the conversation, Shinichi walked up to him. "What's going on? It sounded like something happened to someone you know."

Slipping his phone into the pocket of his sweater, Kid replied with a scowl. "Inspector Nakamori's daughter has gone missing, so I need to head out to get in contact with him in person. I'm not going to risk his safety by calling or messaging his number. He needs to remain oblivious about where I am."

"The inspector's daughter… " Judging by Kid's reaction at the start of the conversation with Hakuba, Shinichi could see that he must be close to her. Either Kid was really bold or fate had once again arranged things to be as strange as possible when it came to the thief's social circle.

Hattori then pointed something out. "Kid, are ya not forgettin' that there's a flyin' machine watchin' our every move outside?"

"Don't worry, I didn't." said Kid with a flat stare at the Osaka detective. He turned his attention back towards Shinichi. "What about you? Who were you calling earlier?"

"Oh, just some reliable people. You'll see."

The thief returned a doubtful look. "If you say so. By the way, does this house have anything I could use for disguises?"

He had no idea what the thief was planning to do, but Shinichi nodded anyway. "Inside the bottom right corner of the cabinet under the bathroom sink, there is a supply kit my mother stashed there in case of emergencies." Thankfully, they never had to run into a situation in which they had to disguise themselves to go into hiding. The secret stash had mostly served to fix or to touch up disguises for his mother or Okiya so far.

Kid's mood brightened up and he grinned victoriously. "That's perfect! I knew I could count on you, Detective-kun!"

Shinichi instinctively grimaced as the thief patted him on the back before running towards the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

Alone inside, Kaito's cheerful expression loosened as he pulled out the phone he pickpocketed from the shortened detective. Quickly, he scrolled through Kudo's contact list and pressed on the one labeled 'Ran'. He pressed a cheek against the phone while supporting it with a shoulder, searching the cabinet as he waited for a response. Having only one arm available was such a pain. Any movement he did on his left side triggered a reminder that it was a bad idea.

After a few moments, a soft voice answered him. "Shinichi? I heard you skipped school today to stay at the professor's place. Are you busy with a case again?"

Placing a hand over his mouth and the phone to keep the conversation as quiet as possible, Kaito responded in the semi formal manner Kudo would speak with. "Yes. Listen, Ran? I need you to do something for me, okay? It's going to sound weird but please do exactly what I instruct you to do. It's very important, please."

"O-okay. You're not in danger again, are you?"

Technically, he was but Kaito grinned to put reassurance in his voice. "Relax. Everything is fine. I just need you to dress up a certain way and come to Professor Agasa's place."

"Huh?"

It didn't take long for Shinichi to notice that his phone was gone. "...That kleptomaniac!"

Once Kid stepped out the bathroom carrying the supply bag over his shoulder, he glared at the thief to make his displeasure very clear as he extended an open hand. "Give."

"Of course. Don't I always hand back what I steal?" Kid said with a mocking grin.

Shinichi snatched the phone out of Kid's hand, and swiftly went through it to see what was done to it. Every picture, wallpaper, and app seemed to be in the right order. He proceeded to look through his messages and calls. Upon spotting a very recent call to Ran, he turned to Kid with indignation. "Why- What did you say to her?"

Strolling over to the couch, Kid put down the bag and opened it. "Just something to go with my plan. Nothing to worry about."

"Kid, don't you dare get Ran involved! This is your problem that you dragged us into!"

The thief dropped the smirk to give him a raised brow, his arm occupied with pulling out a blank face prosthetic. "What happened to helping Hakuba out? Didn't you have a little oath of friendship and all that up on that rooftop after I left?"

"How-" Shinichi realized that Kid had plenty of opportunities to stick a small listening device back then in Shibuya. "All right, fine. Look, I didn't mean to make it all your fault. Just tell me what you're going to do that involves Ran."

Having done shaping and contouring the face into a satisfactory look, Kid moved on to making a wig. "I just need her to come over here."

He said it so flippantly that Shinichi felt his blood boil. That idiot thief knew very well that there was someone watching and tagging anyone who came in contact with him. Plus, the fact that the drone was made to be able to shoot increased the danger aspect by a hundred fold. "If Ran gets hurt, I won't shy away from making you suffer, Kid."

"If you're worried about her getting shot, then relax. In their eyes, she's likely just a normal high school girl. And you, a regular grade schooler, even if both of you showed up at my heists before." Kid moved on to putting the hair and face together with some adhesive, his face neutral from concentration. "The only one that should be worried would be Hattori. He's a known detective after all. His name is more likely to appear in reports related to the takedown of the organization."

Breaking off from glaring at Kid, Shinichi looked at whose face he was preparing to disguise as. The soft features of the limp mask resting on the thief's lap indicated that it was female. And then he looked at the hair, only to spot a familiar triangular cowlick.

Oh.

Shinichi could see what Kid planned to do, but he still did not appreciate him speaking to Ran on his behalf. He could have at least asked instead of stealing his phone!

A few minutes passed by in silence like the calm before the storm. Shinichi and Kid simply sat around, waiting for Ran to arrive. Meanwhile, Hattori decided that it was best to keep an eye outside so he headed upstairs.

Then the sound of a doorbell ringing signaled the start of Kid's plan being put into motion.

Playing it safe, Shinichi answered the door instead of Kid. Best to keep his exact condition out of sight. Excitedly, he greeted her. "Ran-neechan! Come on in!" He still felt a tinge of embarrassment from calling her that in public, even more so now because he knew that she understood who he really was.

Ran smiled warmly and accepted the invitation. "Hello, Conan-kun!" Once she left her shoes at the entranceway and shut the door, she walked into the living room and her eyes immediately fell on Kid who stood peeking from around a corner. "Shinichi...?" The thief kept his distance and looked wary of her, and rightfully so, because Ran nearly screamed as she looked back and forth between 'Conan' and Kid. "Who are you?!" She angrily stomped towards the obvious impostor.

"R-Ran! It's okay!" Waving his arms, Shinichi did his best to get in the way of her charge. "He's a friend- I mean an ally!"

Her heated face looked down at him before throwing a suspicious scowl at the lookalike. "Then who is this?"

"Um..." Shinichi wondered if he should tell her that it was Kaitou Kid. She might not react well to knowing that a criminal is standing right there within reach.

Coming to help the detective's lack of a proper response, Kid stepped out of hiding and gave a polite smile. "Kaitou Kid. At your service."

"K-Kaitou Kid?" Ran then turned to Shinichi with a flabbergasted look. "What's going on here?!"

Thankful that she didn't shove him aside to assault Kid, Shinichi proceeded to come up with a clear and concise explanation. "He needs to disguise as you, so he called you over. We're being watched right now and he wants to sneak outside without being seen, while you stay here at the professor's house."

She began putting two and two together. "So it was you who called me." Her eyes narrowed on Kid. "Are you getting Conan-kun into trouble again? Don't you dare think I will forget that you kidnapped him and smuggled him to Singapore!" She was livid when Shinichi told her about that particular adventure.

"I would love to sit down to have some tea and talk about how Detective-kun got wrapped up in all this, but I'm in a bit of a hurry." Kid said sternly to convey his sense of urgency. "Now, if you would please give me your coat and bag, Mouri-san."

Uncertain, she looked back to Shinichi who gave her a nod to reassure that it was fine to listen to Kid. Ran gave the empty shoulder bag to the thief who then began transferring everything from the disguise kit into it. After that, she gingerly removed her large yellow overcoat and handed it to Kid.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mouri-san. I promise to give these back after all of this is over."

Her eyes met with Kid, and she couldn't help but mutter sourly. "You can stop using Shinichi's voice, you know that? I don't like it, since… " Her gaze moved to Shinichi who stood at her side.

"Hm? Oh, this is my normal voice." Kid laughed out lightly before switching to his more well known and distinct voice. "Of course, I can always use this one if it pleases you."

Hearing the voice associated with the infamous thief, Ran jumped slightly. "Ah! Actually, no. Because you have his face too, I-I don't like that either. It's too weird."

"Okay then, Mouri-san. I'm counting on you to keep yourself entertained until it's safe to leave." He grinned, returning to his regular voice. Trying not to wince from the pain and taking it slowly, Kid put on the coat that she gave to him. Wearing the bag came next, and he made sure to have the strap on his left side.

As Kid put on the coat and bag, Shinichi noticed that Ran's pants and the shoes resting at the entrance resembled those worn by Kid himself. Even the sweater she wore under the coat was coloured the same way. So Kid had asked her to dress up in a specific manner to work around his inability to change clothes, huh?

"I'm glad that your girlfriend has such a diverse wardrobe." commented Kid as he finished adjusting the bag strap.

With the outfit assembled on him, it really looked like he wore Ran's clothes. The overcoat was wide and baggy enough to conceal the physical difference, while the bag served to hide his lack of mobility on his left side. But Shinichi knew that it wouldn't be enough to hide the obvious stiffness. Kid must have another thing in mind.

Taking the mask he made, Kid pulled it over his head. Fortunately, the wound dressing on his head was thin enough to remain unnoticeable underneath the disguise. "And to complete this… " He closed his eyes and took in a breath. In a blink of an eye, his stance changed to a more dainty one. Kid reopened his eyes and turned to Shinichi, moving his mouth to speak with an exact imitation of Ran's voice and smile. "Shall we go then, Conan-kun?"

"What? I'm coming with you?" Shinichi exclaimed, while Ran simply stared wordlessly in surprise at the mirror version of herself that was going to take her place.

"Yes. You're going to be part of my disguise. Let's go."

Shinichi wasn't sure how to feel about it as he followed 'Ran' to put on his shoes. He then heard Hattori going down the stairs, having returned from being on lookout duty in the upper floor. Ran hurriedly whispered to Hattori that Kid and Shinichi were heading out together.

Before they stepped foot outside, Kid said to him. "Hold my left hand, Conan-kun"

Initially, Shinichi made a disgusted face before he realized that it was to hide his injury. With the bag over his shoulder and holding a child's hand, it would help conceal the lack of mobility in his left arm. He reluctantly held onto the thief's hand.

To make it worse however, Hattori threw in a remark with an amused smirk. "I've never seen ya so eager ta hold another guy's hand, Kudo."

"Sh-shut up, you moron… " Shinichi admitted to himself that Ran's face and voice made it a whole lot easier to accept the idea of holding hands with Kaitou Kid of all people.