A/N: Hey everyone and sorry for taking so long. Forever actually. I magically managed to find inspiration to continue this but I have no idea how long it'll last. Well, lest enjoy it while it does, yeah?

I have re-read the previous chapter and the comments I got to them. I feel like crawling into a corner and cry when I look at all my grammar mistakes. Especially in the Japanese honorifics. I'm not going to fix them anymore but I'm going to learn from them and do better.

I'm also now going to answer to some question that rose up.

-For Guests: I'm dropping the 'kôhai' completely now. Back in the time I was too stubborn to listen and for that I'm sorry.
Conan used 'Okiya-chan' when talking to Ai because in reality Tsukiko is younger than Shinichi. I'll see what I'll do with that in the future.
About Tsukiko telling Conan and the kids about her 'brother', you'll see. It'll be revealed in a future case.

-Raifuujin: Kid did his trick like in the original because Tsukiko appeared to him before the first time he did it in the end. About Ran and Sonoko. This chapter shall tell you. ;)

-chibianimefan26: The update is here!

There was one fan who wanted Gin fall in love with Tsuki… Sorry, not happening.

Thank you for all the reviews during these almost two years of absence. Now I'm back, I hope you like this story. Oh, by the way, I'll drop the first person PoV now. I have written so many fics in the third that first doesn't fit me anymore. Actually it never did but this was one kind of test for me. Oh, and I'm changing the ô's to ou's.

Chapter 23

It was the day after the heist. Tsukiko sat in a park in the middle of Ekoda and dig a small spoon into the small paper bowl of ice cream she had. A small smile found its way on her face.

"He'll surely come~~." She grinned before stuffing another (small) spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

"Okiya-chan… You surely surprise me." A boy's voice drawled and a head of messy dark brown hair appeared in the girl's view.

"Why, Kuroba-kun, that's my job. I surprise everyone around me." The lighter brunette chuckled.

"But to write a meeting place and time on the handkerchief you wrapped around the monocle…" Kaito Kuroba sat next to Tsukiko Okiya like they had been friends for a long time.

"People generally pay more attention to what is inside that what is around. You toss all the wrapping papers away after all without looking for possible secret messages." Tsukiko shrugged. It was a slight reference to the case with Azusa Enomoto and her brother as a suspect. But Kaito wouldn't know about that case so it was fine.

"True, true. I disposed the handkerchief as soon as I had read the message. But do tell me, do you always plan meetings that thoroughly?" The young magician tilted his head in a very cat-like manner.

"No, Kuroba-kun. Only the ones that need to be more or less in secret. After all I'm friends with Tantei-chan."

"I see. He knows nothing of what you do then."

"Basically yes. I rather keep my business as my own, thank you very much."

"How did you find me?" The poker face was this time firmly on its place.

"I have my resources. Resources that I'm telling to no one. Not even to you, sorry. But no need to worry, no one else can use those resources either." The last spoonful of ice cream made its way to the girl's mouth. "Yummy!"

"Why did you come to find me then?" Kaito decided not to point out her slightly bi-polar behavior.

"Because I wanted to meet you without your mask on. I wanted to become your friend because I know what is like to hide without actually running away." Tsukiko placed her now-empty paper cup on the bench next to her and smoothed her moss green dress shirt. Then she took her glasses off her face. "I also know why you are doing what you are doing, and I agree with your reasons."

"How…?" The boy asked softly as he had anticipated something like this her to say since the first time they saw.

"My resources. Anyways… I want to help you. With my own ways."

"Why?"

"Like I said earlier, I agree with your reasons to do what you do. Besides, I'm also possibly on a hit list of a certain organization. I don't know if it's the same one than yours but it's possible. We both need allies either way. And I want to see Tantei-chan's face when he realizes the heists aren't going like he predicts."

"You are one interesting person, Okiya-chan." Kaito could only say.

"Please, call me Tsukiko."

"Okay, Tsukiko-chan."

Time went forward quickly but slowly at the same time and Tsukiko found herself lounging on the sofa of the library of the Kudou-house and filling some English crossword puzzle while Okiya made dinner in the kitchen. The teen girl flipped through the pages of her notebook. She felt like something was about to happen. And it did.

Bling!

"Subaru-nii! You got text message!" She called while making no move to take the phone to him. Mentally she was snickering at calling him 'brother' all the time. But it had been an agreement between the two. They'd treat each other like sibling also in private so they wouldn't slip up on public. In no time actually the other bespectacled occupant of the house had walked to the room and scooped his phone from the coffee table. Why he had left it there in the first place would be a mystery to the girl for a forever probably.

"What is it?" Tsukiko asked, clicking the ballpoint pen in her hand.

"It's from Edogawa."

"Tantei-chan? What does he want then?"

"I need to go to Agasa's and switch gasoline to water in the canister they have there."

"Gasoline to water… Oh, this is that case." The girl snapped her fingers in enlightenment. Subaru let out a sigh.

"Of course you'd know about it."

"Yea, you can't really expect anything else from me, right?" Tsukiko grinned. She pushed herself up from the couch and strode to the door. "Shall we go now then?"

"Yes, that message didn't say anything when they'd be here."

"Say, does Edogawa already know about our supposed connection?" Subaru asked as he was screwing the cork on its place.

"Nope. At least I don't think so. I can't wait to see his face though when he does." Tsukiko grinned from her crouch where he kept the canister steady. "But I guess that'll take time."

"You do realize you denied our connection during the arson case?"

"Yeah, but I can brush it off by saying I didn't want to affect on his reasoning by saying my 'niisan' was one of the suspects. He'll understand it." At least when Genta's father would be one of the suspects in a future case…

"And when you say that, he'll also realize you knew about the Plan."

"I knew the details of the three vans' ruse."

"But to him you only said you had a good guess. I'm the only one who knows about your extra phone."

"I did? Oh, yeah, I did…" The blonde girl fell deep in thought. "…Don't flatter yourself, Bakai. It was a part of my plan."

Okiya chuckled and straightened his back. "If you say so. But do tell me when you know how to deal with the situation."

"Well, maybe I won't deal with it then." The teen shrugged when the canister was taken to the place where the real one had been. Thankfully the canisters were about identical. "Maybe I'll let him hanging on a thread. After all he trusts on your word and might suspect that you told me about the Plan. After all we both agreed to pose as siblings."

"So, you expect me to deal with the situation even when the looks and names were coincidental and you were the one to weave this mess." Was that irritation in his voice? Yes it was. Tsukiko held back a snicker.

"I wouldn't call it a mess. And even if it were I didn't say that you should deal with it either. After all, we don't need to report our every move to Tantei-chan. He suspects everything around him anyways. I was never off the hook and I'm sure that even though he trusts you he is still vary. He hasn't confined in you his biggest secret yet. A secret why he is so eagerly going after the Organization."

If Subaru was going to ask what the secret was, he didn't get a chance as the sound of Professor Agasa's Beetle reached their ears. They hid behind a corner and Tsukiko turned off the lights before the garage door slid open and the car drove in.

The scene in front of them occurred on a torturous pace but when the culprit, Ena Ginbayashi, finally revealed and then admitted killing her fiancé by arson, the 'siblings' shared a knowing smile. Predictable criminals.

But the case Tsukiko had been waiting for a long time came around finally. Paperplanes. Back home the case had been one of her favourites and it still was. And she simply couldn't wait for it.

The exams on the week previously were a killer though. She spent almost every afternoon at the Kudou house where Okiya helped her to study and now when the exams were over, she was at the house again, slouched on the couch. Subaru hadn't properly woken up yet but had let her in anyways. This far he hadn't complained about Tsukiko's behavior yet maybe he – like Jodie had been let to believe – thought that it would be just siblings spending lost time together. And maybe it didn't bother him that much as Tsukiko didn't come when he was doing something important. Something 'plot-worthy' like the girl had put it.

"I'm hungry…" The girl muttered and got up. She dumped the book she had been reading, the Art of War by Sun Tzu, to her bag. Miyoshi was definitely rubbing on her with her strange book choices. Oh well, the book was interesting enough and that was the most important point in the matter.

The girl walked past the bathroom while putting her glasses in the glasses case. She knocked the door briefly before calling: "Subaru-nii, d'ya want some… breakfast? I can make some."

"Sure." Came the reply.

"Okay. Ya brushing your teeth now or after it?"

"Now. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, nothing…" Tsukiko snickered before heading to the kitchen. She closed the door just in time to hear the front door open. A small laugh escaped her lips as she began to go through the cupboards.

"Shinichi… Where are you!?" The blonde girl could hear Ran calling. She realized it was pretty good thing that she had left the library. Although her school bag was still there.

"She can't see it from the door though…"

"You are here, aren't you? Answer me!"

"SHINICHI!"

"And she notices the bathroom…" The blonde girl took a look in the fridge. It was quite nicely stocked. "At least Bakai understands over healthy eating habits while disregarding his sleeping rhythm." She mused and pulled some vegetables out. A nice salad would do today.

"You should've told me you were coming back!"

A silence. Or at least the shouting stopped. Tsukiko held her breath because otherwise she would've bursted out laughing.

"Hey, don't tell me this is a thief!?"

"Sonoko, your deduction skills truly astound me." The blonde shook her head while starting to chop the ingredients to right size. Hmm, did Subaru have any feta-cheese? It would be a nice addition. And it tasted really good.

A phone call and apology later, Tsukiko decided to step in. She could hear Sonoko downright fangirling over Subaru.

"Umm… Can I get your photo? And then maybe your e-mail…" The rich girl gushed.

"I don't mind…" Subaru answered. Tsukiko could hear amusement and reluctance in his voice as she approached the trio behind the girls.

"Suzuki-senpai, you already have a boyfriend."

"E-!" Ran and Sonoko spun around.

"Tsukiko-chan!" The girl's exclaimed.

"Good day!" Tsukiko grinned and waved at them. "Niisan, your breakfast is in the fridge. I made some extra too and already ate my lunch." There was a slight jab towards the man who merely frowned briefly.

"Ah, thank you, Tsukiko. I'll eat it later probably." He smiled pleasantly.

"Okiya-chan, what are you doing here?" Ran asked politely when she recovered from her shock.

"I came to visit Subaru-nii after the exams were over. And made him breakfast today since he was working with his thesis so late last night." Tsukiko smiled, in similar way than Okiya just had. It had become a habit of her to poke him with her words. Usually he poked back, just like real siblings would.

"Sonoko, Okiya-chan is right. I'll tell Kyougoku-san about this." Ran turned to berate her best friend while Tsukiko walked past them and whispered something to Okiya who nodded slightly.

"Then only a photo." The girl with a headband smiled, using her phone with her ring finger.

"But can I eat something before that? I haven't gotten anything since I woke up. You can also join." Subaru offered.

"Yes, I made some extra salad. It'll surely be enough for you two too as I already ate." Tsukiko continued.

"Thank you but we should make up for what we did to you…" Ran almost stuttered.

"If you insist… why don't we go to Welcome Burger, the place where you were eating at earlier?" The man suggested, giving an example on his deduction skills.

"Welcome Burger? I've never been there." Tsukiko mused.

"Huh? Did we mention that? That we came from Welcome Burger?" Ran asked.

"No, but this is a trivial thing… I started to notice because of you, the one with brown hair. When you thought I was a thief, you declared it defiantly. But when you figured out I wasn't a bad guy, you stepped back and started talking behind the long haired girl, as if you were hiding from me. Normally you'd do the opposite, right?" Okiya addressed to Sonoko. "That's probably because you made quite a favorable impression on me as opposite sex, and tried not to let me smell your bad breath. In the other words, I thought you might have eaten that new garlic sandwich from WB."

"That's amazing!" Sonoko exclaimed but Ran was doubtful.

"But there are other dishes with garlic like Ramen and Gyoza." The long haired girl pointed out.

"Yeah, but you used your cellphone with your ring finger, Suzuki-senpai. No one does that unless they have a good reason not to use their thumb, pointer or middle finger. Most likely you still had some oil in your fingers after using them to eat French fries." Tsukiko grinned as she offered her explanation.

"Not to mention there's still a little salt left on the mouth of the girl with a long hair." Ran licked the remaining salt away when Okiya pointed out that fact but soon the girls dashed into the bathroom. And once again the two shared a smile.

"Who? Who? Who an earth is that man?" Sonoko questioned in great confusion. "Tsukiko-chan's big brother? Why didn't she tell us?"

"Beats me…" Ran thought aloud. "But I might have seen that person before somewhere. I think he looks like someone…" She looked past the door ajar where Okiya was tapping a message and Tsukiko peering past his shoulder at the screen of the phone.

"Other than Tsukiko-chan? Then that must be your man, Shinichi-kun! Like a detective among other things!"

"Ehh? He doesn't look like him! Besides Shinichi is not my man." Ran retorted.

"Well, from my point of view, Subaru-san seems to be better as a detective…" The rich brunette mused smugly.

"G-Guess so… Even Shinichi would…"

"Heheh, why don't we have a match between Subaru-san and Shinichi-kun? Maybe even Tsukiko-chan will participate."

"A match? How?"

Subaru turned the paperplane made of a page of a newspaper or a phone catalogue in his hands. Tsukiko bowed to see the downside of the plane and took an extra notion on the dots and lines drawn in it.

"You found this in your house's garden?" Okiya asked.

"Y-Yeah! That's why I want to capture the guy who did this!" Sonoko declared, full of vigor.

"I think that rather than capture him… We should release him." Tsukiko mused as she straightened up. Sonoko seemed to catch only half of her words.

"Well, if we can't capture him, at least find out who he is and why he's flying these planes."

"Release him you said." Subaru repeated Tsukiko's words and turned the plane downside up.

"Yeah, it has a Morse message."

"I see… Interesting code indeed."

"Did you already figure out what it is?!" Sonoko exclaimed as Ran got a message from Shinichi… well, Conan.

"Yeah, this paper plane is probably an SOS."

"Eh? An SOS, you say?" Ran asked the phone.

"You mean someone is asking for help?" Sonoko asked Subaru.

"Yeah, and it seems that the situation requires urgent attention." Okiya nodded.

"This person has sent these planes the day before yesterday and more planes yesterday and today. We need to see a picture of a different kind of a plane as quickly as possible." Tsukiko explained. The man glanced her briefly as he hadn't seen her this serious since Haido hospital.

A/N: And cut! I'm a meanie, aren't I? But I bet this is longer than the previous chapter. I truly betcha!

Anyways what do you think? Has my writing style improved? Is it better when it stays in the third person PoV? If you want to I can continue with the first person PoV too. Just put it on a review. If enough people requests I might change it back.

I'll start writing the next chapter now so we'll see soon for sure! I'm on fire now.

Bye, please review! The Game is on!