A/N: Phew. I got this written. And I'm dead tired. It's around 10am now. Last night my roomates were throwing a party. Now I'm not much of a party person so I remained in my room from since 6pm. I visited the toilet once and had already eaten sort of dinner earlier. Around 10pm I finally closed the door of my room so I could get at least a little peace from the music and maybe eventually go to sleep. There was at least thirty people here... So I continued writing this fic as I had nothing better to do. I ate Domino cookies for evening snack. (they are like Oreos but better) I finished writing a bit after 1am. I went to sleep around 2am. The music continued. Some people had already left but the music still went on. I fell asleep while covering my ears and that must have been closer to 3am. I woke up at 7am. I'm dead tired right now I need to have some routine in my days. Both of my roommates are still sleeping. Our apartment is filled with beer and cider cans and it looks like some spilled on the carbet in front of my room. I heard when it happened and it smells. I'm going to leave the cleaning up two my roomies since they are the ones who threw the party and invited everyone. Sorry about the rant but I really needed to get this out and I don't wanna be a jerk for them. It was their welcome home party or something.

Chapter 67.

Red Mon frowned at the cellphone in her hand. She really should return it. Sooner the better. And the hotel now was… It was mentioned in the Yumi kidnapping case, wasn't it?

"Hmm… Tsuki-chan, help me a bit, would you?"

"I'll see what I remember…" The high schooler replied before falling silent. Presumably going through the whatever filing system she used for the manga chapters and the Plot. It was all like a mind palace for the three personalities… "They are in Hotel Haido Pride."

And the encyclopedia strikes again.

"Arigatou, Tsuki-chan~!" The young woman walked to the next bus station and flagged down the next bus going to the right direction.

It took a bit of investigation work to find out in which floor Masumi and Mary were staying in. The room would be easy to find by peeking into the room from the balcony. Besides going down from the roof, it would be hard to know which balcony belong to which room number. So Red Moon made her way to the roof then and counted down the floors.

"Thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten…" And so on. The woman readied a climbing wire and began descending from one balcony to other and once on the right floor she looked inside the first room. It was empty. To the next one then.

It took horizontally around rooms until RM found the right one. The room had Masumi's motorbike helmet in there and Mary was watching television from the bed… Red Moon placed the phone carefully on the balcony floor and knocked on the glass then before slipping on the balcony floor below. Easy peasy.

The female thief waited with bated breath as the glass door slid open and silent gasp was heard. Then some scraping of plastic against concrete as the phone was picked up. On top of the phone was a post-it note stuck on.

"Sorry for the deception
but I forgot to return this in time.
Mothers shouldn't worry tho…
She is already on her way home.
-Akai no Tsuki"

The balcony door slid closed quickly and Red Moon let out a breath of relief. Mission accomplished.

Next Monday there was fuzz and buzz in the school. Kaitou Kid and Red Moon has predictably made to the headlines once again. And this time there was a new picture of the woman taken. It was the 'Kid-fan' disguise that adorned the front page of the newspaper. Personally Tsukiko didn't get what was the big deal about it since it revealed about her thief persona's identity as much (or as less) as the 'official costume'. Maybe it was the fact that it was already December and the since the weather had taken a turn colder almost overnight, it wasn't a sensible choice. Though even that could be attributed on wacky anime-time. It had just been early autumn and thus quite warm.

"I hear Kid-sama has already announced his next heist!" Sonoko gushed during lunch break during which Tsukiko, Mai and Namida had located to the classroom a floor above. "It's some sort of diamond in one of the museums in Ekoda."

"Is that so? It doesn't seem to have made appearance in any papers?" Tsukiko mused. The way media hounded the two phantom thieves it was actually surprising.

"I heard it straight from Nakamori-keibu when we were leaving the museum. He was grumbling about Kid-sama's busy schedule and how at this rate he wouldn't have time to go home at all. Apparently there used to be a time a year ago when Kid-sama had heists almost every night."

"I wonder… Kaito doesn't do back-to-back heists anymore. Maybe this is by an impostor…"

"Are you going to go and watch it then?" Mai asked the heiress.

"No." Sonoko sighed. "Okaa-sama put her foot down. I need to attend some fancy dinner on that day. I hear your parents are going to be there too."

"Those two are not my parents." The ex-class president retorted immediately. "But that's more of a reason to go myself. I finally have time… Maybe Kouki-san will come with me. What about you, Namida-chan?"

"Umm… Maybe. I'll need to ask my parents if there's nothing planned beforehand for our family." The shy girl smiled at the brunette.

After school Tsukiko took the first bus to Ekoda. She had things to ask from Kaito. And Red Moon wanted to talk with Akako for a reason or other.

"So you didn't announce the heist?" The girl asked curiously when they walked along the road, eating ice cream.

"No. And I have no idea who did it or why…" The boy muttered in irritation.

"Are you going to show up anyways?"

"Nah. I'm going to merely spectate. Aoko has already booked me as her companion. What about you?"

"Hmm… Maybe I'll investigate a bit." Could this possibly be the one with Lupin III? Interesting. "But before that, I need to talk with Akako. Or Red Moon needs to. She wants some sort of confirmation on some things…"

"Oh?" Kaito arched his eyebrows in intrigue and surprise. "I can give her address to you."

"That'd be nice, thanks."

Akako's house was in the outskirts of Ekoda city. It was much grander than Kudou house even if it had the same quality of strangeness. But the Koizumi household definitely exceeded the creepiness levels.

But Red Moon didn't let it bother her as she strode through the yard, straight to the front door and knocked on it. After waiting some agonizingly slow minutes, the door was answered. It was Akako's servant orc. Well, maybe he was actually a human but he definitely didn't look of the part.

"Ojou-sama has been waiting for you." The… thing said. Red Moon looked down on him coolly and nodded then.

"Thank you." Privately the woman thought that she probably should've stopped by Jodie's to change into something else from her school uniform but no, she just had to have such a hurry to catch up with Kaito. Nevertheless, she followed the orc through the hallowed halls into something that looked like a cross between ritual chamber, library and a laboratory. It was at least halfway underground because of the height of the room reached at least two floors and the fact that the stairs down weren't enough to go that deep.

"Ah, I was wondering if you would grace us with your presence, Akai no Tsuki." The witch stated when she made her way down another staircase, presumably from some sort of preparation room. Or a walk in closet as she was now donning a dark red cloak. The one she used in rituals.

"You certainly have a flair of dramatics, Koizumi-san. Is it all true confidence or just your ego and narcissism talking?" Red Moon replied. She wished she could cross her arms on her chest but unfortunately she had her school satchel hanging from one hand. Damn…

Akako just laughed. "Ho ho ho! So much fire in you. And appropriately by the turning point in your triple life."

"Turning point?" The woman asked, circling the giant cauldron in the middle of the room, and making her way towards the red haired witch.

"Yes… It's quite close. Maybe more related to Okiya Tsukiko-san, than you but… Well, you'll see when the dreams arrive." Akako stepped down last of the stairs and turned to walk towards her work bench, away from the other female. Looking at the girl's retreating back, Red Moon only frowned at her words.

"I have a question for you."

"I may or may not answer. It depends on how interesting the question is and…" The witch trailed off with a smirk on her face. "And what you are willing to pay for the answer."

"I want to know if it's possible to separate the three personalities inside this body… into three different bodies."

There was a flit of surprise on the teenager's face before she was composed again. "Why do you want to know?" Akako asked imperiously.

"To avoid the backlash your little prophesy warned us about. We three are way into the separation at this rate. Merging again will only create problems for us. And frankly, I'd rather be in a body corresponding to my mental age."

"…I see." The girl turned away from the woman and fiddled a bit with the bottles and ingredients at the working space in front of her. "It is true that it's possible to avoid negative consequences of prophecies… But it's even more common that by trying to avoid things, it only ensures them happening…-"

"I know my Greek mythology, no need to lecture me." Red Moon snapped. "I only want to know if it's possible. Even as temporary measures."

"I have not encountered such spell among my magic books just yet. Granted, I specialize in Red Magic that affects emotions and mind, rather than the body, and I have not perused the entirety of my library even after all these years… I can search if there is anything to find but I won't promise anything." The teen witch mused before her gaze sharpened and snapped onto the woman standing in front of her. "Now the price…"

Red Moon looked up with narrowed eyes. Red orbs met blue.

"There is a stone of blood and stealth in this country. I want it for my amulets. It is the combined price for my advice and research that might take quite long all in all. I think it's quite sufficient price from all this."

The female thief watched the young witch calculatingly before nodding slowly.

"Sounds fair."

"My servant will escort you to the door."

"I can find my way on my own, thanks."

"Very well." Akako smirked as Red Moon made her way to the stairs leading out of the witch's chamber.

"Cherry Sapphire, here I come."

And thus it happened. 'Kaitou Kid' struck once again. Kuroba Kaito himself was on the ground level and glaring at the fake which had appeared posing on the rooftop like some gigolo.

"His body language is all wrong, isn't it?" Red Moon chuckled through the earbud the boy had.

"Yeah…" Kaito muttered. "You in place already?"

"And ready to sail. Don't worry about me."

Red Moon was hiding in the car that was hidden in the boat that was docked near the construction site/crime scene in Tsukishima River. Because Kid had heist places and Lupin had crime scenes. Call her biased but she was serious and firm in her opinion.

She could hear the cranes winching the net from the river. She could hear the gunshots… And felt like facepalming.

Then the boat was moving. Slowly at first but reached a steady pace quite soon. And then…

Whiiiiiing…

Turboengined-surf board that Conan was using. Or was it still the skateboard but with a outer cover designed for surfing/gliding on top of the water. Anyways, it was a movie-only prop.

Lupin ducked into the cabin and speeded up the boat. Red Moon braces herself for whatever crazy stunts the pervy thief would pull with the car. And yes, Lupin was pervy while Kid was gentleman.

And the Lupin was already behind the steering wheel and crashing the boat. The car flew in the air, rolled on two wheels, made a perfect ninety-degree angle and went down a staircase on the handrails.

"This is insane…" Kage gritted their teeth.

"No, this is DC world." Tsukiko giggled.

"I'm only happy that it's the Meitantei Conan world and not the one with Gotham City." Red Moon sighed as the car finally found some flat and steady ground.

But it didn't last long. According to the sounds she heard, Conan was readying to kick a soccerball at the car.

Thump

The car swerved and twisted and went around and around. Red Moon grimaced as she was being pressed against the wall behind her back.

Whum!

"Iryaaa!"

Zhing!

And the skateboard was cut in half by Ishikawa Goemon.

As Goemon was out of the way from the passenger seat of the car, Red Moon could make her appearance. Elegantly she twisted out from the trunk of the car while it was still running and dropped from a perfect handstand to lounge on the passenger seat. The other thief turned to address her just as she was stretching her legs on the dashboard.

"And what might a nice little lady be doing in my car?" Lupin leered. Red Moon tilted her head and bit and peered through her mirrored sunglasses at him.

"Someone sent a heist note in the name of my sensei and then proceeded to go through the heist dressed as him. I wonder what I might be doing here." She deadpanned.

"Now, now, don't be so cold. May I ask for your name? And maybe ask you for a drink after I handle a certain phone call."

"Hmph. If you really don't already know it yourself, you obviously haven't been doing a thorough research on the person you are impersonating. After all I've been making a name for myself as of late."

"Of course, Red Moon-chan."

"Not to mention that your mannerisms were all wrong when impersonating Kid-sensei! What was even the whole point with this heist? Usually criminals like to have things put onto their own rap sheet unless it's a frame up. And this obviously wasn't one."

"I had my reasons." Lupin smirked. "And you still didn't answer me about the drink."

"Hell no. I prefer my men younger and with stronger morals."

"And I got shot down!"

"Save your attempts to Mine Fujiko and you might live to see the next day with all your body parts intact and still attached."

The phone call took its time and Red Moon unashamedly eavesdropped it. For a reason or other it didn't bother the man. Probably because she was of the fairer sex. What a perv…

"Cherry Sapphire, huh? What a coincidence. I'm after it too." The woman mused when the car was speeding by the river bench and the stolen diamond had been tossed into a fisherman's fish bucket.

"You are?"

"Yes. I have a deal with a witch. She requires it as a payment. I'm in to hurry though. Maybe I'll steal it from your client when I have the opportunity. Nevertheless I need to do some more research about this… Much better than you did prior this night anyways…"

"You are really not going to let this go are you, Red Moon-chan?"

"What was your first clue?" She glared even if her eyes couldn't be seen through the glasses.

Next day Red Moon followed the progress of the heist. Even if it was a school day for Tsukiko, she had called in for sick leave and instead infiltrated the police force. First to be in the debriefing room and then as one of the taskforce members in the bank. She watched as Lupin disguised as Takagi moved the watches three minutes forwards. She allowed it to happen on her watch too. Then, when the time was nigh, she allowed Lupin to 'knock' her out and tie her up. And as her disguise was that of a bit bulkier adult male, she'd have easy time to slip out of it and the ropes simultaneously. So she watched gleefully through her lids as Satou arrested Lupin and moved her watch back the three minutes. Herself Red Moon had slipped the watch off along with the bulky gloves of her taskforce uniform. Discreetly she picked up the Cherry Sapphire fallen on the floor and replaced it with an intricate fake she'd prepared on the night before with the help of Kaito and Akako both. Kaito with his eye for detail and Akako with some spell that would tell everyone not in the know that the fake was the genuine one. It was anchored by a rune scratched on the inside of the ring right underside the diamond.

Then the silver shocker-sticker struck. For one of the first time Red Moon was genuinely glad that she had forewarnings from Tsukiko's memories. She really didn't feel like being shocked with that taser.

And thus Lupin ran away from the bank with the genuine-fake, causing havoc as he went. Including but not limited to Beika Street shopping hall.

"Seriously that guy…" Red Moon sighed when Zenigata and Satou had finally ran after him. "Well, easier for me to slip out once again…" She tossed the real ring in the air and caught it. "I think I'll hang onto this one for a while."

She listened to the exchange through the mike she'd slipped into the sole of Lupin's shoe. It worked well. Too well really considering that she even had to listen to the conversation between Lupin-Takagi and Satou. That was thankfully only mildly embarrassing.

But what RM did learn during the exchange that the rune-enchantment was working as supposed to. Neither Lupin nor Fujiko realized it to be fake and so Alan Smithee wouldn't either. He was hardly a professional in these matters, only the bad guy of the day.

Lupin and Fujiko were talking again. According to the quality of Fujiko's voice at some point, Lupin was playing the ransom recording.

"'Kid-sama'…You pervy old lady." Red Moon muttered. It was one thing for Sonoko to use that way of addressing the gentleman thief since she was young and had a crush on him but Fujiko. Fujiko had been on the business far longer and she knew that Kaito was just a high schooler.

And then came the part with reclining chair and…

Pong!

"Iaaa…" Lupin lost his clothes when he went through the rear window of the truck. So cliché.

"And there goes my eavesdropping device. Hanging on the back of Fujiko-san's truck… Not that I wanted to listen anymore of those two… They are destined for each other really." Red Moon sighed and looked out of the window of the highest observation deck of Bell Tree Tower. It had the best reception as it was the highest building of that part of Tokyo. And true to its reputation, packed with people even on a workday evening. The sky was darkening and the lights of Tokyo were filling the scenery.

The woman turned to look at the people milling about. Mostly they were unknowns but there was a couple of familiar faces too. Mouri Ran, Suzuki Sonoko and Emilio Barretti himself. They were looking out of the window too, with Ran acting as an occasional bodyguard. For all intents and purposes they looked like a couple and a wingman. At least when Ran stopped glaring at people around. She gaze had passed RM at times too, but the woman was donning her disguise number three here: a young woman with long blonde hair braided down her neck, wearing simple light grey jeans tucked in black low heeled boots and a purple jumper over which a nice feminine dark grey trench coat was thrown over. Thus she wasn't recognized by the karate champion.

At point she went to get a glass of wine from a nearby restaurant but then returned to observe the trio. At one point Emilio said to go to the toilet but instead went to the roof of the observation deck through staff entrance. Red Moon followed after him but remained him shadows until Ran appeared.

Emilio was sitting on the edge as Ran began talking him out of the idea of killing himself. RM dug her hand into the bag she had. The conversation was quite predictable and cliché to be honest but then, Ran was desperate and kind-hearted person. Clichés were created around people like her but it didn't make her any less of a person.

"Ran-san is amazing." Tsukiko mused. "Strong and wonderful person."

"True." Red Moon whispered as Ran fell on her knees and begged Emilio to tell what was going on and why exactly did he feel the need to kill himself.

But just when Emilio was about to answer and come back from the edge, a strong winter wind blew right at and past the trio on roof, pushing the singer over the edge and Ran after him. The karate champion only just got a hold of the edge and Emilio grabbed onto her hand. It was a precarious position for them thus Red Moon acted. Keeping an eye on the winds, she hurried to the pair of them and dropped on her knees. One wire she anchored around herself and attached it on the grating behind her. She even checked that they'd hold. The other wire she sent twisting around Emilio. Thankfully he was wearing a thick leather jacket that ensured that the wire held and wouldn't dig into his flesh. This wire was similarly attached to the grating but at a different point.

"Hanging there alright, kids?" She asked.

"Ah, who are you?" Ran managed to gasp. She recognized the woman from before but couldn't figure out what she was doing up there especially considering the way she was helping

"There is many names that I go by… But most familiar one to you might be, Red Moon."

"Red Moon! But why…"

"Why not? Any good person should try to help others. Now don't talk, I'll help you." The woman lied on her stomach and reached for Ran's other arm. "Baretti-san, do you think you can place your feet at the edge of the platform in front of you? The one with circling light?"

"I'll try." And the singer began swinging back and forth since the shape of that part of the tower went further away as it descended. Ran gritted her teeth at the strain but with Red Moon's support, she didn't loose her grip. But then the light travelled just by and pushed Emilio's feet off the gap, thus bringing Ran down. The wire around Emilio's waist tightened and eased the weight from the girl but she slipped anyways… Until Sonoko appeared next to the woman and grabbed Ran's left wrist, with Red Moon still holding onto her right arm pit.

"Don't make such a pathetic sound! Mouri Ran is amazing you know!" The rich girl spoke. "I'm going to lift you up in one go."

"Together on three." Red Moon interjected because there was no way that girl could lift two people up there. "One… Two… Three!"

Rrrrrip!

It was Ran's sleeve. RM's eyes widened and she reached with her other hand too at the long haired girl to get a better grip at her right arm. Thus the female thief pretty much relied on her wire to make sure she didn't fall.

Then…

Bang!

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Six rounds. Then six more. Red Moon risked a glance past Sonoko, upwards towards the upper deck. Jigen Daisuke was in the works now.

"Ran, don't let go of Emilio's hand! I'm going to pummel you! For making my best friend stuck in this situation I'm going to pummel you until you are no longer attractive!" Sonoko shouted. RM looked fondly at the girl.

"Say what you will about Suzuki Sonoko but she is a true friend." The woman thought as Conan came flying through the hole in the observation deck window accompanied by his elastic suspenders. The boy threw a loop which caught both Emilio and Ran. Thinking quickly, Red Moon reached behind her and used the emergency release on the wire that she'd used on the singer. The wire let go of the grating just in time for the two in the loop rise skywards.

Ran and Emilio were deposited safely on the roof of the restaurant deck and Conan rose back towards the upper deck.

"Thank you, Conan-kun!" Ran called back to the boy.

"Good job! Good job brat! I'll hug you later!" Sonoko added with jubilant glee.

Red Moon just gazed at the boy with a smile as she wrapped up her wires and deposited them in her back. "Honestly, they don't even question his skill, daring and James Bond-esque gadgets. Though I guess that's what happens after surviving a near death experience."

The four of them made it back inside. Sonoko, as the representative of Suzuki conglomerate, went to calm down the workers while Ran slapped Emilio and began talking some sense into him thus compelling him to tell the truth to her and Conan. Red Moon remained nearby and listened. And when Kogoro called Ran (whose phone had been confiscated by Emilio) Conan got a chance to interrogate the singer about the cut out letter the young detective had found from the singer's room. And then followed the usual question plus introduction.

"Who are you?"

"Edogawa Conan, tantei-san."

"Was that a cliché, or a stolen phrase?" Jigen Daisuke mused from behind another tree as he looked through the 'memo' he had on the boy.

"Beats me. He says it a lot though." Red Moon shrugged and turned around to look at him. She had now her trademark sunglasses even if otherwise she was still in her disguise.

"And what exactly is your role here? Lupin said that you were after Cherry Sapphire. You have no reason to stalk pretty boy here."

"Hey, I wasn't stalking him. I was eavesdropping the exchange between Lupin and Alan Smithee as it concerned Cherry Sapphire. Bell Tree Tower just happens to have the best reception." The woman deadpanned before looking at the time from her wristwatch. "Oh well, I need to go now. Let's see if we see each other again. At least you are more enjoyable company than Lupin Sansei."

Tuesday. It was another schoolday. This time Tsukiko did attend. But most of the time she spent time researching for the airport where the actual transaction would take place. Vespanian Ore for Cherry Sapphire. Gem which was hanging from a chain around Tsukiko neck and under her school uniform. What a better place to hide it than with a random high schooler? It sat neatly under her neck tie that hid the little bulge it created on her shirt. But no one noticed. Not even oh so observant Miyoshi Mai. But she seemed to have other thoughts to be busy with. Like a date with Ishihara Kouki, her upcoming birthday on December 16th and the fact that Takuya had finally agreed to give her the results of some fingerprint test.

It was right during lunch break when Tsukiko's phone rang. Thankfully she was on the roof alone at the time since the conversation was very odd.

"Moshi, moshi?"

"Is this Red Moon-chan?" A feminine voice asked. It was coy and sultry at the same time. And vaguely familiar…

"Is that Mine Fujiko-san?" The girl countered to best of her ability. Something about that voice was making her flustered. Red Moon probably could've dealt with it but the female thief persona was currently loading her batteries.

"Bingo!" The woman cooed. "But I guess from your voice you are her civilian persona actually. Tsukiko-chan, ne?"

"W-What do you mean?" Tsukiko stuttered in surprise. She'd never even met the woman yet she knew her real identity in this world. Though she also knew about Conan and Ai…

"Come now, it was easy. Especially when I went through Kaitou Kid's friends."

So basically like Akako had found out too…

"What do you want?"

"Some company. And maybe I'll introduce you to my little friend here."

"Ah, right now? I'm at school."

"You called in sick yesterday, right? You can just pretend that it came back and say you're going home."

Of course the woman knew about it. She was basically blackmailing Tsukiko with all that information.

"Where are you then? Since you want me to come."

"Oh, I'll send you the address. Ta-ta! "

Tsukiko listened to the end call sound before tucking away her phone and sighing. Well, with Mai distracted and Namida hanging onto the ex-class president, she probably could slip by without much questions. Since the main clique had been relatively quiet as of late and Hanajima still upset about the death of her uncle, they wouldn't bother Tsukiko either.

"And considering that Jodie will accompany James Black to be a back up to Kudou tonight…" Yeah, no one would ask after her since even Subaru thought she was spending time at Jodie's place for a change.

Tsukiko went to change her clothes quickly and picked her pre-prepared backpack from her room. The pack contained some equipment and her regular Red Moon getup. Not to mention a plastic mask that looked almost like her normal face but more adult and more fully Japanese even if she used blonde wig in that persona. But like with Kaitou Kid, Red Moon was about gaining attention and then slipping unnoticed when the strange, attention catching thing was gone. For Kid it was white clothes during night time, for Red Moon it was her exotic looks.

So Tsukiko made her way to the lavish and luxurious spa (because bathhouse it definitely wasn't) to which Fujiko had invited her to. With a touch of makeup she looked older than her physical sixteen years and thus avoided queer glances in her way as she told she was invited by Mine-san and could they please direct her to the woman. The people at spa reception apparently were in the thrall of the buxom woman and gladly directed her to the way Fujiko had gone with 'her lovely niece'.

"Ah, you came, Tsukiko-chan~!" Fujiko smiled at the girl. "And we got Sherry-chan with us too!"

"Fujiko-san!" Ai hissed from behind the woman. Tsukiko sighed. This was definitely not the way she imagined Ai finding out about this part of her knowledge.

"Relax, Ai-chan, I already knew." The girl explained as she put her bag into one of the lockers in the private changing room. "I mean… I worked with the FBI at the hospital and later eavesdropped tantei-chan talking with Heiji-san. It wasn't too much of a leap. And considering that you essentially know about my night job, it's only fair, ne?"

The faux child was glaring at Tsukiko but eventually nodded.

"You don't exactly benefit from sharing the information. Just as I don't benefit from telling the police about you." The scientist acquiesced.

"Good! Now, let's go to take a nice long relaxing bath! I have a feeling there is going to be a lot of action tonight." Fujiko clapped her hands together.

"Kami, she is like an over-excited version of Yukiko-san." Tsukiko whispered to Ai who nodded.

The bubble bath was wonderful. The three females shared the pool together, talking a bit this and that, eating fruits and drinking fizzy drinks. Tsukiko relaxed and slid down the edge of the pool until she was down to her neck underwater and her head rested on the ledge. On her left was Ai and on her right was Fujiko, both which were at the end of the pool. Tsukiko stretched her tired legs. What a wonderful life indeed. And what's best, Fujiko was paying for it all.

"So you have completely separate personalities between your civilian life and… 'thief persona'?" Fujiko asked with interest.

"Yes… I'm not sure how it happened really. But right now we are pretty much separate and only occasionally share information." Tsukiko replied. "Akai no Tsuki is older than my current age so that makes it difficult at times, especially when she starts flirting."

"But you shot down Lupin quite quickly.

"Please, even for RM, he is way too old, not to mention that for all intents and purposes, this body is still only sixteen. Lupin might be a criminal and womanizer but if he had known about it back then, he would've backed off."

"And that's what tipped me off." Fujiko smirked. "He told me what you… she said about her taste but when I began thinking about the fact that you called Kid sensei, yet he was only a teenager himself. There was a discrepancy because people still though you as an adult. Then it was only matter of digging up some more information."

And then Ai's phone rang. It was Conan.

"Moshi, moshi? …Yeah, I'm okay. I'm being treated well for some reason. …I won't tell them the real location."

"Who's that? Are you talking to that boy? Give me… give me." Fujiko slid across the bath, her knees hitting Tsukiko's shin.

"Ow…" The high schooler complained and drew her legs to her chest.

"Gomen gomen… Long time no see! It's been a lifetime!" The woman chirped.

"He hung up." Ai stated and put the phone aside as the woman sidled next to the little girl.

"Why?"

"Maybe he doesn't want to remember."

"Eww… I didn't do anything weird."

"Yiiks! What are you doing?"

"So cute… Did your chest shrink too? Or was it like that even when you were Sherry-chan?" Fujiko smiled as she slid back to her end of the pool. Tsukiko wanted to facepalm. Why did she have to be here during this discussion?

"Of course not! It was more like– …" Ai cut herself off and turned away from the manipulating woman.

"Nee, want to join me and perfect the drug? The ideal APTX, that is."

"What are you going to do with it once I complete it?"

"Of course I use it on myself and become young! Eternal youth is every woman's dream! It's going to sell big and I'm going to be rich!"

"Don't disappoint me." Ai got up from the bath and began making her way to the showers. "I'm not creating such dream drug. You weren't like that in the past, right? Only driven by greed, using yout feminine charm to control men all over the world… Until you get what you want, you keep moving forward without turning back. A female thief… If a woman was centered by youth, wouldn't that be the end of Mine Fujiko-san?"

"Hmm, interesting points she makes." Tsukiko mused, wringing her black hair free from the bubble water. "Maybe I should start preparing now. Thank you for your company, Fujiko-san."

"You are welcome, Tsukiko-chan." Fujiko smiled at the girl. "You are nice company too."

Time of the concert. But obviously Red Moon was nowhere near there. She was hidden by craters in the Old Haneda Maintenance facility. In her regular getup. Thanks to Ai and Fujiko, Tsukiko had gotten the final location of the transaction.

"This is our first time meeting face-to-face… eh?" Alan Smithee spoke. "Pleased to meet you Mr. Luciano. Call me, Alan Smithee."

The crate of the mineral called Vespanian Ore was wheeled in.

"I see. Airport, so the next destination can be chosen."

"This was brought over to country illegally." Luciano Carnevale explained. "Well, even if it was searched, they wouldn't find anything suspicious." The man took out a briefcase from the crate and opened it, revealing a miniature electronic keyboard. Alan Smithee was sufficiently surprised.

"A keyboard?"

"The thing you want is… this…" The black keys of the keyboard were removed. "Liberty to manufacture in any shape, right?"

"Well, then… I've brought the promised item." Alan signaled for one of his goons to bring the whatever price for the Vespanian ore. "This is the promised Cherry Sapphire."

"Which I actually have." Red Moon mused happily.

"'Sapphire'?" Luciano repeated and frowned. "What is that? What kind of joke is this?" He gathered the ore and the briefcase up in his arms and physically turned away from the man. Right then, the lights in the warehouse went off and a spotlight was lit to shine on the two groups of criminals. Well, it was actually headlights of a car, elongating Lupin's shadow across the ground.

"Whoa! Doing shady things in the dark… Don't make me work up sweat!" The thief spoke.

And the goons began firing at him. Mafia, really. What else was expected of them?

The bullets riddled the cardboard figure of Lupin and broke the lights of the classic car driven days earlier away from a heist. Pity really, it was a pretty car.

"What?" The mafia thugs asked in bewilderment. Then Jigen began firing. And Lupin snatched the briefcase containing the ore just as the light died out. In the dark certain child snatched on of the fallen guns while Red Moon took another before retreating back to her hiding place. And right in time when the lights came back with Lupin pointing gun at Conan and vice versa.

"I told you didn't I?" The boy stated. "If we meet again… I'll capture you."

Brat, do you even realize that there are a bunch of people here, complete strangers that see you threatening an international thief with a real actual loaded gun and talking like an adult? It's a wonder that the Organization hasn't tried to recruit you yet.

"Nice commitment, but didn't Papa tell you to quit playing detective?" Ah, that joke…

"Geez…" Jigen muttered, making Luciano to turn towards him.

"You bastard! You betrayed me!"

"Hmph! Fire me!" The bearded man challenged, cocking his gun.

"This is your one and only chance." Lupin spoke again. "If you back off, I'll let you go."

"Barou." Conan smirked. "There is no way I'm letting this chance go."

Shinichi, that's your ego speaking.

"You've fired a gun before, right?"

"Too bad. I had plenty of practice shooting in Hawaii."

Meanwhile Luciano was raging at Alan. Maybe he was the one who'd changed in yet another fake. One without the 'perception filter'. Or maybe not… Red Moon frowned and just concentrated on listening the situation.

"You tricked me! What's with that jewel?"

"It seems I was set up. Do you know a man named Kein Gejidasu?" Alan replied.

"'Kein'? Who's that? I don't know such a person!"

"My mistake, huh?"

On the background Jigen just smirked.

"Kein Gejidasu, huh?" Conan grinned.

"Did you figure it out, detective nerd? Good job finding this place." Lupin complimented the boy as the duo continued posturing.

"Want to know how?"

"Later."

An armored car and another rolled out of the cargo of a nearby plane that was ready to leave at any second.

"I don't mind. Get rid of them." Alan Smithee spoke to the microphone attached to his collar. And the cars began firing with machine guns. Everyone ducked for cover. Red Moon slipped to the floor.

"Now's a chance!" Lupin shouted and once again, Goemon jumped out of the car to in front of the car and began spinning his katana with such a great speed that it deflected all the bullets that hit the area.

"Deflection cyclone!"

Only to have them hit even more erratically.

"Goemon! You are heightening the risk!"

"Tch, amateur."

"Don't hit it now!"

And right then inspector Zenigata came from behind the curb and rammed against one of the armored cars. The other car began firing at the inspector but Goemon cut up that car. Pretty amazing really. The car basically grumbled in pieces and the clothes of the two soldiers inside where blow away like they were dust. The soldiers themselves were unharmed.

Zenigata seemed to manage the other car out of the way ("Arrest!") before driving right through the warehouse ("The brakes aren't working!") and the back wall too into the river/sea behind.

"Don't move!"

"That's as far as you go!"

More soldiers appeared.

"There's still more?" Lupin gasped, hugging the case of Vespanian ore to his chest. Quite a good show, especially when a moment later all the soldiers are shot down. "As expected of Jigen! You've gotten better!"

"That wasn't me!" The gunman replied.

"Nor was it me." Goemon added. A bit needlessly really since he only used his sword.

"Obviously…" Lupin commented, frowning. "Then who?"

"Freeze!" Came the English command as a muzzle of a revolver was pressed against the back of the thief's neck. "I got you, Lupin. I'm FBI. Jodie Starling."

"What the heck it with that pose?" Red Moon couldn't help but sweat drop. Tsukiko and Kage both shared her sentiment.

"I'm taking you into custody." The female agent continued.

"Points A, B and C are clear." James Black spoke to his radio. "Mm. Our target is him. Don't let your guard down."

"Why did the FBI come?" Lupin asked whilst holding his hand aloft and the briefcase atop of them.

"I called them." Conan announced. "There's no way I'd come here without a plan."

"May I ask why?" Red Moon dropped down from the crates. Everyone's attention snapped on her. "I mean yes, I get that you want some backup that won't question you and your deductions… But FBI really? They don't have a jurisdiction here. They specialize in crimes in American soil. For all intents and purposes Lupin sansei should remain in Interpol's scope and also within the jurisdiction of Japanese Police force as they cooperate with ICPO. But you… We are in Japan, what the hell are you doing here? You don't have the authority to take him into custody."

"We are also freely in Japan." James Black answered. "We can hand this international fugitive over to Japan's police and have them owe us a favor. Jodie-kun, hurry and cuff him."

"That doesn't make it any more right." RM scowled. She took a running start, leaped over Lupin, pressing him to the ground on his knees as she kicked more momentum from the briefcase and landed on the other side of Jodie. The woman instinctively followed the thief's path with her eyes but then it was already too late. With a couple of expert hits the agent lost her grip on the gun that Red Moon caught. With guns at her both hands now she pointed one at each agent. "Whoa, how the tables have turned, ne?" The sentence was accented with a cute tilt of head.

"Who are you?" Jodie asked but before she got a chance to hear the answer.

Bang!

There had been a laser sight aimed at Lupin. And a bullet fired that Conan took as he jumped to push down the thief. The mafia goon was obviously surprised that Conan had been the one hit but it didn't change the end result. Alan Smithee was now holding Conan hostage, with a gun pointed that the boy's head. Red Moon in turn was pointing both of her guns and the Smithee.

"Pull the trigger if you want. However, even if you cut my head off, I will still shoot."

"You are such a despicable human being, did you know that Alan Smithee?" Red Moon spoke, neither of her hand faltering at the threat. Unlike James Black who was pointing his gun now skywards.

"Hmph. Return the case." Smithee demanded. Lupin slid it across the space between him thand the villain.

"Nobody make a move." Black told to his agents. Smithee just smirked.

"Mind standing back. And you woman, back off!"

Red Moon just arched her eye brows even if it wasn't seen because of the glasses and hat.

"Hmm… I wonder… Ya know if I were to shoot you through your nose, it'd hit you right in the brainstem and thus most likely incapacitate you in a way that you won't manage to shoot. Quite handy in hostage situation really. Most likely you'd die from it but hey, at least the bad guy of the week is out of the way now." RM explained cheerfully but then lifted her guns away from the man. "But then again it's a whole different matter whether or not I'd actually hit it and I rather not risk Tantei-kun's life like that."

And thus they all backed off as Smithee, Luciano and their remaining men began piling up to the plane with one of the cars left there. Smithee himself was shooting Lupin's car.

"Where is your car?" Lupin asked Jodie and Black from their spot at the warehouse.

"Are you thinking about chasing them?" Jodie asked back.

"I've ordered a chopper." Black told them both.

"I still wanna know where the hell are you getting the jurisdiction from?" Red Moon muttered but went unheard. She had already given Jodie her gun back but was still holding onto the one she'd liberated from the mafia.

"They'll get away." Lupin replied just when the last car with Smithee, Luciano and Conan drove away. "Aww, my Alfa Romeo-chan."

"What now? Chase after them on foot?" Jodie shouted at the thief. Lupin just shrugged when a sound of a motorbike was heard.

"What?" They all turned to look at the bike hosting both Mine Fujiko and Haibara Ai.

"Fujiko-chan!"

"Who's that?" Jodie frowned.

"Mine Fujiko." Black replied. "Her RWH is 99-55-88. She is yet another international fugitive." And the old man took a photo of the woman with a blush on his face. Bot Jodie and Red Moon couldn't but gape at him.

"Is it over?" Fujiko asked when stopping the bike.

"Nope! We're just getting started."

And it was with the ridiculously brilliant plan that the powergirls got Lupin into the plane.

"I'm happy that I'm not in that plane. The way Lupin wreaked havoc yesterday… And the way tantei-kun tends to get out of trouble… I think my life would be in danger." Red Moon sighed. "Now are you FBI agents going to arrest the anagram men or are they free to go?" She waved her hand over her shoulder at Goemon and Jigen who both stiffened in slight indignation.

"Anagram men?" Jodie asked.

"Wakagomo Eishin, Kein Gejidasu. In the other words Ishikawa Goemon and Jigen Daisuke. Anagrams both of them."

In the plane both of the main culprits were dead. Both by the idiotic idea of one Luciano Carnevale who thought to shoot in the plane with a machine gun. So Lupin was in control of the plane and Conan was tinkering with something beneath the dashboard of the plane while telling his deductions.

The boy then mentioned the tracking device in Cherry Sapphire that he'd used to find the meeting place. To emphasis the point, he activated his tracking glasses when he noticed that…

"It's not here…"

"What?" Lupin looked down at the boy.

"The Cherry Sapphire's location is still at the airport… But Alan Smithee surely brought the gem with him to the plane…" Conan frowned at the radar displayed on the left lens of his glasses.

Lupin's mouth fell slightly open when he remembered that conversation he'd had just three days previously.

"Oh, that clever ojou-chan." He chuckled. "Fooled your radar with her mere presence."

"Nani?!"

"Red Moon. She told me that she was after Cherry Sapphire. Didn't say when or where she'd steal it or from whom, just that she'd take it. If I'm not wrong, she took it even before I could give it to Smithee here."

"Red Moon told Jigen Daisuke that she was the Bell Tree Tower because of the best reception."

"Around the same time that I was meeting Smithee. Clever girl."

But then the radar blinked open and the two were distracted by the fact there was two fighter planes with missiles headed towards them. And with the perfect (magical) fake to even fool the radars, they managed to survive.

A crack appeared on the surface of a small crustal ball. Akako looked up from the thick tome she was reading.

"So it has served its purpose then." The witch mused and turned a page of her book. "Now I only need to wait for Okiya Tsukiko-san to keep her end of the bargain."

She smiled as she looked at one of the passages in the book. It might be just what was asked but she needed to make some tests first.

Somehow Jigen, Goemon, Fujiko and even Ai had managed to disappear. They'd gotten into Fujiko's submarine that was docked nearby by one of her associates. (Or 'friends' like Lupin said with tinge of dread in his voice.) That left Red Moon with the FBI and the approaching police officers(though the main forces seemed to be more worried of the fate of Conan.

"So, you still haven't clarified who you are and what you are doing here." Jodie seemed to be restraining the urge to point the gun at the other female. Red Moon just smirked.

"What I'm doing here? Observe. As I have already observed, it's the time for me to go." She stated, tossing the unloaded gun (the clip dropped and all) behind her carelessly. "As for who I am… For you American's I guess I am Red Moon. But as we are in Japan I'm commonly known as Akai no Tsuki. Hajimemashite." She bowed with left leg a bit forward and right on the back, right arm curving in front of her torso and left one on the side, elegantly outstretched. "I usually accompany Kaitou Kid but just this once I've been working solo."

There was a slight shock on the faces of the two agents which RM enjoyed immensely as she straightened up. She was just about to continue talking or maybe leave when her phone. Her phone rang.

"Moshi, moshi? Sensei?" She instinctively answered since only three people had the number to that phone. And those were Kaito, Chikage and Jii Kounosuke. And only Kaito called regularly. So when it wasn't Kaito… "Who are you and where did you get this number?"

"Ah, ask Kage. They know of me. But it's not you that I want to talk with. It's the FBI. Put the phone on speaker." Slightly distorted voice spoke from the phone. It was male voice but he was using some sort of algorithm that scrambled his voice. Probably not even Conan could've mimicked the result with his bowtie.

"Right…" Red Moon drawled. But then Kage whispered to her in a way that Tsukiko couldn't hear. RM still knew that the high schooler was awake and aware of everything going outside but just couldn't interfere with direct communication between the other two personalities. And maybe it was a good idea that the girl didn't know about this tidbit just yet… "Putting you on speaker."

"Hello, FBI." The male spoke. "I'm sure you've heard of me but not met me. I am Hibiki. The hacker that has been bothering the organization for the last two years and caused also a blackout of their systems back then."

"I've heard of you." Black spoke up while Jodie kept an eye on the local law enforcement to make sure they wouldn't listen in. "What do you want?"

"There is an old case that might interest you if you have the clearance to access it. After all it was the case that brought Okiya Tsukiko back to Tokyo."

Both Red Moon and Jodie gasped. And the thief could feel Tsukiko concentrating hard now so she wouldn't miss any details.

"Death of Interpol agent Kagemiya Michiko. She worked for Saitama police back then and was on a holiday in Tokyo when she was shot in mysterious circumstance. I won't say anything of the matter until you see the case file yourself. In that case I'll find a new way to contact you." Hibiki spoke.

"Why would this case bring Tsukiko-chan to Tokyo? Wasn't she about to visit her brother?" Jodie frowned while Black remained thoughtful.

"…That is half true. After all she didn't know the other half of the story." The hacker spoke slowly. "I'd also recommend you to take a second look on Tsukiko-chan's medical file from the hospital. There might be something you previously missed."

The call ended then.

"Well, that was enlightening." Red Moon shrugged, turning on her heels and walking away. She also had a lot in her mind now.

"So… You got your revenge then?" Tsukiko asked Kaito a couple of days later.

"Of course! I got great laughs over it!" The boy laughed.

A/N: Right. As you have probably noticed, I use the form 'Akai no Tsuki' sometimes to emphazise the way of addressing Red Moon. Like with the FBI scene. As I paraphrased a lot of this movie I think it's better if you watch it either during or after reading this chapter so you won't miss any plot points I didn't mention. Like Conan's entire deduction and the whole story with Emilio.

Replies to Reviews:

-Hellfire000:
I'm glad to hear you loved the chapter. I hope you liked this one too. Sera got her phone(but naturally won't speak about the matter at school). There might be later some sort of confrontation about the matter but to this chapter it didn't fit in a sensible way.

-PurpleSnow10:
Yes, salty Kaito is almost the best Kaito. I had a lot of fun while writing that chapter. I hope you like this one too.

-TheRazor(guest):
The update is here!

-Zeladious:
Ah, I should've remembered that word!
The magnificent Reddo Moon is here~!
Oh yes. I think it might during next year though.

-Tsuki(guest):
You are welcome.
Yes, it has been confirmed in the manga by now.

()

Phew, I wonder if I'll update this one or Leap next. Anyways I still recommend the forum I made for you guys to discuss. No need to be shy!

Jaa ne! 3