A special thanks to Lady Paper and TheCaterpillarCalledLorik for being my first reviews. I appreciate the support, guys.

"P-Please give me a break, Kaitou-bochama," Jii stuttered as a card whizzed past his ear. Had it been any closer it would have nicked his ear. "I haven't heard any details from Toichi-sama either."

"That's why I've been telling you to spit out everything you know, haven't I, Jii-chan?" Kaitou ground out, his card gun still pointed at the man. It was lucky they were in Kaito's house and that Aoko was in Beika tonight.

"Why did my dad, Kuroba Toichi, assume the form of Kaitou Kid and start stealing treasures?" The gun moved threateningly, "And why did he die?" The two created an odd image, a young man pointing a gun at a frightened-looking old man, though with cards surrounding his head rather than bullet holes it seemed more preposterous than terrifying.

"T-That's-" Jii struggled to answer, and his eyes darted to the right, which made Kaito turn his head as well. His eyes landed on the wall, with the table and the board of bills that didn't seem to hold anything of importance until his eyes found the photo.

It was an old photograph, one from when he had been a kid. He remembered it well, it had been taken only a few weeks before Aoko had moved in next door. At his mother's insistence, they had gone to a park to get the picture taken.

His mother.

'Is it possible that… did Mom make him keep it a secret?" he thought, remembering his mom's vague words from the last time he had spoken to her. 'I bet you're going to be busy these days.'

It was almost like she had known.

Kaito withdrew his gun and ignored the sigh of relief that came from Jii. Getting information out of his mother was like pulling teeth so he didn't bother with that route, and it seemed Jii-chan was intent on following her orders.

"Ok, don't say anything if you don't want to. I don't have any idea what secret you and Mom are keeping, but... I shall become Kid and raise a storm to unearth it." He smirked at the man.

He vowed silently that he would find out who had killed his father and why. From Jii-chan's earlier words Kaito knew that his father had been killed, and now he would pursue the murderer, to the ends of the earth if he had to. No matter what.

Jii gave his Young Master a cautious glance, one the boy didn't notice. For all of his earlier fervor to unearth Toichi-sama's killer, there was a part of him that felt guilty over bringing Kaito-bochama, the one person Toichi-sama had expressly forbidden to know about Kid, into this life.

But the Young Master was too much like his father to be stopped once he had chosen a path. Even then, Toichi-sama had had Chikage-sama's support and had been much older and wiser when he had taken up the mantle. He worried that his Young Master, for all his intelligence, hadn't understood the full implications of becoming Kid.

"Remind me again why I'm here?" Aoko grumbled as Ran dragged her along.

"Oh hush, we have to support Sensei at her wedding," Ran jabbed her. She called out to Sonoko in the distance, making sure not to let go of the overgrown toddler she was dragging.

"She wasn't even my teacher," Aoko protested as Sonoko joined them.

"And yet you were her favorite. She would even stay after class to go over lessons with you, you know. Be more compassionate," Ran retorted.

"More like she wouldn't let me get away," Aoko snorted.

"You didn't seem to mind when she bought you pastries afterwards," Ran pointed out.

She shrugged. "Who would?"

Ran sighed but she noticed that Aoko had at least stopped resisting. They reached Sonoko, who gave Ran an unimpressed look. "Honestly Ran, you're always late."

"Sorry, sorry. This time I had to fetch Aoko," Ran scratched her cheek as Aoko scowled at her.

"Oi, don't blame me. You were the one that got lost." Sonoko and Aoko exchanged a put out look as Ran's cheeks flushed. Rather than get better it seemed Ran's sense of direction had only worsened with time.

"I'm actually worried about you being by yourself in the future, Ran. What are you going to do without Conan with you?" To which she got another elbow jab.

The blow did however catch Sonoko's attention, and turn it to the third member of the group Ran had brought, one she whose presence she had almost ignored in it's familiarity before realizing the oddity. "I'm surprised to see you, too, Aoko."

"So am I," she huffed and nodded at the brunette beside her, "Ran dragged me here."

Sonoko waved it off, "Ah whatever, Matsumoto-sensei will probably be happiest to see you here, her dear favorite." Her teasing made Aoko scowl.

"I wasn't even her actual student, you know. It's awkward," she huffed.

Sonoko laughed, "I never would have thought you would be the shy one, Aoko. Don't worry, she loves you. If anything she'll be happy to see you." Ran gave her an encouraging smile to which she sighed.

"It was funny actually, the difference in how she treated you and him," Sonoko's lips curled as though she was remembering a fond memory. Even Aoko snorted at that.

"She was always on him." Her eyes went to the blushing boy who stood beside Ran. He met her gaze head on and with a glare that would have been far more intimidating had he not been three feet tall and imitating a Christmas light.

Said boy glanced at the church with what, in a few years could be a thoughtful frown but was now limited to a pout. 'That hag was always picking on me. Heh, I want to see what kind of weirdo would marry her.'

"Hey, want to see what Sensei looks like in her wedding dress?" Sonoko asked.

"Yeah!" Ran agreed.

"O-Oi! Is it even alright for us to just go disturb the bride before her big day?" Aoko tried to stop them.

"It's fine. It's fine," Sonoko waved. Aoko sighed but followed them. "If we get glared at I'm blaming you two."

It turned out it wasn't needed as they managed to get into the bride's room easily enough. And stopped short in the doorway.

The last time Aoko had seen her friends' old music teacher she had had her long hair hanging freely and glasses covering a large portion of her face. Despite being pretty Matsumoto-sensei almost faded into the background at times. So it stunned her to see the woman with her long hair up and the contours of the dress highlighting her figure.

The bride noticed them and smiled. She was radiant.

"Mouri-san and Suzuki-san." Her smile widened when they turned to the last girl, who lingered by the door, "And Nakamori-chan."

She couldn't move to them with the people around her but waved and once the people working on the gown stepped back she spun to show off the gown, "Well? Does it look good on me?"

"It looks fantastic Matsumoto-sensei," Sonoko and Ran exclaimed in unison. Aoko nodded. "You look beautiful, sensei,"

She beamed, "If I have even Nakamori-chan's approval then it must be alright." Ran and Sonoko shared a laugh at the shared joke. Aoko was near impossible to impress and didn't mind voicing that. Part of the problem may have been Kuroba himself and flamboyant, showy demeanor.

"Is Kudo-kun not here? I wanted to show this dress off to that cheeky little brat," the supposedly mature woman tsked.

'She's still the same as ever' Aoko and Conan thought in unison. Aoko however bit back a smile as she remembered just why she had liked this sensei. With her upbeat personality and upfront attitude she brought to mind an older Sonoko.

"Hm, haven't I met you somewhere?" Matsumoto-sensei finally noticed the boy and tilted her head as she took a good look at him.

"N-no. It's our first meeting," Conan sweated. "Nice to meet you."

Her own response was cut off by Ran's sudden call to them both, "Okay, you two, look this way. We're in charge videotaping today." Her voice drew their attention to the two as Sonoko slyly added, "Please make sure you get a good kiss scene." Sensei began to laugh as Ran huffed and Aoko rolled her eyes, as did her male miniature.

"Of course!"

They were interrupted by the door opening and a pale haired, freckle-faced woman walking in. In one hand she carried a plastic bag, one most likely carrying a familiar drink. "Sayuri, I bought it for you, your warm lemon tea."

Their former teacher's attention was immediately caught by the declaration. "Wow, thanks!"

"Wait, you can't drink it like that or your make up will come off. Hold on a sec," the new woman rummaged through her bag for a moment before she pulled out a straw. "Here. And don't drink too much either. It'd be a pain if you had to go to the bathroom in that getup."

"Thanks, Kazumi,"

"Sheesh, you really are a lot of trouble," despite the harsh wording her sigh was fond.

"I'm really sorry,"

"Huh?"

"About Toshihiko-san." Sayuri kept her gaze on the lemon tea she held in her hands. Perhaps, or because of, the inflection in her voice, it drew Aoko's attention.

"What are you talking about?" Kazumi whacked Sayuri across the back. "You better watch out! I'll tell everyone at the reception that the bridegroom used to be my boyfriend." At Sayuri's stunned looked, she cheekily added, "Just kidding~"

"Geez," Sayuri pouted at her friend as she left. Those around the two could see why they had been friends. Birds of a feather flocked together indeed.

"Who was that?" Sonoko asked, still looking at where the blond-haired woman had disappeared to.

"She's a terrible friend I had in college." Again the words were harsh but the tone fond. Aoko glanced between her and the door the other woman had just left from. She could sense there was something unsaid, some context she was missing for the subtext she had gleaned but she had no idea what.

"Oh, Kazumi bought drinks for the cosmeticians too," Sayuri noticed as she rummaged through the bag. "Would you like them?"

"I'll take the lemon tea," Sonoko chose first.

"Coffee for me," Conan made a grab for it but he obediently put it back, though not without a pout, at Aoko's warning look.

"Then I'll take the Oolong tea," Ran decided. Aoko passed on the drinks when Matsumoto-sensei turned to her.

It was as they were enjoying the drinks that the door opened again, this time to a more intimidating guest. He was tall in a way that bordered on giant, with equally harsh facial features. Despite the suit and his well groomed hair, with his narrowed eyes and the scar that ran across one eye, he looked more like a thug in a suit than an invited guest.

So it was not unreasonable for Ran to have acted the way she did.

"Wh-who are you?" Ran demanded angrily, stepping in front of her former teacher.

Aoko however merely blinked. As the daughter of an inspector, and the sole reason that said inspector met the bare minimum dietary requirements, she had come across many people in the station while delivering her father food, and had occasionally been babysat by the junior members of the squadron as a child. With an uncle who was renowned for his deductive prowess and a cousin that had a talent for attracting corpses, she had spent more than her fair share of time at the police station. All of this meant that she had encountered many officers of various ranks and appearances.

This particular man was one she had once met through her father at a police gala. Known for his sharp acumen and ability to get things done, Superintendent Matsumoto wasn't the kind of man who had come by his job through nepotism, or one who had become a desk worker after his days in the field were over.

A cynical part of her wondered if someone important died in the nearby area if the Superintendent himself was present.

'Wait a second. Matsumoto-keishi, Matsumoto-sensei… don't tell me.'

Her mind blanked out for a moment as she looked between the two. As a budding author she naturally took an interest in people in the real world, how they looked and how they behaved. And she had grown up with a deduction freak who loved showing off. Despite that, she could not in any way see anything that would hint at a family relationship.

"Ran, take out this gorilla!" Sonoko ordered immediately after.

"Wait Ran, he's probably-" her words were unknowingly cut off by a greeting.

The next visitor quickly garnered the attention of the room. He was a portly man with a mustache that resembled a crescent moon, but an immediately recognizable figure for two girls who had seen more than their fair share of murders.

"Hm? Oh, hello Ran-kun, Aoko-kun," Megure popped out from behind his boss.

"M-Megure-keibu, why are you here?"

"What kind of subordinate would I be if I didn't go to my boss' daughter's wedding?" Megure laughed. "Right, Superintendent?"

"S-Superintendent?" Ran stuttered.

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Aoko muttered in her ear.

"Yup, he's the police superintendent," Sayuri confirmed cheerily. "And he's also my father." Her thoughts confirmed, Aoko looked between them. There was still nothing that seemed to show they were father and daughter. Though that was probably a good thing.

"F-Father?" Sonoko seemed unable to compute it.

Aoko leaned over to whisper, "Just remember you called a Police Superintendent a gorilla."Sonoko immediately went ashen.

"We're very sorry," the two bowed in unison. On either side of her, the two linked arms and dragged Aoko down as well. 'Why did they make me bow, too? It's not like I was the one who called him a gorilla, or nearly assaulted him."

"Don't worry, Mouri-san, Suzuki-san, Nakamori-chan. It's his own fault for having a face like that," their former teacher reassured. 'What kind of reasoning is that, Sensei?'

It seemed though, that the Superintendent was more focused on the subject of her words than what she had actually said. "Mouri? So you're the daughter of that great detective Mouri Kogoro?"

"Y-yes," Ran answered.

"Every time he solves another one I get in trouble. My superiors keep asking why I let such a capable man go."

"W-well," Ran rubbed the back of her head, and beside her Conan did the same. Aoko nudged him subtly and he blinked before giving her a sheepish look, to which she rolled her eyes.

"And you must be Namakori Ginzo's daughter, Aoko," the man turned to her. "I've heard good things about you. A sharp woman. Have you considered joining the force?"

"My dad tells me I still have a way to go," Aoko deflected humbly. Conan gave her a flat look which she returned with a glare.

Being a police officer had never been something she had considered. If anything, she was surprised that the Superintendent even knew her. Her dad was known for being the police's chief inspector against Kid, and was well known amongst the general public as well since Kid heists were highly publicized. She wouldn't be surprised if people across seas knew him, or at least had a description of him. Though that description was rarely pleasant.

"By the way Sayuri, are you really okay with this? Do you really want to marry that man?" He suddenly turned to the girl. "Y-you can still say no. Don't marry that little rich kid. I'll introduce you to someone from my department," he promised.

"Don't you think it's a little late for that?" Sayuri scowled. "Besides, you said I could marry anyone I wanted to."

"Right, I guess there's nothing I can do," he admitted, not looking happy about it.

"Why do you always treat me like a kid?"

"Because you are a kid, still drinking things like this at your age," he picked up the lemon tea.

"So what? I like it." She snatched it back. "Your daughter's all dressed up and this is all you can talk about?"

"Sorry… you're very pretty," Matsumoto admitted, passing by her to leave. He turned over his shoulder, "But you still don't come close to your late mother,"

"Geez, why can't he just compliment me normally," Sayuri complained before taking a sip of her drink.

'On second thought, gorilla might be a fitting name for him after all,' Aoko refrained from rolling her eyes. Barely.

Their interaction wouldn't have been uncommon in a drama, a police superintendent's daughter marrying a spoiled rich boy. A tale of drama and woe. How unfortunate that she wasn't a screenwriter.

It was even more difficult to maintain composure as the next guest walked in. She didn't remember him, but it was apparent from Sonoko's words that he was an upperclassman, one who was cursed with immense arrogance but wasn't blessed with the charisma to turn it into a charming point instead.

"Oh no, the camera's nearly out of batteries," Ran suddenly said.

"No way," Sonoko took it from her to see for herself.

Aoko gave Ran an incredulous look before facepalming. "That's the kind of thing you're supposed to check the night before, Ran."

"Sorry, sorry. I must have forgotten. There's an electronics store near here, right? We'll go buy some," Ran grabbed Sonoko as she explained. Aoko leaned back against the wall, a silent indication to Ran that she would stay here. Her head titled to look down at her diminutive cousin. With the mess he was in, she couldn't let him out of her sight. She was often away most of the time and it worried her to no end that Shinichi was trapped and by himself and couldn't help but hover whenever she was near him.

The worry that had been silently creeping its way into her heart made its appearance again. They were no closer to finding the men who had done this to him than they had been before and she was worried about his condition. It was hardly the kind of thing they could visit the hospital about. And then there was the matter of his existence.

They barely had the minimum legal documentation for his existence, just enough to send him to school. She needed to make it more solid if someone decided to look into it. With his habit of running into corpses and his determination to solve those cases, he would undoubtedly get involved in and well known, even if he was using Mouri Kogoro as a front. If nothing else, it would make his face well known among the police. He bore too many similarities to Shinichi for them not to make the connection but she couldn't allow them to think they were anything more than relatives.

Her attention was caught by Matusmoto-sensei, who had suddenly taken Conan's glasses. "I knew it." She said triumphantly. "You look just like Kudo Shinichi. Just seeing this face makes me want to tease you," she pinched his cheeks, "Because Kudo-kun looked like my first love."

It seemed like even the teacher had made the connection. Aoko sighed. It was impossible to ask for people to not see Shinichi in Conan, given who he was, which was why she had said they were relatives in the first place. Hopefully, it kept them from making more absurd, if true, conclusions.

"He was a boy in the neighborhood and his family owned a candy store. Whenever I got bullied, he protected me for some reason. And he would always take some of that stuff from his family store and share it with me, that lemon tea," her sensei's face turned nostalgic and slightly wistful. "I could never forget that so I've been drinking this ever since. It gives me courage."

… She hadn't expected the conversation to take that route. And unfortunately, it was unlikely that others who made the connection would reminisce over how her cousin reminded them of a lost love.

Sayuri composed herself suddenly and turned to Aoko, "But you don't believe in this stuff do you, Aoko-chan?"

"Hn." The woman gave a fond smile at her non-answer. She knew well enough what her answer would be, and how the girl was holding herself back because it was her special day. Despite the brutal honesty she was infamous for, Sayuri had known the girl long enough to know that it was tempered by compassion.

Over the years she had known them, Nakamori Aoko and Kudo Shinichi had left an impression on her. Sometimes it was still hard for her to believe that her tone-deaf, snarky little student had become such a famous detective. And Aoko-chan was an experience. Despite the duo's ability to irritate her like no other, they had also been some of her most beloved students.

"Oi, what're you embarrassed for? Aren't you the groom?" The sudden noise broke the sentimental atmosphere. "Hey, don't push me," came another voice as the doors burst open and the groom was shoved inside.

"Toshihiko-kun," Sayuri blinked.

"Wow, Sayuri, you look nice," the groom, Toshihiko, rubbed his head shyly. His attention was then drawn to what she had in her hand. "Geez, only poor people drink this stuff, you're still drinking it?"

"H-hai," Sayuri stuttered. Aoko raised an eye at the man who would marry her teacher. He wasn't what she had expected, to say the least. She didn't miss the glance that Matsumoto-sensei gave him. There was something behind it, just as there was something more behind her words to her friend but she had no idea what.

"Ahh, you're the heir to the Takasugi Group!" Sonoko's sudden screech drew their attention to her and Ran, who had just come back from buying batteries. They stood in the doorway with Sonoko pointing one arm at him. The shrill sound cut through the noise and Toshihiko looked stunned before replying with the same dumbfounded tone.

"A-and you're the daughter of the Suzuki Zaibatsu."

Aoko made her way over to where her friends were as the groom kept the bride's attention.

"Do you know him, Sonoko?" Ran asked.

"Yeah," she seemed less than impressed. "I've seen him a lot at parties but I never thought he was the one marrying Matsumoto-sensei."

"Why not?" Aoko refrained from giving Ran a dry look, though only because she hadn't been present for Takasugi's previous behavior.

"Well, he's really indecisive and very unreliable. And the Takasugis are saying that he'll bring an end to the line and he's known as a total…" Sonoko's words trailed off as their former music teacher took the initiative to kiss her future husband.

"But he's with Matsumoto-sensei, so he'll be fine," Ran whispered back, her eyes still on the two. Aoko, however, was less convinced.

'I suppose there's no accounting for taste,' she thought dryly. Their eyes moved to the door as it opened for the nth time, and in the back of her mind, Aoko thought the big day wasn't all it was cracked up to be if this was the reality behind the rosy picture.

"You go on ahead," Sayuri told her fiancee as they were called by the man.

"Huh?"

"Don't worry, I'll be right behind you," was her nonchalant reply to his intelligent response.

"O-okay," and as if by some unspoken signal, they all began to trail out of the room and give the bride a moment of privacy. She gave the man another cursory glance and shook her head.

"Oh yeah, I brought some bread and milk for you, Conan-kun. You were hungry right?" Ran asked Shinichi.

"Conan, did you eat breakfast?" Aoko crossed her arms.

"Er-" he gave her a nervous smile, knowing she would know if he lied, but also not keen to hear her lecture since he hadn't eaten at a proper time. Her fussing had went haywire after his poisoning and she was wary of a single thing out of place. It caused him no end of annoyance, even if his rational side could see why she was so careful.

The sudden sound from behind them saved him from answering. It sounded almost as if something had been dropped inside the room Matsumoto-sensei was in. It was followed by a much larger thud that drew both their attention.

"What was that noise?" Both rushed to the doors.

"Matsumoto-sensei?" Ran knocked, and not receiving an answer, she opened it, only to scream when she saw her teacher's bloody body on the floor.

She was lying on her back, with her head facing the door, and so they could immediately see the bloody puddle around her mouth. Red seeped through her bodice and her gloves, giving it a startling and horrific contrast.

"Matsumoto-sensei!" The three immediately rushed over. Aoko placed two fingers on Matsumoto-sensei's throat, feeling for a pulse and sighing in relief when she felt it, though faint. She turned to Ran, "Call an ambulance."

Seeing that she was frozen, Aoko moved between her and the body so that she was all Ran could see, shaking her once, "Hurry! She's still alive!" The combination of the order in her voice and the sudden jerk shook Ran out of her frozen state, and she nodded at Aoko before turning and running to get her phone.

"The can's corroding, but the straw's fine," Conan pointed out. Aoko nodded in instant understanding, "We need to wash out her mouth." She reached for the Oolong tea that Ran had left on the table next to them and tried to pour it into her mouth.

"It's not working," Conan noted in frustration.

"Do we have anything with protein?" Aoko questioned, keeping her mentor's mouth open and still pouring. If they didn't have a better option it was better than nothing, and they couldn't afford to stop.

"The milk!" He realized. He immediately ran to the abandoned plastic bag and tore through it to find the tiny cylinder. He scrambled to open it and Aoko moved back so he could pour it into her mouth.

"Open your eyes, sensei," she gritted her teeth as she took the woman's gloved hand in her own. For three years, this woman had stood by her, cheering her on and being a mentor, and a friend. And now she was near death. Her hands trembled as she watched the woman for any signs of waking, of the poison being countered.

She didn't move from her position once as Conan tried to counter the poison. Her hand merely clenched a satin clad one tighter. Faintly, she could feel it getting colder, could feel how slack the grip was. Part of her feared that she would never see this woman again.

'Please, please, please. Open your eyes, sensei. I'll never be cheeky with you ever again. I swear I'll never try to skip any of our meetings again. I'll visit you every day in the hospital if you want. Just please wake up,'

No matter what they did though, Sayuri didn't open her eyes. Shinichi glanced at her but she looked away. Her eyes landed on the can before instantly averting to the hand she was holding.

A hand stained in blood.

She knew it looked bad, with how Sensei wasn't responding at all. And the poison had been present long enough to corrode the soda. She had been drinking it nearly the entire time they were in the room. Did she even have a chance? Were they merely grasping at straws? A foolish attempt to delay the inevitable?

The faint pulse beneath her fingertips shook her out of her thoughts. Focusing, she could see that she had come to grasp Sensei's limp hand with both of hers, and one was wrapped around her wrist, right over a pulse point. The faint thudding beneath her fingertips reminded her that Matsumoto Sayuri was alive. Even though she was unconscious and clinging to this world by the edges of her fingertips, she was alive.

Aoko touched her mentor's hand to her forehead, desperately willing and praying for her teacher to survive. There was nothing more either of them could do. Shinichi had already emptied out the carton of milk and there was still no response.

Her silent vigil was only broken by the arrival of the paramedics, who immediately put her sensei on a stretcher and brought her to the ambulance.

"Hang on, Sayuri!" Both Takasugi and Takenaka moved to Sayuri's side at the stretcher. She had no idea when they had arrived.

Aoko moved back and kept one eye on them while she spoke with one of the paramedics. He had signaled for her to follow him and they stepped away from the noise to discuss her actions as they had found her near the body when they arrived.

"You gave her milk?" Aoko nodded. The last thing she wanted was for Conan to draw unnecessary attention. It was why she had gestured for him to take a step back when they had burst in.

"I gave her Oolong tea first but it didn't do anything so I tried milk afterwards," she explained how she had grabbed one and then noticed the milk in the bag. Even if they did go over the video, they would conclude she was the one directing the boy.

The man smiled, "Well, at least one person here knew what to do, but don't try that with all poisons. It might make the situation worse."

Aoko nodded, "Of course. I'll leave that to the professionals." It wasn't like the bodies she usually came across were still alive by that point anyway. Which was why she had been both so worried, and relieved, about Sensei. If she was still alive by now, then maybe she had a chance.

"Is anyone here going to ride the ambulance with her?" A fellow paramedic walked in. The question gave her hope. Though the paramedics had been here for only a few minutes she was still alive, which was far more than what she could say of those she usually encountered in cases, and if she was still alive the possibility she would survive this increased.

"I will," Sensei's groom immediately answered.

"We will too," Aoko said in unison with Sonoko and Ran. They had known each other for so long that they could predict the others' movements, or in this case, words. They were stopped, however, by the thundering voice of her mentor's own father.

"Wait! None of you are leaving this room."

"Huh?"

"One of you might be the one who gave her this poison," he turned to the paramedics. "Hurry and go."

"H-hai," Aoko didn't blame him for stuttering, since even she was wide-eyed by the man's actions.

"Can't we worry about who did it later? You're her father, don't you want to be by her side?"

"Hmph," Matsumoto snorted. "I am a policeman before I'm her father. It's my duty to find the truth. And it's not like she'd recover just because we're with her."

'Oh great,' she thought. 'Another justice obsessed fool."

It was fine for him to say that, but he could at least let the others go with the ambulance, with police guards, if necessary. She tapped her foot impatiently, sending Conan a look to hurry up with his investigation. In the background, she could vaguely hear former future father-in-law and son-in-law arguing.

As she moved over to stand by Sonoko and Ran, she hear Megure's words clearly, "In other words, any one of you six could have put the poison in the can."

"Am I still a suspect?" Takasugi asked.

"Of course. They're capsules that melt in less than a minute." He said. "Part of the capsule was left because the tea tupped over, and cooled down, so the capsule melted at a lower rate, which the criminal didn't count on." He turned to one of his subordinates, a forensics officer, "Send that capsule to be analyzed."

"Hey, is he a suspect, too?" Conan's deceptively high voice suddenly sounded. Aoko looked over to where he was pointing and raised an eyebrow. As always, her cousin had guts. Guts and a hard head.

Megure blanched when he realized who the boy was pointing to, "Oi, oi. A policeman wouldn't try to kill his own daughter."

Aoko crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, "We can't say that for sure, Keibu. It's better to follow protocol."

"Even you, Aoko-kun?" Megure asked. He knew the girl didn't usually get involved in criminal proceedings, and so was surprised she had spoken out at all. It wasn't her usual area of expertise either.

"They're right, I'm a suspect, too," Matsumoto interrupted. "But how will you figure out who did it?"

"W-well, it would be nice if somebody had seen it being dropped in," Megure hesitated. He turned to the girls behind him, "Did you three see anything? You were with her the whole time, right?"

"No, I wasn't watching for it," Sonoko shook her head.

"I didn't see anything," Aoko said in frustration. Even though she had seen them come in, she hadn't noticed them doing anything especially odd, besides touching the lemon tea. Perhaps Kaito would have noticed something, his magician side would have noted misdirection better than she had. She should have made him come as well. Perhaps he would have seen something and Sensei wouldn't be in critical condition.

If only. She shook herself mentally. It was a dangerous state to be in, and one she had witnessed the aftereffects of in many cases. If only the murderer had known she hadn't cheated on him. If only the victim hadn't been so cruel to his friend. If only. It twisted the mind to ignore reality, a crutch because they could not accept it and move on. She wouldn't allow herself to fall to such lows.

"Oh!" Ran suddenly let out. "We were taping the whole time." Her voice broke Aoko's reverie.

"What?"

"Oh yeah, we left it in here when we left the room. I forgot to turn it off," Sonoko remembered.

Megure picked the camera up like it was made of gold. "The criminal might have been caught in the act. All right, get a VCR and a monitor ready ASAP."

Though they watched the video, in the case of the police, several times even, it didn't seem to lend itself any clues. Aoko kept an eye on her cousin, who looked just as stumped as the police.

"Have they found any drying agent?" She whispered in his ear. He shook his head. "I asked one officer if there was any in her bag and they said no."

"Matsumoto-sensei's bag? Did they think she tried to commit suicide?" Aoko asked in surprise.

"No, they checked just in case," he whispered, careful to keep their conversation quiet. She hummed, going over her recollection of events before suddenly remembering something.

"Hold on. They might have a point," Aoko said.

"What?" Conan blinked. "You think she tried to commit suicide? Why?"

Aoko shook her head, "I wouldn't go that far, but her behavior was off a bit. Do you remember her conversation with Takenaka-san and Takasugi-san? There was some kind of subtext we were missing, but her behavior doesn't really correlate with a woman on her wedding day. When she spoke with Takenaka-san, her words were sad, and she had the same expression looking at Takasugi-san. I don't know why she was looking at them like that, and I certainly don't have any room to make a conclusion, but her behavior was odd today."

She met Conan, no Shinichi's gaze head on, willing him to understand when words failed her. Thankfully, he had known her long enough to know what she meant and respected her enough to consider her opinion.

"I'll keep it in mind," he promised.

She was about to respond when she heard Ran ask an officer a far more pertinent question. Giving him a nod, she made her way over to the trio.

"Has there been any news from the hospital?"

"No, not yet," the man replied.

"Th-then, Sensei might have-" Sonoko choked.

"D-don't even think about it," Ran shook her head.

"She's probably in surgery then." Aoko surmised. "It's not surprising. Sodium hydroxide is a poison and she's had it in her system for so long. Sensei's endoscopy will most likely reveal extensive damage. But for now, no news is good news." Her words eased the other two up for a moment before emotion washed over them both.

"But putting poison in the lemon tea Sensi loves so much… how terrible," Sonoko rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah," Ran too blinked away tears.

"They'll be caught," she promised. Unlike Sonoko and Ran, Aoko remained dry eyed and blank faced. Or so she seemed.

Blue eyes narrowed in fury, the determination ringing through them giving them a piercing glint. The sight made Sonoko and Ran smile. It was rare for Aoko's perpetual stoicism to drop, and only in the most dire circumstances… or Kuroba-kun's antics. It was almost comforting seeing that look on her face. Those eyes so like Shinichi's, intense blue focused on a target, no, she wouldn't let the culprit escape.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could suddenly see Takenaka glare at Takasugi, though she had no idea what had triggered it.

"Keibu! We have the results from the analysis!" An officer broke into the room suddenly. All eyes turned to him instantly.

"First, the capsule is a type that would take about 15 to 16 minutes to melt in a can of lemon tea."

"Fifteen minutes," Megure repeated almost numbly. "T-that means someone who was in here 15-16 minutes before she collapsed. S-superintendent Matsumoto?" The man started before defending himself, pointing to the recording in the background.

"Oi, think about it, it only means that somebody was in here for 15 or so minutes who was in here for 15 or so minutes before she collapsed. She didn't drink it the instant the poison was released." Matsumoto refuted.

"But that means that the groom and I are now in the clear since we were in here less than 10 minutes or so before she collapsed." The former student said. It was a good thing she wasn't marrying him.

"But there was one thing strange about the can with poison," the officer went on, either uncaring or not hearing the dynamics around him. "Matsumoto-san's fingerprints aren't on it."

"What are you talking about?" The man roared. "Take a look. I'm holding the can right here. Damn it, are you trying to make me look guilty?"

Aoko walked over to where Conan was, rewatching the video while Megure hastily ordered his men to double check.

"See anything weird?" She asked.

Her words jolted him out of trance and he blinked, looking around before he focused on her. He gave her a narrow-eyed look for disrupting his concentration and she shrugged, "Yeah. The lemon tea can, notice anything?"

She turned to the TV as he rewound the last few seconds. It took her a few moments to see what had gotten his attention. "The labels," she realized. "They're on opposite sides."

Conan nodded. "Right. In the first image, the label was on the right side but after the camera was placed on the chair the label was on the wrong side."

"And this was after Sonoko placed her can on the table, the same brand of tea Sensei was drinking," Aoko realized.

"Which means Sensei most likely picked up Sonoko's," Conan nodded.

Aoko hmmed, and almost as one they turned to the suspects. "Which means that since it was Sonoko's can, any one of our suspects could have killed her. The groom and that senpai are suspects again."

"But that leaves the question of how the capsule got inside," Conan dug his hands into his pockets. Standing beside each other, Aoko wondered at the picture they made, a stark contrast in height, and yet they stood together against the room. "Forensics estimated that it should have been in there for at least 15-16 minutes to get to that state and if she switched cans midway through that should be impossible."

Aoko frowned, "I've been thinking that Sensei's behavior was odd today, but with how everything seems to point, it seems more and more likely that Sensei put it in herself."

"Though that raises the question of why she would bother switching cans." Conan pointed out. "Did she want to give us a suspect, did she do it on accident? There's too little evidence to make assumptions," he pointed out.

Suddenly he stilled and Aoko also quieted as she realized he had realized something. Before she could ask though, Megure's voice drew her eyes to him.

"You found the drying agent?" Conan and Aoko exchanged a look before immediately making their way over. "This must be what the criminal carried the caustic soda in since that stuff's weak to water. Have it analyzed immediately."

"Yes sir."

The two approached the officer, "Hey, where did you find that? Was it in this room?" The man glanced down at him in surprise before giving her a hesitant look. She nodded slightly, giving silent permission for him to continue.

"It was in the garbage can in the hall," he said at last. From the way he looked back to her it was obvious he would have preferred to have kept quiet to the child.

"The hall?" This time she was the one who asked. "Not outside the window?"

"Yes, we found it in the hall," he confirmed. He answered her question readily, unlike how he had hesitated to answer Conan and she knew at least part of it was because the police were so familiar with her face. She was often around Shinichi and she aided the police of her own initiative sometimes as well.

"Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up!" Megure came out from the side and started scolding the man.

"It's fine, Keibu. I was the one that held him back. He merely answered a question of mine," she told him. Since he had helped her, she would cover for him this time.

"Oh, Aoko-kun?" With her words, the man seemed to calm. "Did you manage to find anything? The criminal? A clue?"

She tilted her head, "Perhaps." His eyes lit up. "Gather the suspects," her eyes met with Conan's, "it's time for the deduction to take place."

Now that they had found where the bottle had been found, that meant that only one person could have committed the crime. The crime of staining Sensei's white dress red. There was no longer any doubt, only one person could have done it.

"Of course, of course," Megure nodded eagerly. He was used to the Kudo family and their dramatic antics, and he had known the two children of said family since they were children and so were well aware of their capabilities. If Nakamori Aoko said she had found the killer, then the police would be ready to arrest him.

Once he moved away, she was left alone with Conan, "Leave this to me." He nodded, a smile crossing his face. "It's been a while since we've worked together on a case, hasn't it? You usually prefer to be on the sidelines." He looked up at her, eyes as warm as his smile, but her attention was on the room. Her gaze shifted over the crowd coolly but stayed on one person in particular. Her eyes turned cold and her attention was so focused on the room that she missed Conan's words.

"Yes, well, this time it seems I couldn't help but get involved," she said. His smile dropped at her words but he continued watching her. She finally turned and met his gaze.

Though she usually let Shinichi take the glory, in their early days she had been right beside him, bouncing ideas off of each other and debating possibilities. As he had grown more capable, and more efficient, she usually preferred to watch rather than take part and she was grateful he allowed her to do so.

But with his new body, and the fact that he was supposed to be in hiding, Aoko didn't want Conan to draw attention solving cases. From what he had told her, he had solved that problem by using Ran's father, an actual detective, if an incompetent one, to solve cases. Without him here, he would either need to dart someone else or have her solve the case for him. Tranquilizing someone to use them to solve a case was risky if someone else realized something was off and almost redundant in face of another member of the Kudo family there to solve cases.

That, and they had made it personal. And Nakamori Aoko was nothing if not vindictive.

"Why did the police suddenly make us gather around here?"

"Do you know who did it?"

"Er, well, we're about to find out?" Megure side waved. "Aoko-kun, please be sure to handle everything."

"You're leaving this to a kid?"

"Are you saying the police aren't doing their jobs and have other people do their jobs for them?"

"Nakamori-san's ability is uncontested." The Superintendent's booming words, or perhaps his expression, cut off all protests. "She has been instrumental in solving murder cases and has aided the police with serial crimes as well."

Megure ignored the disgruntled looks around him and urged her on, "Aoko-kun, who's the criminal?" He had seen her ability, alongside her cousin's, first hand and knew them well enough to know their competence.

Aoko nodded towards the man that, in many ways, was an uncle to her, "All in due time, Megure-keibu." She leaned back against the table and crossed her arms and then one leg over the other before cooly moving her gaze across the people gathered there. The officers gave her their full attention, some with their notebooks out and ready to take notes. Matsumoto-keishi stared down at her impassively, waiting to see what she would say. He had calmed down from his earlier outburst and was now as impenetrable as ever. Ran and Sonoko waited anxiously for her to finish, intent to go to their Sensei's side, and there was relief that the case would finally be wrapped up.

Takenaka and Takasugi, however, drew her greatest attention. After she had seen the other glare at the man suddenly, she had noticed that the woman would periodically glance in his direction. She couldn't tell exactly why, but there was emotion there. The groom was more collected than she would have thought, considering the woman he was going to marry was fighting for her life.

"For a start, there were eight people who came in and out of this room. In chronological order, we have our group of four," she gestured to her friends, "Shortly afterwards was Takenaka-san, who was the one who brought the lemon tea inside. Following that was Matsumoto-san, with Umemiya-san afterward. Of course, Ran and Sonoko left for a period of time and came inside after the final person, the groom, Takasugi-san, came inside. In total, there are eight suspects." She explained.

"Essentially, any of these eight people could have poisoned Sensei's lemon tea. We can exclude anyone that came before Sensei had her tea since they wouldn't have been able to poison it." Conan summarized. She glanced down at him and he grinned back at her.

"Hold on," Megure stopped her, "There are only six suspects. We found the capsule in the tea, which takes 15 minutes to disintegrate and let the poison out. Which means the suspect must have put it in 15 or so minutes before she collapsed. So Umemiya-kun and Takasugi-san couldn't have done it."

Aoko tilted her head in understanding, "You're not wrong to assume that. However," and here she lowered her voice to convey the full gravity of the next sentence. "That is only on the supposition that the poison was truly inside the capsule."

"Wait, what?" She didn't blame him for being stunned. It was counterintuitive to state that the poison capsule didn't contain the poison.

"All we know is that a portion of the capsule was floating in the tea. We don't know if the poison was originally inside the capsule."

"Then the capsule…"

"Right. The capsule and the poison were placed inside separately."

"But why?" Megure asked, looking lost. He wasn't the only one, around them, everyone else seemed confused by the sudden unreasonable statement.

"By placing the capsule inside like that, the poisoner created an illusion. The illusion of a timespan. We would be constrained to thinking that the act happened at a certain time. And therefore the chief suspect would be the one who interacted with the victim at that time."

"If that's true then you two could have done it as well," Megure looked behind him to the two men they had previously excluded as suspects.

"Hold on a second. That's just theory. You can't just say the poison capsule didn't have the poison," Umemiya protested.

"You're right," Aoko turned her head to the man.

"Huh?"

"Without evidence, it's merely a theory," she forestalled his protests by raising a hand. "Which is why I'll direct your attention to the tape Sonoko and Ran were making."

"The tape? But the police were looking at it for hours and they didn't find anything."

Aoko stayed silent as Conan picked up the remote and fast-forwarded the recording until just a few seconds before Ran and Sonoko had left the room and paused so she could explain. It was only then that she began speaking

"About seven minutes before Matsumoto-sensei collapsed Ran and Sonoko ran out of batteries and went to buy some." Conan pressed the play button and it showed Sensei placing her can down just seconds before Sonoko left her own bottle on the table and ran out with Ran. He paused the video to the right moment.

"What about it?" Megure asked, not seeing anything suspicious.

"Take a good look at the label on the can at the beginning and the end of the clip." Conan obediently played it back a few seconds and let it run again before pausing it just before Sensei picked up the can.

"The label," he suddenly realized. "It's facing the other way. But why?"

She nodded approvingly at him, glad he had figured it out so quickly. But instead of answering directly, she turned to Sonoko, "Sonoko, when you left the room, where did you place your can?"

The girl blinked, before tilting her head and trying to focus, "Uh, I wasn't really paying attention, but I think it was on top of the table." She straightened. "Then that means… the can is-"

"Yes," She nodded. "The can is actually yours. But since one managed to cover the other it looked like one can, and Sensei took the one in front, your can, by accident. The proof is that Umemiya-san and Matsumoto-keishi's fingerprints aren't on it. However, yours will most likely be present."

"Is that true?" Megure asked the forensic officer behind him.

"H-hai. It's just like she said." The man agreed. They hadn't felt the need to inform the inspector of Sonoko-san's fingerprints. Like the Inspector, the police force hasn't considered the girls serious suspects and had rather detained them per protocol. They had also both been gone for a large amount of time and so it would have been difficult for them to have poisoned the victim's can.

"In other words, Sonoko was the one holding the poisoned tea until seven minutes before she collapsed." She paused to let them take in the words. "Of course, this is also why everyone who entered beforehand, and those who entered before Ran and Sonoko, are innocent. Since the poison was in the tea, only someone who had come in after the tea had been brought inside and after Sonoko left would have been able to poison it."

She looked directly at the groom for the next part, "Sonoko held the can until the seven minutes before Sensei collapsed. Since nobody else touched it before then, it couldn't have been poisoned, otherwise, Sonoko would have been poisoned as well," Sonoko looked distinctly ill at that, no doubt remembering the blood that had coated Sensei's gown. The white background only heightened the chilling image.

"There's the possibility Suzuki-san poisoned it herself," Takasugi pointed out. His words immediately enraged both Ran and Sonoko.

Aoko merely regarded him coolly, "A possibility," she admitted. "But Matsumoto-sensei took the can by accident. And in doing so, her own fingerprints would be on the poisoned can. It would have been far more sensible to simply place the poison in Matsumoto-sensei's can."

"I see," Megure nodded. "It's unthinkable." No killer would be so foolish, and Sonoko-kun was too straightforward to resort to such tactics. While Aoko-kun hadn't provided proof of innocence yet, Megure was familiar enough with their deduction style that he knew the two preferred to explain why surrounding parties were innocent before moving on to the perpetrator. It was a style he appreciated in that it certainly made his reports easier.

"Which means someone put the poison inside in the few minutes between when Sensei took Sonoko's can and when she collapsed. The only people in the room at the time were Takasugi-san, Conan, Sonoko, Ran, and myself." Which meant that rather than eight suspects, they were down to five, or rather two.

"Conan can naturally be excluded since he's a child," from the way he winced, she guessed being a child was still a sore subject even when it gave him an advantage. "Ran and Sonoko left for a time, as stated earlier, and when they returned Takasugi-san was holding the can and handed it back to Sensei so they couldn't have done it either. I, on the other hand, was leaning against the wall the entire time, and so never touched the can, as you can see from the tape. As such it would have been impossible for me to have poisoned it."

"So then it's him," Megure looked to the groom.

"No," Aoko shook her head. They needed to cover all the bases. There would be times when neither she nor Shinichi would be there and the police would need to look at all possibilities before eliminating them by evidence, not jumping to one or another the instant a clue had been found.

"There's still one more person who could have poisoned her."

"Who? Everyone's right here." Megure waved his hand to show the people behind him. Indeed, every suspect had been kept in this room since the police had found the caustic soda.

"Matsumoto-sensei herself." Her words instantly caused an uproar. Megure repeated her words in shock, stunned by the idea of suicide, and one they had dismissed when they hadn't found drying agent in her bag. Ran and Sonoko refused to believe such a passionate teacher and fearless woman would committee suicide. Curiously, she noted that Takenaka-san remained silent.

"Are you saying my daughter tried to kill herself?" Matsumoto narrowed his eyes at her. "And on her own wedding day?"

She eyed him cooly, "We must consider all possibilities, Keishi." Whether it was because of her candid tone or how she didn't waver at his rage, he allowed her to continue.

"If she did place the poison inside herself, then the capsule was to lay the blame on someone else. However, she wouldn't have been able to predict who would have been with her at what time, which would make the subsequent suspect a random guest. But if she was going to poison herself, then she would have only put the poison in right before she collapsed, and placed it without the capsule so it would dissolve quicker." She gave them a meaningful glance.

"Therefore she must have a drying agent. Sodium hydroxide absorbs even moisture in the air, and upon liquifying, is very dangerous. As such, she would have needed a drying agent."

"B-but the drying agent was found in the hall," Megure protested. "The bride was in here the entire time."

"Exactly. If Matsumoto-san had poisoned herself the drying agent would have been found in here or outside the window. Since it wasn't that meant that someone else was trying to poison her. And the only one who could have poisoned Sensei's lemon tea…"

She stood up from the table and raised a hand, "The only one who could have poisoned her is you, Takasugi-san."

Takasugi stayed still, not reacting to her assertion even as Takenaka-san approached him, "T-Toshihiko… you-" her voice broke before she could finish.

"H-how dare you," Matsumoto-keishi roared as he erupted. He stormed over and grabbed him by the lapels and shook him. "Tell me why! Why did you poison her?"

Toshihiko, who has remained still up until that moment, smiled. It was a cold smile, one that showed the emptiness in his eyes. Even as he was shaken, he appeared more doll than human.

"I wanted you to feel it, too." The words came out quietly, almost too quietly for the grieving father before him to understand.

"What?"

Suddenly, what had once been clouded by emptiness rang with fire. "I wanted you to feel it, too! The pain I felt twenty years ago!"

"T-twenty years ago?"

"You wouldn't have remembered, since it cleared up as a simple accident," the curl in his lips showed the clear disdain he had for the officer before him and Aoko wondered how he had managed to hide it for so long.

'I would almost be impressed if I didn't want to snap his neck myself,' she mused, deciding not to intervene. If it did get violent, she knew Matsumoto-keishi would be able to defend himself. And best to let him get it out now than to have any more resentment to store away in prison. The last thing she wanted was for him to go after Sensei even after his release.

"Heh! If you forgot all about it, then I'll refresh your memory. Twenty years ago, when you were chasing a criminal you crashed into a wall. My mom got caught up in it and died. She was still alive when it happened, if you'd taken her to the hospital in your patrol car she would've been saved. But you-"

He took a moment to collect himself before continuing, "Thirty minutes later Mom stopped breathing. I've never forgotten that day… or your cold hearted face!"

"I-is that true?" Megure asked.

Matsumoto didn't move, didn't lower his face, didn't hesitate, but his voice softened, "Yes." That one word carried the regret he had carried for over twenty years. "I didn't see her. She was in the shadow of the car. When I learned about it afterward I went to his house but he'd already moved away."

"She was my only relative," Takasugi went on. His own tone had softened, but there was an almost hysterical edge to it. "I was adopted by the childless Takasugi family. I'd lost everything so I went through Middle School and Highschool and College like a shell… until I met that woman in college."

Takasugi met Matsumoto's gaze head on, hatred clear in his eyes, and beneath it, bitterness. He bared his teeth, "As soon as I knew she was your daughter the flame of revenge began burning inside me."

"Th-then, why," Matsumoto clenched his own teeth, eyes clamped shut, "Why didn't you kill me?"

"Hmph, if you'd died then you wouldn't feel it, would you?" A smile broke over his face again. This time it contained the triumph of knowing he had won. "The sadness… of losing a loved one."

His smile turned razor sharp as he turned to address the woman behind him, "I was lucky, Kazumi. I met Sayuri because she was your friend when you were my girlfriend." He snorted and lowered his head. "But she was stupid. She didn't even know I approached her for revenge and accepted my proposal so easily. She was probably blinded by the Takasugi fortune."

The sudden sound of skin on skin broke the hold his words cast over his audience. Takasugi himself was too surprised to even touch his cheek after she had slapped him, merely looking back at her with wide eyes. "You're the one who doesn't know anything!"

"Ka-Kazumi."

"Sayuri knew everything. About the incident, about your family."

"L-liar! Why would accept if she knew-"

"Can't you tell by looking at her lemon tea?" Even with the distance between them, Aoko could see the tears in the woman's eyes. "You're the guy she's been thinking about for twenty years. Her first love."

Even Aoko started at that. 'It looks like the man you were waiting for turned out to be a fool, Sensei.'

"Sayuri kept saying you were just like him so I did some digging around, like for your old address. That's when we found out you were the same guy she knew twenty years ago, and also about that incident. Sayuri was worried the whole time after she accepted the proposal… trying to think of a way to make you forgive her father.

"But you… but you…"

"Superintendent!" The sudden cry drew everyone's attention. Even though the case was now over there was only one reason why the officer would address Matsumoto over Megure. "We've just received news from the hospital. Your daughter is through surgery and is in stable condition."

"I-I see." Even if it wasn't the most eloquent response, the small, relieved smile that curled over his face and the way the tension left his body showed his feelings just as well.

Around them, there were sounds of joy as officers cheered. Sonoko nearly started crying, wailing her relief as she hugged Ran. Even Conan was drawn into the festivities as Ran pulled him into a hug.

Only two people remained still. Aoko and Takasugi. He stood with his back to her and his head lowered so she couldn't see his face. Even as everyone around them danced, they alone remained frozen. And she watched him like a panther before it pounced.

"Aoko," the soft touch on her arm tore her attention away from the murderer and to Ran, who touched her arm hesitantly. She looked over in the direction Aoko had been looking at, towards Takasugi, hesitantly and lowered her hand. "It's good that Sensei's okay, isn't it?"

She stared at Ran for a moment, at the lavender eyes that met her own. Eyes that were full of warmth, but tinged with concern. "Yes," she said finally, and turned away from the man. She allowed Ran to lead her away from him but tossed a final look over her shoulder.

'Disgusting.'

Two months later, they accompanied Matsumoto-sensei as she was released from the hospital. Walking down the street together, it was almost like they were back in middle school and Sensei was walking her back after she had made Aoko stay as well.

"I'm glad you got out earlier than expected," Sonoko said.

"They said it was only because someone gave me emergency care right after it happened." Aoko side eyed Conan as he began coughing. Ran promptly asked if he was okay.

"And I heard Toshihiko-san got off with a light sentence," Ran added.

"Of course, I drank that stuff on my own." Matsumoto-sensei lowered her head, a sad smile dampening over her features. "But I still got him in trouble. He must hate me now."

'Sensei." Aoko said. "You're insane." The words drew a smile from the woman before it fell.

"Aoko-chan," her name was said fondly, if with a hint of exasperation.

"Hey, don't feel down," Ran tried to cheer her up as Sonoko glared at Aoko, silently ordering her to be softer, "And you, stay quiet if you can't say anything nice."

"I'll buy you a drink," Sonoko suggested desperately, trying to cover up Aoko's harsh words. At the same time she stepped between them so Sensei couldn't see Aoko's (no doubt) unimpressed expression.

"Really?" She seemed to cheer up instantly. "Let's see, I want… lemon tea. Gotta treasure your memories."

"Geez," Sonoko sighed.

"You'll never get married if you keep that up," Ran sweatdropped.

"You're hopeless," Aoko sighed, ignoring the way both girls dug their elbow into her sides.

'Sensei, you have terrible taste in men.'

"I'm sick of marriage anyway," she waved them off. It was unfortunate that she got married anyway. And to that man of all people.

It was after a long day that Aoko found herself at home. Even after a long bath she couldn't help but lay back on the couch and covers her eyes with an arm, completely exhausted. She had become used to random events turning into murder scenes and even accompanying the police for a statement afterwards.

This time, however, after finishing with the police Aoko had made her way over to the hospital to check up on Matsumoto-sensei. Sonoko had been keeping her up to date on the situation while she waited for the paperwork to finish but the two had already left the hospital by the time Aoko had arrived.

She had stayed for several hours and merely stayed with Sensei. She had come out of surgery but she was still unconscious so Aoko had spent most of that time speaking with the doctors about her condition. While her medical knowledge was far from exceptional, she knew a vast amount due to both researching for her books and what might as well constitute as on the job training with the police's forensics division.

By the time she had arrived home it was already late and was grateful she had bought a convenience store dinner for them both. She hadn't had the time to prepare anything and her father had arrived earlier than usually did. And Kaito had texted in advance and said he wouldn't be dining with them.

"So how was the wedding?" Her father questioned as he picked at the rice distastefully. She hid a smile. Her father, who was no stranger to convenience store food, especially on the job, had a strange aversion to it being served at home.

"The bride got poisoned," she answered as she took a bite out of the pickle. For a moment her dad looked at her as though he was wondering if she was serious.

"If it was anyone else I would think it's a bad joke," he finally sighed. "But your luck is just that bad."

"It is not!"

Ginzo leveled a skeptical look at his daughter and she conceded sheepishly. Even if she wished to argue there was little to say in her defence and more than enough ammunition against her.

"So, I'm guessing Shinichi-kun solved the murder?" He asked. Aoko had told him how it was their old middle school teacher's wedding so the boy had reason to be there, especially since he knew his daughter would drag him along. That and it seemed corpses dropped like flies whenever the boy was near.

"Actually, he didn't manage to attend. The last time I spoke to him, he old me he was busy on a case,"

"Hmm," her father frowned. "If he's not careful he'll send so much time on his cases he won't be able to finish school."

"He's smart enough to get by either way," she shrugged. Even if Japan's school system did require attendance, with Shinichi's own fame and his status within the country she wouldn't be surprised if they allowed him special parameters.

"Hm," he grunted noncommittally. "Who solved the case then?"

"I did."

He started and Aoko couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in amusement. He obviously hadn't been expecting that. "But you don't usually solve cases," he spoke carefully.

She shrugged, "This time I needed to step in. Shinichi wasn't there and Matsumoto-sensei was the victim. I could hardly stand to the side." He gave her a complex look which she ignored and focused on finishing her meal.

"How is Matsumoto-sensei?"

She paused, "Sensei made it out of surgery and her condition is stable. I visited her at the hospital after I left the police station. The doctors say she should be making a full recovery."

Ginzo nodded, "Good, good." He then pointed at their dinner. "Is that why we have this for dinner?"

"You don't need to look so disgusted, Otou-san. I know you've have plenty of convenience store meals on the job, especially when I was a child."

"Yes, but I definitely prefer home-cooked meals," he argued. She rolled her eyes, "Alright. I'll make sure you won't have to eat them any more than necessary." 'Even though I make you enough food that you rarely do'.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Was that cheekiness there, Aoko?"

"Of course not," to which she earned a mock glare.

"Definitely impertinence," he stressed.

She gave him a cheeky smile, "You're just going to have to live with it, Otou-san. I'm not as commendable as your men,"

He snorted, "If my men were as undisciplined as you I would have fired them already."

"I'm not undisciplined. I just wouldn't follow your orders," she teased. He gave her an unimpressed look.

"An officer that doesn't follow orders is the last thing I need, especially now," he grunted.

"Oh? Did Kid send another heist note?"

Her father sat back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Not exactly. There's a gem that's going to show in an exhibit that will most likely catch his attention but there hasn't been a heist note yet."

"So what's the problem? Does the owner not want the police involved?" That did happen sometimes. A few of the more traditional families preferred to handle the affair by themselves and the police were relegated to perimeter surveillance since they weren't allowed on the property.

"No, no, nothing like that. The gem belongs to the royal family of a foreign country, one that will be visiting Japan." Aoko waited patiently for him to continue. She knew her father well enough to know that the status of the people he interacted with had little hold over him, something she respected. "Naturally, it's important but Kid's targeted more than one high ranking delegate. If anything, it's more toned down than his international heists from back then."

"But?" She questioned lightly. At this point she could see that he was merely speaking out loud but she was curious about what was on his mind and didn't want to remember where he was.

Ginzo sighed, the sound leaving him in an almost mournful way, "The higher ups aren't happy with me. They've been getting on to me about how I've been letting Kid escape time and time again. Even after eight years I still couldn't catch him. They're thinking of replacing me if I don't redeem myself somehow."

Aoko froze, staring at him in mute shock. Of all the problems her father could have been facing she hadn't expected that one. It explained why he had been so upset but she had no idea how to react. What should she say? What could she say? Her dad didn't like petty words of encouragement and she was terrible at saying them.

All of a sudden her father snapped out of his trance and looked contrite, "I'm sorry, Aoko. I shouldn't be bothering you with all of this. It's my problem and I'll definitely solve it." The last part sounded as though he was forcing himself to be confident. He then broke out into grating, and obviously fake, laughter.

"I don't mind hearing about your problems, Otou-san," she said softly. He stopped mid-laugh and just looked at her for a while. Finally his eyes softened, "You're so much like your mother, Aoko."

After a moment though, his gaze broke away and they both fell silent. Their gazes were focused on the food and they both finished their meals. Aoko finished before her father and began to gather the trash, while also putting away the salt and pepper, and waited for him to finish. She kept her eyes on the table as she began clearing it.

Ginzo suddenly cleared his throat, "So, uh, where's Kaito-kun? He didn't show up for dinner tonight,"

"He said he would be talking with his mom for a while and so he wouldn't be eating with us." Chikage-san would make sure that he ate something at least.

The room was silent again and this time her father didn't try to start conversation. When he was done he allowed Aoko to take it away and muttered something about 'thinking up a Kid capture plan' before scurrying away.

Aoko then began cleaning the table and sweeping the floors. It was a habit she had picked up as a child when her early efforts at cooking had resulted in the kitchen turning into a medium for abstract art. Now, with only the two of them, and with both often away she usually only found dust. Still, it was calming in a way and she found it satisfying to have the kitchen as clean as it had been in the morning.

And it allowed her some time to think. The tedious nature of the task often allowed her to reflect over the day, or sometimes a period to allow ideas to flood in. Unlike the last few nights where her thoughts had instantly centered on Shinichi, tonight she thought about her father's situation.

He had told her his superiors weren't happy with Kid constantly evading capture. Her father was a capable officer in his division so it wouldn't be surprising if they had him handle fraud cases alone. Kid might then be handed to the theft division instead.

No, one of the biggest reasons why Kid had been tasked to the fraud division was the budget. Since fraud cases often involved high ranking individuals and corporations they would need the money to investigate, capable hackers and programmers, and entire teams built around desk jockeying. Fraud had one of the largest personnel teams/groups in the entire police station.

Despite it involving high profile people, including but not limited to CEOs and politicians, even media moguls, it was a relatively safe division and would involve little action. It was the polar opposite of the homicide division with their often brutal car chases, serial murders, and dangerous lifestyle.

Which meant that Kid's case would most likely be handed to another Inspector. Her father was one of the highest ranked inspectors in the division so she had a good idea of who who most likely gain the responsibility of catching Kid should he be removed from the case.

At the same time though, there was the possibility that HQ would reassign her father regardless of his success. Nakamori Ginzo was one of the best fraud inspectors of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force. After more than a decade of Kid heists the higher ups had to have learned that catching the thief was an exercise in futility. It was a waste in time and resources, resources like her father that would be better focused on more worthwhile endeavors.

It was an idea that she herself agreed with. Kid was a nonviolent criminal, whose thefts were essentially highly publicised, if illegal, magic shows. It would be more efficient not to stand against public fervour and to allow those who did wish to challenge Kid, like Shinichi, to go against him, without wasting police resources on him.

And yet it was also a show of power. The problem with Kid heists being so popular was that they also showed the police's perpetual defeat. Even if public favor rested with Kid, it wasn't a good idea to seem incapable. It was especially important with Kid's status as an international criminal. Kid heists were no doubt also broadcasted in foreign nations and they also would see the mockery Kid made of the Japanese police. It was embarrassing on a political level.

As far as she could tell, asking him to turn himself in was likely the best way to help her father keep his position, a position she knew he loved. It was also about as likely as her father catching him. Kid was known for his gentlemanly behavior but she doubted that extended to him saving his opponent's career.

Inspector Nakamori was too talented to be taken off the force, but he would no doubt be reassigned. But like Zenigata, her father's true love in life was chasing Kid as the he did Lupin. And nothing else would make him happier.

She sighed. The easiest solution would be for her father to one-up Kid. Which meant that she would need to plan out a way for him to get the jewel from Kid. Or rather, she would need to get the jewel and make sure it was found on him instead. If it was found in the vicinity of the cameras then that would be even better.

A thought prickled in her mind. She had nearly forgotten about Kaito and his mysterious involvement with Kid. She fingered the broom thoughtfully and hummed. A method to kill two birds with one stone, indeed. And she was interested in testing her mettle against the infamous thief.

Shinichi had gotten the opportunity some time ago. It seemed now it was hers.

The thought drew her short. Shinichi. She'd forgotten to tell her father about Conan. She'd been meaning to tell him today but his sudden confession had drawn her short and it had felt awkward afterwards.

She didn't want to interrupt him in the middle of his planning either, a feeling she understood as it was the same for her writing, and it wasn't as though he would see Conan anytime soon. She would be able to tell him after the case. With how he got during heists she doubted he would comprehend a sentence she said if it didn't contain Kid in it.

And that reminded her of the issues she would have to resolve with Conan's legal… everything. He would no doubt be irritated with her for it but it seemed she had no choice but to do that.

AN: Sorry about the late update, guys. I was originally going to go straight to the main plot but then I realized I couldn't do that and I didn't have enough of her character revealed in this to jump forward so I had to scrap that idea and include an entirely new segment.

AN 2: So Aoko solved this murder. I kept her deduction style very similar to Shinichi's own, but it is a bit different as well. While her observations are very different, she like him, focuses much more on evidence, and they've both been influenced by Yusaku in how they present their cases. Remember, she originally did tag team with Shinichi, and they would often spin a web around the offender before trapping them and proving their guilt