Author's note: Man, I'm exhausted. Guess who's sick again? Not me! No, actually, me. Again. With a crazy cough. Well, Haibara isn't sick along with me this time, which is oddly depressing. Haibara is an… interesting person to be sick with. Anyway, hopefully you, dearest readers, will find a few answers to your questions in this chapter. /grins/

xXxXxXx

Miyano Shiho wanted to tell Kudo that he was an idiot. Haibara Ai wanted to tell him that she loved him. She wanted to tell him that he loved Ran, and he should be off saving her, and not here with a woman he obviously didn't love in his arms.

Once more, she compromised. "You're insane, Kudo. Completely crazy." She wanted to push him away, but she couldn't bring herself to. It was with an unnatural smile that she realized she'd meant it – he was insane. Who in their right mind would leave the warm, bubbly Ran Mouri for the icy Haibara Ai?

"Yeah," she heard him murmur, his breath warm on her neck, "I'm crazy." His lips were suddenly on her jawline. Haibara wanted to kiss him. Shiho knew she should knock some sense into him. Another compromise. Too many compromises. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away with more reluctance than she'd ever admit.

At that moment, a strange sort of shock ran through Kudo Shinichi. What was he doing? No, he knew what he was doing. But… why was he enjoying it?

xXxXxXx

Vermouth winced at the screams coming from the next room, but she followed up with an arrogant smirk. "I guess even Angels can't sing when they're scared."

Gin, still sitting across from her, merely grunted and flicked his lighter on and off.

Vermouth sighed, exasperated. "Come on, Gin. Why don't we go check up on her? We can have a little bit of fun while we wait." She lit her cigarette on his flickering lighter and smiled. "Hm?"

After a long moment, Gin laughed. Harshly. "We can't kill her unless that Kudo bastard's watching, and torture has begun to bore me. Tell me, oh dear Vermouth, what kind of fun we can have." He stood up and pinched out Vermouth's cigarette as he tossed his own into the corner. "I want Sherry, Vermouth. I want her dead. Until I have my hands around her thin little neck, I will not- no, I cannot have fun. Not until she's dead."

He left without another word, and Vermouth stared at her burnt-out cigarette. When Sherry's dying instead of him, perhaps he'll realize that not all pleasure revolves around pain… though I somehow doubt that. She stood, dropped her cigarette into an ugly garbage can, and entered the room of a caged angel. "Angel," she said softly, "tell me what you know about Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi, and I'll see if I can do something about your imprisonment."

The Angel said nothing, and Vermouth smiled sadly. "Disregard the conversation you just heard. I need to keep up appearances, you know? You're not our target. Tell me what they want to know, and I swear I'll get you out of here." There may be no God, Angel, she thought, but I can be your saviour.

The Angel sang.

xXxXxXx

It didn't take a certain Yoshida Ayumi very long to realize that Conan was missing. More importantly, some else had disappeared at the same time as he had. If had been anyone else, anyone at all, she wouldn't have been worried. But it wasn't anyone else. It was Haibara Ai; the only girl that she'd ever thought would take away her relationship with Conan.

She didn't like to admit it, but she still feared it. Ai had said it so many times, "I'm not in love with him, don't worry," but there was no way she could simply "not worry." The way they stood in a corner and talked in hushed tones at crime scenes, the way they would finish each other's sentences almost without even knowing it, the way Ai stared at him while he made deductions… She could go on for hours.

They knew things that even made her mother confused. Conan wasn't scared of dead bodies, and she had seen Ai wearing a lab coat at professor Agasa's several times. She didn't understand what it was, but there was something intrinsically wrong with the two of them. They weren't supposed to be how they were. That much was obvious. Nothing about them, nothing else at all, was as obvious as that.

She sighed softly and shook her head. Gotta focus, gotta focus… Where could the two of them be? What if the two of them skipped school to go on a da- No, no way. She doesn't love him. It's probably just a case. Who would know where they are? Ah! Of course! Mitsuhiko-kun always knows where Ai-chan is! She stood up suddenly, drawing stares from most of the kids eating lunch around her, and grabbed Mitsuhiko's arm as she sped out of the room.

Mitsuhiko, meanwhile, wasn't sure if he should be afraid for his life, or if he should get his hopes up. Judging by the expression on Ayumi-chan's face (it was one he'd never had the misfortune to witness before,) he decided that fearing for his life was the best way to go. "Y-Yoshida-san! What are you d-doing?"

She shushed him violently. "Shut up! Look, I'm sure you've noticed that Ai-chan is missing, right?" He nodded. "Well, Conan-kun is missing too, ok? We need to find them."

Mitsuhiko watched with trepidation as Ayumi dialed the number of Conan's cellphone – something she'd memorized long ago. On one level, he wanted Conan to answer it, just so he could know what was going on. On another level, however, he desperately hoped that Conan wouldn't pick up, and would leave him to hope that his suspicions weren't correct.

To his dismay, the phone on the other end of the line began to ring.

xXxXxXx

An Angel sat alone in a nearly empty room, her wings clipped and her strength sapped. Hope, though, is not something easily taken away from an Angel such as this. She'd been in bad situations before, and she liked to think she knew how to handle them. Having a police officer for a father had taught her a few things about life.

Vermouth's words had been… softer than she'd expected. More cushy than a captor's words to their captive should be. That isn't to say they relaxed her or anything, though.

She'd wanted to know everything about Conan-kun, Shinichi, and Ai-chan. Why? Why did anyone care about two sixth graders and a detective geek who'd been missing for three years? The way she'd asked had been so casual, but there had been a deadly seriousness in her eyes.

"Where is Kudo Shinichi?" She'd demanded, "I know you know!" But that was just it. She didn't know. As she'd thought so many times before, it hurt. It was painful to have once been the person he could confide in, and then to suddenly be the person he couldn't tell anything to.

She lifted her gaze from the floor and gently shook the chain that held her handcuffed wrists together. The music of prisoners, she thought, and smirked – it was an unfamiliar expression on her face, but it suddenly fit there like it never had before. It reminded her of Ai-chan.

What had she known about Ai-chan? Nothing. Nothing at all. She said she was more mature than most girls of her age, seemed very intelligent, and was a close friend of Conan-kun. During that little explanation, she'd realized that it was unnatural that she knew so little about Ai-chan. She knew so much about the other shonen tantei – getting family information out of first graders isn't exactly an uphill battle – and yet Ai-chan remained a mystery to her.

Conan-kun… Vermouth had been desperate for information on him. She'd tried s hard to convince herself that he was just a sixth grader, but the expression on Vermouth's face had told her otherwise. But… that still didn't mean that Conan and Shinichi were one and the same. Even Vermouth didn't know if he was or wasn't. It all confused her even more. She shook the chains on her wrists once more and sighed. She could understand, now, why Shinichi hated inaction.

xXxXxXx

The sound of a phone ringing, interesting ringtone or not, is a harsh one. It's supposed to be. Most things intended for attention getting are. However, harsh or not, they make for useful excuses. Specifically, the sound of Conan's cellphone ringing violently was an exceedingly convenient excuse for the owner of said cellphone and a certain Haibara Ai to spring apart and look in opposite directions.

It was also an excuse for Conan to think about something other than what he'd just done. As he fumbled for the phone in his backpack, Ai watched him. It had been a long time since she'd last observed him like this. And then, it had been for entirely different reasons.

She'd watched as he'd stood at the side of Ran's hospital bed – her wounds the result of another overly close encounter with the organization. Ran had murmured something about how "Shinichi was never there to protect her anymore." And she'd seen him tense and look away for a long moment. When he looked back, she was sure he was about to confess the truth of Shinichi's long absence. He didn't, though. Instead, he'd simply said, "He may not be, Ran-neechan, but I always will be." That idiot and his promises. She too had made a promise that day, however. She'd promised herself that she would never observe him carefully ever again. Because when she did, she found out things she didn't want to know. She'd left the hospital room without a word.

The phone was still ringing. Conan now held it in his hand, but he didn't want to answer the call – he'd been distracted from this case enough already. Haibara, still observing him with the critical eye of a scientist, knew he would answer it. She was right. He flicked the phone open, put it to his ear, and managed a cross between a sigh and hello.

Haibara looked on as his expression went from surprise, to anger, to boredom. All before he even said a word. Hence, it was with shock that she heard herself ask, "Who is it, Kudo?" Why did she do things without thinking about them? Nevertheless, he just covered up the phone's mic, muttered "Ayumi and Mitsuhiko" then returned to listening to whatever was happening on the other end of the line.

She sighed softly and knelt beside Kudo in an attempt to listen to the conversation. She could hear a distressed Ayumi asking where the two of them were, and, more importantly, why they were wherever they were together. Haibara stifled a sigh. They had been interrupted for this? Wait. Interrupted? They hadn't interrupted anything. Nothing at all.

"Look, Ayumi-chan," Conan said, his voice strained, "we're involved with a really rough case, which you can't help with, ok? I'm really sorry, Ayumi." Haibara smiled. Not adding the "-chan" onto the end of her name would serve to both cheer up and distract Ayumi-chan.

It didn't, however, do anything to Mitsuhiko other than make him more confused and enraged. "Edogawa-kun! What are you doing? You can't be in a relationship with Haibara-san and Ayumi-chan at the same time!"

He rolled his eyes. "Who said I was in a relationship with either of them, Tsubayara-kun?" With that, he hung up, and hung his head. Why was he being so harsh? Mitsuhiko hadn't deserved that, and he was only more depressed than he had been previously. He snapped his phone shut, stood up, and swore. He had made a mess of the place.

He felt Haibara stand up beside him, and he sighed again. "Sorry, Haibara," he muttered, and he could sense her smirking.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she said simply, "but thank you anyway."

The two eleven-year-olds turned in opposite directions and began sorting through the newly trashed house, turmoil in their minds despite the tranquility displayed in their expressions.

xXxXxXx

Akai Shuichi threw away his cigarette with a sigh. He hated interrogating people. It was how he'd met her. And it was how he was going to find her again. Not that he really wanted to. He swore. His targets were leaving.

He slid down the ladder he'd been perched upon and landed on the dusty ground with nary a sound. He looked around himself, searching absently for his two targets. Teitan middle school. It didn't bring back any long lost memories or anything. Hell, he'd never even been here before.

He lit another cigarette. He'd found his targets. When he'd approached them, they'd responded half with fear, and half with defiance. He'd smiled, and gained their trust. Then he'd asked them questions. Simple ones. About the whereabouts of Edogawa Conan and Haibara Ai. About who they were. About what they liked doing. Everything he could find out about them, he did.

He recorded everything on a hidden microphone (well, it was in his pocket, and they didn't know it was there.) As far as he was concerned, it was all useless. He didn't care about Edogawa Conan's and Haibara Ai's likes and dislikes – he cared about finding out if Haibara Ai really was Shiho, and how the hell she'd ended up as a little kid.

Still, he thought, as he stopped and saved the recording, maybe James will find out something from this. No matter how much I doubt it…

xXxXxXx

A mile or so away, Haibara Ai and Edogawa Conan sneezed simultaneously. "I guess Okino Yoko videos attract dust," Conan muttered, and Haibara nodded. No matter how dusty the videos looked, and no matter how much she hated superstitions, she couldn't help but imagine that someone had been thinking about her. Specifically, someone she hadn't thought about in a very, very long time. Too long, perhaps.

But now wasn't the time. She shook her head, and went back to the unproductive work. How many times had she said it? They work by leaving no clues, Kudo. None whatsoever. That idiot. Well, how else was he going to find Ran? That was his objective, right? Of course, she reminded herself, that was always his objective.

Her disarrayed thoughts were pushed further into oblivion when Kudo yelped with joy and held up something that she couldn't see. Well, she hoped he was holding something. If not, her doubt of his sanity from before remained.

"Look, Haibara! Check it out!" He had somehow gotten a hold of her shoulder, and was now shaking her to emphasize his words.

She sighed deeply, now truly doubting his sanity. "Kudo, you aren't holding any-" Oh. Now she could see it, if she looked truly closely. Of course, she could be going crazy too. Was it a hair? If it was real, that long, and that shade of blonde. Was it… "Kudo, what do you expect to find out about their whereabouts from a strand of Gin's hair?"

He blinked, and she could tell he hadn't quite thought things through yet. He took a deep breath, and he came up with an answer. "I know it won't do much Haibara, but… It's something, ok?"

She smiled. "I know, Kudo. Believe me, I know." He looked at her for a long moment, then encased the long strand in a plastic bag, which he pocketed.

He turned away, meaning to continue working, but then something occurred to him. "Thanks, Haibara," He said softly, "thanks a lot." And he sounded sincere.

xXxXxXx

A/N: Well? This chapter seems odd to me, somehow. And in another way, I like it. Hrm. /cough/ Anyway, please review (you know how it inspires me.) /grins again/ Alright, so I was up at three a.m. and I felt like writing… And I had a bit of caffeine-induced hyperness going on… And I ended up writing an exceedingly peculiar omake for this chapter. I thought it was funny, but it was three a.m. And it was a Tuesday.

OMAKE! (begins after Haibara's "who is it, Kudo?" line)

Ayumi: No! H-Haibara! D-don't tell me…

Haibara, mildly concerned: What?

Ayumi: Don't tell me your pet name for Conan is K-Kudo/sobs/

Conan/disturbed silence/

Haibara, feeling mischievous: As a matter of fact, Ayumi-chan… it is.

Ayumi: No! You said you didn't love him… /sob/sniff/

Mitsuhiko: If I wasn't frighteningly polite, like I am, I would be swearing at you, Conan.

Conan/twitch/ … /twitch

Haibara: Ah, that reminds me… /husky voice/ Conan, take me now!

Conan, squeakily: What? Hai-Haibara, we're only 11! 11!

Haibara, purrs: Exactly. You haven't gone through puberty yet!

Conan/faints dead away/

Haibara/steals voice modulator/ In Conan's voice: Ah. I understand. I love you, Ai.

In her own voice: Oh yes! Conan! A/N/cough/ so on and so forth…

Ayumi/lost in her own world of Ayumi/Conan/

Mitsuhiko: Wait… what? I'm so confused… what are you two doing?

Haibara/evil laughter/ wouldn't you like to know.

/phone call ended/

Mitsuhiko: What? I'm still confused.

Elsewhere…

Haibara: … that… amused me

Really elsewhere…

Officer Sato: and this is why I regret wiretapping Conan's cellphone. And the detective office.

…

Ears… so… unclean.

A/N: Liked it? Hated it? And yes, I know that you can't wiretap cellphones. Work with me here. /grins/