Authours Notes:
Things are finally following my planned notes again... sort of... *glares at Kaitou Kid* some people weren't invited. Seriously. Kid was supposed to leave Heiji on the roof... but for some reason, he stuck around? I don't really get Kid or Kuroba really... I have watched his show... and I don't really know what motivates him, how he really feels, or even if he likes-likes Aoko or if he just sees her as a friend... then again that's one of the reason's I like his character... because I don't think I'm supposed to know all that...
His presence makes connecting the next part of the story to the rest easier... but makes the rest of it harder... because he's a wild card that wasn't supposed to be in the deck... at least not until much later.

The Lycanthropy of a Shrunken Detective

Chapter Twenty-Four

Half an hour before the heist…

Ran laughed as she walked with Sonoko. Her friend had dragged her out of the office to get her mind off of missing Conan. Ran told herself she wasn't too worried about the boy, he was with his parents after all. Still… she shook her head.

Sighing she smiled as Sonoko jumped up and down in excitement as she examined a red dress. "Oh…" The blond smiled. "This would look so cute on you Ran!"

"You think?" Ran laughed. Looking up the karate champion took note of the darkening sky. It was getting late and they both knew it. Soon the stores would close and they'd have no choice but to go back. Back to the office, where Conan wasn't. It would be lonely. Her dad probably was out drinking too… She sighed.

"Stop that." Sonoko said giving Ran a stern look then shook her head. "You just attract troublemakers." The girl said. "Just forget about boy's young and old for a few minutes." She gasped. "OH! Look Ran!" Squealing Sonoko hopped up to a little shop that was selling Kid regalia. She picked up a little plush keychain. "Isn't it cute!"

Ran smiled softly. "Isn't his heist happening tonight? I'm surprised you haven't dragged me to it."

Sonoko blinked cuddling the plushy closely to her. "What?"

Ran rolled her eyes. "I don't mind going you know."

Sonoko brightened for a moment before she frowned. "You're not just saying that? I thought for sure that you wouldn't want to go… because, Conan…" She bit her lip.

Ran smiled softly. "It's okay Sonoko. It's not like he's dead. I'm sure we'll meet again."

Sonoko laughed. "Okay! You've convinced me!" She cheered. "Let's go!"

It took a bit longer to get to the heist than expected and the two girls just managed to make it to the hotel in time to see a horde of officers racing out of the building.

Letting out a noise of defeat Sonoko slumped. "I guess we missed it."

"Sorry, Sonoko…" Ran patted her friends back getting a half-smile from her longtime friend. "I should have said something earlier."

"No." Sonoko shook her head then angrily shook her fist at the sky. "It's the underground railway! What's with the random delays, hu!?"

"An' here I thought we'd struck out."

Both girls stiffened at the strange and gruff voice as it was accompanied by a cold blade meeting the skin of Ran's neck. "I'd do as told, Ms. Suzuki." Another man said taking hold of Sonoko covering her mouth with a large hand as the cold of something round and metal met the back of her head. The first man growled pulling one of Ran's arm's back in a twist that had her crying out. "That is If you don't want to see that little miss killed."

Wide-eyed the girls complied.

Meanwhile…

Heiji followed Kaitou Kid to a convenience store where the thief incognito preceded to buy a chocolate ice cream bar gleefully taking a second from the cashier who was clearly flirting with her. Kid didn't seem to mind and Heiji was starting to wonder if Kid really could be a girl in their civilian life. They really pulled off the high school girl out on the town look as she was happily consuming the treat. As they stepped back on to the street though Kid turned a tempered glare on him that had Heiji stepping back in shock. It was a look he'd seen many times on Kazuha's face when he was being dense and missing something obvious. Usually having to do with emotions or social cues. "You really are something you know that?" Kid said bluntly leaning against a wall as they came to a stop.

"Eh- Excuse me!?"

"You come to my heist and act like a wet blanket all night! I expected more from you Detective, Sir!" Kid's voice slowly went from a serious scolding tone to a petulant whine.

Heiji blinked. "Er… sorry?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just really needed ta talk ta ya-

"And we both knew that!" Kid said pointing a half eaten bar at the detective, a disappointed frown on her face.

"I didn't know that!" Hattori blurted.

Kid's head fell to the side with an exasperated sigh as she went on with her dramatics. "It's so sad! So sad I tell you! If it weren't for Hakuba being so meddlesome I would have just left you there as it was! But that stick in the mud doesn't need to get wrapped up in whatever trouble's our little friend is in. Or Kudo's for that matter." Kid gave Hattori a knowing glance. "You really need to stop mixing those two up."

"Well I couldn't very well take it back after I said it now could I? Especially sense Hakuba was there-

"But you didn't know that~!" Kid sang.

"No… but who knows who might be listening…" Hattori glanced around nervously.

Kid sighed. "Now he's cautious…" Shaking her head before she bit into the hard chocolate of her second ice cream; tossing the stick of the finished one into a nearby trash can.

Heiji crossed his arms giving the person beside him a deep frown. Kid pause in licking the cream seeping out of a crack in the bar from her knuckles to give the detective an inquisitive look. "Ya didn't have ta leave him like that ya know. I don't like the guy much myself… but hog-tying him seem's a bit extreme."

"If I didn't do that he'd already be here." Kid said simply going back again to their ice cream.

Hattori grunted. "Ya coulda done it before yer costume change. It was weird ta see a high school girl doin' that while laughin' maniacally."

"Aw…" Kid said looking all too touched. Heiji grumbled. Wondering why when Kudo was involved did he end up having to work with all the weirdest most frustrating people. "So…" Kid suddenly said sounding serious. "It's true then… Mr. Detective's gone a bit feral on us?"

"He's definitely in a hairy situation." Hattori said almost automatically.

Kid snorted. "I'm guessing you- hold on." Kid frowned pulling a phone from seemingly nowhere. Heiji was a bit confused but waited. His curiosity only grew as Kid's face went blank. "My Kid News alert kept going off… I thought it was weird… even for a heist night…"

Heiji bit back a comment about narcissism and asked. "You need to head out?" If Kid was this amicable he could see the thief setting up a better time to talk.

Kid shook their head their voice suddenly the deep tone Heiji was used to from the thief and it was damn disorienting. "No. Looks like our night just got longer." Kid turned the phone so Heiji could read. The Osaka detective swore.

The headlines varied but the one that stood out was the one proclaiming the kidnapping of a large company head's daughter. It seemed eyewitnesses spotted two girls being kidnapped during the chaos of the police chasing Kid. One of them recognized Suzuki Sonoko. The kidnappers had the girls in a car and gone in a matter of moments. Heiji couldn't believe the bad luck. "If anythin' happens ta Ran Kudo'll kill me." Heiji said.

"An action like this taking place during one of my heist even on the tail end is unacceptable." Kid said seriously, and Heiji felt he was starting to realize what Kudo meant when he said no one got hurt on a Kid heist. Even though they were in disguise, and even though their face hadn't changed much, there was just something in the set of their jaw that gave Heiji the impression that Kid was pissed.

Authours Notes:
So... while writing this I realized something... the way I write Hattori I wasn't 100% sure where I was basing him from since I wasn't having as much trouble as with the other characters in getting his voice... I figured it was probably something. Though the fact that I like his character could have been all of it... I just came to the conclusion that I think I may have based it off of NinthFeather's version of Heiji in Steeplechase. Which is one of my all-time favorite Magic Kaito/Detective Conan story's and it's actually a sequel and you should read Riddle in Reverse first- but it's all a damn good story and totally worth a read if you like the DC/MK universes. (They edit out swearing, unlike me and the uncultured swine that I am) Their version's of all the characters are better than I could write in a million years…
I need to be more creative in my character writing...

Sorry for the randomness, thank you for reading.

(words used 1294. Date posted Dec 4 2018)