As amusing as introducing Shinichi to Hakuba was (that moment of panic, the touch of straight up fear that had crept into his voice, the paling face, oh yeah, Kaito was going to remember that for years to come), meeting Shinichi's self-proclaimed rival and best friend was going to be even better. Especially since the great Detective of the West had absolutely no idea that Kaito was now in the picture. How Shinichi had managed to keep Hattori from finding out or checking in and figuring it out, he had no idea, but he wasn't about to question his detective.

But that was really beside the point. The point was he was meeting Hattori Heji and he had somehow managed to convince Shinichi to let him play clone. Which was honestly a miracle in itself and someone deserved an award for it. That someone was him. He deserved the award.

Having already disguised as Shinichi on more than one occasion while he was still Conan, this was going to be a piece of cake and now he had been around the real Shinichi enough to know more than enough of his basic mannerisms and quirks to pass off as the Hesei Holmes. Oh, this was going to be fun! He was half tempted to do a little victory jig right then and there.

He didn't but from the way that Shinichi was slowly scooting away from him with the air of someone trying to navigate a minefield, Kaito figured he wasn't managing to hold back the excitement as well as he was figuring. Not that it mattered. Shinichi was safe. He didn't have to worry about some things slipping by his Poker Face. It was a blessing enough just to be able to take it off every once and a while around someone who actually understood.

"You're vibrating," Shinichi stated slowly, eyes slowly looking over the other warily as if the motion would set off one of the many tricks that he knew for a fact Kaito kept on his person at all times.

Kaito only hummed and tossed another shirt to the side. That one wouldn't work. No, they had to make this convincing. Shinichi let out a strangled yelp as he was suddenly assaulted by his own clothes only to have another two shirts, a pair of pants, and a jacket follow the first.

"What are you even looking for anyways? Can't you use any of my clothes for this?" Shinichi continued as he looked at the chaotic state of the room right now. Kaito had already gone through the closet and was on the third drawer. Only a few sets had been laid out to the side to be gone through later while everything else was just tossed. Kaito would reckon it probably looked like a mall threw up all over the place. Well, if a mall had tattered shoes, lovingly worn Touto University and Tokyo Spirits sweatshirts, and enough clothes that had slightly suspicious stains. Actually, mall wasn't the best thing. A higher brand thrift store was probably the better fit.

"Because—" Kaito held up a dress shirt, frowned, and tossed it to the side—"if I'm going to be your clone, I still have to be you and you wouldn't dress you in something you don't wear but you also wouldn't let not-you wear something you wouldn't want anyone else to see you in so I have to find something of yours that matches that level of worn-ness." Not really though. He could use anything. This was just a chance to go through Shinichi's entire wardrobe without complete repercussion. (This entire situation was just a win!)

Shinichi squinted at him before just letting out a longsuffering sigh and dug himself out of a grave of t-shirts. "Well you better hurry up. His train gets here in half an hour and I said I would pick him up."

Now on the third and last drawer, Kaito pulled out the very last item he needed and with a smile that was normally reserved for when Hakuba was being particularly annoying, Kaito dressed himself in a whirl of color and smoke leaving a second Kudo Shinichi standing there. "Ready."

Kaito started out alone on the platform, Shinichi having gone off to get drinks for the lot of them and Kaito despaired for a moment at a sudden realization. He was going to have to drink Shinichi's contaminated battery acid, wasn't he? Taking in a slow breath, he counted to ten and let his Poker Face return as he heard the announcement for the upcoming train. It was all for an act, all for an act.

Fingers tugging anxiously on a loose string of the jacket, Kaito looked out for Hattori as the train slowed to a stop and people flooded onto the platform. He and Shinichi had already talked about what they were going to do, what the plan was, and even had a bet going for how long it would take Hattori to figure out. Shinichi, like the oh so good friend he was, said it would last at most three hours. Kaito swore he could pull it off for a day and Shinichi was going down. His Poker Face was impeccable.

Eventually, Kaito spotted the Osakan scanning the crowd and Kaito waved him over. A wide grin stretched across Hattori's face and he jogged over, looking Kaito over. "Kudo! Ya look like you're doin' better."

First test passed.

Kaito let out a slightly nervous laugh at that one. "Yeah, I am but…" He trailed off and Hattori's eyes narrowed. Good, he was sensing that there was something off. "I should probably warn you. There was an accident at Agasa's and well… You'll see. He should be back soon."

Hattori blinked a few times before looking out over the crowd. "He? Who's 'he'?"

Ah, perfect timing. Shinichi walked up holding three cups of coffee. Two death drinks and a hazelnut mocha. (Kaito almost hated the other detective for actually getting to drink something nice.) "I got us all drinks," he stated as if having a double was perfectly normal and besides, he had had more than enough time to get used to it.

Kaito grabbed one of the cups and took a long happy sip in sync with Shinichi, pleasantly surprised to find this one sweetened ever so slightly. Aw! Shinichi did care! Now he could just was Hattori sputter and go several different shades of white. Today was a good day.

"You— But— Him— And—"

For a moment, Hattori seemed to forget how to hake comprehensible sentences and just did his best impression of a… certain finny thing he didn't want to think about.

Shinichi only raised a single judgmental eyebrow at him. "Are you alright Hattori? Did you lose your ability to speak properly since you last came here?"

That seemed to snap him out of it a bit and he managed to get out in something that was just a few decibels short of a roar "There's two of ya!"

Both "Shinichis" leveled him in a flat look, speaking in time with one another. "Oh wow. I didn't notice." Hattori visibly recoiled.

"Please don' ever do that again." His eyes were going between the two of them so quickly, Kaito wondered if they were just vibrating. "That was creepy."

"Well it's not like I—we can help it," Shinichi started and corrected himself frustratedly. He waved in the general direction of Kaito who looked just as frustrated. "We're the same person. Agasa is looking into something but for now we'll just have to deal with him."

Kaito glared.

"So…" Huh, the vibrating had stopped but the irises were still darting between them. "Which one of ya is the real Kudo?"

A twin chorus of "It's me." followed by identical glares served as a not-answer. Hattori proved then that it was somehow possible to look more confused than he already did.

"Ya mean, ya don't know."

Kaito stopped glaring at Shinichi to sigh and run a hand through his har. "Well we both think we're the real one and neither of us are going to back down. Didn't help that Agasa couldn't tell either when the smoke cleared."

Hattori's mouth fell open briefly before he just took a breath and shook his head with a general aura of Don't Want to Know. Kaito inwardly smirked. He was totally buying it.

"Y'know what? Forget it. Let's just get goin'," he decided before grabbing his drink from Shinichi and downing half of it angerly. Shinichi shout him a look and Kaito only grinned in response.

It was later when they were strolling around Beika that things got complicated again.

"Hey Kudo," Hattori started.

"What?" said Kaito just as Shinichi also said, "What?"

Hattori appeared to die a little on the inside. "I can't do this… You—" he pointed at Kaito—"Are Kudo and you—" this time at Shinichi—"are Conan."

Kaito did a mental victory dance as Shinichi now sputtered a bit at being dropped to Conan when he was the real deal. Just another hour and Shinichi owed him a triple chocolate cake.

For the most part, the outing was awfully calm considering his company and Shinichi seemed to be enjoying messing with the Osakan almost as much as he did (clearly Kaito was rubbing off of him. He was so proud!) and they did things in unison as much as humanly possible. (Hattori had begun to twitch every time it happened which only led them to do it even more.)

But of course, a calm day was impossible when two competent detectives were standing nearby and when one of those two was Kudo Shinichi. So of course a corpse had to fall from five stories up and startle Kaito out of his Shinichi Poker Face just ten minutes before he won the bet.

'Lady Luck, why hast thou abandoned me?' he lamented as it became obviously apparent that he wasn't a clone when Shinichi had only gotten that Look he had when something like this happened. Hattori looked between the two for a moment before seeming to push it to the side and join Shinichi in inspecting the scene. Kaito just looked to the sky and asked why the curse couldn't have waited just a few more minutes.

"So you're not Kudo," Hattori stated after they finished up with the police.

"Nope," Kaito popped as he shook his hair out of the neat style into his typical mess before turning to the true Kudo. "Gosh dang it, Shinichi. I was hoping my luck would trump yours!"

Shinichi snorted a laugh and smirked. "With Hattori around. Unlikely. And now you owe me the new Detective Samonji series."

Hattori, who seemed to have finally finished processing the day, let out a long low groan and buried his face in his hands.

"I hate you both."