A/N: Another~ Another~! (Childish Cheering) I'm on a roll~! XDD I co-wrote this with my sister, so everything she says in this chapter is genuinely her. (Grins) It was kinda hard doing that, but it was worth the very realistic result. XD Hope you enjoy~! Also, does anyone else find it ironic that when I was on summer vacation and didn't have to do school, I wrote nothing, but now that I have school, I'm writing? (Bemused) Anyways, onwards~!

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito in any way or form.

Chapter Nine

I waited patiently for my sister to reply, the smile on my face lessening a bit because of the pain. She just stared at me, and stared at me, and stared at me. The smile vanished from my face as I became concerned. "Are you there…?" I asked, remembering that I now probably had to consciously speak English, since apparently my default was now Japanese. She seemed to break out of her shocked stupor – blinking a few times in rapid succession – before coming forward and tapping her knuckles on whatever I was on.

"There's no way she's there. There's just no way. I'm imagining things. Like she'll ever end up on TV." My sister snorted, staring at me through the screen of, apparently, the television.

"Hey!" I shouted, offended. "First, I will be on TV one day! And yes, I am on the TV!" That seemed to be the breaking of the floodgate.

"WHAT?!" Dannie shrieked, and I flinched at the high-pitched sound. Sensitive ears, darn it. "You really are there?! But, how can you hear me?!" She questioned kind of hysterically, banging on the TV lightly with her fists. I hurried to answer, trying to save the poor TV from anymore abuse. "Well, you see, I'm not actually in the television – Akako-san was able to allow me to contact you, somehow… Through the TV, I guess."

"Okay, so lemme see if I got this right. You're with Akako, and somehow figured out how to contact me." She stated, and I nodded. "Yup." She blinked. Twice. Then she smirked, raising a brow at me. "Where are you, really?" She asked. I gave her an admittedly childish glare.

"I'm in Ekoda, Tokyo, Japan – in a different dimension." I told her bluntly. "And I'm with Detective Conan and Magic Kaito peoples~"

"Quit kidding around. And if you really are there, explain to me how you got there, Ms. Einstein." I grimaced at the nickname. "It's kinda hard to explain…," I trailed, my brows furrowing. "You know that small rock I got klepto fingers for; well, apparently, it was part of a gem that was in the Detective Conan dimension and it…bonded…with me due to some complicated things. Then, it sent me here…"

Dannie just stared at the screen, her face completely blank. She stayed like that for a while, only letting out the occasional 'hmm' – most likely going over the situation. I waited patiently before finally deciding to ask, "Dannie, are still there?" She nodded. "Uh-huh. My brain hurts." Ah, I know how she feels.

"Okay, let me clear it up a bit." I gave her a grin. "I was transported here by a gem – complicated things aside; trust me, it'll just confuse you – and now I'm trying to find a way to get back home. I figured all this stuff out from Akako, and I asked her to allow me to contact you. I just wanted to make sure that you don't worry too much, and to figure out how things are in the real, err…, our world." I explained.

"Well, if you wanna know how things are in our world," She closed her eyes with a smug smile, bringing her hand up in a sort of 'give it to me' pose. "Momma's looking desperately looking for you, she has posters of you all over – on every corner and every street – she's questioned me countless times, and she's basically freakin' out to the highest extent she can. It's been one heck of a week." Her voice abruptly turned to strained anger. "Thank you so much."

Shit, what a mess….

I groaned; face palming at the chaos that had ensued after I went MIA. "Sorry, sorry." My tiny hand dragged down my face in an exasperated manner. "Tell her to stop freakin' out and to relax, please. It's gonna get her nowhere."

"Okay, well, how's your plan to get back home?" She questioned, growing stern and crossing her arms across her chest. I blinked; I hadn't exactly planned anything yet. "It's…Coming along well enough." I lied, giving her a cheeky grin. Truthfully, I'm not even sure how I would be able to get back home. I'd have to ask Akako that later. It had somehow slipped my mind earlier…

"I can only hold the connection open for a little while longer." Akako's voice rang out from behind me in perfect English, startling me. "Despite the misbalance, if I hold it any longer, the crack in the dimensions will rip open."

"Woah, you really are with Akako." Dannie gasped. "That is so weirdly cool, man." She got back to business in a quick second. Ha, and people say that I'm bipolar. It must run in the family, I thought bemusedly. "Well, try to get in touch with me as much as you can, and get home as fast as you can. I'll try to make up an excuse." Oh, that's why I love her~! "Thanks, Dannie! You're a live saver!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah; I'm that great." She grinned confidently, waving off my praises with a careless hand. I blinked as a static-ish sound started and then Dannie's face blurred, her own looking surprised and then she was gone – her picture washing away, leaving only the clear liquid in the cauldron. I leaned back from it, disappointed before I gave a small, content, smile. At least I had been able to talk to her for little while. Besides, there would always more times that I could contact her, given Akako was willing to do it, but I think she would be…Maybe.

"Sorry, the connection cut." Akako's smooth voice told me, back in Japanese, and I turned to her, giving her a curious look. "I think the rift in the dimensions cut if off to protect the magical balance from being further messed up." She explained and I nodded. "It's okay. At least now my sister knows where I am. I'm surprised she never asked me why I look younger." I said, my lips quirking into a smirk. She probably hadn't noticed, or she did and realized what happened after I told her where I was.

"She was probably too preoccupied with the dimension situation than the shrinking situation." She giggled a bit. I couldn't help but agree with her; the shrinking problem wasn't that big of a deal. Well, unless the organization figures out about me, then I'm a dead woman walking, but I doubt they would. If Shinichi could get away with it, I should be able too; though, I act way too mature to be a three year old. I really need to work on that. Now that I think about it, I haven't looked in a mirror yet. Not even when getting ready this morning, I had kinda just taken a shower, gotten dressed, and then brushed my hair with my fingers. How could that slip my mind?

"You know, I won't be able to let you contact your sister again." Akako informed me, walking passed me and turning the corner. I hurried after her, going up the stairs behind her, noting absently that the creepy butler wasn't there. "Why not?" I asked frantically. I stumbled as I tripped on a step before I regained my momentum. I was blinded for a minute as Akako pulled of her black cloak.

"Because the balance is really bad right now," She stated in an obvious tone. "You may be able to contact her again, though. The small cracks in the dimensions that I mentioned earlier; if both you and your sister are in the right place at the right time, you'll be able to have brief contact. Since the balance is so messed up right now, there should be a lot more of those cracks because the universe itself has probably cracked open as well." I flinched. Did she have to put it like that? Now I feel like the cause of a universal disaster… Though, it was good that I may be able to contact Dannie again.

The warm, orange light from outside was visible again as we got higher up the stairs. Eventually, we reached the top of the stairs and Akako turned to me, with her hands on her hips. I stopped on the top step, looking up at her. "I forgot to tell you earlier, too, but that connection wasn't for free. Neither was the bracelet." My face paled.

"What's the price…?" I asked hesitantly. She smirked at my worry, "Don't worry, it's not your soul." I sighed in relief, my cheeks dusted pink at my stupid thought.

"The price for the bracelet is fairly simple. I merely get to take half of your magic. It won't hurt, and you'll be unaffected by it. Your magic will also replenish itself, so it'll be back in no time – like I didn't take a thing." Ah, that one wasn't so bad, though, what she wanted with my magic was beyond me. "The price for the connection is slightly more complicated. Your memories of the conversation will be completely erased by midnight." I blinked.

"Why by midnight?" My brows furrowed.

"Because that's the bewitching hour," She gave a hair-raising laugh. I guess that made sense..., "Your magic will also be taken at midnight. Be grateful that you didn't ask for something very high in price." I bit my lip to keep from whimpering. I'm really glad I didn't, too. I could only imagine all the things the prices would be if I asked for too much. A shiver travelled down my spine.

Oh. Right. "Hey, Akako-neesan," I decided I would keep calling her that, other than Akako-neechan or Akako-san. "How exactly will I be able to get back to my world?"

"Since the gem is bonded with you, and it's now your official outlet, you'll have to get the gem back and then it should take you back with a little help from me – which, to tell you ahead of time, won't be free. Then, you have to figure the rest out from there; how to fix the misbalance since the gem would, most likely, be whole. But, you can't go back to your world without the gem because only the gem and your magic can send you back; also, the gem has to be in the same dimension as you, or you'll die." Well, that wasn't troubling. Not one bit.

"Okay, thanks." I gave her a grin, and she turned, her red hair swishing behind her before she continued on, me following her, through the not-normal living room, to the first hallway and all the way back to the front door. She opened it, slipping on her shoes and gesturing for me to go out first. "I'll walk you home. It's too late for you to walk back by yourself, even if you are really thirteen." I pouted to myself. Darn this small body.

She walked out of the house after me and we headed down the creaking steps. She grabbed my hand before we continued on. I was happy to leave the strange household, listening to the crows calling behind us as we continued on. The forest was less creepy with someone there with me, too. Thank goodness. We continued through the forest, setting things up together.

ooOOoo

It was dark when we finally reached the Kuroba household. Akako rang the buzzer, informing Chikage that it was Koizumi Akako with Koizumi Alice (We had chatted on the way there and decided that I should take her surname; after all, I couldn't remain surname-less), and we walked through the gate to the door, which was opened by Kaito's mom. Akako let go of my hand when we reached the steps. She gave Chikage a polite half-bow and turned to go back to her house. "Bye, Akako-neesan!" I waved enthusiastically, and then turned to Chikage who welcomed me back into the house warmly.

"How was your visit?" She asked with a smile, closing the door behind us and walking with me to the kitchen. Dinner sounded great right now, and she had apparently read the signs that I was hungry.

"It was great; Akako-neesan helped me with a lot of things." Hey, it wasn't a lie. "Ne, where's Kaito-niichan?" I asked curiously. Chikage paused in her fridge opening for only a split second before she inconspicuously went on to grab the leftovers and took it out, closing the fridge with her hip as she danced over to get a plate from the cupboard.

"Ah, Kai-chan went to visit an old family friend of ours. His name is Konosuke Jii; he used to be my husband's assistant, but now he's Kaito's." She giggled, as if relishing in an inside secret that I wasn't supposed to know about. However, I already knew what she was talking about and had to force myself not to crack a knowing smirk.

"Ah, I see." We fell into content silence as she put the food on a plate and popped it into the microwave. The hum of the microwave lasted for a minute and thirty seconds before it binged and Chikage took it out and placed it in front of me. "Thank you." I flashed her a grin before beginning to eat.

Chikage sat in front of me, watching me intently as I ate. None of us broke the comfortable quietness until I finished my food and got up and put my plate in the sink. "I'm gonna go get changed, okay?" She nodded and I headed upstairs to Kaito's room, grabbed the shirt he lent me for a night gown, and then headed to the bathroom.

I shut the door behind me, my toes curling at the coldness of the tiles underneath my feet. I pulled my shirt and pants off and threw on Kaito's shirt, his unique smell assaulting my senses immediately. I hopped on to the bathroom counter, looking at my reflection. It had changed from the last time I had seen myself – that day in the car and the morning the day I went missing.

A child's face stared back at me, quipped with big, brown doe eyes and my short hair framed my face, curling at the ends and giving off the innocent look of a young girl. I looked a bit longer at myself before hoisting myself completely onto the counter. I stood on it, turning in the mirror to view the rest of my body. Since I was so tall, I looked more like a seven year old who just had a young-looking face. No wonder Kaito had let me walk through that forest on my own. He probably thought I was seven, along with Chikage, because I never did tell them my supposed age.

That also explains why Heiji had sounded so uncertain when he asked if I was three. That's good; I'll have a lot more freedom this way. After all, Detective Conan seven year olds actually have quite a bit of freedom. The Detective Boys run around on their own all the time. I smirked at myself in the mirror before jumping off the counter carefully.

I exited the bathroom, carrying the clothes I had used for the day and placing them in the dirty laundry holder before I headed to Kaito's room. I went inside, getting comfy in the futon we had decided the night before I would use, and then grabbed my bag, which had been transferred from Kaito's desk to underneath my pillow. I grabbed a notebook out of it quickly, starting to write down the conversation I had with my sister. If I was going to lose the memories, might as well be prepared, right?

After that was done, I put the stuff away, putting my bag underneath my pillow again and laying down, closing my eyes. Now, to figure out how to get the gem; if I'm correct, this one will be an actual gem, so it'll probably be under heavy security.

A smirk adorned my lips. I guess I could always do that….

Review Replies:

To: Kudo Shinichi Tanteisan – Haha, yeah, it was fast! XD This update was quicker – like a ninja! (Does Ridiculous Hand Gestures) XD And after you pointed that out, I was like, 'shoot, that's right!'. (Laughs) But, I had already been planning for me to look kinda older, and seven year olds in DC usually are able to run around by themselves – which I find immensely strange – so, I think I'd be okay. Maybe… ? XDD I'm just trying to find a loophole, don't mind me~! And, yeah, I do talk too mature, huh? (Bemused) Also explained by looking seven~! –shot– …..(Revives Self) And don't worry, I don't take it as a flame – you helped me see a big story flaw, so thank you~! (Bows) (Grins as snowflakes fall and eats cyber cookie) Thankies, E-chan~! 3

-Edit: Whoo, lots of continuity errors in this one. Never fear – I have fixed them! XD