Revolver

by zXFallenAngelsXz

Transporting into a familiar world filled with murderous psychopaths wasn't what I had in mind for my family's trip to Kansas. In fact, it was the last thing on my mind at the time. Of course, because of that little pest called "bad luck", that's exactly what goes down. I'd fallen down the rabbit hole into shrink-ville, crime cases, thieving, and my "favorite" - black magic.

54. Chapter 54

A/N: So sorry for the super lateness of this! (D-Did I say a week, kittyfinatic515-san…? *nervous laughter*) (Bows Deeply) Here, have some cyber cookies and a super long chapter! (Throws and scrambles away pathetically) On the bright side, there is quite a lot of information regarding future events in this chapter! Mwahaha~ and hidden jokes, look for them, 'kay? XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito in any way or form. (or shape!) Koizumi Ayala (and her cat, Ra) is owned by MagicMilkbone.

Chapter Fifty Four

Carefully, Akako's hands moved across the ancient book, reading the information with great care. Old pages stained a faint yellow with time crinkled as she turned the page, blinking wearily. The candle next to her flickered, brightening the room in a warm glow. Consuming so much information was tiresome, but wholeheartedly worth the effort. If only there was a something as convenient as the Yggdrasil in this world, then, maybe… Wait. Was there one in Midori's world…? I should look into that…

Akako glanced up as someone walked into her study, expecting Midori with that euphoric – idiotic looking – grin painted on her face after another successful heist, but instead what met her eyes were two unconscious phantom thieves being lugged into the room by a tall blond, tanned, man. Fiery eyes narrowed into a startled glare as she shot out of her chair, the wooden frame of it clattering against the floor of the room. Unlike most of the house, which was carpeted with a velvet-like carpet, this room had smooth wooden flooring which allowed her to do several other things she wouldn't be able to if there was carpet.

"How did you get in here?" There was a magical barrier around the house which only allowed people who she welcomed to gain access, so how had this man…? Her eyes darted to her friends, who looked relatively unharmed, before her eyes glided back up to the man's face again. Columbian blue eyes were watching her in some sense of bored amusement and a prominent spider tattoo was etched over his left eye.

After a second of analyzing him, she relaxed, shoulders slumping a bit from their tensed position. "Ah, so that's how." She mused aloud. She crossed her arms gracefully, dark red hair brushed down her elegant swan neck as she raised an unimpressed brow. "My barrier recognized you as an extended part of that idiot. I guess that's something I should be more careful about. Oh well, I'll fix it later." She dismissed, raising a palm.

Spider blinked in faint surprise as Jester and KID were yanked out of his grip by an invisible force and he watched in mild interest as Akako's hand moved with barely any effort, lifting the two almost-adult humans easily with her magic – it was the first time he'd seen magic used by someone other than himself and it was fascinating to watch them do it with such ease; even he, himself, had his own problems since his creator wasn't fully awakened. The only thing that would allow him to fully use all of his magic would be if his creator was able to, as well.

Akako's concentrated gaze followed the two thieves' movement as she placed KID gently down onto one of the large recliner chairs in her study before she vindictively let Jester crash into the wall of the room, letting her tumble awkwardly into the long couch that had been pushed against said wall. She took a step closer to the couch, looking over her nose at the younger girl who now had a somewhat pained expression that smoothed away in an instant. "Got a concussion tripping my ass, you rogue…," She gritted out silently, despite knowing the man with her could probably hear her every word.

Kin, who'd been lying down on the circular rug in the middle of the living room-like place in the room, swiftly jumped up onto Jester, curling into the side of her neck wordlessly with a brief glare at the abuse in Akako's direction. His golden eyes, however, didn't close – instead, they went to stare penetratingly at the intruder who'd gotten his scent all over his master. He immediately decided he didn't like him, the fur on the back of his neck raising slowly as his back gradually arched.

"Kin-kun, stop being overprotective. If you attack that man without permission, it'd be against your contract – it would be revoked." Akako frowned, flicking the animal on his forehead – earning a displeased hiss but no physical retaliation – before turning back to the other man in the room, who had gotten bored and decided to investigate the room instead, taking in the cobblestone walls, bookshelves, and intricate trinkets lying around. "And you – get out of here. I have enough misfits to take care of without you." She disregarded him as one would to last week's trash and Spider felt a spike of irritation as she called out, "Dorei!"

At the barked out call, her butler appeared in the doorway, head bowed down slightly in respect. "Yes, Akako-sama?"

The witch waved a hand at Spider, "Get rid of him, will you? Don't kill him – just escort him out." The butler nodded in consent, expression dampening a bit when he realized he couldn't kill the newcomer, and was about to grab Spider's arm to haul him out of the mansion when the artificial being let out a chuckle. "You're kicking me out, just like that, little witch?"

The butler flew back out of the room, grunting as his back hit the hall's wall, and the door slammed shut, locking the two in the room. Akako's stance had once more gone to the defensive as Spider smirked at his handy work proudly. He may be exhausted from going into and getting Midori out of her own mind and taking the two out of the pocket dimension the gem had, but he still had enough energy left – and Akako knew that well.

He turned back to her, eyes narrowed in cold amusement. Akako felt indignation flair, but forced it down begrudgingly. If the two got into a fight now, the two unconscious mortals would inevitably get hurt. It'd be troublesome to clean up after them. "What do you want, then?" She was glaring him down, fiery red eyes practically glowing in the dim lighting as the air grew thick with magic, crackling almost like electricity.

He gave another deep chuckle, "Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Don't you need something from me, little witch?" And she really didn't like that nickname – what was with Midori and nicknames? Even her artificial creation had gotten that certain hand-me-down characteristic. How irritating…

"What are you implying?" Her tone was cold, yet there was a small bit of curiosity flaring in her. Could it be that this man also intended…? But, it didn't make sense, either.

Spider's smirk widened, flashing elongated canines for a brief moment, knowing he'd caught her attention. "How about we play a little game, miss?" His eyes sparkled mischievously and wickedly, revealing his true intentions – or was there something else hidden behind there? She paused to think, thinking about what he could be possibly implying, the circumstances, and, most of all, his creator's personality. If she was correct in thinking this was probably another hand-me-down with the roundabout way of setting things, then…

"A game of bet's, I take it?" She huffed, turning her nose up in an arrogant manner that made Spider's brow twitch in dislike. "Fine, I'll take your game and I'll win it."

"Ah, witches do never know when to quit, do they?" He sneered, "Both you and I know perfectly well that I have a better chance at winning this than you do. Impossibly so, even." He quirked a telling brow. He was offering – offering cooperation. She'd been right – maybe this man was just as insane as his creator was, for his actions didn't match up with his feelings or his words; everything he did was random at best. But she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth – she knew (begrudgingly) that she needed the help if she was going to pull this off. It'd take too long otherwise and then it would be pointless, either way.

"A joint game it is, then." The corner of Akako's lips turned downwards, unhappy with the strange turn of events. "Who do you think will win?" She felt the innate need to ask. The game was fake – fixed. There were no winners or losers, no one to keep score, and there were no rules. But the answer would still be apparent. She almost felt sick at partnering up with this man, but there was another part of her that gave in – she trusted it; she trusted him to keep his end of the deal. Because he was being genuine about it.

"We'll arrange the details at a later time, little witch." He snapped his fingers and the door flew open, as he began to leave in a sauntering gait. He'd gotten what he'd wanted – now, he could really care less.

"And of course we'll win... I don't lose anything."

The double-edged words left her feeling uneasy as he disappeared around the doorframe, the butler trailing after him.

She didn't like this – not one bit.

ooOOoo

I groaned, consciousness slipping back into my mind slowly, overtaking the hazy blackness. My eyelids felt like lead, but I pried them open, feeling something soft and warm shift against my neck in a familiar gesture – Kin, I realized, something wet and rough moving up my cheek. I smiled slightly, seeing a white ceiling above me that looked…unfamiliar.

I jolted up in shock, eyes wide as my head whipped back and forth, Kin tumbling down from my collarbone to my lap, which was covered with a blanket that had been draped over me. I ignored an odd, dull, ache on the back of my shoulder – had I hit something? I disregarded that question, though. There were more pressing matters, like – where was I? The room was unfamiliar, with only a single candle as light, flickering and coloring the room dimly with orange light. I reached up, running a hand through my hair as my other immediately sought out my fuzzy companion for comfort. The cobblestone walls made the room feel like an underground cellar and the floor was a dark mahogany wood with a patterned rug in the middle of several other chairs. I squinted in the dim lighting, wanting to make sure I wasn't being delusional.

…Nope, he was really there.

KID's white outfit glowed in the orange light, his figure slumped into a somewhat comfortable position on one of the nearby recliner chairs. My tensed shoulders relaxed a bit – at least I wasn't alone here; I had Kin and KID, even if the latter was unconscious – asleep? – at the moment. But, that still didn't answer my question of our location. The last thing I remember is…Toichi. What happened afterwards? My gaze travelled around the room once more, taking in the desk on the other end, cluttered with papers, jars, and a giant book that looked old even from afar. It really wasn't so safe to keep a candle burning on the same desk as multiple papers, but I guess it was fine if the owner of this place thought it was…

Books were almost everywhere, shelves covering most of the wall with more jars and other seemingly miscellaneous items – what caught my attention, though, was the window. It was large and arching, almost like a church window, but there was nothing beautiful about it – a sinister-looking emblem of some type of demon with bat wings sat atop the arch, carved precisely out of stone, only lit by the candle since it was still dark out. A chill raced up my spine as I stared into its soulless eyes before I quickly averted my gaze to Kin. I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that…

Golden orbs stared back at me and my brows furrowed. Kin seemed completely at ease, so we must be somewhere safe, I mused. Pieces clicked into place at lightning speed – the emblem, the ancient books, the smell of incense that had eluded me due to being used to the smell of it by now – and I gave a grin, falling back onto the couch carelessly. Okay, we're at Akako's house. That answered that question. The other question was how the hell did we get here, but that was answered swiftly enough.

Spider – that arachnid freak had probably helped us back here for some reason. I mean, he had helped me before – what was up with that? Did he suddenly decide to stop being an ass? I wholeheartedly doubted that, though. Being an ass was practically his whole identity. I snorted to myself, amused at my own thoughts before a door clicked open, gaining my attention.

"You're awake." Akako greeted blandly, holding a lantern in one hand while the other rested on her hip. I felt my lip twitch nervously. She didn't seem too pleased…and a displeased Akako was like a displeased dragon.

"A-Ah, yeah…," I mumbled, gripping the quilt over me and pulling it up higher to cover my mouth and nose, Kin easily shifting so that his head was popping out with mine. "Sorry for the trouble." I managed to say, tone meek. She stared at me with an unnerving glare for a long while before she came forward and before I could even do anything, flicked my forehead. A small amount of pain surged from the impact point and I winced, hand coming up to protect my abused head. "O-Oi!"

She continued to glare, "You got a concussion tripping, was it? It didn't happen to be the artificial being that you created accidentally?" She gave a vindictive smirk as I flinched as if flicked again. Ah…, so that's what this was about. I should've figured. I mean, if Spider had brought us here, it wasn't that much of a long shot to believe that Akako now knew about him. "The reason why I'm here is to help you leave this world without disturbing the dimensional balance again – I think adding in another being in this world would classify as important enough to tell me about." She hissed, almost in a whisper, trying not to raise her voice. The venom was clear, though.

"What did you think that I wouldn't be able to do anything about him? Mi–" She hesitated before switching, "–Jester, if I'm correct in my assessment of the 'situation', he was the reason why you passed out with a fever near All Hallows Eve. Didn't you find that important enough?"

I waited patiently, seeing if she had more to say, but nothing more came and I finally made a move to speak again. "I'm sorry…I didn't want to worry you. Plus, that freak is a killer. I didn't want you to get involved." I murmured, widening my eyes for forgiveness. Akako was really scary when she was mad – even more so than usual. It felt like her glare would melt your face off.

After a while of staring down each other, she finally relaxed, sighing deeply, as if her forgiving me pained herself to no end – which, it probably did. She rolled her eyes, "Fine, it's alright, so stop giving me those puppy-dog eyes." I grinned underneath the cover of the blanket in accomplishment. "But–" Damn it, there's always a 'but', isn't there? "–if this happens again, I expect you to tell me. The last thing we need is another murderer running around with supernatural knowledge." She huffed, crossing her arms easily despite holding a lantern.

It clanked against her arm and I realized it wasn't an actual flame inside, but one of those electronic ones. It was good to know she was modernizing somewhat, at least. "Okay…," I replied begrudgingly, sitting up slowly. A weight in my pouch had me sighing in relief and unzipping it quickly, pulling out the acquired gem of tonight…last night? (what time was it?)

"What time is it?" I voice my question aloud, glancing down at the gem and admiring the way the candle light bounced off the facets, glimmering lime green. It was moments like these that I understood why rich snobs liked the gaudy objects – they were pretty, glimmering, and shiny; it was like how magpies were attracted to bright objects. A bonus to being a thief while looking for my way back home was definitely being able to look closely at the gems – it was fun to search for the flaws that were usually invisible to the far-off eye.

Akako lifted my legs from the other cushion of the couch, letting them fall unceremoniously to the ground so that I was in a sitting position, taking up the one seat while she daintily sat on the now-free one. One of her legs crossed over the other and I realized just now that she was still fully dressed for clothes – had she waited for me to get back? I felt a cheesy grin threatening to overtake my lips at the thought – aww, how sweet~! However, I didn't have a death wish, so this remained unvoiced.

"It's a little after five. The sun will start rising soon." She informed, smirking as my eyes darted up incredulously. "Seriously?" I choked out, "But, we snagged this thing at three – how the heck did two hours pass so fast?" I only vaguely remembered what happened inside the jewel – a blurred person on the ground, a hazy feeling of content, Toichi's blurred face (mouth moving, but no sound) – but I had seriously doubted that we'd been inside of it for two hours. It didn't even feel anywhere close to that long. Magic was frightening…

She gave a careless shrug, as if to say 'hell if I know'. I rolled my eyes at her unhelpful answer before brushing it off with my own logical guess – it probably had something to do with the stream of time and how time flowed differently in the pocket dimension the gem had, blah, blah, blah… Sounded logical enough for me, so I'm sticking with that; no need to stress my brain over it.

"By the way, why were you both unconscious?" She questioned with a raised brow, placing the lantern down on the small side table next to the couch. "Did that man knock you both out or something of that sort?" Her tone made it obvious that she knew that wasn't the truth – after all, it wasn't smart to knock someone out and then bring them back to a safe place. Well, unless you were a reverse psychology nut, but…

I tossed the gem up, catching her eye, and grasping it in my still-gloved hand before it tumbled to the ground. "It was this thing. Apparently, the legend about the Pari Passu wasn't all bull crap. It was true enough to open up a pocket dimension, but it never mentioned that it was some type of psychic trap." I scoffed in distaste, resting it on my knee gently.

Fiery red eyes drifted to look at it intensely, "A psychic trap, hm?" She extended a hand, plucking it easily from my loose grasp. She brought it up to her face for a closer inspection and I waited in silence, a bit confused, before her eyes widened the slightest. "This is the gem you stole?"

She sounded amused. She handed it back and I stared at her oddly blank face before she cracked a smile, growing a bit wider as time passed, and finally, she gave a short laugh. Her eyes closed in mirth, lashes brushing her cheeks as her cheeks flushed the slightest. In the dim lighting dashed across her face, a warm glow, I swore I saw her real beauty for moment – beauty not faked with charms. But, it was a gone a moment later, once again leaving that cold attractiveness in place.

"…What's so funny about that?" I questioned after a moment of unnerving staring on her part.

"Nothing, besides the fact that this gem was stolen from a sub-group within the Koizumi's and then was stolen back by a member of the same clan it was stolen from." She gave an unnerving cackle, "This is what you would call pure irony." She muttered something under her breath to herself – something I didn't quite catch. I ignored it, though. Probably wasn't important.

I flashed a cheeky grin, "Would you call that good luck on our side, then?"

"Not necessarily." My grin lessened unnoticeably in disappointment as she continued, "Because now you have to give it back to the sub-group, and those three idiots are always so troublesome…," Shifting the gem in my gloved grasp, I leaned forward a bit in interest. Three troublesome idiots? I don't recall anyone that was like that at the reunion…

At my beckoning face, she went on with another sigh, "The gem was originally forged Osamu-kun – him and his group used it on others to obtain information. However, most likely similar to your situation, one stray escaped and ran away with the gem – we had no leads on it for years." Her gaze drifted to the Pari Passu again. "Until now."

I racked my mind for the half-familiar name, trying to put a face to it, only to end up blank. My gosh, there was just way too many people to remember in that family! Still, it was sad how I couldn't even recall one person, other than Akako's immediate family, Hayato, Ryo's group, and Ayala. I could possibly remember a few others, if needed, but that was all I could recall off the bat. "…so, isn't it good that we got it, still? Even if Osamu-kun and his group are supposedly 'troublesome'?" My fingers made the quotes clear enough as I raised a brow, pretending I knew exactly who we were talking about.

Her eye twitched, irritated with my somewhat-mocking gesture. Oops… "I may have called them idiots, but they're far from it. Perhaps I should have described them in more literal terms – they all are bereft nonconformists. As a member of the Koizumi clan, you receive a specific job or 'reason' when you're first born – something you'll do when you become old enough to carry on the work of your predecessors, or to work along with them, which is more the likely case. The qualifications for these jobs are searched for in a child during the duration of their thirteenth years."

"Personality traits, magic ability, empathy, familial situation – they're all taken into account. Positions range from combative to non-combative types; from technical to informative. Osamu-kun's group is within the informative position – gathering information from other clans, breaking and entering, and other unnamable things. From the moment they were born, all three of them showed their excessive talents; earning the name prodigies, despite their mostly unsightly talents. They're not just troublesome – they're dangerous. They usually only interact among themselves. Therefore, getting the gem back to them will require one of us to go find and give it to them."

The overwhelming amount of information pouring from her mouth was unexpected – usually, she was quite vague about her family and what they did, but here she was, blabbing about seemingly important and dangerous members. Unless… I internally snickered at the thought. Was it possible…?

"So, they're basically informants for the Koizumi's, I take it?" Her hands clenched a bit before relaxing and she uncrossed her legs before re-crossing them. She was fidgety. My teeth clamped down gently on my lower lip, willing myself to not make a sound.

"Essentially, yes. They do, however, do other types of jobs, as well." Akako affirmed, her lips turning downwards at the edges in distaste. With a burst of short laughter, I couldn't hold myself anymore – I had to ask the question. "Okay, okay, haha – what'd they—ha–do to you, huh?" I choked out between laughs. Kin's body shook for a moment before stilling beneath my hands and I absently mused the thought of cats laughing once more.

Instantly, an indignant – and embarrassed – red flush spread across the bridge of Akako's nose, eyes widening into shiny red orbs. "–what makes you believe those three have done anything to me, Jester?" Ah, she was using my alias as a somewhat insult now – emphasizing it with just a touch of a lofty undertone. I twitched. "You should be quiet, Koizumi-san," I quipped, eyes sliding over to the still-unconscious white thief slumped in the recliner chair across from me, "We wouldn't want our guest to be rudely awakened." Not to mention it'd be a crappy situation and I'd likely have to explain everything. No, thank you…

With her gaze on KID, she quieted a bit, relaxing a bit – though, the blush was still on her face. She cleared her throat self-consciously. "They did nothing to me, Jester. I merely dislike the presence of one of their members. Osamu-kun and Yuuto-kun are alright, if you disregard most of their personality. However, Takashi-kun…," She swallowed, trailing off midsentence. A chill ran down my spine. What had Akako so worked up?

"However, Takashi-kun is…?" I prompted after a minute of unnerving silence.

She released a shaky breath before opening her eyes, calm façade back in place. "Takashi-kun, however, is an undeniable psychopath. When I was younger, I had a pet dog–" Woah, hold up. Akako had a dog? This is already off to an odd start. "–and it had died from old age, since it was my mother's, but then that boy – just as young as me at the time – showed up one day. He found the grave and possessed the dead body of the dog and then brought it back to me with a smile all the while on his face. At a young age, it was a somewhat traumatizing. It was the first time I had encountered his power of possession."

I opened my mouth to ask what the heck possession was, but was cut off as she went on, "–however, he has no effect on me, as of now. As a child, it was quite foolish to be afraid of such a lowly warlock. I'm the rightful successor of the Red Magic passed down from our ancestors, so clearly in a battle of wits or magic, I would be the victor!" Her tone had went from soft to arrogant in a split second and she looked quite pleased with herself, tossing a long strand of her red hair over her shoulder daintily and giving one of her unique laughs into the palm of her hand.

Well, I suppose that was kind of creepy, but you wouldn't think it would scare someone like Akako…I guess she was just human, after all. And imagining a dead corpse of a dog coming back to life with another kid…

I shook the thoughts away, feeling goosebumps appear on my arms. "So…your point is…?" I trailed. Not once throughout her whole semblance of a 'speech' on the little group of three that I still couldn't recall properly did she mention the point to her telling me how 'dangerous' they were. She quieted down with a smug lilt in her smirk. "My point, dear Jester, is that due to you conveniently finding this lost gem, that it will now be your responsibility to give it back to Osamu-kun."

"But I don't know them or where they are personally. Wouldn't it be contradictory to try to return the gem to them by sending a complete novice?" I automatically replied, feeling a mechanic smile flit on my lips – there was no way I was going to see them if they creeped out Akako. Well, one of them, at least. But still. No.

Automatically, her eyes narrowed into a fierce glare. "If you don't take responsibility, I'll tell Kuroba-kun. Everything." My heart froze for a moment before restarting at a faster pace – she wouldn't.

"That's low." I hissed under my breath, eyes darting to KID and back to my current adversary. We'd been getting friendly this whole time that I'd nearly forgotten the key fact that she was unpredictable – a user of magic, someone who had once tried to kill KID, someone who consulted with evil spirits like Lucifer; she was a witch and it had been foolish of me to ever overlook that fact. I made a mental note to keep that in mind from now on.

She gave a delicate half-shrug, smirk widening a bit to flash white teeth in the dim lighting from the lantern – making her look all the more sinister as shadows danced across her yellow-hued face. She would, it seemed. Figures. With a certain amount of bitterness, I gave a dramatic sigh, falling back onto the cushions of the couch, offering her a Cheshire grin.

"It seems I've been out maneuvered this time, Akako-neesan." I hummed and my hands rose in the universal sign of surrender, "I concede my defeat, so don't tell KID-san anything. I'll take the gem back to that 'Osamu-kun'."

She nodded in approval of my defeat and the sinister look dropped of her face in an instant, "Good. And quit talking like Jester and…yourself at the same time. It's unnerving to hear the combined personalities meshing into one." I gave a laugh, "But they're all me~! Nothing can change that!"

As she was about to reply, I stood up, scooping Kin into my arms and giving him a peck on the nose before placing him back down onto the couch. "Anyways, I should probably get KID back to The Den. Can you imagine the pandemonium that would occur if he woke up here, of all places?" I snickered, heading towards the prone body of the other thief. She gave a small laugh behind me as I shifted KID awkwardly and carefully, trying not to wake him as I pulled his arms over my shoulders.

I froze for a second as he gave a soft groan before falling silent once more. After making sure he was still asleep, I hauled him the rest of the way, giving a small grunt of exertion as the brunt of his weight fell onto me as I pulled him into a piggyback ride. One hundred and twenty eight pounds of human mass was being held up by lanky, little old me – and maybe carrying him all the way would be a bad idea…

Still, I shuffled him a bit higher on my back and tried to stand somewhat straight, feeling dwarfed under his taller body and irritatingly hoping that the charm on his monocle wouldn't keep hitting my collarbone with every step I took. Akako handed me a piece of paper that she had just jotted down an address on with a smirk and I haphazardly placed it into my pouch. With a brief thought of 'I hope his top hat doesn't fall off', I gave Akako a slight nod of goodbye before heading out the door, huffing air to myself as I followed the winding halls to the door.

This was going to be a long trip…

ooOOoo

"Don't give me that look. After all, I'm a witch, you should've expected this."

There was a sigh and a shift and then Akako gave a short cackle.

"Like you're any better."

A different laugh echoed through the room.

ooOOoo

My back was killing me. That thought alone echoed through my mind as I continued to trudge through the forest, leaves and frost crunching underfoot, the sun rising off in the horizon, hiding behind the vast amount of barren trees. Spiraling light beams cut through the darkness, the sky turning grey from its nighttime black-navy, stars disappearing back into the atmosphere. I huffed for breath, body slanting forward under the extra weight. Never once in my life did I ever believe I'd be trudging with a thief on my back, as a thief myself, to my super-secret 'lair'.

An amused snort escaped my lips – it sounded like something out of a book. Maybe I'm dreaming, I mused absently, it all seemed too unreal. Shaking my head, I looked forward, blowing my bangs out of my eyes which were still hiding behind white mask of Jester's outfit. Just a bit further – the clearing The Den resided in was now in my eye-view, crows still hanging around as per usual. With a determined burst, my steps sped up to a somewhat normal pace, my lungs burning for air as I continued to lug Kaito around – I was obviously not built for heavy-lifting tasks like this one.

Finally reaching The Den just as the sun peeked over the edges of the tops of the trees, I kicked open the door that had been left a crack open – stupid Spider; what if a wild animal went inside? – and stalked inside, immediately dropping my 'package'. I winced apologetically as his head landed somewhat roughly on the floor, a small bang echoing through the empty building. "Oops…," The whisper was unheard, since he was still unconscious and I rolled my shoulders, finally catching my breath now that I didn't have KID weighing down my back.

Never again, I huffed to myself. That would be the last time I would ever give someone taller than me a piggyback ride.

With a yawn, I collapsed into a sitting position next to KID's sleeping form, eyes surveying the rest of the room. Everything was in the same place, unmoved, besides the water bottles both KID and I had been drinking from, knocked over with the excess water spilled across the floor. I'd have to clean that up later…

I jolted as a soft groan came from beside me and KID shifted before stilling completely, back into the perfect show of still being asleep. I gave a snicker, "I know you're awake, KID-san – there's no one else to fool." At the sound of my voice, he jolted and his eyes opened, the unnoticeable tension in his body relaxing almost instantaneously; it was nice to know he trusted me that much. A grin broke upon my lips as he sat up slowly, a disoriented look hidden in his eyes.

"Jester-san…," He greeted, violet-hued eyes tracing the room. "We're…still in The Den." His voice was filled with confusion and sleepiness.

I nodded, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. My mind raced behind my eyes as I offered him a calming smile – should I make a bluff? Or tell him the truth? If I bluff and say the gem let out a light and we both just fell unconscious, it'll be a lot less explaining, but then I'd be lying to my valuable ally. But, telling him the truth would offer other problems as well…

"Yeah – the gem let out some strange light and it seems we both passed out. Maybe it has a neurological effect of some kind that shuts off our functions and temporarily gives us narcolepsy?" I asked, feigning a confused expression as I removed the gem from my pouch, showing it to him. A bit of guilt creeped into my chest, but I brushed it off – I had told him I was a pathological liar, after all; he shouldn't be surprised. And, he didn't believe me about the dimensional thing. A little pay back never hurt anyone, right?

"I woke up a little while ago, actually. The gem seems to have gone back to being dormant, though, so I guess it was a dead end search, huh?" I laughed, tossing said mineral in the air with a dramatic flair of casualness. It landed gently in my palm a second later and I offered the still-sleepy KID a smirk. "Anyway, I'll be keeping this one with me. Unlike you, I don't have a strict 'return policy' and you did say I was the leader for this heist, didn't you? So, new rule!" I held up a declaring finger, white glove slightly orange from the sunrise spilling in from the windows. "The one who leads the heist decides what to do with the gem! Since I'm the leader this time, I think I'll keep this little beauty~!"

KID rolled his eyes fondly, "Adding it into your collection of 'babies'?"

My mouth stretched into a wide shark grin, "Yup~! I'll now be adding the Pari Passu into my collection~!" I announced, proudly holding up my newest 'trinket', admiring as the facets hued a bright lime green that shone with the light from the outside. Gems really are pretty little baubles, aren't they? "We can call it Jester's Jewel Box!" I named in English, snickering to myself at the alliteration. KID turned away to hide his amused grin.

The sunlight broke over the horizon of the window, spraying light directly on us and I winced, eyes dilating at the sudden change. KID looked over to the window, surprise on his face. "It's already this late…? Er,…early?" He questioned, glancing back to me as I finally stood up again, stretching my limbs.

"Yup, it's probably already six." I mused, walking over to the safe room to put the Pari Passu on the desk beside the black diamond ring – I still had to decide what to do with that, too…

"Eh?! Seriously?! I promised A–!" KID jolted into a standing position, voice stuttering to a halt as I gave in a sly glance; he promised to go somewhere with Aoko, it seems. The fact that he made that mistake means he's, either, really out of it or trusts me enough to act like Kaito, which has already happened. It felt good to be trusted~! "–I mean, I promised to go somewhere with a good friend of mine." He finished smoothly, recovering easily. I grinned, "You should get going, then. I'm sure you'd like to have time to shower and change. Maybe catch a few z's if you have the time." I laughed.

"Z's?"

"Er, English expression. Don't mind it – I meant get some sleep."

He gave me a grin, patting the top of my fedora as he passed me to get to out the door. "I see. Well, I'll be going, then. Get some sleep, too, okay? You seem like the type to get irritable without her beauty sleep~!" With a parting laugh, finally getting the last blow between our usual verbal sparring, he gave a wave and headed out the door, swinging it closed behind him.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing, shaking my head as I headed to the safe room to change into regular clothing. I'd definitely get some sleep and then do the errand of returning the Pari Passu. Because, he was right.

I did get irritable without sleep.

ooOOoo

"Ueda, Nagano…, huh?" I mused to myself quietly, lumbering slowly through the flow of people at the train station. Despite being the first day of the New Year, people were coming in and out of the train station in steady currents, making it look as busy as it always was; business people and teens all mixing into the metal bodies before they shuttled off with a burst of noise and faint wind. I shifted my sweater and scarf closer to myself, the dark materials feeling smooth against my skin in the chilly weather. The sun had long gone up and I had managed a two hour nap before deciding to get up and finish the errand.

I ran a hand through my hair, probably making it look even worse since I hadn't bothered to shower or brush my hair before going out – too troublesome. I'd just do it when I got back to Kaito's later on. No harm, no fowl – I'd made sure to at least freshen up a bit and change clothes, so I didn't smell, at the very least. The gem currently sat comfortably, hidden away, in my messenger bag, which was slung around my shoulder casually. The hat I always wore while in Midori's form was twisted backwards on my head, my bangs sticking out of the little opening messily.

Gripping my train ticket to head to Ueda, my steps paused as a familiar voice called out curiously and I finally took note that something cold and metallic had shifted under my shirt a while ago.

"Watanabe?"

Oh, come on! With a short glare to the ceiling, as if glaring at some entity high above me, I quickly procured a sweet smile as I turned to the little runt. "Conan-kun~! What a coincidence! I didn't know you lived around here! I was just around the neighborhood and thought I'd catch a ride on the shinkansen to get somewhere~!" I rushed out with a friendly gush, internally wincing at how it sounded more like a nervous ramble. Perhaps I should've worn my hat forward…

I once again found myself a bit dizzy, facing an odd amount of vertigo since I was usually the same height as Conan and now he was way shorter than me now. His hands were, as per usual, in his jean pockets and he was wearing what appeared to be some sort of sport-supporter jacket. His Power Kick shoes were tied snuggly onto his feet. Well, there goes my option of running for the hills if he figured out I had a currently-stolen gem hidden in my bag just as snuggly as his shoes fit.

He raised a brow at my slur of conversation, stepping closer and I offered a sheepish grin. "So…, what are you doing here?" I questioned curiously once he was at a polite distance for conversation. People flowed around us, as if we were normal jagged rocks in a river, changing the course and standing firm; their colors blurred into an aimless splotch of color. In the haze of the moment, Conan's eyes seemed sharper and brighter, brilliant blue hidden behind too large frames; goosebumps appeared on my skin as I resisted the urge to run away.

"I spotted you while on my way to a nearby park. I thought I'd come over to talk." He smiled like any other normal child would and I found myself shrinking back into myself a bit as he continued, "What are you doing here, Watanabe? I thought you lived in Osaka…?" A small suspicion was heard in his tone and I bristled, lips raising to reveal white teeth as a feral grin spread across my mouth. Two could play at this game.

"I'm about to head over to Ueda to drop something off with a friend." I answered steadily, mockingly waving the printed ticket in my hand, 'Asama line' declared at the top along with other details. "And I do live in Osaka." I firmly tacked on, "I was just spending the night with a friend, since it's the holiday and all and I'mma head home after I'm done with my errand~!" Hah! Take that, Shinichi!

"Ah, Ueda, huh?" His face brightened and my victory seemed to be less of a win than I had thought. One of his hands came out of his pocket finally, revealing an exact copy of the ticket I gripped in my hand, except some numbers were printed differently. "I guess I'll be accompanying you, then, Watanabe." His expression lessened out to his usual smirk-smile as he shoved his ticket back into his pocket nonchalantly, my eyes blinking in pure disbelief. The brat had…

…he'd seriously put himself in the same train as me.

…on purpose.

…with a goal.

I swallowed thickly, offering a grin, grabbing his wrist and dragging his hand out so that I could drag him into the train with me as I headed to where we were supposed to board. "Well, then! Come on~! I don't want to miss the train, ya know." I laughed and my eyes slyly glanced over from my peripheral vision, ignoring the shrunken Heisei Holmes mutters of 'I don't like being manhandled' and my smile seemed to grow a bit amused. "I take it you'll also be joining me to Ueda Castle, then, Conan-kun~?"

The word was practically purred out and I saw him stiffen in discomfort – good~! – then pause for a moment before finally moving his short legs to catch up with my long strides, no longer resisting my pull. He glanced at me and finally seemed a bit more cooperative, but something in his gaze made my skin crawl, but I shrugged it off. I'd deal with whatever was coming when it came – no use worrying over it pointlessly. "Is that where you're going?" He asked.

I nodded shortly, finally boarding the train and pulling him to our seats, which just so happened to be assigned next to each other due to some strange course of fate – (either that, or he'd purposely purchased right after me…) ((creepy thought…)) – and we sat down on the colorful seats.

"Yup." I pulled out the crinkled paper from Akako, her elegant scrawl written clearly, "It definitely says Ueda Castle. …and then something about a rock…?" I rose a confused brow, as did my companion.

"Huh?"

ooOOoo

The train ride to Ueda was filled with idle chats between Conan and I, but mostly silence as the train continued on its hour and a half journey. I was restless, shifting every five minutes before we finally arrived at Ueda station at around ten-thirty AM.

"Ugh, that was too long of a trip." I grumbled to my companion as we walked out side-by-side, my shoulder flexing back to stretch in the minimum space. Conan let out a small, amused, snort. "It wasn't that long." He gave me a small smirk as I let out a whiny noise, pretending to be in agony. "But it was~! I can't stand long trips~!" I grinned as he rolled his eyes at my childish tone.

We finally exited the busy train station, heading out into the chilled air. "So, do you know where…," I pulled out the piece of crinkled paper again, reading off of it, "…Ninomaru is from here?"

He deadpanned up at me and I marveled the power of height over him, holding back a snicker. "You don't know where it is? Why didn't you look it up before you left?" He questioned me logically and I held a sheepish hand to the back of my neck. I actually hadn't thought of looking it up before I left. Well, this is a bit embarrassing…

At the obvious look of 'oops, I didn't', he gave another deadpan look. "Don't be like that~" I laughed, "We'll find it somehow!" Because there was no way I was going to ask for directions – my pride wouldn't let me.

After a few moments of scrambling, we found out that Ueda Castle was only a twelve minute walk away from the station and we easily headed to it in comfortable silence. My steps paused as we finally came face-to-face with the grand building. It certainly was majestic, the main entrance large, made out of old yet strong wood, the various roof's sloping creating an ancient scene, uchikomi-hagi style stone walls making up the rest of the fortress. It was amazing, and yet…

I glanced down to Conan, "Hey, don't you think it looks kind of creepy…?" I gave a purposely creepy grin, bringing my hands up in a gesture one would imagine on a ghost in a Japanese depiction. "Makes you kind of feel like youkai might start attacking you, huh~?" Despite that, lots of people were coming in and out of it, most with cameras and with groups of friends. It was obviously a tourist attraction and it looked lively enough, but somehow it felt odd – old and powerful. I had said it felt like a youkai might start attacking, but it felt different than that – it felt like the lord's and warriors and other important people who had once lived in the place would still be there waiting for you to come in. Creepy…

He gave me an unimpressed look. "There's no such things as youkai, Watanabe. They're just part of stories."

"I wouldn't be so sure – there are all types of things in this world that you may not even be aware of~!" Wiggling my fingers at him, I quickly dropped the subject as I once again took out the paper to look it over. My eyes scanned over the elegant scrawl. After you arrive at Ueda Castle, find a rock. You'll know which one I'm talking about when you find it.

I scowled, stuffing the paper back in my pocket with an indignant huff. Couldn't she just tell me where the rock was? What was with witches being so vague about everything? "A rock." I announced, looking down at my companion, "Where would a rock be here?"

"You came here for a rock?" The look on his face said it all – 'you've got to be kidding'.

"Hush and help me look."

With that said, we began to scour the grounds of the tourist attraction, Conan checking inside the buildings while I checked the outside, probably looking ridiculous as I weaved between flora and dirt and around the freakin' pond place they had inside the gates. Overall, we ended up meeting back at the gate entrance, dirt smearing my cheeks and hands while Conan was still in pristine condition.

"Why…," I huffed, "Why can't we find it?!"

Conan's hand made it up to his chin in his classic 'thinking pose'. My eyes drifted down to him as I gripped my hair in one hand, my bangs sticking up slightly due to sweat and running my hand through it way too many times. "Who wrote those instructions?" He questioned, inquisition oozing on his words like heavy acid.

"My…sister." I decided with before tacking on, "She likes giving me problems. I'm only on this errand because of her."

"Then have you checked the places you'd most likely look in? She's your sister, so she'd know you best." I froze, feeling a warm blush spread across my cheeks in embarrassment and quickly turned so that he couldn't see – though, by his amused smirk, I knew it was too late. "Um, no, I haven't. My sister is known for being…vague and difficult." I defended myself, coughing gently into a fisted hand, before closing my eyes in thought. Someplace I would most likely look through first, for a rock, specifically. My lips quirked in an annoyed – yet accomplished – smile. Obviously, that would be…

My eyes drifted to the sides of the main entrance, where large and ancient zelkova trees were standing tall and strong. Debating between which side, I went to the right, where the trees branches were wilting low as if it was a weeping willow, covering all that could be hidden underneath or around it due to its thick foliage. The tree on the left was significantly smaller and didn't have as much foliage to hide something from others not looking for it.

Sighing to myself, I headed over, biting my lip in slight nervousness – was I allowed to go over here? – before placing my worn sneaker on top of the small lifted stone wall thing and hauling myself over it, disregarding Conan's spluttered, "Oi! I don't think you can go there!" He sounded so genuinely panicked about me being arrested that I stifled a laugh, nose scrunching in distaste as I moved underneath the foliage of the zelkova, feeling itchy and dirty from my previous adventures of searching for the rock. If I had needed a shower before, I definitely needed one now.

The branches were blocking out the sun, only small streams of light let in as I shifted further under it, crouching down to fit in the cramped space without my butt sticking out like a sore thumb – if I really wasn't supposed to be in here, might as well not flaunt it, right? I didn't particularly feel like getting arrested at the moment.

Loose dirt moved as I ran my hand along the ground's surface and I bit back a whine as something looking too similar to a centipede for comfort moved away darted away from my incoming limb. Swallowing down a groan, I continued racking my hand across the floor, trying to locate the rock in the darkness and looking out for any darker patches of shadows that could possibly be any creepy bugs. My hand hit something hard and cold and I grinned before flinching back as the thing lit up.

A spiraling red magical seal brightened the darkness in ominous red before cooling down to a calming blue. "You'll know it when you find it, huh? This is probably it, then…" Clapping my hands together to get rid of excess dirt, I carefully pushed the rock aside, a sparkling key hidden underneath its depth. It was small and silver and looked completely insignificant, if not hiding under a magical rock. A specific number was engraved on the part where you held the key, along with a company name. A bit irritated, I hurried back out of the depths of dirt and tree branches, sucking in the fresh air as I was once again in the light of the sun.

"What did you find?" Conan asked, peering at my hand in slight interest.

"A key. I think I'm being set on a treasure hunt, love." I sighed, purposely adding the pet name – if what I had thought about on the train ride here was correct, this would allow me to dodge any questions that the diminutive detective might bring up. If he asked any, I'd just say I was Jester disguised as Midori – it would work well enough; and since he thought Jester had a 'thing' for him (which was disgusting), then I'd use it to my advantage by dropping small hints.

He had paused at the nickname, but brushed it aside – for now. "A treasure hunt for what?" He deadpanned, not impressed that we probably would have to go find something else before arriving at my errand destination. "For…something with a key to it, apparently." I dangled the key in front of his nose, watching as his eyes became crossed as he stared at it, piercing eyes taking in the details easily.

"It looks like it's for some type of commercial building." He commented, glasses glinting off sunlight that poured from above. I fidgeted before nodding in agreement, pocketing the silver key in my sweater, offering him a grin. "Will I have the honor of you accompanying me to this commercial building?"

His shoulders slumped in a look of defeat – or disgruntlement? – and his head shook slowly in exasperation, bangs moving slightly. "I suppose one more trip with you won't hurt."

"Yay~! That's the spirit! Come on, let's find this mystery place!"

Grasping his hand in my bigger one gently, I began to tug him in the general direction of the rest of the city, not at all caring that I still looked like I'd been living in the jungle for a few weeks.

ooOOoo

"I think this is it." I announced, staring at the key's engraving for a moment before looking back up at the building before us. It was small – no more than a niche in the wall, really – and looked somewhat…dubious, windows blacked out with only a small, handmade, sign above the door. Oak Doors was painted onto the carved wooden piece elegantly, proudly introducing you to the store. Other than that, there was no indication of what the store sold or anything – it was just there. People passed us by, as if oblivious to us and the store itself.

Conan looked up at me, giving me a brief feeling of vertigo before it vanished swiftly – I think I was getting used to it – and quirked an inquisitive brow. "Are you sure?" His eyes went back to trace the brick walls and the double-door entrance, which was, ironically, made with oak.

I licked my lips nervously, my brows furring to say 'hell if I know' as I gave a careless shrug. "I'm pretty sure." I answered vocally, disregarding my unsure body language, "The key says Oak Doors Co. so this must be the place. It's the only one with such a wacky name." A bubble of laughter rose in my throat. Because, seriously? Oak Doors? What kind of name was that for a store, even if they did only sell oak doors?

"That's true…," He mused, almost begrudgingly agreeing as he gazed around the normal shopping district we were currently in, all the other stores open to the public and not looking as shady as the one we were standing in front of.

Steeling myself, my hand inched to the handle of the left door. "Well, let's go in!"

Warmth flooded over me as I pulled it open, the scent of incense washing over me in a burst of air, leaving me a bit dizzy and Conan scrunched his nose in distaste; a small bell hanging above the door chimed. "You'll get used to it." I admitted to him, offering a weak smile before ushering him in and entering the building myself, the door closing heavily behind us. Almost instantly, I felt trapped, but the inside of the store reassured me it was nothing too strange – only something expected of somewhere Akako would send me.

Shelves lined the walls, filled with herbs in bottles and other miscellaneous nature-esque things, different names printed neatly on them; different types of candles lining the walls and different things that you'd probably only know the name for if you needed it or something. Some shelves were filled with books, large and small, all holding the word 'spells' somewhere in the title from what I could see from my vantage point. A small round table in the middle had empty jars stacked up tall, all ranging larger than the ones on the shelves and there was a sign hanging from the rim of the table – 'Save money and buy your things in bulk! Consult a worker to access where you can get your needed herbs!'.

It seemed like a Wiccan store – white magic things everywhere; there were even small kits you could buy for certain spells that contained your needed things to do it; kits for money, healing, and more. The different phases of the moon were painted on the top of each wall, standing stark against the scarlet paint that had been used to paint the interior of the building, and I spotted the full moon directly opposite to the entrance.

"A…a magic store?" Conan whispered incredulously, disdain creeping into his voice. I flinched, remembering he was there, and glanced down to the very displeased face he was giving me. Right, he was a non-believer…

"Erm," I grinned, "apparently."

We stared each other down, brown to blue, one pair nervous while the other was glaring quite intensely. However, I was thankfully saved from the tense confrontation when another, somewhat familiar, voice broke into our conversation, startling us both – and that was saying something, since barely anyone could sneak up on the detective of the east.

"Oh, Kin-kun's not with you today?"

I whipped around in the voices direction, greeted with scarlet eyes and jet black hair dyed at the tips. The last time I'd seen her, her hair had been neatly put up with a kanzashi, but now her hair was merely pulled back in a loose ponytail, escaped strands framing her face. Her kimono image was replaced with a white T-shirt and jeans, an apron with the stores name printed on it. Apparently, she worked here.

"A-Ayala-chan! What are you doing here?"

She offered a small smirk that boasted superior-ness, crossing her arms over the front of her apron. "I live here with Noboru-san. He's in the back, if you need him, not doing his job as usual." Her tone bled into an annoyed one and one brow came down in an irritated slant across her forehead. Conan's blue eyes glanced over to me incredulously and I could definitely read the question there, 'you actually know the people who work here?'.

I offered him a half-hearted shrug and a lazy smirk before turning my attention back to the witch. "Ah, I'm not exactly sure who I'm here for. Akako-neesan sent me here because of something I need to give back to Osamu-kun." My hand shot out and I ruffled her silky locks, grinning at the death glare she gave in return, swatting my hand from her hair and fixing it with a delicate huff.

"Then you need to consult Noboru-san. He's probably the only one who knows where those idiots are." She sneered while I gave an amused laugh under my breath. She rolled her eyes at my immature actions before her red eyes drifted down to land on Conan, who was deadpanning at the events unfolding before him.

"Who's the small fry?" She asked, quirking a brow as she analyzed him. He blinked at the attention, a drop of sweat on his cheek as the orange tabby from before – Ra, I believe? – jumped from the floor, to a table, and then onto the girl's shoulder. His eyes narrowed in annoyance at the new nickname.

Seeing an open opportunity to tease the stiff detective, I swooped down, hoisting him up into my arms to hod him like a teddy bear. "This is Conan-kun, my boyfriend~!" My body shook with suppressed laughter as I heard the boy in my arms splutter and I wished I could have seen his face from the position we were in. It would most definitely be priceless! A sudden jab to my ribcage had me dropping the extra weight as I keeled over, pressing my hand protectively to my side with a yelp. The little fiend stepped away from me, looking frazzled, but accomplished at my pain, a smirk tugging at his lips. Little brat…

"Ow, Co-chan, you didn't need to abuse me!" I whined dramatically, pouting at him as I rubbed my wounded side. Little kids have damn sharp elbows.

Ayala was staring at me as if I was the world's biggest idiot she'd ever seen, and it somehow made me feel accomplished. Until a voice randomly spoke behind me, right next to my left ear, tickling my neck and brushing my hair with warm breath. "Hello, Midori-kun. I've been expect–"

"Grahhh!" The yell – which I would deny for the rest of my life – echoed through the smallish store as I jerked abruptly to the right, putting a hand up to shield my left ear and the left side of my neck from the creeper who had just snuck up on me. Conan had either been startled by my outburst or by the random appearance of the person, I wasn't quite sure which one. The two of us were off on our observation of our surroundings, apparently, since we kept getting startled. Or maybe it was just Koizumi's…

I traced the person with wide eyes, trying to regulate my breath and my speeding heart. He was tall, towering over me much like Spider did, but he wasn't at all intimidating, lean and slim with a wrist that looked like it'd break easily from a small twist. He was almost lanky, but his clothes hid that fact – a black turtle neck and loose jeans with a baggy overcoat on top of his shirt. Wasn't he too warm? Sure, it wasn't the hottest weather outside, but inside of the building, it was decently warm due to the heater you could hear running in the background, humming constantly.

From under long, silky, bangs of silvery-blue locks, surprised baby blue orbs peered out at me, lips pursed slightly. "…You cut off my cool catch phrase." He stated, almost blankly, his voice light and fluttery, as if he was a breath lower, his voice wouldn't reach human ears. From his side, looking adorably short next to the man, Ayala turned her head away with a scoff, but it sounded more like a hidden laugh. "This is Koizumi Noboru." She gestured to the man, Noboru, with an absentminded hand before offering me a smirk. "He'll help you out. I have more important things to do. See you." She twirled on the heel of her black converse with a swish of her hair that reminded me of Akako's usual theatrics, disappearing into a back room labelled 'storage'.

I shifted awkwardly at the sudden disappearance of someone I knew, left alone with the ear-breather creeper and the shrunken Kudou Shinichi. Even though Ayala had this bad habit of looking down on others, I wasn't uncomfortable with her – instead, she kind of made me feel…okay; like it was okay to act like a normal teenager here. A similar feeling was always with Erise, too, so maybe that's why I suddenly felt trapped between two odd people when she left. I cleared my throat, offering a half-smile.

"No…boru-san, right?" I asked slowly, sneaking a peek at my companion to see that, thankfully, I wasn't the only uncomfortable one. Apparently, he didn't like people who could sneak up on him any more than I did.

He gave a soft chuckle. "It seems I've frightened you a bit. But, like Ayala-kun said, I'm Koizumi Noboru." He held out a pale hand, fingernails painted precisely with white paint, several different types of rings glinting off his fingers, gold and silver meshing into a blend of light colors. Politely, I grasped his hand, giving it a firm shake and the sound of a chain rattling was not unheard, my eyes locating the source connected to one of his rings – a chain connecting it to something hidden under the sleeve of his shirt.

Hmm, the more I think of it…isn't he wearing too much jewelry? Even if he liked wearing it, the amount he was wearing was a bit unreasonable. His hands were covered with rings and his ears were almost completely pierced, a cartilage chain earring made simply with the chain itself caught my attention. If I looked close enough, I could make out small marking on the earring; indents inscribed in it. My breath caught a bit. Was this….

My eyes traced his many articles of jewelry as I pulled my hand back before settling on his gentle, non-intimidating face. Were these all…charms?

"It's nice to finally meet you personally. I've read your cards quite a bit to keep tabs on you, I hope you don't mind." Eh? "But you live a quite interesting life." He admitted a bit sheepishly, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck, a faint pink blooming on his cheeks. Well, I mused a bit disheartened, that's probably how he knew I was going to show up here to ask him for the address to Osamu and his gang.

"Koizumi?" Conan asked, suspicion leaking into his tone. I froze, my heart stopping for a split second. He only knew me as Koizumi Alice, not Koizumi Midori! Again, two identities of mine were intersecting against my will, damn it! Was this going to be my downfall instead of something violent or my fault? A spike of irritation ignited in my chest, but I bottled it down with a grin at the smallest of our group of three, mind racing quickly as I plan bloomed instantaneously. If there was anything I prided it, it was my split decisions that could make or break me.

"Yeah, Koizumi! I'm actually distantly related to the family. Why, do you know someone with that last name?" I questioned, peering at him with a friendly gaze. Work, work, work, work, work, work…

Noboru immediately caught on, smiling as gently as any parental figure while watching their kids playing; but I got the oddest feeling his eyes were glimmering slightly in laughter. I instantly felt like smashing my head into the nearest, hardest, surface. Today was not starting well, that much was certain. And as the day progresses, it can only get worse from here, right?

I brushed the feeling aside – it didn't matter; I'd manage somehow – as the man placed a hand on my shoulder, looking at Conan as if expecting a positive answer in excitement. He wilted under our individual stares, only amplified due to two of us doing the same thing.

"Uh, yeah. No one important, though – just a classmate." He shrugged his shoulders half-heartedly and I felt my eyebrow twitch. Nobody, huh? Just for that, I'm going to put ice down his shirt at the next given chance My friendly smile must have turned somewhat feral, since he suddenly looked a bit disturbed, as if wondering if he had said something horribly wrong. Which, he hadn't – but it was still rude to call a classmate 'nobody'. Especially in front of said person.

"I see. Well, send her our condolences. I'm certain that she is one of our own." Noboru spoke up, smile lessening out to a more neutral expression – yet it was still just as warm. It was easy to tell now that he was a good person, if you looked around everything else that made him look unbearably strange. But, still… Conan was the first to say something. "…Condolences?" What was with that word choice? Condolences is something you send to someone when they're in need of sympathy or something!

"Eh? Is that not the word for it? But Kaori-kun told me that was the word to use when in a situation like this…," There was a tinge of a whining tone in his voice as he complained lightly, eyes closed in slight distress, pale lashes brushing equally pale cheeks. I snorted in amusement, laughter pouring from my mouth as I finally relaxed my tense shoulders, having just escapes a bad situation without too much trouble – and, sure, it would probably come back to haunt me, but I could think about that when it came.

I slumped against his side, feeling his ribs move a bit with suppressed laughter as well – truthfully, I think Conan was the only one on the outside of this particular joke. He looked disgruntled at that, too, which only made me laugh harder, hiding my overly-large grin in Noboru's shoulder, the cotton texture of his overcoat brushing my forehead.

I'm not sure how long we laughed, but by the time both of us had gained our bearings, the Shinichi seemed to have gotten impatient of waiting for us to finish laughing over something he (of all people) didn't understand. I swallowed another snicker, stretching my back before getting back to business. I needed to stop getting distracted.

"Anyways, Noboru-san, you probably already know why I'm here, right? Could I possibly get their address written on a piece of paper while I have a small chat with Conan-kun? We've been meaning to have a chat. Isn't that right, chibi?" I flashed my teeth in a dark smirk, looking down at him from my opposing height, my bangs falling further into my eyes.

There was a split second where his face was surprised before it smoothed over. His presence started growing and I swore his shadow seemed a lot longer than it had before in the fluorescent lighting of the building, a sharp smirk slowly spreading across his face, his glasses glinting dangerously. Blue peered up, undefeated and omnipresent. Such frightening power in that one gaze, my skin crawled with fear and excitement.

"Yeah. I was wondering when you'd bring it up, Watanabe."

ooOOoo

Noboru peeked through the small crack he'd created between the door and the wall of the storage room, eyes glistening in excitement. "Wow, amazing. They're both like big cats~" He whispered in awe, taking in their stances and confidence. From behind him, Ayala shuffled, moving boxes from place to place to create more space. Usually, that was Noboru's job, but as she had said before, he wasn't doing his job once again. "Kudou-kun is definitely a snow leopard. No, maybe a panther… but he still has room for growth. Not much, but that small burst will definitely make him unbeatable. Midori-kun is still a cub, but she'll grow with time – a tigers the best choice for her, I think…," He mused aloud to himself, hand to his chin in thought.

"I don't see what you find so exciting about this. And, anyways, isn't this the second time someone has come to ask you about Osamu-kun and the others? What is this, a love fest for the little shits?" She sneered, heaving a particularly heavy box from the top of a pile to the ground, shooting the elder a crimson glare that could melt a normal person due to his lack of helping. She placed it down gently, hearing the jars inside clack together as she released a strained breath, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead.

Ice eyes sought her out, a deep knowing circling in their irises. "Ara, Ayala-kun, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous. Does it really bother you so much that Midori-kun didn't come here to visit you?" He moved away from the small crack, standing to his full height as a crick appeared on his lower back at crouching for too long. Grasping a nearby box, he easily began to shift the things around, finally doing a bit of what he was actually supposed to be doing.

As he expected, a red flush crept up the younger's neck, reaching to dust her ears. "A-As if! I'm just wondering what those morons are up to! Don't they have something to do today, anyway? Some deal with a nearby clan or something?" She questioned, regaining her bearings and getting back to work with an irritated huff as he once again stopped working in favor of shuffled a deck of cards that had appeared in flash of black sparks. His eyes watched as the back of the fifty-four cards moved against each other in a rhythmic flow, a faint smile on his face.

"No, I told them to take the day off." Noboru refuted, startling his noir companion into looking at him with an unguarded look for a second. Quickly, a scowl spread across her lips. Something she disliked about magic was the power of divination – a tool used in multiple different ways to predict multiple different versions of the future; to something as simple if a person was good for you or something as complex as the time of their death. Such accuracies of the predictions were purely based on the skills of the possessor, but something made her skin crawl at the thought of someone knowing the possible future of anyone.

"You read their cards, huh?"

More shuffling as he peeked through the crack for another peek at the two. "No, I read her cards."

Ayala placed another box down with a huff, rolling her shoulders at her hard work. She'd been working since seven this morning, since she had nothing better to do during her winter break, and there were always things that needed moving around and such despite barely anyone coming to the store. She was beginning to think she was just oddly missing all the sales, if she didn't know any better. She knew Noboru was a friendly, caring, and gentle person, but sometimes she wondered about his integrity.

"Midori-chan's cards, huh? Then how did you know that the other woman and her group were going to come asking around for Osamu-kun's address? I mean, she was another–" She began her argument, but stopped short, eyes widening at the information that clicked together in her head as easy as one-on-one in a game of chess. Smiling gently, Noboru patted her head softly at her connection, something like fatherly pride clouding over his eyes.

"Like I said, Ayala-kun…," He returned his hand to the deck of cards he had just finished shuffling, turning over the card at the top. The word JOKER was written down the side of the playing card in English and he turned it so that his charge could see it. She analyzed the card, brows furring as she tried to reason the meaning behind the card. But, it was futile. She didn't have the talents of a precognitive witch, so the reason flew right over her head.

A detailed drawing of a grinning skeleton stared back at her from the card, eyes void and hollow, a three-tipped jester hat sat on its head, intricate designs playing outwards. Still, it somehow seemed to be laughing, sneering. She glanced up to her caretaker, waiting for an explanation she knew from experience she wasn't going to get. Even as he stared at the back of the card, he could obviously see more than was physically there for the eye to see.

His pupils dilated as a small, mischievous smile took his lips, still staring at the card as if he was seeing that answers to the meaning of existence.

"…I read her cards."

ooOOoo

The atmosphere was tense and I felt like someone could cut it with a knife – and I just knew someone was watching us. Ayala didn't seem the type to care personally about others' business, but the other one…He seemed like he was the type to like to meddle. I internally rolled my eyes. Warlocks…

"So, what was it you wanted to discuss with me, Co-chan? I've been waiting for you to bring it up, but you never did, so I thought I'd take the first leap off the edge of the bridge, so to say." I began, shoving my hands in my pockets in a bit of nervousness. Ever since I had come to the conclusion during the train ride that he wanted to ask me something since he bothered to follow me all the way to Ueda, I'd been anxious about what it was he wanted to know. If it was too hard to answer, I'd just fake it out.

He stared a moment longer before shifting as well, his hands finding their way back into their pockets, as well. He lifted a casual brow. "I wanted to ask you something." One step closer and my insides squirmed with the need to run in the opposite direction, "The last time we saw each other, you said it wasn't the weirdest thing that you'd seen in your life."

I offered a provoking grin, "And?"

He twitched and I knew I was getting under his skin. Good, good~! I didn't even bother toning down my grin, letting it reign full force over my face, teeth peeking out from behind my lips in an animalistic way. He glared at me in annoyance, piercing cerulean almost breaking my composure as he took yet another step forward. How close did he plan on getting?! If he continued, my escape plan was going to blow up in my face. In a big, messy, explosive way. Painfully.

My foot shifted slightly to the side, but he caught it and gave me The Look. You know which one I'm talking about – that one Look he gives to the criminals he knows he has cornered so deeply that there's no hope for escape and it's pitiful to even try. Yeah. That look. Adrenaline flooded into my system, making me shaky and cold as sweat was forced to the surface of my skin. I was suddenly aware of the different escape routes that were possible – the front entrance, the storage room where inevitable back-up would be, and the other door with no name printed on it.

"I've just been thinking that it's strange that you weren't the slightest surprise and you seemed to know exactly who I was without having to try." His voice was quite, so not to be overheard and my heart jumped into my throat, which had gone mysteriously dry. Water – I needed water. "Even Hattori needed to meet me twice and we both know you're no detective." Wow, that a bit of a blow, even if it was true – my pride was currently dying a pitiful death. Too far gone to be recovered now, pride – sayonara~!

Internally waving my pride goodbye, he just continued. "The only way you could've come to such a quick conclusion…is if you knew about the poison to begin with." He looked like he was about to take a bite out of my brain what with that smirk on his face and my vertigo heightened tenfold, making me cringe under the weight of it. I felt dizzy and nauseous and wanted to hide under a rock all at once. Okay. Time for tactical evasion dn retreat!

I cleared my throat noisily, ignoring the burning scratching from holding my breath for too long and causing my throat to go dry. With a helpless shrug, I stepped away from him, shuffling backwards easily as he watched in moderate interest, searching for any signs that I was suddenly going to make a mad dash for the door. Steeling myself, I quirked my grin into something slightly demented, straining my throat as I forced my voice to sound deeper, thoroughly converting into Jester as my stance changed from confident and challenging to lazy and casual – the same stance he saw on the night of the Ruspoli heist.

His eyes sharpened at the change, obviously noting them.

"Ah, ah~!" I tutted my finger at him in a mock-scolding gesture, "You can't keep spilling your secrets to little old me, chibi-chan~! You never know…what an unknown 'black' might do with that type of information!" I snickered, slouching my back to look at him more properly and I felt odd acting as Jester without wearing her ridiculous outfit. However, the act slid on like a comfortable sweater I was particularly fond of. He jolted.

"Jester!"

I clicked my tongue as he tensed horribly, hand already twitching to that damn annoying watch of his – those needles weren't fun to be hit with; they freakin' hurt! Poor Kogoro had to deal with that a lot, too… No wonder he always called them the pokey-things. He wasn't kidding. "Not 'Jester' or 'Jester-san' this time, meitantei-kun." I drawled out in a seemingly bored voice, "It's 'kaitou'. Kaitou Jester." I was careful to keep the Osaka-ben out of my voice now, since Jester supposedly was based around Tokyo and was thoroughly Tokyo. The one with Osaka-ben was Midori. I wasn't her now. Gosh, I could feel a headache coming on…

Conan looked startled and maybe a bit…astounded? Why? Weirdo, I chuckled internally, once more shifting stance to another step behind me – a step further from my current adversary. He countered, also stepping forward as if we were perfecting a dance together. Did that mean I was the guy, then, since he went after me? The thought had a short bark of laughter leaving my lips, worrying the detective of the east that I had something up my sleeve, when in fact I was just laughing at him.

"Haha–I do admit, your friend here is fun to play. I can tease you all I want and you won't suspect a thing, since she does the same!" This was weird. "What'd you think of my Osaka-ben? Spot-on?" I laughed, reverting to it for a moment before forcing it back down to talk my standard. He looked disturbed more than anything and that just made me want to drown in laughter. I'd disturbed the 'indestructible' detective! I just felt like I won one-hundred bonus points just for the face he was giving me. It was priceless!

Savoring the moment, I quickly pulled my phone out of my pocket, snapping it open and taking a quick picture of the expression on the chibi, shaking with mirth. If possible, he became even more perturbed by that action before giving a scowl a second later. Finally, he seemed to get his crap back together.

"It's impressive, I'll give you that, but your acting was off. I was wondering why Watanabe was so touchy-feely today – it was out of character for her, but it didn't occur to me I might be dealing with someone who likes people way younger than them." Did he seriously just indirectly insult me with what I think he did? He cut me off before I could begin laughing, though, his face defiant. "And 'kaitou'? Don't make me laugh – what makes you deserving of that title after stealing only two gems?"

Oh, now it's on, runt!

I pocketed my phone one-handedly before digging through my bag, sliding on my glove with some difficulty and grasping last night's prize. I brought beside my cheek, gazing at it with shaded eyes as his face paled. "What? But you didn't send out a note!" He half-shouted, fist clenching now that they were outside of his pockets – officially out of his comfort-zone. Caressing the Pari Passu with my cheek briefly, I put it back into my back securely, done flaunting.

"Oh, you do have faith in me, dear~!" I blew him a kiss that had him grimacing in disgust. "But I don't remember ever saying I would always send notes! Besides, my last arrangement for a date went unnoticed by my loved one, so there was really no point in sending another one. Besides," My sly smirk changed into a Cheshire grin as the analogies kept flying off my lips like hotcakes. It was like Jester was speaking for herself – it was something I realized, but it didn't really bother me. "I already found a new date and he's much more interesting than some boring detective~! You could say we complement each other~! KID's and clowns love playing together, after all~!" I chimed, finishing my blow in English, making it vague that my 'date's' name was KID. He tensed, about to bolt forward for a surprise attack.

Okay, time to stop messing around.

As he bolted forward, wrist coming up to shoot his prickly anesthetic needles, I quickly faked a sprint to the right before breaking left, his needle missing by centimeters – holy crap! – and my hand grasped a familiar cool can in my bag. Pulling it out just as he bent to turn on his shoes, I beat him by a landslide, quickly spritzing his face with a large amount of sleeping gas, watching as he cursed and narrowed his eyes before the blue orbs hazed over and rolled up, his body beginning to fall.

I sighed in relief, crouching quickly to save him from hitting the floor. His head lolled against my shoulder as I picked him up easily, supporting his weight easily despite feeling a bit fatigued by the small showdown. My eyes turned to Noboru as he walked back into the room from the storage, humming to himself as Ayala followed behind him, holding way to many boxes for any normal person. "I see you both had quite a dispute~! Thank you for bringing such interesting entertainment to my shop." Noboru smiled genuinely and I was stunned by the weirdness of that sentence as a whole.

Shaking my head, I decided to ignore him as Ayala set down the boxes on top of the counter and Noboru set to shuffle through them, seemingly not expecting a reply from me as he went back to work. "I'll send him home for you, since that'd be too much effort on your part." The girl said, a smirk pulling at her lips as she brushed the red tips of her hair. "Erm, okay…thanks…," I stepped towards her, ready to hand off the sleeping child, but taking him home like a normal person was apparently not what she was planning. Go figure.

She took a deep breath, eyes closed, before they flew open, red shining deeper and brighter than before – it was as if they were glowing from some type of internal light. I flinched back at the sight, taken aback as a small gust of wind came out of nowhere, circling the girl and blow her hair like a wild torrent that didn't affect her in the slightest. A red magical circle leaked out from her converse, spreading like coagulating blood and I realized just how different it was from the many times I saw Akako use small magic.

I usually only saw her making potions or making things appear from nowhere in black sparks, but this was on a different level. This wasn't small magic – it was…powerful. The air was thick with tension – not from nervousness or anxiousness, but because the energy she was letting out was bouncing off the walls and rebounding back, as if hitting a giant solar panel. I suddenly felt small and weak compared to the others in the room, hugging Conan closer to my chest in amazement.

"Okay. You can put the brat down in the middle of the seal and anything else you want to send with him and then I'll send him back." My eyes flashed to Ayala, who had just walked out of the seal she had created, face glowing red in the light of her magic, which made the room look darker due to the light itself overpowering everything in the room and becoming the main source of light – everything was dyed in dark red. Flushing at my completely normal reaction to magic, I nodded and hurried to the counter to jot down a small note in Jester's regular handwriting before pinning it to his shirt and darting to the center of the seal.

Unlike the seal that I had been in before – the one that had been formed during the pact with Yuudai – this one felt completely unfamiliar and foreign and I felt as if placing him down would be effectively placing Conan's life in another's hands. It made me feel…a bit uneasy.

"Don't worry, Midori-kun. Ayala-kun is just using a simple transportation spell. It will merely cause him to go into the magical inter-spectrum of her seal and then make him appear on the other side, at his house, in his room. It automatically programs itself, too, so it's convenient. It doesn't take more than a few seconds." Noboru assured from behind the counter, even though he wasn't even paying much attention, looking carefully at his bottled products.

Biting my lip, I placed my trust in Ayala and placed the shrunken Heisei Holmes down gently in the middle of the seal, fixing his bangs briefly before hurrying out of the circle. With a flash of blinding red light, the circle and Conan were gone, probably on their way back to the Detective Agency. Well, that was that.

"Thanks, Ayala-chan." I murmured to her in thanks, getting a scowl as she went back to getting more boxes from the storage room. I shook my head in exasperated fondness at her repeated tsundere-ness, allowing myself to relax.

"Here's the address."

I jumped at the voice whispered into my right ear, jerking violently to the left in an opposite of what happened earlier. "Grah! Would you stop that?!" I growled, protecting my ear with one hand while I shot him a glare. Wasn't he just behind the desk, too?! How'd he get right next to me?!

Ignoring my anger, he passed me a piece of folded paper – which I took begrudgingly – and ruffled my hair before heading back to sort through the boxes on the counter. I peeked at the note curiously, unfolding the paper before giving a blank look. …Huh?

LoFate Hotels, Ueda, Nagano, Japan. Room #2425.

Hold the phone.

Room what now?!

ooOOoo

Conan woke, groggily pulling himself out of sleep slowly. Slower than usual. A sudden alertness over took him – Jester! She's drugged him again! Already, that was the second time he fell for it and he was feeling a bit lousy, though maybe it was just the after-effects of the sleeping gas. He pried open his eyes, groaning at the sudden light that was flooding the room since it was around mid-afternoon by now. He placed a hand on his pounding head, willing away the headache. He'd just let a thief get away with a stolen gem that was worth who knows how much.

With a sigh, he pulled his blanket over his head before freezing mid-gesture. Wait, how the hell did he get back into his room? …Was that a dream? His brows furred in distaste – there was no way he would mistake reality with a dream unless it was a nightmare (though, he supposed it would be one if she was there). A crinkle of paper as he shifted again brought his attention down to a piece of paper clipped to the front of his shirt with a safety pin.

Sitting up, he swiftly unpinned it, unfolding it to read it contents. He immediately wished he hadn't.

Thanks for the date, love! You made a perfect date – we even had a small dance together! I look forward to our next one. And we won't lose~! After all, my new boyfriend will be there, too! Prepare yourself; he's more terrifying than me by a mile, and since you always seem to lose against me… ah, did I hit a sore spot? Don't mind! I love you~! (smooch, smooch)

Looking forward to our next date – maybe we'll go to Step #3? (winking face)

Love you, babe,

Jester!

He deadpanned, immediately crumbling the note and throwing it in the general direction of the trashcan to throw out later, scowling to himself as he fell back onto his pillow. That woman…unpleasant as ever, he mused in irritation. His face smoothed out as he recalled a certain thing that had bothered him, a frown making its way to his lips as he stared up at his ceiling with unreadable eyes.

Why…did she have Koizumi's phone?

Review Replies:

To: Kudou Shinichi Tanteisan – (Sighs in Relief) I'm glad. I was worried it was going to be super strange, lol. XD (Laughs) Yup! It's exactly like that. XDDD (Grins as snowflakes fall and eats cyber cookie) Thank you, E-chan~! 8DD

To: DDmasters – I'm so excited for when I get to her~! I have lots planned for her beginning arc and so I'm really looking forward to it! I'm so impatient that I want to just breeze through other chapters, but I'd hate myself afterwards, lol. XDD (Grins as it rains cyber cakes) Thank you, DDmasters~! 8DDDD

To: MiniMiao – I'm glad you were surprised that Spider has a soft side. XD I made him under the pretense that, yes, he's evil, but he did come from somewhere inside Midori, so there has to be some good there somewhere (hidden deep under layers and layers of douchebag-ness, lol) (Laughs) I had fun writing dark!Midori. I was feeling kind of down when I wrote that, so it oddly made me feel better. (lols, I dun even know) And I'm glad I'm not the only one that sees Toichi as a wise man! 8D I felt like I was making him OOC, but we barely know him, since it starts when he's already dead. But, he's one of my favorite characters. XD Lol, don't worry – sometimes I think a character looks a certain way as well for some reason and then I end up being completely wrong and it's like, "huh?" XD Thank you! I think it's because I used to live in Michigan and I got used to the cold (and I was never very susceptible to germs) and we moved to places that don't get as cold and it didn't affect me as much because of that. (well, except for that one time I got pneumonia, lol) SNK stands for Shingeki no Kyojin (or Attack on Titan)….and wow, I just realized how long its been since I wrote the last chapter. I knew it had been long, but SNK has been finished for a while and I was talking about it just finishing, orz. Not as tortured as I had planned, but it'll do. XD I'll definitely watch it! And Dangan Ronpa sounds really interesting (read the summary), so I'm looking forward to starting it once I get the time! 8D Currently, I'm only watching Magi and Kuroko no Baske, so I should be able to find the time! ^^ I hope you did well on your exams! (I planned to wish you well, but this is so late, it burns, lol) (Accepts Pumpkin-Shaped Cookie) Thank you~! Yup, the Koizumi's. I have a bit of trouble remembering their names off the bat, too, but I have character profiles and reference pictures and the such, so I'm good. XD Three more in the next chapter, lol.

To: Hikaris4ever – lol, not sure if this was an accident or the last chapter was just strange enough to put this (kind of was; wouldn't blame you, lolz), but thank you for the review all the same! 8D

To: Iriss-sama – It's alright! ^^ (I rely on emails way too much, as well *whispers* lulz) (Laughs) Don't worry, I get that feeling for a lot of things like the last chapter, too. XDD Like, my favorite character from the Kagerou Project is Kuroha and he literally kills everyone, so I should feel sad, but I don't. It just makes me like him more…which is weird, but…orz. XDD I agree. Writing bad guys has to be the most fun-est (not a word, but meh) ever! I think maybe it has something to do with breaking rules…or something, lol. I dunno. (Shrugs) I'm sure someone studying psychology could give you a legit reason, but I have no idea. XD Yeah, I felt bad killing off Erise. It hurt. She's a really likable character, so even if it was in a fake world, it still made me a bit depressed to kill her off, but I couldn't think of another way to wake the utopian-Midori up, lol. It was the most reasonable, logically thinking. And yup~! Toichi and Midori are a somewhat big point in this story~! XD I have fun with Toichi, so I shall use him as I see fit. (Plays with Puppet) lol, that sounds horrible. ((but its what all writers do with their characters, lol)) Thank you for all the luck, Ri-chan~! And I'll definitely continue writing this story, even if it updates pretty late.;;

To: MiniMiao (Chapter one review) – Ahh, I'm sorry this is so late. (Grimace) I got writer's block, then I was lazy, then I hated every word I wrote on it, and then I just got busy (and then lazy again, orz). So, I don't have any legit excuse, but I'm sorry for making you wait so long. But thank you for the review! It finally got my butt in gear and here's the chapter, lol. Without you, this probably would've come out sometime in January, since I had no will to write this chapter, 'cause it seemed never ending, lol. XDD Thank you for encouraging me and sorry for the long wait! (Gives Cyber cookies)

-Done. I finished. This chapter…was supposed to be longer, but this will do, since it's already in the 15,000's. XD See you guys next time and hopefully it won't be such a long wait! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and if you don't celebrate anything, have a good week! 8DDDD Also, Happy New Years! Next March 31st and it'll be three years since I began this story. Thanks for sticking with me throughout the years! I hope your new year is prosperous and great! ^^ I won't be updating 'til next year due to personal issues, but I'll definitely see you (if not before) in March! 8D

Note(s):

*Yggdrasil – In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology, in connection to which the nine worlds exist.

*I added quite a bit of little things that refer to earlier chapters and a few hidden jokes (the reason why I had Noboru use a regular deck of cards for fortune-telling; the reason for the name of the shop, ect.), so maybe you can spot them out, though some refer to knowledge I have on mythology, so… XD (There's also an inside joke between my sister and I about why I put everything in Ueda, Nagano, lol)

*You may have noticed that Noboru called Conan "Kudou-kun". That was not a typo. XD