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"So you were supposed to meet at Tropical Land five hours ago?"Heiji asked Aoko while Shinichi frantically scribbled down the details of the case-or at least tried to as best he could on the back of a food receipt. Luckily, Aoko's disbelief at the age of Heiji's assistant had quickly been explained away. Heiji casually mentioned that Conan was his 'junior associate' while giving Aoko a conspiratorial wink, leaving her with the deliberately, carefully created impression that Heiji was merely indulging the whims of an overly curious, albeit highly intelligent child. "My associate here will take notes."
"Exactly. We go at least once a year, and always sometime during this month," she explained. "We made these plans weeks ago and he never showed up today, and he won't answer his phone, and he also never called me eit-" She blinked as her cellphone began ringing. Aoko then dug into her purse and pulled it out before staring at the caller ID in confusion; she didn't recognize the number at all. She tenuously hit the call button and placed the phone to her ear. "Hello?"
Storm clouds quickly gathered in Aoko's eyes as her face darkened; both tantei were familiar enough with that look to take a few steps back in reflexive fear, having seen it multiple times from their respective female companions at various points in their lives. "Where have you been?" Her free hand clenched into a fist and began to twitch as she listened to the other end of the conversation, her head bowed down slightly.
Hoo, boy. He's in trouble, not just trouble, thought Shinichi grimly, feeling sympathy for her friend because he had been there himself-thankfully not many times. That sort of look with Ran usually winds up with me being on the receiving end of a karate kick to the side of the head...
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FORGOT ABOUT TODAY?" she demanded, voice loud enough to carry clear from the Tropical Land entrance gate to the rear of the park if they had been within its borders. Several who were gathered at the park's admissions line turned to stare at the young girl, and Heiji and Shinichi found themselves and their 'employer' the subject of curious stares. "WE MADE THESE PLANS A LONG TIME AGO! KUROBA KAITO, IF YOU DO NOT GET OVER TO THIS PARK WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR-" Suddenly, her entire body language changed as she listened to his reply, going from anger to worry, her eyes becoming filled with concern instead of malice. "Well, why didn't you just say that you had a biking accident in the first place, you idiot? And why didn't you call me sooner?"
"Sounds like her friend is alright, if a little banged up," commented Heiji to Shinichi with a shrug. "Guess we can-"
"You were knocked out with a concussion last night and just now woke up?" she cried in a worry-filled voice, catching the attention of both detectives. A concussion that knocked him out for so long...from a bike accident? A bike accident that happened...at night? "I'll be right over." A look of confusion now crossed Aoko's features. "What do you mean you're not at your own house? Then where are you? Give me the address." And he's not at his own house to boot, when he's recovering from that sort of nasty fall? The curiosity of both boys was most thoroughly piqued by now, especially when they listened to Aoko's angry protests after he refused to give her the address of his current location.
"Look Kaito, you've obviously been hurt and need help. Just give me the address already." Aoko's tone indicated that she wouldn't take no for an answer, but she let out a frustrated 'hmmph' as she glared at the cellphone and stuffed it back into her purse. "That idiot hung up on me so he didn't have to answer," she growled before adding "And I know that if I call back, he won't pick up..."
"It didn't seem like you recognized the number he was callin' from," commented Heiji in a tone that was half statement, half question, hoping to squeeze whatever information he could from the call.
"I didn't," she replied in a voice filled with worry. "It was a local call though, so he's got to be somewhere fairly close by- wait a minute!" she cried in a tone of triumph. "I didn't recognize the number, but I did recognize the name! Konosuke Jii- he owns a pool place nearby! Kaito's taken me there before!" Aoko took off at a dead run, a run so fast that Heiji eventually had to lift Shinichi up onto his shoulders so that they could keep up with her. "Here it is!" She knocked furiously on the door of the house behind the shop, which was followed by the sound of something thudding to the floor behind the door.
"Wh-who's there?" inquired a muffled voice that sounded a lot like Shinichi's - well, when he was in his regular body.
"Kuroba Kaito, you let me in there right this minute!" demanded Aoko, who had gone from knocking to pounding on the door with her fist. "You need someone to help take care of you, and you're going to apologize to this detective whose time you've wasted!"
"Aww, jeez, Aoko, I didn't mean for you to come here. I told you, I'm-"
"YOU ARE NOT FINE! NOW OPEN THIS DOOR!" Aoko stood with her hands on her hips, an angry glare affixed to her face that could have melted the wooden door if such a thing were possible, and there was little doubt in either Heiji's or Shinichi's mind what would happen if her friend Kaito didn't open the door immediately. Violence.
A defeated-sounding sigh and then groan was followed by the sounds of locks and chains being undone, then the door opened slowly to reveal someone that could have passed for Shinichi's twin, even if his hair was slightly messier and his eyes had slightly more of a purple shade to them. He also looked like had been fairly roughed up, and Shinichi didn't fail to notice the slight glint of panic that had appeared in Kaito's eyes at the sight of him before it had been quickly suppressed by the other boy. Why be afraid of me? I'm the smallest person here.
"I knew it! You look awful! Where on Earth did you go riding that bicycle at that left you in such a sorry shape?" demanded Aoko as she entered the home. "And you can apologize to-"
"Sorry, detectives," Kaito managed to mutter to Heiji and Shinichi before staggering back to the couch he had ensconced himself in before the trio's arrival and beginning to neatly fold the guest blanket that he had borrowed. "But you guys really should leave, Jii will be coming back any minute and I was just getting ready to leave myself, after I-"
"You stay right there, I'll clean up your mess. You're in no condition to be moving around that much," Aoko stated firmly before she finished folding the blanket for him. He pointed to the back guest bedroom in response to her unspoken inquiry about where it went, and after she left the room Kaito returned his attention to the two others in the house to be greeted by a pair of suspicious, probing glares that caused him to reflexively shrink himself down into the couch a little.
"So," inquired Heiji with a knowing smirk, "what really happened last night? And, where were you last night?"
"I think I know the answer, Kaito," added Shinichi coldly. "Or should I say Kaitou Kid?" he added very quietly so that Aoko didn't hear it in the next room.
"I don't know what you're talking about," retorted Kaito quickly- too quickly, but Shinichi had seen his composure completely shatter for a moment before the denial and calm, collected mask both slipped back into place, and his gut told him that he was correct.
"If you don't know me and have never seen or talked to me before, why did you say 'detectives' instead of 'detective'? Especially when Aoko only used the singular form when talking to you on the phone. Even at that, most people would assume that of the two of us, Heiji was the only detective here. And there's only one guy roughly your age who calls me detective who I don't know- or I suppose I should say didn't know," replied Shinichi flatly.
Damn it! Kaito should have known that slip of the tongue, caused by fatigue and pain, wouldn't get by the little detective who had been a thorn in his side for so long. So how the hell do I get out of this one...?
"Alright, Kaito, I'm done cleaning up your mess," Aoko called before reentering the room and hefting him up by his arm. "Let's get out of here." With that, she walked him to the door as quickly as Kaito's aching body would let him travel, the two detectives hot on his heels.
"You've gotta answer our questions eventually. You're currently the A-1 prime suspect in the murder of a museum guard that happened uptown last night," snapped Heiji in a low tone as he supported the severely injured thief once Aoko had gotten tired enough to nearly drop him twice. She had finally gotten far enough ahead of them that they could talk...
"WHAT?" The horror and shock that instantly filled Kaito's face along with completely panicked exclamation caused both Heiji and Shinichi to do a double take. So he is Kaitou Kid. I knew it. Shinichi's smirk quickly turned into a pensive frown as he continued to study the thief's shellshocked expression. He really didn't commit the murder, thought Shinichi. No way that reaction is faked. And it looks like Heiji's come to the same conclusion, he noted as he quickly studied the Osakan's thought-filled face before they realized that Aoko was approaching them, Kaito's shout apparently having caused her to turn around and rejoin them.
"What's going on?" she asked as she finished her approach, eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Nothing!" the male trio chimed in perfect unison, only causing her eyes to narrow further. 'Nothing' was never 'nothing' when Kuroba Kaito was involved, a lesson Aoko had learned far, far too well in her long friendship with him. "You had better not be planning another April Fool's prank, Kaito," she stated in a warning tone before falling in alongside the trio. "I think I'd better walk back here so you can't plan."
Damn it...I can't remember...I need to remember! Kaito's mind was filled with near-total panic, still processing the words of the Osakan-accented detective. His reaction had probably permanently cemented his being Kid in the pair's minds, but he couldn't help it. A MURDER? What in the hell did I do last night? Was this what Jii didn't want me to find out about?