I often have trouble writing Shinichi's parents, so hopefully, they aren't too far off the mark.

As for the time Yukiko met Kaitou, see episode 473, manga chapter 573 (haha…they both have a '73' in them…)

Japanese:

"Obaasan" – Means "older woman" or "old lady"

"-chan" – a suffix used to address children, though parents often use this term as well to talk to their child no matter what the age of said child

"Kaasan" – Short for "okaasan", means "mother/mom"

"Tousan" – Short for "otousan", means "father/dad"

A "bokken" is a heavier wooden sword used during practice for Kendo/Kenjutsu

Chapter 4

Four days later, Heiji and Kaitou both got a phone call from Conan telling them that the antidote had been completed, and he heard from Akai. Apparently, the Organization was having a meeting in another two days.

There was a feeling of uncertainty…they had worked out much of the details, including some "what-ifs" of their stunt. But to actually put it into action was entirely different. On the other hand, all three seemed to have the same habit of "leaping before looking", so despite their fears, they were ready to jump in.

Most of Kaitou's injuries had receded…the bump to the head and his wrist were completely healed. His leg was still injured, and he had to be careful with his arm, but he was ready.

So, four days after the three first met and figured out the location of the Organization, they met again at Agasa's place for the first in the series of events that none of them would ever forget.

Kaitou arrived first, since he was at least in the Tokyo area. He was a bit surprised when a woman answered the door.

She was, for lack of better words in Kaitou's vocabulary, beautiful. With brown hair that curled a bit by her chin and wearing a red sweater with a pair of nice khaki pants, she was very pretty even for an adult.

Kaitou idly wondered if he go the wrong house. But, no…the nameplate said "Agasa", and it was the only circular house on Beika Street. Plus, it was next to Kudou's house, so it had to be it…

"Oh!" the woman exclaimed. "You must be Kaitou! Wow, you've really grown up since the last time I saw you…!"

Kaitou was left wondering if he could keep his sanity if he just left, now.

Though, a familiar voice interrupted the woman.

"Kaasan! Knock it off!" Conan sighed as he went over. He had an exasperated expression on his face. "Let him in, will you? There's that guy next door…"

"Oh! Sorry, Shin-chan…!" Yukiko Kudou stepped back to let Kaitou in.

Kaitou stepped in, though the puzzled expression on his face stayed.

Conan closed the door. "I didn't know you've met my mother before…"

"I didn't know, either…" Kaitou scratched his head as he tried to figure it out as he followed the boy and his mother to the living room. He walked with a bit of a limp, but otherwise, seemed much better than the last time he had been there.

"How about this line, then…?" Yukiko winked at him, then quoted, " 'This is for you. Because you're pretty, obaasan'. Ring any bells? I was meeting your father at that time…"

Kaitou frowned as he thought about it, while Conan gave him a curious look.

Finally, Kaitou just grinned. "Well, I've met so many pretty women that I tend to forget faces…"

Yukiko acted flattered before she moved to the kitchen to get the guest some tea, but Conan gave his 'friend' a half-moon expression.

"So, what's your mother doing here, anyway, Kudou?" Kaitou asked as he gratefully sat down on one of the couches.

"I told you and Hattori before… 'Conan' has to disappear when the antidote is found. Plus, it's tousan's friends in Interpol that are being contacted."

"Here's a question…why don't any of their agents go to the location?"

"Same reason we can't contact the police on it. The Organization would spot them and run if they came in big numbers without some sort of internal distraction. Plus, Interpol still has to be weary of the CIA and FBI," Conan replied as he flopped down on the opposite couch.

"Where's your father, then?" Kaitou looked around. "With his buddies from Interpol?"

"He's with Agasa-hakase in the kitchen." Conan pulled off his glasses and tossed them onto the table. Because if anything goes wrong with the antidote, at least he would get to see me again… "How are your injuries?"

"Shoulder's good to go for the operation in two days…and I don't need to put pressure on my leg to pilot the glider." Kaitou responded with a grin. "By the way, how did you convince your folks to let you go?"

"It's my case. I've been involved since Gin smacked me over the head with a baseball bat and force-fed me the poison by Tropical Land. Plus, I'm the only one with first-hand experience against them that's lived to tell the tale."

"Makes sense…" Kaitou mused.

"So, why'd you come, anyway? I know I said Hattori was coming over, but…"

"I need to know what the plan will be. We only went over the basics four days ago. Now that it's getting close to showtime, it's best to go over the plan again."

Conan grinned. "Good thinking, I'll give it that."

"Are you sore at me for coming?"

"No…I'm glad you did. You and Hattori are the only ones I can really talk to, besides Haibara, and sometimes hakase. Simply put, we're friends."

Kaitou nodded. "Agreed! So, as a friend, you won't turn me in when this is over with, right?"

"You still have to find the Pandora's Gem and destroy it, right? Maybe I'll show up to challenge you on your heists, but…nah, I won't turn you in. From what I understand, tousan knew you father's real identity, too." Conan smiled. And, it was your father that led Ran and me on an interesting adventure ten years ago.

Kaitou laughed. "Like father like son, huh?"

"Tell me about it…" Conan snickered. "We've been connected since before we were born!"

That brought more laughter from the other teen.

They were only interrupted when Yukiko came out with some tea for Kaitou. Though she was obviously curious, she left the two boys to chat, since they weren't talking about anything serious anymore.

No…that would be left until Heiji got there and they could go over their final stage of planning before they went after the Organization in two days.

"So, Conan's 'mother' showed up to take him back home, and nobody's any the wiser about it. As far as everyone knows, 'Conan' went to live with his parents in America."

Heiji nodded. "I was wonder'n how you'd wrap up that loose end…you've been stay'n with neechan and occhan for a while."

"Well, kaasan already appeared a couple of times to them, dressed up as Conan's mother, so…we ran with it," Conan stated.

"And those kids hang'n around with ya?"

Conan shifted slightly. "The move is supposed to be sudden. Though, 'Ran-neechan' was left with a message to give to them."

"Suck at saying 'goodbye', huh?" Kaitou spoke up.

Conan frowned. "It's better this way, too. Maybe this way, they won't be expecting any letters from 'Conan'. And, they can't send any letters if they don't have the address."

"Admit it…you're fond of the kids and just didn't have the heart ta say 'goodbye'," Heiji interrupted.

Conan sighed in defeat, but still didn't say it aloud.

Heiji and Kaitou understood it to be the truth, however, by Conan's body language.

"Anyway, I'm going to go over the plan before I take the antidote," Conan informed them as he pulled over the map and papers from the table so they could see. "After we leave, kaasan is going to hide at a house they purchased recently under a different name with Agasa-hakase and Haibara."

Said three people weren't in the room, since all three kids and Yusaku felt that they would be safer if they didn't know the exact plan on the off chance they were found.

"They found a house pretty quickly…" Kaitou commented wryly.

"Not the first time they've done it. And, tousan agreed that they shouldn't go to one of their villas. They're in the Kudou name, after all."

Kaitou quirked a brow. "Huh…you're a little o-bo-cchama, huh?"

"Hardly…we just have a lot of money. You want something like that, see Suzuki Sonoko. Anyway…"

Heiji and Kaitou fell silent. Both worried a bit as to why they were going over the plan now and not after the guy had taken the antidote, but neither voiced that concern.

"Akai will be with us when we get there, then go in a separate route. We're going to sneak around and go through the side entrance of the warehouse that they're using as a base…"

That part of the plan, they had argued with Shuuichi over since they didn't like the idea of him going through the main entrance and being 'bait', but eventually conceded that he knew what he was doing and had his own plan.

"Our real target is the underground storage area of the warehouse. According to the schematics, there are three levels. The main level that we'll enter on, and two underground. The only way to get down is an elevator. That would make some noise, which is why Akai is going to go in first. He'll ride it down to the bottom so we can get down. If there's a ladder, we'll take that down. If not, we can slide down the cables."

"Which floor could they be on, though?" Heiji wondered.

"That's one of the problems. Splitting up is too dangerous since it will just be Hattori and myself. Though Akai will be inside somewhere, he'll be on the third floor. It would make more sense to be back-up for him and use the trapdoor in the elevator to get out on the third floor."

The two nodded.

"Since Interpol will surround the building once we're inside, we don't have to worry about them escaping if we got the wrong floor. Hopefully, they'll be quiet about it…but, us going in first is just a precaution in case someone spots them."

"Since, after all, not all of them might be inside," Heiji commented.

Conan nodded. "Right. Shortly after, Kuroba will lead the Kaitou Kid Taskforce to the area just outside Interpol's perimeter on the off chance that one of their snipers or members gets through Interpol's lines."

Kaitou nodded. "I sent the note…then met with Nakamori-keibu. As Kid, of course. Told him something bigger is going down, and that there might be some vicious guys in black after me, so I wanted to keep the heist between me and the police."

"He accepted it, then?" Heiji questioned.

Kaitou nodded. "Yep. They'll be prepared for those guys. Or, if Snake and his buddies decide to show up. Either way, they're ready to capture syndicate men."

Conan nodded. "Hattori and I will be playing it by ear. Tousan is going to provide us with a handgun each…you know how to use one, Hattori?"

"I ain't the best shot in the world, but yup. Does he really expect us to shoot them, though…?"

"Only as a last resort. I'm bringing the ball inflation belt with me…that's my weapon of choice. I'll also bring the stun watch, but I know it at least won't work on Gin. I tried to use it on him once before, and it had no effect."

"Monster, indeed…" Kaitou mumbled.

Heiji nodded.

"I guess you'll be bringing some sort of sword, Hattori?"

"A bokken. I'd hafta flip the sword over and strike with the back of the blade if I used a real katana. Might as well just go with a bokken, then."

"So, we'll be prepared for close-quarters combat…and, if things get bad, we have the guns. Our primary goal is to force them to run. There's a large lake behind them, and a mountainous area behind that, so they can't flee that way. We want to force them out into the hands of the waiting Interpol members."

Heiji nodded, then grinned. "So, any member we take down and tie up is just an added bonus!"

"Something like that…" Conan nodded. "Any questions on the plan? You have clearance to disguise yourself as an Interpol member and meet up with tousan, so that's your escape route, Kuroba."

Kaitou put his hand down. "Got'cha. My assistant won't be helping much…too dangerous, and he's an old man. I appreciate it."

"I should be saying that…" Conan smiled tightly as he stood up. "You were the one that filched the Apotoxin formula four days ago…that allowed Haibara to create an antidote. Though finding their base was just some extra luck on our side…a lot of it is due to you. So…thanks, Kuroba."

Kaitou blinked. "Hey, hey…don't get all mushy. It's not like you, and it's creeping me out a bit."

"Creep'n me out, too…" Heiji eyed the boy. "What's the deal, Kudou?"

"I'll take the antidote, now. If we're set on the plan. Haibara prepared it…I'll get it from her, then head to the bathroom."

"Hey, Kudou! Stop avoid'n the…!" Heiji started.

"Hattori…" Conan interrupted, halfway to the kitchen.

"Yea?"

"If anything happens…you're in charge."

"What do you mean, 'if anything happens'…?" Heiji sprung to his feet.

Kaitou glanced over his shoulder at the small form. "You mean, if the antidote fails."

Heiji paled.

Conan nodded. "There's a chance I can die. Though, there was a chance each time I took one of the prototype antidotes. But this one is much higher. Haibara was pressured to make one quickly since she knew they wouldn't stay in one spot long, which meant that we would be acting within a time frame of a week or two."

"That's why you were talking funny…" Kaitou frowned.

Conan just grinned back at them. "Wish me luck, huh? This one could be forever. One way or the other."

Then, the boy's grin dropped, and he paused in his steps. "Oh…and…if it does kill me…Hattori, can you tell Ran? When this is over…tell her everything…"

Heiji started to nod, then shook his head. "No way! Tell her, yourself, Kudou! You'll be telling her, yourself!"

Conan smiled gratefully at the hidden 'yes', as well as the concern, then walked into the kitchen to get the antidote.

Neither Kaitou nor Heiji said a word when he walked out with one hand in a fist where the innocent pill most likely sat. They were still silent as he walked over to the bathroom, then closed the door behind him.

"Hey…have you seen his transformations?" Kaitou finally ventured.

Heiji shook his head. "I ain't seen him transform, per say…but I was there plenty of times when the temporary antidote started to wear off. Don't be surprised if ya hear a scream. It's a painful process."

Yukiko, Yusaku, Agasa, and Haibara emerged from the kitchen at that point.

None of them took a seat, however, which was a testament to their nervousness on whether the antidote would work or not.

Even Heiji had yet to sit back down.

The only reason Kaitou wasn't on his feet was because of his injured knee, though he drummed his fingers on the couch in a sign of nerves.

It was so quiet that they could hear the ticking of the clock.

Not even Haibara said a word…she was just as anxious as the rest of them since it was her drug, and it would be her antidote. She was certain it would work, but it still had a risk in it. She had used him as a test subject numerous times…but this was the first time she was so nervous about it.

They all jumped when there was a scream. Heiji's first instinct was to rush over to the bathroom, but Haibara caught his shirt and stopped him.

Yukiko covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut as Yusaku placed a hand on her shoulder. The man seemed composed, but the pallor of his face was lighter than normal.

Agasa clenched his hands into fists, and Kaitou had jumped to his feet…though, the teen still leaned against the couch when weight was put on his right leg.

The scream of the child hadn't lasted long…then, there was silence.

"Yu-chan…" Yukiko had tears in her eyes, the 'what if' unspoken between them.

Yusaku merely squeezed her shoulder as she leaned against him.

All eyes were on the door.

"Hey…how long does the transformation take?" Kaitou asked nervously. "Shouldn't he be out by now if it worked?"

"He'd have to change cloths…but…" Haibara glanced at her watch. If the scream was when the majority of the pain hit from the transformation, then that would be the signal that his body was changing. It's been only two minutes since then…

"I'm sure he's fine…Shinichi will be fine…" who Agasa was trying to convince, nobody knew.

A moment of silence and another two minutes later, Heiji spoke.

"Let go."

Haibara stared up at him.

"I'm a guy, so even if he's in there naked, it's noth'n I haven't seen before. If some'n went wrong and he needs help but can't say anyth'n, we're just wait'n for him to die out here. Let go."

Haibara hesitated, then released her grip on Heiji's shirt.

Heiji rushed over to the bathroom door and knocked on it. "Kudou? I'm come'n in!"

Before he could turn the handle, however, it turned from the inside.

Heiji still hadn't dropped his arm from where he had his hand outstretched towards the knob, though a smile lit his face after a moment of shock.

Shinichi Kudou stood there, dressed in a green collared polo shirt under a jean jacket with a pair of jeans and white socks. There was still some sweat that clung to his face, his bangs were a bit damp from the temperature in his body increasing like it did for the transformations, and he seemed a bit shaky…but otherwise, he stood firm.

Shinichi smirked. "Hey. I thought you were into girls, not guys, Hattori."

After a moment, Heiji turned red and snapped at him. "Well, you were taking so damn long…I thought you might've been dy'n in there! And, wait a minute…don't even imply that, Kudou!"

Shinichi chuckled. "Couldn't help it…"

"Shin-chan…?" Yukiko rushed forward and all but shoved Heiji out of the way as she looked him up and down. "Are you alright?"

"Yep. It worked."

"You're trembling…" Yukiko frowned.

"Aftermath of the transformation," Shinichi explained.

Haibara nodded in agreement. "It's no wonder. This was made as a permanent antidote, after all."

Heiji moved forward again and grasped Shinichi's arm. "Don't keep stand'n there like a moron, then. Go sit down before you collapse!"

Yukiko moved aside with a relieved smile as Heiji led Shinichi to the unoccupied couch.

Shinichi let out a sigh of relief when he was seated, and closed his eyes. "You know, that's one thing I won't miss…the pain and the lingering aches of transformation."

Kaitou fell back onto the other couch with a relieved chuckled. "You scared the shit outta me, Kudou. You know that?"

Shinichi opened his eyes tiredly and grinned. "I try."

"You're really alright?" Yukiko placed a hand to his forehead, then frowned. "You're all sweaty! And you feel slightly warm…"

"We should do a post-transformation check-up," Haibara took command. "The sweat and fever should be the lingering effects of the transformation…the slight fever is still his body temperature going back down from the transformation. The exhaustion is because, though he's taken temporary antidotes, he's not used to the actual one. Plus, it could be fighting off the remnants of the poison in his system."

"What does that mean?" Agasa questioned the small girl as she went to fetch equipment to take his blood pressure, temperature, and list some other information.

Yusaku chuckled. "It means that he needs to rest for a little while. Though, I think he's already a couple steps ahead of us on that."

When they glanced over, Yukiko giggled in relief, Heiji snickered, Agasa smiled, and Kaitou laughed.

Shinichi had fallen asleep in a seated position, his breathing soft yet strong and even.

Yukiko went over and gently moved him so that he lay on the couch rather than be seated, then brushed his slightly damp bangs away. "Shin-chan…"

Agasa gestured for Heiji and Kaitou to come to the kitchen unit to hang around in order to give the family a little time before Haibara returned to make sure that nothing had gone wrong, and Shinichi was truly back.

TO BE CONTINUED…