Onto day 7...I'm still in the contest!

Words: 1,986
Character(s): Kaitou Kuroba, Shinichi Kudou, Heiji Hattori, Ran Mouri
Rating: PG (for swearing)
Prompt: #7; using 2 out of 3 provided quotes, can't use words (except names) starting with the letter "m", must be over 1500 words
Disclaimer: Not mine!! Gosho Aoyama owns all!
Notes:

-I chose "It squeaks when you bang it." and "I can't blow it, it's too small." out of the three provided quotes

-2000 yen is about 22 US dollars;

-"-han" is a suffix used the same way as "-san" for people from the Kansai area

-"keiji" means "officer"

-"hakase" is a term used to describe scientists and/or inventors

-This takes place shortly after my fic, "Rebirth"

Visiting Hours

He was on crutches to keep him off his right leg, but Kaitou Kuroba was just glad to be out of the hospital. He had visited with Heiji Hattori occasionally, who was staying in Shinichi's house until the other 16 year old recovered enough to be released from the hospital.

But today, he and Heiji had decided to visit their friend, Shinichi Kudou, as he recovered in the hospital.

It had been a week since Kaitou had been released from Beika General, and almost a week and a half since Heiji had been released. Though Heiji wasn't on crutches, he still walked with a bit of a limp as he favored his left leg, and between that and his healing ribcage, he was able to get away with an extended leave from school.

Kaitou was the same, though that was due to how badly he had injured his right leg.

"Think Kudou will be happy ta see us?" Heiji asked as they walked down the hallway to the room Shinichi was staying in.

"Course! We're his only source of intelligent conversation!" Kaitou grinned.

"A little full of yerself…"

"But of course, Hattori!" Kaitou snickered.

Heiji grinned. "I'm sure neechan has been visit'n him, though. She's pretty smart."

"That Ran girl?"

"Yep."

"Think he proposed, yet?"

"From his hospital bed? Doubtful. I'll bank on confessed, though."

"Wanna bet on that, Hattori?" Kaitou smirked.

Heiji smirked. "You dun know Kudou like I do…I bet he already confessed!"

"And I bet he hasn't!"

"What's your wager?"

Heiji considered that for a second.

"Yen only, Hattori…no stupid penalties for the bet," Kaitou drawled.

Heiji shrugged. "2000 yen says he's at least confessed."

"Deal!" Kaitou let go of one of his crutches to shake Heiji's hand.

"You're so go'n down, Kuroba! I've known Kudou longer, and seen him with neechan!"

"Ha! You talk as if you've known him all your life! You only knew him after he was shrunken in the first place, from what I heard!"

"Wh-who told ya that?!" Heiji exclaimed.

Kaitou smirked. "Agasa-hakase."

"Figures. He can't keep his…"

"I wouldn't start a comment about keeping your lips sealed, if I were you. You've nearly let his secret slip hundreds of times."

Heiji flushed. "And where'd ya hear that from?"

"Kudou's folks."

Heiji just sighed. "Why do I even botherta talk with ya, Kuroba?"

"Cause I'm so sweet and charming?"

Heiji shuddered.

Kaitou laughed.

This carried on until they got to the room.

Heiji didn't even knock…he just opened the door and stepped in, which allowed Kaitou to follow after him.

"Heya, Kudou!" Heiji said cheerfully as they stepped in.

Shinichi was sitting up in bed aided by the angled bed and pillows. There was a Sherlock Holmes novel in his hands…probably something that one of his parents brought over to him.

His left arm was still in a sling, but he was looking a lot healthier than the last time they had seen him, and a good amount of color had returned to his face already.

"How goes it?" Kaitou questioned before he plopped down on a chair.

Heiji pulled over a stool to sit on. "What happendta the Queen books I brought over last time I visited ya?"

Shinichi grinned and closed his book. "Finished them already."

"What?! All of them!? Dammit, Kudou…you read bout as fast as I do!" Heiji groaned.

"I can lend you some Lupin tales if you want…" Kaitou offered with a grin.

Shinichi laughed. "Thanks, but no thanks, Kuroba."

"What's so funny?" Kaitou groused. He liked reading about Lupin, at least…

"Just remembering…the very first encounter I had with the Kaitou Kid. Your father. I was six or seven when Ran and I found him in our school's library, reading 'The Gentleman Thief'," Shinichi replied.

"That warrants a full story one day," Kaitou stated.

Shinichi grinned. "If you want, sure. It's not like I'm going anywhere yet."

The three teen snickered at that joke.

"So, Kudou…we were wonder'n…" Heiji grinned.

Shinichi eyed him warily.

Kaitou finished Heiji's sentence, "…did you confess to that girl you talk about?"

Shinichi stared at them blankly a few seconds, then a wide grin spread across his face.

"You did!" Heiji whooped. "You did, didn't you!?"

"Yep!" Shinichi flushed a bit as he admitted it.

Kaitou groaned for some reason unknown to Shinichi.

"Ha! That's 2000 yen, Kuroba!" Heiji poked at the other teen.

"Shaddap…" Kaitou grumbled as he rustled through his pockets.

Shinichi gave them both a half lidded glare. "You two had a bet on whether or not I confessed to Ran? You two? Who can't even tell your girlfriends how you feel about them?"

The result of that statement was two red-faced boys that stammered various denials as they flailed about.

In said flailing, Kaitou knocked over a round object that sat next to the vase of flowers on the nightstand.

At first, there was silence.

Then, Kaitou reached down and plucked it up. "What's this, Kudou?"

"A tiny soccer ball…what does it look like?" Shinichi rolled his eyes.

Heiji squinted at it. "Oh! Like one of those bean-bag sacks…right? Hey, how're you gonna use it if your leg's broken?"

"Good question…you can ask Haibara that, yourself," Shinichi answered in a droll tone.

"That scary girl?" Kaitou glanced up. "I'm surprised she brought over a present."

Heiji snickered. "Though, it suits her…bring'n over some'n you can't use like that. Sarcastic as ever, that one?"

"Yea. I'm just glad she didn't bring something for her guinea pig, who conveniently isn't going anywhere right now."

"You, right?" Heiji chuckled.

"Who else?" Shinichi sighed. "I'm the only one I know who's been her test dummy since she was found by Agasa-hakase."

"Like some of the nightmares with the temp antidotes…yep, I remember some of that."

Kaitou, in the interim, looked back at the items on the desk. "What's this?"

The item he picked up was a small crow figure composed of soft plastic that one could probably squeeze, and was about the size of a small bean bag plushie.

"…the hell is this, Kudou?" the question was justified, this time.

Shinichi looked over, then laughed. "An invention of Agasa-hakase. I've had a dislike of crows ever since we tangled with the Organization…and even before that, once I found out the tune of their boss's email address."

"The Seven Crows, eh…?" Heiji pondered aloud.

Kaitou experimentally squeezed the crow, which let out some sort of dying noise.

Heiji chortled.

"It gets better…it squeaks when you bang it," Shinichi informed them.

"Bang it?" Heiji blinked.

Kaitou dropped it on the desk, then slammed his fist down on it.

To their amusement, it let out this pitiful squeaking sound before it deflated.

"Hakase gave you a dog toy to beat up on?" Kaitou was almost red in the face from suppressed laughter.

"I think it was along the lines of one of those 'cheer up' gag gifts," Shinichi admitted.

Kaitou picked up the limp plastic thing. "How do you get it back to normal?"

Heiji squinted at it. "Blow it up like a balloon?"

"I can't blow it, it's too small, that hole," Kaitou responded.

Shinichi just sat back and watched with a grin as the two puzzled over it.

"Okay, fine…" Heiji was the first to lose his temper, to nobody's surprise. "How does the damn thing work, Kudou!?"

Shinichi chuckled. "Hit it again."

The two looked at him as if he had gone insane, then glanced at each other and shrugged.

Kaitou placed the deflated crow down on the surface, then smacked the poor thing once again.

The crow let out another squeak, then popped up as if instantly inflated.

"How…?" Heiji stared at it.

"I stopped asking when it comes to Agasa-hakase. He is the one that created the power kick shoes, the tracking glasses, and the stun watch."

Heiji grumbled a choice word under his breath about the last device.

Kaitou grinned, as he hadn't been hit by one of the stun needles…yet, at least.

"It's a wonder that Mouri-han never quite figured out bout all those times ya tranqued him, Kudou." Heiji smirked.

"And since I'm in love with his daughter and with to stay alive, he's never going to find out. I was smacked over the head enough times as Conan…imagine what he'll do to Shinichi. Particularly since he never really got over how I always 'stole' cases from him. And, once I get out of the hospital and recover, I'll be back in business."

"And his will go down…you'll have to come up with a reason for the sudden reappearance of his stupidity," Heiji commented. "Then the other folks ya've stunned…"

Kaitou leaned back in his chair. "Say they were channeling you or something."

Two blank looks.

"What?" Kaitou placed the crow back down on the stand.

"You think people'll believe that?" Heiji exclaimed.

Kaitou nodded. "You two are well trusted detectives. You could say that the sky was orange, and somehow argue the logic in it, and they'll agree with ya."

"Wait a sec, Kuroba!" Heiji shook his head.

Shinichi just looked amused by Kaitou's statement.

Heiji continued, "We ain't lawyers…we're detectives. There's a difference!"

"Uh, huh…"

"That's not you sound'n convinced," Heiji groused.

Kaitou only shrugged. "What happens will happen. It's either that, or tell the truth, cause I can't figure out how you'll explain how people will suddenly not be falling into 'trances' to solve homicide cases anymore."

Shinichi offered a one-armed shrug to his Osakan friend. "Kuroba has a point, Hattori. There are a limited set of options about it. For Ran's dad, it could just be the highlight of his career…otherwise, the only way to explain it would be their subconscious parts of their brains taking over some way or another. Problem with that is…it could have them sent to see a psychologist."

Kaitou snickered.

Heiji sighed. "What're ya gonna tell that other girl you tranqued?"

"Sonoko? Absolutely nothing. Anything she hears, the entire town will know by dinner," came the response from the bedridden teen.

The other two laughed.

Shinichi looked thoughtful. "Though, I'll probably tell Takagi-keiji. I owe him an explanation. There were quite a few times when I swore he figured it out. And, he knew something was off about 'Conan' since almost day one."

"Your choice, Kudou. What 'bout Haibara? She taken the antidote?" Heiji inquired.

Shinichi shook his head. "I don't think she plans to. For her, this is the best she's ever had it, what with her past."

The other two nodded.

Before anyone could speak again, the door opened to reveal Ran Mouri.

"Oh! Hi!" Ran greeted the other two. She knew Heiji a little better than Kaitou, but was quickly getting used to the trickster's presence.

Kaitou grabbed his crutches, and Heiji stood.

"Well, we wouldn't wanna get in your way now, Kudou!" Heiji leered.

Shinichi glared at him in response.

Kaitou just laughed as he headed to the door. "See ya around, Kudou! And, hey, if you need a ring, I know someone that can steal it for ya!"

That said with a wink.

Heiji laughed. "And I prolly won't stop 'em, either!"

"Hell no, Kuroba!" Shinichi shot back, a slight blush on his cheeks.

Ran stood there with a thoughtful expression during the exchange, then smiled sweetly at the two boys. "Bye, guys! Oh…Hattori-kun? Say 'hello' to Kazuha-chan for us! And, Kuroba-kun…if I hear you tease Shinichi again while he can't get up, I'll drop kick you."

Heiji nearly tripped over his feet in embarrassment at the name of his not-quite-but-definitely-girlfriend.

Kaitou had paled a couple shades, and scrambled as fast as a person on crutches could to get away from the room.

Heiji was hot on his heels.

The laughter of Ran and Shinichi followed them down the hall, until Kaitou turned to Heiji as they both tried to catch his breath.

"Damn…she's good!"

END