Disclaimer: I do not own MK, DC. Aoyama-sensei does and please, if the manga is available in your country, do buy a volume or two, to show your support.

Author's Notes: This chapter contains spoilers from the latest episodes of DC.

Feature Story Part III

Master of Swords and Mysteries

Heiji and Kazuha sat at opposite ends of the couch in the living room of their suite. It was rented to them courtesy of Nichiuri TV, as a place where they could wait before their turn for the interview.

Heiji was holding on to the remote and was scanning through the channels. For some odd reason, everything showing in the television was about the physical side of love, or as Kazuha phrased it in her head "something teenagers like us shouldn't be exposed to… What is happening to the quality of television shows these days?"

A news channel was reporting about a dentist who was caught by the CCTV camera when he engaged in sexual acts with a patient. A film on the movie channel was about a couple, fond of publicly displaying their affections. An imported soap opera on another channel was about a rich don and his secret lover.

"Kiss me like the world would end today, my love," the actor said.

The girl lounges at him and the two share a passionate, torrid kiss. With tongue.

"You are so, so better than my wife. Let us make love until our legs give out!" the actor then said.

Heiji quickly turned off the television.

"Maybe it's better if we don't watch," Heiji said. "And whew, did someone turn off the air conditioner or something? It's so friggin' hot in here."

"Yeah, let's just sit here and wait for the other detective," Kazuha said.

"Speaking of the other interviewee, I wonder who'll it –"

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" they both said and raced each other to the door. They both grabbed the handle at the same time that their hands touched. They pulled away instantly as if the hand of the other was charged with electricity.

"You open it," Kazuha said.

Heiji just frowned at her and opened the door.

"YOU!"

Standing outside was a tall, blonde teenager, who was wearing a tuxedo with no ribbon nor tie. This was Hakuba Saguru, whom Heiji competed with during a Koushien among Japan's high school detectives.

Behind them was a short girl with brown hair tied in ponytails. She was wearing a purple, knitted cardigan over a yellow dress with sunflower prints. And beside her was a boy Heiji knew well.

"AND YOU? What are you doing with him?"

Heiji pulled the familiar-looking boy aside.

"And if you were going to go back to your old body, you should've told me!" Heiji whispered. "I knew that you can't pass up an interview like this!"

The short girl in pigtails walked over to them.

"Kaito, do you know this boy?" she asked.

"Kai-kaito?" Heiji asked.

The boy just stared at Heiji with a blank expression.

"Oi did you eat something expired for lunch?" the boy asked Heiji.

"Kudou stop messing!" Heiji said. "And you even got these poor people – not to mention that snotty London detective – to participate in your prank!"

He didn't notice that Saguru was already beside them.

"What's happening here, Hattori-kun?" he asked. "What are you rambling about again?"

The short girl gestured towards Heiji. "This guy here – "

"Hattori Heiji, high school detective of the west," Heiji said.

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Nakamouri Aoko," the girl said in haste. "And Hakuba-kun, Hattori-kun is calling Kaito… something…" the girl said.

"Kudou?" Saguru asked.

"This is Kudou!" Heiji said as he pointed to the other boy.

"Kudou? Wasn't he the detective who was to supposed to represent East at the competition you called a Koushien?" asked Saguru. "You must be mistaken, that is Kuroba Kaito, a classmate of mine at Ekoda High."

The boy took out his wallet and showed him a school ID that says "Kuroba Kaito, 2-B, Ekoda High".

"Once again, you have rushed to conclusions and proven your incompetence as a detective, Hattori-kun," Saguru said.

"He came here for food," the short girl said as she bopped her head towards the boy named Kaito.

Kazuha walked over to where the others are.

"Heiji, you know these two?" she asked. "Oh – hey Shinichi! I didn't know you'd be here…"

"Beautiful princess, unfortunately I'm not this Shinichi," Kaito said.

Kazuha blushed upon mention of "beautiful princess" and both Heiji and Kazuha glared at Kaito. Saguru just rolled his eyes.

"Do you have the compulsion to just flirt with all females?" asked Aoko.

"Would you rather I get annoyed that I've been mistaken for someone else? And once, been almost beaten up?" Kaito said.

"Oh you must be the guy Ran was telling us about!" Kazuha said. "She said she slapped a guy who she thought was Shinichi."

Kaito pointed to the mark on his face.

"You deserve that, anyway," Aoko said.

"I think that's the least of what he deserves," Saguru said.

"But you really look so much like our friend," Kazuha said to Kaito before turning to Saguru. "And you… You were in the Koushien… You were there when we picked up Heiji and Conan… I'm sorry, I forget your name…"

"Hakuba Saguru, Toyama-san," he said. "As for me, I remember your name. How could I forget a name of such a lovely girl, especially when you were brave and passionate at the Koushien to rescue your boyfriend."

"Matte! He's not my boyfriend! He's just a childhood friend!" Kazuha said. She said all this very fast that no one actually caught what she meant – except Heiji, of course.

"Oi are you flirting with other girls, considering your girlfriend is here?" Heiji said.

"You mean me?" Aoko said. "I'm not his girlfriend!"

"But she is my love interest," Saguru said at once.

Aoko blushed. "It's embarrassing if you say it like that," she said.

"Stop it, Hakuba! It's annoying me – I mean, it's annoying her!" Kaito said.

"And what you're doing is not annoying?" Saguru said, with a knowing look on his face again.

"Oi you agreed to let me come here!" Kaito said.

"I didn't mean this interview," Saguru said. "You know what I mean, Kaito…"

Kaito just stared at him.

"Anyway, let's go inside the suite before either you or Hattori-kun here makes a scene," Saguru said. "We don't want to disturb the stay of the people here who have paid good money to relax in this hotel."

He turned to Kazuha. "Can you lead the way, Toyama-san?"

"Please, everyone, just call me Kazuha," she said as she smiled to Kaito and Aoko, as well. "This way…"

She pointed to inside the room. She waited for all of them to settle in the living room before she stepped inside. As she closed the door, she saw a note taped to its back side, covering the peep hole.

She gasped.

"There's a note – from KID!" she said as she brought them the note.

Heiji took the note from her and they all gathered around him.

Enjoy your stay, detectives. Please let us get along and don't look for me. I'm not after any jewels today, just my fifteen minutes of fame. – KID

"He's taunting us!" Heiji said.

"There's something at the back of the note!" Kazuha shrieked. "Look there's a bulge!"

Heiji turned the note around and saw a listening device.

"Clearly, he is also observing us," Saguru said. "Maybe we're the prey today and not the other way around. Why is he so interested in us, that thief?"

Heiji crushed the listening device with his thumb and forefinger. Rather than just crumbling to pieces, the note gave out a pink smoke. Heiji dropped the note. In an instant, the room was covered with heavy mist. The vapor stung their eyes.

"Everyone – cover your mouth! It might also be sleeping gas!" they all heard Saguru shouting. "Try to – "

"I can't breathe!" Aoko said.

"That bastard! No wonder Kudou hates him so much!" Heiji shouted in frustration.

When the cloud settled, Kaito and Kazuha were lying on the floor.

"Kaito!" Aoko gasped as she fell to her knees, were Kaito was.

"That annoying thief! He really is here!" Aoko said. "Let me just call otou-san! His police squad will be here within minutes!"

"Iie," Saguru said as he pressed Aoko's shoulder. He crouched beside her to look at the sleeping Kaito. "There's no need for that… Don't you trust that the two detectives in here will catch him?"

"Three," Heiji said as he bent up to pick the sleeping Kazuha. He hoisted her onto his back.

"My assistant in the Koushien is upstairs," Heiji said. "Ku- I mean, Conan also chases after KID."

"Oh, that's comforting to hear," Saguru said. "But I want to catch KID with my own hands."

"Well, me too…" Heiji said. "Things just got personal…"

O O O

"Conan, your face looks really red," Sonoko said. "Are you sure you're not allergic to anything we ate at the buffet?"

"I'm okay, I'm okay… I'm just…"

What Conan wanted to say was "embarrassed" since the reporter was quite good with prying answers out of the very reserved Ran.

Nichiuri TV junior reporter Himekaidou Aya already made Ran confess that he, Kudou Shinichi, confessed his feelings to her. Ran was of course talking about that time they were in London, during the Wimbledon bomber case.

As expected, Ran lied about certain details such as his confession happening before his disappearance, and that the never contacted her ever since.

Sonoko touched Conan's forehead. "Fever? Hmm you seem awfully hot… You want to go downstairs to lie on a bed? Kazuha and that other detective freak can look after you."

"Iie! I'm really fine here," Conan said and as if on cue, his phone vibrated. It was a call from Heiji.

"Moshi, moshi," he answered.

"Kudou! He's here! That bastard of a thief is here! He sent us a note and then attacked us with sleeping gas. Kazuha and Hakuba's guest are now asleep… Hakuba and I will go up there as soon as we settle these two in the rooms," Heiji said.

"Hakuba? You mean that Londoner from the Koushien?"

"Yeah, that one," Heiji said. "Looks like he's also here for the interview… That lying reporter! KID replied to her, after all. Have you noticed anything suspicious with the way she's acting?"

"Nothing suspicious as far as I can tell," Conan said. "Since the crew got here, they just quickly set up and she's just been interviewing Ran ever since. I haven't seen her touch her mobile phone even once."

"He's cleverer than that, he's probably using another way of contacting her," Heiji said.

"I've scanned through this floor, there's really no one here and I used my eyeglass tracker to check for bugs in the room and there's none," Conan said. "There's also the possibility that he's impersonating someone…"

"I'd keep my eye on the crew, just in case…" Heiji said.

"Yeah, I've been observing them, too," Conan said. "No one's doing anything too odd but the one with the tattoo is always looking at his mobile phone."

"Got that. We'll be with you in just a bit," Heiji said before saying a quick good bye.

"Was that Heiji?" Sonoko asked Conan as soon as he hung up. "I heard him say 'KID'! I knew it! Is KID here? Huh? Huh?"

"We're not sure…" Conan lied, knowing Sonoko would just get in the way.

"Aaaww! I want to see KID-sama again!" she said. "And I came here, thinking that KID has really made contact with Himekaidou-san!"

"You knew that from the start, didn't you?" Conan asked as he raised an eyebrow. "That's why you were so insistent to be here…"

"Bingo!" Sonoko said.

Conan shook his head and at that very moment, he also heard the reporter ask Ran loudly, "So, have you two ever kissed?"

Conan felt himself blush and wished the interview would be over soon, knowing he can't be distracted from another round of his cat-and-mouse game with the phantom thief.

O O O

Aoko sat on the bed where Kaito was sleeping. She tucked him in and smoothed the covers.

"Baka, Kaito! Baka!" she said with much conviction. "I thought you were a magician! How come you were not quick in defending yourself like that!"

She sighed. Just then, there were two knocks on the door.

"Come in," she said.

It was Heiji and Saguru.

"Aoko, Heiji and I are going up now," Saguru said. "There are three rooms in this suite and Kazuha is in the next room. When Mouri-san and her company are finished with the interview, they might go straight here. Can you just direct them to the empty room? Or they may also stay in the living room, if they like."

"Understood," Aoko said.

"I'll tell Ran and Sonoko to look after Kazuha while she's knocked out," Heiji said. "But for the while, can you check in on her every now and then?"

"Sure thing," Aoko said. "Don't worry about me. I already have everything I need."

"All right," Heiji said. "And I already gave you your key card and don't forget to give Kaito his when he wakes up."

"Okay, we're going now," Saguru said. "Please take care yourself. That thief may still be hanging around here. He may not have left this suite, even."

"Hey don't scare her like that," Heiji said.

"Don't worry, that thief doesn't scare me," Aoko said. "I'm already prepared."

She gestured to a mop propped on the wall nearest to her.

The two detectives gulped.

"You're really gonna use that on him?" Heiji asked.

"I'm going to avenge Kaito," Aoko said. "And your Kazuha, too."

"Keep that spirit up, my love," Saguru said as he reached for the door knob and closed the door behind him.

Aoko could hear the boys' voices trail off.

"Where did she get that mop?"

"I assume she carries it around… I rarely see her without it…"

"It's probably one of those convertible, fit-in-your-bag type…"

Aoko didn't mind them and just continued smoothing the creases in the covers. Every once in a while she'd take a peek at the sleeping Kaito.

"So peaceful…" she said. She cupped her chin with a hand and rested her arms on top of the covers. She stared at him.

"I wish you were like this all the time…" she said.

She stared at him some more and suddenly felt herself blushing. She looked away instantly.

"Oh Kaito, if you only know…" she said. "Why is it that you have to act like a jerk all the time? Why do you always flirt with other girls when I'm around? Don't you know how much that tortures me?"

She looked at him again.

"You're so cold and so insensitive, but… but I can't help worrying about you," she said. "I worry about you a lot…"

She exhaled a long sigh and kissed him on the forehead.

"Now I'll just go to the kitchen and get a cup of water, just in case you wake up any time soon," Aoko said.

The girl stood up and walked out the door. She passed by the door so quickly that she didn't even notice the tiny blinking light near the keyhole.

Somewhere else, the real Kuroba Kaito heard what she just said and was smiling to himself.

Next: The Holmes Casanova