Enjoy!

oOo

Mouri Detective Agency, 2:17 P.M.

The scent of pancakes and sausages wafted over to a very sleepy Conan, who staggered out of the restroom to be greeted by a certain girl with a very happy grin on her face. "Ohayo, Conan-kun!" Ran said enthusiastically. "Did you get enough sleep?"

Conan yawned. "Not really...but breakfast smells delicious, Ran-neechan!" he quickly added, and the frown that had begun to crease Ran's pale skin disappeared like mist in sunshine as her whole face lit up. I knew she was worried about me, Conan thought. Recently he had been having vivid nightmares, each one more terrible and frightening than the next, and Ran had begun noticing that his behavior wasn't that of an ordinary, carefree elementary school kid. They hadn't really had a face-to-face talk, but he could see it in her actions, how she was careful about what she said, and how she went out of her way to do nice things that she thought would make him happier. He appreciated her efforts, but then again...it wasn't like SHE could invent an antidote to revert him back to his 17-year-old self.

"Ran...breakfast?" Kogoro mumbled as he stumbled into the dining room. Ran put a slice of toast on his plate. "How come Conan gets pancakes? If you don't want it, I'll eat it," he said to Conan as he speared a sausage with his fork and lifted it up to his mouth.

"Otou-san! That's for Conan-kun!" Ran sighed as she took off her pink teddy bear apron and took a seat at the table.

"Don't shout!" Kogoro put a hand up to his head. "I have a hangover."

No wonder. It's what you deserve for drinking cans and cans of beer since we left for school yesterday morning, Conan thought mutinously. He cut a piece of pancake, drizzled syrup over it, and chewed. It was surprisingly good and took his mind off his worries for a moment. "Oishi!" he cried happily, trying to make Ran think that he was alright.

Brrrrrring! Brrrrrring! Conan's phone vibrated inside his pocket. That is, Shinichi's phone. Since the "incident," Conan kept two phones: one for Shinichi's calls and one for Conan's. He raced out into the hallway. "I'm going to the restroom!" he called over his shoulder.

Really, what a bad time to call, and when he was half-asleep, too! The caller ID read "Hattori Heiji." He breathed a sigh of relief. The Osakan high school detective was one of the few who knew about his real identity. Shoving his bow-tie voice modulator back into his back jean pocket, Conan answered the call. "Hattori? It's me."

"Kudo!" came the cheery Osakan-accented voice from the other end.

"Yes? And what is it this time?" The noisy television blasted in the background. Conan looked over at it, annoyed.

"WHAAAT? You don't know? I thought you would have heard about it by now!" came the reply.

"Heard about what?"

Just then, the news reporter started talking. "The world-famous Suzuki Corporation adviser, Suzuki Jirokichi-sama, has printed a challenge to Kaitou Kid on the morning newspaper! The location will be at the Haido City Hotel. We will now interview him. Mr. Suzuki, how confident are you in catching Kid with your bait this time, a fairy sculpture covered in gold?"

The image shifted to one of Suzuki Jirokichi. "I'll definitely catch him this time! KID! ARE YOU LISTENING? I'LL DEFINITELY CATCH YOU!" He shook his fist at the television camera.

In a house on the other side of Tokyo, Kuroba Kaito, who actually was Kaito Kid, visibly flinched. The old guy certainly has some spirit this time! he mused with a smile on his face. But he is not our main character, so I'll get back to the story.

"Oh, that old geezer's notice in the paper? Now I have," Conan replied swiftly. "Besides, what does that have to do with me? Can't you just watch it over in Osaka?"

There was a brief pause on the other end. "The truth is, my parents wanted to come visit Tokyo, so they bought train tickets...but now my father's tied up with new cases and my mother has to attend her friend's wedding. So, I was thinking that maybe you could..."

Conan held up his hands in surrender. Then, remembering that Hattori couldn't see the gesture, he replied, "Ok. But one question: Why would your parents want to visit us?"

Hattori smirked. "They wanted to hear stories from the GREAT DETECTIVE Mouri Kogoro, and how he solved all his cases."

Conan rolled his eyes. "Well, they were bound to be disappointed, because he won't remember a single thing." Every time a case came along, Conan would knock out the old man with a tranquilizer dart from his stun-gun wristwatch and use his bow-tie voice modulator to point out the culprit, hence the name "Sleeping Kogoro." The gadgets were invented by Shinichi's neighbor Professor Agasa, who was also clued in on his miniature malady.

Ran looked over. "Conan-kun? What are you doing in the hallway? Oh, you're talking to someone on the phone! Who is it?"

Conan froze. "Just Professor Agasa!" he called back cheerily. "He, uh, recently invented a new game!"

"I see." Ran turned her attention away from him and went back to lecturing her dad about the importance of NOT drinking so much beer. Conan sighed. He felt bad lying to her, really bad, but what could he do about it? The only way to not lie to her was to tell her the truth, which would put her in danger of being targeted by the Black Organization. It was all their fault!

"Oi, Kudo, is it ok on your end? Should I call you back?" Hattori asked worriedly.

"No, it's ok. So...when will you be coming over?"

"Today. In about...oh, 30 minutes."

"WHAAAAATTTT?" Conan screamed into the receiver, so loud that Ran and Occhan looked at him strangely and that Hattori cringed and pulled the phone away from his ear. "The game has Kamen Yaiba in it! How exciting! " he improvised quickly. He dropped his voice to a menacing whisper. "You're coming over-TODAY-and now you tell me!"

"Hurry up and break the news to that oji-san and nee-chan." There was a brief pause. "By the way, Kudo, have you found out anything relating to that organization yet?"

"No, nothing at all." Conan sighed. "If anything, I've been having these nightmares, so real that I can still see the images." Conan shook his head, hard.

"You haven't been discovered? They haven't caught on yet, right?" Hattori inquired. "Oi, Kudo, answer me!"

"No. Why are you so worried?"

"Um...actually I had a nightmare, too. They came, the Black Organization, and...and...they shot you down. You died as soon as you hit the ground, and your blood pooled around you."

"How many times have I told you to not kill people in your dreams? I don't enjoy being killed, you know..." Conan tried to make a joke. There was no reply.

"Daijoubu! I'll be fine. See you in a while!" Conan hung up. Now all that remained was to tell Ran and Occhan. It was going to be difficult, as he had told them that he was talking to Agasa-hakase...but it was nothing for the great highschool detective Kudo Shinichi. Or was it?

oOo

On a train to Beika City, 2:20 P.M.

Toyama Kazuha tiptoed over to where Heiji was making a phone call, his back to her. "You haven't been discovered? They haven't caught on yet, right?" he was saying.

Kazuha cocked her head to one side. Who could he be talking to?

"Oi, Kudo, answer me!"

Kudo? Kudo Shinichi? As in Ran's boyfriend? Why would he have to "be discovered?" Who would "catch on?" The train gave a sudden, unexpected lurch, and Kazuha crashed into Heiji just as he was hanging up.

"Kazuha? What are you doing up out of your seat?" Heiji asked. Kazuha could see confusion and, what was that, CAUTION, in his eyes. She felt a little bit hurt. Why would he be wary of her? She blinked back tears. Aho, she thought to herself. What are you crying about?

She decided that it must be something very important, so important that he couldn't even tell her. Kazuha smiled smugly. I'll tell Ran-chan. That's what you deserve for keeping secrets!

"Kazuha? What are you smiling about?" Heiji looked thoroughly confused. "Did I do something funny?"

Kazuha's eyes refocused on Heiji. "Oh...I just wanted to ask you what you were doing," she improvised quickly. "Turns out you were making a phone call. Who were you talking to?"

Kazuha half-hoped that he would tell her the truth. "Oh, I was, uhh...talking to Ohtaki-han. Um...he wanted to say...that our parents wish us to have a safe trip!" Heiji finished and returned to his seat, averting her piercing gaze.

Her heart plummeted. "I see..." she said in a daze. He was LYING! To HER! What he had just said was all LIES! If you're keeping a secret from me, I'll keep a secret from you. Ha! Imagine what Ran will say when I tell her! Kazuha smiled and stared out the window, not really looking at anything at all. But her smile was a bitter one, one pasted on just to reassure herself that she really WAS alright.

oOo

Mouri Detective Agency, 2:55 PM

Conan was thinking. Not thinking of a murder case (unfortunately, there hadn't been any recently), but of Haido City Hotel and Kid. So far all they had released on the media was that Kid had sent a text message that said, "Tonight at 8:00 P.M." It wasn't much to go on. Conan scratched his head in frustration. Normally Kaitou Kid would give him a whole notice to decode. He would never admit it to himself, but it was-sort of, at least-fun to decode Kid's messages.

He heard a loud snore, followed by a scream of "YOKO-CHAN! YOKO! YOKO! YOKO!" Conan didn't have to look over to guess who it was. Kogoro had fallen asleep on the sofa. Conan smiled, picturing Ran's face when she finished making lunch and saw the empty cans of beer and cigarettes littered all over the floor. The guy was hopeless. No wonder his wife left him.

He heard a knock on the door, then another one, then a lot more as Hattori Heiji started banging the door. "KUD-I mean-CONAN-KUUUUUNN! HURRY UP AND OPEN THE DOOR!"

"Coming," Conan muttered. Really, Hattori can be so loud at times. He opened the door. A cheeky dark-skinned detective grinned down at him.

Heiji never noticed Kazuha watching him with narrowed eyes. Here he goes again. Why does he always call Conan "Kudo" and then correct himself? she wondered.

Ran hurried out of the kitchen. "Kazuha-chan!"

"Ran-chan!" Kazuha exclaimed as they hugged one another and jumped up and down in excitement.

"Hattori-kun is here, too! Wow, Kazuha-chan, you take your husband with you wherever you go," Ran teased.

Kazuha and Heiji's faces turned red as they exclaimed at the same time, "It's not like that!"

Ran and Conan only laughed harder. Kudo, I'll get you for this! Hattori fumed as he shot a death glare at the smirking young detective.

"Well, as long as we're waiting, we can go shopping! It's only 3 o'clock! Kid's heist is hours away!" Kazuha said, her arms waving in excitement.

"Sure! I know a new shop that opened near here!" Ran replied with equal enthusiasm. They started holding hands and jumping up and down again.

"Really, girls. They never change." Heiji sighed as he looked down at Conan. Conan shot him a sympathetic glance. "Well, I'm going to check out Haido City Hotel. See you!" Heiji said quickly before either Kazuha or Ran could object.

"Me, too!" Conan exclaimed. He and Heiji dashed down the steps and were gone before Kazuha and Ran could say a single word.

"Really, they look like brothers..." Ran mused, a slight smile tracing her lips.

Now is the time to tell Ran about what Heiji was talking about on the phone with Kudo-kun. Kazuha decided. "Um...Ran...Listen, this is what Heiji said on the phone..."

oOo

"Eh? Are you SURE he said "Kudo?" He wasn't saying something else?" Ran exclaimed.

Kazuha shook her head. "I'm sure of it. He's been saying that for a while now..."

"But, Kazuha-chan, if Shinichi was in danger, wouldn't he tell me?" Ran asked, beginning to look a little scared and confused.

"That's what I can't figure out. And Heiji won't tell me anything either. When I asked him who he was talking to, he said it was Ohtaki-han! He LIED to me!" Tears began to well up in Kazuha's eyes, threatening to spill out.

Ran patted her back, but her mind was on other things. Kazuha's voice kept ringing through her mind. "You haven't been discovered? They haven't caught on yet, right?" What does that mean, Shinichi? Why can't you tell me? Ran tried to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, but they didn't fit. Kazuha-chan must have heard wrong. It must've been someone else. If it really WAS you, you'd tell me...right?

Now Ran was the one almost in tears. In an attempt to brighten up the mood, she said, "Kazuha-chan, let's not waste the afternoon here! That shop has really pretty clothing!"

Kazuha managed a weak smile. "Okay. But, Ran-chan, here's something I've noticed: Heiji always calls Conan-kun Kudo! I don't know why, but...it's just WEIRD! Like today, when we were walking in, and when we went to Kyoto, and-"

"I get it, Kazuha-chan. But every time I try to prove that Conan is Shinichi, every time I just know, I get proven wrong. That's probably just a coincidence. It's almost as if...as if God knows and is trying to keep me from finding out. The proof is always just there."

Kazuha sighed. "I guess secrets will be kept, huh?" She smiled a teary smile.

If you were to pass by Mouri's Detective Agency at the moment that Kazuha and Ran were walking out, you would see two girls, each with a smile on their face-a smile that was not happy at all.

AN: Help! Help me! I can't think of a lousy plan to catch KID! Please help me, readers. I am really at a dead end. *gets down on knees and begs*

Also, please review! Yesterday I was so happy at getting one review that I accidentally rolled over backwards. :)