"Alright, we've got to get a few things straight." Shinichi glanced past Kaito and out the window, he couldn't see the stop yet, but it was getting pretty close. Even if Ran didn't get on now, he'd have to go over the story with the shrunken teenager anyway, so better sooner than later, "Obviously you can't be Kuroba Kaito since Ran knows a few people from Ekota—"

"And if Aoko found out she'd run right over and turn your house upside down wielding her mop of doom." Kaito waved off the reasoning, half-closing his eyes in a bored yawn "I know, Kudou. I may look like a kid, but I'm not. I'll most likely be your brother or a cousin, or something."

"Cousin." Shinichi watched the scenery closely, the bus was slowing down. He didn't have much time, "Ran's known my family for many years, and she knows that I don't have a brother."

"Cousin then. From your father's side I hope."

"Ye—why?"

Kaito laughed, shrugging his shoulders, "No reason, I just don't want to have to come up with a last name as well."

The sudden jerk of the bus driver stepping on the break, and the hiss of the doors as they folded open ended up cutting off any reply Shinichi would have made. Instead he diverted his attention from the window, looking up the aisle in nervous anticipation. He knew Ran hadn't sounded angry once he talked to her, but he had prior experience with her anger, and it wasn't pretty. She was also the star of the karate team, and even though he had a background in the sport, he knew just how painful her punches were.

As he'd expected a head of black hair appeared over the railing by the door, followed by the girl he knew better than any. A quick glance around told him that there weren't any free seats on the crowded bus, and an idea came to mind. He reached over and picked up an unsuspecting Kaito with little difficulty, ignoring the boy's protests as he placed him on his lap and scooting over to take the now vacant window seat.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing Kudou!?" Kaito struggled against the detective's hold, a little surprised and unnerved by the other's unexpected action. "I'm not 6, you know. Even for a 10 year old this is a little embarrassing!"

"If you were 6 this would be easier. Clam down." He quieted the indignant boy, and it was just in time because Ran spotted them. The girl smiled and waved, heading down the aisle and sitting down in the seat Shinichi had just vacated, "Shini—" She paused, tilting her head as she took in the now quiet boy on his lap, "Who's this, Shinichi?"

"He's the reason I had to leave so quickly last night." Shinichi grinned and scratched his head sheepishly, surprised at how easy it was to lie to his best friend. One would think it would be a little more difficult, even if he left out the ethical issue and only counted the fact that he hadn't practiced much. The fact that it wasn't really a lie, but more of a partial truth probably helped, he did leave the park because of Kaito. "I'd just remembered that I was supposed to pick him up. He's—"

"Kai." Kaito cut in, still glowering from Shinichi's lap. He easily masked the expression, shifting it to a happy smile when he turned his attention to Ran. The girl made a soft 'cute' sound under her breath, before ruffling the kid's messy mop of brown hair, "It's nice to meet you Kai-chan. Are you related to Shinichi?"

"Hai!" Kaito chirped, glancing up at Shinichi—who he had cut off again—and shooting him an evil smirk before it vanished into the innocent, curious, and excited persona he'd had on a second before, "Shinichi-niichan is my cousin"

Shinichi had fallen into stunned silence at the ease with which Kaito slipped into the role of an excitable ten year old. He'd expected some sort of slip ups, some sort of faltering. But no, Kaito had just plunged right in and pulled off an acting job that was really close, if not equal to his mother's. Kudou Yukiko was an accomplished actor, so it was a pretty good compliment for someone who claimed to be an everyday ordinary high schooler. As the boy and Ran fell into an easy conversation (Kaito didn't go beyond acceptable knowledge for a ten year old) Shinichi made a mental note to do a bit of research on Kuroba Kaito, if only to learn exactly who he was going to be working—and living—with for the next foreseeable while.

"Ne Neechan" Kaito tugged at Ran's sleeve.

"What is it Kai-chan?"

"Are you Shin-niichan's girlfriend?"

Shinichi choked on a vehement denial, while Ran just blushed prettily. Her face was a nice cherry red before she managed to find her voice, "N-no…"

Kaito shot a sly look at the sputtering detective above him, blue eyes twinkling with mischief "Really? That's not what Shi—"

Shinichi's hand clamped over Kaito's mouth, muffling the last words. It was too late, Ran had picked up on the meaning and her face was nearing the color of a tomato. Her face was so warm from the blush, he was almost positive he could see a faint wisp of steam. It took a minute for Shinichi to finally find the nerve to clearly voice his denial, "No! She's just a friend!"

Kaito laughed from beneath the detective's hand, tilting his head up and catching Shinichi's eyes. The mischief dancing in them transmitted a message, it was as clear as if the not-child had whispered it in his ear.

'Payback Kudou, payback.'

To say the rest of the ride to the mall was spent in awkward silence was an understatement. Both Ran's and Shinichi's blushes would deepen every time one of the surrounding passengers would comment on the "cute" young couple. Every time it happened Kaito would laugh to himself, taking amusement in the detective's discomfort.

--

"That had been really unnecessary, Kuroba."

Kaito glanced at the detective across the table, gave a little half-hearted shrug, and went back to enjoying his ice-cream, "It's what you get for treating me like that. You know full well that I'm not a child."

They were currently taking a break from their shopping trip and Ran had excused herself to go chat with another girl on the other side of the ice-cream parlor—Suzuki Sonoko, if Kaito remembered correctly. Suzuki…the last name sounded slightly familiar. Suzuki…Suzuki…ah! The Black Star! The mention of the jewel brought to mind an image of the black pearl, the one he'd targeted for his next heist. It had looked to be a challenging one too; his current condition really was unfortunate. However, it did have its good points. Just before Ran had left; Kaito had tried to pester a chocolate ice-cream out of the detective but had been refused. After a disapproving look from the black-haired girl and a gentle scolding—apparently Kudou's protests quickly died under Ran's disapproving stare, something that Kaito took note of for future exploitation—he was happily the owner of a nice sized ice-cream cone. The annoyed looks Kudou had been sending him since Ran's departure had only made the treat taste even better.

"Still, that was very dirty. Jeez." The detective let out a resigned sigh, placing his elbow on the table and propping his head up on his palm, "Not only did you embarrass me, but you made me buy you ice-cream."

Kaito merely smiled and shrugged again, waving the frozen treat tauntingly, "I wasn't the one who made you buy it, if you remember."

"Riight." Kudou snorted, rolling his eyes a little at the child's attempt to play innocent, "And the utterly pathetic look you sent Ran had absolutely nothing to do with her reaction."

"I'm so glad you see it my way" That performance had been one of his better, he had to admit. At least his appearance did have advantages; free ice-cream was always a plus in his book. "Why'd you bring her along anyway?"

Kudou glanced at Ran out of the corner of his eye, watching her animated hand motions as she discussed something with her brown-haired friend, "She's my friend for one…I had to apologize for ditching her."

"You already did that on the phone." Kaito pointed out between licks, thinking back to the one sided phone call he'd overheard earlier, "I think you just wanted to use me as an excuse."

"Hey, hey…" Kudou shifted targets, shooting a level stare across the table, "That wasn't the entire reason…"

"Hah! It was the reason!"

His little outburst drew a few funny looks from the other patrons, including Ran and Sonoko. Kaito just gave Ran a cheery grin and a wave before she nodded, satisfied, and turned back to Sonoko.

"How do you do that, anyway?" Kaito paused, taking a moment to process just what the detective had been referring to. He swiveled around in his seat, his head tilting to the side slightly in a questioning motion. The child truly didn't quite know what Kudou was getting at; it wasn't as if he could pick the detective's brain for the antecedent of 'that'. His train of thought took an unexpected stop at that station, mulling over the possibilities that would arise if he could read Kudou's mind, or any mind for that matter. He decided to look into the option—discretely of course—perhaps pester Akako once he got back to his original age. After all, telepathy wasn't that far of a stretch of imagination when you compare it to de-aging roughly seven years. In anycase, since he currently did not possess the ability to read anyone's mind, he was forced to ask the detective to clarify his meaning, "Do what?"

"The acting thing."

"Oh." That. Well, what should he tell him? A magician never did reveal all his secrets, especially not to someone who in reality was his alter-ego's rival. Doubly especially when that rival wanted nothing more than to unmask him and throw him into jail. If he divulged too many of his secrets—mainly his wide vocal range, expertise when it comes to disguise, and his prior experience with a hang-glider—it would invariably point the detective's sharp mind in a direction Kaito—and the Kaitou—wanted to avoid at all costs.

After a moment of deliberation, he opted for the truth. After all, acting wasn't really that incriminating. If he threw in the source, then any magic tricks he played in the future would also be explained. He had avoided his tricks so far, a little wary of pointing Kudou in that direction, but he doubted he'd be able to control himself for the next—month? Year? How long was this episode going to last, anyway? "My father taught me, a long time ago. He always said a good magician needed to be able to fool their audience."

"Your dad was a magician?" Kudou's eyebrow rose the slightest bit, as if in disbelief or slight surprise. After slightly affronted look from Kaito, he shrugged dismissively, unconsciously copying Kaito's earlier motion. Kudou might not have noticed, but the thief did, and he was slightly impressed. Maybe he should try and prod the detective into taking an interest in working on his acting. It would help with undercover work, and get rid of that ridiculously annoying air about him. The one that screamed, "Law Enforcement" to someone—such as himself—who toed the line of the law every day, and who had crossed it countless times before.

Granted, intimidation was sometimes a useful tactic to use against the more weak-willed suspects, but underestimation was far better in Kaito's humble opinion. People slipped up a lot more when they were at ease compared to when they were tense and alert—how else would he get all his information? Nakamori wouldn't think twice about blabbing his plan to harmless amateur magician Kuroba Kaito. But then again, Nakamori wasn't really the best example—there had been at least one time he'd explained the entire security system on television. Honestly, didn't the man have any sense of tact? Of discretion? Not that he was complaining, it made his job easier if somewhat dull.

His thoughts would have probably continued along those lines, with Kaito chewing absently on the dwindling ice-cream cone, if Kudou hadn't finally stopped dwelling on the tidbit he'd just learned and commented on the conclusion his unnaturally sharp—insert mental snort here—detective mind had come up with, "I guess it makes sense with what you said last night."

"Yeah…Every magician needs a good poker face." Kaito grinned at the detective, even as he was letting out a mental sigh. He'd really hoped Kudou had forgotten about that night. It wasn't often Kaito's poker face had failed him as miserably as it had then. He'd lived by his father's expression for so long that he didn't remember how to deal without it. Maybe he couldn't, the thought wasn't new, he often contemplated whether he would be the same person if he completely took it off.

"If that's the case, Kuroba, life must be your performance." The rather serious nature of Kudou's question had caught him off guard, but the magician did not let it show. He continued to survey what was left of his desert as if the question hadn't ruffled him at all. He didn't say anything either—the way Kudou ended the statement had warned him that he wasn't quite finished, merely pausing to observe his reaction. "Just how much of this…" He waved one hand vaguely, referring to the child's cheery attitude, "is real?"

"That, my dear detective, is your job to figure out, no?" Kaito's expression at that moment would have probably been more appropriate were his obscured by the brim of a hat and the gleam of a monocle in the moonlight. He tossed the last bit of his ice-cream cone in the air, catching it effortlessly and finally finishing Kudou's unwilling gift off. Kaito's answer apparently hadn't been what the detective had been looking for, if the frustrated set to his face was any indication.

Kudou decided they'd wasted enough time at that point, calling over to where Ran and Sonoko still stood. They were no longer talking, but quietly watching something across the parlor. Sonoko's expression was decidedly nervous, while Ran's seemed to be a mixture of nerves and worry. "Hey! Are you ready Ran?"

"Just a moment, Shinichi." She whispered something to Sonoko before heading across the parlor. Kudou and Kaito watched as she moved—though Kaito had to completely sit backwards in his seat to see—meeting a young man about halfway. He looked unsteady on his feet while he made his way across the parlor, the hands clutching his abdomen made his destination pretty clear. The bathroom was on their side of the parlor—he was probably sick.

"Are you okay, sir?" Ran reached out to touch his arm, probably intending to shift it around her shoulders so she could help steady him. At the contact the man groaned and tipped over, landing face first on the floor in front of the worried girl. Kudou was on his feet as Ran knelt by the downed man, and was almost to her side when the ashen face looked up at him. Her lips trembled, and both the detective and the thief knew what she was going to say before she did. Kaito reached for the cell phone Kudou had left on the table, dialing the police just as Kudou pulled Ran up from the floor and away from the body.

"Shinichi…" She began, trembling, "Shinichi…He's…dead."

A/N: Hi! Just got home, and I'm about to leave again so I don't have much time to do any last second editing, so if there's any mistakes, I'm apologizing now. Lesse, this chapter has Kaito being more Kaito-y because I really don't want to make him 'emo' as someone put it. So, while the insecurity and stuffs from the last chapter still exists, he's stepped up the acting in more ways than one.

The death in the end wasn't supposed to be there in the original plan, but hey, everyone knows Shinichi is a body magnet. The fact that he wasn't the one shrunk does nothing to change that.

Ack! Being dragged away! Hope you all enjoy it and don't forget to review! Even if it is just telling me that you liked it.