A/N:Time for the next chapter to this story! I'm glad you all like it so much. Well, I was stuck in a boring situation the other day, and decided to focus on ideas for this one! So, here I go.

Chapter 15 Meeting

Shinichi Kudo frowned as he stared at the pamphlet in front of him. It was basically the equivalent of a threat: Nakamori had decided that he was good enough to be invited to one of his conferences, which Shinichi had accepted reluctantly. He knew that he would either be extremely interested in this whole thing or else he would be bored to death.

Kaito had taunted him about seeing the Inspector that scared even his daughter, Aoko, whom Kaito had a crush on. Shinichi had wondered why on earth Kaito seemed to be awfully familiar with the Inspector's temper that was an active volcano. Shinichi had his own suspicions that Kaito was KID; he knew full well that the latter was a good magician and knew what the tricks of the trade were.

Still, Kaito had acted awfully strange towards him lately, especially his latest nickname for the detective; meitantei-san. That was a moniker that KID had called him by, too, and the fact that his cousin used that nickname too was too coincidental to be a mistake. The suspicions in his mind were growing because his cousin seemed to keep on avoiding the topic of KID like a rat would a trap.

'Still, why is he lying to me? He's lying to me about something. Here, I thought we could tell each other everything.'

That fact saddened him a good deal, because he realized that Kaito had grown up and had become a total stranger to the young detective. Regardless of whether or not they were together now, he was still a stranger to him.

As he approached the place where the meeting was to take place, his boredom evolved into pure apathy. He knew full well how these places worked. They were full of about as much excitement as school was to him. He frowned at that aspect and stuck his hands in his pockets as he continued down the street.

A guard stopped him and studied him. "Sir, are you a police officer?"

"Um, I'm a detective. Kudou Shinichi."

The man raised a brow. "Really? You look a lot like KID to me. Just let me test your face."

Before Shinichi could protest, the man pulled at his cheek. Of course, it hurt. "Oh, good, it's not a disguise."

"Why?"

"Oh, KID has a tendency to know ahead of time what we're doing to catch him, so he wants to double-check each person as they come in to make sure that they're not KID."

"Oh," Shinichi sweat-dropped; sneaky thief. Though he wondered how the thief could have enough spunk to enter into a room full of DETECTIVES; his worst nightmares. 'Oi, oi,'

Shinichi was then allowed to enter into the building once he had shown his ID and then several more officers screwed around with his face. 'It's probably because I look like KID or something.'

Nakamori appeared at the entrance. His face lit up when he saw Shinichi. "Hello there, Kudou-kun!" He said like an excited schoolgirl.

Shinichi shivered; there was something creepy about this man when he was happy. He didn't have the same friendly aura that Megure possessed. "Um, hello there, Nakamori-san. How come you're so happy?"

Nakamori blinked as he took in the question, then answered, just as cheerily as before: "Ah, that?Well, we have some leads on KID. Every step we take here is one step closer to unmasking that dumb thief!" He then let out a huge horse laugh that everyone in the building heard and all of them turned to stare at them for a moment before they all pretended that they hadn't noticed the man.

'Seems he has that same threatening reputation he has back in Ekota,' Shinichi thought. The other officers were looking at him in curiosity, whispering to each other about how come a young kid was snooping around, and wondering how on earth he had won over the Nightmare Inspector, of all people.

"...Hey, see that kid?"

"...Oh, that one? The one with the cowlick? Who the hell is he? How'd he get in here?"

"...Not sure. Maybe he's KID. He looks like him."

"...IDIOT. Regardless of whether or not Nakamori is a nut case, he knows the most about KID here. He would know by first glance, trust me!"

"...I've seen him before. Doesn't he look familiar?"

Shinichi sighed. He was used to being goggled at by police officers. Somehow, him being a detective was quite a shocker to these veteran police officers and even the younger ones who only expected detectives to look like Holmes and wear a deerstalker hat with a pipe.

Shinichi grinned at the idea of him wearing that; he had often pleaded with his mother when he was younger to get him a Holmes costume and have him wear it. She was a good actress after all, and she had acquired a rather vast array of costumes over the years, and one of her fondest pastimes had been to dress Shinichi up in one of her many outfits. Sure, Shinichi liked disguises, but he didn't like them as much as his mother did.

'It would probably be wise not to bring that fact up.' He thought with a chuckle.

Nakamori led him into a large room, where there were already a huge number of officers gathered, many of whom looked just as bored as he did with this whole thing. They all reacted when they saw Shinichi come following up behind the Inspector. Shinichi rolled his eyes and continued walking straight ahead, acting as if they had never even looked at him to begin with.

To his surprise, there was a young man wearing a deerstalker outfit who looked at him in confusion before he practically danced up to the Inspector. 'What a big suck-up,' Shinichi thought.

"Hello there, Inspector. This is the guy who helped out last time, right? This is Kudou Shinichi, right?" He said, in a distinctly non-Japanese accent.

"Who are you again?" Shinichi said bluntly. The boy acted as if he had just struck a nerve.

"I'm Saguru Hakuba, born and raised in Britain, but I'm Japanese as well."

"Really?" Shinichi deadpanned. This evidently got on the boy's nerves as well.

"Yes. Your parents are overseas, aren't they? They're Yusaku and Yukiko Kudo. Your mother is an actress and I've seen her on TV many times. Your father is a mystery writer and I've read many of his books. They're quite good. My favorite detective has to be Sherlock Holmes."

"Hence, why you're dressed like him," Shinichi said, smiling a little.

Saguru backed away from him a little. Ran had told him that whenever he started going into his Holmes rant that most people ran for the hills. "So, I take it you're a Conan Doyle fan?"

Stars shone in Shinichi's eyes. "Fan? I'm not just a fan, I'm a devotee of his masterpieces! He's so amazing that I wish he was still alive today so I could read more of his work!"

Saguru looked distinctly uncomfortable, but he retained a polite atmosphere. "Yes, um. You are also a detective. I hear a lot about you here. You're quite famous in Japan. Even in Osaka, people have heard of you. Over in America, you're sort of famous."

"Sort of?" Shinichi said quizzically. "Don't my parents speak about me?"

"Of course," Saguru said, "Practically every time they appear on TV, they do."

"Oh, I know. Mom adores the press a bit too much," Shinichi said. He noticed the detectives around them were all looking on in curiosity. The officers from before were now whispering again.

"...Who is that kid? He just started talking to that arrogant upstart brat from England."

"...I wonder if he's KID. He acts like him."

"...Idiot, not even KID would be stupid enough to come here."

"...Maybe KID's more talented than we give him credit for."

The second officer blinked as he studied the boy. A smirk crawled up his face. 'So there you are, cousin. I knew I would find you here.'

"All right, idiots, let's get on to business! First, I am sure you have all heard of me! I am the great Inspector Nakamori, the primary expert on KID-"

"You were, Nakamori. I am the new expert on KID. I can tell you full well that he will strike here no matter what we do. In fact, I'm sure he's too afraid to come here." Saguru said arrogantly. A few officers smiled, but the rest of them all ignored the newbie.

"Saguru, get away from my mike! I am the one they came to listen to, not you and your ego!"

Shinichi had to hold back a laugh at the irony of that situation. 'Oi, oi, look who's talking, Mr. Thief Expert.'

"This young man beside me is NOT KID. He is an assistant who has helped me on one previous case. I feel I can trust in his skills."

"But, Inspector, isn't he a bit too young for this?"

Saguru hit his forehead at the stupidity of that comment. "You bozo, he's-"

"I'll introduce myself later." Shinichi said sharply as he took his seat, still aware that all eyes were on him and not Nakamori. The man noticed and was annoyed.

"So, anyway, the last heist we went to, somehow some of our officers were too lazy and got themselves drugged and had their outfits stolen from them! They were unable to come up with a good excuse for their delinquent behaviors. What do you have to say to that? I SAID, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELVES, YOU GODDAMNED ANNOYING LAZY-ASSES!"

The officers standing by the entrance flinched. Clearly, they were the guilty party. "We're sorry, sir. We weren't paying attention." The first said.

The second smiled nervously and fidgeted in his pockets. "Sir, clearly we are guilty of many things. Please don't humiliate us."

Nakamori's fist tightened. "Well, anyway, back to more important matters...the annoying arrogant thief KID is going to strike at another important location."

As the talk moved to the latest KID spot, Shinichi grew bored with the topic and resigned himself to looking around the room and observing everyone in it. He saw the second officer fidgeting with his watch for some reason. He was acting odd, and Shinichi's alarm bell was sounded slightly.

'Kid wouldn't dare to sneak in here, huh? I don't think so, Saguru. I think he's right in this room with us. He wouldn't dare hold a heist without knowing his opponent. That's not the kind of criminal he is. He likes to be on top of things.' Shinichi thought mentally. He decided to voice his opinion.

"Um, Nakamori-keibu-"

"SO AS I WAS SAYING, SAGURU, WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR ARROGANT EGOTISM! THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN CATCH KID IS ME!"

"Um, Nakamori-keibu, can I-"

"STOP SNEERING AT ME, BUSTER! I SEE YOU MAKING THOSE FACES! YOU THINK I'M BLIND, BOY?"

"Nakamori-keibu, can I say something?" Shinichi phrased the question carefully.

"WHAT?" Nakamori cried in his face, so close that Shinichi could smell his breath, and crinkled his nose.

"I think I can get a say in this, right?" Shinichi said calmly, with no sign at all that he'd been phased by his temper. Saguru looked on in surprise while the disguised KID watched in interest, wanting to see what his cousin would do next.

"Nakamori-keibu, I think Saguru-san was mistaken about his previous assertion. I can safely say that KID is right here with us. He has enough confidence in his abilities to do something like that because he is an expert in getting in and out of a place without being caught."

Saguru looked angry at being shaken up while Nakamori looked thoughtful. "You know what, kid? I think you're right."

"Who is he?" Another officer said.

"Let him introduce himself," Nakamori said hesitantly.

"I'm Kudo Shinichi, a detective," Shinichi said confidently. He smirked upon seeing the gasps and cries of recognition emit from the detectives.

"...Wow, the Kudo Shinichi is with us! We can't lose! He's a genius!"

"...Definitely not. He's a prodigy!"

"...Who the hell does he think he is? He's just some wannabe detective."

"...He's sort of cute, you know. I think I'd go out with him if I could..." A female detective said while looking at said detective.

Shinichi sighed. He always had a way of attracting women, even if he wasn't attracted to them. 'My heart's only on one, and that's the way it's going to be,' He thought, thinking of a certain brunette and smiling to himself.

He sat back down.

Later that day, Shinichi was walking back home when he heard a few distant voices.

"You idiot, do you even know where you're going? I thought we should have picked up a map here! I thought you would've at least gotten one since this is our first time coming out here." A female voice shrieked.

"You idiot. How the hell do ya expect me to understand when ya yell like that, Zuha? You'll scare all the Tokyo people with yer high voice!" A distinctly Osakan voice cried.

'There are Osakans here, huh? That's interesting. Well, it's clearly none of my concern.' Shinichi thought, so he continued on, but the arguing became louder. It became clear to him that they were going the same way as he was.

He paused when he heard an engine roar to life and the next thing he knew, a motorcycle was roaring down the road at top speed, and he saw that there were two people on it, arguing with each other and then they left.

"Well, that's enough of that racket for today," He thought. "Are they tourists?" He started to cross the road...he had only a few more blocks to go before he reached his house...but as he started to, the motorcycle came back AGAIN and roared across the road again and then it went down another street and then it came back and then it went down yet another street until the occupants parked right down the street from him and got off, taking off their helmets.

He paused for just a moment to take them in. There was a girl with long brown hair who had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and green eyes, arguing with a boy with black-brown hair and green eyes. Both of them seemed to be around his age. The boy was dark-skinned.

'Yup, definitely an Osakan.' He turned and started walking away. He could still hear their voices.

"Well, now look what ya did! Our motorcycle now has a flat tire! Ya think yer whinin' caused it to break, Zuha? Yer such an ahou!"

"You're the ahou, Heiji! Now we've got to ask someone for directions! To think you wanted to come here just to see the stupid thief KID!"

"Who was the one on their hands and knees begging to go see him again, Zuha?" The boy retorted, getting in her face. They both continued to argue.

"Fine. Your manly pride prevents you from going to ask for help, huh? I'll go...do it...myself!"

She started to walk up the street and knocked on doors, but no one answered.

'Oi, oi, don't tell me they're going to drag me into their little quarrel.' Shinichi thought and tried to hurry his pace as fast as he could. The girl spotted him.

"Hey, there's someone, Heiji! Why don't I go ask him?"

The boy huffed. "Zuha, I think I can fix it without a stranger helpin' me."

"Not the car, you ahou! I meant for directions!" She cried back. She started to head up to where Shinichi was, but Shinichi was already starting to walk as fast as he could.

"Look, ya scared him, so now he's walkin' away. Chau, chau, Zuha. I told ya you shoulda kept yer mouth shut. Ahou."

"It's you who's the ahou, Heiji! We should just go up to him and ask! Hey, you, can you help us? We're lost and this idiot here won't swallow his pride and ask for help."

Shinichi turned to face them. "Sure, what do you need?" He asked.

"Ah, I guess I should introduce myself first. I'm Toyama Kazuha, and this is my childhood friend, Hattori Heiji, or also a huge ahou!" She cried.

Heiji, apparently, pouted but also looked over the stranger. "So, what's the name of our messiah?" He said sarcastically.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Baarou, does it matter who I am? Where are you guys going, anyway?"

"Oh, we were going to go visit the spot that KID is supposed to go to two days from now. We're staying at a hotel there, too, but this ahou forgot the map to the hotel, so we were just trying to ask for directions, but no one was home!" Kazuha cried.

"Oh, that. I think that's a little more downtown. I don't really know much about motorcycles, though." He said. "He he he...so, uh, are you two friends?"

"Yes, we are," The dark-skinned boy said, moving closer to the girl. 'Wow, somebody's protective. Yep, he's definitely in love.' Shinichi thought in amusement.

"Who the hell are you? Give us yer name!"

"Heiji, don't be such a bonkura! You need to be more polite!"

"Sorry if I couldn't help you. I'm just headed home right now, so I guess you guys can find it yourselves..." He trailed off, but at that second, his phone rang.

"Moshi-Moshi? Oh, ah, Ran? No, baarou, you don't sound like Ran at all! Kaito, where are you? Oi, oi, you want me to come over there again today? Nakamori-san said I should? No way...she's scarier than Ran is. No, don't tell her I said that! I have my own house to go to, Kaito!"

Hattori Heiji watched the young man arguing on his cell phone. "Is that yer girlfriend?"

Shinichi shook his head.

"Yes, it is." Kazuha deduced.

"No," Shinichi said, "He's my cousin, baarou."

Heiji's jaw dropped while Kazuha facepalmed.

"So why are they acting like they're married?" He said stupidly.

'There's something strange about this kid. He said Nakamori-san, does he mention Ginzo Nakamori, the KID expert? Just who the heck is he?'

Heiji frowned. There was something odd about this boy.

"Oh, who was I talking to, Kaito? Just some idiots who got lost because they were too busy arguing! Oh, now you think that sounds like Ran and I? No, that's not how we act at all, you idiot! I'll be at home today, idiot!" He cried as he hung up. "So, where were we?"

The three of them started to walk, Heiji being worried about leaving his motorcycle all alone.

"So, you're a Tokyo native?" Kazuha asked.

"Yup," Shinichi said in boredom, already wishing they would go away.

"Do you like it here?"

"Yup," He said.

"Zuha, you're annoying him." Heiji said. "Say, do you know Ginzo Nakamori?"

Shinichi froze. "No, why would I? My cousin is friends with his daughter, that's all." He lied through his teeth.

"Heiji, no using your weird deduction skills here! Sorry, he's a detective nerd!" Kazuha said apologetically.

"That's all right." Shinichi said. He looked at his watch and sighed. 'So far, no stupid murder cases popping up. That's okay. I can use this time and look ordinary.'

He noticed a woman appear out of her house, running from someone and suddenly she was shot in the head. She fell down her steps and landed on the lawn. Shinichi froze instantly, his detective instincts kicking into gear.

"She's been shot." He said. Kazuha winced. The dark-skinned boy grew quiet too, observing the boy.

"Ah, guess I gotta call Megure-keibu and let him know..."

Twenty minutes later, a considerable crowd of police officers had gathered. Heiji was trying to talk to them.

"Who's this kid, Kudo-kun?"

"He's Hattori Heiji."

"H-Hattori? You mean, the son of Hanzo Hattori? He's a detective, too. He's notorious in Osaka." Megure said in disbelief.

"What are the odds?" Shinichi said sarcastically.

"Hey, you! What happened? What are you doing talking to an inspector?" Heiji cried.

"I guess he doesn't know who you are," Megure laughed.

Sighing, Shinichi rolled his eyes. "It looks like this was definitely murder. The suspect should still be here somewhere."

"I've been wonderin'-just who are ya?"

"The name's Kudo Shinichi, a high school detective."

Hattori's jaw dropped again.