Chapter 6- For the Task Force- Flame VS Magic.

I'm back again guys. Chapter 6 is actually what I wanted Chapter 5 to be. But the introduction got too long. But a little elaboration and detail never hurt anyone right? Anyway… on with the Show!

I have made a few edits to chapters 3 and 4. It's nothing major, but I fixed a few problems pointed out by Miyanoai. In chapter 3, I had Tsuna enter Conan's room already in hyper mode, since there were discrepancies with the state of his gloves, and how he entered the room. In addition, I added a small sentence about how quickly he made the jump from Juudaime to Decimo- basically it's because of the vision. In chapter 4, I sorted out the name situation. I was being a bad author: I had noticed that some names were first,last name whilst others were last,first name, but I couldn't be bothered to change them. I have now though (and I've done the same in ch5 too.) I also explained why it took 5 days before they all could meet- Yama and Goku were on a mission until Thursday. Like I said, they are all minor things, and you don't need to re-read the chapters again.

"Umm. You don't mind telling them do you? Kaito, Shinichi?" asks Tsuna, wondering if he's overstepping his bounds.

"No we're fine with it. You can't help us if we don't tell you what's wrong. I'll go first. One day, I was at an amusement park…" Shinichi explains his circumstances to the group, answering any questions they have along the way. As does Kaito.

The talk goes on for quite a while, whilst Kaito and Shinichi learn what has happened to Tsuna and the family since the ring battles. Kaito quite liked the idea of Time Travel. With promises to introduce them to the Millefiore Family later, they move on to a different topic.

"So Lambo, you said that you enjoyed my heist last week?" Kaito enquires

"Gyupa, Yeah, I really did. Usually we don't get to see a lot, the police have all of the fun, but this time you included your fans too, and everyone enjoyed it more. But then you fell off the roof and Lambo-sama was so worried. But big brother Tsuna and Hibari saved you, so it's all okay again." Lambo smiles looking childish and cute, clapping his hands, showing how 'everything was alright again'.

"Oh, Hibari did?" questions Kaito, turning to face Hibari, a sceptical look on his face.

"Yeah, I did. Those pathetic policemen were getting in Tsuna's way. So I told them to back off, that's all. They had no right to get in his way." Hibari smirks at Kaito, waving his tonfas in a display of exactly how he told them to back off. The others nod, saying this was true. The police were in the way, all they were trying to do was get Conan some medical help.

"What do you mean pathetic policemen? I'm quite proud of my taskforce. They are mine- they are even named after me. I'm the only one who can torment them." Kaito sits up straighter, raising his chin and looking down at Hibari, arms folded to look more imposing. Shinichi doesn't know what to think. Whilst it is true that the task force seem incompetent, it's actually because KID is so good at what he does. Conan knew first-hand what KID could do, and he isn't exactly stupid. He is about to defend the task force when Hibari answers back.

"Hm. You can keep them. They aren't even worth my time. Although I don't see why you would be proud of them. After three years they can't even lay a finger on your cape. Instead of feeling proud, I'd be embarrassed." Hibari scoffs, turning away from the thief.

I can't believe that he just said that! Our task force are very good at their job, we're the one who make them look incompetent. I respect the task force. Who else would put up with our antics for over 3 years and still come out of every heist with their heads held high. Their pride in themselves and their job is immense. He's never tried to chase us before, so how dare he comment upon it.

"I agree with you Kaito. He's never faced the International Phantom Thief 1412 before. I highly doubt that any of them would find it easy. Let's teach him a lesson." Adds in KID, outraged at the insult to His taskforce.

And KID is right. The taskforce is his. It's the knock at Nakamori Aoko's Dad and Shinichi that has Kaito riled up.

A snap of his fingers and the area around them is engulfed in a pink cloud of smoke. Shinichi hears a soft click, most likely Kaito summoning another prank prop, but only because he's expecting it. Following a small rustle of cloth, suddenly there is a loud clang of metal on metal.

The smoke is forced to dissipate due to the force of the clash. The others look at the scene before them, and they don't know whether to laugh or gasp.

Infront of them Hibari sits, one hand handcuffed to his seat. His hair has been dyed a bright shade of pink, along with a pair of cat ears upon his head. With the yellow Hibird sat upon his shoulder, the group has never seen Hibari look so soft before.

Hibari's other hand, however, has reached over his body with his tonfa in hand. The tonfa is aimed to hit KID directly in the head. However KID has drawn his card gun, placing it so that it blocked the hit, yet is still aimed at Hibari. Shinichi is used to seeing KID move his body in strange ways, but the others are not. KID has a maniacal gleam in his eyes, something darker and more threatening that Shinichi has seen before. Hibari just looks pleased, a very small hint of madness and bloodlust in them. It's so small that Shinichi and Kaito most likely don't see it. But the others do, having known Hibari for so long.

Everyone just sits there, in silence, watching the frozen picture before them. No one moves not wanting to break the tension. Eventually, it is Mukuro, laughing away, that breaks it.

"Kufufufu Ahhafufufu. Hibari, how adorable you look. Like a little kitten whose tail has just been stepped on. But Shinichi, I must applaud your friend here. Not many have the guts to do this to Hibari, and even fewer the skills to survive afterwards. I think that I and your friend will get along fine." Mukuro smiles widely at Hibari, taunting him even further. Just in time, he moves his head to avoid the thrown tonfa. Across the room it flies, embedding itself in the opposite wall, a cracked crater surrounding it. Tsuna lowers his head to the table, whining about more paperwork.

With the threatening tonfa the other side of the room, Kaito lowers his Card Gun. Seeing Shinichi's disapproving look, he opens the magazine and shows it to the room.

Pouting slightly, Kaito defends himself. "I raised my gun in self-defence. Don't worry it's empty. I wouldn't shoot him anyway. Kaitou KID rule number 1:"

"No one gets hurt" Say him and Shinichi at the same time. Kaito sounds proud of his rule. Shinichi sounds more bored, as if he's heard it all before. Which of course he has.

"Don't worry Hibari, that dye washes out. I've had personal experience. Just use a lot of Shampoo. Like a whole bottle." Giving his advice to Hibari, Shinichi looks over at the culprit, a stern gaze cowering the magician.

Of course said magician is just faking, and immediately smiles, bounds over, and places his arm around Shinichi's shoulders. "Ahh, but Shin-chan, the blue so matched your eyes. And the green before matched your outfit, and well, everyone's hair was dyed purple that one time, so it was nothing personal." He looks pleadingly up at Shinichi, eyes shining, his hand distractingly drawing circles on Shinichi's shoulder.

"Whatever. Just behave yourself whilst you are here. These people aren't as used to your brand of fun, (or crazy) as I am." Shinichi replies looking away from the magician.

"But Shinichi, he insulted you and the task force, as well as Aoko's dad, what else was I supposed to do. Just laugh it off? Maybe the dig at the task force, but certainly not the insult to you. I won't accept that!" Shouts Kaito, hands on Shinichi's shoulders, forcing the detective to look at him.

"Che, I don't see what there is to get defensive about." Intervenes Gokudera. "We were all there at your last heist. We saw how the police couldn't do anything except walk straight into your traps."

"Oh, you think you could do a better job than me then? I've been chasing him for nearly 3 years now. I've always had him within my grasp, but he always, always manages to escape. Hell I even jumped off a building before to get him close enough to dart, and even then he manages to escape me by getting back on that damn glider of his. If you think that you can catch KID then go ahead and try." Shouts Shinichi, thoroughly exacerbated by Gokudera's comment.

During this conversation, Tsuna has been trying to intervene. As Boss it's his duty to stop any fights between his subordinates. Hell, even as Tsuna it's his job to stop any fights that happen. And his guardians are always fighting over something. Whether it's Hibari's and Mukuro's eternal rivalry, or Gokudera's short fuse, there is nearly always something. Sometimes he feels like just walking away and letting them sort it out themselves. But his conscious won't let him. Who knows what type of trouble they would get into if no one intervened?

"Guys… Guys… Umm, can we all stop fighting now? Gokudera calm down. Shinichi I'm sorry about them. Guys?... Guys?" no one at all is listening to him.

"Che, fine then. We accept your challenge. We'll put on a fake heist and try to capture 1412. Then we'll see who wins this game." Declares Gokudera, standing up and slamming his hands on the table top.

"Oh. A game? Are we going to play another game?" questions Yamamoto, perking up at the mention of a game.

"Ahlala? A game? Lambo-sama loves games. I always win the games I play. Will I get candy if I win?" Lambo too decides to enter the conversation. Lambo likes nothing more than winning games. He is the best at games after all. No one can beat the great Lambo-sama. He just chooses to let the others win sometimes, or he gets bored of them and doesn't want to play anymore. Yeah, that's what it is.

"An EXTREME chase. I'm in. It'll be great training for me. Sawada, let's train to the EXTREME with our new friends." Exclaims Ryohei, excited over a new prospect to train.

Oh, God. Here we go again. They get this idea in their heads, and then just run off at one hundred miles an hour, without thinking of what they have just said. And everyone else gets excited with the idea and goes along with it. And then I end up with no choice but to follow them, or be dragged right into the middle of it. Really, what are they like? thinks Tsuna, looking at the flurry of conversation infront of him. I didn't even get a chance to stop them this time. How am I going to survive as a boss of a whole Mafia family if I can't even control them?

"Oya, oya. What a great chance to properly introduce ourselves." Mukuro says, twisting his trident in his hands. Tsuna's looking even more worried now. I can't wait to get a crack at this Kaito. He seems so interesting. I'm sure he'll make a good toy to pass the time with.

And how does the guy they are fighting over react?

He has simply turned around in his chair, legs hanging over one arm rest, head resting on the arm rest of Shinichi's chair, hands supporting his head. Kaito hums to himself, tremendously pleased with how defensive Shinichi got too. This means that he cares about his relationship with Kaito, or at least KID, and is willing to defend himself and the taskforce infront of relative strangers.

"Everyone be quiet!" comes the command. Immediately the guardians are silent, and turn their eyes to Tsuna.

Sighing, Tsuna decides to grab the reigns before things get out of hand. "I suppose that there is no stopping you guys now. And I imagine it will be a bit of fun too. It's been a while since we had a day off. So, if everyone is okay with this, then we'll lay out the rules." Tsuna turns to the people around him, seeking acceptance. Shinichi sits back down in his seat, mindful of Kaito's head on the arm rest. Kaito just grins, happy to be able to show off his skills to their new Family. The Guardians all nod at Tsuna, eager to have a chance to play. "Right then. Kaito, how do you want to do this?"

Kaito kicks his legs against the chair, thinking. Finally coming to an answer, he lowers his top hat, creating shadows over his eyes. The flame users are reminded of Reborn before one of his stunts, and they all stiffen slightly.

It's getting a little hot in here. Maybe it's from all of the shouting that we've done. No one looks hot though. Observes Shinichi, feeling a little hot himself.

"Well, since you are saying that My Shin-chan and the taskforce can't do their job, then why don't you all have a go? Like Gokudera said, we'll put on a fake heist that only we know about. And you can all try to capture me. Good luck though. KID isn't easy to capture." He smiles another KID smile, feeling KID inside him rubbing his hands with anticipation.

"And are there any rules to this chase?" inquires Tsuna, wanting the game to be fair

"Nope. None at all. I want you to come at me with your all. Otherwise you'll all have excuses if you lose. You can use any means necessary." Kaito replies, light glinting off of his monocle.

"Are you sure? Because we have some unusual… abilities, that might be considered an unfair advantage." Inquiries Tsuna, well aware of how far his guardians might take this if they become too involved.

"Oh, I'm sure. It's like Mukuro said: This will be a good time for us to see and analyse just who we've allied ourselves with." Kaito finally moves and sits upright in his chair, this time leaning forward and placing his head on linked arms on the table. "and you in turn Juudaime get to see the skills of the newly recruited Family members. There is a difference in hearing and seeing after all. Surely a mafia boss can't rely just on what others have said. Shinichi hasn't been in the news for over three years now, and like Lambo said, very few people see the inside of one of my heists. For all you know, our skills are just media hype."

"It's true Tsuna. I would like to see the full range of abilities that you all have. I know that you aren't what's considered normal. The only strange phenomenon in our lives was one magic jewel. Yet from your story, your lives are filled with magic flames, rings with strange powers, and cursed babies that shoot bullets. What you've told us will be much more believable once we've seen it for real." Shinichi speculates. He stretches out his feet under the table, and moves in his seat. I'm feeling a little stiff. Well we have been sitting down for quite a long time.

The flame users look from one to another, a predator smile lighting all of their faces. Their rings glint in the light, reflecting the flames within. Shinichi shivers. I've never seen them look so…evil before. Like a pack of wolves, even Tsuna. I just hope that we can survive these flames of theirs. As far as I know they haven't killed anyone with them…yet.

"Why don't we hold it later on today? Kaitou KID always does his heists at night, so it'll be the same as the police" recommends Lambo, knowing the most (next to Gokudera) about KID heists. Most of the others only see it as another part of the challenge, and agree. "Meanwhile, can we get some food; Lambo-sama hasn't eaten lunch yet."

Everyone looks at Lambo, seeing that he has actually made a good point for once. Some even look down at their stomachs, realising that they too are hungry.

"Yeah some food sound good, we didn't have time for lunch before we came, some…issues came up." Adds in Shinichi, thinking back to Kaito's reaction when they started to make lunch, and then there was the time for transforming, so all in all, no time for a snack.

"Sure." Agrees Tsuna. "Why don't we take you for a tour of the Vongola Underground, and we'll finish off at the food hall. I'm afraid that most of the others are away at the moment, but I will introduce them when they return home." He promises as he stands up. The others follow suit, and walk out of the door. Gokudera makes sure to hold the door open for his Juudaime, and closes it behind Shinichi and Kaito.

"At the moment, we are on a floor of offices. It's nearly at the bottom, with mainly training rooms underneath. This way, it's far enough underground to avoid attacks, and it's hard to infiltrate to this level. It was created like this to protect any important documents that I might have down here. The training rooms are 2 floors below us in case any accidents happen. It wouldn't do for a training session to wreck the floor or ceiling and destroy the level above or below. The floor in-between is generally storage space- nothing really important, again in case of training accidents." Explains Gokudera, hair suddenly tied back and glasses on.

"That sounds very well planned out. You are right, it would be hard for someone with less skill than I to infiltrate your base to this level. I could do it though, your security doesn't seem very tight. All I'd have to do is disguise myself to look like one of you and I'd be in." taunts Kaito, explaining the rant KID has just given him internally.

"Che, that's what you think." Whispers Gokudera under his breath.

Tsuna just shakes his head, and replies to Kaito. "You are right, our security is relaxed here. But there is nothing of importance here in the Japan base. Like you saw earlier, the most important thing I deal with here are accounts. All of the documents that could be used for blackmail, threats, and things like that are all in Italy. They have much better security there. We do however, have lots of security cameras. There isn't a part of the base that you can't see. Obviously in private areas like bedrooms and bathrooms there aren't any cameras, but in any public area, there are always camera's recording 24/7. There are odd exceptions."

"So what about the levels above us then?" inquires Shinichi, glad to be walking about. He wasn't too keen on the idea of being so far underground, but it was something he could poke up with. He was sure that there were safety measures against earthquakes and collapses.

"Oh, umm. Directly above us is the kitchen and dining room, sleeping and living quarters for staff and visiting Family members. Above that are laboratories and garages belonging to out resident mechanics, Spanner and Shoichi. They are off on a trip looking at some new mafia technology at the moment, but they'll be back later. Um, above that is… um, I know that there are maybe one or two more floors, but I think that they hold supplies again, Oh, and housekeeping. The floor directly below the house is housekeeping." Describes Tsuna, smacking a hand onto his palm as he remembers.

Ba-bump.

Oh, shit. Not now. I thought I was just hot because the room was stuffy, but it must have been a sign of this.

Shinichi leans against the wall taking a deep breath. Collecting himself Shinichi continues to walk on with the others, willing the transformation to stay at bay for a little while longer.

Turning, Tsuna looks back at Shinichi, his intuition sensing something is wrong. "Are you okay Shinichi? You're looking a little flushed"

"Yeah, I'm just a little hot, that's all. It was a little stuffy in the meeting room" Shinichi plasters a fake smile on his face, willing himself to stand straight and look 'alright'.

"Hmm, that's true. When we have long meetings in there it gets terrible, and being underground we can't open the windows either" shrugs Yamamoto, smiling brightly as usual.

BA-bump.

Ouch. Shinichi breathe, come on take a deep breath… calm down, you've transformed before… I can't hold on much longer… I need somewhere to change.

"Ts-Tsuna, is there a room without the cameras recording on this level?" inquires Shinichi, trying to hide the pain.

Tsuna gives Shinichi a sharp look, noticing the sweat on the back of his neck and forehead, and the slightly laboured breathing Shinichi has. Shinichi's also getting slightly paler too. Wondering if Shinichi is sick, but not why a room without cameras, Tsuna answers "urm, yeah, my office. Shinichi?"

But before Tsuna can even ask his question, Shinichi has run off, arm on the wall supporting his fast turn around the corner.

"Shit! Not here, not now. Shinichi calm down!" A second later, Kaito has run off too, tearing around the corner, cape following behind him.

"LEFT!" Shouts Kaito, running fast to catch up with Shinichi. Since his brain's off line at the moment, Shinichi blindly trusts Kaito, and takes the next left he comes too.

"STRAIGHT" comes the next order from around the corner. Stumbling slightly, Shinichi runs past the cross roads. He looks back slightly to see the reassuring sight of KID following him. It still hasn't fully sunk in that Kaito is KID, so his muddled brain doesn't make the connection. Either way, he's glad to see a familiar sight in this foreign environment.

BA-Bump

Why do there have to be so many hallways? Argh. I can't run for much longer- my muscles are tightening up.

"LEFT" following the orders automatically, Shinichi comes to the familiar corridor. Shinichi literally falls straight through the door, and immediately locks it behind him.

I'm feeling so dizzy now. The room won't come into focus. But it's so hot in here too. I'm going to burn up at this rate. … No wait. That's just a side effect of the transformation.

Hating the pain that's coursing through his body, Shinichi slams his fists against the nearest object- the side of a book case.

It's just like earlier on today… Why is the pain so much greater than ever before?... And… the transformation time. I barely had 5 hours. I know … that Haibara said… that it wouldn't last … a whole day, but surely… more than 5 hours. When I find… those … fucking Bastards… that did this to me… I'm gonna… I'm gonna. Shit, I can't even think straight anymore. The pain… it's building and building… and I just can't… anymore…

Shinichi's breathing is laboured, deep and gasping, as waves of pain roll through his body. He rests his back against the door for support, whilst he holds his head in his hands.

Finally giving up the fight against the storm of pain, Shinichi lets out a scream of torment before falling back into the blackness.

Kaito turns the last corner in time to see Shinichi literally crumple through the doorway. He arrives at the door, his hand on the handle, when he hears the lock clicking shut. Knowing that Shinichi doesn't want him to enter, he slumps against the doorway, hand still on the doorknob above him, and listens to what's going on inside.

I'm sure that Shinichi will want his privacy for this. So I'm not going to force entrance this time. I'm not sure that he trusts me enough to want me to see. After all, to him, I'm still really KID. The trustworthy friendly rival of a phantom thief, nothing more.

"But he did trust you." Comes a voice inside his head. "It was Kaito and not KID that he allowed in his house, knowing full well that you would be there, and could walk in at any time during the transformation. To even have you in the house at the time shows a colossal amount of trust in you."

Inside the room, all Kaito can hear is a lot of thumping, like someone is pounding in the floor, and a few whimpers from Shinichi. Again these are sounds he has never heard from Shinichi, nor Conan, and it makes Kaito wonder how immense the pain is to dramatically change his friend like that.

Eventually the sounds stop coming through the door, and Kaito rests his full weight against it. Little does he know that this is exactly what Shinichi is doing on the other side of the door.

As he hears a rush of footsteps, Kaito looks up and sees Tsuna and his Guardians approach, confusion on their faces.

"Kaito, what's going on here? Is Shinichi alright?" questions Tsuna, looking down apprehensively at Kaito on the floor.

"No, of course he's not alright. Shouldn't your Hyper Intuition tell you what's going on?" Kaito replies sarcastically, not in the mood to play around. He's too worried about Shinichi, waiting for the…

"Che, show Juudaime some more…"

…Scream

Since its Shinichi this time instead of Conan, the scream comes out more as a roar of defiance. But even in this deeper replay of before, the pain is still evident, and still cuts straight through to Kaito's soul. Quickly Kaito is on his knees, facing the door, looking ready to open it. But instead Kaito grips the door handle tighter, and with a look of despair and anguish in his eyes, dejectedly returns to his previous position, back against the door. Gasps of shock come from the others, as well as a general step forwards towards the door. Even Hibari has joined them, admittedly leaning against a wall further down the corridor. At the sound of the scream, he stands up off the wall, and looks towards the door.

"Kaito, was that Shinichi?" questions Mukuro, shocked at the sound that came from the office. In response, Kaito looks down, shadows covering his eye. Even the monocle doesn't glint.

"Let Ryohei in, he'll be able to use his sun flames to help." Suggests Yamamoto. The others all nod in agreement.

"I don't think that he'll be able to help. Shinichi will be alright, he's transformed before, to solve murder cases, or to see Ran. He'll pull through. Conan is a lot stronger than he looks." Answers Kaito.

"Hn? I thought we were talking about Shinichi. What does this Conan person have to do with it?" questions Ryohei, not having gotten the fact that they were the same person- the sun flame did work on his body instead of his brain after all.

Kaito sighs and looks up at Ryohei. "You're someone who gets things better if it is physically shown to them, rather than being verbally explained, aren't you?" Tsuna, Yamamoto and Gokudera behind Ryohei all nod. "Well you'll see soon enough. There is no way for anyone else to enter this room. Shinichi went in, Conan will come out. That's all there is to it."

"Umm. Kaito. How long will it be until Conan comes out? My intuition is saying that he's unconscious at the moment." Probes Tsuna, Kaito's mood making him even more nervous than usual.

"Judging from this morning, I'd say about an hour. You guys should go get something to eat, I'll stay here." Recommends Kaito, hand gripping the door handle again. He moves into a more comfortable position, and looks back up at the people infront of him.

"But Kaito." Starts Tsuna.

"All you herbivores are crowding, move before I bite you to death." Brandishing his tonfas, Hibari steps forwards threateningly, his voice a low growl.

Not wanting to be bitten, the guardians all move down the corridor. Some try to look back, but Hibari's tonfa soon blocks their vision. Herding the herbivores down the hallway, Hibari looks back in time to catch Kaito's smile, and a small mouthed Thank you before they all turn the corner of the hallway.

Kaito sits vigils there, outside the door, hoping for all the world that Shinichi is okay. He listens to the door, and once again can hear nothing but silence. Turning back to face the doorway, Kaito stares off into space, his hands unconsciously fiddling with a pack of cards.

"Oi, Kaito."

Kaito closes his eyes, and opens them in his room, to find the painting already turned to KID's portrait. Dragging his feet- he's not in the mood to talk to KID right now- he walks through the painting and keeps on walking, face turned to the floor. He is eventually stopped by KID's embrace.

"Kaito, how are you holding up? You were pretty shaken by Meitantei's scream earlier. I'm surprised that you didn't call upon me again." KID whispers caringly into Kaito's ear. One hand pats his head in support, whilst the other rubs Kaito's back soothingly.

"I heard his scream again, and it felt as if part of me had died. I was so worried about him. I nearly did break the door down again. But Shinichi locked the door. I respect him enough to follow that unspoken order and not interfere. I would be more of a bother than a help anyway. I'm sure that Shinichi doesn't want anyone to witness something so… personal. So I'll do what I can and protect the door, and what little privacy he can have here in this base. "

"I think that we should check on him, though. We don't know if he transformed okay. For all we know, something might not have shrunk right, and he needs medical treatment. Plus he's going to get cold, laying on the floor like that." Reasons KID

"Yeah, you are right, I suppose. It'll calm me down knowing he's alright too. I worry about him when he's not in my sight. He's always getting into trouble." Replies Kaito, laughing slightly into KID's shoulder.

"Hey, someone's coming, you'd better open your eyes now" warns KID, pushing Kaito away.

Kaito turns and runs straight towards the painting back to his room. Once there, he opens his eyes again, ready to fight off anyone who wants to interfere with his Shinichi.

Violet eyes flash as they spring open, a scary look dominating his eyes. Once he notices who it is however, he blinks. "Oh, it's you, Yamamoto."

"Yeah, I brought you something to eat. Shinichi said you guys haven't eaten anything all day." He smiles his usual bright smile, placing a tray down next to the door. "Is there anything else I can get you?" he asks, rising up again. Kaito looks worried sick. He must really care for Shinichi. But by the look on his face, I'd say he hasn't seen Shinichi transform too often before, first, maybe second time. I can tell in how stressed out and jittery he is.

"A bowl of warm water, and a couple of towels would be great please." Replies Kaito, glad that someone offered. He didn't really want to leave the door to go hunting for them himself.

"That's fine. I'll ask a Housekeeper to bring it to you. One second." He takes a few paces away, and pulls out a cell phone. Dialling a number on speed dial, he places the phone to his ear, whilst he leans against the wall. "Hello, Maria? Yes it's Yamamoto. Can I have a bowl of warm water and a couple of towels? How large? Well…" he turns to Kaito who makes a sign meaning small. "Um, small ones please. Yeah, can you bring them to the Boss's office? Underground. Okay, thanks a lot. Bye" he closes the phone, puts it back in his jacket pocket, and turns, smiling brightly at Kaito. "There you go all sorted. I wouldn't have a clue where to look. Even after a few years of living here, I don't know where everything is. The staff like to do things for us, so I'll expect that I'll never know where everything is."

Yamamoto walks back to Kaito, a sportsman's eyes noticing how he is shaking slightly. He rubs the back of his neck, trying to think of a way to help. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices his ring glint. Yamamoto has a 'light bulb' moment, complete with 'ah' and raised hand. He kneels infront of Kaito, slightly too close for Kaito's comfort. He doesn't mind invading others personal space, but he likes his own to stay his.

Yamamoto takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes. Kaito raises an eyebrow as Yamamoto lifts his hands and rests them on Kaito's neck above the veins.

"umm, Yamamoto, hello. What are you doing?" questions Kaito sceptically. Still Yamamoto doesn't move, or even acknowledge that he's heard Kaito. Kaito is about to move when Yamamoto answers him.

"Tranquillity." Kaito just makes a 'what?' sound in the back of his throat. Yamamoto takes another deep breath, his brows furrowing in concentration. "We eventually learnt that our flames have different attributes. My rain flame's is Tranquillity. Like Hibari's cloud flame is Propagation, since clouds multiply easily. So I'm pushing a little of my flame into your body to calm you down. You can't help your friend if you are too tense and shaken up to move, now can you?" Yamamoto attempts another smile, but is too busy concentrating to make a real effort. Too many rain flames, and he'll either paralyse Kaito or send him to sleep.

Kaito is touched by Yamamoto's display of concern. He releases a sigh of relaxation when he starts to feel the flames effects. Muscles he didn't realise were tight relaxed and his whole body began to unwind. "Thanks Yamamoto, that's enough." He whispers, relishing the feeling. As the flames retract back into Yamamoto, both release a deep breath.

"Oh, I'm glad that worked. I should use it on Gokudera sometime. He's always uptight about something. All that shouting can't do him any good." He laughs, trying to picture a calm Gokudera. He finds he can't. The only time Gokudera ever seems calm is when his nose is in a book, and even then its intense concentration rather than calm.

"Yeah I agree. He tried to attack us with dynamite once, Shinichi darted him and he fell asleep. He looks a lot softer in his sleep. All I've ever seen him do is shout. Whether it's a telling off, or apologising to Tsuna, he's always shouting." Kaito laughs too. "Oh, is this the maid you were talking to?"

Indeed there is a maid turning the corner, towels over one shoulder, a bowl of steaming water held in both hands. She stops infront of them, and attempts a small bow, careful not to spill the water.

"Young Master Yamamoto, here are the items you requested. Can I be of any other service?" she asks politely. Yamamoto takes the bowl of water out of her hands, whilst Kaito rises and takes the towels. Yamamoto looks at Kaito, wondering if he needs anything else. Kaito just shakes his head.

"No thank you Maria. But thanks for coming all the way down here just for this." Yamamoto pats her on the shoulder in thanks. The maid just bows again before taking her leave. He turns back to Kaito to find him stood still, eyes closed.

Opening his eyes, Kaito stands in the middle of his own room. All around the place is a blue mist. Kaito turns in a circle, and sees the blue mist everywhere he looks. Holding out his hand, he calls for the mist to sit on his palm. A small handful of the mist floats over and lands in his hand. It doesn't feel foreign, but familiar, as if he's felt it before. However, there is still this strong feeling of Yamamoto on the mist too.

"This must be his flame, rain is blue after all."

Turning his hand, he lets the flame fall like sand to the floor. Then he turns to the painting and walks over to it. Pushing against it, it starts to spin. It seems that even the paintings have caught onto his calm mood, as it spins lazily. Eventually it does land of KID's portrait. Kaito steps through, and into KID's domain.

Whilst there is no visible blue mist or flames, the night sky does seem bluer, as if slightly closer to dusk than midnight. KID himself can be seen lounging in mid-air, hands behind his head as if taking a nap. Kaito walks over and flicks the thief on the forehead.

"Oh, it's you. That baseball guy did a real wonder in here. You were shaking so much I thought the sky was going to fall."

This was ironic since the whole of KID's room looked like the night sky.

"Yeah, I'm guessing that you heard the explanation. Anyway, I'm going in to see Shinichi now, well Conan really. Can you open the door?" Kaito responds, stepping within arm's reach of the thief. Seeing the glint in 1412's eyes, he knows that nothing in the world can stop him from opening that door.

Conan is his after all.

Over the years, it's the personas of KID and Conan that have become friends, not Kaito and Shinichi. Conan is KID's favourite critic, KID's rival, KID's reason for flashy and exciting heists.

Falling backwards into the thief's arms, they recite the transfer phrase.

"Let the magic begin"

"Oy, Kaito are you okay? What do you mean 'let the magic begin'" asks Yamamoto. Whilst Kaito has not has his eyes closed for more than a few seconds, it's the change of atmosphere that has Yamamoto worried. When Kaito whispered that nearly inaudible phrase, everything about him seemed to change. He straightened up, his chin rose, and a very wide grin crawled upon his face. Hands come up to adjust the monocle and top hat, casting his face in shadow. Hey he looks just like the Kid. Those hats do wonders for their images. I wonder if Kaito has met the Kid before.

"You heard that? Well I suppose that me and Kaito say it, so as the host at the time, it's possible that he says it. No one's been around before to comment upon it. When I was with Conan earlier this week, it would have been covered up by the shouts of the mafia members looking for me. Jii has never commented upon it before either. Anyway, Baseball-boy, I'll take that." KID mumbles to himself before talking directly to Yamamoto. He takes the bowl of warm water from the guardian. "Make sure than no one enters here okay. Not you, your friends, or even your Boss. If anyone does have to enter, then knock and wait." He turns to the door, and to Yamamoto's eyes, passes his hand over the lock.

"Whoa, how did you do that Kaito? There were no lock picks or anything." Says Yamamoto in awe.

"Well, I am the International Phantom Thief 1412. Unlocking a door is as simple as breathing for me now. It's something that I, Kaitou KID, have been able to do since, well, for as long as I can remember." Winking at Yamamoto, a cheeky grin on his face, he opens the door, and pushes the tray of food in with his foot. Walking into the room Kaitou KID shuts the door behind him.

He sees Conan immediately, passed out infront of the other door. Shinichi's clothes are in piles around him, like a tangle of different blankets. Conan has curled up in the foetal position, his entire body covered in Shinichi's shirt and suit jacket, meaning that the boy would have stayed warm. Bending down, KID takes Conan's vital signs. His heart beat seems strong and steady, a constant beat under KID's hand. Conan's breathing is similar, regular and deep, clear from any obstructions. Carefully KID unwraps the child size package from adult sized wrapping, and wraps him on one of the towels.

KID, having no shame whatsoever, sits against the door, like he and Shinichi were doing earlier, and pulls Conan into his lap. From there it's easier to support Conan whilst he wipes the sweat off. Dipping one of the towels into the bowl of water, KID starts the slow process of cleaning Conan off. Once fully clean, KID looks around the room for Conan's bag. It's right next to him, sat next to the bookcase. Opening the bag, KID is presented with some Conan sized clothes. Not wanting the boy to get cold, KID immediately dresses Conan, and lays him on the floor. He then proceeds to dry himself off.

Whilst he was dressing the boy, he carefully went over the muscles and bones with his agile and dexterous hands. It looks like someone checking a horse over before buying it. From his inspection, KID is relieved to know that all of Conan's bones were full, healthy and not broken. All of his joints were working fine too. It seemed like the transformation went without a hitch. Except for the scream.

KID stands up, slightly stiff from all of the time this body- under the control of both him and Kaito- has recently spent on the floor. Looking for a comfier place to sit, KID notices the sofa that they sat on earlier. Picking Conan back up gently again, he walks over to it and curls up protectively around Conan. Knowing that Conan is alright has calmed him down greatly, even Kaito's presence in his mind has disappeared. He sits there, stroking Conan's hair, and feels his eyes start to close. He pinches himself, not wanting to fall asleep. But the mixture of relief and rain flames is taking its toll, and slowly KID closes his eyes, arms still wrapped protectively around Conan.

And this is how Tsuna finds them over an hour later, when he finally summons up the courage to check on them. It's been over an hour, nearly two, since Shinichi ran off. I thought that they would have been out of there by now. I know that Kaito told Yamamoto to keep everyone out, but it is my office that they are holed up in. Peeking around the door, the pair aren't in sight. Walking up to his desk, he can now see the whole room and the sofa that the pair are situated on.

To Tsuna it looks like the pair are asleep, lounging full length on the sofa. Conan is all but visible, with only his head peeking out from under the cover of KID's cape- presumably for air. But the atmosphere is wrong. If they are sleeping then it should be peaceful and calm. Tsuna shouldn't be feeling like someone is watching him with the intent to harm- which is exactly what he is feeling. Slowly KID moves his head, and light slides over the monocle, revealing a pair of piercing violet eyes staring straight at him.

KID has been awake the whole time.

Senses honed during his time as a thief warned him as soon as someone approached the door. His ears picked up the muffled sound of a conversation between Yamamoto and Tsuna. But his eyes remained closed. The moment the door unlocked and clicked open, KID's eyes were wide and intense, targeting and tracking the intruder to his safe haven. KID isn't foolish enough to fully fall asleep when protecting something precious to him, even if this base is supposed to be safe. But there are too many unknowns here. This base is new: he doesn't know the people, the layout, any escape routes. Being underground, there is no chance of breaking a window and using his glider to escape danger.

"I thought I told Yamamoto not to let anyone in here." Comes the quite growl. He wants to get his point across, but without waking Conan.

"I-It's been nearly t-two hours since Shinichi started to transform. I was getting worried about you two. Plus this is my office." Responds Tsuna, trembling under KID's pointed gaze.

"Well as you can see I'm alright." Conan interrupts, pulling the cape over his head and snuggling back into KID. The transformation really tired him out. Along with the meeting and the tour, there has been a lot to take in, and it's wiped him out. As has being on guard the whole time- like KID, he doesn't feel completely safe here yet.

"C-C-Conan, you're awake?" stutters Tsuna, believing that the child was asleep.

"Well, I was, until the atmosphere changed. After years of worrying about the Organisation killing me, I've gotten used to waking up at a change of environment. I felt Kaito become tense, and then I heard voices, talking about me, and I thought it was time to intervene." The reply is muffled, coming from KID's shirt and under the cape.

"Tantei-kun!" shouts KID, hugging his detective tightly. "I thought you were never going to wake up. We'd be locked in here for ever then." He laughs, imagining how inconvenient that would be for Tsuna.

"Oy, oy, you're squeezing the life out of me KID. I've only just recovered you know. I'm not some teddy bear to hug in your sleep." Protests Conan, wiggling about to get out of the deadlock hold he's in. "Damn it, I don't have my watch on me, nor my shoes. KID let go!"

"Oh? So this is the thanks I get for looking after you? Well," KID replies haughtily. He stretches his arm out to the side, and prepares to click. Conan sees this action and closes his eyes, preparing himself for whatever trick or prank is to come. When he hears the click, but feels no smoke, he dares to open one eye. Opening the other eye, he sees a yellow rose. "I'm just glad that you are okay, chibi or not."

Smiling Conan takes the rose, and places it on his lapel. "Yeah, thanks KID"

"Um, sorry to interrupt this moment. Conan, I understand why we've changed your name, but why are you calling Kaito KID. One moment it was 'I felt Kaito tense' and the next it's 'KID let go' ?" questions Tsuna, his intuition sensing something more going on here.

"Hm? Because this is KID." Conan says as if it's obvious. Tsuna still looks confused- his dame-self not getting it. Sighing, Conan elaborates. "He called me Tantei-kun. That's a name only Kaitou KID calls me. Kaito calls me Conan, or Shin-chan, but Shinichi when he's serious. For KID it's Tantei-kun for Conan and Meitantei for Shinichi." Conan gets out from under the warmth of the cape, and stretches. Walking over to his bag, he places on his shoes, glasses and wristwatch, fully becoming Conan.

"So when are we doing this faux heist?" inquires Conan, looking back at Tsuna.

"Well whenever you are ready" Tsuna replies, not wanting to stay up too late to do this. Conan nods in understanding. In the quiet that follows a growl can be heard. Immediately Conan turns a bright shade of red. "haha. Let's get you something to eat first. You missed lunch, both of you."

Walking over to the door, he opens it and lets the pair out.

"Oh, so this is Conan." Comments Yamamoto, seeing who came out of the room.

"Yeah, Yamamoto it is. I'm going with them to get some food. Can you go and find the others and tell them to prepare for the heist. Better get it over and done with." Requests Tsuna, as he walks along the corridor.

"Sure thing Tsuna. I'll grab the others and we can start the game." Agrees Yamamoto, waving as he goes down a different corridor.

"This is our destination guys" announces Tsuna.

The place that they have arrived at is a Vongola training ground, designed to train mafia members in how to infiltrate a building. It consists of one main open area on the bottom floor, and on the second floor a selection of rooms and hallways with different themes, such as offices and houses. The perfect place for a heist. It has just gone past dusk; dark but with enough light to see where you are going. Lights are on in the building, like there would be for a real heist. Lucky enough for KID, the building is on the top of a hill. According to Gokudera, this was so that no one trespassed here, since they might get hurt. For KID, it means room and height for the use of his glider. For this time, he actually has to get away with the jewel too- all the way to the surrounding fence. If he gets here then he wins. If one of the others manages to catch him, then the Vongola win.

For fairness, since the Vongola are 'better equipped' than the police force, KID is allowed to have Conan help him. However the Vongola team don't know what kind of gadgets Conan has.

Everyone gets out of the car that has transported them all to this venue, and start to look around. Ryohei helps Conan out of the car, and Conan gives him a pat on the arm in thanks. He walks up to Tsuna and pulls on his Jacket. "Um, Tsuna, no one's going to notice us here are they?"

"Don't worry Conan, there are no houses around here, so we won't disturb anyone." Accepting the answer, Conan walks over to where Yamamoto and Gokudera are, arguing over something again.

Pulling on Gokudera's sleeve, Conan gets his attention. "Gokudera, who do you think will catch KID?"

"Juudaime will of course" shouts Gokudera.

"Are you sure, I thought it might be someone like Hibari or Mukuro, they seem stronger." Innocently questions Conan, looking in Mukuro's direction.

"No way! Juudaime is the strongest and the fastest, so of course he'll catch KID." Roars Gokudera, offended at Conan's comment. Conan backs away from the angry Gokudera and hides behind Yamamoto's leg, clutching onto Yamamoto's trousers.

"Maa, maa Gokudera, calm down. You're scaring the kid." Chastises Yamamoto. Conan leaves the two argue about his age vs. his appearance, and walks over to Mukuro.

"Ne, Mukuro," he says, Mukuro looks down at him. Conan waves at him, signalling that he wants Mukuro on his level. Mukuro kneels down. Conan whispers in his ear, leaning on Mukuro's shoulder for support. "Don't mess with KID too much, he's a bit crazy as it is. I'd like to take him home in one piece please."

Mukuro stands up, laughing all the way. "Of course Shinichi, although I suppose that I should call you Conan now."

Nodding in answer and waving his goodbye, he walks over to where Hibari is. Conan stands under a tree and looks up, watching Hibari lounge on a low branch. If he stands on tiptoes he can just reach the end of the jacket that Hibari constantly has on his shoulders. Pulling on it slightly, he makes Hibari look down from his perch, and raise an eyebrow.

"What do you want herbivore?" he questions. So what he said is true, he really does look like a ten year old. Hibari didn't do crowds, and so didn't travel here with the rest- he made his own way here once he knew the time and place. Therefore he hadn't seen Conan before.

"Umm, I was just wondering, you aren't planning on killing KID are you? The others all say that you are really strong. I just don't want him to get hurt too badly." Conan looks up, a tiny bit of pleading in his eyes.

"Hmph, no I won't kill him. There's no point in killing him. I just want to see how strong he is. The way he blocked my attack earlier has interested me." Hibari looks over to where KID is at, and seems to forget Conan is even there.

Conan looks around for his final target. Spotting him over by the car, Conan trots over.

"Oy, Lambo. Don't fall asleep now, we haven't even started yet." Shaking the cow he tries to wake him up.

"Ah. La. La? [yawn] Oh, It's you. Lambo-sama is feeling tired, so I was trying to take a nap before we started. The car ride here was long enough for me to get to sleep." Lambo answers drowsily.

"I'll let you get back to sleep then." Answers Conan, amazed at how quickly Lambo does go back to sleep.

His job done, he has only one more task to do before he's ready to start. He walks over to KID, who is standing away from the group, looking at the building's surroundings. Placing himself so that KID is standing between him and the others, Conan hands him an earring.

"Wear this, it's from the Hakase." Conan hands over a modified version of the Cell-phone Earring. "It's a two way communicator. If I set my bow tie to a certain channel then you can hear what I'm saying to you, and a speaker in my glasses lets me hear what you are saying. In addition I've placed these on all of the others." Conan holds up a small button sized circle in between his forefinger and thumb. "They were originally mini speakers for use with my bow tie, but before your heist I got the Hakase to modify them into tracking devices too. I was planning to use them on you, but you never got close enough. Using these and this," out of his bag he pulls out the Tracking Map Notebook. "I can track where everyone is. This way, they'll only get close to you if you want them too."

"Whoa, you really did come prepared Tantei-kun, didn't you? You don't have a pair of larger speakers in there do you, or some tracking glasses for me?" he questions, looking down at the bag Conan is holding.

"Larger speakers? What do you think this is? Mary Poppins' Bag? No of course I don't. I have had to carry this all day you know. And no, I don't have another pair of tracking glasses for your use. If you need speakers though, I've got a load more of these button speakers." Conan fumes at KID. He's not a magician like the two of them; he can't just make things magically appear. He hands the Kaitou the rest of his supply of speakers, wondering what he wants to do with them.

Bending down, KID whispers his plan into Conan's ear. Conan nods, his own KID-like grin appearing on his face. "That's perfect."

"Oy~ KID, Conan, Come over here, we're about to start." States Tsuna, waving at the pair.

Both walk over, enter the main room on the first floor, and stand infront of the Vongola Family.

"On this table is the 'jewel'. It's actually just a paperweight I found laying about. KID feel free to inspect the 'jewel' and the table to see if they are tampered with" explains Gokudera. KID does so, seeing nothing except a sturdy table and one glass paperweight with a flame pattern on the glass.

"Okay the only rule is that there is to be no killing, fatal or major injuries. Hibari, that means scratches, cuts, bruises, or a quick knock to unconsciousness only. You are not, in any way, to attempt to kill him or break any of his bones. Or to stab him with your hedgehog either. Mukuro, you are not allowed to drive him insane. Your illusions are for distraction purposes only. Remember he's part of the family now. We want to be sending him on missions, not to the mental health asylum. Everyone else, I think you're okay." Outlines Gokudera, giving each named person a death glare. Not that they care. "Right, KID and Conan, you now have half an hour to prepare the heist location. I know that usually you do this earlier on in the day, but half an hour is the best we can do at the moment. The moment you move from that spot the 30 minutes start."

"Ready Tantei-kun?" asks KID, looking at his one time rival.

"When am I not?" replies Conan, grinning back at KID.

Both turn around and stride out of the room and up the stairs.

"Conan you know your part of the plan, right. I'm off to finish the traps. I want you to stay in this room. I'll leave it and the corridor outside trap free." KID winks, ruffling Conan's hair before leaving the room. Conan sits down in the large leather office chair, and gets ready for the chase.

It's weird to be this side of a heist. Although it's not really a heist. This reminds me of the first time I matched wits against KID; It was at the clock tower, with me directing the police from the helicopter. But this time, I'm directing KID away from the 'police'. I suppose that I had better get used to this feeling. Me and KID and Kaito will be working together a lot more now.

"Uri, come on out. We're going to play chase with the thief again" orders Gokudera. In a flash of red flame, Uri is sat next to Gokudera. Immediately, the cat eyes her master and jumps upon his face, scratching for all she is worth. "Ouch, you stupid cat. Get off!"

"Hey, that's a good idea. But I need Jirou and Kojirou to help me fight. I can't send them off to track KID down. Tsuna could if he wanted to though." Compliments Yamamoto. He rubs his hand over his rings, as if petting the two animals inside.

"Hmm. Maybe later. I think that Uri did a good enough job last time." Replies Tsuna, pulling Uri off of Gokudera.

Taking Uri back off of Tsuna, Gokudera holds her at arm's length and stares straight into her eyes. "Uri, I want you to capture KID again for me. Do you think you can do that? When you find him, sit on him again until one of us gets there. Understand?" For once Uri respectfully listens- most likely due to the fact that she gets to chase and sit on someone again. She nods and growls, surrounding herself in red and yellow flames.

Gokudera let's go, and a full sized Uri lands on the floor.

"Extreme! Go Uri, transform!" shouts Ryohei.

"Gokudera, I was wondering about this earlier. But how come Uri can grow big. You said that the first time she did it in the future, it was due to the sun flame's activation. But she hasn't been in contact with Kangaryuu recently." Interrogates Tsuna, seeing the giant leopard sat at his feet.

"Well, it seems that once Kangaryuu did it the first time, it unlocked the ability. I use sun flames as part of my Sistema C.A.I. So she takes some of those and grows herself. She only learnt how to do it recently though. I was really shocked the first time: We were having another fight, and she was really mad at me, more so than usual. Suddenly, she growls and I'm pinned to the floor by her adult form. I think that it takes up a lot of flames though, so that's why she doesn't do it often."

"Wow, that's amazing Gokudera!" Tsuna claps, praising Gokudera's new power

Gokudera turns to his Juudaime, sparkling and tail wagging. "Oh thank you Juudaime."

"One minute left" says Hibari, leaning against the table. He wants a good shot at KID when he comes for the jewel.

3…

"Ladies and gentlemen!" comes the voice from all around them. No one can pinpoint its source. It's literally coming from every angle.

2…

"Let the Show…" and with that KID drops from the roof and lands upon the table.

1…

"Begin" Leaning down, he ducks under a tonfa strike and grabs the jewel. Hands fall to the floor as KID dives off of the table and into a hand stand, this time dodging a sword swing.

Holy Hell, where did that sword come from? All he had was a bamboo stick.

Hibari pivots to face KID, bringing his foot up for a kick. KID propels himself up and jumps over Tsuna. The kick meant for him slams into Tsuna, forcing Tsuna to slide several meters into a wall.

"Juudaime!" shouts Gokudera, turning to follow his boss' crash.

Mukuro runs at KID, his eye changing to the Kanji for 4. Kaitou KID looks straight at the illusionist and smiles widely. His gun points upwards and he shoots. The card zooms up towards the ceiling, cutting through a rope. This rope was part of a net holding as many footballs as Conan's belt could muster. They fall straight onto the illusionist, and bounce in other directions too.

Kaitou KID kicks one to his left, causing Ryohei to dive out of the way. It slams against the wall like a dodge ball and rebounds in a different direction, straight towards Yamamoto's back. Tsuna flies in, recovered and in Dying Will Mode, and punches the ball away. KID kicks a few more balls all in different directions. All of the balls rebound off of different areas of the walls, and some even on the floor and ceiling. Mukuro pierces one ball with his trident, whilst Yamamoto slices another. Hibari whacks one with his tonfa, but it only increases the velocity of the ball. Soon this ball is charging around faster than the rest. Kaitou KID kicks the last few remaining balls, and elegantly dances to the exit, waving to the others before going through the door.

The others are having no such luck, nearly immobilised by the rampaging footballs. Gokudera takes one to the back of the head, and shouting, slams his fist into another. This one bounces off the floor, and straight into Ryohei's stomach, making him wince slightly. Lambo is under the table screaming his head off.

Hibari sends cloud flames to his animal ring. "Roll, get rid of them. They are annoying"

The small hedgehog pops out of the box, and with a small 'kyu' rolls into a ball. Using it's propagation ability, it multiplies itself.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

The spikes from all of the hedgehogs burst the footballs, stopping the flying projectiles in their tracks. Eventually, there are no more storming footballs, and everyone sighs a sigh of relief. Hibari runs down the hallway KID had taken, whilst Mukuro takes a different exit.

Lambo crawls out from under the table. "Gyupa, that was scary. I'm never going to see a football the same way again."

"Come on guy's, I'm not letting that thief get away from me!" roars Gokudera, following the path Hibari took earlier.

"Okay KID, there is a person on the corridor parallel to you, don't take the next left turning. There is one person about 200 m behind you, they'll be rounding the corner in 3, 2, 1, now." Warns Conan, sat in his comfy office chair.

KID looks behind him to see Hibari flying around the corner, tonfas drawn. KID dives into the room next to him and shuts the door behind him. Hibari slams the door off its hinges creating a satisfying boom. KID takes his card gun and aims a card directly at Hibari's feet. Dodging the attack, Hibari jumps forwards, and brings his tonfa around to hit KID's ribs. KID sidesteps the attack, drawing his cape around him in the process

Just one more step. KID swings around Hibari and flares out his cape. Out of the cape flies sparks, flashes, bangs as well as streamers and confetti. Hibari, not prepared for the shock this display presented, took the crucial step backwards.

Per~fect! KID purrs

KID pushes a button on his controller, and Hibari's tonfas are removed from his grip, to rise towards the ceiling and stay there. Looking down from the ceiling, Hibari glares at KID, and goes to make a move against him. However, his muscles won't obey him, no matter how much he wills them too.

Hibari glares at KID, his eyes portraying the question "What have you done to me herbivore?" in their sharpness, directness and flash of defiance. But the well trained KID can see confusion, hidden right at the back, almost unnoticeable.

"Oh, well let me tell you." Remarks KID walking towards Hibari. He stops slightly away from him, and takes out some wire from his sleeve. "You see," KID leaves a length of wire on the floor, before starting to walk around Hibari, being very careful to maintain his distance. "You most likely don't feel it, but very tiny spikes have pierced your feet, and are sending a slight rhythmical electric shock into your nervous system. This disrupts the flow of electrical instructions from your brain to the rest of your body. As you can feel, this is painless, and won't do you any lasting damage, so it's still following my rules. Amazing what modern technology can do." He grins a predator grin at Hibari, and doesn't miss the flash of revenge in Hibari's eyes. He picks up the rest of the wire from earlier, and finishes securing Hibari- just in case he eventually gets free. "Oh, and I'll be taking this." Carefully he reaches over, and removes Roll's ring from Hibari's hand. "I don't want you sending anything after me. That leopard was bad enough".

And with that, he leaves an infuriated Hibari in the room, fixing the door on his way out so no one knows what has happened here. "Tantei-kun that was Hibari. I've immobilised him. Where are the others?"

"Yes, I heard what you said to him. Very ingenious. And very sneaky too. One person is the other side of the building. Another is following your path and will be with you soon. The rest are still in the main room down stairs."

"Hmm, good. I'm going to see who's following me. Once I've discovered their identity we'll put the plan into action." Replies KID, already planning on the next outcome.

He stands at the next intersection, weight on the balls of his feet, ready to run at a moment's notice.

"Okay here he comes, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, now" counts Conan.

As soon as the person rounds the corner, KID recognises them immediately, and is soon running off down the next hallway. With his perfect timing, the follower has just noticed KID's cape rounding the corner, and immediately gives chase.

"Tantei-kun, it's Gokudera." Breaths KID. "Which is the best way for me to go?"

"You go to the left, if you follow it around it'll take you back to where Hibari is. I'll take him to the right and then away from the other person in that area. He'll end up near the center of the building, is that okay?" reports Conan, his finger flying over the paths on the map. His brows are furrowed in concentration, but little does he know that a huge smile has spread across his face, and his eyes have lit up like a Christmas tree. Even though he is as cool, calm and clear headed as usual, there is an undertone of excitement, lingering in the back of his brain, driving him on, urging him into participating in this game with everything he's got. The thrill of working on a heist with KID, of playing around with these people, is immense. No wonder KID loves to play games with me and the taskforce, this feeling is so invigorating.

"Yeah, Tantei-kun, that's fine. The perfect trap for him is there. He's all yours." KID's smile and pleasure can be heard in his voice as he runs down the corridor and turns left.

Ah! That was KID, I saw his cape. Well he can't get away from me that easily. I can't let some thief beat Juudaime and Vongola. Gokudera picks up the pace, turning the corner that KID just did. Yet there is no one there. He runs up to the next crossroads, looking both left and right, but there is no sign. Nothing has been disturbed; there aren't even footprints on the carpet.

"AAHH, Gokudera, save me!" Shouts Juudaime. What? Juudaime is in trouble. I've got to go help him. If he's harmed my Juudaime then he's going to be leaving here of a stretcher. Fuck the rules.

Gokudera takes the right corridor, following the sound of Juudaime's voice.

"G-Gokudera, I'm scared. Gokudera, h-help me!" Screams Juudaime, his voice vibrating with fright. Juudaime sounds as if he's going to burst into tears.

"Come on Uri, we've got to go save Juudaime." Yells Gokudera, looking back at his partner. She answers with a roar of agreement, and leaps infront of him, rounding another corner.

He stops outside of a door, hearing Juudaime's whimpers coming from the room inside. He carefully opens the door a crack, and sends Uri inside, not wanting to be attacked by KID for a careless entrance. Uri growls low, signalling that KID is nowhere in sight. Gokudera walks in and sees his Juudaime tied to a chair, facing away from the door.

"Juudaime, don't worry. I'm here to save you!" says Gokudera, pride in his voice. Out of all the people he could shout out for it's me. He really has accepted me as his right hand man. He trusts in me, more than anyone else. That means so much. I'm going to cry.

"Oh Gokudera. I'm so glad that you're here. I went looking for KID, using my flames to catch up. But as I rounded a corner I flew into a cloud of smoke. It was Sleeping Gas. I inhaled too much at once and when I woke up I was here, tied to this chair. I was so scared. I'm really glad that you are here Gokudera. I knew that I could count on you." Babbles Juudaime, everything coming out fast due to his fright.

Gokudera rushes forward, and kneels by the back of the chair to untie the ropes from Juudaime's hands. As he starts to untie the ropes he hears a cracking sound. He looks up and starts to look around the room, placing most of his weight on his left foot so that he can change position. Then, there is a loud crack, and the floor falls out from under him. Uri too is in range, since she was sitting next to her master, and falls with Gokudera. Gokudera's back slams against something solid (the ceiling of the room below) and all breath leaves his lungs. He moves his arm, but feels a restraining force. There is also something digging into his back. Opening his eyes, he sees that he is encased in a net.

"Uri, burn this rope" orders Gokudera.

"Oh, no you don't" comes a muffled voice from above. KID is looking down into the hole, holding a can in his hand. Leaning down, he sprays the can in the Storm Guardian's face, his own gas mask covering his mouth so he doesn't become affected by it too. Gokudera turns his head and firmly shuts his mouth, determined not to inhale the smoke.

KID just smiles, and turns his attention to Juudaime next to him. Seeing Gokudera eye him, he moves his hand towards Juudaime, since Gokudera can't actually see Juudaime from his position.

"Tsuna's scream" he whispers, knowing that Gokudera can't see his mouth move, as it's hidden by the mask.

"Gaaaaaah" screams Juudaime,

Through a totally unconscious reaction, Gokudera immediately draws a breath and shouts "Juudai..me" before he passes out. With the conscious connection gone, Uri is forced to return to her ring, the flow of sustaining flames cut off.

"I'll be taking this." Claims KID, reaching down, through the net and retrieving Uri's ring. "She can't sit on me now."

He smiles, placing a new floor tile over the gap, matching the carpet pattern perfectly. No one can tell that it's been removed.

He looks over at 'Juudaime'. "So even the great Vongola can be fooled by dummies. So far they are just as easy to play with as the police. So much for proving themselves better. 2 down 5 more to go. Tantei-kun, Gokudera is restrained."

"Okay, I've made a note of it. Hibari is still in his room too." Answers Conan. "So did I do well?"

"You manipulated his weakness perfectly. His devotion to Tsuna is amazing. It's even an unconscious reaction to answer him when he screams, haha." Criticises KID, shaking his head at Gokudera's predictability.

"Gah, KID quick, be prepared. Someone is coming directly towards you… but, wait this can't be true…" warns Conan, mumbling the last part to himself.

"Tantei-kun what's wrong?" questions KID, turning to face the door again, Card Gun in hand

"Well, it seems as if they are running through the walls." Supplies Conan, disbelieving the readings on his map.

KID listens to the sounds around him. Coming closer is the sound of breaking bricks, along with a recognisable shout.

"Oh, Tantei-kun, it's Ryohei. I can hear his 'extreme' from here. From what I've heard about him, it seems plausible that instead of following the halls, he made his own path." Remarks KID, standing up from securing the floor tile.

A exceedingly loud crash signifies that Ryohei is dreadfully close.

"KID, watch out, he's standing infront of the east wall." Cautions Conan.

"Maximum…"

Oh shit. Tsuna said that's a massive burst of energy. I'd better make a run for it. KID immediately runs to the door and opens it. He has just enough time to duck and lay on the floor before Ryohei attacks

"…Canon" Ryohei punches the wall, and all of the walls directly infront of him crash to the floor. It's created a circular path from his position straight to outside.

Luckily KID comes out unharmed, being low enough to avoid the attack. However his position has been revealed.

"Riiiiight. I've found you now to the EXTREME KID!" yells Ryohei, jumping over the remains of a wall and over to KID.

KID turns over and aims his gun at Ryohei, shooting a card. Ryohei punches the card away from him, lights his ring and summons Kangaryuu. In a wave of yellow flames, the kangaroo is standing next to his master. KID scrambles away from the pair, not wanting to be knocked out by the kangaroo.

"Kangaryuu. Long time no see buddy." The pair head-butt each other before Ryohei slings his arm around the kangaroo's shoulders. "Ready. Cambio Forma"

So this is the Cambio Forma that I've heard about. Another skill they learnt in the future- a way for the animals to physically power up their users. The Cambio Forma is similar to the famous attack of their first generation counterparts, if I understood it correctly. For Ryohei it was… oh shit… it was a three minute power up, where his speed and physical power dramatically increased. I'm not very good against physical fighters like him. I can dodge, but how about stopping him? Well he's not too smart so…

In a blinding flash of yellow light, the kangaroo has disappeared, leaving in his place Ryohei with headgear and white boxing gloves on. He steps over to the now standing KID and punches him. KID barely dodges the hit, turning his body slightly so that it just scrapes the cape. Another punch, and KID moves his head to the side, before jumping back completely. Ryohei lunges in, a straight aimed for KID's stomach. KID backflips to dodge the attack, before landing in a crouch and attempting to sweep Ryohei off of his feet. Ryohei simply jumps over his foot, before punching KID again. This one grazes KID's shoulder and makes it almost instantly numb.

"Tantei-kun a little help here. I've used most of the traps in this area. All I need is one distraction and I can get him" KID requests through gritted teeth. Rising from the crouch, KID chucks what ammunition he has at Ryohei, which mainly consist of small sparklers, party poppers and other forms of confetti. Ryohei knocks these all away, stepping in time with the retreating KID.

What can I do? Let's see Ryohei…Ryohei Conan flips through the case files in his memory, searching for the one containing information on the boxer. Aha, here it is. Umm let's see, what can I do to help? Oh this will do.

Changing his bow tie to a girl's voice, and takes a deep breath, hoping that his memory is correct

"Onii-chan, I thought you said you weren't going to fight anymore" shouts Kyoko.

Conan had actually met her only a few hours ago. She was eating snacks with the others. In the end they had eaten in the house part of the mansion rather than Underground. There he had met her and another girl named Haru. It seemed that they were here for a surprise visit, but practically spent all of their time at the mansion when not at University.

Ryohei immediately froze in his tracks, a mixture of shock and protective instinct causing him to turn towards the source of the voice, which was behind him. "Kyoko?"

KID immediately takes advantage of this break in relentless punches, and sprays Ryohei with the Sleeping Gas. Falling to the floor, a yellow light absorbs the headgear and gloves, and jumps back into the ring. KID leans over and removes the ring from Ryohei's hand. I don't want to fight that again.

This time it's a length of chain that KID uses to tie the latest victim up with, since he's sure that anything less would be broken by the physical strength of the boxer. Once trussed up, KID places him in a nearby room, rolling him under a bed.

Wow, they really do have all different types of rooms here.

"Conan, thanks for that. It really shocked him. I've gassed him and placed him under a bed, tied up like a turkey. That's three now. Where are the others?" Reports KID. Deciding he's safe for a moment, KID sits on the bed, slightly breathless from the battle with Ryohei.

Looking at the map, Conan recites what he can see. "One person is still on the same level as you, but is still the other side of the building. One person is still in the center of the bottom floor. The last two are waiting in different positions outside. In fact one of them is moving towards your position from the outside. The other hasn't majorly moved for a while now. The path is clear if you want to escape the way you came in. You'll have to face whoever is still on the bottom floor though."

Thinking about his options, he decides that getting to the 'goal' is a good idea. "They would be checking the damage Ryohei did. That Maximum Canon reached all the way to the outside. I've got to get away from here then" He slips down the corridors, taking a few turns, and eventually arrives back at the stairs he went up earlier.

Soundlessly descending them, he stops at the bottom and uses a pocket mirror to scout the room out. All he can see is Lambo, apparently sound asleep under the table. An idea forms in KID's head and he chuckles quietly to himself.

"What was that for? Who's in the room?" questions Conan, highly suspicious of the laugh.

"It's Lambo, asleep again. I've got an idea on what to do to him. Wait until you hear this." Replies KID darkly. KID detaches his cape, and draws a different one out. Walking over to Lambo, he finishes his preparations, and leans over the child. He starts to breathe deeply and noisily, creating a 'Darth Vader' sound.

Hmm, what's that sound? Lambo-sama needs his sleep. Whoever suggested holding this game late at night is stupid. Conveniently forgetting he was the one who suggested the time of the heist, Lambo sleepily rubs his eyes, and slowly opens them.

"GYUPAAAAAAAAAA!" he screams, electric sparks releasing themselves from his body. It's a phantom he thinks before blacking out.

When Lambo opened his eyes he was met with the sight of a floating bloody mask and a pair of hands aiming a gun at him. As far as he could see there was no body attached to the head or hands. Lambo was so shocked that after screaming he fainted.

KID grabbed more rope from his store and tied the poor kid up. He thought about hanging the cow from the ceiling, but seeing how much he had scared the child already, KID decided against it. Instead, he ties him to the table leg.

"Kufufu, that's one way to create a nightmare, but let me show you how a true illusionist does it."

Fuck, where did he come from? "Conan, why didn't you warn me?" hisses KID angrily.

"Excuse me but I have been, you just weren't listening or answering back." Replies Conan, sounding rather annoyed at being ignored.

"What? I haven't heard anything since 5 minutes ago." Argues KID, defending himself. He would never be so careless as to not listen to the Chibi Detective.

"Kufufu, that would be my doing" interrupts Mukuro, leaning lazily on his trident. KID removes his mask, and looks at Mukuro sceptically. "I believe that Mammon put this best during the ring battles: 'An illusion takes over your perception. In other words, it takes over the brain, which has control over the five senses.' So, in context, I cast an illusion to make your brain think that you weren't hearing Conan shouting at you. When in reality he was." Mukuro smiles thinly, eyes shining with the small victory.

"But how did you know me and Conan were in contact?" questions KID, highly suspicious. No one should know that they are.

"Hmm? Well my little Conan was acting funny when we arrived. Who goes and talks to all of your enemies, one after another, just before a fight? I got suspicious and cast an illusion. Both of you saw me where I was, when in reality, I was following you. But I don't care about the trackers, or the speakers, for there is no one you can use against me. And I'm not going to tell the others either, why should I? I'm here for one reason and one reason only. To give you a nightmare."

An evil smile slides onto his face, eyes narrowing slightly. He stares directly into KID's eyes, and changes the kanji in his eye to 1: The path of Hell. Eye boring into KID's soul he taps his trident on the ground.

"Mukuro, No! you promised." Screames Conan down the connection.

What's Tantei-kun going on about? Promised what? Hm? That's quite strange, the number in his eye changed. Thinks KID. Behind him, he hears a splashing sound. And again. Slowly KID manoeuvres himself, side stepping so he can see what the source of the noise is, whilst still being able to see Mukuro. Mukruo is standing still, simply smiling dangerously at KID. KID looks to his right, towards the noise.

Behind him is a tank, filled with water. And in that tank are his worst nightmare: Fish. One jumps out of the water, creating another splash. KID freezes, not breathing, only staring at the sight infront of him. Poker face lost, he gapes, eyes wide, body shaking. One particularly large fish jumps out of the water, and flies directly towards KID.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHAAHHHHH" KID screams, running in the direction of the door. "F-F-F-FISH!" still running, he aims his gun behind him, shooting in the animals direction. He runs out of the room, and straight into the forest beyond. Blindly running full pelt, he gasps in harshly, body forcing itself to get away from the 'threat'.

Oh god, KID. Since he's part of Kaito, he's scared to fish too. What can I do? I need to stop him. But he's KID at the moment, what could trigger KID to return from shock? What's important enough to stop his fear of fish?

Coming up with a few ideas, he picks up his bow-tie and changes it back to his voice. "KID, KID, calm down. Can you hear me?" KID whimpers in reply, telling Conan that he can be heard, at least unconsciously.

"Okay here goes. KID, watch out Snake is in the woods with his sniper rifle!" Conan shouts, hoping that would work. He doesn't get a reply, only a chocked sob comes down the line.

"Okay, next. KID Snake is about to take Pandora!" again no definite change in the thief. What else, what else will work. What does KID care about more than Kaito? Hell, what do they both care about? Kaito likes Aoko, but KID doesn't, maybe Nakamori-keibu?

Changing the bowtie again, he roars "Come on men, capture KID! Follow him!" Still no reaction, but Conan can here KID mumbling about fish chasing him under his breath. Ah, Come on Shinichi, think! That's it!

He sets the bow tie up correctly, takes a deep breath, and screams in pain "GAHHH! KID help me OWW!" Changing to Shinichi's voice, he continues "AAAHHH. AHHHH. Kaito, Kaito!"

"Tantei-kun, Shin-chan" Comes the returning shout. Fear for the two people dear to them has forced KID to shake off the shock. He stops in his tracks, hand to his ear, pushing on the receiver, wishing to hear more. "Oy, Tantei-kun, Tantei-kun. Are you okay?"

Heaving a sigh of relief, Conan answers "Your back, I'm so glad, I didn't have any other ideas. "

"Hm, what do you mean, why did you scream like that? I was worried nearly half to death." Shouts KID, concerned over the welfare of his favourite critic.

"You were in shock over what you saw in the illusion, fis- um finned creatures, if I guessed correctly." Explains Conan, nearly slipping on the word fish.

KID shivers at the vague memory before answering Conan "Yeah, I saw a fish tank, and one flew out of the tank straight at me, and then I ran, and ran, and ran."

"KID snap out of it. Someone is running towards you, from the south-west." Cautions Conan, finally looking back at the map.

KID jumps into the trees, jumping from branch to branch effortlessly.

Tap. Tap. Tap tap.

Oh great just what I need, rain. I'd better watch out the branches will get slippery.

Carefully, KID jumps to another branch and his foot slips. As he's falling, he grabs the branch with both hands and uses his momentum to swing around the branch like a pole, and land back on top of it. Like that.

He winces slightly as static fills the communicator between him and Tantei-kun. He quietens his breathing, and stands stock still, trying to listen to the noises around him. Apart from the rain, he can't hear a thing. He keeps on moving, and starts to think about the communicator.

Damn, what's with this communicator? Although it doesn't sound like static. It sounds more like a Chipmunk on helium and caffeine.

Assuming that he's gone in a different direction than the target, he flips back to the ground, landing in a clearing with a small stream running through it.

A flash catches his eye, and reflexively he raises his card gun to protect his head. Another clang of metal on metal can be heard. A new flash from the opposite side, and he aims and shoots. In a blur the object moves and the card lands off in the distance. Above him is a constant blue flash, so he aims at that and shoots another card towards the sky. This card just scrapes the flash, at which point it dives towards the blur on the ground. Dodging another swing, KID backflips, jumping again once he lands to avoid another hit.

In the back of his mind, he notices that the rain has stopped.

From his left the blur attacks, and KID swings out of the way, before prancing backwards and placing some distance between them. Far enough away, he loads a special card into the gun and fires it. It embeds itself in the ground infront of the blur, before releasing a cloud of smoke. A moment later the blur appears out of the left side of the cloud. KID notices that the blur is more in focus now, and is moving slightly slower than previously. Maybe they are getting tired? I'd expect moving that fast would tire you out.

The blur rushes at him again, and KID jumps into a tree to escape the attack. The blur takes another swing, aiming for the branch he is on. As soon as KID realises their intended target, he jumps off the branch- just in time too, since almost immediately, the branch is falling towards the ground. KID takes a few capsules out of his pocket, and chucks one towards his attacker, placing special glasses on at the same time. The capsule hits the ground and releases a blinding flash, giving KID time to jump a few more branches away.

Hmm? That flash didn't last as long as usual. Maybe it's old, or just not very well made. But usually they are fine.

He turns and looks at his attacker. They are standing there hand rubbing their eyes, sword held by their side. KID realises that his attacker is Yamamoto. Blinking to clear his eyes, Yamamoto turns towards KID and charges again, so this time KID jumps back into the clearing, noticing that Yamamoto is running at 'normal' speed now.

"Hey, are you getting tired? You've slowed down. I would have thought that a sportsman would have had a lot more stamina." Chides KID, hand on hip, wagging his finger.

Yamamoto laughs before rubbing the back of his hand. "Don't worry, I'm in perfect shape. It's just that the effect of my attack has worn off. Technically, you've sped up… or should I say returned to normal. As you know, my flames have the tranquillity attribute. Well, my ring animal Kojirou, has the power to create rain made of these flames. This rain shower causes those it touches to become more tranquil and slow down. However you aimed at him earlier and clipped one of his wings, he lost concentration and the rain stopped. It took a few minutes for your body to remove the flames and return to normal. Cool right?" he lifts his sword and places it across his shoulders, grinning stupidly.

"Well, that is a nice technique. I didn't think anyone could be that fast." Replies KID, walking around the clearing. "so, shall we continue?" without waiting for an answer, KID pulls out a large capsule and throws it to the middle of the clearing.

Yamamoto coughs, and covers him mouth, whilst squinting his eyes. Experimentally, he swings his sword in a circle, but it hits nothing, just moving the smoke slightly. An idea forms in his head.

"Shigure Soen Ryu, 7th defensive form: Shibuki ame." (Splashing rain)

Holding the sword backwards, Yamamoto starts to spin his sword, creating a fan like movement. This moves the smoke around him, and quickly it dissipates. But when it does, all he can see are multiple Kaitou KID's, standing tall, hands on hips, chins raised superiorly. Putting on his famous grin, they extend an arm to the sky and bow.

"Welcome to Copycat Clearing! We hope that you enjoy your stay!" KID declares. Finally looking up from his bow, he grins like a Cheshire Cat and steps to the side, and out of sight. Yamamoto takes a step forwards, only to retract his foot to avoid a magic card. Seeing KID appear on his right, he swings his sword in that direction. He's sure that he should have touched KID, yet the resistance didn't feel right. Looking back, KID is still standing there, waving at him. He thrusts his sword at KID who has now appeared behind him. KID grabs his chest where he was stabbed, screams and falls to his knees. His lowers his head to the floor, and is silent for a moment.

Raising his head he shouts "Fooled Ya!" before another grin explodes onto his face. As he rises his body back up, he brings his gun straight out, aims directly forwards, towards Yamamoto and fires the gun. A magic card flies directly at Yamamoto, cutting a scratch along his cheek. He takes another step to the side and disappears from view again.

Yamamoto wipes the blood off of his cheek and lowers himself into a position from which he can easily attack or defend. What's going on here? There are so many KID's. These can't be illusions; I don't feel any flames about me. Nor did I feel mist flames when I calmed KID down earlier.

"Oy, Yakyuu-baka, what on earth are you doing there like that? You look like a real idiot you know. You should be helping Juudaime catch KID, not standing in the middle of this clearing spacing out!" roars Gokudera, appearing on his right.

"Yeah that's right. We should be helping to the EXTREME! He's not easy to catch, but I will EXTREMELY do it." Yells Ryohei, appearing next to Gokudera.

"Gyahahah! Yamamoto, play with me. I'm bored." Orders Lambo, standing on Gokudera's other side.

"Lambo, we are playing a game. It's a game of um… tag, with KID." Replies Tsuna, standing on the other side of the clearing than the others.

"Yama-chan, over here" giggles KID, standing between Tsuna and Ryohei, about a meter away from both. Yamamoto goes to thrust at KID, but KID moves, coming up behind Tsuna. To Yamamoto's surprise, none of the others have reacted to KID's appearance. In fact Tsuna doesn't even seem to realise that KID is lounging in his shoulder.

What on earth is going on here? How is KID doing this? He wonders, analysing the sight before him.

"Jirou, go check them out." He whispers, summoning Jirou in a ball of flame. Remaining as flame, rather than taking a physical form, Jirou takes a zigzagging path towards Gokudera and the others.

Hm? Why doesn't he go straight to them? There is nothing in the way. But that was a definite path and not just some odd rambling. What does this mean?

"You aren't going to get me with that rain again, you know" Taunts KID, having moved on from Tsuna to stand opposite from Gokudera.

Meanwhile, the flame Jirou has reached the others, and takes physical form.

"What is that, a dog?" asks KID.

Jirou sniffs at his master's friends, and then paws at Gokudera. It doesn't smell like storm flames. He scratches harder, and Gokudera goes POP!

Wah! Gokudera exploded! Screams Yamamoto internally.

KID seeing what has happened, flings another smoke bomb to the ground, and goes to collect the dummies he was using, his plan to toy with the swordsman foiled. In the cloud of smoke Yamamoto runs fearlessly towards where Jirou is. Along the way, he runs into something. It feels like cloth, as if he's run into a curtain. He grabs the fabric and keeps running forward. Once out of the smoke, he looks at the item in his hand. One side is blue, just like the inside of KID's cape, the other side is mirrored. Holding it up, he sees that it is indeed one of KID's capes.

So instead of flame illusions, it was the traditional magic smoke and mirrors type of illusion. He's turned the clearing into a house of mirrors by using his mirrored capes. Well two can play copycats! Thinks Yamamoto triumphantly.

He runs towards the stream, bringing down any mirror capes in his way. KID walks towards him, appearing and disappearing in the mirrors.

"Shigure Soen Ryu, 9th offensive form, Utsushi Ame (Duplicate Rain)" bringing his sword down towards the water, he forcefully pulls the sword through, creating a tidal wave around him, and landing in the midst of the mirrors.

"Let's end this" says KID, seeing that Yamamoto has landed one mirror to his left. He shoots a sleeping gas card through the cape to where Yamamoto should be. But the card keeps on going, eventually hitting a tree.

"Hyaa!" shouts Yamamoto, attacking KID from behind and above.

What, how did he get there? It's like he jumped out of the tidal wave. But I was sure that he landed over there. I know how the light refracts off of these, he should have been there!

With no time to dodge the attack, he instead blocks with his Card Gun, the clang resounding and reverberating around the clearing. Yamamoto jumps back and behind one of the capes. He steps back into the stream, and repeats the attack, landing in a different place. Both images of Yamamoto attack KID simultaneously, both bearing down from above.

KID grabs his gas mask again, and throws down a sleeping gas bomb. All three of them are enveloped. Eventually the smoke clears, and Yamamoto is laying fast asleep on the ground.

"Wow, that was close. He nearly had me with that. Who knew he could create copies of himself too. And that was the 9th form. I'd like to see the others." He reaches behind him grabbing a rope, and carries Yamamoto over to a tree, as far from the water as possible. Once tied to the tree, he takes the sword, (that has amazingly become a bamboo stick again) and ties it to the branch above Yamamoto- he'll be able to see it, but won't be able to reach it. He grabs Yamamoto's hand, preparing to take the ring off. Oh, he has two rings. I didn't think that the dog could fly, he didn't have wings. So I must have clipped the wings of a bird, which would be this ring here, and the dog attacked my dummies, which is this ring here. What a lucky guy, having two rings. With the two rings safely tucked in his breast pocket, he talks to Tantei-kun "Hey, I've just caught Yamamoto."

"What the hell do you think you were doing? You just walked straight at him, you didn't even answer me when I warned you. All I needed was an 'I want to play with him' and I would have been fine." Screams a pissed off Conan down the connection.

"Oh, so you were the chipmunk on helium and caffeine!" declares KID, remembering the funny static.

"A Chipmunk on h-helium and what? Did you get hit on the head or something?" questions Conan, fully believing that KID has finally jumped over the edge of the Crazy Building without his glider.

"What, no. Yamamoto used his tranquil Rain flames to slow down my senses. I was acting and feeling in slow motion, so all I heard was you at high speed. Yamamoto seemed so fast that he was just a blur. It was an ability of one of his ring animals. So let's review. So far we have:

1 Hibari under electric therapy, bound and ring removed

1 Gokudera, gassed, tied and hidden under the floor, ring removed

1 Ryohei, gassed, secured and under a bed, ring removed

1 Lambo, passed out from fright and fastened to a table leg, ring removed.

1 Yamamoto, gassed and strapped to a tree, ring removed

So that leaves Tsuna and Mukuro. Where are they?" KID counts them off on his fingers, still alert and listening to the forest around him.

"Well, we know that Mukuro was the one on the left side of the building, when you went right. He later went downstairs, just before you frightened Lambo. So I'm assuming that Tsuna was the one outside who went to check on the hole that Ryohei made with his Maximum Canon. Once he heard Lambo scream, he went rushing in your direction. By the time Yamamoto found you, he was with Lambo and Mukuro. Since then he has made his way to your location. He's still far away, but I'd start running north-west if I were you. That's the direction of the closest gate. He'll be on your position in approximately 45 seconds." Assesses Conan, looking at the moving target on his screen.

KID takes Conan's advice, and runs in the given direction. After about 20 seconds, Conan is shouting worryingly in his ear. "Shit KID, he's just picked up speed. Dramatically. He must be flying, so look out for him above. He can fly a lot faster than your glider can. He's like a bullet train. Fuck, KID look out."

A roaring sound can be heard above him, and he looks up to see a comet diving towards him. Still running he loads another special card into the Card Gun, and fires. This time after a few seconds, a net opens up and entraps Tsuna. Not expecting this, he crashes into the ground, unable to move his hands for a controlled landing.

KID keeps on running, the fence in sight. Tsuna burns through the ropes and gives chase, flames boosting him along the forest. However, having to steer around trees and watching out for fallen branches or vines means that it takes a lot more concentration and Tsuna can't go as fast as he usually can. He uses a small burst of flames to cut down the last few trees in his way.

Remembering that the task was to capture KID, he places his hands at an angle to one another, one facing him, the other facing KID, a diamond formed in between the two. Taking a breath, he closes his eyes, and his flame begins to pulse

"Zero Point Breakthrough: First Edition"

He reaches out and touches KID's foot freezing him to the ground. Tsuna looks up and sees that KID has a hold of the metal wire of the fence.

With a shocked look on his face, Tsuna lets the flame fizzle out, and he blinks at KID.

"So who won?" he asks, looking openly confused.

"Kufufufu. It was a draw Tsunayoshi-kun. Although if you want to get really technical, then KID won. Have you seen what he has done to the others? He could have just grabbed the jewel, and used his glider to escape. Yet he stayed and fought each one of them. Well not me, he ran from me. But what did you do? Run around outside, looked at a hole, checked on Lambo, and then gave chase for 200 meters. So in all honesty, I think that Conan and KID have won this. Now, it is really getting late, can you let him out and we'll go find the others. Although, I don't mind leaving them here. Especially Hibari, he can stay under the influence of the electricity for all I care. Kufufu, yes, why don't we just go home without them?"

"Heeii, we can't do that. We've got to take them home." Shrieks Tsuna, shaking his head and making wild hand gestures

"I'd suggest that you call for back up. Nearly all of them are asleep and won't be waking up for around another hour. But can you let me out? I'm not in the best position here; I can't exactly stand up straight, nor take my hands off of this fence. If I did, then I'd just hit the floor face first."

"Oh, yeah, sure. One second." Replies Tsuna. He goes back into hyper dying will mode, and melts the frozen flames.

"Come on then, you'll need me to find them all. I've hidden Ryohei under a bed and Gokudera under the floor." Informs KID, stiffly walking back in the direction of the building

"You what?" screams Tsuna "You put Gokudera under the floor. Oh, I hope he's okay." Tsuna races after KID, pulling out his phone and calling in for a back-up team.

Kufufufu. Who would think that a man who can outwit them all is afraid of fish? I'll have to look over the camera footage and see what he did. Shinichi, you sure have found yourself a great friend, even if he was once a rival. But then again, who am I to talk?

Phew, [wipes sweat off of brow] that was a very long chapter- approx 17,700 words. It's a good thing I did separate these two chapters wasn't it. I actually found this chapter very hard to write. Instead of flowing smoothly, and coming out all at once, I kept getting stuck, wondering how to move on from my last sentence. Although, I do like some of the ideas that I came up with. I loved getting Conan involved through the speakers. And I loved writing Gokudera's part- apart from him being my fav character.

I hope that you all liked this mini heist, and how KID played with the flame users.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter. Feel welcome to point out any mistakes in the story line, or bits that made you confused. They help me to clear points out in my head too!

And next time I'll be introducing everyone's favorite babies: Reborn and Colonnello!

See you all next time

Phantom Hitman 1412

First published 28 dec 2011.

s/g/p edits: 22/02/12