Yay, a relatively quick update.

Conan took a deep breath. He had just hidden Pandora in a believable spot; he thought that should have been the first thing before KID woke up and ruined his hard work.

He agreed with KID; they needed to hide the jewel for now, instead of taking it with them, or destroy it. Destroying it would cause the syndicate to skitter back into the underground, never to be caught, which provided quite the issue. They needed the jewel to at least draw them out in the open. Then there was also the possibility that this was a 'magical' jewel, and they didn't have the appropriate ways to destroy it now. If it truly was magical, he doubted a sledgehammer, or fire, or any other normal methods of destruction would work. He would have to research what the best method would be. Hiding it was the best bet, for the time being.

Now, KID had given him a pretty good foundation on these guys they were fighting against, but Conan didn't want a foundation; he wanted a fortress. He wanted more information to annihilate the forces against them. In other words, he had a lot of work to do tonight.

Conan walked out of the kitchen, a fresh mug of hot black coffee in his hand and his cell phone in the other. He looked in on the slumbering thief, nodded satisfactorily to himself before heading into the library.

It was almost comforting when he stepped into the vast library that he had practically grown up in. He hadn't been among his beloved mystery novels in so long, not since he moved in with the Mouri's and considering it was the room that he had spent the most time in as a child. Now though, 'Subaru-san' used it for his base of operations, and he was about to as well. Too many ideas ran through his mind, it was hard to pick what to focus on first.

First thing he had neglected until now was to check and see what his father had on Kaitou KID. Kudo Yusaku kept detailed detective files, even after being out of detective work for years, and he knew he had an active part in chasing Kaitou KID, even being the one who gave him his name. Somewhere, there was a Kaitou KID file, and where there was a file on Kaitou KID, there might be more evidence of these mysterious crows. His father was more observational then him after all; if there were these criminals at the heists before, Kudo Yusaku would be the one to see them.

While he was searching for that, he could implement his other plan. KID had mentioned something that he thought he would pursue, considering that one of the people KID mentioned sounded like a pain and a half. He flipped open his phone, scrolling through his contacts to a phone number he hadn't even used yet. Hmm, it was close to three in the afternoon in London.

After a few rings, someone picked up with a slight hesitation, in the midst of the sounds of a public restaurant.

"Hello?"

Conan smiled, climbing up to the second floor of the library, heading over to the section where he knew where his father kept his case files.

"Hakuba-san? It's Conan-kun."

There was audible sigh as it sounded like Hakuba relaxed.

"Conan-kun, why are you calling me? Isn't it close to midnight where you are?"

Conan looked up at the three shelves filled with files. Luckily his father kept them in alphabetical order.

"Yes, I am calling you with an urgent case of sorts. I had hoped you would help me with it?"

Instantly there was an edge to Hakuba's voice.

"What happened?"

Conan pulled over one of the ladders, trying to reach the second shelf, cursing his tiny height all the way. He pinched the phone between his ear and shoulder, cutting straight to the point.

"Hakuba-san, can you tell me everything you know about Spider?"

There was a slight intake of breath, and a hustle of movement. It sounded like he decided he was in too much of a public place to discuss a possible crime syndicate. The next questions were in hushed urgency.

"Why do you need to know? Is KID all right?"

Conan smiled. As irritated KID had sounded about Hakuba, it sounded like the detective genuinely cared about the thief as well. He had suspected KID had known Hakuba personally, enough to see him regularly, and the two personalities would definitely clash. Hakuba was straight laced, obsessed with details and order, while KID was a whirlwind of complete chaos; KID wouldn't be able to stop himself from messing with the detective. He couldn't even stop from messing with Conan.

"KID is fine, for the moment, but…stuff has happened."

There was the soft click of a door shutting.

"What happened? Did Spider show up?"

Conan explained as best as he could, giving enough information to keep him from worrying, but keeping back enough information to keep him from worrying as well.

"KID has almost fulfilled his purpose, but he needs to take Spider and his cronies down. I need more information on him. How does he operate? Do you know how he manages to cast his illusions?"

Hakuba sighed exasperatedly.

"So, he is doing something dangerous. Stupid."

Conan reached up, thumbing through the files, looking for K.

"Yes, but I am helping him. Don't worry too much."

"Should I come help too?"

Conan paused.

"No. He barely let me help, let alone you. I don't want you to become a casualty."

Hakuba gave a disappointed huff.

"Spider, right?"

Conan smirked. Just like a detective, focusing on the main details and not wasting any time.

"Yes. Have you figured out his illusions trick?"

"Isn't that KID's area of expertise?"

Ah, there it was. A hefty file folder about an inch thick. Conan tugged it off the shelf, without skipping a beat.

"Yes, but I wanted your opinion."

Hakuba answered concisely.

"He has a mask with three red eyes. When he casts his illusions, the eyes spin, so I am leaning toward hypnotism. If he tries it on you, just don't look at his face. He might use drugs, but I didn't find any evidence of that. You might have better luck looking at his performances to get a better understanding of how he operates."

Conan paused, as he replaced the ladder.

"Wait, do you know who he is?"

Hakuba gritted out frustratedly.

"Yes, I have known for quite some time now, but since there is no evidence, we can't catch him."

Conan bit his lip. God did he know how irritating that was. Not that he didn't have an entire organization filled with those types of people.

"I understand. Hopefully we will have enough evidence by the end of the week to put him behind bars completely."

Hakuba paused, and Conan winced. He was practically committing a taboo as a detective: stealing another detective's criminal. He hated it being done to him, so he couldn't imagine what Hakuba was feeling right now. He was about to apologize when Hakuba interrupted him.

"I don't mind Conan-kun, giving Spider to you, on two conditions."

Conan paused, sitting on the stairs.

"What are they?"

"One, you catch him, and you do not let him go. Do not give him any wiggle room to escape. I expect him to be in a jail cell when I return to Japan in a few days."

Conan smirked. That was something he planned on doing anyway. Hakuba continued.

"The second is that you keep that bothersome thief out of trouble."

Conan's smirk widened.

"Done, and done."

He heard a soft sigh on the other end.

"Then I will leave it to you then. Spider's real name is Gunter Von Goldberg II. Good luck."

A click signified that the British detective had hung up, leaving Conan to his own devices. Conan flipped his phone back in his pocket. He had gleaned a little information, but maybe he could study him better on the internet.

Conan hopped up in the chair, setting out his materials. The file folder to his left with his coffee, a notepad to his right with a pen, and a laptop in the middle for more research. He popped his fingers, typing into the web browser 'Gunter Von Goldberg II'. First to research the ones he had already heard about before diving into KID's file for possible more enemies.

Ah, so there were videos. Conan raised an eyebrow at the foreign man with a spider tattoo above his eye. Arrogant jerk, wasn't he?

As he watched, even he could tell that this magic was pretty amazing, up to par with the best of KID's miracles, but still could be seen through if he concentrated hard enough. Yes, it seemed like he incorporated wires, special effects, and mass hypnosis, if the flashing lights at the beginning of the show was any indication. Conan smirked, clicking on another show. It was just this assassin's bad luck, that he loved picking apart magic shows and illusions.

After several videos, Conan could see clearly the tricks the man used, and was confident in his ability to at least be prepared for any tricks the illusionist assassin would use. Now to plan for the rest of the syndicate take down.

Conan tapped his finger, eyeing the KID manila folder. His dad had collected quite a large information on the Kaitou KID. It felt like a cheat; piggy backing on his father's observations and deductions, years of it, for his own case. No, he was using his resources, and if his father had gone to any of KID's heists, maybe he noticed some of the enemies that KID was running from.

Conan clicked open the pen and took a sip of coffee excitedly. Already his overactive mind was spilling out different strategies for tomorrow, trying to predict the enemies, and even how KID would react to scenarios. First, he wanted to check and see if there was a pattern in jewel robberies in Japan to see if there was a central location to them, and then his next step was to possibly research a method on destroying the possibly magical Pandora. Researching the legend behind Pandora might not be a bad deal either. Or maybe he could try something else.

This was going to be a long night.

Kaito yawned, snuggling deeper the cushion as consciousness filtered through his brain. He was enveloped in soft, and warm, and a distinct feeling of safe. It didn't exactly try hard to convince him to get up. In fact he felt extra groggy for some reason, which didn't make sense considering he was always quick to wake up. Something was wrong, very wrong.

Kaito bolted upright, throwing the blanket covering him to the floor. He looked around in slight confusion. Wait, where was he? Then the memories came back, and he relaxed, only slightly. He was at Conan's mansion, and he had shot him with a sedative. Irritation shot through his system. He was going to prank that brat when he found him again.

A quick glance at the clock revealed it was about eight in the morning. Kaito sighed, once more fueling his annoyed mood. Not only did he get shot like an absolute amateur, but he slept through the entire night. He wasn't just some random criminal off the street, but the great Kaitou KID! How did he fall prey to one of the most devious detectives he had the displeasure of going up against? He knew how dangerous Conan was. Also, he knew he was exhausted from the complete lack of sleep the previous night, but honestly that was no excuse. He should definitely not let his guard down now. What if they had found them in the night? What if Snake had attacked while he slept and he had been murdered, only because he had let his guard down around a conniving detective of all people?

So Kaito was in a foul mood, to say the least. And the icing on the cake? Pandora was no where to be seen.

He was going to murder that tantei brat.

Kaito stood up and froze when he heard a clink in his pocket and felt the shift of weight. What was that? He reached in and relaxed. Oh yeah, that was right. He had those copies of Pandora. He forgot he had them. He supposed they could come in handy and be enough to distract the crows. Anyway, he needed to find out where Conan was, and hopefully if he was still asleep, search the house for the gem.

He slowly tiptoed into the hall, eyes peeled for the boy, already having plans to prank him brutally. That would show him to mess with him. If he remembered correctly, Conan's bedroom was upstairs, from his many times coming and borrowing clothes. He stepped toward the stairs, thief-like feet making no noise on the floor. He glanced into the study and paused.

Conan was there instead, leaning forward with cheek pressed against the desk, fast asleep, or possibly dead with how still he was. Kaito's eyes glowed at the unsuspecting victim. Perfect. Conan needed bright pink hair, maybe glitter that he would have to shave his hair to get out.

Kaito crept closer, hair dye materializing in his fingers, ready to spray when he paused at Conan's setup.

The desk was littered with papers, meticulously gone through and set off to the side. There was a notebook that had note after note written out in a barely legible scrawl, pages filled with the writing of information, plans, and questions that were answered in the margins. Everything was in a code that Kaito probably could have decoded if he took the time to but didn't want to waste the unnecessary brain power at the moment. There was even a map of Japan with different dots on it with different colors. Kaito's anger fizzled and died almost instantly. Stupid Tantei-kun. He did it again.

He crept around the other side desk, looking at the computer screen. It was completely dark, which meant it had been off for awhile. Kaito tapped the mouse pad gingerly, watching the screen light up and raised an eyebrow, impressed. On the computer there were many tabs open, each on some news website, with any large jewel heist in the last fifty years on it, including his own. There was also a few jeweling websites, about the integrity of gems and how to destroy them. There were even a few tabs dedicated to Pandora, possibly to find the legend of it. The current tab, there was gibberish in the search bar, and looking at the position of where Conan had his hands on the keyboard, it was no surprise.

Kaito smiled faintly. While he was off sleeping so peacefully, drugged, but peaceful, Conan had been working on his case, throwing himself into it with reckless abandon. He had taken the five minutes of conversation and had expanded his knowledge on the subject of a few keywords that he had mentioned, exploring any and all facets of his case to the best of his ability. The fact that he got all of this research and more done within a few hours was honestly terrifying. Even though he was annoyed at the detective, he could still feel gratitude swell up in his chest. They were natural enemies; they had clashed over the dumbest of things, and of course over their own convictions. They had always fallen into their roles thief and detective, magician and critic, and never had Kaito imagined that Conan of all people, would be willing to take his case and help him find his father's murderers, or that he would be so dedicated in helping him. If Conan ever got this serious about finding out his identity, he would be found within a day. Honestly.

The magician magicked a blanket out of nowhere, draping it over the slumbering detective, considering putting him in a more comfortable place then hunched up over a unyielding desk. At the very thought, Conan muttered something noncommittedly, eyes blinking open for a half a second. Kaito froze, half contemplating using one of his few sleeping bombs, but it didn't seem like he needed it. Conan blinked once more before he fell back asleep almost instantly. Kaito let out a small sigh of relief. Even he agreed that Tantei-kun needed sleep; who knew who late he had stayed up.

So now, he was conflicted. He couldn't prank the small detective now. For one, it would kind of rude after he had spent a good part of his night trying to help him, and secondly if he even breathes in the boy's direction he would wake up. Pranking can wait until it can be appreciated, and the kid could learn a lesson; right now, he had a more important mission.

Kaito crept out of the study, releasing the breath he had been holding. He had to find Pandora in the little time he had before the devious detective woke up.

Now, let's think. Where would a detective hide a jewel from a jewel thief? This was by far the most difficult thing he has done, because while he had stolen gems before, they were either guarded by police, or millionaires that didn't exactly have enough brainpower between them to stop him. Never before had he had to go up against a detective's ideas of hiding a gem. They had guarded the jewels, but never actively set up the traps before.

Now, outsmarting Conan was not an easy task, but it was doable when he caught the small sleuth off guard. During heists, he was the one calling the shots, making the moves, being on the offensive where Conan had to guard against or evade his traps. Now, the shoe was on the other foot. Conan had made the first move, and Kaito was the one trying to sort out this mess.

Kaito sighed. Not only were the lines between them gone, but their roles were completely reversed; Conan being the thief, and Kaito forced to play detective. Curse him for turning him into his enemy.

Now then…thinking logically, Conan could have if he wanted to hide the gem anywhere, but he had to narrow it down. Conan could have taken his skateboard anywhere in this city to hide it, but that was unlikely. He wouldn't have wanted to leave Kaito unconscious on his couch with no way of protecting himself if a certain syndicate came to visit. No, the gem had to be nearby. It either had to be in this house, or maybe Agasa Hakase's, which was much more preferable then an entire chome.

Kaito slipped into the foyer, looking down at Conan's iconic demon shoes. They looked like they were in the same position the kid had left them last night when he came in. Leaning down, he picked one up, looking at the soles. There was no excess dirt on them, or rocks from the sidewalk, which meant that Conan probably hadn't left the house.

Kudo Mansion it was then.

Now that he had narrowed it down, where would the boy hide it in the house? Kaito glanced into the kitchen. The multitude of cabinets would be a good choice, as it would waste a lot of time, but it wasn't really protected. The library/study had the saem problem; too many places to hide it, but no protection. This wasn't just any jewel; this is The Jewel. Conan had to have some traps in place in case he, or the syndicate finds the place where it was hidden. So the best bet would probably be look for some traps around the house.

Kaito stepped into different rooms around the first floor, looking around for anything that constituted as a trap, something suspicious, or out of place. He gave each room a cursory sweep just in case, efficiently ruling out hiding place after hiding place. The entire time, worry nagged at him as he expected Conan to wake up any second and catch him in the act; he didn't feel like dodging any demon soccer balls at the moment.

Nothing in the kitchen, living room, or bathroom. He didn't feel safe searching the study just yet considering Conan's paranoia would wake him up if he set foot in there again, and he didn't feel comfortable searching 'Subaru-san's' room either; the moonstone heist proved that he was deadly serious about his privacy, and Kaito wasn't willing to open that can of worms. So, if there was nothing on the bottom floor, then the top floor it was then. Conan probably thought that hiding it deeper in the house would deter the thief, as it was normally rude to go into bedrooms and invade privacy of another person without their permission. Too bad for him, he was the Kaitou KID, and didn't believe in privacy. Kaito whispered, smirking to himself.

"Pardon the intrusion."

In half a second he had practically glided up the stairs, looking either way, trying to decide the next course of action. Kudo Shinichi's bedroom? Yeah, that was the best bet, as using his parent's bedroom was probably a death sentence; The Kudo's probably wouldn't want an international thief snooping around their room.

He stepped into the barely familiar room, glancing around almost sadly. A bed that hadn't been slept in in months, a J League soccer poster on the wall and soccer ball in the corner, a few Sherlock Holmes tomes on the nightstand beside the bed, were the only evidences that Kudo Shinichi had once lived in this room. When he had been here before, he hadn't really thought about the implications of the empty room, but now that he had gotten to know Kudo Shinichi pretty well, the room gave him a haunted feeling.

It wasn't fair. The detective who worked the hardest had the biggest disadvantage, put the most criminals behind bars but couldn't live the life he wanted.

Kaito shoved aside his sympathy for the moment. Find the jewel. He knew that Conan wouldn't want his sympathy anyway; he hated being patronized or treated like a real child, and Kaito had never treated him as anything but a capable detective; his current predicament did nothing to hinder that either. Case in point; the tantei getting a drop on him and taking his prize.

Kaito checked under the bed, in the closet, the novels, and sighed frustratedly. Where was it?

Suddenly, he noticed something in the closet. He stepped closer, pushing against the wall. it looked slightly discolored, like it was painted later then the rest of the wall. Kaito smirked, running his finger against the obvious secret panel. How interesting. What could be in here? It didn't take long to find the knot in the wooden floor that acted as a button that opened the mechanism, peeling the panel back to reveal a secret compartment. Opening it made him raise an eyebrow.

There was a safe, locked tight with a simple passcode. Bingo, this was more like it. Kaito smirked, reaching forward to mess with the pad, when he paused.

No, the gem wasn't in here. Conan wouldn't put it in such an obvious place, especially knowing that Kaito could break into this easily. No, he would hide it somewhere more inconspicuous.

So that only left the library. There were so many shelves, so many books to hide it in. Or he was off the mark, and Conan hadn't even hidden the gem yet. So, this was a bust.

Kaito scoped out the other rooms upstairs before methodically making his way down the steps, tiptoeing into the study.

It looked exactly as he had left it, Conan sleeping calmly, notes spewed across the table. Kaito glanced around the room and already feeling the futility of his quest rising up in his throat. He couldn't search this whole house, this whole room even in the time it would take for Conan to wake up.

So the best bet he could do was try to get something out of the tantei while he was awake. Conan was usually hard to get answers out of, but he gave things away in other ways, glances, movement of his hands if he was flustered. That was way easier then trying to search an entire house that he didn't know all the hiding places of. He had done the best that he could in the lit

Now, how was he going to wake the Tantei up…he grinned as a purely evil idea wormed its way into his head.