File Eighty-Four: The Red Siamese Cats' Attack

"Woah! It's Tropical Land!"

"The castle looks so small!"

"Just like an amusement park model!"

Smiling at the energetic group of children, Ran turned around and let her eyes travel to the table a distance away from them. "Dad! Conan-kun!" she called. "The view is great! Why don't you come take a look?"

"Shut up!" Kogoro's incredibly loud response didn't take long to come. "I've got a lot on my mind right now!"

Conan raised an eyebrow at the detective sitting across from him, "Like how scary it would be to fall off this ship into the ocean?" and pointed out blankly, palm cradling his head and elbow resting on the table. "You're afraid of heights, aren't you?"

"It's not like that!"

Conan chuckled and was about to point out the incredibly obvious lie that has just been told.

"How about you, Conan-kun?" But the small scientist spoke up before he could even have the chance to, causing him to flinch violently. "Why don't you come and join us?"

Naturally, her mocking smirk grew wider at his lack of proper response, and his eyes darted away from her face in avoidance, huffing in irritation ─ which, really, it only fueled her amusement, thus making his annoyance increase to the point of desperately wish he wasn't there.

Not that he could leave, especially when that equally infuriating thief was somewhere in this ship.

"Don't tell me, Conan." The look in Genta's, and Mitsuhiko's, eyes told him he wouldn't like what was coming. "That you actually are..."

"... afraid of heights?"

"I'm not afraid of heights!" His voice came out louder than normal, which didn't really help his situation at all. "I'm just… slightly uncomfortable with the idea of flying."

"Flying or falling?"

"Guys, don't bully him!" Ayumi immediately stood up for him. "He's scared because he fell off a plane just a month ago!"

Conan would have definitely been much better off without her defense.

"Oh, I know!" Grinning brightly, Ayumi quickly made her way to him and held his hands. "Why don't you come here, Conan-kun? We can hold you so you don't fall-!"

"I pass, thank you."

He wouldn't put it past them to actually manage to throw him off somehow. Besides, looking down from such a height down below from such a thin-looking glass wasn't something he was entirely comfortable with ─ standing on top of a tall building was one thing, but an airship soaring through the sky and above the clouds? Not his cup of tea, definitely.

"That's some determination," commented Ai, as the other three friends regrouped beside the grouchy bespectacled boy. "In order to challenge his eternal rival, the KID Killer is willing to ignore his fear of flying and ride the skies-"

"I don't have a fear."

"Oh? You don't deny the 'eternal rival' part."

"Well..."

"Conan-kun has a lot of fun chasing after KID, huh?" observed Mitsuhiko, chuckling a little. "He's always so passionate about it, too."

Genta grinned. "Though he never catches him!"

"Just wait." Conan looked away, very offended. "I swear one day, I will knock that stupid monocle off the stupid face of that stupid thief..."

"... He said 'stupid' three times in a single sentence, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did..."

"... Conan-kun is a bit scary."

Agasa let out a nervous chuckle at the gossiping children, "Speaking of which," and turned to look at Sonoko ─ who was currently gushing about the photo of KID's advice she had on her phone. "Are we the only passengers on board?"

Sonoko ceased fangirling and began to think. "I recall a reportage writer named Fujioka-san… Ah! That guy!" Following her gaze, they met a middle-aged man entering the room. "He insisted we allow him to write a report on the battle between KID and Jirokichi-ojisama and offered us his service."

A battle? With that old man? Conan could have laughed, if it didn't make him look that insane. Funny, because I'm the one doing all the work most of the time.

Just as the young heiress was thinking about who else was there, someone walked up to Kogoro and introduced himself as Mizukawa Masaki, Nichiuri TV director, then motioned to the two people trailing behind ─ the reporter Nishitani Kasumi and the cameraman Ishimoto Junpei. As he had put it, they were going to offer an exclusive broadcast for Suzuki and KID's battle ─ Conan's eyebrow quirked up involuntarily at that word, again.

"If I'm not mistaken," Kogoro said after he finished talking. "Isn't it supposed to be a special program this evening?"

"Yes! To be honest, we wish we could do a headline presentation like the time when he performed his miraculous midair walk." Mizukawa smiled awkwardly. "But now is a bad time."

"Thanks to them, I couldn't get a flight permit for the helicopter I prepared for my autobiographical movie," Jirokichi sighed, approaching the group. "What a bunch of pesky stray cats… Right, Lupin?"

Lupin, the dog, barked happily in response.

Ah, yeah. Conan knew exactly what he was talking about. Ever since that terrorist group attacked that research facility and threatened to make their first move in a week, everyone has been in a bit of a panic. Come to think of it, if the manifesto proclamation was genuine, today is the final day.

The Red Siamese Cats. He had tried to research them before, even talked about it with Hattori when he called, but his guess had been as good as his ─ all they knew was that they targeted financial groups through terrorism over ten years ago, meaning that Hattori had been only a kid at the time, and Conan hadn't even born yet.

Of course Conan had argued that Hattori had been seven or eight years old, just like he was now. "I wasn't that much of a weird kid. Give me a break," he had said, and the child had been quite offended by that.

Though he had brushed it off right away when his eyes settled back on the TV screen, the red cat logo there was there for him to see. The Red Siamese Cats, he had thought, with a tight frown on his face. What exactly is their aim?

"Come to think of it," Ishimoto commented. "What are the culprits going to do with the bacteria?"

"Yeah, yeah." Nishitani looked worried. "They say you can't be saved once you're infected, right?"

"I heard it spreads by droplet contact."

Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta blinked, confused at what that weird word meant, "It means it spreads by coughing or sneezing," so it was up to Ai to explain it to them. "They say children are the most easily infected, so we should look out for ourselves."

"Eh?!" they chorused.

"Don't fret." Fujioka waved any kind of concern away. "I don't care if it's killer bacteria or something else. I've flown to many places where germs move like crazy and I'm still as healthy as a horse."

Not that there were deadly bacteria roaming around in any of those places, remarked Conan in his head.

"We human beings are stronger than germs."

The three kids instantly brightened up. "That's right!"

"Then again, if it's you little brats, you might just croak and be gone."

"Eh?!"

"Please stop," said Ran, eyebrows creased together in disapproval. "Don't say things that will frighten the children."

"That's right!" Sonoko chimed in. "You're too inconsiderate."

"I wouldn't be so worried." Rolling his eyes, Conan crossed his arms behind his head. Stupidity is a far more dangerous disease."

He was completely unfazed at the glare sent his way.

"Sadly, stupidity is not a disease," Ai joined, a smirk decorating her face. "So there's no cure."

"It should be a crime, though."

"Not really. In the long run, it just becomes natural selection running its course."

"Ah, I see."

Evidently, the man didn't look pleased with the comment, but neither Conan nor Ai found themselves particularly intimidated at that. Just shrugged it off and turned back to their friends, who looked much more happy and amused right now.

What's the worst it could happen? thought Conan, absently. It wasn't like this guy would end up attempting to throw him to the ocean with everyone around…

Right?

All thought was pushed away from his mind when the familiar sound of a phone ringing echoed in his ears. Really. His eyebrow rose when he saw the name on his screen and a deep sigh following. This guy…

He stepped away from the group to answer, "What is it?" and said to the phone, not waiting for someone to speak. "Before you ask, no. I'm not infected, and I didn't get thrown off the airship yet."

The silence lingered for a second longer than usual, before Shinichi's voice got through.

"Am I that easy to read?"

"Yeah. Now that's over with-"

"Wait!" the older detective suddenly said. "Wait, Conan..."

The strange urgent tone lacing his voice succeeded in making Conan falter, if only to give the phone in his ear an odd look.

"What's wrong?" asked Conan, frowning slightly.

"Uh…" If Conan knew any better, he would have said that Shinichi didn't expect to get this far, thus he wasn't sure of how to proceed. "Oniichan, is something bothering you?"

Shinichi would have laughed at the innocent question.

"No. Nothing is wrong." The child stayed silent, carefully listening as his brother forced a chuckle out. "Just wanted to talk with you, I guess."

An uncomfortable quietness followed right after that sentence, which Shinichi could only attribute with shock. It made the teen falter, then open his mouth to tell his brother to forget it.

"Say, did you read the book I gifted you?" But Conan's question almost stole a gasp out of him. "The next one is coming out in a few weeks."

Shinichi didn't reply at first, "Are you still here?" and it wasn't until his little brother questioned that he smiled.

"I haven't finished yet, but it has been incredible, so far," and finally replied. "Did you buy it yet?"

"I told you I wouldn't until the complete version came out, didn't I? Don't dare to spoil it."

Talk, huh? The kid would have straight up lying if he said the request hadn't taken him by surprise. Yet it didn't mean that he minded it ─ in fact, a bright grin crossed his face, as he plopped down in a nearby chair, listening as his brother continued talking about random stuff that didn't actually matter…

Yet, at the same time, it mattered.

Come to think of it… Before he knew it, he was speaking, too. Talking excitedly about a detective show he and his friends had found lately ─ Shinichi sounded interested in it as well, which only prompted him to continue rambling on and on. When was the last time?

Unable to help it, he laughed about something that had been said.

When was the last time we just… talked, just like this?

Even though he would never admit it, he kind of missed those things ─ they needed to do this more often, thought Conan, once all of this was over.

Maybe, when this was all over, they could have these kinds of talks again. Maybe, then, he would be able to see his brother smile as he laughed like this.

With his own eyes.

"An airship, though," commented Shinichi at some point. "Must truly be an experience to remember."

"You think so?" Conan shrugged, taking a side look at his friends, that were all still aweing at the sight from the window. "Well, I guess you could say that. Everyone is so excited..."

"Even Ai-chan?"

In response, the child's eyebrow rose, posing his gaze on the little girl in question. "That's hard to tell," he finally conceded with a huff. "She was saying all this weird stuff earlier."

"Stuff?"

"Yeah, 'Even I long to ride this magic ship soaring in the sky and fly atop the clouds on my way to Dreamland,' or something like that," he said, annoyance taking over his voice. "Then she said it was a joke ─ seriously, how am I supposed to reply to that?" His brother snorted suddenly. "Hey, it wasn't that funny."

"No, it's nothing. I just remembered something else," Shinichi reassured him, still amused. "Though I guess an airship is something amazing to the eyes of children ─ you're the exception, of course, you weird brat."

Conan's eyebrow twitched, but ignored it, "Ah, yeah?" even if he was rendered unable to keep it from showing in his voice. "What would you know?"

"I actually saw one when I was about your age. It was something cool to see, but Ran was definitely the most shocked one."

"Ran-neechan?" He was curious now. "What did she say?"

"She kept saying there was an UFO flying around."

Conan made a weirded out grimace. "An UFO? She seriously said that?"

"Well, a balloon resembling a monster was flying leisurely into the sky. I suppose she must've been really surprised when she said that." At the silence he followed, the older added, "Give her a break, she was like eight back then."

"I am eight."

"You don't count."

Pressing his lips together in a definitely-not-pout, the boy unconsciously leaned forward, arguing with his brother, who had no other choice but to ask for forgiveness before things could get ugly ─ so focused he was in that, of course, that he didn't notice the waiter hiding in the corner, or the way he smirked after acquiring a very interesting piece of information.

When Ran and Sonoko entered the room, after leaving to check on something a while ago, Conan realized he had probably been talking a bit too much ─ he shrugged, turning back to the phone, after hearing the girl calling them over to check on the jewel on board.

"I should get going. Can't let that thief get a step ahead of me, you know," he said, then paused, a thought crossing his mind suddenly. "Wait, you aren't aboard in this ship, are you?"

"No," he said, and Conan could tell he was being honest this time. "I see his face far too often, thanks. Sometimes I need a break, you know."

That might be tough. He couldn't help but empathize with him.

"I thought you might be with Aoko-neechan and the rest," Conan pondered out loud. "Inspector Nakamori is here, I think. It wouldn't be so hard for your detective team to get in."

Shinichi almost cringed at the words 'detective team'.

"Well, she wanted to, but didn't get through with it." Thankfully, it went unsaid, yet the kid understood perfectly. "She said it would be useless, when more than a half of the team is unavailable."

Conan gave his phone a look. "Unavailable?"

"Yeah. Hakuba is back in London. Kuroba made some excuse, something like being kidnapped by his mother to Las Vegas for the weekend, but the real reason is obvious, of course..."

"And?"

"What?"

The excited giggles from his friends, as they rushed right past him, filled what it would be otherwise a heavy silence. Ran was smiling at them, while Sonoko pumped her fist into the air, prompting the children to glee, delighted, before turning to the bespectacled boy that had yet to move from his spot.

She halted, watching him frown, for reasons that were unknown to her.

"You said 'more than a half'." It was at moments like these that Shinichi wished that his little brother was just a little less perceptive. "Your detective team is made of five people ─ more than a half missing means that at least three aren't there." Conan's tone had changed, becoming drastically firmer. "Who is the other person?"

"Well… A-Akako-"

"What is Hirai Arthur doing right now?" Shinichi gulped at that. "What are you doing?"

"Just reading at home."

Even though she couldn't get what he was saying, the expression on the young boy's face told her that something was off. After telling her best friend to go ahead, she settled her eyes back on him.

Worried, she inched closer.

"You think I'm buying that?!"

The sudden outburst startled her into freezing in space, wide eyes glued on the little form in front of her, who had just hopped off his chair, lips formed in a straight line while carefully listening for any sounds coming from the other side of the phone.

Cars were passing by ─ Shinichi was not at Kuroba's home. Doing what? Clearly, Shinichi wasn't willing to answer.

"Look," after what it seemed like years, Conan finally broke the silence, struggling to keep his voice even. "I'm just..." There was a sigh. "I'm hanging up."

"Hey-"

"I'm not stupid, I know when to stop asking." His eyes flickered to the ground. "Or I'll just get lied to again."

"It's not like that!"

"I don't why I even try." A humorless chuckle escaped the kid. "It's always the same with you, huh?"

Everything that the older detective could have said was lost to the younger ─ with just a tap in the red button, Shinichi's voice was cut into silence. Ran watched him, giving a hard stare at the screen of his phone, contemplating it for a few seconds, before sighing loudly, and shoving the device back in his pocket.

A childish smile crossed his face when he spotted her, and simply walked away, following the path from where his friends had disappeared from earlier. Unlike him, a frown took over Ran's features. The mask that she had fought so long to break was there ─ it had just slipped in place, so easily that was disheartening, actually.

So she decided it ─ she was definitely going to have a word with that stupid detective freak later.

A chill ran down Shinichi's back, and instantly his arms had flown to hug himself in a desperate attempt to retain some body warmth that was suddenly leaching out of his body.

"Are you feeling cold?" the sudden voice startled the teen, causing his head to whip around so quickly that it almost made him dizzy. "I believe the temperature is quite pleasant, however."

"Ah, no," he blurted, then added with a soft laugh. "Though I fear someone might be planning my death somewhere..."

Amused at that, the old monk merely smiled, eyes never leaving the teenager sitting on the stairs of his temple, gazing emptily ahead with his hand cushioning his face for a moment, until he was woken up from his stupor by a cold nose. Chuckling at the animal that had suddenly come close, pleading for affection, Shinichi complied and gently scratched behind the deer's ears.

"I never got to thank you," just as he was about to leave, the boy said, eyes still fixed on the deer. "For letting someone like me spend the night here."

The monk was confused at his words, letting it show by giving the teenager a strange look. Shinichi snorted in return, hand ceasing its movement on top of the deer's head.

"I wonder if it's okay..." he said, mostly to himself than to anyone else. "For someone that had been involved in the darkest places of humanity to stay in such a place."

Finally, understanding what this boy was talking about, the monk went thoughtfully silent, and studied him. His eyes were cast on the floor now, lips pursed together in something that he could only interpret as remorse.

Despite it all, the monk smiled. "Good and evil," he ultimately said, slowly moving closer to him. "Life would probably be much easier to understand if it was like that. Being completely good, or intrinsically evil."

Shinichi didn't reply, even when the monk sat right at his side, smile still intact as he reached over to the dejected animal, and gently scratched behind his ears. The boy didn't speak, nor did he move, for what it seemed like an eternity ─ when a minute might have passed at most.

"We humans have the power to make good, or cause suffering to others," he continued, not minding that the other had said nothing. "It's what we choose to do what truly shapes us." Having said that, the monk turned to glance at the boy, whose gaze had risen from the ground and settled on him. "What is it that motivates you to keep going forward, Shinichi-kun?"

Though Shinichi didn't answer, his mind certainly did ─ a young boy, and a girl of his age flashed in his mind without his consent.

"You are the only one that can judge yourself. But if you allow me, I can remind you of the many lives you saved." The monk turned to look up to the sky, his voice calm the entire time. "Such as that young monk that lived here, whose life was endangered after overhearing those ill-intentioned people. Through your unconventional ways, you went out your way to help him."

Contemplating his words for a moment, the detective huffed and stood up. Turning around, he stared at the man in front of him for a second longer than strictly necessary, before bowing slightly.

"Once again, I thank you for the hospitality."

"There is nothing to be thankful for. You will always be welcomed here, Shinichi-kun."

He nodded, a polite smile on his features, and began to walk further away.

"The wisest way to set things right with someone else..." not even two steps later, the monk began. "... is talking it out in person."

Shinichi gave him an odd look ─ the man's smile only grew wider in response.

"Osaka is only an hour away from here."

With that, the monk just disappeared from sight, leaving a very confused detective to gape stupidly, even minutes after he had left. Once the words really sank in, he let his shoulders drop and a very dry chuckle escaped from his throat.

And decided that, next time he was walking on the phone, he would have to keep a better eye to his surroundings.

"Eh? Shinichi-kun and the brat had a fight?"

Lowering her gaze to the ground, her friend nodded her head. "It sounded like it," she said, as both girls went around the corner. "Conan-kun was shouting at the phone and looked quite mad after hanging off."

In fact, that anger had yet to recede, even if the boy had tried to convince otherwise ─ the intense glare he had given the Lady Sky earlier was still embedded in her mind, making her wonder if he had ever been so determinated to catch KID before.

"I wouldn't worry much," her friend was quick to shrug it off. "They probably just got on each other's nerves."

Ran frowned, thoughtfully silent for a beat. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, that's normal. I used to be like that with my sister all the time."

Though not entirely convinced, Ran had no other choice but to agree and let the subject go. Telling her friend that she hadn't had the chance to get a better look at the jewel, they separated ways.

Maybe I'm worrying over nothing, she thought, making her way inside the elevator, and rising through the ridiculously enormous airship. Before this day is over, I'm sure they will make up again.

They had been through worse, after all ─ Ran remembered a particularly nasty fight they had last November, and even then they had made up just fine.

Fighting between brothers is normal, she concluded, then frowned when a realization came up to her suddenly. Though the distance makes it harder to communicate, huh?

If only… She felt incredibly selfish for her own thoughts, yet couldn't really help it. If only Shinichi came back home...

It all came to a halt when she reached the doorway, and her eyes met a figure in the middle of the room she had thought empty. The person there, seemingly noticing her presence, turned around and smiled.

"Hello," he said, raising his hand in greeting. She bowed, politely, in return. "I'm working as a waiter for this airship." He stepped away from the jewel and approached her. "I took a little break from work to come see this big jewel everyone is so excited about."

"Oh." Ran smiled. "I see."

Suddenly, as if something had crossed his mind out of the blue, the waiter glanced at his watch and realized that he was running late. Bidding goodbye to the girl in front of him, he walked right past her.

Yet he didn't get to it ─ a hand had latched onto his arm. He froze, slowly turning to face her until he met her inquisitive gaze ─ and obviously panicked.

"This bandage..." she said, clearly referring to the bandaid he had on his elbow. For some reason he couldn't understand, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why don't you take a good look?"

He did and got the scare of his life when he read:

"Shinichi LOVE"

"You're KID, aren't you?!"

She had absolutely no doubts ─ the writing there, which Sonoko had left there as a prank, was there in plain sight for her to see. And the only person who could have one of them, besides herself of course, was that one from maintenance staff that had scraped his elbow after saving Ayumi from slipping in the stairs.

Ran didn't wait for an answer, merely twisted his arm, and demanded the truth for him.

I'm screwed, was the only thought currently crossing KID's mind. If I force my way out…

It didn't take a genius to know what would happen ─ he had been on the receiving end of her fists for leaving Tantei-kun on top of a moving train before, and that was something he wasn't exactly eager to relive any time soon.

He needed to change his strategy. I have no other option, have I?

Even though he really, really had no wishes of doing this ─ even if they were mostly inexistent, his self-preservation instincts were there, screaming to him he would deeply regret the consequences from his actions.

All there was left to do was wonder… Who out of those brothers was going to murder him first?

"What will you do if I confess?" So, he smirked, despite the pain coursing through his arm right now. "Are you going to keep holding onto me and deliver me to Inspector Nakamori?"

"That sounds like an interesting plan."

"You'll be troubled by it if you do that..." His hand went to the top of his head, "Can't you tell yet?" and promptly retired his mask. "Who I really am?"

Her mouth opened with shock, eyes widened dramatically as that icy blue gaze fell on her, and those lips curved into that arrogant smile that she had grown used to see.

S-Shinichi?!

Of course, Ran hadn't been completely convinced ─ Shinichi as KID? That sounded like a poor joke that made no sense whatsoever. But there were things that the girl couldn't completely deny.

He wasn't using a mask, and she had found herself pinching his skin when she tried to pull it off. At first she had denied it, remembering that KID had pretended to be Shinichi before, and that Nakamori had been unable to rip the mask off, and simply came to the conclusion that KID and the detective had similar faces.

She had been so close to selling him off to the inspector.

"You're just unlucky for riding on an airship where your escape routes are cut off" she had said, keeping a tight hold on his wrist.

"It's not an airship." But his next words had made her determination waver. "It's an UFO, right?"

"Ran-neechan?" Conan's call brought her out of her thoughts. "What's wrong? I've been calling you for a while."

Blinking a few times, Ran's gaze lowered to the young boy staring at her, looking almost concerned. "Ah, no, I'm fine," she said with a smile. "I just spaced out for a moment."

His eyes narrowed, not quite convinced, yet eventually letting it go.

"So, what are you doing here?" Ran asked, glancing from over her shoulder at the elevator behind her. "Did you want to take a better look at the jewel as well?"

"I'm more interested in the security system, actually." The boy shrugged, moving past her and standing on the tip of his feet to call the elevator. "If there's a way that dumb thief can trespass it, I need to know it."

He sounded rather annoyed when talking about him, Ran couldn't help but note.

"I won't let him go this time," he added, under his breath, just as the doors of the elevator opened. "This time, I definitely..."

"... You sound rather passionate today." At her observation, Conan paused, giving the girl a confused look. "More than at other heists, I mean."

"Ah, you really think that?" Conan hadn't noticed it himself. "Well, I can't let him go today. Anyhow."

She brought her eyebrows together in confusion. "Why?"

For a second, Conan looked quite apprehensive, as he debated about what to say next. Ran just waited, looking strangely interested in his response.

"I want to have a word with him," he finally said, and her eyes opened slightly wider. "There's… stuff I want to ask him about."

It was almost disturbing to the kid, the way the girl just stood there, staring straight at him, but not really seeing him, while she seemingly let his words sink into her mind. Her mouth opened, and the child was certain that she was going to question him what he wanted to ask him about.

Instead, her mouth closed, lips pursed tightly, before it opened again.

"Then?" He blinked at the unexpected words that came after that. "Will you capture him?"

He thought about it, humming while crossing his arms in front of his chest. Ran waited for the answer again, more anxiously this time.

"I guess… I never wanted to really capture him." Ran was surprised to see a soft smile caressing his face as he talked. "Who would I chase after if he was in jail?"

Conan-kun… You...

"Besides… I don't know, I have the feeling that there's something else."

"Something else?"

"He isn't just screwing around." The boy stepped on the elevator, before turning around to face her ─ a more serious expression took over. "He's looking for something ─ he has said that plenty of times before," he stated, hands sliding inside his pockets, lips curving into a big smirk. "And I'm definitely going to find out what it is."

Without any further word, the doors closed, leaving Ran to stand there, frozen in time while letting her mind adjust to the recent bout of information he had received from the little child.

She didn't know what to think anymore.

Closing his mouth around the spoon, Conan couldn't help but hum in delight. He had to give it to Suzuki Corporation ─ this cake was amazing. If he ignored the teasing smirk Ai was giving him at his right, the kid would safely put it as an amazing experience ─ sitting at a table, eating an absolutely delicious cake, enjoying some peace for once in his life.

"Ah! I can't wait! I hope we can get to Osaka quickly and meet KID-sama!" Obviously, good stuff didn't last forever ─ he couldn't help but groan when Sonoko's squeals as she daydreamed from across the table reached his ears. "And I hope… that I can pucker up my lips against his arrogant ones-"

"No, no! You absolutely cannot do that!"

Just like that, everything had gone silent again. Blinking twice at his cake, Conan slowly raised his head to see Ran standing up, cheeks gradually warming up at the sudden attention she received.

"K-KID is a criminal, right?" She plopped back down in her seat. "That's just imprudent!"

Even her best friend looked at her strangely. "Why are you so worked up?"

"No reason."

All the while, the bespectacled boy stared dumbly at the two girls as they, slowly and awkwardly, fell back into a comfortable conversation. What… Unlike them, the kid found himself unable to move out from that single thought. What did just happen?

"Shinichi-san doesn't have it so easy anymore, huh?" As if she had read his thoughts, the little girl beside him spoke calmly, the tips of her lips curved upwards, giving him the impression that he was thoroughly entertained by the scene in front of her. "A new rival has appeared, it seems."

"KID and Ran-neechan?" He glanced at the girl in question, eyebrow arching at the thought. "No way."

"I can't blame her. Kaito KID is quite the charming gentleman." His head snapped back to Ai, who cradled her head to her palm, glancing back to the clouds with an almost dreamy gaze. "Falling into a charming prince's firm embrace and being carried through the night sky while resting on his arms must be any girl's dream come true. Even I..."

"You… You are joking, aren't you?"

A split of a second, her inexpressive gaze was back, and drilling holes into his head ─ causing him to feel rather stupid in the instant. "Oh, you're quite the observant one."

His consequent growl fueled her amusement, and a giggle escaped her throat ─ he ignored it of course, letting his gaze drop to glare at the poor cheesecake, as if he was to be blamed for everything that was happening around him.

And, sighing, pushed it away ─ after all those images that had crossed his mind in the span of minutes, he didn't feel so hungry anymore. Just as he was about to say something, he heard his other three friends hopping off their chairs, cheerfully letting the Professor know they were going to play cards in their room.

Yeah, right. Conan found it incredibly hard to believe, yet let pass ─ he wasn't their parent, for goodness' sake. As long as they didn't blow up the entire ship, they would be alright. So he didn't think much of it, not even when that waitress with the ponytail accidentally sneezed in Genta's face as they left.

What did catch his attention was when Jirokichi's phone suddenly started beeping with a new call. While he did not know what the person on the other side of the line said to him, the way the old man's face paled suddenly told the child that it was pretty serious. He later said that it was an ordinary prank call, but the fact that he excused himself the next instant, alongside Inspector Nakamori and his men, was more than enough proof for Conan.

Something big was going on.

He didn't have to go long lengths to prove it. Just half an hour later, they had gathered everyone together to break the news.

The deadly bacteria stolen by the Siamese Red Cats had been released in the smoking room ─ an open ampule with their distinctive logo was found there, so there was no denying it.

That was especially true when a terrified scream reached their ears.

"Help..." Slowly, everyone turned around to see Fujioka staring at his hands, a look of horror plastered all over his red face. "Help me..."

Rashes were covering his entire body, from his face to his hands, as he slowly made his way to the group. Frowning, the boy's hands reached for his watch, ready to knock him off before he could infect anyone, but Ran came through first ─ a powerful punch on the stomach, and the guy was gone to the world.

Just as the girl rushed to get her hands disinfected, a loud thud caught their attention ─ the waitress with the ponytail had collapsed. Her hands were completely red, just like Fujioka before her.

Two people. Conan frowned, watching as they took the woman away. Two people have already been infected? It made him wonder, lips pressing together in a thin line, how many of them had already been in contact with the bacteria without knowing.

Children are especially susceptible, he remembered, causing him to take a step back, cringing a bit to himself. At least, those guys are not here-

His eyes fell on the woman as they took her away, and suddenly the air froze in his lungs.

That woman…

"Hey!" yelled Ai. worried when the boy beside her had bolted out of the blue. "What's with you?"

He didn't reply, just forced his legs to take him there faster.

What am I doing?

Frankly speaking, the teenager had absolutely no clue what he was doing in a place like that. Seriously, he sighed mentally, eyes focused on the many people that walked around, without a care of the world ─ and definitely looking infinitely less troubled than he was.

I shouldn't be here.

He hadn't thought about it at all, and now he guessed he had to deal with the consequences. Conan hasn't arrived yet. And he wouldn't, not for a few hours.

Sighing, he leaned against a wall, passing a hand through Hirai's chocolate hair. This is stupid. He didn't even know what he was going to say when he got here.

Maybe he should just leave ─ he nodded to himself. That was what he was going to do.

"Kudo?!" Just as he was about to get up, a voice yelled, scaring the hell out of him. "What are you doing here?!"

Who he saw, blinking at him like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, didn't really bring him comfort of any kind.

Hattori?!

"GENTA!"

None of the children knew how they were supposed to react when they saw their friend running towards them, as if his life depended on it and, far from scolding him for sneaking into places where they weren't supposed to be, just focused on Genta, hands tapping him over and hushedly asking him if he was feeling okay.

Genta smiled awkwardly. Conan stared back intensely, looking more than a bit insane.

He doesn't have any rashes yet. He slowly calmed down, and stepped away. Maybe he didn't catch it? Or, could it be in a state of latency?

"H-Hey, Conan? What's wrong?" The boy didn't reply, just looked back at Genta, who grinned widely as if forgetting the whole thing. "I know! Let's all go explore the airship!"

"It's not the time for that," he replied, confusing everyone. "Something terrible has happened."

Before he could even begin to explain what was going on, his eyes caught a shadow moving a good distance away from them. "Hide." They didn't question him, just crouched down like he had done a second ago. "Stay put right here."

And off he went ─ keeping himself down, he moved closer and, with the help of his glasses, spotted someone climbing up the ladder to the roof. What are they doing? The sound of something being unlocked only prompted him to, far from getting any answers, worry even more.

"Who is this person?"

With a suppressed yelp, Conan twirled around to see his three friends crouching right behind him ─ and privately wondered why he was still getting surprised by them not listening to him.

"An accomplice of KID's?"

A scowl later, Conan was forced to let go. "That's not it." He turned back to the figure, now descending away from his sight. "More likely, they're with the Red Siamese Cats- Oh, no."

They gave him a questioning look, which he paid no attention to, in order to sneak closer. Just as he was about to climb up the ladder, he cursed loudly and retreated, having heard the sounds of a helicopter zooming close. He ushered them away, and watched from a safer position as three men dropped from the roof, carrying what they seemed to be bombs.

This isn't good, he thought, as they all ran towards the next ladder, climbing it up so they could be away from their sight. No good at all. With his glasses, he watched them walk away from their sight ─ presumably away from the attic and back to where the rest were now.

There was no doubt about it ─ he gritted his teeth at the thought.

The Red Siamese Cats have completely hijacked this airship.

A/N:

So, school has been taking an even larger part of my time lately… Might not be able to update as frequently as before :(

CherryGirl 21-6: Well… Sorry xD I needed that to happen for something later, so yeah.

And oh, wow. Movie 24… I was excited before, but now I definitely want to watch it now! Well, about this fanfiction, I'm almost completely sure it's not going to happen here, but I guess it's too early to say anything ─ that movie hasn't even come out yet, lol!

I must admit, I was kind of those people that were a bit disappointed when I found out it was a remake, but I actually enjoyed it a lot. It is the Moonlight Sonata case, after all, one of the most iconic cases, so I think it was a good decision, actually.

For the record, I just watched episode 1001. It was sad to see Seiji die again :(

F. C. Meyer: I have never thought about it before, but having it be real would be something really interesting to see! If it was a movie, I would most definitely see it. This one will stick to the original premise, though ─ it would be hard to keep everyone alive otherwise, considering everything that happened there xD.