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Relative Truth
by Becky Tailweaver
File 2: A Change in the Game
*Some time later...*
Professor Agasa didn't even look up from his work when his front door opened; he knew who the likely culprits would be--any of three young would-be detectives and their reluctant leader. Judging by the length of time the door was open, there was only one or two of the scamps in his house. By the lack of chatter or hullaballoo, he surmised that there was indeed only one. And that one--by the silence and the steady quiet pace of his footsteps--would have to be Conan Edogawa; none of the other Young Detectives simply walked anywhere.
Pleased with his quiet deductions, Agasa snuck a look over his shoulder at the right moment--there went Conan, right past the door. The Professor mentally patted himself on the back for his little bit of mystery-solving before going back to his project.
There was the shuffle-thump of a small backpack hitting the floor, from somewhere in the vicinity of the kitchen. Scoot-creeeak went a chair. Silence reigned for a moment--then suddenly his house echoed with a yell that seemed to summarize all the loneliness, anger, and frustration that could be found within the heart of a certain boy.
"Aaaaaarrrrgh!" Thump!
It was the latter noise that alarmed Professor Agasa the most. Normally, he could ignore Conan's occasional outbursts; they were usually a simple loud complaint or a short outcry--not long, and thank goodness not often, but sometimes the poor boy needed to vent. But his vents did not usually include breaking furniture or throwing things or any other such immaturity.
That given, Agasa hopped up from his workbench and hustled into the kitchen, hoping he wouldn't find a soccer ball embedded in the wall or some such.
He was surprised to find his walls and windows whole--and even more astonished to find Conan sitting at the kitchen table, fists and forehead resting on the tabletop. His glasses rested sedately beside his left arm.
Ah, the Professor thought with a raised eyebrow. So that's what made the thump.
At least Conan had taken his glasses off before he'd attempted to crack open his skull. Not really sure how to begin to inquire, the Professor cleared his throat softly.
Conan lifted his head. "This sucks."
"Er...?"
"This sucks!" With that proclamation, Conan proceeded to bang his forehead upon the table again, punctuating each word. "This--totally--completely--sucks!"
Agasa moved in to restrain him before the poor boy gave himself brain damage--such a powerful mind would be a shame to waste on this rudimentary form of stress relief. "Wait, wait a minute, Shinichi! Hold up!" Once he managed to keep Conan's forehead away from the tabletop, he forced the boy to look at him. "What's the matter with you today?"
He was startled to note the intense gratitude in Conan's eyes. "Thank you!" the boy sighed. "Finally! No one's called me 'Shinichi' in three days. I needed to hear that."
Agasa stepped back. "Is that what you were upset about?"
"No..." Conan made a move toward the table--which Agasa almost intercepted--but he only folded his arms and rested his chin on them. "I really wanted to go..."
"Go? Where?" Agasa pulled up a chair. He really had pressing things to do with his experiments in the other room, but the mental health of his young charge did take precedence over soldering. Shinichi had been a bright young man of seventeen with a budding career in homicide investigation--and then it had all been ripped away by a shadow organization's little pill of backfired poison that reduced him to a child. Something like that was bound to have some major psychological impacts, very few of which Shinichi Kudo ever let show.
"I wanted to go to the signing," Conan muttered--no, he wasn't Conan right then, not today. Shinichi. "But they made me go to school instead."
"A book signing?"
"Yeah," Shinichi sighed. "At Tokyo Municipal Library--you know, the big one. It isn't exclusively a mystery novel session, but a couple of my favorite authors are there...and one of them--I have three of his books in first-edition print, and I was hoping to get them signed."
"But...?"
Shinichi sat up, his eyes lighting with anger. "But Ran and Ojisan made me stay here and go to school! Dammit, I begged and begged, and even said I wanted to get Shinichi's books signed for him--I thought Ran would jump at that!--but nooo, it's not for little kids, I'd be much too bored, 'Go to school like a good boy, Conan-kun, and I'll see you when we get back this evening.'" His head hit the table yet again with a rather resonant thump. "God, this sucks!"
Feeling a little harried, Agasa pulled the boy away from the table--all but lifting him bodily out of the chair. "There now, quit that before you give yourself a concussion. Go lie down on the couch, and I'll whip up some iced tea. Go on, now."
Scuffing his feet, Shinichi stomped out of the kitchen. "Oh, is that supposed to just make it all better?"
"Come now, act your age, Shinichi!"
As he headed for the couch, Shinichi caught his reflection in the sunlit glass of the front window--Conan's reflection. "I am!" he tossed back hotly, throwing himself down on the couch. I'm seven years old and three feet tall--I can pitch a fit if I want to, he thought sullenly.
He scowled furiously at the wall in a funk of resentment. Not even a genuine murder mystery would cheer him up right now. He was mad for being left behind, mad that Ran hadn't stood up for him in front of her father--and damn sick of being treated like a kid. "Conan-kun" this and "little boy" that--not to mention Sonoko's endearing little "Chibi-chan." Enough is enough--haven't the heavens tired of their amusement yet?
Thank God for Professor Agasa. If one more person had called him "Conan-kun" today, he might have popped. He had to keep up his disguise and all...but sometimes he just got tired of being someone he wasn't. Normally he had the resolve to shrug these things off; he was strong-willed and strong of heart...but things had been coming one after another lately.
Several tough cases he almost hadn't solved because of meddling adults shooing him away or brushing him off. Two whole murders that hadn't been correctly deduced because they'd left him behind. Ran forgetting she'd promised to take him to the bookstore, to the movie, to the police station, because she'd been busy or going somewhere with Sonoko--and he couldn't go himself because he was "a little kid." Ayumi being particularly cute and clingy, causing Genta and Mitsuhiko's chain reaction of abuse and irritation--above and beyond the usual annoyance. School being an utter, mind-numbing bore.
It had just been one of those days...hell, one of those weeks. The humiliation of his enforced acting career had temporarily become too much to bear.
"Here you are, Shinichi!" Agasa came in with a tall glass of tea--very tall, full of ice, with a nice long straw. Shinichi took it and began to gulp, feeling the coolness start to wash away his dull irritation and temper. There was no way he could finish all of this; a super-size tea didn't fit into a pint-sized stomach. But a "bottomless" drink was just what he needed right now.
Heaven... Someone called him by his real name, spoke to him as an adult, listened to him without condescension. A nice cold iced tea on a soft couch.
Set down the load. Drop the mask. Deep breath. Hit reset.
"Ahhh..." He looked up and smiled. "Thanks, Professor Agasa! That really hit the spot."
"So the tea really did make it all better," said the older man, sitting down across from him. "And here I thought nothing would."
Shinichi chuckled sheepishly. "Um...sorry about that. I've had a hard week."
"It's a good thing you have a hard head."
"Ow..." The boy gingerly rubbed the tender spot on his forehead. "Yeah, I guess that was kind of stupid."
Agasa shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You ought to relax for a while, before you start your homework."
"Hah...that'll take all of five minutes." Shinichi rolled his eyes, then smiled. "Thanks for the friendly ear, Professor. And the tea."
"Any time, Shinichi."
With the matter settled and Shinichi's sanity once again restored, the heavyset Professor returned to his work. Shinichi/Conan remained sprawled on the couch, glasses forgotten in the kitchen, nursing his nice tall iced tea. He fished the TV remote out of the cushions and switched it on, boredly flipping channels until he could find something of interest.
Click. "--Mega-brand cleaning products will make your home--"
Click. "--'Ken, please don't leave me!' ... 'Michiko, I must--'"
Click. "--is the number three! Can you say 'three?' This is the number that--"
Click. "--interrupt this program to give you live coverage of a robbery in progress--"
Click. "--port side! Battle stations, all hands! Fire when ready!--"
Shinichi blinked. "Wait a second..." Curious, he turned back one channel to the live news report. The shots seemed to be being taken from a helicopter, but he didn't recognize the scenery. Definitely in a city, but he couldn't tell where. There were other helicopters, flashing lights on the streets below, searchlights, and sirens could be heard in the background. The entire area seemed to be in an uproar.
All this for a robbery? he wondered to himself, settling in to listen.
"--live from Yokohama, we are here at the scene of the Kaitou Kid's latest heist. We are filming this event as it occurs, from the vantage point of a police chopper. Apparently--"
Shinichi sat straight up off the couch, coming close to sending his tea flying. "Kaitou Kid?"
"--has set his sights on the famous Owl's Eye of the Hirose family, kept here at the Third Branch of the Japan National Bank in Yokohama. Police and Bank Security have combined their efforts to ensnare this artful thief, but so far he is proving to be an elusive target. So far, Kid's exact location has not been confirmed, but the police have informed us that he is still within the building. As part of the joint--"
"No..." Shinichi gritted his teeth. "Not again! Dammit..."
"--National Bank has promised their full cooperation. At this very moment, the police have surrounded the building, while the National Bank security team members lead groups of officers into the bank in an attempt to net the Kid. Once his location has been narrowed down--"
Shinichi leaned forward, scowling. "No, don't give him crowds! You idiots, that's exactly what he wants!"
"--police should be able to make the arrest. Law enforcement has apparently decided to seal off the lower portions of the building in an attempt to drive the Kid to the upper floors, where he won't have the opportunity to escape. If we're lucky, Kaitou Kid will be driven to the roof where we will be able to witness the capture of this legendary thief! Ah--it appears another team of police are moving in--"
"Arrgh!" He glared at the screen, hands fisting. "What nincompoop got put in charge of that operation? You can't 'seal' Kid out of anything! And who says driving him upstairs will corner him? He flies, you morons! Oh for Pete's sake...!"
Exasperated, he flopped back against the cushions. "...utterly brain dead. I swear, they never learn..."
"--and something's emerging from the door on the roof! Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to witnes...ah, no, it appears to be a group of police officers. They are fanning out over the roof... Uh, our contact here in the police helicopter has informed us that the teams inside the building report no sign of Kaitou Kid...the upper stories have been sealed, so it's only a matter of time--"
Unable to bear it any longer, Shinichi turned off the television. "That is so pathetic," he grumbled. "Knowing him, he probably is one of those guys on the roof. Or he just walked out the front door before they even got their blockades up. What a bunch of dunderheads." He sighed. "Idiots. He already has the Owl's Eye. If I were still Shinichi Kudo, I could've been there...dammit, I could've been there!"
He rested on the couch, staring at the ceiling, but the brief moment of excitement had gotten the wheels in his head turning. Yokohama this time, huh? he pondered. And the Japan National Bank, even. He's really been gunning for some high-profile goods lately--a lot tougher targets. He always goes after the big gaudy jewels...I wonder if his wish list is getting thin? He's already taken a lot of them, and there's only so many large gems in the world any more...
His eyes flashed wide as he sat up straight. "That's it!" he crowed, leaping off the couch. "Why didn't I think of it before?"
He sprinted for Professor Agasa's workroom. "Professor! Professor! I need to use your computer!"
Shutting off his noisy welding torch, Agasa turned around on his work stool, lifting the safety mask from his face. "Hm? What's that?"
Shinichi was in full-blown Mystery Solving Mode, his blue eyes lit up like stars. "Can I use the computer in your office? I just saw on the news that Kaitou Kid is at it again, and I've got an idea!"
Agasa's brows went up. "Going after Kid again? My, that's a difficult job, even for you--"
"Professor! Can I?"
"Huh? Oh, sure, sure! Go...right ahead..."
Shinichi was gone before he could finish speaking. Shaking his head with a knowing smile, Agasa turned back to his work.
Dashing into the Professor's office, Shinichi stacked two technical manuals on the chair and plunked himself down atop them, his fingers blurring into motion on the keyboard. There, in the Professor's files, was a database on Kaitou Kid, along with a list of the jewels and other valuables that had been stolen. Shinichi's eyes scanned the list rapidly, noting each type of item and the frequency that type was targeted.
Once he logged in to the vast network of the Internet, he began looking for any information about gems that matched or exceeded a certain size, privately or publicly owned, either free or set into jewelry, especially translucent or semi-translucent stones, and particularly sapphires, amethysts, or emeralds.
Data rapidly began to compile as he ran search after search, then scanned each result while yet another search ran. He noted names, places, types, values, security measures, recording each as he went and adding it to his growing database of potential Kid heists. The pace at which he gathered information would have astonished even an accomplished reasearcher.
The data kept coming, while Shinichi's clever smile kept growing. Kaitou Kid's list of targets was indeed narrowing. And as it did, his appearances would be easier to predict--and plan for.
At last, Shinichi began to grin.
The second interruption came from the doorbell, this time. Agasa was once again forced to leave his work behind to answer it, muttering to himself about how busy it was today. He opened the door, somehow not surprised to see the smiling face of Ran Mouri greeting him pleasantly.
"Hello, Professor Agasa! How are you this evening?"
"Oh, Ran-kun!" Agasa stepped back to let her through. "Won't you come in? Conan said you and Mouri-san went to a book signing today."
"Conan's here?" The girl paused, smiling. "It figures. Actually, I can't stay long, Professor. I just came to drop something off here." She held out a small package wrapped in paper. "I know Shinichi comes by here sometimes, and I was wondering if you could give this to him when you see him."
Agasa took the package, brows raised. "I can; that's no problem."
"And I suppose I can take Conan-kun home with me..."
"Oh, don't worry about that, Ran-kun!" the Professor answered quickly. "He's, er, doing his homework right now. I can walk him home when he's done."
"Are you sure it wouldn't be a bother?" Ran asked, peering around Agasa as if expecting to see Conan waiting for her. She apparently hadn't noticed his backpack--his undone homework still in it--sitting in the hall by the kitchen door.
"No, no trouble at all!" Agasa replied a little too eagerly. "You run along now, Ran-kun. I'll make sure he gets home safe and sound."
"Well...okay." Reluctantly, Ran stepped back outside. "Just...please...make sure Shinichi gets that package."
Agasa nodded solemnly. "You have my word, he'll get it as soon as I see him."
When she was gone, Agasa shut his door with a sigh. It would not have done for Ran to go trotting in to find Conan parked at the computer like a college researcher. And speaking of Conan...
The Professor looked down at the package in his hand. By the size and weight, it just might be... He let a smile play around his moustache; if Conan could peel himself away from his investigation long enough to open this, he was in for one hell of a surprise.
Fighting back a grin, Agasa headed for his office, package in hand. "Shinichi? Hey, Shinichi!"
"Busy!" called a distracted little boy's voice.
"Ran just came by looking for you," Agasa said, poking his head in the door.
"Hm." Shinichi was still hard at work at the computer, not really paying much attention to anything else.
"She left a present for you--for Shinichi, that is." Agasa stepped up to Conan's side, looking over his shoulder at the quickly scrolling data. "Don't keep working too long--I do have to take you home at a reasonable hour."
"Hn," the boy replied.
Agasa sighed and shook his head--the famous Detective of the East had his head buried in another mystery, and he wasn't likely to come up for air any time soon. "Well, I'll just leave this here. See you in a while, Shinichi."
"Mm."
The Professor left the package on the desk beside the keyboard and sauntered out, shaking his head in exasperation.
Conan continued to work, having three searches running simultaneously while he read through the results of a fourth. For a while, all he did was crunch data...until the small part of him that was still in touch with the real world began to force knowledge of what Professor Agasa had said into his mind. Slowly, as he waited for another bit of information to load, memory of the one-sided conversation began to percolate through to him.
Ran had been here, and she'd left a package for him.
For a while, he was able to ignore it. But only for a short while; his inherent curiosity began to buzz, and after all, doing online searches got boring after a few hours, even for him. The little parcel sat on the desk teasing him as he tried to disregard the little voice in his head that nagged at him. The package and the voice seemed to be accusing him.
"Ran left this for you, and you're just going to ignore it--ignore her--to keep playing with your little thief-mystery?"
Oh, come on. I'm busy, he groaned mentally, trying to keep his eyes from flicking to the present. But they did anyway. This is important. For pity's sake...!
"You're just going to forget about it, like you forget everything else that's important to her."
"Arrgh...alright, alright!" he hissed into the empty room. "I'll open the damn thing!"
He dropped the mouse, left the searches running, and snatched up the present. Paper tore, and three objects tumbled into his lap. He stared at the books blankly for several seconds, touching them lightly. Perplexed, he opened the front cover of the one on top...and his eyes widened. He checked the second...and the third, his blue eyes growing larger and larger with each passing second.
The yell that emerged from Professor Agasa's study sounded like that of a joyous little boy on Christmas morning--and for once, Shinichi didn't care that he sounded like a shrieking child. With the three volumes hugged to his chest, he burst out of the study, feet pattering down the hall.
Agasa had emerged from his workshop, startled by the sudden noise. "Goodness gracious, Shinichi! What's going on?"
Shinichi skidded to a halt in front of the Professor, his whole face lit up as bright as a lantern. "My books--Ran--signed today--she got them at the signing--Ran took my books--!"
"Shinichi...slow down and breathe, before you fall over!" Agasa looked rather concerned. "And what did you say?"
Shinichi took his advice, swallowing an insane need to giggle with glee. "Look!" he panted, thrusting one of the books toward the Professor. "Ran took my books to the signing--she got them autographed for me!"
Agasa adjusted his glasses, peering at the signature inside the book's cover. "Well! So she did. How nice of her."
"Heck yeah!" Shinichi couldn't fight off the mile-wide grin. "I gotta use the phone--hold these, will ya?" He thrust the other two books at the Professor and darted off for the kitchen telephone.
Juggling the three books, Agasa stumbled and tried to keep from dropping them. "But--Shinichi--wait--!"
With her hands busy in the middle of making dinner, Ran almost didn't make it to the phone before the answering machine got it. Swiping the handset out of the cradle, she wiped her fingers on her apron and spoke. "Mouri Detective Agency; how can I--?"
"Ran! It's me!"
Her eyes brightened. "Shinichi?" It had been so long...more than a week since his last call...!
Shinichi's voice was full of joy, babbling like a five-year-old. "I just got your present--Ran, it's absolutely awesome! I can't believe it--thank you so much for doing that for me! You know, I wanted to go but I couldn't get off in time today--I'm so glad you did that--I could just kiss you, because I...um...well..."
Ran giggled to herself; he'd just realized what he'd said. "You're welcome," she replied, unable to keep the smile out of her tone. "I hope you appreciate it, because I had to stand in line for forty-five minutes, you know."
"I do! I do appreciate it!" he was quick to reply. "It's just great of you. Thank you, Ran."
"Sure." A moment later, Ran blinked, realizing something. "Shinichi...if you just got that present...are you calling from the Professor's house?"
"Um..." A pause, slightly too long. "Uh, yeah, I am. But--"
"Great! Conan's there, isn't he? Why don't you walk him home really quick? I know you're busy but it would only take a few minutes. Please, Shinichi, I--"
"Ran, I can't!" Shinichi's voice seemed to crack, just a little. "Um, I mean...I just got here a second ago and...well...the Prof was on his way out. He's already taking Conan home. I just stopped by to...pick up my mail and...stuff..."
"I see..." Ran sighed softly. "Well, that's alright. I'm glad you like the gift."
"I'm really sorry, Ran. But...I can't stay. I gotta go..." There was an audible gulp on the other end, and the roughness of his voice betrayed his own disappointment.
For some reason, Ran felt tears trying to come. Really, she should have learned to deal with this by now... "Hurry up and solve your case, Shinichi," she told him, fighting off the brokenness in her throat. "Because I expect payment for those three books. I'll hold you to your word."
"My word...? What did--oh...!" Shinichi's voice cut off, then came back rather creaky. "Uh, okay...if...if that's...what you want..."
"You better believe it, mister. So hurry up!"
"Ran..." There was another audible gulp from his end of the line, and a deep breath. "Ran, I..."
Ran waited breathlessly for his reply...but as she did, she sniffed the air, then gasped. "Oh, drat! That's dinner burning! I'm sorry Shinichi, I gotta go! Talk to you soon!"
"Yeah, I'll call...um...bye..."
"Bye!"
She hung up the phone and sprinted into the kitchen, bemoaning the fate of her carefully-prepared meal burning on the stovetop.
Shinichi stood on tiptoe to hang up the telephone on his end as well. He stood there for a few moments, leaning against the cupboard, staring at nothing. Then with a deep breath, he looked down at his own hands, his face tightening.
"Damn it!" he hissed, clenching his fists. "Damn those Syndicate bastards...damn this whole shot-to-hell situation...! How many more ways can this ruin my life?"
Someone cleared their throat; Shinichi looked up, eyes dark. Professor Agasa stood in the kitchen door, three books in hand. "So," the Professor began, full of false cheerfulness, "how was Ran-kun?"
"You just talked to her an hour ago," Shinichi replied shortly. "And I just told her that Conan was already on his way home. I better go."
"Er...I suppose I should keep these for you, then..."
Shinichi glanced at the books in Agasa's hands. "Yeah. Make sure Ran doesn't see them." He sighed. "I'll get my glasses..."
The walk home was silent and tense; Shinichi was sullen and noncommunicative. Whatever relief he'd found that afternoon at Agasa's home had apparently evaporated. He walked head low, hands in his pockets, kicking at the occasional bit of trash or gravel on the sidewalk. Agasa did not press him, but dropped him off silently at the Mouri Detective Agency.
Shinichi walked very slowly up the front steps, finding that "Conan Mode" was not coming easily. He took deep breaths, trying to force down the renewed frustration and resentment that had resurged in him from the afternoon. Still upset, he stopped outside the door.
Come on, baka, get it together, he ordered himself. You're stronger than this. You can't let it get to you--can't let them get to you. If this beats you, they've won. Buck up. Do this.
Deep breath. Put on the mask. Start the show.
Conan burst in the door to the Mouri Detective agency, calling out to his "family." "I'm home! Ran-neechan! Ojisan! I'm back!"
"Hey, be quiet!" Kogoro Mouri grumped from his chair in front of the television. "I can't hear my program!"
"Sorry..." Conan tossed down his backpack and kicked off his shoes, heading for the kitchen. "Ran-neechan!"
Ran turned from the stove with a smile. "Well, hello Conan-kun! How was school today?"
"Fine." Conan trotted up to her side, peering at the pots on the stove. "Is dinner ready?"
"Just about--go wash up, and I'll have it on the table." Ran winked at him. "Hurry now--I've got a surprise for you afterwards!"
Conan's eyes widened. "Really? Cool!" With that, the boy skittered off to do as he was told.
Dinner was...normal. Conan chattered like a seven-year-old, Ran smiled and nodded, and Mouri gobbled his food and hurried back to his TV like usual. Afterwards, when the dishes were clean and the food put away, Ran sat Conan on the couch and brought out another small, suspiciously-shaped package. She handed it to him, sitting down beside him.
"Wow! Ran-neechan, is this from the book signing today?" Conan asked, wide eyes and all childish curiosity and wonder. "It's for me?"
"Just for you!" Ran replied. "I know you wanted to go, so I just had to get you something. I got Shinichi a present--were you there when he opened it?"
Conan smiled almost wryly. "Yeah. Shinichi-niichan was really happy. He yelled like a little kid, like it was Christmas."
Ran laughed. "I bet he did. So open yours! I wonder if you'll yell like he does."
"Okay." Conan blushed faintly and began to tear open the package. When the paper was removed, what came from his lips was not a yell, but instead a gasp of pure surprise and awe.
A book. A brand-new, mint-condition book, by one of his favorite authors--that author's very newest mystery novel, so new he hadn't read it...and it was signed.
"Ran...Ran-neechan...I...I..." He turned shining eyes up to her; this was just too much. Not just three books, but four--and even though this one wasn't technically for Shinichi...
"I thought you'd like this," Ran replied brightly. "I know you like mystery stories as much as Shinichi does...heck, he'd probably mug you for it! So I thought you should have it, since you didn't get to come with us."
"Thank you, Ran--Ran-neechan." Conan gulped, staring up at her beautiful face. "I can't wait to read it...and...I'll let Shinichi-niichan borrow it if you want..."
Ran smiled playfully. "Don't let him take it from you too easily...he ought to work for it." She laughed to herself, her gaze turning inward.
Conan's breath caught, his resolve strengthened for an instant--and in that instant he did something rather crazy without even thinking about it. Funny how his brain would decide these things without telling him first.
He sat up on his knees, leaned up to her, and kissed her lightly, briefly on the cheek.
By the time he sat back down, his face was beet-red and she was gazing at him with some surprise. He'd been close to her before, sometimes much too close for his comfort...but he'd never been the one to initiate any sort of physical contact--and especially not like this.
Ran's eyebrows were high. "Conan-kun--"
"Th-thank you for the book, Ran-neechan," Conan stuttered. "And...that's from Shinichi-niichan too, just so you know...because he said..."
Ran touched her cheek. "Conan-kun...?"
Conan jumped up from the couch, suddenly a bundle of childish energy. He grinned at her, the faint traces of a fading blush still evident on his cheeks. "I'm gonna go read now, okay? I can't wait!"
"Okay..." Ran managed a smile.
The boy hurried away, book hugged tight in his arms. He got the hell out of the living room before his expression betrayed him, running through the hall to his room.
Damn it...damn this whole situation...
Once there, he tossed the book down beside his pillow and dressed mechanically for bed. He didn't leave the lamp on, and he didn't read; he threw himself down on his futon and tried not to think about anything--not Kaitou Kid, not the book, not the gifts, not his undone homework, not Ran...
Ran...
It was hardest of all to try and keep from crying.
In a darkened room lit only by a desk lamp, a young man sat up late in front of a personal computer, hard at work, concentrating only on the task at hand. His mouse clicks were rapid and punctuated, his keyboarding quick and precise. He knew what he was looking for, he knew where to find it, and knew exactly how to get what he wanted.
Kaito Kuroba barely smiled as he logged in to FabuGem's search database. As crazy as it sounded, there were actually rich idiots who made frequent use of such information as they flung their wealth about acquiring fancy jewelry and expensive adornments. All the more convenient for those like him, who were out to get the same thing...at "lesser cost."
Make that free...all for me! Kaito let himself slip into a small grin as he entered a search string and began checking the server's logs. One could devise a way into the computer behind the webpages if one knew the proper procedures. It wasn't exactly common practice for customers to look into a business's leger, but he wasn't exactly a common customer.
This way, he could not only see who was buying what, but he could also track shipping dates and destinations, even check who was looking for certain kinds of gems. He'd cornered his opposition's attempts at thievery using this very sort of information--just as how he'd discovered the whereabouts of the Owl's Eye. He was still abuzz with adrenaline from his most recent "game"--he'd just returned from the Yokohama heist that evening--and had decided to put his energy to good use...
"Well, hello..." he muttered softly to himself, noting that three minor searches were going on along with his own. And one oddly extensive search had completed, coming up with some very interesting results--some of the very same things he himself was looking for.
Greetings, my little friend, Kaito thought at the log number that designated the computer that had requested the search. And what are you doing sniffing around my targets?
Curious, he ran through a string of commands that pulled up the log number's profile--no names, but several numbers that he recognized from his vast stores of keen memory. The other computer was connected to a university server here in Tokyo, and with a little wizarding...
Okay, make that fifteen minutes of rather frustrating attempts at hacking before he managed to fight his way into the university's main server network. He prided himself on being able to pick any lock and break into any safe...but his father had not specialized in computers. Therefore, Kaito's little cyberspace break-in was not so effortless as usual; he had to work at it.
But his efforts did pay off--the university server was connected to a computer under the log-in name of "agasa_h" but with little other information; it wasn't on the server's direct network, but rather a remote connection.
Three guesses as to who "agasa" is, he thought wryly to himself. And the first two don't count. I know only two reasons why Agasa's computer would be staking out a gem search.
"So," he whispered aloud. "Either you've decided to take up jewel thievery...or you're trying to track me through my own potential heists. Not bad, Shinichi..."
Grinning widely now, he used his break-in at the university server to "license" himself with a temporary email account--one with no attached name or address--and began to type in his message. He would make sure Shinichi Kudo knew he knew he was being tracked; no one should take the elusive Kid so lightly.
But by the time this new game was done, it would be hard to tell who was the hunter...and who was the hunted.
To be continued...