Introducing: Five Times Kudo Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito Almost Met! Some are totally made up, some are based on moments in DC.

(Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito.)

Reviews for first time fan fiction writer!

1

"It was great seeing you tonight, Yukiko-chan, Yusaku-kun." Kuroba Chikage smiled warmly as she and her husband escorted their guests to the door. "You really should come by more often."

The female guest, Yukiko, nodded in empathetic agreement. "I don't get to see either of you nearly as much anymore now that my movie's finished filming. That's when Toichi-sensei stopped giving Sharon-chan and me lessons in the art of disguise." She directed a playful glare at Toichi, Chikage's husband.

Her husband, Yusaku, chuckled. "You two go out shopping together at least every other week."

Yukiko directed her glare at her husband. "And that's not nearly enough."

The men burst into fits of booming laughter as their wives pouted and scowled defensively.

"I suppose," Toichi began after recovering, "we can't really laugh without being hypocritical, can we, Kudo-kun? Speaking of which…" The magician snapped his fingers and a playing card appeared between his index and middle fingers. He twisted his wrist to reveal the opposite side, on which was scrawled a boldly printed question mark. Yusaku grinned confidently, flashed a thumbs-up, and winked. As Toichi waved his hand and the card vanished, the women rolled their eyes at one another at the obscure, yet familiar, exchange.

"So anyway…" Chikage turned pointedly to Yukiko. "…can we expect you all at Kai-chan's surprise birthday party next week?

"Of course, but I've been meaning to ask you something…isn't Kaito-kun's birthday in June?"

Chikage winked. "That's what makes it a surprise! If it were on his birthday, Kai-chan would suspect something."

Yukiko giggled. "That sounds like Shin-chan. We would never be able to hold him a surprise party. You either," she added, frowning at her husband.

"Speaking of your son, will he be attending? I must admit I'm curious as to whom he most takes after," Toichi asked.

The Kudo couple nodded simultaneously. "He's really excited to meet Kaito-kun," Yusaku added, "especially since we told him that they look like twins."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll eventually grow out of that similarity," Chikage giggled.

"Are you going out tonight?" Yukiko frowned as she noticed her husband grab his gray trench-coat and cap. She cradled her sleeping eight-year-old to her chest, the cartoon movie they had been watching as a family still running.

"Did I not tell you?" Yusaku asked unconcernedly, shrugging on his coat. "I'm going to Kuroba-kun's magic show, grabbing a coffee, then heading to the Kaitou Kid heist."

The actress's frown deepened. "…Okay. But be back soon. And don't do anything too dangerous. Last time you came home with a sprained ankle. He's just a thief; he's not worth it."

Yusaku grinned. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

An hour later, after she had tucked Shinichi into his bed, Yukiko heard sirens.

Another hour and she received a call from the hospital: Yusaku had been admitted with minor burns. There had been an explosion at Kuroba Toichi's magic show. The bomb had been planted somewhere on the stage. There was only one fatality.

Kuroba Kaito's surprise birthday party never took place.

2

"Shin-chan, are you ready?" Yukiko called as she pulled back her curled hair with a black ribbon. "We have to go soon." She began to rummage through her jewelry box for her silver chain.

"'Ka-san…?" Yukiko heard her son moan. She paused her search for the necklace to glance in the mirror at her son.

"Shinichi!" she gasped, wheeling around. "Why aren't you even dressed? We have to go!" She scowled at her son's pajama-clad body.

"But 'Ka-san…I don't…" Shinichi was suddenly cut off by a series of violent coughs. The young boy ran past his mother into the bathroom and kneeled over the toilet. When Yukiko heard the unmistakable retching sounds that her son began to produce, she reached for the phone, hoping that their neighbor and good friend, Agasa-hakase, would be able to watch the feverish Shinichi; she was not about to bring a vomiting child to Kuroba Toichi's funeral.

3

Shinichi couldn't help but feel the slightest bit disappointed. Sure, he had successfully revealed the secret to Kaitou Kid's illusion, and sure, he had been the only one to unravel the code the thief had left behind to save the clock. And of course Kid hadn't managed to steal anything. But the teen detective hadn't had much of a chance to confront and defeat the thief. He couldn't say that he had prevented Kid from stealing the clock, since it seemed that the magician hadn't intended to steal anything in the first place. And he had definitely not caught the renowned jewel thief.

Although, Shinichi realized, after he had deciphered the code left behind on the clock face, the detective had lost most of his desire to bring Kid into custody; in this case, Kid had used his manipulation skills to save a clock that obviously meant something to him.

Shinichi's reverie was interrupted by Nakamori-keibu; he blinked at the head of the Kid Task Force, who was staring at him expectantly. "Uh…excuse me?"

Nakamori frowned in impatience. "I asked if you cracked that code yet, kid. Megure said that if anyone could decipher it, it would be you." His tone suggested that he didn't hold much stock in Megure's opinion of the teenager. Shinichi recalled that Nakamori had a daughter his own age.

"Uh, no, actually." Shinichi put a hand behind his head in what he hoped looked like embarrassment. "I, uh, don't think I'll ever get it."

Nakamori shrugged. "Ah, well. I'll see if Fuji-kun can crack it. He's good with codes." He strolled off, presumably to search for the aforementioned member of the Task Force.

Shinichi raised his eyebrows and turned, with the intention of finding Megure-keibu and seeing if he could get a ride.

"Wait a moment, Kudo-kun."

Shinichi was only mildly surprised when he heard Nakamori's voice calling him. He turned again. "Yes?"

"You don't need a ride home, do you? I'm already driving my daughter and her friend, Kuroba Kaito." Nakamori wasn't completely sure what had compelled him to offer a ride to this teenager whom he hardly knew, but he couldn't say that he wasn't a bit relieved when Kudo politely turned down his offer.

4

Sonoko would not be quiet. It wasn't that this was anything new; when Shinichi walked home with her and Ran and she was stuck in "obsessed fan-girl" mode, he was lucky if he got in three words before they reached the talkative girl's house. But usually he got an earful about the newest boy band or the current hottest actor, not the "charming, handsome Kid-sama" (her words, not his)—a criminal.

Shinichi spent half the walk to Sonoko's house puzzling over how being "charming" and "handsome" could possibly begin to make up for the thief's tendency to break the law, and the other half attempting to pretend that he was somewhere—anywhere—else (Sonoko's occasional deafening squeals were beginning to draw curious and/or concerned glances at the trio).

He was in the middle of reliving that morning's case—on the way to school, he had ditched Ran to respond to a woman's scream, which eventually led to him deducing that the woman who had discovered the CEO's body had, in fact, been the murderer—when he heard a passerby giggle, presumably at Sonoko's fawning. Surprised, Shinichi instinctively turned to see the back of a giggling, messy-haired teenager.

His companion, a teenaged girl (girlfriend, maybe? Shinichi mused), slapped him on the back of the head. "Kaito! That's not funny! You shouldn't get so excited when girls admire stupid criminals!"

"Maybe those 'criminals' deserve admiration!" the boy countered indignantly. "Besides, if you weren't that lousy inspector's daughter, you would be acting just like her." He jerked a thumb backwards, pointing in Sonoko's general direction.

"Kaito!" the girl wailed. "Otou-san is not a lousy inspector! He's doing great, considering how hard Kid is to catch!"

Shinichi's eyes widened as he realized that the girl must be Nakamori Aoko, Nakamori-keibu's daughter. And where had he heard "Kaito" before…?

He was considering introducing himself to the pair, given the girl's relationship to Nakamori-keibu, when he heard his name being called.

"Shinichi!" He tore himself away from the pair when he heard Ran's voice, realizing that when he had stopped to see who had giggled, the girls had continued walking, oblivious to his distraction.

"Hey, deduction geek!" At Sonoko's familiar insult, Shinichi almost considered walking home by himself. But he knew he wouldn't, as always. Putting up with Sonoko for ten minutes was well worth the other ten he spent alone with Ran.

5

"Shin-chan!" Yukiko squealed. Her son sighed as he bolted the door behind himself: I haven't even been home five minutes….

"Hi, 'Ka-san." Shinichi slipped his bag onto the floor by the doorframe and made his way to the library. His mother followed.

"So…how was school~?" Yukiko asked cheerfully as they entered the main library.

"Nothing eventful." Shinichi went for his violin case; maybe his playing would reward him with some solitude.

"Why were you late?"

"The usual. I saw Megure-keibu investigating a murder in the park."

"Could you help at all?" This line of questioning would look like an interrogation on paper, Shinichi realized, but his mother's upbeat attitude made it difficult to see that.

"Yeah. Solved the case for them." Okay, the violin was out of the case; now to start playing….

"Do you have much homework?" Shinichi couldn't help but wonder where she was going with these questions. She obviously wants me to come somewhere with her, he deduced. Why else would she ask about my homework?

"Yeah," Shinichi answered nonchalantly, deciding that he didn't much feel like going anywhere today.

"But you have time to practice?" Yukiko's voice did the same complete one-eighty from cheerful to threatening as it did if she were called "oba-san."

Oops. "Yeah, of course. I always have time to practice. So if you don't mind, I'm kind of pressed for time…."

"Oh, alright," the actress sighed dramatically. "I guess I'll just go drop off this photo album to my old friend all by myself then…."

"Sounds like you've got it covered." Shinichi put the violin into position and began to play as his mother scowled and crossed her arms. Suddenly, she began to tear up.

"So you really won't go with me?" she said pleadingly, her eyes shining with tears.

Shinichi groaned in frustration and almost slammed his instrument back into its case. "Alright, fi—!"

"Yukiko, if you really need someone to go with you, you could have just come to me. I'd love to see Chikage-chan and her son again." Yusaku suddenly appeared in the entrance to the library.

Sighing in relief, Shinichi tenderly lifted up his violin again, as if in apology for previously handling it so roughly. "Well, there you go, 'Ka-san. Problem solved."

"But—oh, fine." Yukiko pouted. "But we are having a long, in-depth discussion about your day today during dinner, Shin-chan."

"Whatever you say."

As his parents departed the library to visit this "Chikage-chan" and her son, Shinichi could clearly hear his mother whining, "Yusaku, he never talks to me about anything!"

Shinichi began to play his violin for the second time.

And that's all for my first story!

Just a few notes, if you didn't know:

"'Ka-san" is what Shinichi calls his mother in the anime (at least it sounds like it; correct me if I'm wrong); it's an abbreviation for "Oka-san," which means "mother."

"Otou-san" means "father."

"-keibu" honorific means "Inspector"

"-sama" is used when talking about someone you respect; Sonoko uses it in reference to Kid

Let me know if the spelling was off for any of the Japanese words (I'm not fluent…not even close), and don't forget to review!