Takato: …so.. Going over the last chapter.. During the play.. Somehow the 'You' that was ment to be 'your' misspellings… all.. Passed by me O.o0 -bangs head- argh.

Ok so.. As an author, since I can't get ahold of some people's mail addresses… I have to break a rule to take care of questions… just so you poor people (and so that I) don't have to be confused anymore.

SN- "Wow, that note thingy in the beginning was...not within expectation "

…wha? -confused- I'm… not understanding what you…mean….

Windchaser90- ..You gave me long review! Shinichi and Kaito and the reason they look alike: Uhm… I think maybe that Shinichi's character design was based off of Kaito honestly. Magic Kaito came first, and Gosho really loves Kaito's character, which is why he threw him into the Detective Conan plotline (albeit randomly)… Magic Kaito was a good manga, it just got killed off too early… so that's that one. As for chibi-Shinichi calling Toichii uncle… Conan calls Kogoro 'Uncle' all the time. It's considered 'cute' in Japan when little kids refer to some people as Uncle, Aunt, and so on. Shinichi and Kaito are… rivals, but friends in the making. They have a kinship that Shinichi can't share with Heiji I guess you can say, since Kaito has to hide his Kaitou persona, as Shinichi has to hid behind Conan… So Kaito can understand Shinichi's feelings on having to deal with alternate personalities and keeping them secret (did that make sense?).

Pyrin- Uhm… no I was kind of given an explanation as of why my turkey was tossed (The event went alright for it being rainy and cold… I'm currently semi sick now because of it T.T and I have my first job's training tomorrow -cry-)… it was because of something in Marketing and whatnot. It still really doesn't make sense so… whatever. As for my hits… I just liked seeing how many hits I had. I had over 3100+ on this one, and I'm currently at 802. My Still Alone fic was at 1000+… and… it'd had a sudden jump during the writing of this fic so.. I was happy.. But now it's low again. / Reviews are wonderful, I love them all… it's just most people don't review, so my hits are a secondary type or review…. Do you understand..?

Sun- OK! VERMOUTH GUYS! I feel kind of silly, I did have her slightly out of her current character's personality, since she does know that Haibara is Sherry and so on. But uhm… Vermouth isn't a bad guy really… it's… complicated. You'll understand what I'm trying to say if you've read my 'In a Win, Win Situation' fan fic.

As for everyone who has, and will review: I am grateful to you all. X3

Takato: Final stuffs… so… about page 5 into this fic I got obsessively into Naruto and went on a manga downloading, fan fiction spree. -sweat drop- Don't be surprised if I write one sooner or later. / oh yeah. An AWESOME Naruto fic (Mostly the reason I got totally sidetracked from writing e.e0) to check out is Training for the Job by Desaix. In my opinion, it's on Ysabet/Becky Tailweaver, etc etc level of 'HOLY CRAP, AWESOME!11one!' ok?

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan and its respective characters, and I also do not own any of the songs used throughout this fan fiction.

Deepest oceans of despair…

This vast and somber Charcoal night of space…

Have you given up yet?

What hope lingers in the crevasses and corners of your soul?

I know you.

You haven't given up yet.

You are brave in this darkness, Saint Saturn.

Sometimes the bravest thing of all… is to hope

-Atropos, Brave Saint Saturn

Nakamori

He rubbed his chin as he replayed the play's events in his head over and over again. It had been unnerving, how it had ended up.

And KID most certainly was angry, for he had seemingly disappeared for the moment.

It had been 3 weeks since that play… and no one could really make anything of it. "Nakamori-keibu…?"

He looked up to see Hakuba standing in front of his office desk, "Yes, Hakuba?"

The boy shifted, "Are you thinking of the play, Nakamori-keibu?"

The inspector nodded, "What do you make of it?"

Hakuba blinked in a resigned matter, "The play… it was KID's way of luring out our true enemy and revealing something about that Edogawa kid."

Ginzo blinked, and looked to Hakuba in a questioning/suspecting manner, "What do you mean?"

Hakuba sighed, and sat down in a chair that was in front of his desk, and folded his hands in his lap, "What I mean is… I was informed on the situation of the play beforehand. I was kind of forced into promising not to say anything until now, but… It's become necessary. Kaitou KID… you know how he's been shot at a few times?" Nakamori nodded, "Well, a few of those times… It wasn't just someone out to take a shot on the KID. They… they were out to kill him because of past accidental connections to an underground mafia of sorts… It's.. complicated, and KID wouldn't tell me much… but… He wanted to draw them out by using someone else who's almost just as important to knock out as KID himself to those people."

Nakamori had straightened up by now, "And who is this other person?"

Hakuba smiled slightly, a mysterious smile he had adapted from KID's own, to his own version, "You know that boy, Edogawa Conan? Well, he was the decoy."

Nakamori blinked, a bit alarmed, "What do you mean by that?" He himself had suspected something strange about that boy but… what in the world was this leading them to..?

"Nakamori-keibu… Edogawa Conan is an alias… He seems to have run into some trouble, and somehow managed to get himself stuck as a child. Now.. How this happened… Kaitou KID wouldn't tell me, but… He did let me know, since he knew you and I had suspected the boy, that he is non other than…"

Yowasa made zenbu miserareru kiseki

Showing everything, even weakness, it's a miracle;
Kono basho ga sagashiteta ore no iru basho

I'm here at the place I'd been searching for.

"Kudo Shinichi..! You can't be serious about this! …Are you?"

Shinichi looked to the other in an annoyed manner, "Of course I'm serious about this, Kaito."

Kaito fumbled a bit, "But, this is insane! It's..! It's..! ….Somehow I find myself liking the idea more and more as we talk about it."

Shinichi quirked an eyebrow at Kaito's words. The teen was most definitely enigmatic… Of course, he was a magician, so who was he to say anything? "Look, I know it will only last a short amount of time, and that it's dangerous… But I need to have my body, even if it's for 10 hours."

Kaito huffed a sigh, "So, You just pop a magical pill that Haibara gave you, and poof! You're Shinichi again? Kami-sama..! I can't even imagine why you'd willingly go through that more than once (Forwards and backwards)."

Shinichi smirked, "It's not that I want to, but.. Haibara… She's in trouble, and if I can have my regular body for a while.. I can probably manage something to get a lead on her… I have to…"

Kaito sighed, "So.. You want me to go and locate this pill that you just know Haibara's made that's a temporary antidote? Look Kudo, I may be a thief, but I am not a drug detector."

Shinichi smirked, "Awe… But your mom says that you're quite good at locating lost valuables.."

Kaito stared at Shinichi with a slightly awed, but moreso annoyed look, "Shi-Ni-Chi…" Conan jumped at hearing Ran's voice come out of Kaito's mouth (The thief loved to do that), "Don't drag my mother into this."

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "Oh come on, even Aoko says you're good at finding stuff."

Kaito sighed heavily, giving in, "Fine… But you have to buy me dinner."

Shinichi glared at him, "Fine. Deal."

Kaito grinned a grin that was brighter than the sun… and all Shinichi could do was roll his eyes and turn away.

Ayumi and Mitsuhiko had been nervous after the play's turn of events.

Haibara had been kidnapped right in front of their eyes.

They had both been shaken to such a point, that they almost didn't know if they should be around Conan-kun anymore.

But that was silly, because Conan-kun always did his absolute best to protect them.

He had taken a bullet that could have killed him for them.

They went to Agasa-hakase's, finally made a decision.

They were going to go to the Detective Agency to confront Conan-kun about just what was going on.

As the two children turned to go to the Agency, they pause when they heard Shinichi-niichan's gate open with a long and scary creeaakk and close with a light click, the figure of a young teen in a black dress shirt and pants with a blue tie appearing before them. The teen very quickly noticed them, "Mitsuhiko…? Ayumi…?"

They were startled, and looked to each other before nodding and going over to the older teen. The teen also walked over them, kind of bewildered, "So it is you two. What are you doing out here instead of being at school…?" When they finally met partway, they were finally able to see the teen in his entirety.

They were startled and pointed, "Shinichi-niichan!"

Shinichi double blinked, half startled, but also expecting this reaction. He smiled slightly and nervously, "Ah, so you do remember me."

Ayumi huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, "Of course we do! You're Ran-neechan's boyfriend."

Shinichi sweat dropped as Mitsuhiko nodded in agreement. Well… Since Shinichi felt he really couldn't refute that, he decided to go back to the original topic, "What are you doing out here during school hours?"

Ayumi sighed depressively, as Mitsuhiko loosened up a bit, "We were upset about what happened with Haibara-san… and then Conan-kun wasn't in school today so… We wanted to find out what was going on."

Shinichi nodded, crouching down, "I see. Well, what are you going to do now?"

Mitsuhiko and Ayumi looked to each other before turning back to Shinichi, Mitsuhiko answering, "Well… We were going to go to the Detective Agency and-"

Shinichi stood, smiling, "I was going to go there as well. How about we go together, neh?"

The two kids blinked, and even though they were a bit frustrated with Shinichi interrupting them, they followed the teen as he started on his way to the Agency.

After a few minutes of walking, Ayumi piped up, "Uhm.. Shinichi-niichan… Why are you here..? You're gone a lot and stuff…"

Shinichi smiled slightly, looking back at them, "Well, I got a bit of a break…but anyways, where's your friend, Genta?"

Mitsuhiko rolled his eyes, "He got sick (for once) and couldn't come to school today so.. He's home."

Shinichi nodded, looking ahead again.

"…Shinichi-niichan?"

"Yeah?"

Ayumi shifted in her walking before stopping, "Are you really Conan-kun…?"

Shinichi stopped, surprised before turning and looking at the two kids, who looked back with determination and a bit of nervous restlessness. He blinked a bit, frowning, "Why would you think that?"

Ayumi and Mitsuhiko glanced at each other, "Well.. It's just…"

Mitsuhiko stepped forward slightly, "Haibara-san said that her and Conan-kun were older than us… and you only appear when Conan or Haibara aren't really around… And then there was that time when we could see what we looked like in 10 years, and… Haibara-san and Conan-kun (especially Conan-kun) didn't wanna see…"

Shinichi raised a hand to his head and rubbed at his head a bit, "So, you think I'm Conan-kun, huh?"

Ayumi practically jumped forward, "And Conan-kun likes Ran-neechan, just like you do! You have to be the same!"

Shinichi blinked, nonplussed by their reasoning's. They weren't particularly good reasons, but at the same time, for a child, they were valid. Shinichi rolled his eyes slightly and sighed slightly in defeat, "If you really think I'm Conan-kun, ask me a question that only Conan-kun would know."

Ayumi and Mitsuhiko looked to each other nervously, and then slowly smirked. Mitsuhiko looked up to Shinichi, "When Minami-san had to get dressed and Genta pushed the music start button, why did you pick up the microphone and start singing, even though you're tone deaf?"

Shinichi blinked, slightly annoyed, "Because the crowd was restless and…"

Shinichi paused.

He walked straight into that one, didn't he? He sighed and rolled his eyes, "Ok, fine, you got me. I am Conan-kun, but you two can't say anything to anyone or you'll be in great great great danger, ok?"

The two kids blinked at his bluntness, "Ok."

Tada soba ni omae ga iru nara

If I just have you at my side,

Ikusen no yaiba ni demo ore wa makenai
Even against a thousand blades, I won't give in.

When Shinichi and the kids got to the Detective Agency, Shinichi found himself not appreciating his surprise. There, on the couch sat a one, madly grinning Kaito, an abashed Aoko, and a grumpy Heiji.

Ran smiled nervously after her initial excitement of him being back, "Shinichi..?"

Shinichi went over to Kaito with a bored and agitated expression, "What are you doing here?"

Kaito grinned, "Awe, you don't love me?"

Shinichi's eyebrow twitched as Ayumi and Mitsuhiko tried to not giggle, "No. I don't. Now, I know you're upset about that tracking job I asked you to do but…"

Kaito stood up suddenly, "Akako threatened to turn me into a dog because of that! That is why I can tease you!"

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, nonplussed, "..Akako?"

Kaito threw his arms up, "She's a witch! A WITCH! I swear! She's out to ruin my life, and she's creepy, even creepier than Haibara! I swear Kudo, if you see her, run away."

Shinichi, still, had no idea what he was talking about, when suddenly he got a flashback of a woman in inappropriate clothing with a crystal ball…

"Oh. Oooh… So… that was Akako?"

Kaito blinked, "You've met her?"

Aoko raised an eyebrow as Heiji, Ran, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko all listened in, "Uhm… No… Yes… Well… it's complicated."

Kaito stared at Shinichi, "Complicated?"

Shinichi shifted, "I.. Met her in a dream. It really really messed up dream I had after reading too many of Mi-…Manga's"

Kaito got a slightly confused glint in his eye over the 'Mi' thing, but he figured he should let it be, and shrugged, "If you say so."

Shinichi nodded, glad it was dropped.

For now.

The Sun Rose

The Sun Set

The Moon Wept

The Crow Left

A Childs Cry

Nothing to Say Goodbye

A Single Drop

The Dove Flew

Faltered

Dropped

All in the Silence of Night

Kaito sighed softly as he looked at the clock after looking over his and Shinichi's notes, doodling and writing poetic snippets.

Shinichi had 2 hours left before returning to Conan.

He rubbed his eyes as he heard the doorbell. Knowing his mother wasn't there, he pushed himself out of the KID room and went to the door, trying to rub his weariness out of his features as he opened it, "Hell-oh."

Hakuba stared at him blankly, "Do you greet everyone at the door impolitely, or am I just that special?"

Kaito blinked, "Did you just… Make a joke?"

Hakuba raised an eyebrow, "You're surprised?"

Kaito sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "What do you want?"

"I want in."

Kaito blinked, quirking an eyebrow, "Huh?"

Hakuba shifted, "Look- I know you're planning something big with Kudo and Hattori. I. Want. In."

Kaito thought a bit, copying Shinichi's 'thinking' pose, "Now suppose you do come with us… Your deerstalker coat would be a dead giveaway."

Hakuba stared at him blankly, "…Kuroba…"

Kaito looked to Hakuba and grinned as he shoved his hands in his pockets again, "Alright, but only if you let me fix you up outfit-wise so you don't wear something dumb."

Hakuba blinked, "You're serious."

Kaito nodded, grinning even more (if possible), "Yup!"

Hakuba sighed. It was going to be a long night.. He just knew it.

And in a creepy mansion far, and yet not very far away, a young woman sat on her 'throne' as she stared at her crystal ball that lit the room dimly. She smirked, 'You boys have no idea what you're getting into…'

Ima dare no sashizu mo ukenai

We won't accept what anyone tells us,

Aoki yasei o daite
And embrace the untamed wilderness.

Haruka ni aru taiyou no
The sun, far in the distance,

Fumoto o mesashite
Is where we cast our eyes.

Nakamori-keibu stared blankly at the thief who lounged in his office chair, his hat tipped over his face as if sleeping, and with that damn grin of his on his face. He seemed to sleep rather peacefully, considering he was in a police station, "Have you gained some new hobby there, KID?"

The KID's grin got a bit wider (Nakamori shivered, he really did see that grin in his nightmares), "Nope, just for today." The thief tipped his hat up so that they look each other in the eye, "I must say though, this isn't the most comfortable situation, Keibu."

Nakamori blinked, mentally wishing for a cigarette, "That so. Now, why is it you're here KID?"

Kaito laughed lightly to himself, knowing the inspector must slowly be realizing just how different he must look compared to the Kaitou he chased 10 years ago, "I'd like to ask for your assistance. This is something not only myself, but Kudo Shinichi and Hattori Heiji asks."

Nakamori paused, "That Kudo kid is asking-!"

Kaito raised a hand, "I'm not done." It was then that Ginzo noticed the KID's features. He was tense, "I also ask this in memory of your dear friend, Kuroba Toichii…"

Hakuba shifted his gear, surprised at Kaito's ability to gauge just what weaponry he could use appropriately. The British boy smirked, feeling a sense of confidence from the thief's gear. It had felt strange, being given his current ensemble, yet, after putting it all on with the gear, he understood.

This was best suited for mobility, the least amount of weight with the most possible protection.

Kaito was no slouch.

He clipped on the watch presented to him by Shinichi, and he hid away the 'Detective Boys' badge in a hidden breast pocket in his trench coat. He looked himself over again, taking in the black long-sleeved shirt that was a also a bullet-proof vest, his choker (It supposedly could be used to throw off his voice's location, a present from Agasa-Hakase), and his somewhat baggy black pants. He felt awkward, and yet as he shifted his crossbow, the outfit would continue to make more sense. He clicked his gun on the backside of his belt, and placed a dagger on the inside of his pant leg, amazing himself with how much weaponry he'd been given, even just for back-up.

He looked over to Kaito who was in his KID 'uniform,' the flashiest thing available to him, "Do you have to wear that?"

Kaito looked to him and smirked, "Of course, it's a perk to being dead you know- the element of surprise and all."

Hakuba rolled his eyes as he then looked at Heiji, who was wearing an outfit similar to his own, "How are you doing, Hattori?"

Heiji glared at them, "You might as well put black eyeliner on me. Honestly Kuroba!"

Kaito smirked, "Want me to powder your face too? You're a bit too… dark to be goth Hattori-kun, unlike 'Kuba over there."

The British boy humphed as Heiji sighed in annoyance, "If Kazuha saw me-"

"AHO!"

Heiji dropped his sword on the ground, startled as Kazuha grabbed him by the scruff on his top, "What do you think you're doing, leaving me behind! AHO AHO AHO AHO AHO!"

Kaito covered his mouth, trying not to laugh, but doing rather horribly as Hakuba watched nonplussed, "I see this happens often?"

Kaito nodded as he went off to look for some more gear, "Now Kazuha, please don't kill him! We still need him for tonight!"

Kazuha sighed at Kaito's comment and dropped the Osaka-jin as he picked up his sword, "AHO! What's the big idea suddenly showing up here!"

Kazuha glared at Heiji and then switched to examining her nails, giving off a bored expression, "I want to help, and besides, I want to get back at Vermouth for interrupting the play."

Heiji fumed as Kaito came back with another black outfit, "Here Kazuha, I think this will be alright."

Kazuha looked at it for a moment before looking to Kaito, "You sure do have a lot of girl's clothing Kuroba…"

Kaito grinned, "Comes with the job."

Kazuha blinked and turned, shrugging, "Whatever." She then went to Kaito's bathroom to change herself.

Heiji glared at Kaito, "What. Was. That?"

Kaito blinked, "…Uhm… Hey, your girlfriend can help us out. I gave Shinichi gear for Ran as well since we figured she'd karate chop him to death if he didn't let her come."

Heiji sweat dropped, "I.. Guess. But Kazuha-!"

"Is the same."

Heiji tried to refute that but…

He'd lost before he started.

Saa tori kono michi ikou

So then, along this long road we'll go,

Kanarazu asahi wa noboru
As the morning sun will surely rise,

Toki o koe mamoru kara
As I'm watching over you across time,

Hikari no arika e mukaou
We'll head for the light.

Shinichi slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring into a vast darkness. Slowly, he felt a cool breeze pass him as he found himself standing on the roof of Tokyo Tower, looking out across the night lit city. His clothes rustled in the wind, his bangs also getting in the way at times.

'What am I doing here…?'

A soft chuckle rang out, causing Shinichi to spin around and come face to face with, "Kaitou KID!"

The thief smiled with his arms crossed as his cape billowed around him, the charm on his monocle playing in the wind, "It's been a while since I've been called that… Shin-chan."

Shinichi paused, "Oh hell."

The thief smiled more, "Ah, so you recognize me."

Shinichi sighed, "First I'm a kid, then I go through bits and pieces of a dead man's life.. And now I'm talking to said dead man. Dammit, this can't be happening!"

Toichii chuckled, "Ah, but it is my boy! It is!"

Shinichi rubbed his head in annoyance, "Are you haunting me now?"

Toichii exhaled heavily, "No, of course not. I just wanted to.. teach you a few things."

Shinichi looked to the phantom, studying him a bit, "Teach me..?"

Toichii smiled a bit more, "You have a gift… And I am the only one who can help you with that…"

Shinichi glared, "Gift…?"

"You have potential boy, now, pay close attention because I can only go through so much in the time that we have."

The teen nodded before stopping, "Uhm.. Why is it I'm able to speak to you?"

Toichii's smirk lessened a bit, but stayed, "Because boy, you're dead."

Shinichi bolted awake, and clutched onto the closest thing to him as tightly as he could, trying to catch his breath. Again. Again he had dealt with Toichii.

It took a few moments for his thoughts to stop spinning before realizing his body was small. 'Conan.' Shinichi released his death grip on Ran as he realized he was Conan again.

….Ran?

Conan blinked, and then swallowed, 'Oh shit.'

He looked up at the girl who seemed to be looking down at him with a bit of worry, his secret out. 'Was she here the whole time…?'

Tears gathered in Ran's eyes, "Are you.. Alright now?"

Conan slowly nodded, and she smile a little, relieved, "Never ever do that to me again Shinichi… never."

Shinichi nodded slowly, feeling his world spin as he suddenly passed out, knowing that Ran wouldn't kill him for now.

And that's what mattered.

Kaito walked through the alleyway, tightly grasping a special item in his hand, his breath shaky.

He finally stopped at her apartment, and closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath.

He smiled and made his way to her bedroom window. Once there, his favorite dove landed next to the sill as he laid down his gift, smiling sadly. 'Aoko.. I don't want you caught up in this mess.'

He then continued his decent upwards, leaving his dove with his present, hoping that it would buy him time.

Time was something they couldn't afford now.

For it was… Time.

A few minutes later, Aoko came into her room and very quickly noticed the distinct sound of a bird cooing at her windowsill. A bird that could only belong to a one Kuroba Kaito.

She sighed lightly and went over to the window, opening it carefully as to not frighten the bird, "You have a message for me?"

The dove cooed in response as Aoko untied the small note wrapped around its leg. Once free of it's burden, the dove flew off in a flurry of feathers. Aoko watched for a moment before looking down and noticing an extra present.

A gold ring with a clear blue stone surrounding a golden 4-leaf clover…

The same clover that was on the KID's favorite charm.

Aoko picked it up shakily, tears slowly gathering in her eyes, "You.. baka… What is this supposed to mean to me…! Kaito!" She slid down to the floor and cried softly, clutching the ring and his note in her hands, holding them close to her chest.

She had to help him.

She had to.

She roughly wiped the tears from her face, and stood up slowly, gathering her strength as she slid the ring onto her finger. It was time to pick up where her mother had left off.

She smiled down at her, "Aoko… what would you do if someone dear to you was in trouble?"

Aoko blinked childishly, "I'd protect them!"

She smiled a bit more, though with a feeling she wouldn't be able to fully understand until she was older, "What if you had to die to protect them?"

Aoko thought a moment, "Well, if they were still alive, I'd still be happy!"

Her mother laughed lightly, "I'm glad you answered my questions my dear Aoko…."

I'm sorry.

Ima me o sorasanai de ikou

There's no turning away as we go now,

Aoki yasei no mama de
Free to do just as we please,

Doko ka ni aru taiyou no
Somewhere, there's the glittering of

Kirameki motomete
The sun we're longing for.

Ai tended to Ayumi's wound as best she could, though it was hard since she was bleeding herself. There had been a lot of noise before Ran, Aoko, Kazuha, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko had burst in, and she'd managed to get nicked with a bullet's ricochet. Even so, Ayumi's stab wound, though not fatal, was an extreme burden here.

Mitsuhiko bit his lip as he kept lookout at the door, his small stature a plus in this situation.

Ran held onto the unconscious girl, barely holding back her tears, "Will she be alright, Ai-kun…?"

Ai nodded slightly, "She'll be alright, so long as we get her help soon…" Haibara looked up at Ran, "You should go to him."

Ran blinked, "What do you mean?"

Ai smiled slightly, "I think… I think Shinichi is going to need you very soon, Mouri-san… You should go to him."

Ran straightened up, "Ai-"

Ai looked Ran in the eyes, "Just follow that heart of yours, Angel…"

Ran swallowed heavily and nodded. She slowly got up and Aoko took her place in holding Ayumi, "Alright then…"

A loud Pi-kon! was heard, followed by a few grunts and soon, a pink mist passed by before the door was opened, startling the occupants as Kaito gasped and shut the door behind him.

He slid to the floor and closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath, "Kaitou Kid!"

Kaito cracked an eye open, a bit exhausted from all the acrobatics he had to manage already within the hour of having begun their raid with the police and FBI, "Hey there."

Everyone was unsettled by the thief's exhaustion. Ran moved over to him, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Kaito looked up to her and smiled a bit, "Nope, just need to rest for a moment here."

Ran nodded, and as Kaito took in Ayumi's condition, Kazuha stepped in front of him, "Do you know Kudo is?"

Kaito blinked at her, "Uh.. Well… Kind of."

Kazuha huffed, "And what about Heiji?"

"He's fine."

Kazuha nodded, that was all she needed to know.

Kaito then looked to Aoko and blinked, her eyes catching ahold of his, "Kaito…"

His eyes darkened a little in guilt and sadness, "Later Aoko…. Later, I promise."

Aoko looked down and nodded. There was a ruffling of clothes, and suddenly Kaito was right next to her, KID outfit and all, and he took out a watch. Ai raised an eyebrow as the others were a bit confused. Kaito looked to the shrunken scientist, "Would it be alright if I used this to help her relax, and to keep her from waking up suddenly and making her condition worse?"

Ai blinked, "That would be.. Fine."

Kaito nodded and clicked the watch, and used an anesthetic dart on the young girl, "There." He stood and put the watch away, "I need to get back to where Kudo is."

"Take Ran with you."

Kaito raised an eyebrow at Ai before looking to Ran, who seemed as ready as she was going to get, "Alright then."

They walked out of the room, the occupants left behind were left to hope and pray that nothing ill would come of them…

It had been two days.

Two days since the beginning of the end had started.

They were unnecessary now, having done all that was needed to begin the domino effect.

Kaito breathed in deeply, wracking his brain for something he could do for Shinichi… What could he honestly tell him?

He sat in a park bench, the wind messing with his already wild hair. He closed his eyes and lent back, listening to the slow steps of another.

They came closer and stopped by him before he heard the shifting of their clothes as they sat down next to him, a slight creak from the bench as it showed its age, "Kaito."

He smiled just slightly, "Aoko." He opened his eyes and looked to her, still tired and knowing he still had to give his testimony to Nakamori-keibu.

"The ring…"

"I know."

Aoko sighed as she fingered it a bit, "…Why did you give this to me?"

Kaito smiled a bit more, "I'm not sure…"

Aoko looked to him as he continued, "One day I just decided that you deserved something precious… I've never given you anything particularly special that can last longer than a memory… So I had that ring made…"

Aoko got a little frustrated, "But… why then Kaito..? Where trying to say goodbye..?"

Kaito looked her in the eyes, startling her with their depth, "No. I just… I just didn't know what was going to happen… so I just gave it to you then. I suppose I should have waited… But even though I'm a magician.. I don't know the future, Aoko…"

Tears gathered in her eyes as she lunged herself at her childhood friend, crying and clinging onto him as if for her own life, "Never ever do that to me Kuroba Kaito! Never!"

Kaito held onto her, smiling a bit, "I promise."

Meanwhile, Ran watched over the comatose Shinichi as he slept away, oblivious to his surroundings.

"What will you do now, now that you know Conan-kun is Shinichi, and that he had to take a man's life, Mouri-san…?"

Ran didn't even glance at Ai, as she replied softly, yet firmly, "I'm going to stay by his side… He's tried his best to make me happy… and… He's gone through so much, how could I abandon him now, at a time like this…?"

Ai smiled as she closed her eyes and turned, "I'm glad to hear that Mouri-san… Take care of him will you? He's… important to me…" She opened her eyes, "Beside's… I still have something left to do for him so… I need to finish my research. Tell him to not bother me in the meantime, alright?"

Ran nodded, "Alright… and.. Don't work yourself too hard, alright Ai-kun?"

Ai smiled, "I'll try."

The girl left, a soft click was the last sound Ran heard for a long time, other than Shinichi's soft breathing in the cold white room.

Saa onaji kono michi ikou

So then, along the same road we'll go,

Kuraki kouya tsukinukete
Breaking through the dark wild lands

Toki o koe tsunaida te
Hands that join together across time,

Zutto hanasazu ni hashirou
Never letting go, let's run!

Kaito walked through the police department, getting strange looks from the other police officer's. In return, he just grinned and waved as he passed by, causing even more confusion as he made his way to Nakamori's office.

He raised his hand and knocked, "Nakamori-keibu?"

He heard a slight shift and a grumble, "KID?"

Kaito gulped, sweat forming on his brow, "Yes."

"Come in."

Kaito shifted and opened the door, his palms sweaty as he closed the door behind him.

He stood at the door as Nakamori blinked, "Kaito?"

Kaito blushed slightly, smiling a little, "Yeah?"

Nakamori gave him a blank look, "You better not be pulling some prank-"

Kaito sighed and sat down in the seat across from the inspector, "No.. I'm not joking. I'm Kaitou KID, Kuroba Kaito, son of the original Kaitou KID, Kuroba Toichii."

Nakamori tensed, "Boy…"

Kaito lent back slightly, smiling just a little, "There's a reason I picked up where my dad left off, Nakamori-keibu.. I assure you. And no, it wasn't to make you have ulcers."

Nakamori glared at him, "Then what is it boy..?"

Kaito sighed, "Well… You know how my dad died on his last show..? Well, it all kind of started before that- and yeah, this does actually lead into my testimony for the case of the taking down of the Black Syndicate… Trust me. Hakuba did, and you can too… Now it all started with a Gem… a Gem that I still have to try and find so no one else with evil intentions will get it. The gem that started it all is called…"

The Pandora Gem….

The Gem of life.

Four figures stood in various places.

A man in the outfit which renowned him to be called a Phantom of the night, watching proudly over his son as he took a step into his adult life…

A woman who stood in a police uniform, smiling gently as her daughter began her own step into womanhood, and into a difficult path at first that would slowly get easier over time…

An actress who stood in black clothing, smiling down at her Angel and Silver Bullet… her Cool Guy…

The two people she put her life on the line for.

And finally…

Finally a young woman watched over her young sister as she began her difficult path through life, knowing that she would pull through, and be happy in the end.

That was all they could do… For the dead don't usually speak.

They watch.

Protect.

Hope.

And finally…

They fade away.

in perfect orbit they have circled
as the light of many worlds falls softly on their skin
and days here pass like minutes
one moment of brilliant daylight will shift into the next
a flash of dark behind some distant lost moon
and then it is over
like the pause before waking
sleep is replaced by light, and life and hope
it is the light of one far away sun that has beckoned them to leave
and the hope of home that has lifted them from slumber
the hope that; though the dark may come
the sun also rises

Takato: I hope you enjoyed this (for other tidbits after, before, and during the fall of the black org, go to the fics 'In a Lose, Lose Situation, In a Win, Win Situation' alright? I honestly just don't have the writing ability to put in the extra details, and you can get an idea of what happened from those two fan fictions.). I've wanted it to be finished for a while, and now, I can say this fanfiction is as complete as I'm willing to make it. It's been very difficult to pull a plot into this, but... I somehow did it, as scattered and prolonged as it was.

I also didn't want to spoil the 'final mood' with an author's note here, but myeh. I'm unsure if I used this final 'verse' at the end before in this fanfic but.. That's alright. It's from Brave Saint Saturn's Prologue (The light of things hoped for album)

I wish you all the best…

Shinjitsu wa Istumo Hitotsu!

There is Only One Truth!

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