Invert

Could it be... that you're the fake one? – Haibara Ai, in Magician of the Silver Sky

AN: Sorry if anything's familiar. . . but this is an AU of the eighth movie!

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"Oh, yeah," Nakamori was saying, wringing his hands slightly to get the feeling back into them. "This time I've brought someone to help me with the investigation."

"Although I said I don't need help, that damn Megure actually..."

"Ah, no!" Nakamori protested, looking ever so slightly embarrassed. "Megure-keibu strongly recommended him."

The Inspector turned to the men by the door, and ordered that the help be allowed in. Everyone in the room turned to look, curious as to who it might be. No one said a single word as one of the guards stood back, and measured footsteps started to appear.

First a head, then slightly hunched forward shoulders, then legs and feet. Gasps resounded around the room – both from those who knew him, and those who didn't. But the most shocked were those of Agasa, Edogawa Conan, and one Haibara Ai, although hers wasn't so loud as the others'.

With the introduction, Agasa's mouth opened at a strange angle, whereas Suzuki Sonoko exclaimed in familiar recognition. Mouri Ran said his name, almost disbelieving, and made a jerky half-movement as if to go to him the moment she saw him, the moment she heard his voice.

Edogawa Conan, however, simply stood there, hands clenched and eyes wide at the apparition, gaping. Every so often his mouth would open and close, giving him a fair likeness to a drowning fish. His expression appeared to all intents and purposes to be completely dumbfounded, but the person who appeared to be his age right next to him was not convinced as the high school detective received his welcomes and adorations from the room and the grade school detective still hadn't exclaimed anything of a accusatory manner.

Genta, one of the Shounen Tantei, asked who the newcomer was, and Mitsuhiko asked the other what he was talking about. Ayumi put her own few yen in to add what she saw of the situation – that it was Shinichi-niisan, who was Ran-oneesan's boyfriend.

It was then that something truly strange happened for anyone who thought that they understood the situation to see.

There was Ran's denial, and Sonoko's teasing, certainly. But there was also the noticeable blush that fast appeared on not Edogawa Conan, but Kudo Shinichi's face. Edogawa Conan's face, however, was pink also. . . although he also sported a look on his face as though he had been about to cough or snort.

Haibara Ai took one look at the both of them, and frowned severely. She knew the situation, or at least she thought she did, but this did not make sense.

The only Kudo Shinichi in the room should have been the one standing right next to her. Yet the only Kudo Shinichi who had reacted in the expected manner had been the one a few feet away.

She leaned slightly towards the boy next to her, who was now making actions as though choking at something. At her action, however, he straightened to listen.

"You know," she said succinctly, "one might almost believe that you were the fake one, with a reaction like that."

The response was immediate. Conan started to splutter in righteous indignation and anger, turning swiftly back to the taller figure of Kudo Shinichi.

"O- oi, me?! Haibara," he said, words growing slightly louder for the others to hear him, "He's just as likely to be the Kaitou Kid!"

Everyone's attention instantly turned to stare at the outspoken eight year old pointing a finger at his older double. Then, slowly, their heads turned to the one he was indicating.

The elder Kudo Shinichi did indeed look ever so slightly shocked and dismayed, but not long enough to be picked up by anyone who wasn't looking for it and wanted it to be there, as a moment later he was shaking his head and waving his hands about in front of him to protest his innocence. This did little to help him, though, as Nakamori's mind was already caught on the idea.

"I suppose it is possible..." he said, shortly before advancing on the detective with intent to pinch cheeks hard enough to remove a prosthetic mask and oblivious to the distress of Mouri Ran.

In the hush, Agasa bent down to Conan, who was watching the scene with a faint amount of fading triumph and fast approaching unease.

"What's going on here?" he asked, completely baffled at both this and the earlier display.

"I don't know," Conan replied, sounding suddenly professional. "Perhaps Kid simply looks a lot like me."

"Or maybe," Haibara added in, voice as dry as the Sahara, "we have been infiltrated by Kudo-kun's double."

"Oi, oi. . ." Conan could be heard complaining, apparently irritated.

But irritation did not explain the bead of sweat that streaked its way down his neck, unnoticeable to any but he.

Nakamori finished pinching Kudo's face, and the elder detective shot the younger a sharp glare, which the younger returned with a mischievous glint in his eye that only served to add fuel to the elder detective's ire, and increase the likelihood of the faux girl's vague suspicions.

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AN: All right. If anyone is confused right now, it's all right. No, really. Everything won't be fully revealed until next chapter. And if you're reading this without having seen movie 8 yet, I advise that you do so. It will answer a lot of questions, and I'd rather prevent spoilers for movie rather than spoilers for the story – as part of the fun of writing this is seeing how differently things go with one big change.

If you're wondering, I may or may not continue this past the movie. If I do, I have no plot for any further story as of yet, but there may be shorts.