Mikau: Hey, guys! How's it going? I hope you're all well. Thanks for tuning in once more for the third and final (unless I get hit with any brilliant ideas or get omake requests) chapter of Two For Tea. Thanks for sticking with me so far. Thanks as well to all of you who reviewed: Assasin8, PheonixShadow, Great, Kyoneko87, Aniki-xvi, Conien18, and Eyeinthesky. I really appreciate all of your feedback and support. Today we have the rescue. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, there would really be an episode or so like this story where Kid and Conan have to work together to save the day. I really liked that about the fourteenth movie. Our favorite heroes need to team up more often.

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Chapter Three: The Rescue

"What do we do now, Tantei-kun?" Kaito sighed. He was getting tired of waiting and sitting still at the police station.

"We wait," Conan sighed. "Neither of us has the resources to track credit card records and stuff like that. We wait until the police come up with an address or something."

"Or…" Kaito did a quick change into a police uniform. "We go investigate for ourselves. There's a computer right there that nobody's using." Kid smirked; Conan recognized that grin.

Conan rolled his eyes. "Alright."

Twenty minutes later they had pictures, addresses, and phone numbers for Tanaka Takeshi and Yamada Yoshitomo.

"Tanaka looks like he could be our big guy," Kaito muttered.

"And Yamada looks like the kind of guy that would leave behind the footprints we found for the accomplice," Conan confirmed.

"It took me twenty minutes to do this; why is it taking the police so long?" Kaito growled.

"They have to go back over everything we've already done." Conan shrugged. "Search for factories, abandoned buildings, and construction sites within thirty miles of Tanaka's address."

"There's ten," Kaito sighed. "We're gonna have to search all of them?"

Conan shook his head. "Just these three." He pointed to the spots on the map.

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "How…you know what? I don't care how you deduced that. Let's just pretend you're magic and go. Where to first?"

"Beika Station. We'll take the train to Haido Station and see if we can find some witnesses to point us in the right direction from there."

"Rodger!" Kaito saluted before slinging Conan over his shoulder and onto his back once more. The police uniform came off in transit, and they were en route to the train station.

Once they arrived at Haido Station, they did some asking around, showing pictures of Hakuba, Tanaka, and Yamada. They followed the leads, but eventually the trail went cold.

"We're close by that one warehouse, though," Kaito pointed out. "Which way is it?"

"Go left," Conan directed. "It'll be straight ahead on the right side. Once we get there, I'll let you call the shots as far as building infiltration and reconnaissance goes. You're the expert."

"And don't forget it." Kaito winked, heading to the left.

The warehouse was a little on the spooky side, housing old carnival rides and parade floats. They looked almost sinister in the dim lighting. The whole place was run down. The siding was falling off, and even the doorknobs were getting a little rusty.

"Where do we start, Kuroba?" Conan whispered, afraid to make too much noise.

"The roof. Hold on," Kaito returned, pulling out some sort of grappling hook/suction cup gun. Where had he been keeping that?

Kaito took aim and fired up at the roof, he pulled on the rope, making sure it would hold them before he started inching his way up.

Conan couldn't help but be impressed at Kid's upper body strength.

When they'd made it safely to the roof, Kaito headed over to the skylights, peering in to see if he could spot the detective or his captors. Unfortunately all he saw was parade floats covered in creepy clowns.

Kaito motioned for Conan to follow as he carefully moved from window to window. After he finished, he sighed in discouragement. "Tantei-kun, I don't see anybody, but let's head inside and check it out anyway, just to be sure."

Conan nodded, consenting to be put back on Kaito's back.

Kaito attached his grappling hook thingy to the roof and made sure it was secured before he opened one of the skylights and lowered them in. They dropped down onto a catwalk and took a look from above before heading down below to continue their search.

Regrettably, this warehouse was a bust. There was no sign of Hakuba or the kidnappers.

Kaito and Conan headed out the front door, shoulders slumped and glum looks on their faces.

"I'd really thought that this would be it," Kaito mumbled. He looked down at Conan for comfort and guidance.

"There's another candidate just a few streets over," Conan reminded. "It's too early to be giving up yet."

Kaito nodded, setting out for the next possible site.

On their way there, they passed a convenience store, and who should walk out but Yamada Yoshitomo carrying a bag full of premade dinners. The weasel-like man looked back and forth, left and right in paranoia before stepping out onto the sidewalk and heading in the general direction of the second abandoned building.

Kaito threw a sidelong smirk at Conan before scooping the sleuth up and putting him on his back like a baby monkey.

"Don't get too close, and don't stare at him," Conan whispered into Kaito's ear as the magician commenced pursuit.

"Does he look armed?" Kaito whispered back, doing his best not to look at Yamada while still following him.

"Nah. I think he's too spineless," Conan reported as he scanned the suspect. "Don't stand too close to him when we stop up here at the crosswalk and wait for the light. Don't draw attention."

"Chill," Kaito chuckled. "I've got it."

The tricky part came when Yamada turned off the busy main road and down a small side street. Kaito quickly scaled a fire escape, and the duo continued to tail their lead from the rooftops.

"That must be the place up there," Kaito hummed, seeing Yamada coming up on a little warehouse that didn't look like it got much use anymore. "I'm thinking we should sleep gas him, tie him up, and call the police to come get him," Kaito suggested.

Conan gave the nod as Kaito climbed down the building. "That will just leave us with one goon to worry about, and I've got a tranquilizer dart with his name on it."

"I'll leave Tanaka to you, then. I'm going straight for Hakuba…. Hopefully he's not dead."

"Don't worry. Yamada bought three dinners from the convenience store," Conan reassured as Kaito snuck up on Yamada from behind.

Kaito popped open a sleeping gas capsule and tossed it at the cook. In less than thirty seconds, the kidnapper was on the ground, sleeping like a baby. Kaito got out some handkerchiefs that were tied together and used them to bind Yamada's hands and feet.

Conan called in for backup while Kaito took care of the bad guy.

"What did they say?" Kaito inquired as he investigated the contents of the convenience store bag.

"They'll be here in ten minutes. They want us to stay where we are," Conan chuckled.

Kaito joined him in laughter. "Yeah, right. Let's go get Hakuba back."

Kaito approached this warehouse much how he had the last one, only this time he located the target and the suspect. Very cautiously Kaito lowered them both down onto the catwalk.

Tanaka was sitting on a crate watching TV with his back to Hakuba. The detective was currently chained to a metal support beam, looking a little worse for wear but very much alive.

Kaito happened to catch Hakuba's gaze, and the Brit's eyes went wide, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kaito winked and put a finger to his lips.

Hakuba rolled his eyes. It wasn't like he could say much with the gag in his mouth.

Kaito picked up Conan and jumped over the railing, landing soundlessly in a crouch position.

Conan was amazed with the thief for the nth time that day.

"Don't get shot," Kaito whispered as he set the mini-tantei down to do his thing.

Conan snuck up behind the serial killer and was about to dart the creep when he decided that that would just be anticlimactic. "Hey, Mad Hatter!"

Tanaka whipped around, eyes going wide when he saw the boy.

"Say cheese," Conan chuckled, aiming a soccer ball right at the former butler's face.

Tanaka was knocked to the ground, seeing stars, by the force.

Then Conan tranqed him, just to be on the safe side.

"Hey, Kuroba, you got anything else we could use to tie him up?" Conan called out to his partner.

"Nah, we can just use these chains once I get them off of Hakuba." Kaito shrugged going over to gawk at his friend. "Make sure you grab Tanaka's gun, Tantei-kun!"

"I'm on it!"

Kaito sidled up to Hakuba wearing a grin so big it would have done the Cheshire Cat proud. "Just look what we have here. Bondage. Sexy. Mind if I take a picture?"

Hakuba glared as Kaito took out his phone and snapped a quick pic.

"Right. Sorry. You've been tied up for a couple hours now." Kaito stuffed the phone in his pocket and set to work undoing the gag. "Better?"

"I knew you'd find me." Hakuba smiled weakly.

"Yep." Kaito rolled his eyes as he stepped around back to pick the locks on the chains. "Three…two…one." Kaito snapped his fingers, and the chains fell to the ground.

Hakuba Saguru almost went down with them. He was weak from the beating he'd taken and lack of a decent meal since breakfast.

Kaito helped to steady the detective and then slung Hakuba's arm over his shoulders so that Kaito could help support some of the weight. "I'm glad you're safe," Kaito whispered. "But as soon as you're better, I'm gonna sock you one for taking on a serial killer by yourself."

"By all means," Hakuba laughed softly. "Thank you for saving me, Kuroba."

Kaito rolled his eyes and smiled. "Tantei-kun helped. You can thank him later. For now I want to get you out of this warehouse. The police should be arriving any minute, but do you think you can walk with my help?"

"Of course." Hakuba consented to being half-carried out of the building.

True to their word, the police arrived only moments later. They took the still sleeping Yamada into custody, and some paramedics rushed Hakuba into their ambulance so that they could poke and prod and make sure everything was still where it was supposed to be. The cops were just about to go in and get Tanaka when a scream rang out.

It made Kaito's blood run cold because he knew that voice. "Tantei-kun!" He took off running back to the warehouse but stopped in his tracks when Tanaka stumbled out holding a gun to Conan's head.

"Stay back or the boy gets it," the Mad Hatter threatened. "Guns down. I've killed before and I won't hesitate to do it again."

The police looked at each other, unsure of what to do until Megure-keibu called out, "Guns down!"

Tanaka smirked, blood flowing from where Tantei-kun's soccer ball had knocked out a few teeth. The murderer started to back away, heading towards the alley leading back behind the warehouse and out to another side street. He was going to get away.

Kaito saw red. "Tantei-kun!" he screamed, getting out his card gun and aiming for Tanaka's hand.

The gun went flying, as Tanaka reeled back in pain.

In that moment of confusion, Kaito rushed Tanaka, sending him to the ground. "Let go," Kaito hissed, holding the card gun to Tanaka's throat. "They may just be cards, but at this range, they'd decapitate you in an instant. No one hurts my detectives."

Tanaka looked Kaito in the eye and let go of Conan.

The police were on Tanaka in a second, and Kaito quickly faded into the background and quietly made his getaway. He'd shown a few too many of his cards.

After Tanaka was apprehended, the police realized that Kaito was missing, and Hakuba and Conan were, naturally, questioned.

"That was the Kaitou Kid disguised as my classmate," Hakuba explained. "Don't waste your time trying to track him down. He'll most likely call in his witness statement later. If you'd like, you can question him directly after I capture him at a heist."

Sure enough, as they were down at the station giving their statements, a call came in from the Kaitou Kid about his involvement in the case that day.

Just when Conan was about to ask one of the officers for a ride home, Hakuba Saguru approached him, saying, "Edogawa-kun, if you'd like, you're invited to my house for an extremely late dinner."

"Uh, that's okay, Hakuba-san. I really have to get home. Ran-neechan is probably worried about me." Conan chuckled sheepishly. "Though, you know, do you think I could get Kuroba's phone number from you? There are still some things I'd really like to go over with him."

Hakuba smirked. "You can get it from him yourself, if you come to dinner. He'll be dropping by approximately thirty minutes after we arrive at my home."

Conan frowned. "He visits you a lot, doesn't he?"

The smirked changed into a fond smile. "He stalks me…. And I stalk him. It's a bit of a game. You'll understand when you're older."

Conan never wanted to understand. "Dinner sounds wonderful. Thank you."

Surely enough, about thirty minutes after they'd arrived at the Hakuba Manor, had had dinner, and had gone up to Hakuba's room, there was a knock at the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony.

"Come in," Hakuba called from where he sat at his desk, reorganizing the things that Kaito and Conan had left out.

"You could have unlocked the door for me," Kaito grumbled as he shut the door behind him and slipped on the guest shoes that had been placed next to the nightstand—Conan had wondered about those earlier.

"You pick that lock all the time." Hakuba rolled his eyes. "It takes less time for you to open the door using unconventional methods than it does for me to get up and unlock it for you."

Kaito stuck out his tongue as he came over to the desk area. "Hold out your hands, palms down."

Hakuba did as bid and received a sound slap on the backs of his hands for his trouble.

"Don't mess with serial killers," Kaito scolded.

Hakuba smiled. "Right. Serves me right. And thank you again."

"They could have killed you, you know," the magician huffed as he plopped down on the couch next to Conan. He moved the smaller of the detectives onto his lap and rested his head on top of Conan's, squeezing the boy almost like a teddy bear.

"I had faith that you'd come for me within a day or so. To stall for time, I told them that I'd put all my research and deductions into a safe deposit box and mailed the code to the police. They had to keep me alive long enough to get the code."

"You have too much faith in me," Kaito sighed.

"I do not." Hakuba shrugged one shoulder, turning around so that he was facing away from the other too. "Kuroba, I firmly believe that you can do anything. So far, you've never let me down, so…I'm going to keep believing in you."

"You say the sappiest things," Kaito mumbled, hiding his face in Conan's hair.

"It's called sincerity," Hakuba snorted lightly. "You should get some…. You never say what you're really thinking and feeling. You're always hiding behind that mask of yours."

Kaito set his chin back on top of Conan's head and stared at the detective's back. "I guess I could learn to be a little more honest…with my friends at least."

Hakuba turned slightly, trying to get a gauge on Kaito's facial expression without actually looking.

Kaito laughed. "Yeah, you count, Ru. Hey, I'm gonna take Tantei-kun home, but I'll be back in an hour, okay?"

Hakuba turned and genuinely smiled. "I'll see you in a bit, then. Shall I make some popcorn?"

"With nuts and chocolate?" Kaito sat up a little straighter.

"Is there any other way to make popcorn?" The blonde jokingly rolled his eyes.

"Sweet. Back in a jiffy. Try not to miss me too much." Kaito winked. "Let's go, Tantei-kun."

"I'll anxiously await your return, then." Hakuba shook his head before turning to Conan. "It was a pleasure having dinner with you, Edogawa-kun, and thank you again for helping to rescue me…and for putting up with him all day." Hakuba bowed in gratitude.

"The pleasure was all mine!" Conan returned the bow. "Thank you for dinner. You have a very lovely house."

"Oh, before I forget," Kaito piped up. "The cook. Was he involved in the other crimes too, or just the arson case? I don't get his involvement; he didn't seem like the type of guy that could actually kill."

"Ah, that." Hakuba nodded. "Yamada was involved with the young mistress, but she broke things off, breaking the poor man's heart. He agreed to help Tanaka kill her by keeping watch and fabricating an alibi for Tanaka. When I started interviewing suspects again, Tanaka probably told Yamada that if Tanaka were caught, Yamada would be charged as an accomplice in the other Mad Hatter murders as well, so, with a little persuasion, Yamada agreed to help silence me."

"I see," Kaito hummed. "Cool. Thanks for clearing that up."

With that, Conan was placed back on Kaito's back like a baby koala, and they exited out the balcony door.

"You're not going to jump off this perfectly good balcony, are you?" Conan deadpanned.

"What good are heights if not to jump from?" Kaito grinned like a shark and took a running leap. He caught a tree branch and gracefully worked his way to the ground from there.

"You're like a monkey." Conan shook his head, but he had to admit that he was a little impressed with Kuroba's acrobatic skill. "Let's go get my shoes so that I can walk."

Kaito pouted. "But I like carrying you."

"Fine, but I still need those shoes. They're…special," Conan decided upon for lack of a better word.

"That professor guy made them for you?" Kaito guessed.

"How do you know about the Professor?" Conan cast a suspicious look at his companion.

Kaito grinned sheepishly. "The possibility exists that you may have been investigated for Kid-related purposes."

Conan sighed and shook his head. "Whatever."

They retrieved the shoes and headed toward the Mouri Detective Agency, making small talk as they went.

When they finally arrived, Kaito paused in front of the staircase and set Conan down. "Well…looks like this is the end of the line."

"Yeah," Conan replied awkwardly, tracing a circle on the ground with his toe.

"Thanks again for all of your help today, Tantei-kun. I couldn't have done this without you." Kaito bowed deeply. "I would have been lost without you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm happy to help. I mean, Kid's helped me out on occasion, and I sort of had fun investigating with you today. Usually I'm doing it while trying not to get caught by the grownups or trying to corral three gradeschoolers while piecing the clues together. Having you with me today was…nice."

"I kind of had fun too," Kaito chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "You detectives sure work hard, but you make it look so easy. I don't think I could do it myself, but…I wouldn't mind playing detective's assistant again."

"Kuroba, I was wondering if you'd want to get coffee or something together sometime. I'd like the chance to hang out with you again outside of a heist." Conan swallowed hard.

Kaito smiled. "Sure. I'd like that a lot."

"Could I get your number?" Conan inquired hopefully.

"You betcha." Kaito pulled out his phone and bent over so that he could touch his phone's sensor to Conan's.

As the data transferred from phone to phone, Conan took a deep breath, leaned forward, and placed a tentative kiss on Kaito's lips.

The magician blinked in confusion, but he didn't pull back or recoil in disgust.

"Sorry!" Conan backed away holding his hands up. "I shouldn't have done that. It's just…you're really cool, and I kind of find you attractive, but I know that you and Hakuba-san are…are…"

Kaito grinned, placing a finger over Conan's lips. "Saguru and I are complicated at best…. And I'd very much like to get coffee with you sometime." With a smirk and a wink, Kaito stood up and turned to walk away, humming. "Night, night, Tantei-kun~!"

Conan smiled softly. "Good night…Kuroba Kaito."

The

End

…

(^)3

Mikau: It's a duck! (The three is the bill.) How was it? There are some parts that I'm not 100% satisfied with, but, for the most part, I'm happy with how it turned out. I'm sad to see it end, though. Feel free to write in with omake requests. I love making you guys happy, and I like writing from prompts, so if you have anything else you'd like to see from me, just ask, and I'll try my best to work it into an omake chapter. For everyone else, I'm interested in knowing what you thought, so let me know what you liked/what could have been better/what was funny/what was lame, etc. Thanks so much for reading, guys. I hope we meet again! Until then, take care!