"Kudou Shinichi is Challenged" -part 1 -

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

A fter school,Conan sat with Haibara on Agasa Hakase's couch, losing at a game the professor had invented. When Haibara was declared winner yet again he gave up and tossed the controller at the TV. He then dug through the pile of letters addressed to Kudou Shinichi on the coffee table, searching for some fan mail to console himself with. One of the envelopes was different. It had no return address and was carelessly torn where the sender had resealed it. Still annoyed about losing the videogame, Conan tore the letter open and pulled out a sheet of ragged paper. "Looks like it's been through Hell and back," he muttered."Kind of like you," Haibara chuckled half-jokingly. Then he read it aloud. "To the worthless detective who can't deduce what matters. I will steal what is most precious to you in the World. Await my challenge." There was no signature, but the handwriting would be easy to recognize if he saw it again.

Sighing at what he had deemed an imitation, Conan got up to leave and -slipping the letter in his pocket- started his walk back to the Detective Agency. "Oji-san!" he called as he entered the room. Hearing no reply, Conan looked through the house, but Mouri-san wasn't there. Then he saw a note atop Kogoro's desk.

"Dear Ran - And brat - I recieved a request today and will not be home until after dinner. Save me something.

~Meitantei, Mouri Kogoro-san~"

Conan laughed to himself. He announces himself as a famous detective in notes to his daughter? he thought. The empty house was kind of creepy when he was alone, and Ran was going shopping after she came home and dropped off her backpack, so Conan decided to wander around and look for something interesting to do. But after ambling about for an hour he'd only found a couple of stray cats and an abandoned house that didn't look haunted and wasn't available as a hideout for thieves on the run. As I expected, he thought. And why do I keep thinking like them? -pictures Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta- "Thieves? Honestly," he muttered. "A detective needs a more stimulating challenge than finding hiding spots for cats." At this he retrieved the letter from his pocket, studying the text slowly. It still seemed like a prank to him. Then he felt something soft brush against his leg, and he leaped a few feet. It's just a cat, he told himself. But there was a collar around the cat's neck, attached to which was a small piece of notebook paper. Written in red ink by the same person who sent the challenge was, "I have stolen your most precious belonging. Your time limit to find me before I destroy it is 9:00 tonight." The cat ran off before he could read its tags, and the note said that his most prcious belonging had been stolen. Conan almost laughed.

Almost, because at that moment he saw Kogoro, who had said he was on a case, run past. "Oi, Oji-san," he shouted. "What's the matter?" Out of breath but still running, Kogoro replied, "The Suzuki girl just called me. Ran disappeared."

Conan thought for a moment, then decided that the letter and Ran's disappearance weren't connected in any way...

[Kiel95 86]

oh come now~ he would most likely think Ran was the target from that! and sides, how did that cat know to go to conan who isn't shinichi? is it Kaito who's pulling the strings?

[AiSuigetsu 110]

can't wait to read part two!!

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

oh come now~ he would most likely think Ran was the target from that! and sides, how did that cat know to go to conan who isn't shinichi? is it Kaito who's pulling the strings?

Yeah, I was planning on the story ending up as more of a parody, so I made Conan clueless. And I'm not telling who's behind the scenes, but... Good guess.

[Lupin of the Heisei Era 248]

hehe. nice!