You Think You're A Man: Chapter Two

[RoseMarie 0]

Author’s Note: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed Chapter One. We are very happy you have enjoyed the story thus far. Here is Chapter Two for your viewing pleasure. Sadly, we will not be able to maintain a once a week posting schedule, though we will try very hard to keep to an every two week schedule. We weren't sure about the posting rules for multiple chapters so we hope this works. Now, on with the show!

Chapter Two: Mop Chases and Murders

The loud beeping of his alarm clock dragged Kaito from the remnants of his night’s sleep. He groaned as he fumbled for his snooze button without opening his eyes. When this failed to produce the desired results he cracked one bleary eye open to stare balefully at the offending object. He gave another dramatic groan as he dragged himself out of bed. While he was used to operating on less sleep than most, last night’s dream had ensured that his sleep was not at all restful. At least there wasn’t an encore, he though with a great deal of relief. The dream had felt entirely too real as well as being both bizarre and terrifying. If I ever come across a gemstone named Blue Ocean Sapphire I’m not going to get anywhere near it! Besides, it’s not like it was even the right one in that dream.

Kaito’s mother chose that moment to call up to him from somewhere downstairs, “Kaito! You’re going to be late to school if you don’t hurry up and your breakfast is starting to get cold!” A KID-worthy grin spread across his features as he yanked his school uniform on. Leave it to Kaasan to fix him breakfast even after a long shift at work. Still buttoning up his jacket he headed downstairs. The scent of natto and tamagoyki wafted up to him as descended the stairs and with a loud whoop he dashed the rest of the way into the kitchen. “Morning, Kaasan!” he said cheerfully as she handed him a loaded plate. He wasted no time at all in devouring the food and so her return greeting of “Good morning, Kaito. Did you sleep well?” was met with a noncommittal grin and a waving hand to indicate he couldn’t reply around the mouthful of food. The moment Kaito finished his breakfast he set his plate in the sink and bounded out the door, calling cheerfully behind him, “Bye, Kaasan! Gotta meet Aoko!”

The walk to school was much the same as usual. Determined to shake the lingering uneasiness from last night’s dream, Kaito picked a fight with Aoko early in the walk and spent the remainder of the walk dodging her viciously swung school satchel. The chase ended once they reached school grounds and the two friends chatted amiably as they walked towards their classroom. Keiko snagged Aoko as soon as they entered the room, begging for help on one of the concepts they would be tested on later that day. Kaito took the opportunity to take his seat, producing his newspaper with his usual flourish. An article on the front page immediately caught his eye.

Starting May 20th and running through June 30th the Traveler’s Tear, said to be the world’s largest alexandrite, will be on display at the Edo-Tokyo Museum along with many other treasures owned by the Yasuhiro family. The museum is proud to host such a fabulous collection of priceless treasures. The Traveler’s Tear itself is one of the rarest…

The newspaper was suddenly yanked from his hands and the angry face of his best friend glared at him over the top of the confiscated paper. “Hey! Aoko!”

“How can you be just be sitting here reading the newspaper? We should be studying for our exams and you promised you’d help me!” Aoko’s glare intensified when she noticed the article he’d been reading. “Touchan thinks KID is going to try stealing that stone. He’s been trying to get permission to begin preliminary security procedures set up but nobody will listen to him since there hasn’t been a warning notice. Idiots! They should know Touchan has the most experience with that stupid thief!”

Deciding it would be best to distract Aoko from this train of thought quickly, Kaito caused the paper to vanish from Aoko’s hands and reappear in his own. “Heh, even if they did listen to him it wouldn’t make any difference. Nobody is ever going to catch KID.” Of course, it looks like he’ll be right this time. That stone is worth checking out. Eh, maybe the fact that he was right will get some of the higher ups off his back for not catching me yet. That ought to make Aoko happy. As they always did when he performed his magic for her, Aoko’s eyes held a moment of wonder before her anger at his comment caught up to her. Then the wonder was replaced by battle fire as her trusty mop was swung fiercely at his head. “What do you know anyway, you jerk! You can’t even keep your own promises about helping me study!”

Kaito ducked out of the way of the first swing as they began the familiar rhythm of ducking, dodging, and weaving about the classroom. “I am helping you. Solve this equation for x. (x cos y)3 + 3x where y is the number of people who have ever or will ever catch KID.”

“That’s not funny!” Aoko shouted as she raised the mop for another power swing at his head. Before she could follow through on the move they were stopped by a yell from the front of the classroom. “That’s enough! There are exams today and I will not tolerate this behavior from the two of you. Now take your seats.”

“Yes Ma’am!” they chorused as they both hastened to obey. Privately, Kaito grinned to himself. He was certain that Aoko would do fine on her exams as long as she did not succumb to nerves. Right now she was doubtless too annoyed with him to be nervous. Mission accomplished.

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Conan rolled over on his futon to stare out the window, his face a mask of frustration. It was quiet at the Mouri home tonight and for some reason he couldn’t seem to fathom this was serving to set him further on edge rather than helping to calm his nerves. Mouri himself was out playing Mahjong and Ran was in her room, presumably doing homework or talking on the phone with Sonoko. He rolled over again, staring up at the ceiling and kicking restlessly at the foot of his bed. The lights which occasionally passed over the room from the sweeping headlights of cars became his focus as he allowed his mind to wander. How did this day manage to go from bad to worse so quickly?

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The morning started off normally enough. Conan walked with Ran until the rest of the Shonen Tantei joined them after which they parted ways, each going towards their own school. It was upon reaching the elementary school gates that things began to go wrong. Conan knew something was up the moment Ayumi began fidgeting and scuffing her toes against the ground. He managed to pretend obliviousness until after they had exchanged their outdoor shoes for school scuffs, however. By that time, Ayumi was fed up with waiting for him to notice her and planted herself directly in front of him, hands on her hips and a determined look on her face. Conan felt a sinking feeing in the pit of his stomach as he realized she had finally decided to act on the crush she had been harboring for the past year.

“Um, Conan-kun…I…um…what I mean is…” At that point, Conan decided it would be best for both of them to cut her off before she could get any farther. Trying to let her down as gently as possible he laid a hand on her shoulder. “Ayumi, listen to me. You’re a really good friend, one of the best I’ve ever had. Let’s just keep it that way, okay?” Unfortunately, he hadn’t counted on her reaction or the extreme over protectiveness exhibited by Genta and Mitsuhiko. Ayumi’s face crumpled as she understood what Conan was saying and she turned, racing down the hallway even as the tears began to fall from her eyes. Genta and Mitsuhiko both turned on Conan, fury written across their faces and shouting in unison. “Nobody makes Ayumi cry!”

Though Conan did his best to run away, the ensuing fight ended with all three of them in the principal’s office and phone calls were made to their respective parents and guardians. Conan’s mood did not improve when Ayumi cornered him again after school. Blushing furiously she said, “Conan-kun? I’m sorry about what happened earlier. Ai-chan told me about how girls mature sooner than boys do so I’ll wait, ok?” All Conan could do was smile and nod even as he mentally threw his hands in the air. Oi oi. Seeing that Ayumi had forgiven Conan the other two were quick to do the same, though Conan managed to ditch them in order to have some time to himself on the walk home.

Desperately needing to clear his head after the events of the day, and in no hurry to go home and face Ran’s wrath, Conan decided to walk home along the river bank. He was strolling near the water’s edge, kicking his soccer ball around as he often did when feeling frustrated, when he noticed something out of place just a little further upstream. A closer look revealed a body, facedown in the water and partially washed up on the bank. Not again… All signs pointed to a recent death. Reluctant to disturb the crime scene more than necessary, Conan stepped back from the edge to call Megure-keibu.

As he waited for the police to arrive he surveyed the scene further, noting the lack of footprints in the vicinity besides his own. It appeared the killer had struck the victim from behind with a blunt object before throwing the body into the river at some point further upstream. Whoever it was seems to have ignored the fact that bodies float. If they’re this careless, hopefully they’ll be easy to catch. Shortly thereafter, Megure arrived with Takagi and Sato in tow. So used were they to Conan’s peculiarities that not once did it occur to them to send him home after they arrived, instead letting him wander as he pleased and listening without noticing to his hints. By the time the case was solved and the woman’s murderer in custody it was quite late and Takagi at last offered him a ride home.

Conan had all but forgotten the events at school and received a rather forceful reminder the moment he walked in the door. A furious Ran confronted him the moment the door closed behind him and he cringed as she lectured him on responsibility, decorum, and proper behavior. Just as he thought she was winding down she took a deep breath and began again. “And another thing! Don’t you ever worry me like this again. You’ve been gone for hours, no one knew where you were and you didn’t so much as call to let me know you were all right. This is inexcusable! Getting caught up at a crime scene is something Shinichi should be doing, not a seven year old boy! At the very least you should have called to let me know where you were. I shouldn’t have to figure it out from having Takagi-keiji drop you off again. Shinichi may never have learned to take responsibility for such things but you most certainly are!”

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Conan pounded a fist into his pillow. “Aaargh!” Grounded for a week for something that wasn’t really my fault. He had been unable to sway Ran from her decision or get her to listen to his side of the story. I’m eighteen for Kami’s sake! This is ridiculous. He stood, walking over to lean on the window sill. The truth is I’m just so tired. Haibara is no closer to a cure than she was when we began. When is something going to change?

[Kiel95 86]

Wow, this was great! Poor Conan, getting in trouble for things that he didn't start! Also since Ayumi was saying she will wait for Conan, there is going to be a lot more trouble when he rejects her again. This time... it will probably turn out worse! well if you are going to write another part, i can't wait! Keep writing, i'm dying to read another story!

[Scar Akai 65]

Hahahaha... Stupid Ayumi./ BTW, does the Kaito story and Conan's even have connection? If not, why mix the story together?

[Kiel95 86]

Hahahaha... Stupid Ayumi./ BTW, does the Kaito story and Conan's even have connection? If not, why mix the story together?

Maybe they are both having a bad day, and then their bad days intertwine to make either an even worse day for the both of them, or when the two clash their days get better... that would be cool

[Scar Akai 65]

I wonder... what do you(author) mean by grounded. No going anywhere or only school?

[RoseMarie 0]

Maybe they are both having a bad day, and then their bad days intertwine to make either an even worse day for the both of them, or when the two clash their days get better... that would be cool

Indeed you may be right, though we shall say no more for the time being. There are, afterall, many more chapters to go and we wouldn't want to spoil anything.

I wonder... what do you(author) mean by grounded. No going anywhere or only school?

Conan is only allowed to go to school and then has to come straight back to the detective agency. He's not even allowed to go to Agasa-hakase's.

[Kiel95 86]

ok, well i hope the next part is posted soon, good luck

[Scar Akai 65]

Indeed you may be right, though we shall say no more for the time being. There are, afterall, many more chapters to go and we wouldn't want to spoil anything.

Conan is only allowed to go to school and then has to come straight back to the detective agency. He's not even allowed to go to Agasa-hakase's.

He can always sneak out...

[Kiel95 86]

He can always sneak out...

we should repharse that... not 'he can always sneak out' but change it to, 'he BETTER sneak out' or at least that would make it interesting.. and then if he gets caught... fun another bad day.... haha well can't wait to read more!

[IdentityUnknown 216]

we should repharse that... not 'he can always sneak out' but change it to, 'he BETTER sneak out' or at least that would make it interesting.. and then if he gets caught... fun another bad day.... haha well can't wait to read more!

^ This.

I love it. It's great. I love Ayumi's confession. XD Not to mention Ran's comparison between Conan and Shinichi...does that mean he'll ever learn it or not?

[Lupin of the Heisei Era 248]

cool! like it!

[Cindy-Chen 82]

Yay! It's a Kid and Conan one! I love stories like that!