You Think You a Man Chapter 4

[RoseMarie 0]

Authors’ Note: Hello everyone! Believe it or not, we’re not dead. We sincerely apologize for the long delay in posting this chapter. Real life severely interfered and both of the Giggle Twins have been sick. Also, this chapter has undergone much revision and the addition of about 1000 words. We hope you enjoy it and ask that you please review. While we certainly appreciate the alerts and favorites we’ve received we were both disappointed by the lack of reviews last chapter. While we would never hold a chapter hostage for reviews we do find them very inspirational and motivating.

So on with the show and please review! (And don’t kill us, we swear chapter five is nearly done as well.)

Chapter 4: The Hook

Wednesday May 26

A message arrived at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters late last night, signed with the Kaitou KID’s distinctive caricature. The original message read as follows.

La luna piena guarda dal suo picco per il dolore di un vagabondo viaggio e sorrisi su colui che viene a togliere quel dolore.

(KID doodle)

Sources report that the message baffled police until one enterprising officer realized the notice was written in Italian. According to translators the letter reads:

The full moon looks down from its peak on the sorrow of a wanderer's journey and smiles upon the one who comes to take that sorrow away.

While police are still working out the riddle’s full meaning, is seems apparent that the heist will coincide with the full moon this Friday. Nakamori-keibu, head of the Kaitou KID Task Force, had this to say regarding the notice…

A surge of joy shot through Conan as the paper fluttered out of his grasp. A KID heist! Errr…should I really be this excited? Conan thought a little guiltily. A resigned sigh escaped him. Ah, who am I trying to fool? Chasing that thief, trying to make sense out of his actions, it’s always exhilarating. Truth is, this is just the break I need right now. No sooner had he thought it then a jolt of realization shot through him, followed by crushing disappointment. Damn it! I’m still grounded on Friday and I don’t think Ran is going to relent enough to let me go.

It was now the fourth day of his grounding and Ran hadn’t budged an inch in his punishment. He was only allowed to leave the house for school after which he was to come straight home. No stops, no detours, no tagging along on any of Mouri’s cases, and absolutely no trips over to Agasa’s house. Conan was suffocating under the crushing boredom of this routine. The only bright point in the entire affair was that Mouri had received no major cases in the last four days. The only client that had come by was for a case Mouri could handle easily enough on his own. In fact, he was off on that case currently, tailing a suspected con artist.

Conan reached for the abandoned paper, intending to read the rest of the article, curious as to what Nakamori’s thoughts were on the notice. The sound of Ran’s bedroom door opening interrupted him and he hastily shoved the newspaper into his backpack before Ran could see it. If she caught him with it there would be no hope of going to the heist. “Conan-kun? What are you doing?”

“Just checking to be sure I have my homework, Ran-neechan!” He gave her his best “I’m just a cute little boy” smile as he zipped up his backpack and hopped down from the breakfast table.

“OK, well hurry up and get your shoes. We need to leave or we’ll be late to school.”

“Hai!” He gave her a sunny smile and dashed off to get his shoes, seeming for all the world like the care-free boy he pretended to be.

00000

Conan’s thoughts constantly returned to KID’s heist notice as he and Ran made their way towards school. Why did he write it in Italian? He’s never done that before and he never does anything without a reason, it must be significant. I’ll have to see if I can find out if any gems currently being displayed have Italian connections. What about the repetition of sorrow? He uses it twice.

Conan’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud, cheery shout from behind them. “RAN-CHAN! Wait up!” Much to Conan’s irritation, Ran tugged him to a stop to wait for Sonoko to reach them. The excitement on her face made Conan’s heart sink. She saw the paper. That means she’s going to tell Ran about it. Sure enough, no sooner had Sonoko reached them then she burst out, “Ran-chan, did you see the paper this morning? There’s going to be a KID heist on Friday!”

“No, I didn’t read the paper this morning. In fact, I didn’t even see the paper this morning.” She threw a suspicious look towards Conan who just blinked innocently at her and then morphed into excited little boy mode. “A KID heist? Really? Ran-neechan, can I go, please? If I’m really good ‘til then? Please?”

“Yeah, come on Ran-chan, we can all go see Kid-sama!” For just a moment Conan thought he had been wrong, that Ran might relent. Then a chorus of young voices dashed his hopes completely. “A KID heist? Oooh, that’ll be fun! Does this mean Conan isn’t grounded anymore?” Ran’s face closed off, a determined look on her face as she turned to face the Shonen-tantei.

“No, kids. I’m sorry, but no. Conan is grounded until Saturday and that’s final.”

“Awwwwww,” was the chorused reply from the three real children while Conan allowed himself to slip into a true sulk, disappointment written all over his face and in the slump of his shoulders. Ai threw him a quietly sympathetic look before her usual impassivity settled back over her features. Ran turned back to Sonoko, saying apologetically, “I’m sorry, Sonoko, I won’t be able to go either. I’ll need to stay home to keep an eye on Conan.”

“Nonsense! Ran-chan, you’re not the chibi’s mother. Leave the shrimp with your dad and lets go have some fun.”

Ran waved the kids off towards the grade school before replying to Sonoko, much to Conan’s private disappointment. Well, if she goes to the heist at least it’ll be easier to sneak out of the house. For once the loudmouth might actually be useful.

00000

That night when Ran sent him to bed at 8 o’clock, Conan went with his usual grumbles of protest. They were only for show, however, Conan forcing himself not to seem eager to get to bed. Mouri was out drinking and playing mahjong so he would be undisturbed for the rest of the night. Once he was alone in the room he shared with Mouri, Conan set himself up for a night of research, tucking his laptop and a flashlight under his pillow and a notebook containing the newspaper with KID’s notice under the futon. Then he lay down and pretended to be asleep. About an hour later the door was quietly pushed open and Ran stuck her head in, peering intently at him. Conan lay still, sprawled across his futon in the closest approximation he could create to how the Shonen-tantei slept during sleepovers and camping trips. He kept his breathing deep and regular until she withdrew, apparently satisfied that Conan was truly asleep.

Conan sat up as soon as Ran’s footsteps retreated down the hall. Pulling out the supplies he had stashed earlier, he booted up his laptop, spread the newspaper out beside him, and balanced his notebook on the knee his laptop wasn’t on. Then he began to work, turning the words and phrases of the heist note over and over in his mind, fingers flying over the keys of his laptop as he entered queries into his search engine. A gem with Italian connections, that’s the first thing to start with. And sorrow…something to do with sorrow…Aha! Got it! His eyes scrolled down the page, reading the brief history of the Traveler’s Tear. Wanderer’s journey…traveler. Sorrow…tears. This has to be it. Now the timing. When is the full moon at its peak? Another quick search brought him the answer. Okay, so it will be this Friday at midnight. That’ll be a late night. With any luck Ran will sleep over at Sonoko’s afterwards and she’ll never know I was gone.

00000

Sonoko picked Ran up at the Mouri Detective Agency right after dinner on Friday. Before she left, Ran once again reminded her father that Conan was grounded and that under no circumstances was he to be allowed to out of the house. Predictably, after she left Kogoro proceeded to ignore Conan, choosing instead to settle in front of the TV for a Yoko marathon, complete with large quantities of beer. By the time 10:00 rolled around the only sounds coming from him were loud snores and the occasional mumble of “Yoko”.

Heh, no worries there. He’ll never even notice I’m gone. Now I just have to be sure Ran doesn’t see me at the heist. I’d best get going. Conan slipped quietly out the door, locking it behind him. Once on the sidewalk he powered up his skateboard and took off towards Beika Station.

A short train ride later found him at the exit to the Ryogoku Station. Despite the hour, the crowds were already thick and Conan found himself weaving through a sea of legs to reach the front. I really hate being short. At long last Conan pushed between two pairs of legs and found himself at the police cordon set up around the museum. Two officers stood on either side of the entrance, keeping the crowd at bay. “Sorry folks, no entrance to the museum except for authorized personnel,” was their oft repeated mantra.

Damn it. Normally I can just get in with whomever I’m accompanying. Should have thought of this before. How am I going to get in? At that point fate intervened and a group of Task Force officers trotted up. “The perimeter is secure,” reported the officer in the lead.

“Took you long enough. Nakamori’s waiting on you for the follow up meeting.”

“Sorry, sorry. Had a hard time with the crowd.” Each officer submitted to the routine face pinch and trotted past the perimeter guards. Conan, small and unobtrusive, ducked under the cordon while the guards were busy with the late arrivals. This plan, as it turned out, was only a partial success. No sooner had Conan made it to the door of the museum then one of the officers, just coming around the corner, spotted him. “Hey, boy! Hold it!”

A hand grabbed hold of his shoulder and turned him around. The owner of the hand was a young officer who squinted at him for a moment before speaking again. “You’re that Edogawa kid, aren’t you? The one who’s always following Detective Mouri around?” Conan nodded. “You shouldn’t be here but Nakamori-keibu is going to blow his top if he has to delay this meeting any longer. Come with me and we’ll see what he wants to do with you afterward.” The officer took his hand and led him through the organized chaos that was police and senior museum staff in the middle of pre-heist preparations.

They came at last to the door of the first floor conference room. Even from ten feet away, Conan could hear Nakamori’s bellowing. He winced. This does not bode well for my being allowed to stay and participate. The officer leading him by the hand took one of the remaining seats, gesturing to Conan to sit on the floor next to him. Conan grudgingly did as he was told. There was no point in antagonizing anyone right now by disobeying. He settled in to wait as Nakamori called the meeting to order.

00000

The young officer who had escorted Conan into the conference room propped his chin up on his hand, elbow resting on the chair’s armrest. With his mouth thus partially obscured from view and all attention on Nakamori-keibu he allowed himself a small grin of amusement. Thanks for getting me in without question, Tantei-kun. I’m not going to make this easy on you, though. For now, though, let’s see what the Task Force has in store for me today.

“Listen up, men! As you’re all aware, KID’s target tonight is the large alexandrite known as the Traveler’s Tear. According to his message he’ll be arriving when the full moon is at its peak. That should be around midnight tonight.” Heh, he never seems to learn. I always get here early. Nakamori turned on the projector, drawing their attention to the floor plans laid out there. “The stone is on the 6th floor, which can be reached from these points.” He indicated the various access points using a small laser pointer. “He like big, flashy entrances so I’m sure he’ll make use of the Nihonbashi Bridge, here. Therefore, I want teams one and two on this side of the bridge and teams three and four on the other side. The remaining teams have their assignments. Remember to watch all exits carefully. KID will not be getting away this time!”

As the room erupted into shouts and roars of agreement the museum manager quickly stepped forward, raising his hands into the air for quiet. “Please, do not destroy or damage any of the exhibits! I must ask that you use extreme caution in your apprehension of this criminal!” Task Force members nodded their understanding as they began to trickle out of the conference room, each headed for their assigned position. Your turn, Tantei-kun. Let’s go have a little fun.

KID stood, tugging Conan to his feet. “Let’s go, boyo. Time to talk to Nakamori-keibu.” Years of practicing poker face allowed him to keep a perfectly straight face as Conan groaned. “Keibu! Sorry to interrupt you but I thought you should know I found the Edogawa boy sneaking in to the museum.” Wow, that’s not the fastest I’ve ever seen him turn purple but it’s right up there.

“Edogawa-kun! What the he…ck do you think you’re doing here? This is police business, not a child’s playground!” KID saluted and hurried off as if going to his assigned post, leaving the shrunken detective in Nakamori’s tender care. He’ll find a way to stay but I sure don’t want to get stuck on detective sitting duty. Talk about ruining everything. As he passed through the open doorway he heard Nakamori growling behind him, “Just stay out of everyone’s way.” Heh, knew it.

00000

Three minutes ‘til show time. The atmosphere in the museum was thick with tension and so quiet you could hear the rustling of clothing as officers shifted about, eyeing the clock and their surroundings as they counted down. The light of the full moon shone brightly through the windows, occasionally disrupted by the beam of a helicopter mounted searchlight. Although the sound did not penetrate into the museum, KID could easily envision the helicopters hovering about the museum and the crowd outside cheering his name as they anticipated the upcoming show. One minute.

“This is it, men! Be ready!” Nakamori bellowed into the stillness. The newbies jumped, startled, while the Task Force veterans merely nodded, well used to this. Three, two, one. A sudden roar of the crowd was loud enough to be heard inside and Nakamori’s radio crackled to life. “Sir! KID is approaching the museum on his glider.” A brief pause and then, “What the hell?! Sir, he just flew through the wall!”

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,” KID called out, voice echoing from all sides. No sooner had he spoken then smoke began to pour out from beneath the Nihonbashi Bridge even as KID appeared in its center. “Ah, Nakamori-keibu, what a charming welcoming committee you’ve prepared for me tonight. It’s quite a full house in here.”

“KID!!! Get him!!!” Task Force members leaped into motion all around the bridge, chosen teams hurling forward to dog pile on the thief. For his part, KID showed no concern over this turn of events. “Now, really, Keibu. Is that any way to treat a person who is trying to dry a traveler’s tear?” KID gave a cocky wave and the lights went out all over the museum even as more smoke poured forth from the bridge and a few of the displays. Despite the illumination from outside, the sudden change in lighting and the presence of the smoke was enough for those present to lose sight of the thief.

“Damn it! Get those lights back on!” A fit of coughing abruptly broke off Nakamori’s shouts as he inhaled some of the smoke. A loud bang cut through the clamor and the smoke ceased. Those officers who had been involved in the dog pile managed to untangle themselves and regain their feet. As Nakamori straightened up from his coughing fit, his eyes fell on the Tear’s display case. It was empty. “No! Damn it! Check all the exits, he couldn’t have gotten far!” In a rush of pounding feet, the Task Force stampeded from the room.

Heh, that would be my cue. There was a quiet click from somewhere nearby, nearly inaudible, that made KID freeze. A quick peek showed him nothing unexpected and he moved out from his hiding spot beneath the bridge. Silent footsteps carried him quickly to the Tear’s case where he tugged off the reflective sheet which had made the case appear to be empty.

“I must admit, KID-san, that was not a bad trick.“ The voice from behind him made his heart leap into his throat, but he showed no outward sign of this, turning with a wide grin to greet his smallest pursuer. “Ah, Tantei-kun, I was wondering where you had gotten to. I take it you enjoyed the show?”

A shrug. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out what you were doing. The KID outside was obviously a dummy, as was the one on the bridge. You obviously used the darkness and smoke to hide your movements when you covered the display case and the bang we heard was the dummy exploding.”

KID clapped appreciatively, still grinning. “Not bad, Tantei-kun, not bad. Is it any wonder you’re my favorite little critic?”

“Well, here’s a favorite of mine.” Conan popped a soccer ball out of his belt and kicked it at KID in a practiced, lightning fast move. KID barely had time to throw himself to the side as the ball whizzed by him, missing him by millimeters. It slammed full force into the display unit that had been directly behind him. Glass and gem went flying and both thief and detective froze for a moment. “Baka,” KID murmured, even as his eyes darted across the wreckage, trying to locate the gem. Where is it? It ought to be visible even in the moonlight. His eyes fell on an object large enough to be the Tear and of the proper shape, but it shown blue in the moonlight rather than the familiar purple. At the same moment Conan threw himself forward, racing to get the gem ahead of KID. A feeling of foreboding settled in KID’s stomach and he hurled himself forward as well, not to grab the gem but to keep Conan from touching it. “NO! Stop!” His hand wrapped around Conan’s smaller fist, even as Conan’s wrapped around the gem, wrists just brushing below KID’s gloves. There was a brilliant flash of light.

:shock: :shock: :shock:

[Kiel95 86]

hmm, seems intersting... can you add a lil more ai to this ? XD

good story though, can't wait!

[Scar Akai 65]

not bad...keep up the good work

[J3nny 22]

forget about ai, keep focusing on Kid-Kaito Kuroba and Shinichi/Conan and the police

Anyway, very interesting

[Kiel95 86]

you must add ai! you already added some of ran... it wouldn't be fair otherwise!!!

[J3nny 22]

well, yeah you could add a little Ai in to this but no lovey dovey between Conan and Ai k? Do we have a deal Kiel

[Kiel95 86]

hrm... i guess... just keep the lovey doveyness out of the story between shinichi and ran as well... that wouldn't be fair >.< if anything, make it so both have a romantic event with him... (harem... lol XDD)

[Scar Akai 65]

hrm... i guess... just keep the lovey doveyness out of the story between shinichi and ran as well... that wouldn't be fair >.< if anything, make it so both have a romantic event with him... (harem... lol XDD)

hahaha

[J3nny 22]

We have a deal, no romances, happy ending for Ai and Ran. The action is belong to Shinichi and Kid-Kaito Kuroba, deal?

[Kiel95 86]

deeeeaaaal!!!!

[Scar Akai 65]

Kiel, are you continuing your story?

[Kiel95 86]

yeah, sorry it's been so long... it should be over soon too... rgh... why must i have so much stuff to do!!! i have to do christmas shopping, have to clean my room, have to finish my story, have to edit my friends story, have to write my shinshi/aicon and shinran christmas stories, keep working on my main story which needs major editing and needs to be finished, and i'm totally hooked on some manga and manhwa... argh!!! my days are just packed >.<

[J3nny 22]

sad life...

[Scar Akai 65]

sad life...

Packed life...

[Kiel95 86]

more packed then sad... the only sad part is the hw and school part!!!

[Scar Akai 65]

more packed then sad... the only sad part is the hw and school part!!!

so your Christmas holidays haven't started? How sad... I'm enjoying my holidays now.

[J3nny 22]

LUCKY...my won't start until december 17

[Scar Akai 65]

When will it end?

[Kiel95 86]

mine doesn't start till ... well in approximately two weeks... and we usually have like 2 weeks off for new years and 'winter' holidays... aka, christmas...

[Scar Akai 65]

Well... I have a whole month. I'm so happy about it...

[Kiel95 86]

grrr >.<

[J3nny 22]

I'm really JEALOUS

[Scar Akai 65]

That might be because my summer holiday is shorter than you gal's.

[J3nny 22]

Mine last 3 weeks...through new year

[Kiel95 86]

well this coming summer will be shortened cuz the school is changing its schedule... but usually we have two months summer vacation, 2 weeks off winter, one week off thanksgiving, and 1 week off for spring break... at least, that's the usual what about you guys?