This is a bit of a short chapter, and not much happens, but it's a necessary
in-betweener.

Previous chapters, which have been modified extensively since their FFML
debut, can be found at www.lurkerdrome.com.



Detective Conan: Chibification Nation
a work of Detective Conan fanfiction by The Eternal Lost Lurker

Chapter Three: Expected and Unexpected! The Four Visits

(Disclaimers and notes at end of chapter.)


* * * * * * * * *

When Conan returned home, he found an unexpected surprise.

"Megure-keibu," he stated, noting the police inspector seated on the steps
leading up to the second floor.

"Ah, Conan-kun," Megure nodded. "I've been waiting for you."

"Waiting...? Then why aren't you upstairs?"

Megure shook his head. "I saw you leave earlier, but I lost track of you
about three blocks away, so I decided to wait right here."

*Something's not right.* "Ano...what's wrong? Am I in some kind of trouble?"
With virtually no effort, he cranked up the 'innocent little kid' routine.

Megure frowned slightly. "Not exactly. I just need to ask you a few
questions."

"Questions?" *Maybe it's just about a case...but then, why this...?*

"Ah," Megure nodded, shifting slightly. "I've recently found some unusual
discrepancies in numerous reports from cases over the last several months.
Cases you've personally been involved in."

Conan swallowed nervously. "Dis...huh?"

"Don't pretend you don't understand. We both know better."

The boy shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

"Now," Megure continued. "I've found evidence that leads me to suspect you
might be the key to the disappearance of Kudou Shinichi."

"Shinichi-niichan?" Conan asked, tilting his head. "Why would I know--?"

"I've found evidence," Megure cut across him, eyes narrowing, "that
indicates that you *are*, in fact, Kudou Shinichi."

*Oh SHIT.* Conan stood, poleaxed, staring in shock at the portly police
inspector. *Okay, Kudou, think. How do you get out of this one?*

Just then, a voice drifted down from the landing above them. "Aa,
Megure-keibu!"

Conan stared past Megure, who had begun to turn around, and felt another
sharp lurch in his heart. *What the HELL?!*

Kudou Shinichi leaned casually against the wall opposite the door to the
detective office, smirking.

* * * * * * * * *

Megure stared. "Kudou-kun? But...I..."

Shinichi snorted. "Barou. I heard it all. How silly is the thought I'd turn
into some little megane brat? Na, Conan-kun?"

"Ah...hai..." Conan stuttered, staring in shock at the apparition above him.
*What the hell's going on here?!*

Megure frowned, looking uncertainly between the two of them. "But..."
Shaking his head, he muttered, "Maybe I need a break..." He then glanced
back up at Shinichi. "Oi, Kudou-kun," he began, "about the incident
Saturday..."

"Oh, that?" Kudou shrugged. "Some punks tried to mug Ran and Sonoko. I just
happened to be passing by, and stopped them."

"Just happened to be...?" Megure spluttered.

"I'm not as 'missing' as you seem to think, keibu-dono," Shinichi said with
a smirk, eyes twinkling. "I've got a good reason for keeping a low profile
right now, but I'm still around." He sighed. "In fact, I need to get going,
as soon as I say goodbye to Ran. Oi, megane, you coming up for dinner or
what? Ran's worried sick about you."

Conan blinked. "Ah...hai!" He glanced at Megure. "Was there anything else,
Megure-keibu?"

The inspector sighed, shaking his head. "No, I guess not. Kudou-kun, I would
like you to make a statement about the mugging incident at your convenience.
Ran-kun too."

"Of course," Shinichi nodded. "Oh, and I'd appreciate if you didn't let
anyone know you'd seen me here." With that, he turned to disappear back up
the steps, and Conan quickly followed him.

Once the two of them had entered the apartment, Shinichi peered out the
peephole to make sure Megure hadn't followed them up. Then he laughed. "Oh
man, that was great!"

"It worked? He fell for it?" Ran asked.

"Hook, line, and sinker," Shinichi said, smirking. "You should've seen your
face, Kudou," he added, glancing down at Conan and snickering.

Conan looked between them. "Wh--what's going on here?"

'Shinichi' laughed loudly. "Ahou...you're supposed to be my equal?"

Conan's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Hattori."

The detective from Osaka grinned, wiping his face with a handkerchief--and
removing a thick layer of makeup, exposing his darker skin. "Did I get it
right this time?"

"BAROU! You almost gave me a heart attack down there!"

"It worked, then," Ran giggled.

"And I'd say the timin' couldn'ta been better."

The shrunken detective scowled, jamming his hands in his pockets. "You got
any idea how much it sucks watching everyone on Earth pretend they're you? I
mean, if it's not you, it's that damn Kaitou Kid..."

"But it's convenient for you, isn't it Shinichi? It helps you keep your
cover, right?" Ran asked, just a slight tone of hurt in her voice.

Hattori chuckled. "Man, I know one guy who's in the doghouse."

Ran frowned at him. "I'm pretty mad at YOU too, you know." She arched an
eyebrow. "And I'm sure Kazuha-chan's gonna have a few choice words for you
when SHE finds out."

The Osakajin cringed. "Oi, oi...I'm innocent here! It's Kudou's fault..."

Conan sighed, blowing on his bangs in frustration. "Mou...yareyare..."

* * * * * * * * *

Ayumi scuffed her toes on the ground as she walked home. None of her friends
were able to play today; Genta was at the dentist, Mitsuhiko was out with
his family celebrating an uncle's birthday, and Conan...had just run off
after school, saying he had something to take care of.

Ai, of course...well, she hadn't expected anything there.

The young girl sighed, eyes never leaving the patch of sidewalk in front of
her. *Conan-kun was really tense all day long. He was like that yesterday,
too. Something bad happened. I know he'll never talk about it, though.* She
gazed up at the sky, clouding up with the threat of an evening rain. "Why
doesn't he trust me?" she asked the heavens, eyes glistening with their own
precipitation. "Conan-kun..."

A sound across the street caught her attention, and she looked up. She was s
tanding in front of one of the more popular cake shoppes in Beika-cho.

A plan suddenly formed in her mind. Scrubbing at her eyes with the back of
her arm, Ayumi smiled and skipped into the store.

* * * * * * * * *

"So, how'd it go with that girl?" Ran asked as the three of them sat down at
the table, cups of tea and plates of crackers in front of them.

"Hattori was right. She's one of us." Conan sipped his tea. "I don't think
she's gonna help, though."

"Eh? Why not?"

The boy detective sighed. "Did Hattori tell you the details?" At Ran's
headshake, he frowned. "She was engaged when it happened. And pregnant."

Ran gasped. "Sonna..."

"Yeah. It was too much for her. She doesn't ever want to go back to her old
life, and doesn't want anything to do with who she used to be. Not even
getting justice." He sipped his tea again. "She's made a new life for
herself, and says she's happy. I think she's sincere. She certainly seems to
have adjusted." He shrugged. "Maybe it's best if I leave her be. I did give
her my card, though."

Hattori nodded. "Still want me to watch her, like you asked?"

"Just for a few days." Conan was silent for a few minutes. "Hattori...what
exactly have you told Kazuha?"

"I haven't told her about you, yet. I think she's starting to figure it out,
though. She's not stupid, and what I had her helping me look for..."


Conan nodded. "Okay. It's time to tell her the truth, then. Make sure she
knows how important it is to keep it quiet, though, and make sure to give
her the list of people who know."

The door intercom buzzed.

* * * * * * * * *

Ayumi skipped happily down the sidewalk, stopping at the door leading up to
the Mouri Detective Agency. Smiling, she darted up the steps.

She faltered slightly when she saw there was an older girl already there, on
the landing. The girl turned at the sound of Ayumi's feet on the stairs, and
smiled. "You're one of Conan-kun's friends, right?"

Ayumi nodded, bowing. "Yoshida Ayumi."

The girl bowed. "I'm Toyama Kazuha. I'm a friend of Ran's. Were you going up
to see Conan-kun?"

Ayumi nodded. "Un! I brought him some cake because he's been down." She held
up a bag clutched in her hands.

Kazuha giggled, holding up a similar bag. "I brought some too as a visiting
gift. Come on, I just buzzed Ran-chan that I'm coming up."

As the two girls ascended the stairs, they saw Ran standing in the open door
of the apartment. They also heard snippets of heated conversation inside.

"--really need to lighten up, Kudou--"

"BAROU! You need to take this more seriously!"

"I *am* taking it seriously. I just think you're a little TOO serious..."

"YOU try being stuck like this, having people out to kill you, and then the
whole thing with me and Ran--"

"AYUMI-CHAN, Kazuha-chan!" Ran greeted, rather loudly. The talking inside
the apartment shut off as though a switch had been thrown. "Come on in!"

The two girls bowed as they were ushered in, slipping off their shoes. As
Kazuha exchanged pleasantries with Ran, Ayumi watched the others inside,
brow furrowed. The tall, dark-skinned boy, she thought she recognised from
somewhere. And Conan-kun had a very, very unpleasant expression on his face.
He was also plainly surprised to see her--and not in a good way. Even the
dark-skinned boy looked rather taken aback by her appearance, and Ran's
smile was a bit strained.

She clearly was neither expected nor particularly welcome.

But she was already here, and it'd be awkward to turn around and leave, so
she set her shoulders and marched into the room with a smile.

* * * * * * * * *

"So Ran-chan, I bet you're happy that Kudou-kun's back," Kazuha said idly as
they sat around the table moments after the two girls had arrived.

There were some rather strange reactions to this around the table. Heiji
choked on a piece of cake, Conan looked rather panicked, and Ran nearly spat
tea across the room.

Ayumi's eyes widened. "Eeeh? Shinichi-niichan's back?"

"Ah, well, that is...!" Ran laughed in a forced manner. "It's...well..."

"He's not back, but he called Heiji-niichan to ask for help with something,"
Conan said hastily. "Ne, Heiji-niichan?"

"Ee, sou da na," the dark-skinned boy nodded rapidly.

Kazuha scowled. "Mou...that jerk! He's IN Tokyo, isn't he?"

"Ah...maybe," Ran hedged. "I mean, he could be anywhere...he's moving around
a lot. This case has him really busy."

"And now he's dragged THIS ahou into it," Kazuha said, glaring at Heiji.
"It's really gettin' old, watchin' these two jackasses run around, ne
Ran-chan?"


"Ano...eto...ee, sou yo," Ran said with a pained grimace and a halfhearted
giggle.

Kazuha stared at her, eyes narrowed. "Somethin's up, isn't it? What--"

"AA!" Conan exclaimed suddenly, standing up quickly. "Ayumi-chan, wanna see
a really neat book I got?"

Ayumi glanced at him. "Demo...I wanna hear about Shinichi-niichan..."

"It's a book I borrowed from his house! One of his dad's detective novels.
It's a first edition! Come on, let's go see it!" He grabbed the girl by her
wrist and started dragging her away.

"Well...okay..."

* * * * * * * * *

The three teenagers were silent for a long moment. Kazuha blinked. After a
moment, they heard Ayumi giggle happily, and Ran sighed. "Okay, that's
helpful."

The Osaka girl glanced at her friends quizzically. "What's goin' on?"

"Kazuha," Heiji said, suddenly very serious, "It's important--absolutely
*vital*--that you NEVER hint, to ANYONE, that Kudou is anywhere near Tokyo.
Or even that you know he's still alive."

"Still ali--what the hell're you talkin' about?"

"Kazuha-chan," Ran said, "Shinichi is mixed up in some very, very deep
trouble. Some very dangerous people tried to kill him. They know he's still
alive now, and that's put us all in a dangerous situation. I'm sorry you've
gotten involved in this, but now that you're involved, you need to know
everything. It's going to have to wait until Sh--until Ayumi-chan goes home.
She *DOES NOT* need to know ANYTHING about what's really going on."

Kazuha stared, eyes wide. "You mean the reason Kudou-kun's been a no-show
for *months* is because--"

"He's been hiding from professional killers, yeah," Ran said, frowning. "I'm
still pretty pissed at him for lying to me, but I've seen, first-hand, what
he's been up against. I understand why he's done things...lied,
hidden...it's really complicated, though."

"Please, Kazuha," Heiji said, "You need to trust us. Me, Neechan,
Kudou...and I know we can trust you, but you hafta know this is serious.
Everything's so screwed up right now it ain't even funny."

"It...it must be," Kazuha replied shakily. "I mean, if...but...is he still
in danger? I mean..."

"Yes. More now than ever."

* * * * * * * * *

"Bye, Ayumi-chan! See you tomorrow!"

The door closed, and Conan leaned against it, sighing. "Geez..." he moaned,
slumping back to the table. "Na, Hattori, Ran. You told Toyama-san
everything yet?"

"Not all of it," Ran said.

Kazuha blinked at the change in tone of Conan's voice--not to mention the
change in address to everyone. Something was very off here...

Conan nodded, sipping at his tea and grimacing. "Tch...of all the times for
that girl to decide to visit...I've really gotta put a stop to this crush
thing before it gets outta hand."

"Looks like it's too late for that," Heiji said, smirking.

"Mou, be a little nicer to the poor girl, Shinichi," Ran said. "It's not
like she can help it. I mean, if she knew...but she doesn't, and she won't,
will she? So you just have to humor her."

*SHINICHI?!* Kazuha's mind blared, all trains of thought derailing.

"Yeah, but it's driving me nuts..." He blinked suddenly. "Ah. I guess THAT's
the part you didn't get around to telling her while I was babysitting, isn't
it?"

Kazuha was staring at Conan as though she were a deer, and his glasses were
the headlights of a semi. Those glasses...which he was now removing and
setting aside. He stood up. "Toyama-san, I don't believe we've actually
properly met." He bowed. "Kudou Shinichi."

*THUMP*

"...well, she took that well," Heiji commented.

* * * * * * * * *

"I...I...but...what...how?"

Kazuha had come around after a few minutes, to find fresh, hot tea in front
of her, Conan--Kudou?--still with his glasses off, and...

"It can't be that Conan-kun is..."

"He is," Ran said.

"It's a very long story," Conan said, in that eerie not-a-little-kid voice,
and began to relay his tale...

* * * * * * * * *

The transceiver badge dropped from Ayumi's nerveless fingers, the tinny,
distant voice of Edogawa Conan still rattling out of it, peppered with
interjections from the other voices.

No...not Edogawa Conan. Because Edogawa Conan didn't exist. He was a lie.

He'd lied to her. All along.

He wasn't who he said he was...and many, many things started to make sense.

There was a hiss of static as the batteries of the transmitting badge--the
one she'd nicked from Conan's room and tossed under the table as she was
leaving--finally died. Ayumi didn't move to pick her own badge up or turn it
off.

It didn't matter anymore.

The 'Shounen Tanteidan' were over. It was all a joke...everything.

He'd just been...'humoring' her.

And she drove him...'nuts'.

And again, not in a good way.

The tears began to fall, slowly at first; soon, they were streaming silently
down her cheeks, dampening the pavement. She ran as hard as she could
through the streets of Beika-cho, not caring who saw her, not caring what
they thought.

Nothing mattered anymore, because he...

...because *that* person...

...none of it was ever real.

* * * * * * * * *

[Sunday, 11pm -- Honolulu, Hawaii]

"Ara maa..."

"Nn? Doushita?"

"Shin-chan ga..."

"Nan da? Shinichi...?"

"... ... ..."

"Chikushou! Ano gaki..."

"Mou, anata..."

"Shoganai, na? Nihon de ikuze."

"Hai!"

As the Japanese couple left the small diner, the two tourists that occupied
the
booth next to theirs shook their heads and chuckled.

[Damn foreigners. Wish they'd learn t' speak th' language.]

---------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes and disclaimers:

There are two ways in which a Kansai dialect is usually translated: a
Brooklyn accent, or a Southern accent. Being a Southerner myself, I choose
the latter. :P

Everything occurring in this chapter is in the afternoon/early evening hours
of Monday, Tokyo time. The last scene, of course, is on Honolulu time, but
does happen simultaneously.


Disclaimers:

Meitantei Conan belongs to Aoyama Gosho, Shogakukan, Yomiuri Television, VIZ
Communications, and Funimation. Azumanga Daioh belongs to Azuma Kiyohiko,
Dengeki Comics, Genco, JC Staff, and ADV. No permission has been obtained
from any of the copyright holders for the use of characters and situations
from these series. This work of fiction is not for profit and not intended
to infringe on copyrighted intellectual property in any significant or
harmful way.


The Eternal Lost Lurker
www.lurkerdrome.com



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