justonetruth | (no subject)

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Ran's wandering through the mansion, looking behind and under furniture, curtains and doors as she goes. "Conan! Conan, come out already! Geez ... you know I don't like hide-and-seek ..." She looks up at every slight sound, stepping back to look at the chandelier consideringly. "He wouldn't ... Would he?"

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Aoko shifted her gaze from Ran, to Conan, and back again.

"I can help you if you need it, Ran-chan."

Ran gave Aoko a smile of heartfelt relief. "Thank-you."

Conan was quiet, sulking as Ran led the way back towards their room.

"He's a good kid," she said. "Just prone to be -- well. Stubborn about certain things."

"He reminds me of someone back at home," Aoko mused with a small laugh.

"Someone back home?" Ran was startled. "Who?" Another friend Shinichi had hidden from her?

"Ah... just my friend Kaito, that's all!" Aoko blinked back at Ran, a bit surprised at her startled expression.

"Kaito? No way!" Conan made a concentrated effort to wriggle free. "We're nothing alike!"

"You're stubborn like he is," Aoko deadpanned.

"But he's so immature!"

"And running away from a bath isn't?"

Conan wriggled out of Ran's grip, but before she could grab him again, he's darted ahead, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking deliberately in front of them. "Oh, fine. I'll have the stupid bath."

"It's just a bath," Aoko pointed out as she linked her hands behind her and followed him, "Not the end of the world."

"You'll see," Conan said, shooting Aoko a look so dark, Ran felt compelled to take his hand again.

Aoko just gave him a flat one in return. "Definitely like Kaito."

"I haven't met Kaito yet," Ran said cheerfully brisk. "Is he a friend of yours, Aoko-san?"

"He's my best friend," Aoko answered with a nod, "I've known him since I was a little girl. I don't think he's here, though." A pause. "At least, not the one from my world."

"So there are other Kaitos here too? How many have you met?"

"Just one," Aoko admitted, though he was less a Kaito and more... Kid. But she supposed he counted.

"The only Shinichi I've met here was an adult -- grown-up. And didn't know my name. It was -- disconcerting." And had sparked a very childish quarrel with her Shinichi. Augh. Ran made a face. "I'm rather glad I haven't met any others."

"A Kudo-kun who didn't know your name?" Aoko asked curiously. Where she came from, Kudo and Mouri almost went hand in hand. "That's strange."

"Tell me about it," Ran and Conan said in glum unison, flushing a bright pink and glancing hastily at each other -- would Aoko notice the slip? "Anyway," Ran added hastily, "You can imagine how I wouldn't want a repeat of that. What was Kaito like?"

Aoko did notice the slip, and she blinked at them both, her gaze flickering between them before she sighed and decided to let it go. "Kaito's just one, big, overgrown kid," she said, "I think he prides himself on being immature."

"Definitely," Conan agreed. "You spend any time around him, Ran, you'll have to agree."

"Nothing wrong with acting like a kid occasionally," Ran returned. "Maybe I should look him up. You could do with more company."

Aoko giggled at that as she imagined the grumpy faces Kaito would be making were he privy to this conversation. "You could throw paper airplanes with him," she said, "He's sometimes better than I am at making them."

"Really?" Conan brightened momentarily, then collected himself. "I've grown out of paper-planes," he announced. "Those are for kids."

Ran winced.

Aoko lifted an eyebrow at Conan. "Weren't we just playing with them a few days ago?"

"Like I said," Conan repeated. "I've grown out of them."

"In just a few days?" Aoko asked skeptically, gaze flickering back to Ran.