Mission Improbable.

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

This particular Shinichi prides himself on stealth. Discreet appearances and exits, undetectable surveillance, shadowing -- there is little about stalking he doesn't know (note: this isn't necessarily a good thing). There's just one thing.

He's not Shinichi any more.

The lack of height is in many ways a plus. Who is going to suspect a seven-year-old of following them? That's if he can avoid truant officers of course. The rest of it, however--

It needs work. And that is precisely what Conan is doing.

It's night. You might be in the library when you hear a strange noise. Have the feeling you're being watched in the kitchen. See something shift just on the edge of your vision as you make your way down the corridors to bed.

Whatever you're doing, you're not alone.

Comments

[shrunkenvamp.livejournal.com]

"R-really? That's not right. Surely there's a gym or somewhere that we could use, right? And I don't play after dark. Just because it's harder for me to be about in the day doesn't mean I don't do it day in and day out. I still go to school. For as long as they don't realise I'm not aging."

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

"I told everyone the broken vase was Kuroba's fault just as much as it was mine," Conan said. "But no one listens." He sighed, before being distracted by his counterpart's words. "You can play soccer and concentrate on not being burnt?"

[shrunkenvamp.livejournal.com]

"Broken vase. Right. Next time, use the gym..." he trailed off slightly, completely believing of the statement concerning Kuroba. "It actually helps, believe it or not. Means I'm not putting as much concentration into putting so much power into my kicks. So I can play as more of a standard player. As standard as I ever was, anyway."

...Is that humility? Er, no. I didn't think I recognised it.

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

As if Conan -- particularly this Conan -- is going to think he needs humility. "'Oi, Brat,'" he says in an okay imitation of Kuroba's voice -- he's not got the bowtie. "'Bet you can't still hit that vase all the way over there.' Can't believe I fell for that one." Conan snorted then brightened. "We could play soccer sometime."

[shrunkenvamp.livejournal.com]

"...you should've known better. Even now, you should've known better." Shinichi brightens up a lot, too. "Definitely! Hey - we could invite all our others - Conan and Shinichi only soccer tournament or something! Then we'd have opponents who were all at our level!"

And the humility is still strangely missing. Weird, that. Not.

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

Conan nodded, regretfully. "He was being cool," he said. "You know, like he used to be. I momentarily forgot he is a big jerk." He sighed.

The mention of the soccer tournament perked him up, however. "I already know two others mes! I'll let them know!"

[shrunkenvamp.livejournal.com]

"Kaito's good. But you've always got to look out for those times when he's just plain being stupid with you."

"Really? That'd be great!"

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

"Which is basically all the time." Kaito is not being forgiven for that for a while it seems.

"Now?"

[shrunkenvamp.livejournal.com]

"More or less, yeah." You're getting sympathy. As his older self, Kaito's a certifiable prankster. This Conan probably didn't stand a chance.

"Maybe not now! Give everyone time to find out about it first, all right?"

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

"All right." Conan considers. "Tomorrow?"

[shrunkenvamp.livejournal.com]

"Tomorrow!"

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

"I'm going to tell Ran!"

[shrunkenvamp.livejournal.com]

"She can come watch!"

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

Conan paused abruptly. That would be ...

He looked down. "Maybe she'll be busy," he suggested diffidently. "And it's late. She's probably sleeping. And she doesn't like soccer that much."

[shrunkenvamp.livejournal.com]

"...you're right. Aw... Maybe we can convice some of the others to watch, then? Or we could just have one team playing and one team cheering."

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

"I know where Ran-kun stays. I bet he'd come and watch. Especially if his Conan wants to play too." And Conan doesn't think that Ran-kun will notice any slips he makes or be comparing him against other Shinichis.

[shrunkenvamp.livejournal.com]

"He- oh, yeah. I think I was told about.. him. He's welcome to come." Maybe being a guy made this Ran more into soccer? It was a possibility.

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

"I'll tell him," Conan decided, setting off to apparently do just that.

[azureskiesmagic.livejournal.com]

"It's an invasion of privacy, for one," she pointed out in an almost deadpan (though she couldn't really talk-- she had bugged places for heists before). "And don't they eat things like leaves and plants?"

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

"Like lettuce? There's lettuce in the fridge." Without waiting for an answer Conan pulled off a leaf of lettuce and brought it back to the bug. "Being a beetle would suck," he said thoughtfully.

[azureskiesmagic.livejournal.com]

"Lettuce might work," Aoko said thoughtfully as she watched the boy put a leaf on the table for the beetle. She sipped at her milk and frowned. "It would," she admitted, "But maybe we're just too used to being human."

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

"People do tend to get very set in their comfort zones," Conan agreed. "And generally speaking, they're not very flexible. I wouldn't mind being a beetle for a short time but I still don't think it would be fun in the long term."

[azureskiesmagic.livejournal.com]

"I don't think it would be, either," she leaned in to peer at the beetle again.

[dynamic-brat.livejournal.com]

"... do you think beetles like coffee?"

[azureskiesmagic.livejournal.com]

"... no, I don't think beetles like coffee."

Children said the strangest things...