A/N: the above picture relates to the end of this chapter.

Conan's POV:
    It's dark in here, my leg hurts from the manacle around my ankles and the rope binding my hands is digging in. I was nervous, kaito was a master of disguise and breaking and entering, but how was he going to get in? We thought this place would be deserted. I'm shaking with cold and my voice was hoarse from shouting. The plan to restore conan to everyone, it had gone horribly wrong, and I had no way of telling Kaito. Wolf chan was lying still on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding her.

Flashback:
      "Wolf chan, run!" I'm shouting at her. The dog is in front of me, between the enraged Gin and the man Kaito called snake and me. They had a gun pointed at me, and Gin either figured out my secret, or he was going mad. He was yelling at me, calling me kudo shinichi, claiming he was going to finish what he started. He pulls the trigger, missing me, it seems his aim is off without his left hand. Wolf chan lunges at him, tearing at his neck, trying to kill him. She's terrifying like this, the gentle giant of a dog is furious, the growling and snarling is curdling my blood, and gin stops shooting and puts his one good hand to his throat.
       
      The boss, much to my surprise, was the one to knock me out and bind me, it was definitely a woman, but I couldn't see her face, only her voice sounded familiar. Wolf chan yelps suddenly, Gin is pulling a knife from the brave dog, but she's not stopping, I can see her clean white fur staining a deep crimson, but she still attacks gin, whose arm is no longer protecting his throat. I don't want this, Gin can't die, he mustn't take the easy way out, he has to pay for his crimes and see the error of his actions. Gin turns the gun on himself, and I shut my eyes. I can't watch, I can't be seeing this.

   I hear a gunshot, and a loud, agonisingly familiar yelp. I open my eyes, wolf chan had blood pouring from her hind leg, and Gin is out cold on the floor. I can't move, I'm bound and manacled to the wall so I can't escape. I hope Kaito can rescue me, I don't care about myself anymore, I just want to die and allow people to be safe, but Kaito promised me. If I died willingly, he'd follow me to the grave. I can't have another death on my conscious, even after I die. Hurry and rescue me Kaito, I'm lost without you!

End of flash back.

      I'm falling asleep, I'm so tired, it's been a long time. But I have to stay awake, in case Vermouth or boss shows up. I glance at wolf chan sadly, Kaito was going to miss the big dog, she was such a loving animal. Her body is so still, and there's so much blood, she must be dead, but then I see a ghostly shudder run through her. Did I imagine it? Was my exhaustion making me hallucinate? No, there it was again, a faint shuddering breath. I want to shout, to call for help, but lo and behold, my fear had shut my voice off again. Why? Why is it when I need to talk, I panic? I was so confident when I was conan and before I was conan.

Wolf chan is alive, but I don't think she's going to get out of this, human wits or not. The big dog gets to her paws somehow, staggering to me and biting through the ropes that bound my hands. I fling my arms around her and cry into her soft, blood stained fur. She's warm, and I'm freezing cold. I must have fallen asleep, because I wake up in a chokehold. Snake has me, and I can't breathe. I'm trying to scream, but I don't know whether it's in my head or out loud. Wolf chan staggers to her paws and comes towards us, but I can't... can't stay.... can't breathe...... Kaito..... I'm sorry.....can't.......can't.................................

Wolf's POV:
     I've protected Shinichi San as best I can, but the pain in my shoulder and my back leg is too much. Most of the blood on me is Gins, but I can hear the worry in conan kuns breathing, he's panicking but trying to hide it. Gin is unconscious, he was pulled out of the room by their boss. I knew her smell now, I'd track her down and force her to the police. The pain, I can't take it, I'm out cold. I wake up to the small boy crying. If they'd caught him as Shinichi San and done this, he could have escaped easily. My breathing is steady, but my paws won't work, I try to move, forcing myself to my paws. I wobble, unsteady.

    I can hear master Kaito outside, he's throwing smoke pellets and sleeping gas around, as distractions. Arthur kun racing back and forth, I can hear them. I stagger to conan kun, and bite firmly on the ropes binding his hands. He throws his arms around me, marvelling at my survival. I lick his face and curl up protectively around him, he's cold and my fur is warm. I'm in pain, but I don't care. Master Kaito loves this size changing boy, and I have to protect him. Kaito is having trouble getting in, I hear several shots fired, but I also hear the Kaitou KID chuckle, meaning they'd probably missed.

    "You can't hurt a phantom thief, you can't catch a phantom thief." I hear master Kaito close by, but not even he could fit through that tiny vent in the wall that served as the window. Conan kun is acting like the child he looks like, and is snuggling close to my soft fur, he doesn't seem bothered by the blood on me. I lick his hair softly, he's like Arthur kun when he was a puppy, and I mother him. Such a small boy, well, to me, I was an enormous dog, I could lick an adults face without needing to jump up, and he was so so.... human.

       I doze off, only to wake up to screams from conan. I instantly growl, my hackles are rising and I stagger to my paws. The pain is going away, but I don't think it's a good thing. I see the boy in snakes arms, he's in a choke hold. A gun is trained on me, forcing me back. Snake, the other group of black coated men causing criminal trouble. Conan is struggling to breathe. Is this nasty human planning to strangle the boy? He must have unlocked the manacles to pick the boy up. Conan suddenly goes limp, not breathing. No! I can't let that happen, master Kaito would never forgive me. The boy was suffocating. I had to stop snake. I hated these men, they made me bite people.

Kaito's POV:
       I get into the place where conan was hiding, only to find it infested with the men and women of the organisation searching for pandora. I nearly panic, but I remain calm. I have to have a clear head to steal conan back safely. It's almost dark, and I can hear gunshots and screams as someone is hurt. It... it sounds like.... no, not shin~chan! I throw my sleeping gas pellets and a few smoke grenades, hiding myself with the smoke and my kaitou KID costume. I make it through the facility, to where I could hear a familiar sound. It was wolf chan barking loudly. I see conan on the floor, unconscious and raw red wrists and.... and.... oh god, oh god, oh god, now I'm panicking. He's got scratch marks on his neck, like the ones he described to me, the ones people make on themselves when they're being strangled. He can't be, he can't be.... if he is... no.. Kaito, don't think like that!

    I'm knelt beside the child version of shin~chan, checking to see if he was ok. He's breathing, thank god, he's breathing. Our simple plans had gone horribly wrong, but what was a theft by kaito kid without improvisation? Wolf chan was stood protectively by the door, her soft white fur in a stained spiky mess. I couldn't see if it was her blood or someone else's, but my priority was shin~chan. He could be seriously injured, he might need medical attention. Wolf chan looks like she's snarling, what can that dog hear that my sharp ears can't?

I pick up my chibified boyfriend and head up the stairs to the roof, where I can launch my hang glider. Wolf chan is snarling ferociously, warning someone back I presume, but I don't have time. Conan is unconscious. the most important rule of a KID heist is no one gets hurt and conan was seriously hurt. I'm holding him gently, as I clip him into the hang glider harness with practiced skill and launch myself off the roof. I click my fingers and one of my doves flutters out of a hidden pocket. I hand her the advanced notice for Megure keibu and hakuba kun. I hope she gets there before me.

Narrators POV:
Megure keibu is just packing up for the evening, ready to go home to his wife. When the white dove flies into the room. It has a white card in its beak, and Megure keibu sighs. Only one person ever corresponded to people through white doves and cards. It had to be a message from kaitou KID. He opens his hand out, waiting for the bird to drop the message, which it does, before flying back out into the gathering darkness. He looks at the note.

Megure keibu,
I've got tantei kun, but they've hurt him.
Call an ambulance and have it on standby.
Im ten minutes away. If anything happens to
Tantei kun, I'll give myself up to the police,
But if he's ok, you must let me go for now.
Tantei kun wants to catch me after all.
I will still give a statement though.

Signed kaitou KID

Megure keibu looks at the not incredulously. Was this what he thinks it is? Was kaitou kid really going to give himself up if his rules were broken, and he wanted conan kun to catch him? This infamously famous, internationally wanted criminal magician wanted a seven year old to catch him? Well, Megure keibu had always thought the thief had seemed mad, and this proved it. He called Tagaki keiji and sato keiji over, apologising for ruining their evening. He explained the situation, and they accepted without question. They both respected the seven year old boy, so if it meant letting kaitou KID go free in order to get the boy back, then so be it.

They didn't have long to wait, it was only a few minutes before they could see the white hang glider that KID was so fond of heading towards them, but there was something off about it. It was lurching from side to side, as if KID was dodging something. A faint sound came to the three police officers ears as the white hang glider suddenly dipped down, plummeting to the ground.

CRACK.

".............ne, Megure keibu? Isn't that a gunshot we just heard?" Tagaki keiji asks, realising he's speaking to the wall as the inspector and his girlfriend rush out to the scene two blocks away. Tagaki rushes out after them, concerned. No matter that the victim was an internationally wanted criminal, especially as said criminal had a confirmed reputation for never allowing anyone to get hurt. Tagaki, as usual, was completely cluesless as to what was going on, but he knew one thing the other two didn't. Conan wasn't who he said he was, he'd confirmed as much when they'd been trapped in the elevator during a bombing case, but who was this hyper intelligent child really? And why on earth did the boy remind him of someone?

Hakuba's POV:
        They're late. Kuroba kun, or rather, Kaitou KID, is exactly twenty three minutes, eleven seconds and two milliseconds late. I'm watching the skies in a predetermined meeting point, waiting for kaitou KIDs unruly greyhound to show up to signal my joining the police. The hang glider appears in the distance, just as the dog shows up, wagging its tail. I head towards the police department, only to find it deserted. I can hear faint gunshots and hesitate. I hated the sight of blood, it made me queasy, but something told me that following the sounds would lead me to Kuroba kun and conan kun.

(At the scene)

   The first thing I see, before rounding the corner of the street, is the monocle on the ground, lense  shot out and shattered. This is kaitou KIDs monocle, but I see no blood. What had happened here? I round the corner to see two keiji San and a keibu SAN crowded around something on the floor. It's a white cape, and it's still attached to the wearer. I run toward them, shouting at them not to touch him. They look toward me, none of them know who I am, but I grab the spare monocle from my pocket and place it on Kuroba Kun's face, completing his costume, without them noticing. It seems they've only just arrived, and I want to be the one to catch the infamous magician, no one else should take that from me.

     He's just lying there, breathing harshly, eyes closed, arms wrapped loosely around the small boy, harness still locking them together. Conan kun' glasses have slipped, revealing what his face looks like without them. He's not Kudo shinichi's distant relative for nothing, he looks like Kudo sama's younger self, he could pass as the younger brother of Kudo sama. Conan kun is covered in graze marks, the most disturbing ones being the raw marks on his neck, it looks like someone attempted to strangle him, and kaitou KID is just lying there, not moving, though he doesn't appear to be unconscious. The keibu SAN moves to remove the top hat and monocle, but is stopped short as the irritatingly smart magician moves suddenly, holding the boy close.

     "Megure keibu, call an ambulance. I hadn't anticipated the criminals actions, they tried to silence him." Kuroba kun, no, Kaitou KID, tells the keibu San. So this was the poor Megure keibu, who respected and relied on Kudo sama. Megure just stands there, shock on his face. The two keiji San look at each other, and both ask a question at the same time.

      "Ne, KID, you.... you're not..... kudo shinichi, are you?" I blink, had he disguised as Kudo sama before then? I admit they looked alike. He laughs at this, wincing and sitting down on the hard concrete of the sidewalk.

    "No, no I'm not. But unless this boy dies, you're not finding out who I am. CALL A FRIGGING AMBULANCE, HE WAS HALF STRANGLED WHEN I GOT TO HIM!" KID shouts, startling all of us. KID was famous for remaining calm, he never lost his temper or panicked. I grab my mobile from my pocket and call for an ambulance, concerned. Why was kaitou KID (Kuroba kun) so concerned? Could it... could it be.... was Conan his brother? No, Aoko would know if he had a brother. Right?

Narrator's POV:
       Megure keibu watched as they loaded conan kun into the ambulance, kaitou KID in his full white suit insisting on riding with the boy. No one objected, though the driver and paramedic raised an eyebrow at the gaudy thief. Tagaki keiji and sato keiji followed behind the ambulance as megure keibu went home to his wife. This thief had seemingly saved conan kun from being strangled to death, but he wanted a full explanation later.

      Kaito had been hurt in the fall, it was being shot at that had made him fly so drastically. He'd felt the bullets graze him, but thankfully none had actually hit him, though he lost the monocle on his horrendously uncontrolled descent. Now patched up (refusing to remove his suit to be treated forcing the doctor to work around the clothes) he was sat watchfully by conan's bedside, waiting for the inevitable visit from the two police officers. He knew, like his shin~chan knew, that not only did they look alike, they sounded alike too. He wondered if the two officers though so too?

     Tagaki keiji walks into the small hospital room, eyes widening at the thief who is still there, despite having enough time to escape. Conan kun is lying there, still unconscious, an IV drip in his right arm. KID is on the boys left, just sitting there. Sato keiji waits outside, in case the shooter followed them.

     "Kaitou KID! I'd have thought you'd have escaped by now!" He exlaims, only to be met with the thief's usual grin.

    "I told megure keibu I was going to give a statement, and so I shall, kaitou KID doesn't break his promises." The thief smirks at him, clicking his fingers and making a white dove appear from the air.

      "This tantei kun, I think he has something to say to you specifically when he wakes up, but here, I've filled in an in depth detailed account of what happened. I fell in responsible for tantei kun's kidnapping, after all, he was taken In one of my heists." The thief says to the police officer, handing two sheets of A4 paper written in neat tidy handwriting. Tagaki keiji looks at the writing. Is this the thief's real handwriting, or not? Conan kun stirs, stretching and wiping his eyes with one hand. Realising his glasses aren't on, he sits bolt upright suddenly, hands over his face.

     "Niichan, glasses. Can't see." The young boy whines, making Tagaki keiji look at the two people in front of him.

     "Conan kun?" Tagaki keiji asks as the magician thief hands the younger boy a pair of glasses. "How do you know Kaitou KID and who are you really?" The tiny detective looks at him and shakes his head.

    "Tagaki keiji! Not here. When I'm well, I'll tell you the truth, but please, I.... i....." the boy stuttered, before gripping his chest fearfully. Kaitou KID glances at Tagaki. There was no way the keiji San should see this. Not here. Tagaki is looking at Conan worriedly. What was going on? The child looked like he was suffering a panic attack.

"Now? Hontou?" The thief mutters, throwing a smoke pellet down and practically throwing the keiji San out of the room. Conan is clutching his chest, gasping and shaking.

     Kaito's POV:
     Conan is panicking, he's scared of something, but I can't see what. He clutches his chest, a sign he's turning back into shin~chan involuntarily. I throw down a smoke pellet and push Tagaki keiji out of the room, If i couldn't calm conan down, he'd change into shin~chan again. I was still in my KID outfit because I didn't want anyone to link me to conan, or kaitou kid, I take my monocle off, and my hat, putting my arms around shin~chan and hugging him, letting him know I was there for him.

"Kid niichan, I'm ok. I'm not going to, you know...." he whispers the last bit so any eavesdroppers can't hear. Thank goodness. Tagaki keiji, and sato keiji enter the room suddenly, and I realise I'm still showing my real face. They just stop and stare at us, Tagaki keiji looking a bit faint and sato keiji staring at us with the face Aoko uses when she's about to produce her mop. (Second only to that ran sans look of about to karate kick you into next week). Conan seems to understand the situation better than I do, because he immediately covers for me.

"Kid niichan, arigato, you saved me didn't you? Why does my neck hurt? Why am i in hospital again? Where's wolf chan? Is shinichi niichan with her?" He bombards me with questions, in his cutesy childish voice. Tagaki keiji relaxes, but sato keiji is glaring at us with a dark expression.

"Kaitou kid is a thief, since when was he friends with the kid killer?" She's making this sound more of a statement than a question. Conan (shin~chan) grins childishly, a face I've come to be nervous of, it usually involved a super powered football to the face or me disguising as kudo shinichi and getting beaten up by ran San. The scary keiji SAN continues.

"So, kudo shinichi, why are you moonlighting as kaitou kid?" I keep my poker face in tact. How am I going to worm my way out of this mess? I know I look like shin chan, but there are differences

"You think Arthur niichan is shinichi niichan?" Conan asks, bursting out laughing. Oh, I get it, he's pretending I'm his older brother. I admit, that's a smart idea shin~chan. I flash a typical kid grin and flick my cape around me, changing into my normal clothes, a pair of shin~chans glasses on too. (A bit risky, in case one of the keiji San notices my similarity to Kuroba kaito, though I'm sure I've never met these two before, as Kaito at least).

"Edogawa Arthur, nice to meet you!" I greet them, producing two white roses in my hand. Tagaki keiji I just standing there, open mouthed. He's speechless I presume. Sato keiji starts asking too many questions, the most important one being 'why was conan kun trying to arrest his own brother?' Shin~chan answered all the questions calmly in a cheerful way. He'd fooled so many people, including me, into thinking he was edogawa Conan, a simple elementary student. And no wonder, he was so good at acting.

Once the two keiji SAN were satisfied with our answers, (Conan leading, I was just improvising, as usual), they left us in peace, though I changed back into my kaitou kid outfit before calling the doctor in to check on 'Conan kun'now he was awake. The doctor took the needle from his arm, and declared that he'd be fine to be discharged tomorrow after a bit of rest. He'd given me a Curious look, wondering why an internationally wanted thief was in his patients room, but thankfully didn't call the police. Shin~chan grinned at me once everyone had gone, leaving us alone.

Conan's POV:
     "Ne, kaito, lets show Tagaki keiji who I am, he's been suspicious of my intelligence since 'Conan' defused a bomb before he could explain how to. Even I admit that was a bit of a mistake, a seven year old defusing a bomb, even I find it ridiculous, though I'm fairly sure mitshuhiko of the detective boys could do it if he tried." I whispered quietly, well aware that someone might be listening outside. He smiles at me and whispers back, discussing the risks, and whether we should tell Tagaki keiji about kid too, and if we did, would it only be fair to tell that blond detective fan of mine (I hadn't realised Hakuba kun idolised me like that!) about my dual identity too?