Both Sides
Chapter 5
~by Shimegami-chan
http://www.shimegami.com/ichijouji

You ask, and I deliver.



"Wait!" Conan turned to persue the girl, but she had disappeared as quickly as she had come. "Saint Tail? Saint Tail! Damn!" I can't let this jewel fall into anyone's hands, not even if she says she's trying to help!

But what if it is better off with her than it is with Kaitou?

Now there was an interesting idea. He didn't really think he could trust the female thief, but it seemed he had no choice. The best course of action, he finally decided, was to gain a bargaining chip for himself. Then, he'd know just where both he and Saint Tail stood.

With that thought in mind, Conan hopped on his skateboard and sped off toward the nearest train station--and Seika City.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Meimi was pleased that things were going so well. Even though she had gotten involved in this heist without Seira's assistance, everything was working out perfectly. "Douka watashi ni kami no gokago ga arimasu youni.*"

Now, all that was left was to give Asuka a few minutes to panic and get his ponytail-hunting self over to the Kuroba house, and then steal back the jewel.

She was still a little surprised at the whole ordeal--whatever she had expected, it hadn't been the knowledge that the little kid who she'd followed here had turned out to be the most famous detective in Japan--and more clever than Asuka, she had to admit. She would have to be careful that the teen-turned-child never sat in on one of her heists.

Then there was the Kaitou Kid. No one had ever caught him...not even Kudo Shinichi. If Meimi was going to steal the Eye from Kid, she was going to have to be extra careful. She couldn't afford to wait for Asuka Junior, no matter how helpful a diversion he might be.

With that thought in mind, Saint Tail started scoping out the expanse Kaitou residence. It was much bigger than many of the houses in the city, indicating that the family was fairly well off. She spotted a skylight almost immediately and slunk over to it, peering down into an empty hallway.

Better to take this slowly...and use Detective Hattori and Asuka to distract the Kid. The calling card she had sent was ambiguous enough: a simple message that stated, "I'm going to reclaim the Indigo Eye," followed by an address--the address of the Kurobas' next-door neighbour.

Smiling to herself as she mapped out a plan, Meimi opened the skylight and entered the house.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



The two teen detectives were in a taxi, speeding through the Beika city streets. "Hurryuphurryuphurryuphurryup..."

"Relax," Heiji said admonishingly. "If I know Conan, he's already there and waiting for Saint Tail."

"Right, and what's a seven-year-old gonna do against a master thief?" Asuka spat, uncharacteristically cranky. He wasn't sure just what was going on with this case. He had telephoned his father already and was certain that the police forces were going to arrive at the heist before he was, which made the young detective uneasy. He didn't like to get the police involved, in case they caught Saint Tail--a job that was reserved, in his opinion, for him.

On the other hand, he and Heiji were already in Beika City, and halfway there, whereas his father and their forces had to come all the way from Seika.

Then again, his father had a police car that could run red lights.

"Hurry up, would you?" he grumbled, and watched the other cars speed by.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Meimi sat quietly underneath a table in the Kuroba living room, watching Kaitou fidget on the couch. He looked uncomfortable, as though maybe he knew comeone was watching him--but if he suspected Saint Tail's presence, he didn't say anything.

Asuka was due to arrive soon. Meimi guessed that Kaitou was worried about Kudo's next move--the boy had been less than happy as he depearted the house. Still, Kaitou continued to frown as he sat back, playing with the glittering blue-violet jewel that was the female thief's target.

Suddenly Kaitou shot to his feet as headlights shone through the curtains into the living room, and he peeked out the window and muttered a swear word. Still under Meimi's watchful gaze, the teen strode over to the fireplace and removed a brick, revealing a small locked safe. He twirled it slowly enough that Meimi had time to take out her miniature binoculars and memorize the combination as his hands moved before he placed the jewel inside and slid the brick back into place.

The young thief picked up a black satchel near the table and opened it, removing a set of clothes before sliding it under the couch, then returned to the window and watched something taking place next door. Meimi wondered if Asuka Sr. was making an appearance--of course, there was no one home at the Kuroba's neighbour's house. Meimi had known that when she composed her calling card.

Meimi inched further back into the protection of the tableskirt, wondering whether Asuka and Kudo were out there. Maybe they were out there together. When she looked back up a moment later, a stranger was standing in the middle of the living room. An elderly man; he wore a butler's outfit and had grey hair, though his eyes sparkled with what Meimi knew could only be the thrill of the c