Disclaimer: I don't own Case Closed.
Author's Note: This is my first Case Closed fic. I am only comfortable with the English dubbed version. I am not ignorant of the original version, but I am not good with deciphering the Japanese names as of yet.
Conan kicked the soccer ball into the net with enough force that it came sailing right back to him. He caught it with his foot and flipped it up to his knee, where he bounced it on one knee then the other. He kept that up before going back to kicking it. To anyone who didn't know him (Conan or Jimmy) well, it looked like he was practicing for soccer tryouts, but to his friends, it was easy to see his body was on autopilot and his mind was elsewhere.
In fact, his mind was going a million miles an hour on one topic, his life. His life was a mess. One minute he's a high school detective spending the day with his best friend (possibly girlfriend) and the next he's back in grade school under an alias and in the Junior Detectives League. He went from living on his own to living with Rachel and her dad, which wasn't too bad. If Richard wasn't such a lousy detective, it might have even been relaxing. Conan didn't even mind solving the cases for Richard, if only Rachel wasn't so suspicious. There had been a couple of close calls. One time his mom saved him, if you could call it saving. The other time The Phantom Thief Kid came to the rescue dressed like Jimmy, effectively diverting Rachel's attention.
His mind kept coming back to Rachel. He knew he loved her and was pretty sure she returned his feelings, but he couldn't do anything while he was still Conan. Then, there was Amy. Sure, she was a cute kid, but that was the keyword: kid. It would be much better if Amy was interested in someone else. Conan knew neither Mitch nor George would have any problems going out with Amy, but the only way that would happen would be whenever the antidote was found. Then, Doctor Agasa could replicate it, so there would be enough for Vi as well.
There was an unknown quality to Vi. First, she worked for the sinister Men in Black, specifically for Gin and Vodka. Then, she was held prisoner before escaping by taking a dose of the same experimental poison he had been forced to take. Now, she was in the same situation as him (right down to being in the Junior Detective League). Conan didn't know if he could fully trust Vi with everything, but he was confident she wouldn't turn him in to the Men in Black because it would also be a death sentence for her as they were after her as well.
The Men in Black were the cause of all the problems in his life; them and the experimental poison. If only he could get his hands on them, but they always either get away or are two steps ahead of him. One day, he would succeed, but for now, he was going back to Richard's apartment. Rachel was cooking dinner, and Conan wasn't going to miss it.
Fin
Author's Note: The two instances of Rachel being suspicious occur in Season Four, “Jimmy Kudo Revealed, Part Two” and Movie: The Last Wizard of the Century.
