InuYasha Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction / Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ *What* Insertion? ❯ Hey, Teacher, Leave Them Kids Alone ( Chapter 13 )

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WHAT* INSERTION?
by Curtis Wildcat


Chapter Thirteen ---- Hey, Teacher, Leave Them Kids Alone

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(Cue theme)

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Time: Wednesday, February 28, 1996, mid-to-late morning
Location: Teitan Elementary

Phibrizzo drummed his fingers on his desk impatiently. "It's been several minutes since class was supposed to start," he grumbled. "When's that new teacher supposed to get here?"

"Who knows?" Conan asked from across the classroom, looking just as bored as he was.

"You heard what the principal said," Mitch reminded them. "Miss Fitzgerald is supposed to be somewhat eccentric."

"Eccentric or not," George complained, "she can't just show up whenever she feels like it!" He calmed down as something came to him. "Hey, what if she doesn't show up at all?"

"Then I can catch a few minutes of sleep," Phibrizzo muttered, propping his head on his hand.

"Sleeping in class? Phibrizzo, you can't do that!" Amy protested. "You'll get thrown out of class for sure!"

"Well, I'm sure not learning anything at the moment." Phibrizzo's eyes flicked from side to side before gazing up at the ceiling. "Except that there are about 200 of those little holes in that ceiling tile. Eeesh...listening to mother yelling at the television is better than this."

"Why does she do that?" Conan asked.

"Mother's a Masked Yaiba fan," Phibrizzo explained, shaking his head. "Whenever a character does something potentially stupid, she shouts at---"

Abruptly cutting himself off, he started glaring at the ceiling. "Hey...did you guys hear that?"

Most of the class followed suit, looking at the same place he was. "What is it?" one of the other kids asked.

"Sssshh," Phibrizzo hissed. "Whatever it is, it's crawling around inside the ceiling."

Everyone fell silent, their anxiety at their new teacher's arrival put aside for the moment. Just about everyone was wondering what was going on. Some kids, such as Mitch, thought that a rodent or bird had somehow gotten inside. With his mystery-driven mind in gear, Conan guessed that a human had gotten trapped in the ceiling; as to how that would happen, he wasn't sure yet.

Phibrizzo was beginning to look increasingly apprehensive as the clock ticked by. Finally tiring of waiting, he snapped: "Hey! Are you coming down or what? We don't have the rest of our lives to spend here!"

Someone could be heard muttering from inside the ceiling. "Honestly...little kids have no appreciation for drama..."

One of the ceiling tiles at the front of the room was shoved aside. A pair of shoes were seen dangling over the edge, then someone slid out onto the floor. Recovering in an instant, the person bowed and waved. "Thank you, thank you," she said in slightly-accented Japanese. "You're too much. Really!"

As some kids began to applaud politely (while others just stared), Phibrizzo and Conan took in the person's appearance. She appeared to be about the same age as Aisha's friend Jim, give or take, and was roughly the same height. Her manner of dress seemed to be business-casual, as evidenced by the sweater and khakis. Her hair...

"Oh, for crying out loud," Conan and Phibrizzo groaned in unison.

...seemed to resemble a reddish-pink spiked wave that trailed to a point just a few inches above the floor; her bangs brought to mind an image of a hermit crab. "Hello, good morning, and hello again! I'm Wanda Fitzgerald!" she announced, scribbling her name on the board. "I'll be teaching you about the social sciences, but if I talk about other forms of science, don't mind me!" She reached into her bag and pulled out a sheet. "Alright...everyone in class seems to be here, but a quick round of introductions wouldn't hurt...Eliza Amery?"

A pause, and then a girl in the second row raised her hand.

"Stan Cole?"

The boy right behind Eliza raised his hand. "Here."

"Good...um...Conan Edogawa?"

"You can just call me Conan," the aforementioned boy told her.

Wanda nodded slowly. "I'll...keep that in mind. Moving on..."

The new teacher continued on down the list until she got to the most unusual name she'd ever heard of. "Okay...Phibrizzo Kaden? Who in the world's Phibrizzo Kaden?"

"Don't say a word about the name," Phibrizzo growled. "I've been putting up with that ever since I got here, and I'm getting sick of it."

Wanda stared at him for a second, then checked the name off her list. "Just making sure...I thought I'd recognized you somewhere before."

"You probably have," Phibrizzo said, "as long as you don't---"

"Ah! I remember," Wanda interrupted him, her expression gleeful. "You're that kid who rescued that figure skater a while back!"

Several veins started throbbing. "Why can't people just let a matter rest? So I decided to rescue someone to salve my conscience. People don't need to make a huge deal out of it!"

"Phibrizzo..."

Conan was cut off before he could continue. "I'm no charming prince! I'm a street kid who was fortunate enough just to wind up in a decent home! Who do I look like to you?"

Wanda blinked as she listened to Phibrizzo rant. "Um, excuse me..."

"I'm sure not a superhero, I'll say that! I don't even like that psycho klepto; I thought I made that clear! Then yesterday, Mrs. Valen comes up to me and asks if I have a crush on her! My answer: not a snowball's chance in a desert! That crazy girl creeps me out: taking whatever cute things she finds for herself, calling me 'Julien', and chasing me around the neighborhood whenever she sees me! It's enough to drive a person mad!"

Conan got up from his seat and walked over to him. "Phibrizzo..."

"And if you think that's insane, my mother tried to drag me to the next competition that Shiratori was in! Honestly, if I ever meet that weirdo again in the next year, it'll be much too...too...soon..."

Running low on words and on steam, Phibrizzo finally stopped ranting. His eyes slid shut, his head hit the desk with a thump, and he could be heard snoring faintly.

Everyone in the room, Wanda included, stared in wonder. After several seconds, Amy spoke up. "Wow...I guess he really was tired."

"And cranky," Wanda added, an eyebrow arched. "Is he like this every day?"

"Just for the past few weeks," Conan explained as he went back to his seat. "The 'Icearc Incident' is a bit of a sore subject for him. He doesn't really like girls, especially not Azusa Shiratori."

Wanda sweatdropped. "Yeah, I'll say. Anyway, let's just move on with attendance...don't really want to bother him. If he's not awake by the middle of class, could you tell him what he missed?"

Conan shrugged. "Okay."

"Thanks. I'll have to remember to talk to him about it later. Moving on..."

--------

What none of them knew is that Phibrizzo didn't fall asleep due to lack of will. Tiring of his raving and deciding he needed a break, Inuyasha had pushed the "Snooze" button in his chamber. The half-mazoku wouldn't stir for at least another eight minutes.

Inuyasha was now watching Curtis, who'd been staring at the front of his chamber for the past minute in stunned disbelief. "Hey, Curtis. Are you in there?" he asked, rapping on his forehead.

Curtis blinked a few times, then folded his arms and sighed angrily. "This is getting weird, even for me. I don't want to talk about it."

Inuyasha sat down. "Well, whatever. Is she really that real smart woman who looks like a young girl? You were telling us about her a few days ago."

"Yeah, unless I'm reading this wrong. If I am, then she---hold that thought," Curtis interrupted himself, thinking for a few moments. "...Yeah, I read it wrong. Her last name's the key. I did some research on her once, and I found out that her last name's Fitzgerald in a different series. She shouldn't have the same abilities that I told you guys about."

"So she really is that smart kid from America," Inuyasha said to himself. "Think this'll cause any problems?"

"Let's hope not," Curtis grumbled. "Regardless, I have a really bad feeling about this."

---------

Time: After school

Wanda gazed around the corner of the hall, making sure no one was watching her. She'd taught a few classes throughout the day---basically, most of the subjects that one Maria Cliffowski had once taught---but none had caught her attention like the social sciences class from mid-morning.

Two of the kids, despite their attitudes, had exhibited intelligence far beyond the average elementary school student. Once Phibrizzo had snapped awake several minutes after roll call, he remained extremely alert throughout class and put his earlier outburst behind him. His spectacled friend had calmly answered any questions that were sent his way, even adding a fact or two that couldn't have been in any schoolbook.

That still left questions unanswered. Phibrizzo's behavior seemed unnatural to her; his mood swings just weren't normal. No matter how much a child tried, he couldn't just switch from angry loudmouth to studious student in a heartbeat. Somehow, though, he managed to do fairly well. What was his secret? How did he get like that?

And how did he know that she was watching him?

Keeping an "Eeeep!" surpressed, Wanda ducked back around the corner. She'd been hoping to trail Conan and Phibrizzo from afar, but the latter kid seemed to know that he was being followed. Don't know how he can hear me...that kid's good!

A quiet chuckling from behind got her attention. Turning around, Wanda was greeted with the smiling face of Principal Valen. "Um...hi?" she asked a tad nervously.

"Just the person I wanted to see," Mrs. Valen greeted her. "You're curious about that kid, too?"

"Yes. And what do you mean, 'too'?"

"There's something about that kid I like," the principal explained. "I knew he was tough from the day his father registered him here at the school; a kid left out on the streets can develop a mean streak in the wrong environment."

Wanda glared up at her, hiding her curiousity. "What's your point?"

"Phibrizzo's an odd mix of personalities," Mrs. Valen said, all grins. "The kid's easily offended; any reference to the 'Icearc Incident', his bracelet, or a number of other things sets him off."

"His bracelet? I was going to ask him about that." Wanda shrugged. "Whatever. Go on."

"On the other hand, he has his redeeming qualities. A substitute teacher was kidnapped here early in the month, and he went into the school to investigate. That shows that he cares about people to some degree, no matter how he acts on the surface."

"Could've fooled me," said Wanda, shaking her head. "That kid's a regular spitfire. What about that glasses-wearing friend of his?"

Mrs. Valen had to think for a moment. "Oh, right---Conan what's-his-name. I thought I heard that he lives with a detective, and that he's real smart for his age. There's some sort of after-school thing he gets involved with...overheard his friends talking about it once when I was going home. It's no school-endorsed club, I'll tell you that." She tapped her chin for a few seconds. "I wonder..."

"You're wondering what?"

"Well, I know a local police officer. He told me something about a couple kids outwitting a few gangsters a month ago, give or take. I didn't believe it at the time, but..."

Wanda smirked a little, slipping back into English as her scientific mind began churning. "I see. You don't mind if I bring my computer tomorrow, do you?"

"You don't need my permission," the principal replied in Japanese, smiling. She turned and walked away, waving over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow, Miss Fitzgerald."

Oh, you will, Wanda thought as she started to leave another way. A little critical-thinking exercise, and I should have what I need.

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Time: 4:15 p.m.
Location: Electronics store

Phibrizzo fingered through the total yen that he had on him, then decided that the last allowance he'd gotten was enough. "Alright, guess I'll see what the fuss is," he muttered to himself as he grabbed the labeled box in front of him and went to pay for it.

---

Fifteen minutes later, Phibrizzo found himself sitting on the grass at Beika Park, mesmerized by the Mantendo Game Man he'd just purchased. "Shame we didn't have any of these back home," he said quietly, trying to get the blocks matched up. "This would've cured a lot of boredom."

A mild snort emitted from Inuyasha's chamber. "Countless centuries old, and he's fascinated by a machine. Amazing."

Curtis agreed. "Yeah...come on. I like it too, but it's just Tetris."

"Yeah, and it's hard!" Phibrizzo growled.

"Is not. You're just not used to it, that's all."

Would you just shut up and let me concentrate on---

A quiet ringing, too soft to be heard by anyone but Phibrizzo, broke his concentration; the falling blocks got too close to the top, and it was instant Game Over. Shaking his head, he grabbed his cell phone out of subspace and pushed a button. "Hello?"

"Ah, hello! Is this Phibrizzo?"

"It sure isn't Yoko Okino," Phibrizzo remarked without an ounce of humor, resting against the grass. "Who is this, and how'd you get my number?"

"You mean you've forgotten already? I should be sad, but I'm not," the voice said half-jokingly. "This is your new teacher, silly!"

"Bad news," Phibrizzo grumbled.

"What was that?"

A quiet sigh. "I'll be honest: you disturb me. Now, how'd you get my number?"

"Why so suspicious?" Wanda asked happily. "I asked the principal, she checked your record, and she called your mother!"

"....I think I'll just leave my phone off from now on. Why the call? You sure it couldn't have waited until tomorrow?"

"I'm not talking about this in front of everyone else," Wanda told him. "The other kids would get jealous if they found out what I'm going to be asking."

Phibrizzo's stoic behavior faded, and he started listening more intently. "What you're asking? What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure if you heard, but there's a temporary exhibit being set up at the Beika Museum in a few weeks," Wanda said.

"That painter from Europe? Yes, I heard about that," Phibrizzo said. "What about it?"

"I purchased tickets good for the exhibit's first day," his teacher explained. "My legal guardian can't go, so I have a few extras. Care to go that afternoon after school? You can give the third ticket to someone you know, if you like."

Phibrizzo thought to himself for a few seconds before smiling. "Guess it couldn't hurt. I've got nothing better to do."

"Great!" Wanda exclaimed cheerily. "Meet me at Beika Park tomorrow afternoon, and the tickets are as good as yours!"

"I'm at Beika Park now. You might as well come by and take care of it while you can."

After a brief pause, his teacher answered him. "Okay, I've got a few minutes. I'll be right there. Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah," Phibrizzo said. "Are you any good at Tetris? I'm kind of stuck..."

Another pause. "I meant any questions about the tickets, Phibrizzo."

"Then you should've said 'any questions about the tickets', Miss Fitzgerald," Phibrizzo retorted in English. "Otherwise, it's 'ask question, get answer'."

Wanda chuckled a bit before replying in kind. "Sounds like you're every bit as fiesty as I thought. Any questions about the tickets, then?"

"Not really. What time on that Tuesday is good---3:15?"

"Better make it 3:45. I talked to your mother already, and she said it's alright if you miss out on her dinner---my guardian's going to treat us all to dinner that day. Just make sure that you and whomever you bring is there at quarter to four. Okay?"

Phibrizzo nodded. "Alright. See you later, Miss Fitzgerald."

"See you later, Phibrizzo. By the way..."

"Yes?"

"Just call me Wanda. Or better yet, 'Little' Wanda. I don't want to be treated as someone important---being restricted from playing with other kids is bad enough!" The words were obviously spiteful, but they somehow sounded the exact opposite.

"You're only about the second person I know who doesn't crave importance," Phibrizzo said, smiling while a sweatdrop rolled down the back of his neck. "I sort of envy you for that."

"That's another thing I've had enough of---jealousy. If you're good, I won't hold it against you. Bye-bye. See you shortly!"

"See you."

Phibrizzo clicked off the cell phone and put it away. "Weird teacher."

"'Weird' doesn't even begin to describe her---more like 'outlandish'," Curtis said, quickly flipping through what seemed to be a thesaurus. "Or maybe 'psycho'...eh, forget it." He flung the book aside. "What I know is that there's going to be trouble. Do you have any idea how much of it she's going to be?"

Inuyasha didn't believe it. "So she's a little perky. What's the big deal? How much trouble could she possibly become?"

Curtis issued a defeated sigh. "Trust me, Inuyasha. If things turn out well, I'll owe you."

---------

Time: Saturday, March 9, 1996, early afternoon
Location: Cerulean City Pokémon Center

A week and a half later found Phibrizzo draped across a chair in the Pokémon Center's lobby. After a three-hour training session with his Flareon, he'd taken him back to the Center to get checked on...and then decided to take a rest himself.

A few minutes or so later Dolphin had walked on in, her Vaporeon not far behind. As the local Nurse Joy accepted the water-type, Phibrizzo's sister had strolled over and taken a seat next to him. After waiting a minute and not getting a response, she tapped his forehead a few times.

Phibrizzo's eyes slowly opened. "Oh. Hi, sis. What's new?" he asked groggily.

Dolphin shook her head, then took out her ever-present notepad and jotted down a message. 'You seem tired.'

"Because I am," Phibrizzo muttered weakly, still spent from the training session. "And not just physically. I'm kind of dealing with problems back home."

Dolphin arched an eyebrow before writing down a question. 'What kind of problems? Has that ice skater girl been bothering you?'

"Haven't seen her since we rescued her from the Hatter," Phibrizzo told her. "You have no idea how thankful I am for that, although she did send copies of a letter asking me to attend her next competition..." He paused for a few seconds to yawn. "...to every television station in Tokyo. No, she's not the problem, believe it or not."

'Then what is it?'

"There's this weird teacher who started going to my school." The half-mazoku didn't feel much like talking, but at least Dolphin would believe the strange events in his life more than most people would. "She teaches social sciences and one or two other topics, but she's about the weirdest person I've ever seen." Before Dolphin could say anything, he added: "You're my sister, so you don't count."

Dolphin rolled her eyes, then asked: 'How weird could a teacher be?'

"For starters, she's not even a teenager yet."

Even if she could talk, she'd pretty much been startled speechless. Phibrizzo went on, answering her unasked question. "She's done some pretty strange stuff since she came. Her first day in, she came in through the ceiling. The next day, she climbed in through the window. The third day: through the air vent...don't ask how she got there. This past Monday, she opened the door a little and tried to squeeze through without it budging. If she could, she'd probably try to go under the door. It wouldn't surprise me if she tried...

"...And yesterday, she defied the dress code by wearing an oversized baseball T-shirt along with her normal work attire...can't remember which team it was. Class had to be delayed for several minutes because everyone kept asking questions. Everything settled down when she said it was a one-time thing, but she's worrying me."

Dolphin smiled before formulating a reply. 'It's not like you to be so...concerned,' she said, including the dots in the pause.

"What worries me is that she's smart. Very smart. She's never short on words or ideas, she's probably a technical and chemical mastermind by now, she's always trying to turn logic upside-down..." Phibrizzo sighed, then closed his eyes. "In short, she's a genius, and she knows it. I've got to ask you something: how do you deal with something you don't understand? What do you do if you're dealing with something that could outwit you before you had a chance to blink? What do you do...if you find yourself completely outclassed?"

Dolphin had to think for a few minutes on that one. For the briefest of instants centuries ago, she'd felt the same way when her conscious mind became scrambled. Upon her arrival in this strange world, she was overwhelmed by everything that she saw. It was thanks in part to Misty and her Vaporeon, Jetsam, that she was slowly becoming accustomed to the local culture. Without someone to guide her, she'd probably still be lost.

Her brother's training session with that Flareon of his must have taken a toll on his mind and body for him to be thinking like he was. She knew enough about the sessions that Phibrizzo was really 'pushing the envelope', as people here would say, but she didn't know what they entailed. A shame that his lifetime hasn't dulled his child-like personality; half the time he isn't even thinking straight. He only gets introspective when---

Hold it, hold it...child-like personality?

Smiling a little, Dolphin took a little squirt gun out of her purse. You snooze, you lose.

A few seconds later Phibrizzo was wide awake, staring at her angrily and shaking water off his face. "Blast it! What was that for?"

Letting her playful side take over, Dolphin stuck out her tongue and pulled down an eyelid. That should be all that needs to be said!

"Miserable fish!" Phibrizzo growled before pushing himself off his seat. "Give me that squirt gun!"

Dolphin jumped out of the way, nearly tumbling over a busy Chansey as she did so, then retreated when her brother continued to charge after her. 'You're too slow!' she managed to write before dropping the notepad and dashing off.

It continued in this vein for a while. Phibrizzo chased Dolphin all over the accessible parts of the Pokémon Center before finally catching up to her, snagging one of her ponytails in an attempt to slow her down. Fuming from having her hair pulled, Dolphin started pursuing Phibrizzo in a similar fashion.

Before long a small crowd had gathered in the lobby, watching to see how long it was taking the chase to end and amazed at some of the things they were doing. Some of the Pokémon expressed their surprise as well; although it couldn't be understood, a Chansey was heard telling its' co-worker that she wished she'd had a camera for this occasion.

It was starting to get a little out of hand, though. After about twenty minutes, the chase had degenerated to a schoolyard-style fight: name-calling, taunts, hair-pulling, face-lifting, the works (the first two Dolphin had no part of, of course). Somewhere along the way Dolphin found a sensitive spot below Phibrizzo's shoulder, confirming her belief that the skin and nerves he'd developed were genuine; that only made things worse. However, things didn't slow down, not even when Officer Jenny was called into the Center to calm everyone.

After another five minutes, things finally settled. Dolphin scooted off of where she'd been keeping Phibrizzo pinned down, stretching a little. That was fun.

Phibrizzo rolled onto his back, hyperventilating out of reflex and trying unsuccessfully to keep his eyes from watering. "I hate...being ticklish," he managed to groan. "I'm gonna...get you...for this."

"Well?" Officer Jenny asked sternly. "Are you two done roughhousing yet? This isn't a playground."

"Tell that...to her," Phibrizzo told her. "She started it!"

Dolphin looked around for her discarded notepad, found it, then wrote something down. 'Really...you need some fun in your life. What are you going to do, frown and whine about everything that happens?'

"Lauren..." At that point, Dolphin remembered that she was supposed to go by her stage name, Lauren Aqua, while in public. "You don't know that teacher. How can...you say that?"

'She's not yet a teenager, right? That means she's still a kid. Treat her like one. Do you understand me, little brother?'

Jenny looked on questioningly before turning to the nearby Nurse Joy. "Am I missing something here?"

"They're siblings," Joy told her, smiling nervously. "Apparently, they still fight like it."

"Could've fooled me," Jenny said, frowning. "They look like they're about fifteen years apart. What was going on here?"

A teenage trainer with blonde hair spoke up. "I think I know what happened. I had just come in to get my Pokémon checked on, and I heard the kid talking to her. A few minutes later the lady took out a squirt gun and soaked his face with it. He got mad, she taunted him...and that's how the chase started."

Jenny blinked, then turned her gaze to Dolphin. "You're Lauren Aqua, right?" After receiving a nod in response, she continued: "I understand you're well-known around here, but that doesn't mean that you can just cause a ruckus whenever you want."

'Do you have any siblings?'

Another blink. "Yes, but---"

Dolphin cut her off, then continued writing. 'Don't tell me you never acted the same way when you were a kid. He takes things too seriously! Intelligence can wait---youth is for exploding!'

"That's probably 'exploring', sister," Phibrizzo muttered, standing up.

Dolphin shook her head. 'I mean "exploding", firebrat. I'm not the only basket case around here, remember?'

"You're trying to irk me on purpose, aren't you?" Phibrizzo asked accusingly. "Well---"

A nearby Poké Ball rattled and popped open, releasing Phibrizzo's Flareon---obviously at full health. Immediately, the Pokémon glowed a bright red and yelled as loud as it could, startling everyone who heard it. Over fifteen seconds, everyone who heard it was treated to its entire repertoire of noises. To anyone else it seemed like utter nonsense; but to one person in particular, it had an obvious effect.

Phibrizzo stared down at the floor. "Yeah...maybe I do need to do something about my temper. Sorry about the noise."

"You understood it?" Jenny asked in surprise.

"Yeah, but that's not important." He turned to stare his sister in the eye. "Lauren, would you mind dropping by next Tuesday? I think you should meet her for yourself."

'I'll need to clear it up with Misty first. We'll see.'

Upon nodding, Phibrizzo fell backwards and hit the floor. Yawning heavily, he shut his eyes and was soon sound asleep.

Most of the audience was nonplussed, Joy and Jenny included. "All that ruckus, and he just falls asleep?" one person asked. "That kid's weird."

"Reminds me of my Persian," someone else commented. "He runs around the house for no apparent reason, then settles down and sleeps."

"Well," Jenny mused aloud, "you can't say that this job doesn't allow for entertainment..."

"Miss Aqua, is your brother going to be okay?" Joy asked concernedly as the crowd started to disperse.

Dolphin nodded, then stared down at her brother. As his Flareon sat guard over him, she began considering her options. After rejecting the first few ideas that came to mind, she smiled as she finally decided what to do. She'd have to get permission from Misty first, but it shouldn't be a problem.

Look out, Beika: I'm coming back.

-----------------

Time: Early morning, March 12
Location: Teitan Elementary, outside the principal's office

Phibrizzo exited the office---ignoring Mrs. Valen's chuckling---and turned to regard his sister, who was leaning calmly against the wall and ignoring stares from passing students. He waited until Dolphin opened her eyes, then spoke. "Okay, I approved it with the principal. You can stay for the rest of the day. Just one thing: could you do something about the hair? It's rather unusual around here..."

Dolphin shook her head, glaring at him as if he was crazy. She didn't have her notepad out, but her expressive face told everything she wanted him to know.

Phibrizzo sighed, his breath forming a small mushroom cloud. "Alright, but do you want people thinking you're daft or something?"

His sister just smirked, then gestured with her hand towards the hallway as if to say: "Well?"

"Okay, okay. Let's just go."

------

As Phibrizzo guessed, everyone who was in the class by now had their eyes on Dolphin, who quietly strolled to the back of the room, leaned against a wall, and stayed there. He could imagine their surprise at seeing a person of her age spending time at the school. A few kids were wondering if they should say anything, but kept their questions restricted to whispered conversations.

One group that didn't stay still, though, was Conan and the rest of the Junior Detective League; within seconds of the duo's arrival, the four of them were at Phibrizzo's desk. "Hi, Phibrizzo," Mitch greeted him. "Who's she?"

"What's she doing here?" George asked.

"Her hair's beautiful," Amy said, smiling.

"She's my sister, she wants to meet Miss Fitzgerald later, and she doesn't like haircuts," Phibrizzo said in order.

"It kind of runs in the family," Conan remarked, rolling his eyes a little.

"My hair's fine the way it is, Edogawa," Phibrizzo complained. "Anyway, she'll be sticking around all day." He lowered his voice. "Just ignore her. It'll be a lot easier on both her and you."

"Why's that?" Mitch inquired.

"I say 'easier on her' because she can't talk, so she'd have trouble answering your questions. I say 'easier on you' because her playful streak is wide enough to swallow a house."

There was a brief pause. "Okay..." the group chorused in a monotone. As one, they turned to regard Dolphin once again; the woman smiled and waved, then relaxed and pretended to doze off.

Phibrizzo shook his head sadly and wondered how much longer the teacher was going to be. It's going to be a long day.

---------

Actually, after the teacher arrived, things started to go rather smoothly. After Dolphin wrote her alias 'Lauren Aqua' on the board and Phibrizzo said why she was here, this class and the next went on by without incident.

Finally, a minute into the third class, the door swung open and in went Wanda---slowly rotating in a circle as she did so. She reached the desk and almost stumbled into it, but stopped in time. "Dizzy...my head is spin-ning..." she muttered in English before reverting back, shaking her head. "Hello! How is everyone?"

"Fine, Miss Wanda!" the class chorused. Since the first day, they had been asked not to address her by her surname or 'Teacher'; she instead insisted that they call her either 'Wanda', 'Miss Wanda', or in Phibrizzo's case, 'Little Wanda'. A few kids even applauded, used to the teacher's odd entrance routines by now (even if they still didn't understand how or why).

"Terrific, terrific," the teacher said happily, turning to the board. "Now then, let's get down to---huh?" Her eyes ran over the unfamiliar writing on the board. "'Lauren Aqua'? Who's that?"

A polite cough from the back got her attention. Turning, she finally noticed the really-long-haired woman standing calmly against the back wall. Upon hearing her name, the woman opened her eyes and smiled. She didn't say anything, not even a simple 'Hello'.

The tension slowly built over the short silence that followed. Wanda wasn't sure, but there was something vaguely threatening about the woman's expression. "Um...hi?" she asked a trifle nervously.

"We want people to like you," Phibrizzo said, turning to the woman, "not have them flee in abject terror. Just get out the stupid notepad and introduce yourself."

The woman glared at him for a moment in annoyance before getting out her notepad and pen, taking a few seconds to write a lengthy message. After finishing with her writing, she walked forward and handed the notepad to Wanda, who read it aloud for the class's benefit. "'Spoilsport...Anyway, I'm Lauren Aqua. I got permission from your principal to attend today's classes. If you think I act strange, it's only because I can...'" Wanda rolled her eyes a little before finishing: "'By the way, the dark-haired kid with the mood swings is my little brother. Just ignore him if he gets on your nerves.' Oooo-kay..."

Phibrizzo glowered at Lauren before whining: "You don't need to put it that way..."

Conan, Wanda saw, seemed vaguely suspicious about something; he looked as if he'd just realized something that had escaped him previously. He's got a real sharp eye. I'll need to watch out for him.

She knew that she'd also have to keep an eye on Lauren...there was something odd about her, and it wasn't just the fact that her hair was longer than hers (and it was blue!). She looked okay now, but her stare meant only one thing to her: I'm watching you.

Gathering her bearings, she nodded and shook the offered hand. "Right. I'm Wanda Fitzgerald. Nice to meet you," Wanda said, finally remembering that it was customary to bow in greeting.

All traces of sharpness in Lauren's face disappeared, replaced by outright delight. Acting like she didn't notice the slip in proper conduct, she apparently decided: "When in Rome..." and followed suit.

Shame no one noticed that they were standing too close...until after their heads collided like pins in a bowling ball's path.

Almost everyone winced when this happened, and several expressed their concern. As Wanda reassured them and waited for things to clear up, she noticed three things. One: Dolphin didn't seem phased by this, instead shrugging it off like it was no big deal. Two: Conan was giving her the same look she once got when she first tried COBOL programming...while the programmers were watching. Three: Phibrizzo's giggling fit was cut short when he fell out of his chair.

It's going to be a really weird day, Wanda decided.

----------

Time: 3:40pm
Location: Beika Museum

Phibrizzo stared straight ahead, his expression incredulous. Conan stared straight ahead, his own face much the same. Dolphin shrugged, smiled, and went inside without them; Rachel looked on anxiously for a few seconds, then followed her in.

As if operating on a timer, both kids blurted: "You're here, too!?"

Phibrizzo stepped back a pace, miffed. "Okay, I'm really starting to suspect something here. What's your story, Edogawa?"

"Our teacher, Wanda, called the agency and said she had a few tickets for me," Conan told him. "I didn't want to go at first, but Rachel got excited about the temporary exhibit and told her yes." He sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Similar story," Phibrizzo said. "She somehow got my cellular phone number and called me while I was at the park. Since I didn't have anything planned for today, it sounded like a good idea. She said that her guardian was going to pay for dinner, and one thing I've learned in the past is that you don't turn down a free meal."

Conan thought for a few seconds. "I wonder...do any of you think we're being set up here?" he asked, wondering if either of Phibrizzo's 'parasites' (as he'd heard them called once) had any opinions.

"Well, maybe," Curtis's voice suggested quietly, "but I don't think we'll really know until later. It's no coincidence, that's for sure."

"Got that right," Phibrizzo murmured. "Curtis, I don't think it's good to be talking in public like this..."

"I'll keep it down, then. Thanks for reminding me."

Conan nodded. As he knew from the 'Icearc Incident', Phibrizzo had multiple 'personalities' of a sort, capable of kicking in at any time (as freaky as it sounded). He knew what Inuyasha was capable of when he took over, but didn't know what Curtis could do. He was told that he'd meet him in person sometime, but it had been several weeks and nothing had happened.

Oh, well. It's not like it's the most important thing to me, anyway.

"Well, Conan," Phibrizzo said, shrugging off his suspicions, "shall we go in?" He took his ticket out of his pocket. "Whether it's a setup or not, it should be fun."

"Alright," Conan agreed, retrieving his own. "Might as well. I'm ready."

Smiling in anticipation, the two of them stepped through the museum's doors.

------------

After showing their tickets to an attendant, Phibrizzo and Conan were permitted to enter the museum's main room. Here, there were more people milling about than usual; the news of the travelling art exhibit had attracted a lot of attention. In the center of the room and against the wall were various stands and glass cases, containing over a dozen paintings of various sizes. Chances are that there were more in other areas, too.

Conan regarded his friend, who was smiling brightly. "If I didn't have school, I'd probably spend the rest of the week here," Phibrizzo remarked.

"You must really like art," Conan said, an eyebrow raised. "I usually don't see you smiling like that."

"Looking at artwork in person and not just in the schoolbooks...this is what I really like, not all that stuff floating around the department stores." Phibrizzo let his eyes wander. "Classic art for a kid who's not very classy."

Conan decided to do likewise. "Something I've been wondering, Phibrizzo," he said, lowering his voice. "Your tastes are very un-childlike. How old are you, really?"

Phibrizzo sighed, then answered in the same octave: "You know what answer I'm going to give you, Conan, so just forget about it."

A brief silence ensued after he said this. Conan frowned, but didn't say anything. Despite him not saying anything directly, that answer confirmed that Phibrizzo could not be what his appearance was telling him. If he's going to act like a kid, he should at least put on a better performance instead of giving us these mood swings. Most kids don't take that sort of art that seriously.

Whatever the case may be, he at least doesn't spend all his time causing trouble wherever he goes. Finishing his Kudo-style thoughts for the moment, despite how freaky they were in retrospect, he shrugged and motioned for Phibrizzo to lead the way, stepping to the side for a few seconds to let a middle-aged man past them.

After a little sight-seeing, they found Dolphin and Rachel examining a life-size sculpture of a girl. The child's facial features were distinctly European; as to which country, Conan couldn't tell for sure. He could tell, though, that if Sharon Gold had painted this sculpture, she had a high measure of talent: there seemed to be no end to the colors. Striped socks, a blue buttonable shirt decorated with clouds, red tennis shoes, reddish-pink hat...

Despite having less of an appreciation for art than Rachel, Conan was definitely impressed...until a thought hit him. Wait a second...red tennis shoes? That can't be right.

"Amazing," Rachel murmured thoughtfully. "It looks so life-like."

Phibrizzo agreed. "It does, doesn't it? Says a lot about the paint quality."

Curious, Dolphin waved a hand in front of the sculpture's face to reassure herself that yes, this was indeed a sculpture. Sure enough, it didn't move or blink. Just like a good statue.

"Something's not right here," Conan muttered. "It looks too realistic..."

"Astute observation, Edogawa," Phibrizzo said sarcastically, a smirk on his lips. "Can the junior detective take a vacation? We're here to enjoy ourselves, alright?"

Deciding that they'd had enough of looking at a statue, Rachel moved on to the first of the series of paintings, Dolphin not far behind. Reluctantly, Conan followed Phibrizzo as he trailed after them...

Crinkle, crinkle...crunch, crunch, crunch.

They heard the noise, alright. As one, they wondered what was going on. As one, they figured out that it was coming from the direction of the sculpture. As one, they turned around to find the noise's source.

As one, they freaked out.

The statue that they'd been examining seconds before was kneeling on the carpet, calmly munching on a rice cracker.

Conan shook his head, trying to stop a repetitive thought. Statues don't eat...statues don't eat...statues don't...hold on! "Well, do you still think she's a statue?" Conan asked testily, his eyes still wide but holding some annoyance in them.

'It's a machine,' a disbelieving Dolphin wrote in her notepad, holding it like a shield and taking several steps back. 'Keep it away!'

Phibrizzo snatched the notepad out of her hand, tore the front paper to shreds, and stuffed them in his pocket. "Machines don't eat, Tuna Breath," he said, shoving the notepad back in her hand.

"You mean...it's a real person?" Rachel asked, blinking.

The 'sculpture' turned to them, still eating...then spoke. "Why's everyone staring at me?"

"We thought you were stone and marble," Phibrizzo said, likely blushing because he hadn't known it sooner, "not skin and bone."

The girl paused briefly to take another bite. "You're not the first one today to make that mistake."

"Why didn't you move?" Rachel wanted to know. "You could've just given us a sign that you were real."

"And I don't think they allow food in the museum," Conan added.

The girl shrugged, dismissing their reminders. "I'm bored."

Sweatdrops all around. 'Kid, where's your parents?' Dolphin asked, stopping at one point to get the pen's ink to cooperate.

"Don't know. I---"

"Miss Gold," a cultured voice interrupted her, "need I remind you that you are not one of the exhibits...again?"

The group turned their heads a few degrees---as did several other people in hearing range---to regard a rather odd gentleman. The man was about five and a half feet tall, had a blue-and-white striped dress shirt with khakis, wore glasses, had fuller lips than normal, and had the number '3' painted on his shoes. "Really...we go through this every day. Enough is enough."

Conan's mind backtracked a little. "You mean she's Sharon Gold?" He looked back at the artist, who was still nibbling the rice cracker.

"Yes. As unlikely as it sounds, she's Sharon Gold, child artist. I am Mister Trey Stephenson, her manager for this tour." Even to those not paying attention, the tone would've sounded resigned.

"Nice to meet you," Rachel greeted him. Dolphin bowed a tad, Conan smiled, and Phibrizzo put on his best look of childish curiousity.

"I suppose so," Trey agreed reluctantly. "It would be a lot nicer if someone didn't just stand around all day like an obelisk."

"I'm bored," Sharon told him, pretending not to hear her manager's complaint. "Can I go somewhere else?"

"Fine," Trey said, waving her off. "Just stay out of everyone's way, but be sure you answer any questions that people have for you."

Without any comment, Sharon picked up a discarded carryon bag, ventured towards a nearby hallway and continued on. Trey stared after her for a moment, then shook his head and faced Rachel. "For all her talents in art, I still wish she had a better attention span."

"What do you expect?" Rachel asked. "She's still a child."

Trey adjusted his glasses. "Yes, well, if she keeps it up, she'll be like that when she's older."

"And that's a bad thing?" Phibrizzo murmured, rolling his eyes.

Dolphin turned to him, already scribbling something. 'Behave yourself, little brother.'

Phibrizzo grimaced, then turned to Conan. "Edogawa, wasn't Wanda supposed to meet us here at about this time?"

Conan shrugged. "You know Wanda. She likes to make a big entrance. Maybe she decided to see if she could cartwheel her way into the museum."

That got a quiet chuckle out of him. "Wouldn't put it past her, Edogawa. Let's just see what happens."

Trey looked thoughtful for a bit. "Edogawa, Edogawa...hmmm...ah, yes. This girl who bought tickets here twice mentioned your name. Is that right?"

Conan nodded. "Yeah. I'm Conan Edogawa, he's Phibrizzo Kaden..." He then pointed to Rachel and Dolphin in turn. "She's Rachel Moore, and she's Lauren Aqua."

'Call me "Dolphin",' Dolphin wrote. "'Aqua' is just an alias."

"She bought tickets here twice?" Phibrizzo asked thoughtfully. "Okay, now I'm really starting to get suspicious. Edogawa, I think you're right about the whole 'setup' thing."

Rachel turned to them. "'Setup'? What are you talking about, Phibrizzo?"

A silhouette loomed from behind her adopted cousin. "Yes," Wanda's voice added. "What are you talking about, Phibby?"

Phibrizzo's eyes widened, and he spun around quicker than the others could blink. Sure enough, Wanda was standing scant inches behind him. "Wha...Wanda, don't do that! You know I hate that!"

"Tough beans," Wanda said, smiling. "I've got to have some fun, right?"

"Not that," Phibrizzo complained, frowning. "Sneaking up on me is one thing, but calling me 'Phibby' is something else!"

Rachel and Conan almost fell over at this; Wanda had a good laugh at her student's expense. "I've got to remember that! How cute is that?"

"Do you want me to answer that?" Phibrizzo asked testily; Conan wasn't sure, but he thought he noticed a throbbing vein on his friend's forehead.

"You take everything so seriously. What's wrong with a little humor now and again?" Wanda asked. "You don't want to wind up with gray hair before you're twenty now, do you?"

'Yes,' Dolphin put in. 'Having one sibling with gray hair is enough for me, thank you.'

"Her hair's silver. Big difference," Phibrizzo muttered, still steamed.

"A-hem...”

That noise interrupted the tense moment and brought everyone back to reality; Phibrizzo's anger deflated like a balloon. One by one, the group focused on Trey. “If you want to speak to me or Miss Gold once you’re finished, meet up with us in the Chamber of Earth at five o’clock. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the exhibit.” He adjusted his glasses before walking away. “Especially you, Miss Fitzgerald.”

"Um, thanks," Wanda said, swallowing nervously. "I guess." She looked around as if checking for a clock.

That's funny, Conan mused, staring at Wanda for a moment before turning to regard one of Sharon's paintings---one of a small fox sleeping while curled up around a discarded fedora. Suddenly, she didn't seem so enthusiastic as she was earlier. Does she know Mr. Stephenson from somewhere...or is it something else?

-------

Over the course of the next hour, the group slowly split up. After showing marginal interest in the travelling exhibit, Dolphin wandered into the Chamber of the Sea to immerse herself in that room's fine art. Rachel and Conan finished viewing most of Sharon's artwork before the others did and checked around to see if the museum had added anything to its collection since their last visit (not likely, but still possible). Wanda struck up a conversation with an older woman who had heard of the girl's reputation and wanted to know more.

Phibrizzo made his way to the main room's second floor to get a closer look at a few extra paintings. Not being your average school-kid, he'd always rather liked looking at books and art; the massive collection he owned back at his original home was proof of that. It gave him something to do during dull moments, of which there were many.

As the clock neared 5:00pm, Phibrizzo was examining every detail of the exhibit's most recent work: See Vienna Through My Eyes, depicting a mid-day street as seen from a child's height. She must be what you would call a 'realist' painter, I guess.

"Probably," Inuyasha said, not paying much attention to what Phibrizzo was seeing. "Curtis, do you know what he's talking about?"

Curtis worked his way through a mouthful of hot dog before answering. "Not really. Everything I know about art can be crammed into a children's book. Everything else either doesn't interest me, or I wind up forgetting it before too long."

"That bad, huh?" Inuyasha asked, smiling good-naturedly.

Curtis did the same. "Heh. You should see some of my drawings. Anyone half my age could draw that stuff if they wanted to."

Nice to know that YOU'RE being a realist, Phibrizzo said dryly. Are you looking at these, or not?

"I'm not saying I don't like art," Curtis said. "I like the stuff they have here...most of it, anyway."

Phibrizzo nodded, taking one last look at the picture before turning towards the stairs. It's almost five. We should find Conan and Wanda and see what's going on.

Inuyasha nodded. "What about your sister, the cold fish?"

I'm not worried about Dolphin, Phibrizzo told him. She should be fine where she is, as long as she doesn't touch anything.

------

In the Chamber of the Sea, Dolphin was starting to get the feeling she was being watched. Turning around, she found out that she was: about five people had gathered around her, watching her curiously and ignoring the statue she'd been examining. One of them, a guy with short, spiky brown hair, had out a camera and was busy snapping pictures; the others had notepads and pens.

Dolphin started to edge away, unnerved by the camera despite the fact that Misty had already explained what it was. Okay...maybe I should've done something about my hair after all.

------

"Phibrizzo, this is your sister we're talking about, no one else's," Curtis reminded him. "She's by herself in an unfamiliar place. Do you really think things are okay?"

"And don't forget that Dolphin's probably not used to hanging around humans all the time," Inuyasha pointed out. "That, and this era's machines and devices are probably going to set her off."

Phibrizzo sweatdropped, imagining Dolphin panicking at the sight of a microphone. Fine. I'll go get her. He turned on his heels and headed towards where he figured his sister would be: the Chamber of the Sea.

-----

Finishing up her conversation with the older woman, Wanda noticed that Phibrizzo was leaving the main room for another part of the building. She didn't know where, but that fact was moot: she was going to test her students' thinking capabilities in the best way possible.

Looking around for a second, Wanda mentally prepared herself for what was to happen and started towards the Chamber of Earth. Here goes. Let's see what Phibby and Conan can do!

----

From across the room, a large man with gentle eyes watched Wanda as she headed off to the Chamber. That's my signal. I hope this turns out well.

----

Phibrizzo caught up with Dolphin at the far end of the Chamber of the Sea. She was cornered by five very puzzled people, one of which had a camera; they were asking various questions, such as why she had blue hair, why it was so long, and why she was so afraid of them. Deciding she'd had enough, Phibrizzo shouted: "Hey! Leave her alone already! If she doesn't want to answer your questions, she doesn't have to!"

The group turned, and the person with the camera decided to protest. "We just want to know..."

"What you want to know is none of your business," Phibrizzo growled. "Tell me: is getting information from her worth getting sued over?"

"Sued? By who---you?" another person asked incredulously.

"I didn't ask you to speak," Phibrizzo declared. "I repeat: is it worth it? One: that woman's my sister. Two: my aunt's an attorney. One plus two equals more trouble than you can handle. Besides, some knowledge is better off done without!"

"Tough little kid," the camera person grumbled. "Who are you to tell newspaper reporters what to do?"

"He's not worth it, Carson," another in the group said. "If he wants us to stop pestering his sister, we should respect that, lawyer or no lawyer. Besides, we're here to interview Sharon Gold anyway."

Carson shrugged, putting his camera away. "Fine, fine. I still think it's really stupid that you're letting yourself listen to a kid who's probably just fooling around."

"I have the police department's phone number," Phibrizzo said calmly. "And I can call and tell my aunt that you're invading another person's privacy without a warrant. After you're sitting in a courtroom going over something that could've been avoided, you go ahead and ask yourself if I'm just fooling around. I am not your average kid."

"Well..."

Phibrizzo shoved his hands in his pockets and started tapping his foot impatiently.

Carson sighed, lowering his camera. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

A nod. “Yes.”

"Alright, sure." He gestured towards his fellow writers. "Would you go on ahead? I'm going to stick around and take a few pictures."

"You sure?" asked one of them.

"Right. I'll catch up with you."

Reluctantly, the remaining four writers vacated the Chamber of the Sea, and Dolphin started to relax little by little. Phibrizzo frowned a little as a thought came to him. I know we both came from a medieval-esque world, but I wish she'd get over her...'technophobia', I think is the word. I don't know why she hates machines and technology.

"She doesn't seem to mind that device she carries her Vaporeon around in," Inuyasha remarked, taking a seat in the back of his chamber. "She's gotten used to at least that."

Point. Still, she really irritates me sometimes.

Curtis glanced at something, then returned his gaze to the outside world. "Siblings tend to do that."

Phibrizzo turned from Carson, walked a few paces, then stopped. It's about five. Mi---Wanda probably wants me to meet up with her, Trey, and Sharon over in the Chamber of Earth...I don't really have anything to ask him.

"Well," Curtis started to say, "maybe you---"

Just then, Phibrizzo felt something being pressed into his hand. Turning a little, he saw Carson standing near him with a contemplative look. "Wait until you get home before you open it up," he said after a few moments. "Now's not the time for that." Having said that, he started strolling around the Chamber and taking a few snapshots.

Phibrizzo looked down at his hand to see what was in it. His eyes met with a small velvet-covered container, not much larger than his hand and temporarily sealed shut with tape. He shook it a little, only to be greeted with silence. Probably nothing in there.

Inuyasha sniffed the air a few times. "Just stick it in your pocket for now," he said. "We can just look at it later, like the guy said."

Unsure, Phibrizzo placed the container in subspace. Alright. He turned over to Dolphin, who had recovered her composure and stepped next to him when Carson went about his business. "Are you okay, sister?"

Dolphin slowly nodded, although her expression could've said: 'I've been better.'

"Good. Whatever," her brother said, latching onto her hand. "Come on. Let's get to the Chamber of Earth. I think we're late."

------------

The room was dark when the two of them arrived, which was surprising. "That's odd," Phibrizzo said to himself. "I thought the museum wouldn't close for a few hours yet. And where's Mr. Stephenson?" He let go of Dolphin's hand and fumbled around the nearest wall, searching for a light switch.

Dolphin, meanwhile, instinctively released supersonic waves from within her throat; such waves helped her navigate even in pitch darkness, and helped her determine where any obstacles were. On the off-chance that her brother couldn't get the lights on, at least she'd be able to walk around without hitting anything.

It was by means of these waves that she was able to locate something thrown haphazardly into one corner of the room. Odd...their organizational skills are rather shoddy. What's over there? She sniffed the air a few times...and flinched. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"Come on...where's that stupid switch?" she heard Phibrizzo grumbling to himself. "Where's that---there. That's it." The lights finally came on, allowing Dolphin to see everything, including whatever it was that seen in the distant corner. Phibrizzo saw it too, and his eyes widened; Dolphin, already having a good idea what it had been, only grimaced a bit. Both of them recognized the the limp figure that was propped in one corner.

Wanda!

The siblings took a few steps closer and drunk in the details. Phibrizzo's eccentric teacher had her hand on her arm; her spiky red hair was frayed; judging by the rasping noises, she seemed to be having trouble breathing. There was definitely someone out there who didn't like her.

Wanda's voice, which sounded a tad strained, interrupted both their thoughts. "Phibrizzo...call the police. Get your friends in here...can I trust you to do that?"

Phibrizzo's eyes narrowed as he nodded. "Count on it, Wanda. I'll be back as soon as I can! Lauren, watch her for me!" No sooner had he spoken his words than he turned on his heels and scampered out the door.

Dolphin stared after him, once again wondering at his commitment to humans but dismissing it quickly. After all, she'd become quite committed to someone back in Cerulean City: the gym leader, Misty, who had taught her the fundamentals of living in this strange world. She knew it was strange for anyone of her kind to feel this way, but she didn't argue; acting like her usual self back home had gotten her nothing but the worst centuries of her life. She didn't know how long she would be on this planet or how she would get back, but until then she would accept the changes in her life. If it meant being friends with a human, she could handle that until she found a way to return.

-----

As Dolphin kept her eyes on the place where Phibrizzo had been, she didn't notice Wanda's expression forming an eager grin. This is going to be fun.

------------

Time: Ten minutes later

It didn't take the police very long to respond, arriving at the museum within the first few minutes of Phibrizzo's frantic phone call. Although some people were wondering why they were told not to go beyond the main room, no one argued. Before long, a group of people had gathered inside the Chamber of Earth: Phibrizzo, Conan, Rachel, Dolphin, the injured Wanda, Trey and Sharon, Inspector Maguire and two of his officers, and two men who had been close enough to the scene to warrant questioning.

Conan vaguely remembered one of those men going past him right after his arrival, and he wondered why there hadn't been anything suspicious about him at first. The same was true with the other person; the last time he was seen, he was calmly viewing the art exhibit like everyone else. There was a lot he didn't know...yet.

"Alright," Maguire said, starting things off. "According to what Miss Fitzgerald told me, she was attacked while on her way to this room...at approximately 4:58. She claims that someone tried to strangle her, and he or she managed to twist her arm in the process. Failing strangulation, she was thrown into the Chamber of Earth and had the lights shut off on her. Now everyone, speak up; I need to hear exactly where each of you were at the time this happened. Phibrizzo, we'll start with you."

Phibrizzo nodded. "I was in the Chamber of the Sea, arguing with a persistent reporter at that time. I wouldn't have heard any sounds of a struggle unless I was standing near the door."

"I was in the Chamber of Heaven, looking for art." Conan didn't have much to say, even though he knew that every detail helped.

"I was with Conan in the same room," Rachel said. "I didn't know if the museum had added anything since we were last here, so I thought I'd look around. Before that, I was viewing the special art exhibit in the main room. When we passed between the rooms at about 4:50, there wasn't anyone there."

Silence, and several seconds of it. Everyone looked to see if Dolphin was going to say anything, but of course she remained quiet. She checked the pockets of her performance outfit, looking frustrated. "Well? What are you looking for?" Maguire inquired.

"For her notepad," Phibrizzo said. "Lauren can't talk, in case you forgot from our last meeting."

"Well, that complicates things," Maguire muttered grumpily. "How are we supposed to know where she was if she can't say anything?"

"That's easy," Phibrizzo replied. "I'll answer for her. A bunch of newspaper men were asking her inane questions in the Chamber of the Sea. They're the ones I was busy chewing out while the scuffle was taking place."

Dolphin's eyes widened as she realized something, and she slapped her forehead in annoyance.

Phibrizzo shook his head. "You left your notepad back in there, huh? Way to go, Trout Face."

"Anyway, thanks for filling us in," Maguire said, stopping a one-way argument from taking place. "Mr. Stephenson, where were you when the incident took place?"

"Trying to keep Sharon busy," was Trey's answer. "When she gets restless, I need to find ways to keep her occupied, or else I would be driven out of my mind. At the time, I was in the main room."

Munch, munch, crunch.

Most of the group sweatdropped as they turned to Sharon, who was once again helping herself to a rice cracker. "Sharon, I really don't think you should be eating in the middle of an investigation..." Rachel tried to say.

"You have any more of those, Miss Gold?" Phibrizzo interrupted.

Sharon nodded, handing him another cracker out of her carryon bag. "Thanks," Phibrizzo said, happily nibbling on the snack.

"Phibrizzo, you're not helping," Rachel muttered, annoyed.

"Miss Gold," Maguire asked calmly in an effort to get things rolling again, "where were you at the time of the incident?"

Sharon gazed at the ceiling for a moment. "Mr. Stephenson was trying to keep me busy. I remember a wax figure of a chicken..."

"I take it he has to do that quite often, huh?" Phibrizzo asked around a mouthful of rice cracker, ignoring the clucking noises Curtis was making.

"You've never seen the inside of the plane we took," Sharon told him. "Wax figures as far as the eye can see. There's three of them just inside the rental car we took here."

"And what do you do with them---paint them or something?"

"Yes. It's fun."

"That's neat. How much do they---" Phibrizzo caught Dolphin smiling at him out the corner of his eye, and turned to face her. "What are you smiling about?"

Dolphin jerked a thumb towards the others in the room; everyone else was staring at him with either puzzled or annoyed expressions. Phibrizzo stared back for several long seconds, then said confusedly: "Well, what is it you want?"

Wanda would've facefaulted if she wasn't trying so hard to maintain her dignity.

Still smiling, Dolphin mouthed the words: 'Get back on track, would you?'

"Fine, okay, sure," Phibrizzo grumbled. He nodded once at Maguire. "Go on ahead."

"Thank you. Now, then..." Maguire focused on the first of the two men that they hadn't talked to yet, a large man with gentle eyes, curly brown hair, and a short mustache. "Who are you, and what were you doing at the time of the accident?"

"My name is Murray Laronski," the man said, introducing himself. "At the time of the incident, I was in the main room, viewing the exhibit...Seagulls Over the Marketplace, I think it was. Shortly beforehand I had left to use the restroom, but other than that I never left the room."

Maguire jotted that down, turning to the middle-aged man. "And what about you?"

The gray-haired man bowed. "I'm Maxwell Stein, former industrialist. Several times in the past hour, I've had to call my family for updates on my father, who is presently in the hospital. I thought I'd heard someone making noises when I walked by there earlier, but by then I needed to answer my phone again, so I didn't investigate."

Conan gazed at each of the men in turn as Maguire continued to question them, then noticed Phibrizzo glancing at him out the corner of his eye. He'd finished what was left of the rice cracker, but now he and Sharon were both doing anything but paying attention to the Inspector's questions. If anything, he seemed bored. Sharon kept fidgeting, obviously wanting to be anywhere but here.

Slowly, the pint-sized detective slowly gazed at each person. Trey frowned at something Murray was saying to Maguire, but didn't comment. Dolphin was focused on the information Murray provided, absorbing every word. Rachel seemed rather apprehensive, possibly as a result of Phibrizzo's actions a minute prior. Murray glanced at Maxwell as the older man talked about how he'd wanted to go to this museum for months; neither of them looked pleased at being here, but the same could be said of everyone.

For a moment, as part of him listened to the interrogations, Conan became more curious about the situation. He wished that he could somehow duck out into the hallway and see what he could find, but there was no way he could without getting everyone's attention. For the time being, he was stuck.

There was a knock at the door, interrupting the questioning. Maguire muttered to himself, and then said: "Come in."

A third officer walked in, holding something in a sealed bag. "Excuse me, Inspector," he said, "but we're finished checking the hallway. All we could find was a broken piece of plastic and metal. We're not sure what it could've been a part of."

Maguire accepted the bag and examined its contents for a moment. "The metal doesn't look sharp enough to be used as a weapon; looks more like a piece of a screwdriver...I don't know where the plastic came from, but keep it on hand." He handed the bag back. "It might be important somehow. Now, are you sure that's everything you could find?"

"That couldn't have been all," Wanda muttered. "Whoever attacked me must've left more evidence than that behind."

Rachel regarded her for a few seconds before asking: "Wanda, did you even get to see who attacked you? There has to be more to the incident than this."

"No, I didn't," Wanda told her, her voice quiet. "Like I told Inspector Maguire earlier, I was on my way to the Chamber of Earth to discuss something with Mr. Stephenson. I thought I heard a voice behind me, but I didn't see anyone when I turned. When I started to go down the hall again, someone grabbed me around the face." She waved her good hand in front of her face and grumbled: "I hate the smell of fabric softener...

"Anyway, I tried to pry the man's arms off my face and succeeded after about four tries. I tried to run off and get to a phone, but the person grabbed my arm and twisted it as hard as he could..." She paused for a second to rest her voice, then continued. "I don't know why he didn't do away with me right then and there, but whatever the reason was, the person tossed me into this room and left. I didn't really regain my bearings until Phibrizzo and his sister found me."

"...Unusual," Phibrizzo admitted, talking almost to himself. "Whoever it was probably attacked out of anger, but didn't finish the job. Did he have second thoughts about carrying out the attack, and then just couldn't admit his guilt? Was there something he forgot to do, or what?"

"Whichever it is, it still doesn't make sense," Rachel said. "Unless the person wasn't thinking straight, I don't think criminals are that sloppy. Maybe---"

It was at this point that the brief brainstorming session was interrupted. "Excuse me, but could someone direct me upstairs?"

-------------------

One by one, everyone else in the room turned towards the door. Standing in the doorway, tacky earrings and all, was Mrs. Valen. The woman had a confused expression on her face. "Anyone?"

"Principal Valen?" Phibrizzo asked, puzzled. "What are you doing here?"

"I had time after work to come here," Mrs. Valen complained as she approached them, "but I can't make heads or tails out of that map in the main room. I've been through nearly every room, but I still can't find the stairs."

Sweatdrops formed on several heads; the stairs were in plain sight, after all. Maguire glared at Mrs. Valen for a moment, then looked at the others questioningly. "She's alright. I haven't seen her here all day," Phibrizzo said, "although I don't get how she couldn't find that---" He paused for a moment and turned to his principal; his face brightened in understanding as he smiled. "Oh, I get it. You got lost, didn't you?"

Annoyance flickered across the principal's face. "I was hoping you didn't know about that..."

"Your directional problems run in the family, don't they?" Phibrizzo asked. "Figured that since Ryoga's your nephew---"

"Normally, as a principal, part of my job involves being respectful and helpful to children," Mrs. Valen said, smiling like she usually did. "But I'm not at work, you're not being respectful, and you brought up a sore subject. So, shut up."

Rachel stepped forward, frowning as Phibrizzo rolled his eyes. "Excuse me, but telling him to shut up is a bit much. He may not be Mr. Manners, but he doesn't deserve that."

"Maybe so, but my time is precious, and I don't like having salt rubbed in my wounds," the principal answered, her smile gone. "Could someone take me to the stairway?"

Conan stepped forward and volunteered himself for the task. As he took Mrs. Valen's hand and led her towards the door, he caught the look that Phibrizzo sent him. Guess he and I are thinking the same thing. This is as good a time as any.

--------

As they shut the door behind them and slowly started down the hall, Mrs. Valen shook her head. "Of all the times for that quirk to re-assert itself..."

Conan looked up, curiousity temporarily overcoming the need to examine the now-unoccupied hallway. "Quirk...?"

Valen sighed, stopping and making Conan release her hand. "Have you ever heard about a kid named 'Ryoga Hibiki'?"

"Phibrizzo's mentioned him. Why?"

"You ever hear what people call him: 'The Eternally Lost Boy'? It's been said that he couldn't find his way out of an empty tool shed. There have been times where he disappears for weeks on end, simply by trying to reach a building down the street; once, it took him half a week just to reach his own backyard. This problem's actually quite widespread; nearly everyone on both sides of Ryoga's family has it. It's so bad that some people actually call it a curse, when in reality it's just a result of faulty genes." Valen chuckled quietly. "A 'directional curse', my foot."

Conan had heard Phibrizzo explain it to him during his stay at Nerima the previous month, but the image still didn't fit with the laws of physics. "What about you, Mrs. Valen?"

Valen shrugged; she'd come to the conclusion that Conan was smarter than he looked, so she didn't hesitate to tell him. "My situation's minor in comparison. I manage alright if I have a compass and a map, so I can still do my job once I find my office; I even keep them pocketed in case I get lost inside the school. If I lose either of those, though, I'm in trouble. I've already missed work a handful of times this year. I can't even get a driver's license; that's the biggest problem with...I'm ranting, am I?"

Conan smiled and waved it off. "That's okay. You still manage pretty well despite all that."

Valen smiled. "I have to. It's my job. By the way, did I stumble onto an investigation back there?"

Conan nodded, quickly giving Valen a run-down of what had happened so far. Afterwards, the principal accepted what she heard. "The prodigy teacher was attacked? Somehow I'm not surprised."

"You're not?"

"Nope. Wanda's had one attempt on her life once already, or so she told me."

"'Or so she told' you...?" Conan asked, eyes part-way closed.

Valen chuckled. "She took an accelerated course at college; I know that much to be a fact. I'm still undecided as to whether..." She began imitating Wanda's voice. "'...one of the technology gurus there got jealous that I was a better programmer that he was and tried to attack me with a strange magic marker'." Stopping for a moment to breathe, she finished: "Likely story. Seriously."

Conan's head tilted just a little. "She sure isn't ashamed of her accomplishments, is she?"

"Never has, never will," Valen agreed, taking Conan's hand and resuming their walk. It wasn't until they actually reached the main room that she added: "Really, she could stand to learn a few things from you kids..."

Conan walked over towards the stairway...

Wait a second. Strange magic marker?

...went a few steps up, and let go of Mrs. Valen's hand. "There you go."

"Very much appreciated, Conan." Valen started to go back down the stairs, but caught herself in time and continued on up. "See you tomorrow!" she said as she walked away, laughing to herself a bit.

Conan---and several nearby on-lookers---sweatdropped. The miniature sleuth quickly shoved that aside, though, and wandered on back to the hallway. Out of view of most of the tourists---and anyone else who saw him would probably just think he'd dropped something---he went down on his knees and began examining the room intently.

Maguire's officers had been pretty thorough. Conan knew that the police department usually found stuff that either he or Richard missed, but he was willing to believe that this time it was the other way around.

Sure enough, at the base of a wall, there were some miniscule blue specks; when Conan touched one, it left a small mark on his hand before crumbling. Not much by itself, but still...

A minute or two later, however, further examination of the hallway revealed nothing more than the occasional stray thread or dust. Shaking his head at the surprisingly substandard amount of evidence, Conan got up and heads back towards the Chamber of Earth...

Hold on a second. Dolphin mentioned that she'd left her notepad in the Chamber of the Sea. Might as well get it and spare her a trip; besides, knowing how Phibrizzo acts around his sister, he probably could have left out something out of the ordinary just to spite her.

Slowly walking into the Chamber of the Sea, Conan quickly scanned the room to see where the notepad was lying. Quickly spotting it next to a sculpture, he dodged around a few people and retrieved it. Confirming it was Dolphin's, he turned and began to pace towards the door...

...and spotted something resting near the. Closer examination revealed it to be a broken piece of what must've been a knife; the edge was too jagged to be anything else. Taking care to touch it only with the tips of his fingernails, Conan slipped it inside the notepad. After giving the room a quick once-over to see if he had missed anything, he then headed back to the Chamber of Earth.

------------

While Conan was taking Mrs. Valen to the stairway, the situation was slowly deteriorating. Maguire was thinking about heading out into the main room to question several others, but Trey had told him that people were confused enough to know that police were there; they didn't want to start a panic.

Next, both Murray and Maxwell insisted that it wasn't really worth keeping anyone in here; for all they knew, the culprit who attacked Wanda could've already left. Wanda vehemently insisted that whoever had done the deed was still within the museum; thus, anyone was a potential criminal. That shut both of them up.

Dolphin was glaring at everything and everyone, upset that she couldn't communicate without her notepad. Sharon had tentatively offered her one of her remaining rice crackers, and now the blue-haired woman was glaring at everything and everyone while nibbling on a snack. Her distress was beginning to bother those nearest to her.

Phibrizzo was busy trying to form different theories in his head about who could've done the task and why. Murray, with his large hands and build, could've done it; on the other hand, the industrialist could've been clever enough to sneak up on Wanda. Trey, too, seemed to have the look of a strategist. There were simply too many theories going around, though, and no evidence to go by other than the broken metal and plastic.

Speaking of which, what really was that stuff?

Phibrizzo took a quick look around. Sharon wasn't paying much attention to the discussion, instead opting to glance around at various artwork. Both Dolphin and Rachel were listening to Maguire, who was questioning Murray and Maxwell; Trey had interjected with a question of his own, suggesting that Maxwell had used the volume of his conversation as a cover for Murray.

Since no one was paying any attention to him, Phibrizzo edged around and manuevered himself so that he had a better view of the plastic bag. He squinted to see if that would help, but it wasn't much. Do either of you know what that it is there?

Curtis put on his glasses and walked to the very edge of his chamber. "A few steps closer..."

Phibrizzo took a few quiet steps forward, trying not to distract anyone. He could see the bag's contents a bit better, but not enough to discern what they were.

Curtis pressed his face against the invisible barrier. "That plastic thing...looks kind of round and thick...there's a small hole in the center. It's probably me, but it looks like a cap that you'd find on a magic marker."

"Magic marker?" Inuyasha asked.

"It ain't really magic," Curtis clarified. "It typically just used to emphasize text and what not. They come in lots of colors, too."

"If that's true," Inuyasha said, "then the Inspector's men aren't as good as they're supposed to be. Looks to me like they just picked up some random trash."

Possibly...what about that metallic thing?

Curtis focused on it. "Like Maguire said, it's probably part of a screwdriver. Don't know why a screwdriver and a marker would go together, though."

Conan chose that moment to re-enter the room, carrying Dolphin's notepad. The woman perked up and started towards him, but the mini-sleuth just gestured towards Phibrizzo; Dolphin got the hint and instead stepped over near her brother. Maguire and the others confirmed that Conan had returned, then went back to their discussion.

As he, Phibrizzo and Dolphin huddled together, Conan took out the knife piece and held it gingerly between his fingernails. "I took Mrs. Valen to the stairway," he explained, "then looked around a bit more." He raised his free hand to show the blue spot that was on his fingers, then went on. "I found traces of something in the hallway. Went I picked it up, it left this blue mark on my hand."

"So it is a magic marker after all," Curtis's voice whispered. "Did you see anything else?"

"Not in the hallway, no," Conan said, keeping his voice down. "I went into the Chamber of the Sea to get Dolphin's notepad, though, and I found part of a broken knife. It didn't look much wider than my finger."

Phibrizzo nodded. "We found out what was in that bag," he hissed. "Part of a screwdriver, like that inspector said, and a magic marker cap."

Conan blinked, then held one hand to his chin in thought. "Come to think of it, Mrs. Valen mentioned that someone back in America had tried to attack Wanda once before...using a 'strange magic marker'. I'm thinking perhaps that person attached this knife piece to the marker before making his move."

"Maybe," Curtis muttered. "Perhaps he didn't have a full-length knife at his disposal, so he had to make do with what he had. Sad, really."

Phibrizzo didn't answer for a few moments. "I don't know," he said almost inaudibly. "Something about this whole mystery is bothering me."

One of Dolphin's eyebrows lifted questioningly. Behind her, Sharon edged a few steps over in hopes of catching their conversation.

"I mean, Conan and I were both asked to come here. Right when we're supposed to meet with Trey and Sharon, Wanda gets attacked. The hallway that leads to this Chamber is in full view of plenty of people, and yet only those two individuals saw anything happen. The principal appears and tells you about that other fiasco. You find the trace of marker, plus a knife that wasn't in the Chamber of the Sea just a short time earlier."

Conan nodded, remembering that Phibrizzo and Dolphin had been in that room at the time of the attack. "You mean you didn't see the knife in there?"

"It's a long piece of metal that reflects light," Phibrizzo murmured, glaring sideways at him. "I think I would've seen it if it had been there earlier. But I was in there barely a minute before we found Wanda, and I got a good look at the place. Other than a statue or figurine---made of marble, not metal---there wasn't anything shiny."

Having gone unnoticed by Phibrizzo and the others, nearly everyone in the room had quieted down in order to hear what was going on. Seeing several heads appear behind Dolphin and Conan, Curtis had switched off the microphone and had sat back down, not wanting to attract unwanted attention.

"Come to think of it, Edogawa, there was something kind of odd while you were gone," Phibrizzo continued. "Earlier, Wanda's voice sounded kind of sore; understandable, considering that someone tried to strangle her. You'd think she'd want to rest her voice for a bit, but then she insisted to Murray and Maxwell---quite angrily, in fact---that the culprit was still inside the museum. When she spoke, I didn't notice any signs that she'd even been attacked. And I'm willing to guess that she wasn't even touched; if there'd been a struggle, you'd think her clothing would be disheveled gotten dust on it or something. It wasn't."

"And there wasn't any indication that the knife had been used, either..." Conan added.

There was several seconds of silence. Three sets of eyes widened in realization, then narrowed as the trio came to the same conclusion.

"Phibrizzo?"

"Yes, Edogawa?"

"Someone's been toying with us."

"Really?" Phibrizzo asked mock-confusedly. "Who?"

"Oh, I don't know. Probably someone who knows that we're smart kids..."

Phibrizzo smiled. "Plenty of people know that. Go on..."

"...someone who placed potential evidence in misleading spots..."

"That narrows it down some. Go on..."

Conan let the broken knife fall to the floor. "...someone who wanted to see if we would catch on to the ruse..."

"Good, good..."

"...and someone who's nuttier than you and your sister put together."

Dolphin reclaimed her notepad. 'Heeyyy...'

"It's the truth," Phibrizzo said, not skipping a beat. "And, as cousin Rachel's boyfriend has been heard saying, 'there's only one truth'."

"That's right," Conan said aloud, not noticing Rachel's surprised reaction. "A knife that wasn't even used, a marker that has nothing to do with the situation, a voice heard loud and clear. This means one thing..."

The three of them turned to face the others. "Wanda Fitzgerald, you've set us up from the start!" the 'kids' declared, while Dolphin simply glared at the teacher.

------

It was dead silent for about ten seconds. Finally, knowing that her pretensions were no longer needed, Wanda smiled sheepishly. "I guess you win. Still, I was expecting it to take longer than that."

Sharon, Rachel, and Maguire's officers stared in confusion. "What just happened?" Rachel asked, curious. "I get the feeling we've missed something. Was this really a setup?"

"That's right." Wanda motioned towards Phibrizzo and Conan with her so-called 'bad' arm. "A while ago, I decided that I was going to test any gifted students I came across. I found out that Phibrizzo's good at picking up things out of the ordinary, and Conan's a little brighter than normal."

Conan frowned. A little brighter than normal?

"I figured that since he lived with a detective, he would've picked up a few tricks. So, I talked with a few people that I've met since I came to town and set this whole thing up." Wanda gestured towards Murray and Maxwell. "Thank you very much for your roles in this game. You'll get the checks by Friday."

Murray smiled, pleased that the 'experiment', as Wanda had put it to him, had gone well. Maxwell nodded and accepted the prodigy's thanks.

"I'll admit to being surprised when Miss Fitzgerald called me at the station yesterday," Maguire admitted. "She told me that she was going to take several students to the museum. When she told me to expect a phone call, I was a bit suspicious. I am a little upset that she did this without providing further information, but at least no one was really harmed."

"Leave it to a prodigy to come up with something like this," Trey stated. "If only she'd been a bit more careful with their actions..." He glanced briefly at Murray and Maxwell. "...she would've had everyone think that one of them was guilty. Miss Fitzgerald told me that she wasn't really in danger, and to play along until the issue was resolved. At least it shaved some extra time off our schedule."

"And what about Principal Valen?" Phibrizzo asked, frowning. "How'd she fit in?"

"She didn't," Wanda confessed. "I'd told her that I was testing you and Conan, and nothing more. I didn't know that she would be here."

"What were you going to have them think," Rachel inquired, "if they didn't come to the right conclusion?"

"That someone in this room---namely, either Max or Murray---had attacked me," Wanda clarified. "In the end, it would've seemed like Max had stood in front of that hallway and made one of his phone calls while Murray attacked. He would've taken a detachable blade---obtained via a Swiss army knife---and taped it to a magic marker, then tried to attack me with it while I was caught in the strangehold. The arm injury simply would've been an additional insult."

Wanda folded her arms and smiled, turning to her students. "I'm impressed with you two. You saw through the ruse faster than I thought...about twenty minutes, I think. I was expecting it to take about thirty-five."

"Good," Phibrizzo said, stretching his arms above his head. "It's over with. Just do me a favor, Little Wanda: if we're going to be set up again, I'd at least like a little warning."

"Where's the fun in that?" Wanda asked, smiling cutely.

"Indeed." Phibrizzo smirked. "Where is the fun? Come here!"

Wanda took a few backwards steps towards the exit. "Now, just...calm down, Phibrizzo..."

"Why? It's time for recess!" Phibrizzo declared, chasing after her as she spun around and fled. "We can't let you have all the fun!"

Picking up her carryon bag, Sharon immediately departed after them, surprising Trey. "Wait...Sharon Gold...!" he called out indignantly, starting after her.

Dolphin held her hand out to the side, keeping him from following her. As Murray retrieved the detached knife, she simply shook her head and showed Trey a pre-written message: 'Let them be. Children will be children.'

Rachel looked over at Conan as if to say something...only to find that he was already out the door. She shrugged and smiled, silently agreeing with Dolphin's words.

------

Shortly after the police left, Dolphin and Rachel found the foursome in the parking lot. Phibrizzo was chasing Wanda around the lot, throwing tennis balls on occasion and only stopping his pursuit long enough to retrieve them; the two of them were causing quite a ruckus. Sharon had spread a picnic blanket on top of Mr. Stephenson's rental car; she and Conan were calmly watching the proceedings while snacking on rice crackers and tea.

When the chase looked as if it were going to wind down, Dolphin took out her water pistol and drenched them both. Phibrizzo and Wanda shook off the water, looked at each other for a moment, nodded their heads in silent agreement, and started pursuing Dolphin. The sight was almost ludicrous.

Rachel sighed. "Guess it'll be a little bit."

Sharon looked at her and held up a cracker. "Want one?"

"Sure. Why not?"

------

After the group said their good-byes to Sharon, Trey, Maxwell, and Murray, a car came to pick them up. The fivesome were soon treated to a nice dinner, although Dolphin refrained from eating any seafood. They listened to stories that Wanda told about her guardian, a blonde-haired baseball player who turned professional only a year ago; said guardian told her to quiet down in case anyone was listening.

Finally, at 7:00, the group went their seperate ways. Before departing, Wanda told Phibrizzo: "By the way, just so you know...I've never played Tetris before in my life." The half-mazoku arched an eyebrow, surprised that she'd remembered, but otherwise didn't respond.

--------

Time: 8:15p.m.
Place: Phibrizzo's bedroom, Kaden residence

Inuyasha swung the Tetsusaiga from side to side in his chamber, grunting with each swing. After a few minutes, he slowed down and stopped. Relaxing a little, he looked out the viewport. "I'm starting to wonder if it was a good idea to let her go."

Huh? Phibrizzo's mind was still on the events of the day, so he didn't get what he was referring to at first.

"I mean at the end of last month," Inuyasha reminded him. "You know, when we---oh, forget it." He sat down and glared out the viewport. "You're still hung up over what happened today, aren't you?"

No, I'm not. Phibrizzo stared out the window at the darkened sky. It was a good day, even though we did get led around by the nose for a little bit.

"Sounds like you took Dolphin's advice to heart," Curtis said. "You can have all the talent in the world, but in the end a child's still a child."

True enough, I guess.

No one spoke for a few minutes as the trio harbored their own thoughts. Inuyasha finally spoke up. "Hey, Phibrizzo? What was in the container that guy gave you earlier?"

Oh, right. That thing the camera person gave me earlier.

Sitting on the bed, Phibrizzo took the velvet container out of subspace and picked at the tape; the stuff wasn't adhered to the velvet enough to impede his progress for more than five seconds. A piece of scrap paper was revealed sticking to the container's metallic insides. Staring in wonder, Phibrizzo tore off the paper and read its message silently:

"Caution is in the eye of the beholder. Careful, for I will watch out for you. Sincerely...

"The captain."

------------

Chapter Thirteen concluded. Chapter Fourteen soon to commence

Author's Notes

I want to apologize for how long it took me to write this; like I've said before, I simply can not write a decent mystery. To make up for this, chapter fourteen should be coming out a lot quicker (reason being that I've worked on part of it already).

As someone already guessed, Wanda Fitzgerald is indeed the '*What* Insertion?' equivalent of Washu. I did a little research into Washu's character on the Internet, and figured that the version from the 'Pretty Sammy' television series would probably work out the best. I have no plans to watch the series, though. Just so you know. Wanda herself will have a major role later on, as will her guardian, so keep an eye out.

Trey Stephenson's first name is pronounced the same as 'trei' (I think), which is one of many variants of 'three' in Europe. If you consider that he's paired with a realist painter named Sharon Gold...yep, you guessed it: Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek. Believe me, I'm not done with the crossovers just yet. Heh, heh.

Even though Mrs. Valen's related to Ryoga, I didn't want her directional problems to be as severe. Thus, I made it so that she'd need at least two directional aids to keep her on the right path; any less, well...take a wild guess.

If you've paid Case Closed close enough attention, you'll recall the company 'Mantendo' that shows up in a few episodes. An odd name, but I guess they had to mimic 'Nintendo' somehow.

That little thing Inuyasha mentioned towards the end may be mentioned again a few chapters down the road. Haven't totally decided yet.

Another chapter in the books. Moving on...