As Kaitou's feet touched down on the balcony, his hang-glider collapsed in and he paced inside the building. A spot light flashed behind him, illuminating the dark vacant room he now stood in, but with one swift movement, he was out of sight and hidden. The spot light roamed around for a few more seconds, before deeming the room empty and then moved on to scout out other possible places Kid might have fled too. Once he was sure the coast was clear, Kid slid down from off of the steel beam he had been perching on, and dusted off his white cape.

"You really are predictable." A cocky voice spoke up, which rang out because of the metal walls. Kid whirled around in surprise at the all too familiar voice, although he hadn't heard it in a while.

"Ahh… was I really that obvious?" Kid quickly covered up his surprise with a smirk, and paced in front of his favorite detective.

Stepping out of the shadows, Shinichi walked silently, with an air of triumph, to stand in front of his rival. Kid kept his smile in place, but he was ever vigilant, waiting for any surprises his detective threw at him. It wasn't until Shinichi's step faltered a little that Kaitou's mind drifted from wariness to concern.

"Meitantei-san? Are you okay?" Shinichi eyed the other, as if trying to grasp the others concern, and then he realized, he might have let slip how unstable his body currently was. The antidote Sherry had given him was only a prototype and wouldn't last long, but she said it was the first real progress she had had in a while and she wanted to test its affects. He had been fine a few hours earlier, but now the effects were wearing off, and he was feeling lightheaded and sick.

"I'm fine…but worry about yourself" Shinichi said a little more forcefully than he meant too. His breath had hitched, making his sentence sound like a snide comment. He noted that Kid flinched a little at the response, but made no more attempts to press the question. Squaring his shoulders, Kid regained his composure, and smirked down at his rival.

"You're a little late detective-san~"

"What… do you mean?" Shinichi again asked with a little more emphasis than he had intended. He was trying his best not to let the quivering in his voice be heard, so he was sounding more impolite than normal by trying to force his voice to hold steady. This time, Kid's smile vanished. He had caught on to the unusual tone.

"Kudo-san… I am only going to ask one more time… what is wrong?" Shinichi flinched as Kaitou took a step towards him. 'I forgot… Kaitou hasn't seen me transform before, so he must think something is really wrong. Heh… he really does care…' Shinichi thought sarcastically. 'Since when do criminals worry about their adversaries anyways?'

"I don't like repeating myself… besides, it is none of your concern…" Kaitou's expression turned sour at his remark, and was at his side in a flash. Before Shinichi even had time to react, he was sprayed in the face by what he knew to be sleeping gas, and his world went all black.

(Next segment)

As the fog in his brain cleared, Shinichi sat up slowly as a pounding headache made its self-known.

Squinting passed his eyes; he was able to make out his living room. Surprised, Shinichi stood up in a hurry but his body went limp and he sank back down into his couch.

"Ugh…" Massaging his temple, Shinichi let his body relax back into his couch, until the sound of a clink was heard coming from his kitchen. Fear made his body almost teleport to the entry way leading into the kitchen. Once he had a clear view inside, he froze in absolute shock and almost went limp again. In his kitchen making soup was none other than Kaitou Kid, except he wasn't clad in his usual white uniform; instead he was wearing casual clothing with no face mask.

"Good morning, Meitantei-san!" Kaitou almost sung his greeting. Shinichi was dumb-founded, why in the world would Kaitou show his face to the very person trying to through his ass in jail?

"Is this some kind of a sick joke?" Shinichi asked unimpressed. "Or am I just dreaming?"

"Neither I'm afraid." Kid turned his full body to face Shinichi and he couldn't stop himself from gapping, Kaitou Kid looked almost identically to himself. Quickly covering up his surprise, he reminded himself that he had known that Kid would look a little like him, but the resemblance was uncanning.

"Well I wish I was."

"Ahh Meitantei-san~ you wound me…"

"Like I care…" Shinichi muttered under his breath, but the comment didn't go unnoticed, rather, his reply seemed to only amuse the thief even more. Trying his best to ignore the other, Shinichi set about his kitchen making himself coffee for the morning. Realizing his detective wasn't paying him any mind, Kaitou set back to work preparing the soup.

As Shinichi had downed his first cup of coffee and was in the process of pouring himself another, his mind drifted back to the other night, Shinichi froze in horror. A sudden smashing of glass cause Kid to jump and then flip around with apprehension, only to find that Shinichi's coffee mug had shattered on the ground.

"Shinichi?" The phantom thief asked with strained worry. Kudou noticed the use of his first name, but he was still in a fit of shock to worry too much about it.

"Y…you…you gassed me!? Home… how…what… you brought me home?" Shinichi all but blurted out in a flurry of stuttering and rushed words. Kid paused for a second to recap what he had just seen and heard, before chuckling in relief and humor.

"Did that really just sink in?" Kaitou asked amused, but Shinichi sent him a death glare, daring him to make light of the situation.

"Why would you gas me and then bring me home?" Kudou snapped. He wasn't in the mood for games. He wanted a straight answer and he wanted it now. Sighing, Kaitou Kid's smile vanished and his eyes grew serious. Shinichi gulped with apprehension. He wasn't used to the change in attitude and he wasn't sure what would accompany it.

"I was worried." 'Huh?' Shinichi thought silently to himself. 'Worried? Why should he care?' "And since you seemed to be a little unsteady, but you wouldn't tell me the reason why, I acted on impulse."

"Mind your own business. I don't see how my wellbeing is any of your concern!" Kudou flared up.

Kid's eyes turned dark at his remark. "That attitude of yours really pisses me off…" Prowling forward, Shinichi tensed at the movement and backed away, but Kid only strode forward and shoved him into the wall, before he pinned his arms down. Shinichi tried his best to wiggle loose, but Kaitou proved to be a lot stronger than he appeared. 'Or it could be because of the antidote, which is making me a lot weaker than normally, and if that's the case… then I might just be at the mercy of this damn thief.'

"Do you know that I hold a lot of respect for you?" Kaitou asked out of the blue. Kudou ceased his struggling, as his mind tried to picture where this conversation was going and what it had to do with anything.

"I have noticed that you do tend to enjoy the challenges I bring, but that's irrelevant to the here and now."

"My respect has to turned to admiration, and my admiration has turned down a sinful road I'm not sure I can escape from…" 'What the hell… Now I'm more confused than usual.' "When I saw you looking ill, it was only natural for me to be concerned. Despite our differences, I still care deeply for you, more so than I should, and it's because of my respect for you that I want to make sure you don't have any problems that could…"

"That could what? Kill me?" Kid flinched at his comment but kept his poker face in-check.

"Shinichi… I don't want anything bad to happen to you…" This time it was Kudou's turn to flinch. He was unaccustomed to the thief using his first name so familiarly.

"Why?" Shinichi asked quietly.

"Because… I think I… like you…" Kaitou broke out slowly, and his words muffled at the end, but otherwise understandable. Shinichi stiffened as Kid's words sunk in. The thief liked him?

"You li… like me?" Kudou reiterated out loud to himself. Kid turned his head away, to avoid looking at the other to let his nerves mellow down, once he was sure he had his baring's again, he focused his full attention of the detective still trapped between him and the wall.

"What kind of like are we talking here?" Shinichi asked, once he really pondered the question.

'Like can mean a lot of things.'

"Like this…" Without giving the other a second to stop him, Kaitou leaned forward and crushed their lips together. Uncertainty, shock, and anticipation all seemed to drop like a bomb, and Shinichi's coherent mind shattered. Leaning forward, Shinichi pushed back into the others lips and his hands shakily gripped the back of the Kid's shirt. Relief washed over the thief for not being pushed away, and he broke the kiss to allow the other a moment to catch his breath. When he took a step back to give the other some breathing space, Shinichi's hands momentarily tightened, before they released just as quickly. Embarrassed, and confused, Shinichi pushing passed Kid and made a bolt for the stairs, leaving a befuddled thief behind.

Locking his bedroom door, Kudou paced around his room.

"What the hell was wrong with me? Why would I just stand there and…?" As the memory of the others soft lips against his own invaded his mind, his face exploded into a red flame. Looking for anything to distract himself, his eyes zoned in on his soccer ball. Rushing to pick it up, he started bouncing it with his feet to help clear his thoughts. 'Ugh… I'm such an idiot.' Out of frustration, Kudou kicked the ball a little too hard and hit the ceiling light, causing it to shatter and fall to the ground. 'Well that's going to have to be replaced.' Growling with annoyance at his own stupidity, Kudou ran his hands through his hair, and mentally slapped himself.

"I can't keep myself locked in here forever; I'm going to do have to do something eventually." Dropping the ball, Kudou make a grab for his cell and called up the inspector.

"Oh Kudou-kun! What can I do for you?" The inspector asked with eagerness.

"Sorry to disturb you inspector… but can you send a police car over?"

"What was that?" The inspector asked surprised, wondering if he had heard the other wrong.

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but… Kaitou Kid is in my house…" The line went dead for a second, and Kudou pulled it away from his ear to check to make sure the call was still connected, until he heard the other bellow, "He's WHAT!" Kudou was very grateful he had chosen to move the receiver away from his ear when he had.

"Shhh…" Shinichi hissed out, "He might hear you."

"You're not pulling my leg, are you?" The inspector asked hesitantly.

"Oh course not! Have I ever prank called you before?"

"I know, I know, but that just doesn't sound believable."

"I would have a hard time believing it myself. So about the police car…?"

"Already done. I sent it as soon as you asked, despite my skepticism."

"Thank you!"

"Oh and Kudou… this might sound a little weird, but… has he done anything to you?"

"Other than breaking into my house… then no." Shinichi lied. The last thing he wanted was for the police force or even worse, the media to know that apparently, the Kaitou Kid had a crush on him… or maybe even more than just a crush…

(Next segment)

When the sound of his door being forcible bashed open, Kudou daringly slipped out of his room and glanced downstairs. The first thing he noticed was Takagi-keiji and Satou-keiji standing at the base of the stairs, and then to his utter disbelief, his eyes centered on Kid who was being cuffed by Shiratori-keiji, and was willing leaving with the police officers. As Kid was lead outside, he glanced back once more at Shinichi, and they locked eyes before the thief was fully herded into the car.

"Ahhh Shinichi!" Satou-keiji greeted him, once she realized he was present.

"If you don't mind me asking, but are you really sure that was Kaito?" Takagi-keiji asked with doubt.

"Yes…" Shinichi replied solemnly, before he slipped back into his room. At his strange behavior, the two officers stared after him in confusion, and then looked at each for confirmation that the other had seen his reaction, before shrugging it off.

"For a teenager, that boy sure seems to have a lot of problems." Satou thought out loud. Takagi nodded his agreement and they both exited the Kudou manor.

Characters:

Shinichi Kudou – Conan Edogawa

Kaitou Kid – Kuroba Kaito

Professor Hiroshi Agasa

Juzo Meguire – keibu

Ninzaburo Shiratori

Haibara Ai – Sherry

Toyoma Kazuha

Wataru Takagi

Sonoko Suzuki

Miwako Sauto

Mouri Kogoro

Isshin Chiba

Hattori Heiji

Mouri Ran