Disclaimers: I do not own Kid or Detective Conan, nor any of its characters or locations.
To me stands alone, it may perhaps it may have a continuation after I get done with all the Detective Conan madness that is A New Method of Persuasion, Stolen Hearts, and October Secrets. This was written as a response for a KaiShin fic for Kuroange1, I hope you enjoy it.
Warnings- This starts off in the middle of some black org business. Perhaps I'll write that later... It is pre-slash and it may become something much more interesting in the future.
A light dusting of powder had covered the immediate area, making everything in sight look like the lands of winter. Kid blended seamlessly into the backdrop, ready to provide air support for the tiny detective.
He was worried. It was all together too quiet for it to be an evil organization's headquarters. He swooped down lower just in time to see the tiny detective running as if hell's hounds were at his heels. Adrenaline surged and Kid swooped close enough to reach down and pluck the teen turned child up and off the ground.
"GO! The place is hot wired to explode in less than a minute!" Tantei kun shouted at Kid, slight panic running through his child sized features. Kid flipped the mini detective in his grasp, the cement ground was only a scant five feet below them right now. Right now he needed Conan to be able to cling to his suit while Kid himself focused on correcting the glider back into the air. Excellent magician he may be, but Kid wanted to be absolutely certain that the boy detective was safe while he was steering the glider away from certain doom. He veered off hard—trying his very best to gain back the height and momentum lost by grabbing the tiny detective. "You need to get a batman sanctioned grapple gun one of these days…" Conan muttered nervously, he was clinging to the the thief for dear life judging by how tight he was fisting Kid's suit in his hands.
"I'll consider it when there's a dire need for it," Kid responded letting a sharp smile through his poker mask to his oh-so-squirrelly detective.
The smile fell off Kid's face all too soon. He didn't have enough time to use a simple dip and kick off the ground to gain back some of the needed speed to get them high enough to glide them to safety. None of the distractions in his arsenal had enough power to push them back into the air either, leaving only one dangerous alternative… He doubled back hoping he was just far enough away, and with the detective in tow, he set the glider on the path straight for the building set to explode. The small detective closed cursed and closed his eyes while bracing himself for the explosion, Kid kept up his poker face.
Sure enough the building cooperated with his wish to be reacquainted with the air high above tree level. He tilted the front up the tip of the glider, the heat and pressure from the rolling head of the explosion buffed against the underside of the glider and throwing them up quickly along with the massive displacement of air. Using every trick in his arsenal of glider controls he managed to avoid all the vegetation and buildings that surely would have finished them off. Conan was going to kill him later… Though, at the moment he knew the detective was far too busy trying to comprehend whatever he had stumbled across inside the now destroyed building. Kid felt that he might be able to offer his own reasoning on the issue should the tiny detective choose to pipe up and share.
"Where to, Tantei kun? I suppose you have a lead," the thief asked, poker face firmly in place again. He thought that the detective must have considered telling him to land after that little stunt he pulled to get them airborne, but to his surprise Conan said nothing. He figured that Conan hadn't said anything because then both of them would be found at the scene of the crime—and Conan would not want arson on his record, nor did he need mark on his record about being a criminal's accomplice. Kid would have been flattered to have Tantei Kun as a criminal accomplice, but something told him that he would end up behind bars first. With their luck it would be Nakamori keibu who caught them, and the resulting lecture aimed at them both would be at full volume no less.
"No one was there, just bloodstains and bullet casings." Conan spoke loudly into Kid's chest after a moment or so, trying to be heard above the sound of the buffeting wind, "I managed to grab a few of the casings, but without the tips I doubt there is any way to trace them," he explained. "There was one other thing…" Kid watched as the little detective, who was still hanging on to him for dear life, pale. "There were three bodies there, ones that I recognized… Well, the first came as no surprise because Vermouth wasn't much of a secret agent, despite her ability to disguise herself."
"Were the others you found," Kid started hesitantly as he let them drift a little higher, "perhaps that other blond you mentioned or the big guy that worked with him?" Kudou's head shook against his chest. If not them then who…
"One was Haibara's, I can't say she didn't deserve it seeing as she did work for them at one point, but the other was someone I had never met before…" Tantei kun's voice went quiet, "Vermouth and Haibara were execution style, the last one was the one that worries me. He looked so familiar, and the wound was made with a tilt to the left between his eyes, it was familiar."
"Meaning it was probably your favorite blond that silenced them and he probably was the one who…" Kid finished by tilting his head back to look at the smoke rising from the former Black Org. Headquarters. If that blond was still on the loose, then it was dangerous to keep flying, he was rumored to be a much better shot than the ones who normally chased Kid.
"Indeed," Conan agreed. "Make for a place to land, do you have any disguises on hand or will you be needing my identity today?" the tiny detective had been surprised at first, when the thief had asked to borrow his identity a while back. It had been quite a shock , how similar they looked without the hat and monocle, but using Kudou's true identity was something easy for the thief in their co-operative effort, and cheaper too. No prosthetic chins, pasted on cheekbones, or padding under his clothes. Even if his natural Kid hair was not all that cooperative in styling as Kudou's, but hair gel is cheaper and easier than everything else.
"Your identity is all I need. Well, that and some skilled help with my hair… If you're interested in helping," Kid smiled in his direction, the descent was slow going. Kaitou Kid had managed to find a mostly concealed rooftop, and a puff of smoke later everything but the hair was in place. A bright green hoodie was soon pulled up over his hair for when they reached the facilities bathroom, where Conan would help style it.
"He's my favorite blond? Since when?" the tiny detective finally asked, as the bathroom door shut behind them with quiet click.
"Since you started blushing every time I bring him up," the thief pawed at some of his unruly tuffs giving the detective some soft styling gel, "You like him, even if he's a murderer. Admit it." The tiny detective looked at him eyes blazing.
"No, he scares the living daylights out of me! How could someone like the person that terrifies them the most?" he hissed, "Gin's psycho to boot! What is there to see in that guy?"
"I dunno Tantei kun, I'm not the one who whispers his name at night. It might be the fact that he outsmarts you," the thief was not happy about that, but he wasn't about to let on how jealous he was of the blond. Even if Tantei kun said he was scared of the blond, it didn't mean he didn't admire the man's marksmanship or methods. They always kept his mind busy, and a bored detective was very strange one when he wasn't involved in some sort of case.
"Don't remind me," the detective whispered, "That man haunts my dreams. Every time I think I'm safe I relive being shrunk again in my dreams, no, nightmares." The detective shuddered, his fingers tugging a little harder at the thief's hair. "This should suffice." Conan moved away and the thief was once again amazed at how much easier it was to style with Kudou assisting him.
"What do you think happened in there, Kudou? I mean do you think the blond finally wised up or just got fed up with the situation?" the thief asked as they snuck out of the bathroom. "Either way do you want to continue with this case or not?" The tiny detective looked apprehensive. Kid couldn't help but wonder what, exactly, was going through the small detective's mind.
"It's difficult to say. His mindset has never really been one I understood. The amount of blood in that building led me to believe that something big happened, a change of power or authority…" He sighed, "I want to think that, given the assignments he's been going on and what I've heard of. He was a high ranking member prior to this whole… thing," the detective thought aloud, ambiguously referring to his infiltration of the Black Organization's empty building. The talk of the blond irritated the thief, but the case had to come first for safety's sake.
"So he might not be a high ranking member now? Or do you mean that he has an even higher rank now?" He laughed roughly, "What? Do you think we should seek him out, now that there might have been a shift in power?" the thief asked semi-seriously. It seemed to Kid that the blond would likely hold all the answers they were looking for in this case.
The detective had snuck his hand into Kid's a few moments ago and Kid appreciated it. His hand tightened around the other's, squeezing the small fingertips. All for the sake of the disguise Conan would probably argue about why they were holding hands later, but for now it was enough.
The detective had slight look of fear. He could see that the detective was visibly not thrilled at this proposal, but it seemed like he agreed. Gin probably did hold all the answers.
"If there's no choice, if we can find him, then it stands to reason he would have the answers we are looking for. But, you can do that on your own time," the little detective muttered aloud, "and leave me, both sizes, out of it." The thief let loose an inward cheer, when he realized that the shrunken detective beside him was truly terrified of the idea.
"Come now, it isn't that scary. He's just a ruthless assassin with a kill count that's in the double digits," Kid teased, but when Kudou's face went white, and Kid saw the fear on his face all too clearly.
"Not double, triple digits. Gin's far more clever than you give him credit for. He's ultra paranoid, and has out witted me every time I've gotten in his way. He's very nearly killed me every time, it is by sheer dumb luck that I keep escaping in time," the detective corrected, "If you find him, be on your guard Kid, he's not someone I would cross willingly again." He cracked a short-lived jagged smile, "We wouldn't want anything to happen to everyone's favorite thief now that he's back, would we?"
Kid was very touched by the concern his favorite detective was showing for him. He crouched down so that he was eye level with Kudou.
"I will Tantei kun." Kid replied seriously, before adding, "You are the only one who gets to catch me," Kid smiled, "remember that." Kid kissed the crown of his detective's head and vanished into the shadows.
If he ever wanted to truly claim his detective he was going to have to fight the blond for the detective's affections. He smirked, bolting for his nearest safe house. Not that Tantei kun realized it, he did have a thing for his favorite criminals. Kid was pleased to be counted as one.
Beta's note: (HittocereBattosai)- I have to disagree with hittocere here, though—I believe it is more likely that Gin has a track record (ghost record?) in the quadruple digits. 'Cause hey! He levels a building in one of the movies—if he has a hand in big disasters like that it has to be in the quads! Really, he was way too comfortable at setting up all the destruction.
Author's note: hittocere- I owe all the success of this HittocereBattosai, I was a rambling mess of words and ideas. She was very mad at me when I first sent this to her, and I can understand that with the sheer amount editing she went through to get this readable. Kudos to her, and her sheer amount of patience with me. I had a different title idea at one point, but I suppose its better saved for later if I ever continue this would be love trianglish thing. 'The Affection War or Moriarty, Holmes, and Lupin.' :) If you want to see it continued later just leave a note in your review.