So while writing Breaking Point, I kept getting what I call "Psycho Author Syndrome". Essentially, it was me wanting to divert my plot drastically and throw in things that would be waaaay out of place there... thus Paradox was born. Note, I call it "Psycho Author Syndrome" for a reason. So welcome to the plunny-born story of time-travel, fantasy, angst, and bonds.

Ah, I should mention that by the time this story takes place, future!Shinichi and future!Kaito are both about 43, while past!Shinichi and past!Kaito are both about 23.

Dashing through the cool Tokyo night had once been a favorite past-time for Kudo Shinichi. Chasing after the phantom thief clad in white had been both a challenge and a thrill back in the day. Now, however, it was anything but enjoyable. The thief's white attire had been long-ago stained with blood. The challenge had changed. There were no more jewels that Kaitou Kid wished to take away into the veil of night… No Task Force to head him off… No inspector to lead them… No, their game had changed, almost beyond recognition. And now Shinichi was dashing through the night, not to chase a thief, but to stop a murderer from claiming a whole host of new victims.

Dark and empty streets passed by in a blur as the detective bolted toward his destination. He could feel the burning in his lungs, but there was no time to rest. There never was. If Kaito didn't kill him, Shinichi was certain that exhaustion would. How long had it been since he'd gotten a proper night's sleep, again? At least a week… probably. How much longer before Kaito started blowing things up? Shinichi checked his watch once he hit the straightaway that led to the building he was after. Three minutes and maybe a kilometer left. He'd be cutting it pretty damn close, but that was how that bastard liked to keep it. He'd once even stated that if it wasn't a challenge to get there on time, it wasn't worth his effort.

The detective quickly approached the building, panting as he got to the front door and threw himself inside. Safe. The people inside were going to be safe. And he was going to have a heart-attack if he kept playing that bastard magician's psychotic game. How was it that Kaito, of all people, ceased to value human lives? He quickly scanned the room, seeing nervous officers and panicked civilians, but no sign of Kaito.

A figure stepped out from the shadows on his left, clapping slowly as they approached the exhausted detective. "Nicely done, Kudo. I was starting to think you wouldn't make it," Kaito's cheerful voice praised. "I guess that's your exercise for tonight, ne?" Shinichi's ex-friend gently tossed a small green gemstone to him, "and that's your reward. Guess I'll see you later."

Kaito walked past him, but Shinichi caught hold of the hem of his shirt. The ex-thief stopped and quirked an eyebrow, offering the detective an amused look when he realized Shinichi was still trying to breathe properly. Thankfully, Kaito was patient enough to hold still and let him reclaim his ability to speak. "Is this some kind of joke to you?" Shinichi growled, moving his grip to the smaller man's shirt collar. He was sick and tired of all of this. Tired of solving Kaito's damn riddles and tired of throwing himself into harm's way for nothing. People's lives were little more than playthings, and if someone died, all that bastard did was shrug and look somewhere else. It was one never-ending nightmare set on repeat and he'd had enough!

Kaito offered a thoughtful look and moved a hand to his chin. "No, not a joke," he said, moving his crimson eyes to stare intently into Shinichi's blue ones, making the detective slightly shiver. The once-magician had been exposed to Pandora all those years ago… and maddened by its effects as well. Kaito's own life had ceased to mean anything to him when he'd gained immortality, and what a horrifying day that had been. What was that, some twenty years ago? And the poor bastard looked like he was going to be stuck young and insane forever. One would think there were worse fates or even claim that what he had was a blessing, but Shinichi was fairly certain Kaito wouldn't acknowledge them. The man was alone in the world, after all. "See, I found a way to stop all the bloodshed and madness."

"You know," Shinichi glared, meeting the smaller man's eyes, "there's one way that doesn't require all that much effort. Just stop what you're doing." Why the hell was he trying to reason with Kaito of all people. Even before Pandora, the magician wasn't exactly the first person you'd go to for something simple. The man had once even found a way to make tying a shoe far more complicated than it had any right being. And if he planned on stopping his killings, then how in hell's name would he complicate that? Actually, Shinichi didn't want to know.

Grinning, Kaito replied, "Well, I could just quit… but that wouldn't fix anything, now would it?" Within a handful of seconds, the man had worked himself free from Shinichi's grip and took a few steps toward the door. "No, I plan on a revolution. A marvel. A miracle, if you will." His grin grew until it would put the Cheshire Cat to shame, making the detective reach for his gun on instinct. That grin was full of bad things. It promised death and mayhem in the immediate future and put Shinichi on-edge. "I'm going to change history itself," he whispered, taking a few steps back toward the detective, making sure he was right in the detective's face. "I'm going to right the wrongs I was given… by the others and by you. You're welcome to try to stop me. In fact, I hope you do. All the more fun for me." By that point, the ex-thief's smile looked like a slasher smile from a horror movie and he let out a chilling laugh. Okay, so maybe Shinichi's nightmare was going to get much much worse. God save them all.

"You… What in hell's name are you talking about?" Shinichi growled, doing his best not to show his intimidation. "I didn't do anything to you! Nothing!" It wasn't his fault that their attack on the Black Organization all those years ago had ended so badly. It wasn't his fault that Kaito had lost everything. Hell! He'd even tried to help the poor bastard, at least until he'd found the "surprise" that had been left in that damn box for him… Burn down his house while he's inside, fine. Kill all his friends and family? That crossed the line by a long-shot! If anything, it should be Shinichi after Kaito and not the way it was now!

The smaller man shrugged. "Then stop me. You have the tool to do so." He gestured to the small gem in Shinichi's possession and walked off. "Tomorrow at noon I'll fix everything. Best of luck." Bystanders quickly fled as Kaito passed them, even the police left a large path for him to leave with. Poor officers were in a worse state than Shinichi himself. Stuck at every crime scene and not able to do anything to stop the insane immortal that plagued them. They had arrested him a couple of times… even managed to get him into the prison. And that was when the jails started spontaneously combusting. So, now there wasn't a whole lot that could be done with the man, other than clear the civilians and wait for the detective to show up. For some reason or another, Shinichi's mere presence usually kept Kaito from killing. Even now, he couldn't say what the real reason Kaito kept him alive was, but if it helped keep innocents alive, then he wasn't going to complain.

And what the hell was up with that whole spiel about fixing history? Kaito was insane, but not stupid. There's no way to change the past; what's done was done. If, for whatever reason, there was a way to go back and fix the past, the old detective would've done that already. He would've stopped Kaito from killing Ran and found some dark pit to abandon the then-thief in. He would've just given up on Kaito from the get-go and prevent himself from ever feeling this tragedy he called his life. No, it was impossible. Ridiculous, even.

Yet… why had Kaito given him this gem? He didn't really steal much anymore. Didn't have any reason to. So, for him to go so far out of his way to steal a jewel and then give it to Shinichi… there had to be something behind it. It most likely wasn't a joke, either. The ex-thief didn't really joke much anymore… unless he counted the few confetti "bombs" that got mixed into his usual plastic explosives. Or the stupid guns that shot out the "bang" flag. Okay, so maybe he still had his sense of humor. But he wouldn't go to these lengths for a gag. Probably. And damn, he was getting a headache.

"Kudo-kun," Inspector Megure greeted, placing a hand on the detective's shoulder. His voice was soft and fatherly, drawing Shinichi from his thoughts. "Are you alright, Kudo-kun?" He probably knew Kaito wouldn't hurt the detective, but the thought was nice. At least someone still cared about him.

"I-yeah. I'm fine," Shinichi murmured, eyes not quite meeting the old inspector's. It was his own fault all of this was happening. He should've turned Kaito in twenty years ago, before all of this started… before the magician got the damn idea to start killing everyone… And Shinichi was just as much to blame for all of this destruction as the madman he let roam free. Why was he such an idiot? Why did he ever believe Kaito would get better? Hindsight always was perfect…

"Kuroba didn't do anything to you, did he?" Megure asked, eyes scouring the detective for any sign of harm. It made Shinichi's heart ache. Sure, the inspector was known for being a father to his men, but ever since Shinichi's parents had been killed, Megure had been rather protective of him to the point of essentially becoming his second father.

Shinichi shook his head slowly. "No. I'm fine," he answered quietly. "Just tired… Had to run here." Thankfully his heart rate and breathing were finally under control again. For the briefest of moments, he considered letting Megure in on Kaito's plan, but decided against it, pocketing the gemstone instead. There was no way anyone would believe him.

The inspector nodded and patted the detective's shoulder. "You can stay at my place if you'd like. You of all people deserve a good night's sleep." His words were kind, and the offer was tempting. He'd be able to sleep and he wouldn't have to worry as much about catching up to Kaito so long as he was with someone with a working vehicle. But he'd also have to be near the one person he looked up to as a father… and that might tempt the madman to kill Megure. He couldn't risk that, even if he was low on money, sleep, and resolve. And there was still the mystery behind the gem he'd been given… Somehow it was supposed to stop Kaito from changing history…? "Kudo-kun?"

Blinking and looking back at the inspector, Shinichi shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll be okay on my own…" He had no idea if Kaito would target the inspector and no desire to find out anytime soon. Best not to risk anyone's life for the sake of convenience. The inspector gave him a look that clearly showed Megure didn't trust the detective's decision, but he didn't press the issue. He knew better by now. "Though, if you could drive me somewhere to sleep, I'd appreciate it."

"Of course, Kudo-kun," the inspector nodded, giving the building one last scan. The officers were shepherding civilians outside and the bomb squad were gathering to find and disarm the remaining explosives as was the norm. "There isn't anything left for us to do here." Megure walked Shinichi to his car and started to drive off. The old detective sighed and looked out the window, watching the outside world with blank eyes. Soon, all he could make out were blurred images and swaths of city lights as his mind slowly trailed off. Head feeling heavy, Shinichi rested it against the window. If Megure noticed, he didn't comment. Or maybe Shinichi just couldn't hear him. One of the two…

Walking the busy streets back home after a long day of cases wasn't exactly fun. Shinichi was always pretty worn out, usually more emotionally than physically, but that was to be expected. Another case, another death. Another death, another broken family. It was walks like this that made him wonder just how disconnected he'd made himself when he was a kid. But maybe it was just because it was never a personal loss back then. Just another corpse with a puzzle to solve. He almost wished he could go back to those days.

Still, at least the sun was still above the horizon. That was a plus. Usually when he'd get off his shifts, the moon would already be high in the sky. And speaking of the moon, he needed to call Ran and see if they needed to refill Kaito's prescriptions. He wasn't sure if the magician would really relapse without his medicine and he really didn't want to find out. The poor guy had been through enough, losing Aoko and the others like that… He didn't need the recurring nightmares to haunt him into insomnia.

The phone rang for a while before Ran's voicemail picked up. And wasn't that weird… "Oi Ran, it's Shinichi. Call me back." Maybe she wasn't near her phone at the moment. Kaito might pick up…

"Hello?" Ran's voice asked after a few rings. Shinichi let out a breath of relief. She was just taking care of Kaito. No Black Organization members had gotten to her while he was working. Nothing to worry about. Though why she answered Kaito's phone and not her own, he wasn't sure.

"Are you home?" Shinichi asked. Upon getting an affirmative, he continued, "I tried calling your phone, but no one answered. Is something up?"

There was a moment's hesitation. "I'm fine, Shinichi. Kaito's just being"—there was a sound in the background like a table breaking—"a little twitchy. You did give him his pill this morning, right?" Why had she paused? Was something wrong? What had she meant by 'twitchy'?

He thought he had. Had he? Damn. The problem with routines was even when he'd thought he'd done something, he might just be remembering any number of other times that he'd actually done it. "Uh, ask Kaito. I was in a rush this morning. Are you okay over there?" he asked, starting to walk faster toward home. He was starting to get a pretty bad feeling about this…

There were more sounds of a struggle, prompting the young detective to start running. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. After a particularly nasty collision, Ran's voice spoke up again, "S-sorry Shinichi. Get home soon, okay?"

"What's going on, Ran?" Shinichi asked, worry creeping into his tone as he dashed down the streets, finally seeing Kudo Manor in the distance. Soon, the young detective was at the gate, tearing through the yard, and finally inside. Ran hadn't answered him in all that time. Dear God, let her be okay.

The sound of creaking wood drew his attention to the staircase. Without further delay, the detective bolted up the stairs, only to meet Kaito sitting at the very top with his head half cupped by one of his hands. He looked a cross between amused and frustrated… however that worked. Judging by the unfocused eyes and the specks of blood on his clothes, he was the one getting tossed around during the phone call. Hopefully him sitting around didn't mean anything bad for Ran.

The magician didn't say anything. He just watched the detective's moves, tracing even the tiniest movement with his eyes. It was unnerving. Even so, if Shinichi had forgotten to medicate him, backing off wouldn't help the matter. It's just Kaito, the detective mentally chided. Meeting the magician's eyes and forcing a friendly smile, Shinichi cheerfully said, "Hello Kaito."

Kaito blinked and shook his head, trying to regain his focus. "Shinichi?" he asked, as if he hadn't noticed the detective's presence until just now. "When'd you get home?" The smaller man lifted his head and ran a hand through his hair, looking dazed and confused. "And why are we on the stairs…?" It was strange, Kaito certainly wasn't acting like himself, and he wasn't acting like he had any idea he was even awake minutes ago, either.

"You were sitting here when I came home," Shinichi clarified, much to the magician's confusion. The more he watched, the more he noticed how exhausted Kaito was. That wasn't normal either. Sure, he hadn't been the ball of energy Shinichi had been used to—tragedy did that to people—but he'd never been this tired before. Could he even move on his own?

"I was here…? Doesn't make sense… Ran was talking with my counselor just a couple of minutes ago…" Kaito gave a large yawn and continued, "And then I fell asleep at the table… And now I'm here and you're home?"

"So you don't remember anything strange, Kaito?" Shinichi tried, hoping to get any kind of useful information. Was this some effect from missing his pills?

The magician shook his head slowly. "Not really… Just fell asleep and woke up here… So tired… Lemme sleep…" he closed his eyes and was asleep within the minute. Shinichi sighed and managed to pick him up and get his sleeping friend over to his bedroom. They were going to have to get him reassessed, most likely. As seemed to be the theme today, something was wrong with him. Crap. Ran!

Checking his phone, he found the call was still in-place. "Ran? Ran, are you okay? I'm home, where are you?"

Silence was his answer. He ran from room to room, searching the house for signs of her, until he reached the kitchen and found the room in shambles. Shattered glassware lined the floor near the table and counter, the table was broken in half (Ran's doing?), and finally, his eyes were drawn to a body on the ground. Kaede-sensei. Kneeling, he checked her pulse and found she was still alive, albeit barely. Grabbing his second phone, he called an ambulance and did what he could to slow the bleeding.

"Shinichi…?" Ran's voice asked from the kitchen doorway. Her voice was timid and quiet, almost as if she didn't really want him to hear it.

"It's me, Ran," he answered softly, dropping the phone he'd called her with, eyes still on Kaede. "Kaito's asleep in his room." There was an audible sigh of relief and soon Ran was by his side. "She'll make it. I already called an ambulance." Whatever happened here had managed to shake Ran up badly. That wasn't a pleasant thought, but at least no one had died. At least the trend Kaito's presence had brought to their lives was consistent.

"Shinichi," she started, lightly gripping the fabric of his shirt. "I don't think we should keep Kaito-san here anymore."

The detective furrowed his brow a bit. Kaito wouldn't do something like this. He wasn't some killer. And he also had no reason to attack his psychiatrist or Ran. Neither were unkind to him in the least. "You can't sit here and tell me Kaito of all people did this, can you?" he asked incredulously. "He hasn't done much other than haunt the library and his room for the past month. Hell, it's even been a struggle to get him to eat, you know that."

The look in her eyes told him she meant what she'd said. "Shinichi, we did our best. We can't just keep him here… He needs more help than we can give him." That was the clincher. Assuming Kaito was the one that did all of this—which seemed a fair assumption, given Ran's concern—then he really was worse off than they'd thought. If one day off his medicine made him violent enough to scare Ran and almost kill someone, maybe Ran was right. Maybe they weren't able to take proper care of him.

Shinichi caught the slightest glimpse of the magician leaving the doorway. Had he been eavesdropping? The sound of the ambulance drew near and when the men arrived, Kaito quietly led them to the kitchen. They took Kaede with them and promised to update them on her condition. The detective nodded and soon everything was quiet again.

"Kaito," Shinichi started sternly, carefully watching the smaller man. "What did you do?"

Kaito shrank back and bit his lip. "I'm sorry."

"Kaito."

"I-I didn't mean to."

"Kaito!"

"I-please…! I didn't mean it! I don't know what happened! D-don't kick me out! I'll be good, I'll be good!" If Shinichi thought the magician's earlier drowsiness was weird, he took that back. This was weird. The smaller man sat down, holding his knees close to his chest and keeping his head low. He looked like a kicked dog.

"Ran…" Shinichi started, glancing back to his fiancé. "We can't just turn him out on the streets, you know that…" It was a weak excuse, really it was, but Kaito was one of his close friends. He was the goofball magician of the group and he played a large role in stopping the Black Organization at enormous personal cost. He needed to be around friends, not tossed to the street or locked up somewhere. He'd clean up and count this as a mistake. There was no way it would happen again. He'd just remember to give Kaito his medicine and everything would be fixed.

Ran didn't buy it for a moment, but sighed. "Kaito-san," she said, avoiding the magician's eyes. "You have to let someone know when you haven't had your medicine."

"Yes Ran-san," he murmured between his knees. "Is… is Kaede-sensei going to be okay?" he asked a bit timidly.

"She should be," Shinichi answered calmly, walking over to Kaito. "But why did you think that was a good thing to do, Kaito?"

"I don't know," he answered, demoralized. "I-I heard a voice… It wouldn't leave me alone… I couldn't drown it out… Help…"

"Kudo-kun," Megure's voice drew him out of his memory. Soon the man's hand was lightly shaking his shoulder in an attempt to rouse him.

The old detective yawned, climbing out of the car and sleepily following his senior officer into the small building that looked a lot like a house. But he was exhausted, and where he slept didn't really matter much at the moment. Leave it to Kaito to run him ragged… hopefully his once-friend would show a bit of mercy and not place any threats for a few days. He needed a good day-or-so of rest if he was going to continue this race against mass death.

Megure guided him into a small room with a lamp and a bed. The lamp wasn't really necessary, but appreciated. Sometimes a light was needed to chase away the spell of a nightmare and it was always nice to have a source of it on-hand. He mumbled something along the lines of "thank you" to the inspector and walked just far enough to collapse on the bed. He guessed Megure turned off the light and closed the door, but didn't really register much until an opened eye showed the room was dark. The man was a saint in a war-weary world, that much was for sure.

Shinichi wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, but when he was knocked out of sleep's blissful embrace it was still dark outside. He was still drowsy, but the urge to piss was stronger. With a slight groan, he forced himself out of bed and onto his feet. Maybe Ran had been right about his sleeping habits after all… He slightly winced at the thought. Even though many years had passed, that particular wound would always be raw.

Shinichi turned the lamp on and looked around his room, though, there didn't seem to be any other doors leading anywhere. Damn, he didn't ask earlier, either. Well then, he'd just have to hold it until he found the washroom.

He left his room and quietly checked the various rooms in the hallway. The first one he'd checked seemed to have a couple sleeping in it. Not wanting to disturb them, he closed the door and moved onto the next nearest room. It looked like a closet of some kind, if the broom that fell over and bashed his skull was anything to go by. Slightly rubbing his head and replacing the broom, Shinichi closed the door. Hadn't there been a time when Aoko had mistaken him for Kaito? She'd knocked him a good one back then, much to the magician's amusement. Too bad she wasn't around to beat some sense into him now.

The last door in the hallway was the correct room, thankfully. He flipped the light on, closed the door behind him, and relieved himself. When he turned back and washed his hands, he finally looked up at the mirror in shock. "You knew better" was written in the mirror in what was most likely blood. Whose house was he in? Damn it!

Without thinking, he fled the washroom and searched the room where the couple had been sleeping. He flipped on the light and stared. Megure and Midori had both been impaled through their throats by metal rods. He grit his teeth, balled his fists, and walked over to the crime scene. It was worse up close. They both had marks all over them: smaller around the arms and legs and rather large gouge-marks near the head and chest. They'd struggled and were probably killed slowly. The thought made him shiver. Megure was gone. His last tie to sanity in this hell he called life had been erased. Everyone was dead. Everyone was gone now. He was completely alone. The thought was like an icy claw ripping his heart out.

Shinichi quietly pulled his phone out and called the police, letting them know about the situation before hanging up. Kaito was long-gone by now. The two had been dead at least a few hours already. There wasn't anything he could do to help them. Kaito…!

That settled it. Whatever the hell kind of game he was playing, Shinichi would end it. He'd find the smallest impenetrable cage for that animal and throw away the key! If that bastard wanted to take everything away from him, then he'd strike back with interest! He couldn't be sure where Kaito was at the moment, but he knew where he'd be. Shinichi pulled out the small green gem the ex-thief gave him and tightened his grip on it. Even if it meant heading him off in the past, he would do it. There was nothing more he could lose… and nothing was more dangerous than a man in such a position. He'd make Kaito see that.

Knowing he still had a few minutes before the police showed up, Shinichi moved around the room, looking for Megure's gun and ammunition. It wasn't like he was dumb enough to think the bullets would actually kill Kaito—immortal was immortal after all—but if he could injure or enrage him enough to slip up, that could give him quite a good chance of catching him. Especially if he aimed for the head. He'd just have to be careful about everyone's past selves. If Kaito went on a rampage and killed off everyone, that would only make things worse.

A grim smile made its way to his face as he pocketed the items. All of this suffering would end soon. All of those innocent people could be saved and he could have what remained of his life back. He should've listened to Ran all those years ago. He should've locked the bastard away and let him rot. But, even if it was late, at least that madman would finally get what he justly deserved.

Enjoy your freedom, Kaito, Shinichi thought, walking outside and turning his gaze to the full moon. You won't have it much longer. I will make you pay for all that you've done. Even if I have to rend time to do so.

Thus began Shinichi's mission...