Note: Written for a friend who requested more of this universe. Please note it's a crack soap opera. You'll be horribly lost if you don't read "Night Child" and "Little Conversations" first.

Faded Roses

Sometimes you think you've gotten over a person, but when you see his smile, you suddenly realize you're just pretending you got over him to ease the pain of knowing he'll never be yours.
–Unknown

"Toichi, man you have got to try this, it's incredible!"

Toichi smiled at his rather drunk friend, leaning forward to take a sip of the drink offered him, desperate not to gag on the heavy taste of alcohol coating his tounge. "It's...interesting, I'll give you that." he said with a smile, leaning back in the booth and taking a long drink of his water to wash away the lingering taste.

He crossed his legs under the table and scrunched down a bit as the bartender took another visual sweep of the bar. He was still three years under the legal drinking age and often his friends had to sneak the smaller teen in with them when they went out for a pub crawl.

It was one of the annoying aspects of being seventeen and attending university, you couldn't do the same things your friends would, at least, not without a great deal of hassle.

And Toichi didn't even know why he did it, considering he hated to drink. The numbness, the unclear thinking, all of it was distasteful to the detective cum thief. Anything that dulled his senses annoyed him.

"Come on, kid. I want to dance." Miyako pulled Toichi from his seat in the middle of the booth, dragging the teenager out onto the dance floor, wrapping her arms around his neck as she started to move to the techno beat pulsing around them.

Toichi laughed, holding her close, almost keeping her upright as they moved, his eyes scanning the bar by habit as he took note of everyone and everything. A man in a dim corner caught his eye and he gave Miyako a twirl as he watched the man, studying him. The man looked distinctly familiar, but in a way that Toichi couldn't place him, as if he were echoing a memory that Toichi couldn't recall.

"Oy, Miyako, do you know him?" Toichi asked, gesturing with his head to the man.

Miyako, who knew everyone, turned, blinking at the man, tilting her head before shrugging. "Na, looks a bit like your dad though, if he lost the classes and didn't comb his hair.

"Hmm, you might be right," Toichi said, turning her again, pulling his eyes away from the man, though he couldn't get the man's image out of his head.

And in fact, Toichi soon found himself friendless, refusing their offers to walk him home as he stared at the man still sitting alone in the corner, nursing beer after beer. He smiled and flagged down one of the few waitress' that didn't care about his age, ordering a drink, gesturing to the man. The waitress nodded and took the drink to the man, pointing out Toichi as the sender.

The man raised an eyebrow at Toichi, studying him for a long moment before nodding and taking a sip. Toichi took that as an invitation and slid into the booth across from the man, now recognizing him as he got a clear look.

Edogawa Conan, prodigal detective who had moved with his long time lover to America when Toichi had been two. Toichi had heard rumours that the detective had returned when his relationship with Halibara had died out but he had ever met the man.

And now he was sitting across from Toichi, something his father had always warned him not to do, if he cared about keeping his night job a secret.

"Kuroba-kun," Conan said, his voice heavily slurred from alcohol. "Where's your better half?"

Toichi blinked slowly, before a smile curved over his lips, tounge tucked between his teeth as he realized Conan thought he was his father.

Which meant that Toichi had an opening he could exploit.

"Home, with the kids," Toichi said, waving over the waitress again and ordering his father's favorite drink, a chocolate chip cookie, before crossing his legs under the table, making sure his foot brushed Conan's calf as he did. "When did you come back?"

Conan rested his head on his fist, watching Toichi before giving a half shrug. "A couple weeks ago, just got finished moving in."

"I haven't seen you at heists," Toichi said, adding a pout, as if Conan's absence had been truly heart breaking.

"I didn't see the use, I'd never get you anyway." Conan said, a touch of bitterness creeping into his voice. "Never was able to catch you."

Toichi blinked, sipping the sweet drink, turning that over in his mind. Toichi was a trained detective, and more then that, a trained observer of humans. He had long ago taught himself to read between the lines of what someone was saying.

Not catching Kid wasn't what was disappointing and bitter to Conan, not catching Kaito, was. Toichi hid a smile, chewing on his straw. He remembered the stories his parents had told him about the 'good old days', when they were chasing each other around, before they finally caved and had a relationship in spite of their jobs and morals.

A prominent feature early on, had been the precocious detective that had always seemed to turn up at Kid heists near Tokyo and Beika. A small child that could out think either of his parents and always seemed to be there to foil Kaito's plans.

Apparently, Conan had a more personal reason for chasing Kid then just to see him in handcuffs.

"Always one step behind," Conan continued, staring morosely into his drink. "Behind you, behind Hakuba...even behind Ai."

"What happened with you and Ai?" Toichi asked, tilting his head curiously, focusing on the ex for the moment as he plotted what he could do now.

"She got bored," Conan said and gave a laugh. "Ten years together and she just up and got bored. Walked out without even a word."

Toichi winced, feeling absolute pity for Conan. That was definitely no way to end a relationship, especially one that had lasted ten years. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I guess I should have seen it coming." Conan drained the rest of his drink and waved the waitress over for another. "So why are you here instead of at home with the husband and kids?"

Toichi licked his lips, trying to think up something plausible before shrugging, leaning back in the booth slightly. "Needed a break. It's hard to get some breathing room with two detectives and a pre-teen in the house."

Conan smirked, sipping his new drink. "Yes, I could see how that would be hard for a world renowned jewel thief," he said, watching Toichi's tounge as it peeked out again to allow some of the drink to dribble onto it.

Toichi smiled inwardly as he noticed Conan's stare and closed his eyes, sticking his tounge further out, flicking it against the dangling straw, gathering the slowly sliding droplets, giving the faintest of moans as the sweet taste of sugar and chocolate coated his tounge.

He allowed his eyes to slowly open, pinning Conan as he swirled his tounge around the straw to get the last few droplets before slipping the straw back into his drink. He leaned forward on the table, crooking a finger that lured Conan in. He leaned into the older man's ear, breathing against it for a second before speaking. "Didn't you ever learn it's not polite to stare?"

Conan turned his head to reply and Toichi surged forward, kissing him, not allowing him to speak. Conan groaned softly, reaching up and threading a hand into the boy's mussed hair, holding him tighter as he opened his mouth to the probing tounge.

Toichi's eyes shut as the taste of alcohol, fruit and an underlying spice exploded across his tounge. He shifted, trying to keep in contact with Conan's mouth as he moved around the table, crawling into Conan's side of the booth, almost in the detective's lap as he hungrily kissed him, his hands burring into the dark strands of hair, holding Conan's mouth to his.

Conan groaned, his arms wrapping around the lithe, small body pressed against his, a hunger surging through him as his hands strayed over the younger man's back and shoulders. One hand slid down, cupping the rounded curve of Toichi's rear, giving it a squeeze as he pulled away from kiss as he stared down into Toichi's eyes. "Let's get out of here."

Toichi allowed his lips to curl into a smirk, licking Conan's lips. "Lead the way."

--

Conan stared up at the average looking house, on the average looking street and swallowed thickly. He couldn't get the night he spent with, whom he thought was Kuroba Kaito. It had been...incredible. Nothing like his fantasies, but then again, the reality never was. He knew he wanted more, and it was time to take it.

Taking a deep breath, he strode up the walk, amused at the sheer normalcy of the house, despite how abnormal some of it's participants were. Knocking on the door, he shifted nervously, wondering, again, what the hell he was doing.

The question was answered when the door opened and Kaito peered out, before breaking out in a wide grin. "Edogawa-kun!" The detective soon found himself with an armful of thief, Kaito hugging him tightly. Conan wrapped his arms around the body against his, confused for a moment at the difference in bulk from what he expected, before shrugging it off, remembering how drunk he had been the night he had been with his hopeful lover.

Kaito pulled away, still full of grins and sunshine. "Come in, I can't believe you didn't call us to tell us you were in town!" Kaito said, leading Conan into the house and gesturing to the guest slippers for him, calling for his husband. "Saguru! Company!"

Saguru poked his head out of the kitchen, pushing his glasses up his nose, blinking at them before grinning. "Conan-kun!"

Conan coloured slightly as he was hugged by the British detective, trying to reign in his anger and jealousy as he gave Saguru a hug back.

"Dad where are the..." Toichi trailed off as his eyes rested on Conan and he turned, intent on heading back upstairs and hiding.

"Toichi, come down and greet Edogawa-kun, you've always wanted to meet him!"

Toichi stilled before turning and heading back down the stairs, staring at the floor. Conan watched the teen approach, a feeling of confusion and horrific understanding starting in his brain. The pieces slammed into place when Toichi raised his head, blinking what were now brown eyes at Conan.

"Hello, Edogawa-san," Toichi said, giving a low bow before raising up again, waiting for the hammer to fall.

Conan stared, then glanced at Kaito, noticing the differences. There were more lines on Kaito's face, as well as Kaito being a shade darker then Toichi. Looking back at the teen, he swallowed thickly. "How old are you?"

Toichi smiled softly. "I'm seventeen, sir."

Conan couldn't decide weither to go pale over the boy's youth or thank the gods that Toichi was at least legal.

Kaito and Saguru looked between the pair, confused, and in Saguru's case slightly suspicious. "What's going on?" Saguru asked, looking at his son, then Conan, unsure whom he should question more.

"Ooo, Toichi, you're right, he is gorgeous," Mika said, sitting on the stairs, giggling. "Guess that means you're right about how good he is at kissing."

Toichi paled and his parents heads snapped around, staring at the pair. Conan suddenly had the urge to run very, very quickly.

"Explain," Saguru said gruffly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Er..." Toichi started, rubbing the back of his head.

"I met Toichi in a club a few nights ago," Conan said easily, staring at the boy. "I will confess to being drunk and spending time with Toichi that wasn't entirely innocent."

Toichi blinked, staring at his father, who was slowly turning red as he processed what Conan said. Toichi shifted closer to Kaito, using his more easy going father as a shield from Saguru.

"He's seventeen and you're thirty-seven!" Saguru exploded, finally, a bit shocked himself that the first thing out of his mouth referred to their ages.

"Umm, he's twenty-seven," Toichi said, shrinking back as Saguru glared at him.

"He was born the same year as your father and I, he's thirty-seven," Kaito said, glaring at Conan.

Toichi blinked, trying to figure this out, counting on his fingers, confused, while Conan took an involuntary step back from Kaito, watching the rage growing in those rich blue eyes, fearing Kaito was about to break one of his primary rules as Kid.

"I swear I thought he was older..." Conan tried. "And, not your son."

"Well yes, the lack of resemblance to either of us might do that, oh wait! He looks exactly like me." Kaito yelled.

"And that's why I thought he was you!" Conan yelled back before paling more at the sudden silence.

Toichi was trying desperately to hide, while Kaito and Saguru stared at Conan in shock. "W...what?" Kaito managed to get out, desperately hoping he didn't hear what he thought he did.

"I thought he was you," Conan said, squeezing his eyes shut. "I told you, I was drunk and he was there and...it's been years since I've seen you, Kaito." Conan opened his eyes, looking at the thief standing across from him. "He looked every bit as I remembered you, and did nothing to dissuade me of the notion of his identity."

"Don't blame me for your perversions," Toichi mumbled, but no one really paid any attention to him as they were too busy trying to process this little revelation.

"What, exactly, did you do with my son?" Saguru asked, trying to move past the fact that Conan had feelings for his husband...whom looked exactly like their son...whom looked like Conan. His head spun a bit trying to follow that.

"We had sex, Hakuba-san, that's what we did. Do you want to know how many times and in what positions?" Conan said, frustrated and annoyed. Yes, Toichi was younger then him, but he was of age and consenting. He didn't appreciate being treated like a child molester.

"I do," Mika piped up only to be silenced by Toichi and Kaito glaring at her.

"Toichi, go upstairs," Saguru said, his eyes not leaving Conan's face.

"Dad!"

"Now!"

Toichi pouted, stomping up the stairs in a huff that only a teenager could manage, Mika jumping up and running after him, intent on getting the details from her brother.

"And you," Saguru said, advancing on Conan who backed up. "I want you out of my house and out of my son's life. I don't want to hear from you, about you or even see your face, ever."

"Right," Conan said, glaring back at Saguru. He glanced at Kaito before turning and slipping on his shoes, heading from the house.

--

"Do you know the story of Oedipus, Toichi?" Mika asked, leaning against her brother's door, watching the teen in the window.

Toichi gave a laugh, staring up at the stars glittering in the sky, his tear tracks glistening on his cheeks. "Oedipus was a cripple who did some things, then met a man on the road and killed him. He answered an insanely easy riddle from an equally insane creature and was rewarded his mother's hand in marriage and had many kids, thus began a long line of crack psychology."

"Uncle Conan looks like dad," she pointed out, as if this information was in dire need of light being shed on it.

"I know."

"Do you hate him?"

Toichi drew in a shuddering breath, turning to look at his sister over his shoulder. "Which one? The man I seduced who thought I was my father? The one who lords over this family and spends every moment he can telling us what failures we are with his eyes? Or the one who looks at me with such disgust that it makes me want to shrivel and die inside? Which one should I hate, Mika?" He turned away again, studying the stars as if they could answer his question. Finally, after a long moment of silence he spoke again. "I think I love him," he whispered.

"Who?"

Toichi gave her a weak smile before pushing himself out of the window. Mika ran to it, leaning out, a tear sliding down her cheek as she watched her brother sail off into the night, his pain a haunting echo.

--

Conan glanced at the door, attempting to ignore the furious pounding on it as he took another sip of his beer. Unfortunately the pounding on the door was starting to match the pounding in his head. Grunting, he stood and made his way to the door, opening it. Finding Kaito staring back at him, he was tempted to shove the door closed again.

"Come in," he muttered, moving away from the door, heading for the kitchen to get a refill of beer.

Kaito followed him in, trying to reign in the anger he was still feeling at this man. He waited until Conan was digging into the fridge, moving up behind him. When Conan straightened and turned, he found himself pressed against Kaito, blinking down at him. Kaito grabbed the front of his shirt, jerking Conan hard, smashing their lips together.

Conan blinked, confused, before groaning as Kaito's tounge forced it's way into his mouth. He couldn't believe this was happening, that Kaito was actually here and kissing him. Conan gave into the kiss, giving back what was offered, pressing Kaito closer to him.

Kaito managed to push Conan back against the refrigerator, pressing his body tightly against the detective's, groaning as Conan pressed his hips against Kaito's, taking control of their kiss, eager and hungry. He pulled away before he could lose himself, licking his lips as he looked up at Conan. "Is this what you wanted? Is this what you dreamed about when you fucked my son?"

"You already know the answer to that, Kaito." Conan growled, pushing past the thief who followed him.

"Why?"

"Why what, Kaito?"

"Why him, why me...why didn't you say anything?"

Conan laughed at that, flopping onto the couch and looking up at Kaito. "I was eight years old when you married Saguru, what exactly was I supposed to say? 'Please Mr. Thief, ignore the fact I'm under age and prepubescent and fuck me until I pass out', yeah, that would have worked real well, if I wanted you to knock me out and dump me off in an institution."

"I wouldn't have dumped you at an institution," Kaito said but Conan waved him off.

"No, but you would have done something that would have prevented me from living a life outside of being baby-sat twenty-four hours a day...or just kept me away from your heists which would have archived the same effect, utter boredom and annoyance."

"That doesn't answer why Toichi," Kaito pointed out, giving up on finding any answers about the past. True, he wouldn't have been agreeable to a relationship with someone who was visibly eight, even if they were mentally eighteen. Conan was nothing more, even in the best of times, a close friend. One of the few who knew about both parts of his life and accepted him.

"What's to say? I told you, I was drunk, depressed, he was there, and he looked like you. I'm not sorry I did it, I'm sorry that it caused a rift in your family, but honestly, he's a grown boy who knew what he was doing. Eventually you have to cut the aprons strings, Kaito."

"No I don't," Kaito said, crossing his arms over his chest, knowing he sounded a bit stubborn and spoiled, but Toichi was his baby, his tiny prince. It was bad enough he had relented and allowed Toichi to join in on heists, he was not going to allow his son to hang out in bars and pick up strange men. That was just too far.

"And just how long are you going to try to keep him a child, Kaito? He's seventeen, the same age you were when you became Kid, the same age as Saguru when he came here to start a new life,"

"The same age you were, when you had your entire world ripped away and had to live another life," Kaito interrupted, uncrossing his arms and resting his hands on his hips instead, fidgety from the conversation. "And you're right, he is the same age I was when I became a thief, when Saguru ran off, so why do you wonder why I want to keep him innocent and safe? It's bad enough he saw his first dead body when he was five, solved his first case when he was twelve, I don't want him to loose any more of his innocence. He should be out having fun not..."

"Out having fun?" Conan said dryly. "He's too old for hopscotch, no matter what you may want, Kaito. I know what it's like to watch someone grow up too fast."

"How could you, you're not a parent," Kaito said angrily.

"No, I'm not. But I watched a group of children grow up faster then they should, lose their innocence case by case until they became jaded to the world. And I helped, because I couldn't keep them safe and their innocence intact." Conan said, sipping his beer.

Kaito stared at Conan before suddenly letting out a whoosh of breath, collapsing onto the floor, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them as he stared at the table. "I don't like it," he said softly, tugging at a piece of carpet before looking up at Conan. "Why can't he just stay five-years-old?"

"Because everyone has to grow up sometime. If we all stayed five we would be stuck in a world of small children, with no adults to take care of us...and then we'd eventually die and there would be no one else because we were too young to have children."

"Bastard," Kaito said idly, not actually wanting an answer to his question.

"I try," Conan said before offering Kaito his beer.

Kaito took the bottle, taking a long drink, frowning as his cellphone started to wring merrily. He fished it out of his pocket and opened it, blinking at his husband's name before answering. The beer bottle hit the floor, spilling it's contents across the carpet as Kaito listened to what Saguru had to say.

Conan looked up, alarmed, standing and making a move toward Kaito but unsure what to do. Instead he got a towel to mop up the spilled beer, raising an eyebrow questioningly as Kaito hung up, his hands shaking.

"Toichi is missing," Kaito whispered.

--

Conan and Kaito had arrived home to find Saguru in a panic and Mika sitting on the couch, where her father could keep an eye on her while they tried to find Toichi. After calling his friends, Nakamori and Aoko, the university, even trying Heiji and Akako's as a last resort, Saguru was now on the phone with the police station, his face growing steadily redder as he listened to the man on the other end.

"My child is MISSING, and all you can do is stand there, twiddling your thumbs and saying that because he's a teenager I have to wait TWENTY-FOUR FUCKING HOURS for you to even start looking for him?!" Saguru slammed the phone down, ignoring the rather shocked looks from those in the house as he stormed upstairs.

Conan turned to Kaito, raising a questioning eyebrow and Kaito shook his head at the other detective, jogging up the stairs after his husband.

Mika sighed, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her face on them. "He doesn't mean this, you know." She whispered, turning her head and looking at the man who had been a part of her family and yet not for all the time she had been alive. Her great 'Uncle Conan" Saguru had raved about him her whole life.

...he wasn't as impressive as she thought he would be.

"Who doesn't?" Conan asked, looking at the small girl who had been thrust into the middle of this drama.

"Toichi. He's really a nice boy...he's just..." she trailed off before smiling at Conan. "He's utterly insane. We all are."

"I've noticed," Conan said dryly. He sat on the couch next to her, slumping slightly.

"Sooo, why are you here?" Mika asked, tilting her head in such a way that Conan was reminded of a curious owl. "I thought daddy was mad at you,"

"Er, which one's daddy?"

"Kaito is daddy, Saguru is dada...or father if I'm annoyed."

"Ah. I'm not sure how mad your daddy is, really, but he agreed when I asked if he wanted me to join him so here I am."

"Oh." Mika turned her head back towards the stairs, listening to the sounds of her parents talking in their bedroom for a moment before she turned back to Conan, pinning him with eyes too wise for a ten-year-old. "You hurt him, you know?"

"I know," Conan said, not sure who she meant by 'him', but figuring it didn't matter. He knew he hurt a lot of people with this mess, from her older brother to her parents, and probably people he wasn't even thinking about.

"You should kiss him and make it better."

Conan coughed and peered at the girl, wondering just what the hell went through her mind, then remembered she was Kaito's kid and the answer to that question would probably scar him for life. "I don't think that will work, Mika-chan."

"It works when daddy does it," Mika said and suddenly she was twisting her body until she was curled in Conan's lap. "Did you really get turned into a kid when you were seventeen?"

Conan wrapped an arm loosely around Mika's waist, making sure the girl didn't fall, nodding at her question. "I really did. Who told you about that?"

"Daddy. He said you were Kudo Shinichi before you were turned tiny and had to take on another name, like daddy did when he became a thief. He said it was funny, watching this 'great detective' chasing after him as a first grader."

Conan made a face at that, before smiling at Mika. "At least I had a reason to act like a child, your father never had any excuse besides his own idiocy."

Mika giggled, turning so she could rest her head against Conan's shoulder, watching the stairs. She was silent for a moment before looking up at Conan. "Could we turn Toichi into a child? Then I would be older and could tell him what to do and make sure he's not stupid."

"I doubt we could do that, Mika-chan. But you can still tell him what to do."

"Nuh huh, every time I try he ties my scarves together in knots I can't get free!"

Conan smiled, petting the girl's brunette curls, letting one of the spirals twist around his finger. "That doesn't mean you should give up, Mika. If you really think your brother's being stupid you need to tell him. He might not always listen, and I know that it's hard to watch someone you love ignore you and be an idiot, but one day...one day it will pay off."

"Like tonight?" Mika asked softly and when Conan looked at her, confused, she sighed, playing with his fingers as she looked away. "Toichi ran away," she said softly, staring at Conan's hands, comparing the size of their fingers before sniffling. "He took his glider and jumped out the window."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier, princess?" Saguru asked softly from the doorway and both looked up, to see Kaito and Saguru standing there in the shadowy stairwell, watching them.

Mika sniffed again, burring her face in Conan's chest, mumbling something. Conan gently reached out and turned her head. "Try again," he said softly, brushing a thumb over his cheek calmingly.

"Toichi wouldn't have wanted me to," she said again, before turning slightly, looking at her parents. "Are you mad at me?"

Kaito sighed, running a hand through his hair. "No, baby, I just wish you would have told us. This is one of the important things you need to tell someone, even if it hurts Toichi."

"I'm sorry," she whispered and Kaito crossed the room, picking her up from Conan's lap and hugging her tightly.

"I know, baby." he said, resting his head on her cheek as she laid her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms and legs around him. He looked at Saguru, who shrugged, unknowing where to go from there any more then his husband did.

--

"It's rather hard to commit suicide by stabbing yourself in the back, Inspector." Toichi said, shoving his hands into his pockets, staring down at the body at his feet. "Especially if you stab yourself and then throw yourself off of the building." Toichi backed up a step as the blood started slipping towards him, his body still shaking slightly from the sudden appearance of a body falling at his feet.

"Are you quite sure, Kuroba-kun? I remember a case a few years back where a suicide victim stabbed himself by jumping on a knife impaled in ice."

Toichi gave a bitter smile, remembering hearing of that case from his father. He willed away the feelings of guilt and pain that surged through him at the mention of the case, and the memory of the detective who solved it. "I'm sure, sir." He took a pair of gloves from one of the officers, slipping them onto his hands before kneeling and carefully rolling the deceased over. He pointed to the knife wound, carefully demonstrating his thoughts without touching the body and contaminate evidence. "The knife when in at an odd angle, it's impossible to do that yourself. Granted by falling on the knife you could get it lodged that way, but then it would be impossible to get off the roof in a manner of jumping as the knife sliced through the spinal nerves. At best he could have stabbed himself in the back by falling, and then rolling off the building, but it didn't appear that way to me when he almost hit me."

"Alright, I'll send some men up to the roof. Think you want to go up with them, you always were good at finding things those idiots missed."

"No thanks, Inspector," Toichi said, removing the gloves and adding them to an evidence bag. "I have...plans." He gave an apologetic bow, before the Inspector waved him off, smiling fondly at the boy.

Toichi was headed down the street, continuing on his path to the friend he was staying the night with, when suddenly an arm darted out of a shadowed alley, grabbing the boy around the neck and jerking him backwards. Toichi opened his mouth to scream and suddenly found a cloth stuffed into it, causing him to choke, before duct tape was wrapped around his head and mouth. His hands were wrenched behind his back and tied with what felt like braided rope, his wrists numbing from the tightness, shoulders aching. A strip of cloth was wrapped around his eyes, then secured a few times with more duct tape, making sure he truly couldn't see.

His captor lifted him up, carrying him over their shoulder as they jogged down the alley to a waiting van. Toichi was literally tossed in, his head banging hard against the floor of the van. The captor tied his legs and slammed the door before Toichi could roll back over, climbing into the front of the van which appeared to have been blocked off from the back with a plywood wall.

Toichi groaned around the wad of cloth in his mouth, wiggling and twisting, trying at first to get his hands free, then to jolt his cellphone free of his pants. Neither was very successful and he had to stop after a few minutes to simply control his breathing (and the urge to panic when he realized he wasn't breathing well through his nose).

While he was still trying to regulate his breathing, the van stopped and his captor got out. There were a few painful minutes of silence, when Toichi wondered what was going on and what was going to happen to him, before the door was opened and Toichi was dragged out by his ankles. His upper body impacted painfully with the ground, head bouncing merrily off the edge of the van before he managed to position himself so he wouldn't knock it against the street.

With his vision gone, his sense of smell and hearing took over. There was a musty, oily odor filling his nose, making him gag, the stench of decay a bitter after note. The sounds of trucks and cargo trains could be heard faintly, which meant he was near a production yard of some sort. He could also hear metal creaking, which, judging by the amount, equaled warehouses.

And the only place around town with both of those items, would be the run down, "Factory Row". A decrepit, dying section of warehouses and factories that were slowly going under and being left to rust away. It was home to thieves, transients and others who couldn't fit in with the rest of the town, staffed by the last few workers who were gainfully employed, rough, dirty men who would put in an honest day's work and then drink it all away in the night (if they weren't busy with more illegal activities. It wasn't unusual to turn up a dead body or three in one of the falling apart warehouses).

Toichi swallowed thickly as he realized where he was, fear shooting up his spine. It would take his parents and the police a long time to realize he was actually missing, and then even longer to track down his location considering his activities after he had left the house. By the time they actually found out he was an abuductee, and then managed to trace his location, he could have been dead ten times over.

He felt his captor grab his ankles again, and he hissed as he was dragged across the rough, glass strewn street. Shards of glass and rocks cut into his skin, making him try to grit his teeth in spite of the cloth hindering the movement.

The sounds of distant work and rustling metal changed, now it was more of a high clanking sound from left over chains and pulleys, matched up with the hurried rustling of the rats that had taken lodging in the building. He was dragged across a creaking wooden floor, the feeling of the wood getting steadily colder, indicating a basement of some sort below him, and then suddenly there was no floor and he was tumbling through the air, landing hard on what smelled like a pile of molded cloth and sawdust.

He started sneezing violently, wishing desperately he could couch, rolling over and trying to sort out what was still working. His left arm was rather numb, almost feeling like a dead weight against his side. He didn't try moving it for the moment, preferring to see if he had broken it after his parents found him. His middle finger on his right hand and for some reason his toes felt a bit tingly, but that could have been the fact he was tied up so tightly.

Everything else seemed to work right, and if he had a concussion he couldn't tell, so instead he decided to simply lay there, and put his mind to use, processing the smells and sounds that came to him, and failing to feel a breeze from fresh air coming into the basement, which would indicate a way out.

--

"Why did you kiss me?" Conan asked, standing next to Kaito on the roof as they watched Saguru and Mika below, the Hakuba members of the family talking with a police inspector that had seen Toichi earlier that evening.

"To make a point," Kaito replied in a tight voice, kneeling down, watching his husband's face intently, hoping they would find a lead.

"What point was that, and stop kneeling, the light if flashing off your monicle."

Kaito sighed, straightening and turning towards Conan. "I don't remember, all right? I went there and intended to beat the living shit out of you for what you did to my son and things went...sidewaise."

"Did you enjoy it?" Conan shoved his hands into his pocket, watching Kaito who had turned away again to stare at his husband and daughter.

"Just...drop it, Conan."

Conan opened his mouth to reply when a playing card went flying up into the air, caught deftly by Kaito. He flipped the card over and frowned. Conan moved closer, looking over his shoulder, trying to ignore the wafting scent of Kaito's cologne as he stared at the two of spades, wondering what it could mean.

"Our turn," Kaito said, pocketing the card before leaping off the building, glider snapping out and catching the air.

Conan shook his head, watching the thief circle, starting a tight spiral patern that would spread out as he passed over the buildings. Conan had no idea what Kaito could see from that height, but after the years he used the glider, he must have had some trick for seeing the ground. He turned his attention to Saguru and Mika, watching them walk away before moving away from the edge of the building. A soft yet eager smile crossed his lips and he took off running, leaping from the roof of the building, wanting to shout as he took to the air, falling towards the earth.

TBC