Summary: Waking up in an unfamiliar environment without any recollection of how he got there shouldn't be a common occurrence. Unfortunately, Shinichi was quite accustomed to it.
Waking up in another dimension, however, is a whole new story.
Author Note: Cross-posted from my AO3 acccount.
Welcome to my first fanfiction. Yay?
Reincarnation fics have always been a weakness of mine. So here we go with my attempt at writing something at least a bit entertaining. There will be some (or a lot of) awkward-ish English, meaning it is not my first language. Punctuation is my weakness.
If you have any questions or recommendations, feel free to leave a comment. That said, have a good time reading!
Dimension Hopping to Happiness, a Guide by Kudou Shinichi
Chapter 1. Slept Well, Sleeping Beauty?
Chapter summary: According Shinichi, being unconscious is less confusing.
Shinichi woke up with a pulsing headache. Groaning, he tried to pry his lids open, but it was like they were cast in iron. His ears picked up a quiet murmur of voices nearby.
"I do not know how he wound up here," a woman's voice said softly. "Humans rarely visit our lands and another visit from their delegation is not due for quite some time."
"Moreover, he did not have supplies for such a long journey on him and no means of transportation."
Shinichi barely suppressed a jolt. That voice… He knew that voice.
"Oh, look at that. It seems like our guest is waking up. How are you feeling, Sleeping Beauty?"
With no little trepidation Shinichi finally opened his eyes. His first thought was that it was awfully bright wherever he was. His second thought was that someone was playing a cruel joke in him.
"Are you feeling alright?"
No way
"He seems out of it."
Not possible
He could barely make out what Ka- stranger was saying over the sound of blood pounding in his ears. It was a dream, right? He was going to wake up any second now.
"I think it would be better for him to rest more."
"Agreed. Now rest, we will talk later."
Blissful unconsciousness chased away confusing thoughts. …However, he couldn't help but hope.
Maybe it really was him?
-linebreak-
Cerea closed the door leading to their newest guest's room with a soft click. Turning to her companion she sighed, "That could have gone better."
"It could," her companion nodded in agreement, "But I had a strange feeling that my presence made him uncomfortable".
Had she less dignity, Cerea would have snorted, "I would not blame him, Mr Perfect." They moved along a long well-lit corridor. "Your perfectness must have stunned him speechless."
"Ha-ha, how funny. You have been listening to gossip again, haven't you?" he raised one eyebrow at her.
She shrugged, "You have to admit it is quite entertaining, brother." Coming to an end of corridor, her brother opened the door and let her through first. "Oh, what a gentleman," she teased, "No wonder all the girls swoon over you."
He answered her like a 'mature adult', meaning sticking out his tongue at her. Cerea loved seeing her brother at home without any outsiders. Her brother being at home meant being called 'Rea. Being at home meant childish banter and laughter, tender hugs and comfort, unconditional support and open affection.
It wasn't like he ignored her or her sisters in public. It was his station that was the problem. Being at the top of the social and political ladder meant never being able to relax as there were prying eyes everywhere. And her brother had the responsibility of being the grand and invincible Lord of House Starsorrow trust upon him oh so early. With their parents' premature death he didn't have the luxury of growing into the role. By the stars, he didn't even have an opportunity to grieve properly with all the responsibilities and social obligations suddenly falling on his shoulders. He didn't have a chance not to be perfect. The so called 'higher society' was full of vultures. Give an inch and they'll take a mile and more. She was lucky to have avoided such fate.
Cerea ignored her brother's concerned gaze. No need for him to worry about her even more.
The room they entered was spacious and decorated in colors of turquoise and gold. Walls were lined by shelves full of thick books. Two armchairs stood in front of an unlit fireplace. Settling down in one of the comfortable looking armchairs, he frowned, "Banter aside, we do need to find out why and how he got here. I think this may have something to do with it."
He held up a dull grey stone, completely unassuming and easily overlooked. If it did not pulse with strong magic, which was the main reason he rushed to the gardens and found the human, it would still be lying somewhere in the gardens. However, now it was lifeless, just an ordinary stone. Where could that magic go?
"I know that," she answered from an armchair opposite to her brother's. "Maybe it would be better for me to question him alone? He did look like he had seen a ghost when he caught sight of you."
This made her suspicious of the man sleeping down the corridor. Why would he react like that? Nevertheless, she trusted her brother's abilities. None of his protection spell detected any malicious intent. For now she was willing to give their 'guest' the benefit of doubt.
Her brother hummed in agreement, "That might be the best course of action for now." He stood up and nodded at his sister, "I will be off then."
"Already?" she asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Well, your Perfect Brother must go and be His Majesty's Perfect Advisor."
No, Cerea did not pout. Not at all. She was not a child.
"See you at dinner, Kai. Today is 'Vea's turn to cook."
"Did you mean burn water?"
Cerea rolled her eyes, "Yes, yes, none of us can cook except for you and Lylenne." Even if trying to do anything other than baking makes all of her cooking abilities take an unplanned vacation. Lylenne's pastries were to die for, though. A small sincere smile appeared on her face. And you never fail to eat every crumb of our failed cooking attempts, she thought to herself.
Her brother loved his sisters with all his heart. He had basically raised them. She has always marveled how he managed to juggle their needs and his responsibilities. Of course, he could not be everywhere all the time, but never had they felt neglected or unwanted.
"Don't worry. I'll be back right for dinner." He dropped a kiss on the forehead before heading out. "I will even swing by that bakery you love so much."
Cerea loved her brother more than anything, all of the sisters did.
-linebreak-
Waking up in an unfamiliar environment without any recollection of how he got there shouldn't be a common occurrence. Unfortunately, Shinichi was quite accustomed to it. Granted, this time he wasn't in some damp cellar or a crazy murderer's basement of doom.ĺ
After pretending to be asleep for a while longer and discerning that he was alone in the room, Shinichi cautiously opened his eyes and took stock of his surroundings.
The bed he was lying on was the softest he had ever felt. Sunlight streamed through a set of wide windows. Foliage shimmered in the sunlight. He could hear faint echoes of birdsong outside. The room itself was beautiful, the design was unlike anything he had seen before. An abundance of free space made the room seem airy. The color scheme was of ivory and soft turquoise with gleaming golden accents.
The probability of having been kidnapped decreased with every new detail. After all, kidnappers didn't leave jugs of water on bedside tables for prisoners. They also didn't provide their prisoners with first class accommodations.
His examination was interrupted by a soft click of the doorknob turning. He froze, eyes glued to the door. It opened to reveal a woman with black waist length hair and fair skin. She was tall, a few centimeters higher than him. What made his thoughts stop short were her ears and eyes: long pointy ears and glowing blue eyes.
Long pointy ears and glowing blue eyes
The woman started looking concerned.
"Are you feeling alright?"
It took a couple of moments for his brain to restart and understand that she was concerned for him.
Definitely not a kidnapper
"Wha-"
She hurried to pour him a glass of water as only dry coughs came out of his dry mouth.
"Drink slowly," she warned, handing him the glass.
While he relieved the drought in his mouth, she brought a chair closer to his bedside. Sitting down, she said, "I take it you have questions. And so do I." She smiled, "Looks like we could help each other out."
Eyeing her cautiously, he set the glass back down on the bedside table.
"Who are you? And where am I?"
"My name is Cerea Starsorrow. You are at my family's estate, which is located in the Golden Grove of the Shimmering Woods." Leaning forward, Cerea asked, "What I want to know is who you are and how you ended up in our gardens. Estate's protective spells are top-notch -my brother cast them himself and he is the best- and there is no way you could have got in. These spells are the reason you are here as a guest and not as a prisoner."
Golden Forest? Shimmering Woods? Spells?
Shinichi figured he must have looked a bit dazed, because Cerea backtracked a bit, "Ah, I should have made sure if you are feeling alright before interrogating you. Are you in pain? How is your head? Syravea took a look at you when we first found you unconscious. She is an exceptional healer, so I assure you, physically you are in a good condition."
That bit of information didn't help his confusion. Nevertheless, he said, "I am fine, if still a bit dazed." Fiddling with his fingers, Shinichi went on, "It may be rude to ask… but… What are you?"
Cerea blinked at him in surprise. Shinichi elaborated by gesturing at her hears and eyes.
"I am an elf if that is what you are asking."
Now it was Shinichi's turn to be surprised. "Elf?" he echoed in disbelief.
"Unless your hearing is failing you, yes, an elf," Cerea sighed. She had been doing that a lot lately. "Okay, let's start with simple things. Name and last clear memory."
"A-ah, my name is Shinichi. Kudou Shinichi. Last memory…" he racked his brain for a couple of moments. He frowned, when nothing came that could have explained his current predicament. "I remember being at home getting ready to head out. It was early in the evening."
Was there a need to explain that he was heading to another KID impersonator's heist? Shinichi scowled. He loathed those good for nothing impostors. None of them could hold a candle to KID. He made sure to knock them down a peg or two with extreme prejudice. This time the impersonator chose a gem of the same type as the real KID favored – large and red. Heart's Desire was the name if his foggy memory wasn't failing him completely.
"Of course nothing is ever as simple as having a clear picture from the start." Shinichi fidgeted under the elf's –because apparently elves were now his reality whatevenwashislife– probing gaze. "What about this?"
At first Shinchi couldn't understand what some grey stone in her hand had to do with his situation. She handed it to him. As he turned over in his hands, a vague sense of recognition sparked in his mind. After a couple more moments of examining the stone a theory began to take shape.
Magic stones, of course, he thought. Like de-aging and witches weren't enough.
Looking at Cerea, he weighted the pros and cons of telling her everything. In the end he decided to take a leap of faith. After all, if she wanted to hurt him, she could have done it while he was unconscious and vulnerable. Plus, well, elves. If magic had something to do with his sudden displacement, it should be right up their alley. Well, he hoped. But first he had to get a couple more facts in favor of his theory. Even if he hoped for the opposite.
"Before I say anything, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"This… Golden Grove you said? How far exactly is it in relation to Tokyo?"
Cerea tilted her head to the side in askance, "Return question – what is Tokyo?"
Shinichi let out what must have been a pretty hysteric laugh.
Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.
"How outlandish does dimension hopping sound to you?"
"Not as much as you would think." What with all the portals mages are popping left and right. Or idiots using black magic trying to tap into the dark dimension.
"Oh, it's –ugh– great. Yeah, absolutely great." Gathering his thoughts Shinichi looked down at the stone in his hands. "This may indeed be a reason for my," he paused looking for the right word, "displacement."
"Oh? Do tell." Cerea's calculating eyes bored into him in search of even a trace of a lie. He had no doubts that she was cataloguing and analyzing every piece of information he gave her. She reminded him of Kaito, no matter how much it hurt to think that.
"This stone doesn't look like I remember it did before," he held up the stone in question. "I remember it as a red gem. It was called the Heart's Desire."
Cerea as a scholar was quick to catch on, "Is there any reason for the naming choice?"
Glad that his logic was followed, Shinichi continued, "There is. According to the myth surrounding it, the Heart's Desire can grant a wish that one most desires. However, the wish can be granted in any way as long as it satisfies the criteria."
That piqued her interest, "It sounds like a genie. Genies never grant wishes the way one expects them to do it."
"The thing is, I haven't wished for anything." He really didn't. All he wanted was to catch the KID impostor and how dare he and he will never come even close to what Kaito can do who does he think he is ohmygodhemissedKaitososomuch-
Realization slammed into him like a brick wall.
He did wish for something, even if unconsciously. He wished for it every day for over 5 years.
He just wanted Kaito.
But it made no sense. How would going to a different dimension/world/whatever fulfill his wish?
Only–
Only he vaguely remembers hearing a familiar voice.
Kaito's voice
At that time he thought he was dreaming, but what if this strange logic was indeed right?
While he was having a meltdown, Cerea sat patiently cataloguing his expressions: confusion, anger, surprise, realization, confusion again, disbelief, yet more confusion.
His face muscles are getting quite a workout there, she could not help but note. She will be generous and give him a couple more minutes to sort through what he just discovered. It would not do for her brother to come home to their guest having a mental breakdown just because she felt impatient.
Her patience paid off when Shinichi remembered that he was not the only one in the room.
"I take it you have come to some sort of conclusion," she cocked one eyebrow in askance.
He nodded still uncertain. When he spoke, his voice held a slight tremble to it.
"I may have wished for something unconsciously."
"And your wish was?"
"…"
She interpreted his silence as reluctance to disclose said wish. Cerea would be lying if she said that she did not want to know what kind of wish sent him sailing across dimensions. Cerea also knew when something was a hurtful kind of personal. No matter what anyone said, she did have tact. She just chose not to use it. Being straightforward is so much easier than trying to spare one's ego. However, this time Cerea chose not to pry further.
"Fine, as long as this information does not bring any harm, I am willing to let it go." She pretended not to notice how tension seeped out of his shoulders at her declaration.
She held out a hand, "Can I have the stone back? My brother will want to take a look at it."
"Oh, um, of course, here," Shinichi said as he dropped the once red gem into her outstretched palm.
"I will leave you alone for a couple of hours. You are not a prisoner here, but I like to exercise caution and would prefer not to have you wandering around before we get more information."
It made sense. Stranger wandering around one's home is not a pleasant notion. Plus, he did need to sort out his thoughts.
"I think I'll manage."
End Note: Yup, Kai is Kaito, which is short for Kai'el. We'll see more of him in the next chapter.
For now have first of my OCs - Cerea Starsorrow. As you may have notices, she is a sassy lady. What else did you expect from Kaito's sister even if we are not in DCMK anymore? I may post detailed character profiles later on.
I hope you found reading this story pleasing :D