-Tales at 2-2-1 Beika-

Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.

A/N: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! This fic was supposed to be finished in time for Halloween but I still have 1 more chapter to go so...at least this chapter's up which is good right?


-02: Death-

Two weeks after the car accident, Shinichi returned home with Yuusaku. His son was still wheelchair bound, much to said boy's annoyance, and most of the time Shinichi was kept to his own room. The Kuroba's were a great help, willing to babysit Shinichi as Yuusaku went to visit his now comatosed wife. It was painful for him to walk into the whitewashed room of the long-term ward in the early afternoon and talk to his unresponsive wife. He would bring flowers; lovely azaleas, pink camellias, bunches of white hyacinths, and sprigs of primroses. He would always accompany his bouquet with a bright red rose stuck in between flowers and decorative greens.

Replacing the stale water in the vase by Yukiko's bedside, he proceeded to give her an update of Shinichi, how he was always restless and trying to alleviate boredom by nearly destroying the room. He let out a bitter laugh.

"You really should have seen how he threw a tantrum when I told him he's not allowed in the library. Still, he had managed to acquire several books from the library. I'm not sure whether it was Kaito-kun or Toichi who indulged him. The books were always different every time I go into his room." De remembered one of Shinichi's books nearly decapitated his head when he walked in, Yuusaku would have never thought his son would have such an arm or such a temper. Then again, Shinichi did inherit half of Yukiko's genes and she was a born actress who had quite a temper when angered.

Yukiko remained still as ever, nothing in the room moved save for the curtains that fluttered in the wind. Yuusaku looked down at his folded hands.

"He's always saying you've talked to him. Just this morning, he told me you went into his room to wish him good night before he went to bed. I'm...not sure what I should do now." Brushing aside the stray fringe he rested his palms on Yukiko's warm cheeks. "I know I should give him time, it's only been two weeks, but it's worrying. What would you do Yukiko?" Brushing aside a stray strand of blond hair, Yuusaku gazed at Yukiko's face as though she would open those startling eyes any moment, as though the women of his heart just fell asleep like sleeping beauty. He bent down, to lay a kiss like the prince but received no response.

Yuusaku left as soon as the nurse came for a checkup. He had stayed for over two hours and he did not want to impose Shinichi on the Kurobas too much. Taking one last look for the day at his lovely wife, he left with heavy heart to pick up that reviewed manuscript and some grocery. It was a relief that his editors had not bothered him since. They had been gracious enough to give him time and space to settle back down. The accident had been published in the papers and he had received many calls and letters of condolences. Several of his international correspondents actually asked if it were anything serious (or possibly an intentional hit on the ex-detective-now-turned-full-time-author and his family) and had suggested doctors for a second opinion. He had declined them so far, hoping that Yukiko would wake up on her own. Even with mass publicity, it grated on his nerves that the culprit was still not found. The thirst for retribution was long gone from Yuusaku's mind, but it would help him overcome the sense of pain to see the culprit pay for the crime. He had visited the site of the accident the third day after his wife and son was in hospital. All evidences pointed to intention for hurt. There had been no skid marks on the road to indicate the vehicle slowing down, there were no scuff marks on nearby railings or broken glass to show the driver's panic, and what was worst was that the accident was located in an area without camera surveillance. He knew Megure was pulling many favours from his colleagues to have Yuusaku involved in the case, even in very limited capacity. There were possible conflict of interest to have the victim's family involved. It had become Division One's case when it was proven to be intentional rather than a traffic accident.

"'Tou-san, okaeri!" Shinichi greeted brightly from the foyer. Toichi adjusted his hold on the boy.

"Your son would not take no for an answer. Neither would mine stop bothering me." Toichi gave a stern look to Kaito who stood close by Toichi's legs, clinging tight with a dove on his shoulder. Even the dove looked guilty and Yuusaku had to wonder how the magicians managed to train their animals to show emotions.

"Shinichi, you should not have bothered him." Taking his son into his arms, he walked them towards the dining room where Chikage was cooking them dinner. Since it was the weekend, the Kurobas have decided to stay over to keep the two Kudos company. "How did you know I'm going to step through the doors?"

"I just do." Shinichi looked guiltily, biting on his bottom lips and not commenting any further. Yuusaku just chalked it up to Shinichi just having a hunch and good sixth sense when it comes to him.

"Still, you should not have asked Toichi-jisan to bring you down."

"But I wanted to meet you at the door. 'Kaa-san wante...would want me to I mean." It seems to Yuusaku that Shinichi was definitely hiding something. The author looked towards Kaito, who always seemed to be able to pick up when Shinichi was lying, even by omission, but the young magician-in-training just hid himself behind the dove he was holding.

"Shinichi. I...talked to your mother today." Yuusaku decided to use the same language as his son, at least show that he shared his sentiments. "You shouldn't be so hung up on this."

"I know." Shinichi stared down at the table top. "I know you told 'kaa-san about what I said, I know you asked 'kaa-san what you should do and she said to…" Shinichi suddenly cut off his sentence and covered his own mouth with both hands. He appeared scared, as though he did something bad and was found out by his parents. Kaito suddenly produced a burst of smoke and confetti, his two doves flew out of his hands and zoomed around the dining room.

"Kaito!" Chikage shouted from the stove. "You're not supposed to practice magic at the table."

"Sorry 'kaa-san." Kaito muttered as he cleaned up the mess, he spared Shinichi a conspiratorial look. Both boys gathered up the confetti under Chikage's watchful eyes as Yuusaku was pulled aside by Toichi.

"Yuusaku-kun, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but with the way your son is going, you might want to consider a change of scenery or bring him to the doctors as the case may be." The normally cheerful magician sounded forced, as though not wanting to consider the possibility of the young Shinichi falling into mental disorders.

Yuusaku turned to look at the boys, who were now conversing in whispers and hushed tones. Every now and then, they would look up at a random direction as though to listen to a silent voice.

"I'm not so sure. Maybe when Shinichi's injuries are fully healed…" And he hoped by then Yukiko would be awake and Shinichi would return to being the overly curious and polite boy. He would never stop hoping and wishing for his wife's recovery.

The Kurobas were offered the guest room for the whole family but Kaito insisted on staying with Shinichi. The boys fitted themselves onto the single bed, with Shinichi sleeping sandwiched between Kaito and the wall (Kaito had insisted just in case Shinichi manages to fall over). After seeing the elder Kurobas to their room (they had been worn down thoroughly by the boys that afternoon, something about Shinichi still managed to play hide-and-seek even with a healing leg), Yuusaku decided to see if the boy's wanted to a bedtime story. He couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Ne, Kaito." Shinichi poked at the doves in the young magician's palms. The white bird hopped between the hands before fluttering away to land on Kaito's shoulders. "Should I not have said anything?"

"Well...your 'tou-san said to never lie…" Kaito offered sagely, "and Yukiko-neechan did tell you not to worry Yuusaku-jisan."

The two looked at a darkened corner of the bedroom. Even though the place was filled with light, one particular corner had been filled with shadows casted by the bookshelves and wardrobe.

"And Yukiko-neechan is nagging you not to do something that makes 'ji-san too...was the word frazzled Yukiko-neechan?" Kaito cocked his head in question, he was addressing directly towards the shadows. "See, she agrees with me. By the way, have you heard anything from that man?"

Yuusaku had to frown, had the boys left the house during the time he was away and when the adults had turned their backs? But it was near impossible given Shinichi still needs an aide to walk.

"He said it wasn't time yet. He told me it'll still be around and…'kaa-san...she…" Shinichi sniffled. "I don't want her to leave but unless we find that person, she can't stay forever."

"Don't you think you should tell your father then? Maybe he could do something about it." There was soft cooing in the background, one of the doves landed on Shinichi's legs and started nuzzling at the soft material

Shinichi shook his head before flopping onto the mattress. "He said 'tou-san wouldn't understand." The dove waddled her way up the torso and began pecking at Shinichi's nose. "He said I'm still too young as well."

"But you are! And I don't like why he choose you when he could have chosen me as well!" Kaito pouted, arms crossed. "I don't like how you have to face this on your own. I'm sure neither does Yukiko-neechan."

"But if I can help 'tou-san, if I can save 'kaa-san…" The doves suddenly fluttered away and began pecking on the door, startling Yuusaku who had been standing outside. "'Tou-san?" Shinichi questioned. Kaito opened the door to reveal the eavesdropping author.

"Yuusaku-ojisan. Were you listening in on us?" Kaito's bright eyes were suspiciously void of accusations. Though it did hold a gleam of protectiveness.

"I wanted to see if you two wanted a bedtime story." He knelt down to pick the boy up and bring him back to bed. "But it seems I'll be the one getting a story instead." Yuusaku maneuvered both underneath the blankets, tucking the sides.

Shinichi bit his lips again, looking between Yuusaku and the shadowed corner. After what seemed like a silent deliberation, Shinichi looked directly at Yuusaku, blue eyes frightening bright.

"He said, if we find the culprit, 'kaa-san would wake up." Shinichi muttered as he pulled up his blankets as though to hide. "He said it was the only way. But he also said you won't be able to do it because you turned your eyes away. Said I'll have to find it. But he knows I won't be able to so that's why he sent 'kaa-san back to us like this."

"Like what son." Kissing Shinichi on the forehead, Yuusaku no longer cared whether it was all made up in Shinichi's head. What matters is that even his own son finds the incident to be suspicious and his infant mind had already tagged it to be intentional.

"'Kaa-san is not really 'kaa-san if she doesn't coo and hug…" He blushed underneath the blankets. Yuusaku couldn't help but laugh at his embarrassment.

"I'll hug for you." Kaito wrapped an arm around Shinichi and proceeded to squeeze the life out of the boy. "See, I can help!"

Shinichi squirmed around, trying to push Kaito away with his weakened limbs and Yuusaku decided to leave them fight over blankets and pillows, knowing the pair would eventually fall asleep. Behind closed doors, Yuusaku frowned, mouth downturned and jaws locked. He knew his son was becoming slightly delusional but there was very little he could do to help (he doubted bringing the boy to the doctors would do much good). He had initially turned down the offer to help with the investigations, but it seems now he had to find the criminal himself if he wanted to see his son recover from this.

Kaito was reluctant to leave Shinichi behind on Sunday afternoon, clinging onto doorframes and booby-trapping the corridor to Shinichi's room where the boys had hauled themselves in. Toichi was the one to brave the silly string filled corridor (and had barely avoided the rope trap set in front of the bedroom doors) to retrieve the mischievous boy. It was a tearful goodbye but the Kuroba's had promised to visit again the coming weekend. It had become harder to separate the boys as they grew, some would think they were blood-brothers by the clingy-ness and the alike looks.

Yuusaku had coaxed Shinichi to return to school on Monday instead of following him to the police headquarters. Yuusaku had initially offered for him to stay with the professor next door, when Shinichi demanded to accompany Yuusaku but Shinichi had refused (the boy had somehow managed to perfect the Yukiko-puppy-eyes that Yuusaku was prone towards). Yuusaku reasoned this was because the boy was bored, therefore resulted in the compromise of letting him go to school. Shinichi had a fierce frown (an achievement for someone so young) but at least his son knew when to back down and accept defeat.

"Be careful and don't go suddenly running." Yuusaku warned as Shinichi shuffled out of the passenger seat with a crutch. "You know the numbers to call. The professor will pick you up after school, stay with him until I come back ok?"

"'Tou-san, I want to stay with you though…" Shinichi's eyes managed to look watery even if there was not a drop of tear in sight. "I want to find the person who hurt 'kaa-san as well."

"You're still a child. This is not something you should do." Ruffling his son's neat hair, he pushed the backpack into his hands. "Now, take care of yourself and no running or soccer."

Yuusaku watched as Shinichi trudged passed the gates, met by a nearby teacher who promptly took his backpack and ushered the boy indoors. Yuusaku turned his head back towards the road once Shinichi was safely inside the school building. But before he turned his car away, he thought he noticed a cloaked shadow by the lamp post, looking intently at the school entrance. In a blink of an eye, the shadow was gone. A chill set over Yuusaku, hoping it was merely his imagination and not something sinister.

Megure did not have any new information regarding the hit-and-run, but he did offer other cases to take Yuusaku's mind off, which was quickly turned down. Currently, the only case he wanted to work on would be the one involving his family.

"You used to take up anything that came your way Yuusaku. What changed?" Not too perturbed, merely curious at his friend's sudden change, Megure lead Yuusaku out of Division One's office in the police HQ in downtown Tokyo. "You wouldn't have turned down a case, though you're the one who normally comes to the police with information about a case."

"I'm just setting my priorities straight. I don't want expose Shinichi to these horrors of life."

"Being a detective and a father is difficult, some of my men have transferred away from Division One just so they wouldn't paint a target on their families. But you, my friend, is practically a celebrity nowadays. It wouldn't change much if you took back up your previous work habits."

"Did those higher-ups say something?" Yuusaku reasoned the only purpose for his friend's sudden prowess to see him return to a life of crime-solving. Megure was actually the first person to support his decision for leaving the detective business.

"They've noticed the crime rates rising ever since you've stopped with your private consultations." Megure looked resigned. "Tokyo always had a higher crime rate than other Japanese cities. But that is a given seeing as it's densely populated. They wanted something to blame, something that they can take action towards. However, if I were you, I'd stick to my guns and forget about those people. The safety of family always comes first." It seems Megure had actually wanted to support Yuusaku but pressure from his superiors must too large for him to ignore. The author somehow knew this wasn't the first time they've asked Megure to talk him into taking up detective work once more.

"Yes, and Midori-san would skin you alive if she heard you trying to coerce me to take back up my detective work. She and Yukiko had always been good friends and she would look out for Yukiko in her absence."

Megure cringed. "Anyways, I've said what I was told to say. Personally, I think they just wanted more people for the job and didn't care where they found the help."

Yuusaku thanked his friend, hands heavy with the several manila folders containing a copy of the reports (that should not leave the police HQ but it seems the higher-ups really wanted to be in his good graces). He needed to hide these away from the prying hands of his young son before picking him from the Professor's.

Closing the car doors, he found the dark shadow close by, standing just outside of the perimeter of the building. He was about to approach the shadow when an officer suddenly rushed out to call his name.

"Thank goodness we caught you on time." The young officer panted, hair and suit disheveled from the run to catch Yuusaku. "Someone just contacted the inspector at Division One, saying they needed to get in touch with you."

"Odd, did the inspector say who it was?" Instead of returning to his car, he walked back into the building.

The officer replied with a shake of his head, "he sounded very fatherly on the phone, probably a child…"

Yuusaku blanched, it was likely his son to have called. It must have been an emergency then. Taking the steps two at a time, he nearly crashed into Kogoro who rounded the bend to head back into the office.

"Weren't you leaving…?" The man's question was left unaswered as Yuusaku went up to Megure's desk. The inspector calmly handed the phone over.

"Shinichi? What's wrong?" Yuusaku kept his voice calm.

"'Tou-san, we need to get to the hospital quickly! 'Kaa-san is gone!" Shinichi sounded frantic over the phone. He looked to Megure who shook his head, no doubt Shinichi had told the man the same thing.

"Shinichi, she's fine. She's still in the hospital."

"That's why we need to go! She's not here, she's gone!"

To Yuusaku, it was not making much sense. If there were any changes to Yukiko, the police would know first because she was a key witness to the accident. And yet, his son was claiming his mother to be missing. Sighing, Yuusaku knew his son would not leave matters be. It would be a matter of time before he sneaked away from the school on his own to get to the hospital.

"Just stay in school, I'll come pick you up once school finishes." Yuusaku had an inkling of what his son was on about. If he took into account all the things his son said about Yukiko visiting him, then it would mean Shinichi was merely unable to see her.

"But 'tou-san…" Shinichi was whining, tone just pitched half an octave higher that usual, pleading for his father to come to him now.

"It takes me at least that long to drive back to your school." Yuusaku reasoned with Shinichi. "You stay in your lessons and I'll come pick you up. No arguments." Replacing the handset on the receiver, Yuusaku thanked the inspector.

"If you really need to get there quickly, I might be able to find someone to drive you in the patrol car. Shinichi-kun sounded distressed over the phone."

"He'll be fine." Yuusaku may be worried, but he knew at least his son wasn't in any kind of immediate danger. "It's nothing serious."

"But Shinichi-kun mentioned…"

"Can you keep me updated about the case?" Yuusaku cut the inspector off as wondered if he was too hasty to send Shinichi back to school this morning. He thought his son had put the incident behind him now that he rarely mentions about seeing his mother at home.

Shinichi ran up towards the car even before it came to a stop by the curbside of the school. He quickly let himself in, strapping on the safety belt.

"Hurry!" Shinichi urged.

"Shinichi." Yuusaku made no move to the steering wheel, even as his son tugged on his shirt sleeves. "This is not...healthy...for you to become like this. Your mother is fine, I've called the doctors before leaving the station, they said she's showing signs of waking up."

"Yes, but for how long? He said that because you seemed to be taking back up the…" Shinichi suddenly realised he was not supposed to say anything and covered his mouth with both hands.

"What are you saying Shinichi? Tell me the truth." As there were no cars on the road, Yuusaku can keep it parked just for a while long to interrogate his son.

"You won't believe me." Shinichi was not asking, rather the boy knew for certain his father would not trust his words. "He said so." He added softly.

"Who?"

"That person with the cloak and funny hand." Shinichi whispered, head bowed down guiltily. "He came with the small boy during break time, said because 'tou-san was going to do his work that he decided to let 'kaa-san stay with us a while longer."

Yuusaku did not like to hear his son reasoning current events with imaginary situations about mysterious cloaked figures and little boys with blue eyes.

"Son, they aren't real." Deciding to cut to the chase and stop further nonsense. "They're all in your head."

"No they aren't!" Shinichi nearly screamed, hands clenched into little fists. "Kaito saw him too! And the boy as well! I'm not lying…Kaito's not lying to me either..." Tears of frustration ran down the cheeks and Yuusaku couldn't help but feel constricted at his heart.

"You're not lying," he hugged Shinichi close, whispering shushing noises to calm him down. "But they are not really here. It's all in your head." Yuusaku decided to call up the Kurobas at a later time.

"Can we please just go see 'kaa-san…" Shinichi mumbled into his shirt. Giving a final pat on his son's head, Yuusaku turned his eyes back onto the road and drove away from the curbside. He could not help but somehow notice at the edges of his vision that a certain light pole seems to have a larger shadow than the rest. Glancing at the rear-view mirror to check, there was nothing of particular interest; no shady individuals or mysterious being, only a lonely rubbish bin filled to the brim.

Yukiko's room was strangely filled with activity when Yuusaku opened the sliding doors. Shinichi had immediately dashed towards the bed, weaving between the white coats and legs, to pounce onto the bed. He was chided by the nearby doctor who was just finishing up with his examination.

"Kudo-san." The doctor addressed with a smile. "You're surprisingly well-informed. We were just about to call you and the police."

"How is she?" Yuusaku spared a moment to look at his wife, who had Shinichi in her arms and was whispering into his ears.

"The external injuries she sustained during the incident is recovering well, scarring was minimal and there should be no lasting damages. Though she would need physiotherapy to ensure her muscles can support her. We will assess her internal injuries after we have scheduled for a scan. Her memory is intact and motor coordination is fine. I suggest she should stay for another week in hospital, so we can monitor her recovery and ensure there are no further complications." The doctor looked back at the nurses and Yukiko, looking confused. "Though it is strange how she would suddenly slip into a coma and suddenly wake up on her own."

"Thank you doctor." Yuusaku finally let out a breath of relief. His wife was awake and is doing well. He did not need to know the cause, only knowing his wife is healthy is more than enough.

"Yuu-chan." Yukiko was smiling tiredly, eyes creased but still as bright as ever. "You look really worn out." She reached up to brush her thumb across the cheeks and blemished skin underneath the eyes. "Did you not sleep?"

"I did." Yuusaku took the hand and placed a kiss on the back knuckles. "But I had been worried about you." He admitted.

"'Tou-san was always in the library…" Shinichi added as he broke away from Yukiko's hold. "He would walk up and down, along the bookshelves. Looking at the books, then the desk, then sit down and start broding..."

"That's quite enough." Yuusaku warned, he was not sure how Shinichi knew what he did inside the library especially since the boy had been confined to his room. Turning back to Yukiko with a gentle smile, he told her the doctors would be releasing her next week if everything goes well.

Yukiko, much like her son, really disliked the hospital and therefore nearly threw a tantrum (like the one Shinichi threw about a week ago) if not for Yuusaku retraining her. She finally agreed when Yuusaku went to see if he could negotiate with the doctors about an earlier release (there was an eerie glint in her eyes that promises mass mayhem if she was confined to the bed for any longer than 3 days). As Yuusaku walked out of the room, he saw the doting mother questioning her son, asking about how Yuusaku was acting at home during her sleep, whether they were both eating. Shinichi dutifully replied all her questions, telling her about the Kuroba's coming to visit them. But throughout their conversation, not once did Shinichi mention anything remotely hinting what his mind had conjured up. Yuusaku hoped this meant Shinichi had finally come to terms with what happened now that Yukiko was awake.

But apparently he was wrong. That night, after Yuusaku had tucked Shinichi into his bed, Yuusaku found Shinichi staring at the darkened corner of his room when he went to check up on his son. Through the slit in the doors, he saw his son's dulled eyes underneath the full moon's light, as though his mind just left for a stroll and left the body behind. There were murmurs coming out of Shinichi's mouth but it was too soft for Yuusaku to hear from his position. He was about to walk in when Shinichi jerked, like having been electroshocked, and glanced about his room. Tears began to stream down his son's cheeks and Yuusaku wondered what happened as Shinichi tries to bury himself into his pillow. Yuusaku's hands stilled by the doorknobs as he heard a slight hick of Shinichi's voice. His heart ached and wondered if he should walk into the room, but he knew Shinichi was a proud boy and hates for his father to see him suddenly break down. Especially since Yukiko is now awake, there should be no reason for him to act as such.

The next morning, Yuusaku monitored his son intensely. The way Shinichi hobbled down the stairs and sat at his designated place as he waited for his father to finish cooking whatever foodstuff they were having for breakfast.

"You're not going to school today." Yuusaku told Shinichi. "We're going to the doctors."

Early this morning, Yuusaku had called the hospital for that reference for a child psychologist. After seeing what happened last night, Yuusaku decided to find some help for his son, whether he needed it or not.

"Why?" The overly curious Shinichi wondered out loud. "I'm not scheduled for a check-up until later this week."

Yuusaku should not have been surprised for Shinichi to be so attentive during the check-up sessions.

"Shinichi, it's just that after the incident…" Yuusaku placed the plates of bacon and eggs in front of his son.

"No!" Shinichi pushed away from the table and stumbled to the ground. "I know what you want to say! I'm not going!"

Without Yuusaku needing to say the words, Shinichi had already figured out his father's intention.

"He said you would do this, I didn't believe it last night. He said you never believed me to begin with." Shinichi was shaking violently, arms encircled around his tiny body.

"Son." Yuusaku approached with soft steps, hugging his boy. "You don't need to feel scared or threatened. It's just a check-up with another doctor. Do this for me at least?"

"'Tou-san. There's nothing wrong with me. It's not in my head. He's real and…" Shinichi struggled against the hug, backing slowly away and towards the door. But his father had quickly caught on and moved towards him, standing behind Shinichi to block his path.

With a gentle push, Yuusaku led Shinichi back to his seat at the table. Handing over a cup of juice, he urged the boy to drink. He feels bad for having to drug Shinichi in order to bring him to the clinic but Yuusaku knew Shinichi was attempting to run away.

Silently, Yuusaku drove the the clinic with Shinichi buckled into the passenger seat. His son looked too frail and fragile unconscious. Although the physical marks from the incident were gone from his face, Yuusaku could not seem to erase the mental marks in his son's mind. Deciding a professional may have a better grasp in healing the mind, Yuusaku had made the difficult decision of sending Shinichi to the psychologist.

"Kudo-san." The doctor informed Yuusaku having been left in the reception area for the past 2 hours since he delivered his son to the doctor's room. He quickly stood up and strolled towards the doctor who was shutting the door, leaving Shinichi inside the room with the nurse. "If you wouldn't mind, I wish for Shinichi-kun to be admitted to a rehabilitation clinic."

Yuusaku was instantly alert, fearing the worst. He wasn't sure what to tell his wife if their son were diagnosed to be unstable.

"Your son keeps mentioning this cloaked figure and a small boy but are unwilling to say anything else about the accident he was involved in." The doctor looked resigned, slightly tired, but still seems determined to see Shinichi would recover. "He is a smart boy, cunning and intelligent. That may be why he is having difficulty coping with sudden changes."

At least the doctor sounds positive.

"Worry not." The doctor placated. "It's just that Shinichi-kun is hiding rather than telling the truth. It might be because of the setting, or it might be because of my presence. Either way, I have a colleague at the rehab clinic who may be less intimidating and hopefully he'll tell us what is wrong or what his worries are. He specialises in handling such cases with children so he should be able to find the crux of the problem."

Yuusaku wasn't sure to be worried that his son would rather hide the truth or amused that Shinichi has the skills to hide away his inner thoughts (Yuusaku figured he probably should blame Toichi and his son for teaching Shinichi about Poker Face). Not sure what else he could do, Yuusaku had signed for his son to be left in the care of the professionals before entering the doctor's office.

"Shinichi." Yuusaku went to hug his son, who sat stiff and still on the leather chair. "I'm not abandoning you, but please, let the doctors help you."

"'Tou-san…" Shinichi leaned slightly into Yuusaku's chest, voice soft and pained. "I'm telling the truth…"

Steeling himself he told his son that he'll be staying at the rehab clinic and that he'll come pick him up in a week. The doctor assured that if Shinichi was found to be healthy, he might be able to return earlier. Yuusaku assumed this was supposed to be motivation for Shinichi to tell the truth, which the boy keeps insisting he had been telling nothing but the truth. He watched as the van from the rehab clinic came to pick up Shinichi. A kind-looking male made conversation with his silent son. Shinichi looked back, eyes losing brightness for a brief moment, hoping for his father to stop this. Yuusaku knew this was for the best even if there seems to be a lingering shadow standing in furthest the corner, boring holes into Yuusaku's head saying to the author that he was doing something absurd and stupid.

"I'll see you in a week Shinichi." Yuusaku dismissed the feeling of wrongness, offering a slight smile and wave as the doors of the van shut to drive his son away. "It's for the best." He muttered to himself, turning away from the doctor's office. He needed to steel himself to telling Yukiko what was happening to their son.

A week sped by, a week where Yukiko had thrown anything she could get her hands on every time Yuusaku went to visit her in the hospital. Yuusaku remembered Yukiko was seething with anger as he broke the news to her.

"What on Earth are you thinking! There's nothing wrong with our son!" Yukiko screamed as she whapped Yuusaku with the extra pillow. For someone who just woke up, she was sure energetic. "Why did you send him away! What do you think he's feeling!"

"But Yukiko." Yuusaku evaded the first hit but the second made its target on his head. "You haven't seen the way he had been acting."

"He's our child!" Three more hits and Yukiko slumped back towards her pillows. "We're supposed to be protecting him, not sending him away at the slightest strange occurrence. He had been in a accident with me, you of all people know how such events can be life changing for people, especially for a child."

"That's why I thought a professional's help would be best." Yuusaku tried to reason, which only incite Yukiko's wrath and renewed her vigor to whap Yuusaku with the pillow once more.

"OUT!" Yukiko shouted, pointing at the door. Yuusaku knew it was time to retreat. He'll come by again tomorrow to reason with Yukiko.

Knocking on the door to the hospital room before pushing it open, Yuusaku was once again met by a flying object, which happened to be a small stuffed toy left behind by a certain magician ("It's unhygienic to keep throwing the pillows. Here, use this as an alternative." Toichi had offered during the Kuroba's most recent visit to the actress. Yukiko had accepted the stuffed fluffy rabbit, tested the weight, before hurling it in Yuusaku's direction. "Thank's Toichi-sensei." Yukiko had said with a grateful smile, sending an unnerving version of the smile towards Yuusaku. He would never be able to forget the glint in her eyes that spoke of future pain and torture). Catching the toy rabbit out of reflex by now, he replaced the toy on the bedside table. Yukiko was dressed in street clothing, with bags packed and signed forms sitting on the bed.

"Well?" Yukiko tapped her foot impatiently.

"We'll pick up Shinichi now." Yuusaku grabbed the bags dutifully as Yukiko took the rabbit in her hands, not willing to part with her only weapon against her husband's idiocy.

Yukiko had made great progress over the last week, probably incited by Shinichi's admission, and recovered well enough for the doctors to allow her to continue her recovery away from the hospital. She was still required to return for periodic checkups, and was still physically weak, but the look on Yukiko's face had the doctors immediately signing her out.

They drove in silence, with Yukiko fuming in the passenger seat.

"Yukiko…" Yuusaku tried to start a conversation.

"Not a single word out of you Yuu-chan." Yukiko at least was still using the pet name, meaning she wasn't too angry. Yuusaku had no other options but to keep his eyes on the road.

The nurses at the rehab clinic guided the two parents towards a brightly decorated room, designated for children's use. They made small conversation, telling the two how nice and kind Shinichi had been, obedient and rule-abiding. The doctor met with them partway with Division One's Megure standing close by. Yuusaku quirked an eyebrow at the strange combination, wondering what had caused the investigator to leave the office.

"Yuusaku-kun? Why are you here?" Megure broke of whatever conversation he was having and focused his attention on the older Kudos. "Yukiko-chan, nice to see you fully up and running. Yuusaku-kun had be worried to a point of exhaustion ever since the incident."

"Yukiko, why don't you go with the nurses and I'll talk with Megure for a minute." Yuusaku was sure his wife was impatient, as evident by the frown on her face. Only when he was sure Yukiko was out of earshot did Yuusaku continue his conversation. "Keibu-dono, did something happen around here?"

"Five days ago, one of the children in this facility found a dead nurse. We've been trying to get the doctor's cooperation to talk with the child, whom the doctor would not even divulge their name." Megure motioned towards the doctor beside him. "And three days later, a man showed up confessing to the crime. Even though we have a motive and confession, we still lack certain pieces of evidence and there was a time gap in between when the man confessed to the killing and the actual time of death. We were hoping for the child to have seen something."

"As I've told you time and again, any talking done with the child would be by us and not the police. You people would inadvertently hurt them and traumatize them with your inconsiderate words."

"We've been trained into how to handle delicate situations doctor." Megure tries to placate. "We know how to speak with younger witnesses."

"Not to these children you don't." The good doctor proceeded to list out what could (would) go wrong if the children were triggered by the wrong words. Megure sighed, relented to the doctor's request and began to draft out a list of question for the doctor to ask the child in question. Yuusaku watched from the sidelines, something niggling at his mind telling him that he could easily resolve this situation but he dutifully ignored the sensation. The doctor finally turned his attention to Yuusaku. "Kudo-san, you're here to pick him up?"

Yuusaku nodded, following the doctor through colourful corridors.

"Your son, Shinichi-kun, had not been forthcoming at first. The things he talked about, strange cloaked figures and little boys with blue eyes, I have a suspicion at the beginning they were a result from guilt of being the cause of his mother's injuries. The two figures are manifestations of the mind, a physical representation of the wrongdoings involved in the incident." The doctor waved at several little girls sitting by the window with picture books and the nurse attending to them. "However, we did make good progress. Having him admit to those feelings is still difficult, he has a tendency to hide everything he feels even when he was telling the truth. We have managed to encourage Shinichi-kun to see that the injuries sustained were not caused by his inaction, rather they were a series of unfortunate events that he should try and understand. I, however, believe he is trying to make it his mission to find the culprit behind the accident."

"Then he should be able to put all this behind if the culprit was found correct?" Yuusaku had hope in his voice. The matters of the mind were difficult to comprehend, but it was good to know there was a solution to Shinichi's anxieties.

"I believe so. Shinichi-kun has a strong moral compass and has spoken quite loudly at what he knows, and feels,to be correct. He also believed that no one should be hurt and that all those who caused harm should redeem themselves." The doctor shook his head to clear out his thoughts. "You and your wife has raised Shinichi-kun to be a kindhearted child, not many could do a good a job as you two. Which may be the reason why he was so badly affected by his mother's injuries. In any case, there's nothing really wrong with him. He does have a tendency to go into deep thought and is slightly shy towards strangers." The doctor stopped in front of a blue door, sliding it open to gesture Yuusaku to enter.

"'Tou-san." Shinichi looked up from his mother's tight hold. "You really did come."

"Shinichi, I don't go breaking my promises to you." He ruffled Shinichi's hair. Yukiko finally smiled at him, though he was sure she was still quite mad at him.

"Come on Shin-chan, let's go. Your father promised us ice-cream as well." Yukiko decided to make Yuusaku pay for doing this to their child. "And he said he'll buy us presents."

Shinichi looked between his parents, both beaming at him, before deciding to tug at his mother. Yuusaku winced at the impending shopping trip, hoping to the heavens that his beloved wife would not go overboard.

"Please don't stay mad at 'tou-san. He's just…" Shinichi seems to be searching for words but was lacking the vocabulary. "It's just 'tou-san was worried. He's not to be blamed…"

"And neither should you blame yourself Shinichi-kun. We've been over this." The doctor gently reminded. "Now you need to let go of that part."

Shinichi nodded hesitantly before turning to thank the doctor. All the while, he was paying more attention to the surroundings than his parents on either side.

"Doctor." Shinichi called out at the last minute before he stepped into the car. He ran back towards the doctor, whispered in his ears that made the doctor's eyes widened a fraction. The doctor affectionately ruffled his hair before telling Shinichi to run back towards his parents.

"What did you tell the doctor?" Yukiko sat with Shinichi at the backseats, holding their son tight in her arms.

"I wanted to make sure he keeps everyone safe." Shinichi said cryptically. "And I had to tell him a message from someone."

"Oh?" Yukiko's voice was one of curiousity.

"Yes, to tell him that…" Shinichi looked up at the mirror to see Yuusaku was also as intrigued as his mother. "You know what, never mind. I forgot already now that I told the doctor." Shinichi beamed at them before diverting the conversation to upcoming ice-cream purchase. Yuusaku could not help be let out a fond smile show on his face. He was happy his son was no longer brooding and staring into shadows, though if only Yukiko would stop giving him the icy look, he would be much happier.

They stopped off at an outdoor ice-cream parlour, and like any child, Shinichi immediately rushed towards the counter where they held the multicolour icy treats. He pointed at a lemon flavoured one and the sales was gracious enough to give him a sample. They settled at the outdoor sitting area where a white dove immediately landed on their table. Yuusaku had no doubts that it was sent by a certain magician-in-training for it sought out Shinichi and proceeded to land on his shoulders.

"It seems Kaito-kun has become quite adept in training his flock." Yuusaku commented over his cup of coffee. Not really expecting a reply from his son, who was trying to feed bits of biscuit to the bird.

"It's only expected. Toichi-sensei trained him well."

At least Yukiko was speaking to him again.

"Shinichi," capturing his son's attention once more. Shinichi looked up from his scoop of treat, mindful to give said treat a lick every now and then so it would not be wasted as it melts. "Will you forgive your father?"

"'Tou-san? You did nothing wrong, why do I need to forgive you?" His eyes were of genuine confusion. "Besides, I know why you did that…"

"Thanks son." Yuusaku attempted to hug Shinichi even as Yukiko glared "Let's head back when you finished the ice-cream. I have a feeling Kaito-kun and his family are waiting for us at the mansion to celebrate."

And Yuusaku had been right in his deduction. The magician son and father pair met them at the foyer (Yuusaku decided to ignore the fact they had broken into their house but it was expected of the world famous magician). The family were showered with confetti before the front doors closed. A flock of dove flapped around, each carrying colourful streamers and flowers.

"Welcome home, Yukiko-chan, Shinichi-kun." Toichi presented a bouquet of flower to Yukiko as Kaito began to tug at Shinichi to head up the stairs. It seems the boys missed each other greatly as they ignored the shouts of their respective parents about proper greetings. "Boys…"

"Let them have their fun." Yukiko ambled at a slower pace towards the kitchens, leaving the bags to be picked up by Yuusaku.

"I take it she's still angry at you?" Toichi had a wry smile on his face.

"Why wouldn't she." Shaking his head, he heaved the heavy bags on his shoulders to make his way towards the laundry. "What I probably did was unforgivable in her eyes, treating Shinichi as though he was…"

"You did the right thing though. It wasn't something you could handle on your own." Toichi patted encouragingly before he joined their ladies in the kitchen. He knew his own wife had whipped up a banquet fit for a king, with many of the children's favourite dishes.

Passing the children on the way as he dropped of the bags, Yuusaku couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"So?" Kaito asked as he juggled the tri-colour balls into the air.

"What? There was nothing wrong to begin with." Shinichi's eyes followed the balls, possibly aiming to disrupt the juggling at a given chance. "I had been sloppy, that's all."

"Well, I couldn't blame you. No one would believe and my 'tou-chan asked me the same thing since I was always with you."

"Did he call you a liar?"

"Nah, I didn't say anything. You were right, we should keep our mouths shut. Look where it got you." Kaito was light-hearted in his reply. There were several soft thuds of juggling balls hitting a surface before many more thuds and a yelp.

"Nice to know my time away served some purpose other than being bored to bits in that place. Seriously, they didn't have much in terms of books, the nurses were always following me and the doctor kept asking bothersome questions." Shinichi sighed dramatically before flopping onto the bed. "I think I'll just keep it to myself this time. I don't want to worry 'tou-san anymore and 'kaa-san was only just released from the hospital."

"You think I can come stay more often? I can keep you company. You and that boy both."

Yuusaku decided to interrupt the conversation to drop off the empty bag by knocking on the door.

"Shinichi, you better wash up before your mother yells at you. I think we're about to start dinner soon." The young author watched as his son scrambled for the bathroom, not wanting to anger his mother by being tardy. "And Kaito-kun, you shouldn't lie to your father like that."

"What do you mean?" Kaito acted innocently, looking up with his violet eyes.

"Your father is just concerned, especially after I talked with him. If you had noticed anything, you should have told someone. It would be best for Shinichi if you had said something earlier."

"But Yuusaku-ojisan, no one believes in what we say. Even if I did say something, you'll not do anything. No one would. So why bother?" Kaito picked up the balls strewn about the bed. "However, we'll tell you, and only you, if you promise to listen and not think we're lying."

Yuusaku was about to reply when they heard Chikage shouting from downstairs. Kaito yelled out a reply and ran out the door before Yuusaku could react. The things that the boys are talking about keeps getting more confusing and making a lot less sense.

Life returned to the norm, with Shinichi going to school, his editors hounding at him for manuscript, and Yukiko being her overly bubbly self. But that was as far as normalcy went, for every time they decided on a family outing, they would inevitably stumble across things outside of the norm. Just three days ago, on Shinichi's birthday, they decided to drive out into the countryside for a picnic. The Kurobas had joined them for this trip, it was a given with how close the boys were. It was supposed to be relaxing, though the drive consisted of Shinichi and Kaito messing around at the backseat of the rented van. They trip towards the location was filled with flying feathers, courtesy of the three doves Kaito brought along for the trip, a myriad of confetti and silly string, and the occasional pop and squeak from whatever tricks Kaito decided to test out on Shinichi. Shinichi had a fun time deciphering the method behind the trick and Yuusaku could see the makings of a great detective underneath the childish looks. Strangely enough, Yukiko and Chikage decided to leave the boys be, though it was probably because a distracted Kaito is a calm Kaito, regardless of how weird it sounds. Yuusaku and Toichi took turns to drive, they switched halfway at the highway stop as they stretched their legs. It was there when they first stumbled across the beginnings of something outside of the norm. Shinichi had ran off, with Kaito closely following, the moment the van stopped. They assumed it was because they needed the bathroom so the parents took their time to stretch. They hadn't expected for Kaito to come back moments later to tug at Yuusaku to follow him. Fearing the worst that something had happened to Shinichi, Yuusaku ran towards the direction Kaito was pointing at, only to find Shinichi standing over a bloody corpse behind the building to the male bathroom. His son stood just beyond the pool of cooling blood, still, and staring at the body. Yuusaku moved swiftly to try cover his eyes as he pulled Shinichi away.

"'Tou-san." Shinichi struggled out of Yuusaku's hold. "Over there." He pointed to the line of trees and shrubs to the side of the road. Yuusaku moved over to peer into the foliage. There was a small glint in the distance, Yuusaku squinted his eyes but could barely make out the shape, only that he knew it was small. On the ground, he noticed faint droplets of blood leading from the body in the direction of the glint. He would have missed the stains all together if Shinichi had not pointed it out. The asphalt did a decent job of camouflaging the blood under the morning sun.

"Did you see anything?" Yuusaku turned to his son in his arms. Shinichi shook his head.

"I…" Yuusaku noticed Shinichi was biting on his bottom lips again. He must be hesitating. "I thought I did…" He whispered softly. Yuusaku knew this was as close to the supposed truth he would be receiving, especially after overhearing the boys' talk of him not every believing their words.

"Never mind son. Let me call the police then we'll leave." Not wanting his son to be exposed to further dangers, Yuusaku decided it would be best to be on their way instead of waiting for police to arrive. He had a few police contacts in this area and could probably put off giving their statements until later on.

Such occurrences continued to pop up with higher frequency. It used to be whenever the boys met up for their playdates, but it soon became a regular scene where Shinichi would seemingly stumble across something. When Shinichi walked home from school, he would inevitably trip over a knife or an abandoned bag that he would bring to the nearest police box, then to have it confirmed it was evidence to an ongoing case. After his soccer matches, or during half-time, he would be unknowingly caught at one incident or another, many of which Yuusaku was on-site to sort out the problem and contact the police. However, he rarely stayed to look into the cases, preferring to cart Shinichi away as quickly as he could. Then there were the multiple numbers of kidnapping Shinichi managed to have himself caught in, most involving in him being at the wrong place at the wrong time, though there were a few deliberate attempts solely because of who his parents were. It went to a point where Yukiko suggested they went to see a priest or go to the temples, which they did the moment Shinichi turned 9.

"I'm scared for him Yuu-chan." Yukiko said one evening after Shinichi went for bed. "What is happening is not normal."

"We did all we can for him." Yuusaku remembered their last visit to the local shrine, the priest had said it was a gift not to be ignored but Yukiko had said it was more of a curse.

("Gift or Curse, it depends on the point of view." The priest had said with a grim face looking down towards Shinichi. "Shinichi-kun here was gifted with these incidences. You should nurture instead of shun them.")

Yuusaku tried to offer the best comfort he could, holding tight onto his wife as they tucked themselves into the large canopy bed. His thoughts drifted back to the dream, the one of the cloaked figure and disembodied voice that echoed in the night. The figure had said the original recipient of the gift was supposed to be Yuusaku but his life choices had meant a shift. Internally, he cursed at the being that allowed for this to happen to a young child. Briefly, he wondered what he could barter for the figure to rescind such gifts, but he knew there was nothing he could give in return if he wanted to keep their current lifestyle.

He had a fitful sleep that night, expecting to wake up to find Shinichi huddled in the corner of their bedroom. At one point, when he opened his eyes to peer into the dark room, he thought he saw a pair of bright blue eyes gleaming in the corner. But as he blinked, the blue eyes was gone. Another instant, just before dawn, he thought he heard the bedroom doors open. Yuusaku had expected his son to somehow jump up onto their bed or wake them up, but instead, he found himself looking blearily at a smudge of shadows standing just to the side of the door. Closing his eyes and reopening them had made the shadow disappear. He concluded his mind must be playing tricks on him as he fell back asleep.

The next morning, when Yukiko was still tucked up in bed, and as Yuusaku ambled down the stairs, he found Shinichi to be huddled up next to the phone in the foyer with a large blanket wrapped around him.

"Shinichi, what are you doing?" Gently, he bundled up his son to take him away, at least into the living room where it would be warmer.

"Wait, 'tou-san." Shinichi struggled from the hold to hop down on his feet, blanket still wrapped around his tiny shoulders like a long dark cape. "Wait." He looked intently at the phone.

Just as Yuusaku was about to insist his son to come with him, the phone rang, startling the author to a jump. He looked between the inanimate device and his son, trying to not give too much thought into how his son could have predicted the event, and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Kudo residence." He answered somewhat harshly. It was early in the morning and his own voice had barely stopped sounding scratchy.

"Yuusaku-kun, sorry to bother you so early in the morning." The voice of the seasoned inspector sounded much to energetic for so early. "We have received something...interesting and thought it might be best to bring you in for this...case."

Yuusaku took it to mean the heads of police wanted Yuusaku's input on whatever strange evidence that was posted to the police. Yuusaku sighed as he questioned the intelligence of its officers. He knew Division One quite well and the detectives there are quite good at what they are doing. They might not be as fast in solving crime but they do get the job done. Yuusaku had always believed his presence there somehow demoralizes the rest of the inspectors, like upstaging them, but they were still an amiable bunch of people that he like to associate with.

"What seems to be of interest?" Yuusaku held onto his son, who felt extremely cold to the touch. He wondered how long Shinichi had been out in the foyer.

"We've received a notice, possibly an intention for crime. We have Division Two working on it but they had approached Division One as well seeing as the wording can be interpreted as a kidnapping case." Megure did not sound confident, meaning he believed it was something outside of his jurisdiction and was only contacting Yuusaku under the insistence of his superiors.

"I'll drop by around mid-morning if that's ok with you." Yuusaku peered down at his son, who had an intriguing look on his face.

"We believe the notice is for this afternoon, possibly early evening. If you can come by earlier…?"

"I'll see what I can do." Yuusaku remembered they were supposed to be attending a magic show later on in the evening, one that Yukiko was roped into being the assistant. She had be ecstatic to be able to perform with her teacher and had to nearly threaten Yuusaku to attend. Both Shinichi and Kaito were going with Chikage but Yuusaku had mentioned, just once, he might not be able to make it on the day (and how right he was now). Yukiko had then threatened the couch, which was not too effective seeing as Yuusaku periodically spends time on that particular piece of furniture when he had a deadline coming up. She then threatened bodily harm onto Yuusaku, which was marginally more effective until the point she threw a throw pillow at him with force enough to knock him back. That was when he realised that underneath all the beauty lies a fierce lioness ready to spring into action. It was a trait that made him fall in love all over again.

Shaking his head to dislodge the random thoughts, he turned back to Shinichi's inquisitive eyes.

"Will you be going?" Shinichi had an expectant look on his face.

"Maybe later son." Yuusaku crouched down to Shinichi's level. "Now tell me, why were you sleeping here instead of up in your bed."

"..." Shinichi took a step back, but Yuusaku was quick to halt his movement as held Shinichi back on his shoulder.

"If you had a nightmare, you could have come into our bed." He suggested.

"It's not that…" Shinichi evaded, looking away. "I just...it's just…"

It was rare for his son to stutter over words, seeing now he had a wider range of vocabulary (Shinichi spends too much free time reading. Although he still devoted as much effort to his soccer practice as before). It raised alarms in Yuusaku immediately.

"What is worrying you Shinichi?" Carefully, he guided his son towards the dining room, setting up the coffee machine for himself and began preparing hot chocolate for Shinichi. It was the weekend, where the three of them would lazily spend inside the house doing nothing but keeping each other company. Often, it would meant time spent inside the living room with Yukiko flipping through her fashion magazine, Shinichi reading his stories, and Yuusaku working on his manuscripts with the TV switched on as background noise. This morning, however, seems to deviate from their regular activities.

"You should go 'tou-san. Go to the station. They need you there." Shinichi whispered with his head hung low. "You need to get there. Tell them what they need to know. Else…"

"Else what Shinichi? What do you think will happen?" Yuusaku had learnt that refusing Shinichi outright was not wise. He might not believe what the boy is thinking, nor can he deduce what is inside his boy's head, but instinctively, he knew he should at least listen.

"If you didn't, things will be worst. At least now, if you went, everything would be...not better but not worst." Tears were beginning to form around Shinichi's eyes and Yuusaku at lost.

"Alright son. I'll head off to the police headquarters. Would you be alright staying with your mother today? I'll most likely meet you two at the theater tonight rather than coming back."

Shinichi nodded reluctantly. It was as though he struggled whether to let his father go, as though he was terrified of something.

"You'll tell me if it's something serious right?" Yuusaku asked, placing the cup of chocolate in front of Shinichi. He'll get ready once he was sure Shinichi had something to warm up. Feeling the top of his son's head, he did not detect a fever which was a relief. Although his skin was still on the cold side, he knew the drink would warm him up.

Shinichi nodded, slowly sipping the hot chocolate, eyes never leaving his father's.

"Um…" Shinichi hesitated, gulping and glancing around the room before laying his eyes on his father's still figure. "Do you think...you know if you could...would you rather spend the time with 'kaa-san than...you know…"

Yuusaku wasn't sure if it was Shinichi feeling insecure or just plain paranoia, he knew he had been spending slightly less time with Shinichi lately, what with the numerous deadlines looming above his head. But by no means he was neglecting his boy.

"Shinichi, we'll spend time together soon, all three of us." Yuusaku paused mid-step. "Maybe it would be better if I ignored the inspector's request. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"NO!" Shinichi jumped from his seat and nearly tackled Yuusaku onto the ground. "No, you can't. I mean you shouldn't!"

"Son, is this about that...thing...about you telling the truth but it's also something that's in your mind?"

"I knew it." Shinichi muttered to the ground, sighing, with face scrunched up as though in pain. "You don't believe me."

"Shinichi. I do." Yuusaku tried to comfort. "I do believe you as long as you tell me what made you believe in the things you said."

"...I can't say…" Shinichi then shook his head. "No, it's like I don't know how to describe it. Just that if He's here, then it's likely whatever you've been called to is important and dangerous. But the boy said if you didn't respond, it'll be even worst."

Yuusaku was about to ask further when the phone rang again. Without thinking he answered "Keibu-dono, I said I'll come by a little bit later."

"Um...Yuusaku-ojisan?" Kaito's young voice rang softly. "Can I speak to Shinichi?"

Taken aback, Yuusaku apologised and asked Shinichi to come to the phone. He took this time to go back to the bedroom to dress, finding Yukiko was just stirring in bed. Giving his wife a loving kiss, he was soon wrapped up in Yukiko's arms.

"What are you doing up so early?" Yukiko cheerfully asked, pulling Yuusaku closer into her chest as she tries to wrap them both back in the blanket. "You're cold."

"I need to be heading out soon." Yuusaku made no movement to struggle out of the cocoon they were forming. Though neither was he actively participating in the act.

"It's the weekend. You don't normally meet with your editors." Yukiko was more awake and less playful. "Unless it's the police…?"

"They have something they wanted me to look at." Slowly, he was being let out of the blanket. He stretched his arms before rummaging for something casual to wear. "I might not be back in the afternoon but I'll try to make it for the show."

"Humph, you better if you know what's good for you." Yukiko crossed her arms to look angered by soon degenerated into a fit of giggles. "Well, at least I'll see you in the evening. The performance isn't until 8, it should give you enough time."

"Quite unlike Toichi to schedule his shows so late in the night."

"Yes, well, according to Chika-chan, Kaito had been complaining that they never spend much time together recently so they decided to at least be able to have dinner as a family before the show."

"A busy magician. I guess his son is just feeling a bit neglected…" Yuusaku looked back towards the door, thinking about the similarities between himself and the magician. Faintly, he could hear the conversation though not enough to make out specific words. "I guess I should spend more time with Shinichi as well shouldn't I?"

"Now you say." Yukiko sat up with a brush in her hand, combing through her blond locks. "You've been so busy with your writing recently that both Shinichi and I barely see you. And here I thought you becoming a full-time author would make more time for family things."

"If only you'll let me escape my editors, we can have more time together." Planting another kiss onto Yukiko, he took his wallet from the bedside table.

"We did escape them, when we lived in America." They moved to the States to hopefully escape some of their fans, especially since the gossip magazine reporters start hounding them for interviews and photoshoots after Shinichi was born.

"That was only for two years. You then insisted we came back to Japan so Shinichi could start school here."

"You can hardly blame a mother for trying to find the best school for her child. Beside, Shin-chan's more suited to the Japanese education system than the Western style."

Shaking his head, he said his goodbye, leaving Yukiko to her morning ritual. She'll probably head downstairs and start fixing their breakfast before dropping Shinichi off with the Kurobas, where she'll be meeting with the magician and leave for the theater together for a final rehearsal.

Shinichi just placed the receiver back onto the phone when Yuusaku came down. He immediately came to hug his father, gripping at the pant legs.

"Hey," Yuusaku ruffled the hair, causing the already messy hair to further degenerate into a bird's nest, much like a certain counterpart.

"'Tou-san. You'll try and save them won't you?" Shinichi pleaded. Yuusaku furrowed his brows. "You'll be able to get everyone out right?"

"It's only a consultation Shinichi." Yuusaku tries to emphasize to his boy this was not a case involving death.

"...'Tou-san, it's just that...maybe...perhaps I just don't have a good feeling about this…" His hesitance and reluctance was showing clearly in his words. Though Yuusaku could not be certain if it was due to his inability to vocalize his thoughts or if it was truly a matter that he could not talk about.

"I'll be careful son. You take care of your mother and yourself while I'm gone. I'll meet you two at the theater."

When Yuusaku arrived at the office of Division One, he found the place to be in a hive of activity, something quite out of the ordinary for this particular office. The inspectors and officers under Division One were often out in the field yet here they were, all seated at their designated desks, frantically calling up...random families?

"Megure-keibu," Yuusaku walked determinedly towards the desk near the window. "You have a full team on hand today."

"Yes, well, one of the officers in Division Two suggested the note to be referring to a possible kidnapping so we've recalled all officers off duty to start calling up people with the name Ishi as prononciation or as part of the name." Megure handed the note over. "Seeing as someone is intending to steal this particular rock, we can never be too safe."

It was apparent from the tired expression that Megure did not believe this one bit. Reading through the note, Yuusaku can see why. It was not a notice for an intention to steal, rather it was a note saying someone was planning to steal. Though why would someone be willing to divulge in such information.

"I would suggest you to maybe pull out a few officers and have to take the break they deserved." Yuusaku voiced out instead of the questions about who and how this note came into the hands of the police. "This is a wild goose chase and we both know it."

"Yes, but my superiors did not want to take the chance." Megure called out a few orders, telling his officers to take breaks or work in shifts. That was the best he could do under current restrictions. "So?"

"This note, it's telling us someone wanted to steal this mystic gem. It's more of a warning to have the police up the security around recent exhibitions. However, the sender also doesn't know the what, when, and how, only the who. Stating them to be Shadowed Operatives with Skills of Animals."

Megure rubbed his chin, the wording did not sound positive.

"Though you were right that the notice is for today, more specifically as the sun sets. I recommend to look into local exhibitions rather than specific individuals. The wording suggests a recent showcase of some sort." Yuusaku turned the evidence bag to reveal the back of the paper. There were a few fold marks and he could see the coarse nature of the paper. Nothing too defining, but there is a smudge on one of the corners. "Did you have this examined?" He directed the inspector's gaze towards the light stain.

"Not yet." Taking the bag before motioning for an officer to take the evidence to forensics. "It seems we've missed something in our observations then."

"Everyone is bound to make mistakes, especially if they're only running on caffeine and low sleep. I'm assuming most, if not all these officers were from last night's shift…" Yuusaku surveyed the office once more, some were blinking their eyes one too many times while others try to down another mug full of the watery liquid they termed as 'coffee' around the headquarters. "Why are the police making such a fuss over this?"

Megure shrugged. "The higher ups are really concerned apparently. They don't normally take this much attention to such trivial matters. It's not a high-profile case, nor has the note been released to public. They might have some inside information that they're unwilling to divulge but for the time, we're left to do this work the old-fashioned way."

"By cold-calling." Yuusaku shook his head, not feeling all that comfortable with the way things are being runned inside the station. Perhaps it was a good idea to leave the crime-solving field. With the recent developments in the police department, it was safer to become a some-time-consultant rather than an outright private-eye.

"It'd be helpful if you stayed." Megure admitted. "It might stop the higher ups from breathing down our necks."

Yuusaku tried to consider the reasons why those people with power would want to take an interest. "Is it everyone or just selective?"

"Selective, none of which are my actual direct superiors."

It was both interesting and strange. At any other time, Yuusaku would have looked into this but for now, he decided to let it sit for a while and focus on deciphering the note. The faster they come to a conclusion of the target, the earlier he could leave to see his family. His son's actions this morning had unnerved him slightly and it made him wonder whether something was afoot.

In the end, Yuusaku was forced to stay until 6, where he insisted on leaving so he could at least have some time with his family. He met them, along with the Kurobas, at a restaurant closest to the theater. Shinichi had managed to attach himself to his mother's arms, not letting go even as they sat down. Same could be said for Kaito as he clung onto his father.

"Did something happen?" Yuusaku asked, giving his son a pat on the head.

Yukiko held Shinichi on her laps after trying to dislodge him for the past 20 minutes and coax him into the seat with no avail.

"He's been like this since after lunch. He wouldn't even leave the theater as we rehearsed."

Worry did not begin to describe the feeling Yuusaku was feeling. Inconspicuously, he surveyed the restaurant, trying to take note of any signs of danger. The place seemed normal enough for a family restaurant, not particularly full given today is a weekend though it could not be considered as a busy time as well. He let his eyes linger on the nooks and crannies, the shadowed corners and tried to take them apart, seeing if it would reveal anything. But the walls remained the same, the shadows stayed silent, and all was normal from his point of view. Glancing at his son, he noticed Shinichi to have clutched tighter onto Yukiko's blouse, knuckles nearly white from the tension. Gently, he placed his own hands on top of Shinichi's hoping to dislodge the tense fingers. Shinichi looked up with painful eyes and Yuusaku was taken aback.

"Shinichi, did you see something?" Yuusaku decided it was worth a try but Shinichi decided to remain silent and did not budge. He became extremely concerned when he noticed the young Kuroba also did not remove himself from his father's side. Although he knew the young magician loved his father greatly, it was rare to see the boy so unwilling to part with his father.

Their dinner passed with the two children clinging onto their respective parent, never letting go even as they ate their share of food. The look of concern was shared between the parents.

"Yuu-chan, you haven't seen the setup yet have you?" Yukiko asked with hopeful eyes as she led her husband towards the theatre's entrance.

When they entered the theatre proper, the boys finally released their death grip on their parent and conversed in hushed tones in the corner before running off to a seemingly random direction. Yuusaku was about to chase after them when Toichi placed a hand on his shoulders.

"The place is safe, I've made certain of that before we left for dinner. There's very little that can hurt the boys." Toichi led the group towards the back, where the females quickly diverged off to the backstage rooms with Yukiko wanting to show Chikage her costume. There was a time when Chikage would take to the stage with Toichi but that time had long passed when their son was born. Now, she was more of a stay-at-home mom taking care of an overly energetic boy who would one day become as great of a performer as his father.

"Come, let me show you some of my props. Though try not to figure out the trick yet, it detracts from the entertainment value." Toichi teased as he pointed out some of the new additions to the stage. At one time, Yuusaku was trying to figure out some of the mechanics of how the props would work but decided that for the benefit of his friend, he'll not put too much effort into it and instead enjoy the show.

"Shinichi? Kaito-kun, what are you doing up there?" Yuusaku's eyes managed to catch a glimpse of the disappearing end of a coat tail up on the rungs of the ladder. Both boys ducked onto the upper walkway, scrambling across the metallic path.

"Kaito, you know better than to go up." Toichi climbed up after the boys to bring them down. He had several tricks stored up there and it would be dangerous for the boys to be caught up in them.

The boys stopped in front of a set of riggings, used to haul up the spotlights.

"Kaito, Shinichi-kun, now come over here." Toichi sounded stern as he firmly walked over to where the boys stood, unnaturally still. He glanced up towards the metallic beams, not noticing anything at first. But he then saw a small red blink, which was not there before. Squinting, he tries to make sense of what he was seeing, barely registering the clicking of heels against metal.

"Is something wrong?" Yuusaku had followed the magician up after not hearing anything for a while. He also directed his gaze at the same direction.

"Shit!" Toichi swore uncharacteristically before grabbing both boys and throwing them in Yuusaku's direction. "Get Out!" The magician yelled as he finally recognised the object that the light had been attached to.

Without questioning, Yuusaku followed the magician's instruction, tugging onto both boys' hands and urging them to hurry down the ladders. He turned back to yell at Toichi when he saw the man tying the rope to an anchor, no doubt thinking of abseiling down instead of taking the ladder. Towards the side of the stage, Yuusaku saw their wives walking out and both himself and Toichi was yelling for their wives to leave. Confused, both women stood their ground and was startled when a loud boom rang overhead. The metal grunted and bolts were loosened from its hold. Yuusaku urged the boys to move faster, and on the last few rungs he jumped off before grabbing both boys by the hand and ran away from the stage. Yukiko and Chikage immediately reacted to the first sound of explosion and dived off the stage as spotlights fell.

When Yuusaku had thought they were safe and turned to look back onto the stage, a second set of explosion rang, this time it was from the stage platform. Smoke and fire rose from the ground and quickly engulfed the curtain fabrics. Overhead, the metal structures rattle once more as spotlights and speakers swayed precariously. Yuusaku tried to peer through the wall of flames, only to see Toichi somehow engaged with a black shadow as though fighting off someone. Across to the side of the stage, he saw Chikage struggling to lift a large metal piece of a spotlight.

"Yuusaku-kun, Yuki-chan's trapped!" She called out in desperation.

"Go Chika-chan! I'll be fine!" Yukiko's weak voice was heard even as the stage grumbled under the intense heat and weight.

"Yukiko!" Yuusaku pushed the boys further away from the flames, towards the entrance. "Shinichi, Kaito-kun, get out of here and stay outside of the building. Call the emergency number and tell them what happened." Yuusaku all but forced the near-catatonic boys to leave the area before dashing towards the stage once more.

He braved the fire, shielding his face and hair with his overcoat before discarding it to be burned. Rushing over to where Chikage was, he helped lift the metal sheet away from Yukiko's legs. He tried not to focus on the amount of damage caused and the blood that was gushing out from another wound by her side. One of the pieces have stabbed her, possibly caused by the second explosion, and had grievously wounded her.

"Yukiko." Yuusaku tries to stem the flow, but he knew it was difficult for his wife to survive this. "Stay with me."

"Yuu-can. Take care of yourself and Shin-chan?" Blue eyes began to droop as her breath became laboured. "Make sure Shin-chan knows it's not his fault and don't you dare send him to those people again or I will make sure to haunt you."

Even in pain, Yukiko could joke and threaten at the same time. Yuusaku held back the tears threatening to fall, knowing his wife did not wish to see him in such a state.

"You're going to be fine." Yuusaku comforted, trying to move Yukiko further away from the flames and into a relatively safer area. He picked her up bridal style, fully aware of how the blood was seeping through his own shirt, and carried her off to the side of the theatre with Chikage following solemnly behind. He could faintly hear Toichi's voice shouting at something and another gruff voice before a crash. Chikage tensed and quickly turned around in the direction of the sound. It was as though she wanted to run into the destroyed stage. "Chikage-san, can you take care of Yukiko for me?" He needed to keep the woman safe, knowing Toichi would wanted him to do so.

Without waiting for the woman's reply, he left Yukiko's side and walked cautiously around the crumbling stage. He was about to venture further into the much destroyed backstage when the upper walkway collapsed in front of him, forcing him to jump back. The structure crashed through the wooden stage, creating a large crater that let the flames from below burst through. He had no choice but to circle back to where he left Yukiko and Chikage.

The flames had all but engulfed the stage, making its way up the aisle and burning across the seats. It closed off any possible exits from their vantage point and they had no choice but keep themselves safe. They were only left with the option of moving further away from all possible exits and into one of the dressing rooms, that came equipped with a small bathroom. Yuusaku had not paid much attention but from Chikage's reaction, this must have been Toichi's dressing room. Yuusaku had placed Yukiko near the back, furthest from the doorway, as he tries to stop the smoke from seeping through the cracks in the door. Even then, small trails of black and grey trickled through the gaps and was beginning to stain the ceiling. Chikage sat by Yukiko, with his wife's head on her laps, as she covered both their mouths with a nearby handkerchief. Not knowing what else he could do, he huddled up with his wife, taking hold on one of her hands and squeezing it tight. Hoping that they would all make it out of the inferno alive.

It felt like an eternity when he finally heard the sounds of sirens piercing through the walls and there were faint shouts. Yuusaku called out, directing the firefighters to their location. He should have been relieved at the sight of the yellow and silver clad men valiantly coming to their rescue but the only thing he could focus on was the disappearing warmth in his hand and the stickiness of his chest. Sometime between when he sat down and when the firefighters came in, he swapped places with Chikage, letting Yukiko rest on his laps as he brushed aside the hair.

"Is this all of you?" The man called out from his rebreather. Yuusaku nodded. "Ok, follow us."

Yuusaku kept his hold on his wife instead of letting the firefighters carry her. He stumbled along the slippery path, acutely aware of the flames still licking at the sides. Instead of exiting through the stage area, the firefighters had directed them to a hastily made opening through the windows and carefully guided them to the ambulance. Paramedics rushed out of the vehicle and tried to take Yukiko from Yuusaku's hand as another ushered Chikage to another vehicle. Yuusaku had not let go, instead carried her up towards the gurney.

"Sir, we need you to let go first." A gentle voice from beside him prompted Yuusaku to let go of the hand. With much reluctance, he sat on a nearby seat as the paramedics busied themselves with their injuries. They had commented that he was fortunate to come out with nearly no injuries but a slight burn on the back of his hands. But they did not sound so enthusiastic as they treated Yukiko.

"There should be two boys, one of them is my son, where are they?" Yuusaku finally managed to say after realising they were driving towards the hospital.

"The police took them to the station. I believe it was Megure-keibu of Division One who is looking after the two boys who called emergency."

Nodding reflexively, Yuusaku once again focused his attention on the still form of his wife. Out of the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw a glimmer of blue eyes sitting at the corner but he knew he was just imagining things by now. 'Must be shock.' He thought to himself logically, trying hard not to focus on the alarmed voice of the paramedics calling for blood packs and supplies.

-TBC-