Quick Recap: While meeting up with Kaitou Kid – disguised as Kudou Shinichi – in the park, Conan runs into honor student Yagami Light and sees a horrifying sight om-nom-noming on the discarded apple he had just tossed. Scared out of his wits, he and Kid leave, but not before Kid is forced to exchange information with the fanboy high school student. L is a creep.
A/N: Before you are to be reading this long overdue update, let me explain to you a thing.
First off, I apologize. It's been a long time. My life hasn't been exactly as free as it used to be, and as such my writing has deteriorated as I find it hard to write again. Anyway, thanks for all the support! Seriously, you are all too kind! I really hope I don't end up disappointing you all.
Romaji is so weird to look at to me now. I hope I even did it right.
By the by, this fic is KidCon, if the first chapter hadn't made it obvious…
Special thanks to Dumti, Aguna, dark-kitsune-chan, The Crossover Addict, Carottal, love it, MidnightFlame13968, Kitsumi-Hime, shadownightcake, Guest (I), norngod, MConanfan0327, Guest (II), Tona, starmoonphantom, Guest (III), phantomshadow, xxdarkxxalicexx, koyukiphantom, Fluehatraya, Mullkkkkkk, ShimmeringCrimson, RoxyConan-Kun, mirajane1984, SakuraKoi, Kyuuki, A Midsummer, coreelly and cool-girl027 for reviewing!
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ii. Strawberry Parfaits
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Conan winced, putting a hand to his cheek to rub it tenderly. "Ow!"
Kid, looking exactly like Shinichi save for the purple contacts in his eyes and much, much messier hair, blinked. He put down his spoon on the red velvet napkin beside his sundae cup, but not before licking it clean of the whipped cream. "What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned for the small detective.
Conan made a face, lips contorted in pain to reveal a pout. "My tooth hurts."
Kid smirked, picking up his spoon and pointed it accusingly at the child in front of him. "You haven't been gorging on your sweets, have you, Tantei-kun?"
Conan looked flabbergasted. "Are you saying I'm fat?"
Kid snorted as he shook his head, glancing at the scrawny arms on the table. "I said no such thing."
"Implication is all that matters," Conan retorted as he tried another spoonful of his cake, only to wince as he retracted. He placed his hand to his cheek, biting it. "It hurts…" He shoved aside the treat that Kid had ordered for him, crossing his arms. He stared at it forlornly, pouting all the while. "And it was so delicious too…"
"We'll just have to come back as soon as possible then," Kid replied as he scooted his hand over to Conan's discarded parfait and tugged it to his side of the table. "As soon as your tooth's better. I mean – it's not like it's going anywhere or anything." He picked up his own spoon and dived into the glass, consuming the treat as quickly as he finished his own earlier.
Conan nodded, still with a scowl on his face as he watched Kid steal and quickly finish his strawberry parfait. "I suppose I have little say in the matter?"
"You suppose correctly, Tantei-kun," Kid answered, sucking on the spoon before placing it back in the empty cup. "Hmm," he started, getting a good look at the clock and noting that he had a good thirty minutes left before he were to take Conan back home less Ran realizes he was missing.
Conan cleared his throat to regain his attention. "Yes?"
"So," Kid drawled as he slid his empty glass aside to look at Conan straight in the eye. "Think you can explain to me what happened a good fifteen minutes ago?"
For a moment, Kid could have sworn that the temperature in the room had positively dropped a good ten degrees for a minute before Conan quietly answered, "I doubt anyone will ever get an answer for that. Myself included."
His tone was clipped and had the glare that just screamed: 'End of discussion'.
But. But but. Somehow, Kid really thought he could get the spooked detective to say something to address the situation. They didn't have any secrets, save for his true identity - as well as motive for thievery. Concerning those details, Conan was firm that Kid keep to himself.
Conan didn't need to know that he was his true face now, save the contacts.
He said that it wouldn't be right, and that even though he was sure that his motives were just (in some sort of twisted way, Kaito heard him mutter under his breath that day) – technically speaking, heists were previously the only way the two could actually see one another. Not to mention the fact that they had met during a heist so…
The chibi detective was just so…so knowledgeable on matters that were considered for mature audiences. Though it wasn't hard, considering that he was related to the insanely gifted Kudous. And he really did take after the missing-in-action high school detective Kudou Shinichi.
Kid stood up and leaned across the table. "You mean to tell me that you have a phobia of trash cans?" he asked in total seriousness, not caring when a few other customers leaving laughed at his strange words out of context. Even in context it sounded ridiculous. Edogawa Conan, the boy whom Death follows at every turn, afraid of trash cans? Please.
"..." Not catching the wording of his words when he knew what he really meant, Conan was deep in thought, eyes calculating. Leaving Kid hanging for a few moments he replied, "I honestly cannot give a proper answer."
Kid eyed the detective carefully for a good minute or so before nodding, albeit slowly. He pulled back and sat back down. "If you say so," he said, looking at the empty glasses. Pushing them aside and reaching for the menu he added, "Do you want to get something else or - "
"I'm sorry."
Kid frowned, looking up from the menu and saw Conan looking down, fiddling with his nails. "Whatever for?"
He wasn't teasing - far from it. No, he wasn't calling Conan crazy. He was genuinely concerned and really wanted to help. The only way he could do so, however, was if he knew what exactly was going on.
He can't help when he doesn't know the full situation.
But then again, he was assuming that Conan knew everything. He usually always does. Sooner or later anyway. The chibi detective was just that brilliant - able to solve cases and help the police put the correct criminal behind bars.
And he will figure this out as well. Conan is a detective after all, and they don't like to leave mysteries unsolved.
Conan opened his mouth to reply, before promptly closing it. Watching him from the edges of the card that listed various pastries and beverages, Kid saw the small traces of a smile forming on baby-fat cheeks. He looked up to Kid and was about to reply, before he blinked, eyes wide. He tilted his head, looking past Kid and staring out the window. His jaw dropped.
"Because Ran's outside."
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
"Edogawa Conan, you are in so much trouble!"
"I'm sorry, Ran-nee-chan, but I promise - "
"Do you know how worried I was when I found out you weren't home? And I called all the other children - even the Professor - and no one knew where you where?"
Conan frowned; he should have called and asked for the Professor and Haibara to cover for him… or that they would have had the idea to cover for him. Still, then they would have found him with the phantom thief, and that would have been harder to explain than to his in loco parentis. "I - "
Not noticing the attempt at interruption, Ran continued with her stern lecturing in front of the café, not caring if she was making a scene. "I thought you could have gotten kidnapped or something! It wouldn't have been the first time!"
Normally this topic would have made Kid shake with anger, because he himself was deeply scared when he had heard of Conan getting kidnapped or being put in a hostage situation, but Conan made him swear not to get involved unless it has been a few days. Luckily Conan never went missing long enough for Kid to actually do something.
Conan was trembling. "R-Ran-nee-chan, I - "
But enough is enough. Conan has been through what seemed to be a traumatic experience. Ran yelling probably wouldn't make anything better.
"Excuse me, Miss," Kid started, stepping forward, but he felt a small hand be placed on his leg. Looking down, Conan was shaking his head. He pouted, but Conan continued to shake his head as Ran was currently monologuing on how dangerous the world could be for a six year old. So Kid stepped back and bowed his head as he continued to get yelled at. He did, however, maneuver all of them so that they were away from the café, and saw from the corner of his eye that the cashier gave a grateful smile in return.
"And you!" She turned and scrutinized the older teen next to her ward. "Your kidnapper is…" She paused, blinking in confusion for a moment and losing her rage. "Wait. Do I know you…?"
"No you do not," Kid quickly replied, not wanting to get involved in the woman's wrath. No he didn't want Ran to know him at all. He wasn't ready to get involved in Conan's life like that yet, and neither was the detective. Both were a secret to the other's home life. And they currently intended to keep it that way.
Still, he didn't want Conan to get yelled at anymore. He doubt that he had yet to fully recover from whatever was troubling him with Yagami Light and the trashcan." Though I don't think you should be mad at Conan, I was just protecting him from someone who did want to kidnap him," he replied, an idea forming in his mind.
Ran widened her eyes. "What?"
"Watch for Yagami Light," Kid warned, deathly serious and didn't take Conan's furious expression as a warning to stop. "He showed a rather keen interest in Conan-kun, so it would be for the best to keep an eye out for him."
Ran frowned. "Yagami… Light…" She thought about it for a moment before it came it her. "Oh! One of the top students in Japan Yagami Light?" She pursed her lips. "Funny, I ran into him a few minutes ago. I wasn't sure it was him but he just walked right past me."
Conan sighed, most likely with relief that the strange student didn't recognize Ran. "Ran-chan," he said, "I'm sorry for running off, I had a rendez-vous with a friend of mine. He's my…" Conan trailed off, brainstorming what Kid could be to him.
Friend? Lost friend? Friend of family? Related to Shinichi? Scratch that one, that would be a bad idea.
Ran frowned. "Renez-vous… isn't that a date?"
…Boyfriend?!
"Pen pal!" Kid finished, grinning at Ran. "We're pen pals and this is the first time we were able to meet in person. I knew Conan-kun had a sweet tooth from his letters so I wanted to treat him to my favorite dessert here. I know it's a popular place for dates but I wanted our first meeting to be very special." Kid couldn't help but wink at Conan as he blushed, keeping his gaze on the ground.
Ran turned to Conan. "Conan-kun, is this true?"
Conan nodded, still staring at the ground. "Yes, Ran-nee-chan." He rubbed his cheek. "But my tooth hurts so I wasn't able to even eat anything."
Ran bent down to Conan's level. Conan opened his mouth wide as prompt. She studied it carefully, moving Conan's chin around to get a better look in the light. Kid just stood there awkwardly, not knowing if he was allowed to leave. Not that he wanted to leave just yet; he wanted to make sure that his 'pen pal' was okay before doing so. After all, what kind of 'pen pal' would he be if he didn't care for his… pal's health?
"I don't know," Ran said finally, removing her hand from Conan and standing back up. "We'll have to go to the dentist, Conan-kun."
Conan and Kid grimaced. The latter whispered "Ouch" under his breath and Conan jabbed him with his elbow. "Do we have to, Ran-nee-chan?" he asked, shuffling his feet nervously and staring at his red sneakers. "I'd rather just brush my teeth as best as I can."
Ran shook her head. "You're just like Shinichi. Dental hygiene is important, Conan-kun, and it's best to leave it to the experts."
"Okay, Ran-nee-chan," Conan replied in defeat, and took Ran's hand when she held it out. They both looked to Kid, who was staring at Conan. Feeling the eyes stare at him, he chuckled nervously.
"I'll take Conan-kun home," he said, grabbing Conan's hand and walking out of the park.
"See you home, Ran-nee-chan!" Conan waved, faking cheer.
Ran didn't notice it as she watched them leave.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
L watched on the illuminated screen as the trio interacted with one another, then pointed to another screen as his chewed on his thumbnail.
"Look, Watari. Light is there. I'm 93.7% sure he's watching them. The question is why. Why did he show so much interest in Conan-kun?"
"L, I looked up records of Conan Edogawa. Besides his mentions in the newspaper, there's nothing to be found. No birth records, some recent medical records that are too recent to have been from birth, nothing. It's as if Conan Edogawa should not exist."
L paused in biting his nail as he absorbed the information. He bit once more and murmured while he watched Conan leave with Mouri Ran, daughter of the great Sleeping Kogoro, "Interesting."
"L?"
"Watari," L turned and removed himself from his chair. "I think I'm going to report a case to the Mouri Agency."
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
A/N: And the plot is thickening ooh. I don't understand who the narrator is exactly but it would be between Conan, Kid/Kaito, and L. Mistakes are mine because I wanted to post this asap and didn't really check for errors. Hey, update!
Like it? Hate it? Worth the absurdly long wait? Any comments, questions (though those would be tricky), or anything you want to see like a specific mystery case you want seen (i.e. an idea of a case you have and wouldn't mind it appearing here with credit of course; I'm not too good with mysteries you see and need some help), let me know in a review please!
As always, thanks for reading!
