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The clock's steady, rhythmic ticking could be heard in the mostly silent room along with the occasional turn of paper or pencil taps. A lone figure sat in an eerily dark room with nothing but the moonlight that softly shone through the large window that was placed to the desk's right, shining perfectly on the various books and sheets of paper that were scattered about the desk. A page was turned and the quick, flowing movement of a pencil writing across paper ensued and continued for some brief moments until it gradually came to an end.
A second later, and all three hands were pointing towards the bold twelve that proudly hung from the top of the clock, quietly signalling for their exit. The second hand moved and the short figure silently jumped off the stool that they had occupied for several hours, landing gently on the balls of their feet before heading towards the large oak door on the other side of the room, not bothering to clean up the disorderly mess of papers that comfortably lay on top of one another, basking in the dim moonlight.
Pausing for a moment at the door as a small hand shot out to hurriedly grab a note that was laying next to a beautifully decorated vase, the shadowed figure of a child carefully placed it inside the white lab coat. With a quiet creak from the door as it closed, the room became peacefully quiet as its only occupant exited the confines of the large dark brown walls that had become a familiar sight over the years.
Fast-paced footsteps echoed in the grand halls decorated with portraits and plants as the child seemed to ignore the bustling maids that stopped whatever preparation they were doing to politely bow to her. She made no move to acknowledge their courtesies and continued her way to her desired destination.
"Haibara-san!"
She halted her steps and marginally turned her head to glare out of the corner of her eye at the one who interrupted her trek. She saw Hakuba who abruptly paused his rapid advances on her to stand stock-still as if frozen, not wanting to anger the obviously busy elder any more than he had already unintentionally had.
"What?" She snapped, still glaring at him with clear impatience, "Can't you see I'm busy?"
Hakuba relaxed slightly from his tense position and gave a small nod. "Ah yes, I apologize for interrupting you in your haste, but this I came to give you an important message from the queen." Taking out a white envelope stamped closed with a clover insignia, he cautiously came up to her and held out the thin envelope, waiting for her to accept it with an everlasting pool of patience.
She took the note and looked at the seal for a brief moment and placed it together with the note inside her pocket. With a quick wave of a hand, she resumed her steps, not once looking back, not once seeing the incredulous look that settled upon Hakuba's face. "Thank you." And she turned the corner, leaving Hakuba to shake his head slightly, muttering something about "elders who don't understand the meaning of important" before shrugging it off and walking away in the opposite direction as Haibara.
He knew that she would look at it eventually.
*~OoOoOo~*
Pinching the bridge of her nose before giving a small sigh, she glared with hard eyes at the double doors that led to the queen's chamber. She had nothing against the queen and respected her tremendously for her way of handling the country and for her wonderful judgement; but even so, she did not like having her plans ruined to nonexistent bits the moment she stepped out of her study. It occurred to her how remarkable the queen's timing was. After all, she chose the very moment she decided to initiate her plans to deliver a letter.
A vague letter of all things.
It would not do, no, not being able to be absolutely confident in her interpretation of the abstract letter. Her curiosity and hunger for knowledge had decided to make itself known while reading the letter, forcing her to meet the very thing that would abate it, the one who sent it. The ever-so-cryptic queen.
So, deciding to grace the queen with a look of annoyance and a scowl for emphasis, she twisted the knob with somewhat more force than necessary and strode in, tired eyes instantly morphing into a glare as it met with cheery indigo eyes. An elegant hand motioned for her to take a seat on an armchair placed directly across from her on the other side of the table. Obeying only to comfort her mental exhaustion for a little while, she sat, regarding the queen with serious eyes, as she waited patiently for her to put an end to her stalling as she continued pouring a considerate amount of tea for them both.
Sitting back with a pleased smile, she raised the warm cup to her lips, savoring the trickle of tea as it slid down her throat before placing it down with a contented sigh. "How have you been lately, Haibara-san?"
"..."
"I see you're still as silent as ever. Tell me, has anything interesting happened as of late?" She asked, politely taking another sip of her tea with a smile, eyes boring into hers over the rim of the exquisite cup.
"..."
With a sigh, the queen relinquished her hold on the cup as she placed it on the table with a gentle click, folding her hands on her lap. She released a breath before meeting the small elder's intimidating gaze evenly, waiting for her to speak her thoughts.
"Why have you called me here?" Quick and to the point.
"As frank as always, Haibara-san." She airily said, noticing how the elder's lips pressed together into a thin line.
"Answer the question. I do not have all day for pointless chatter, Chikage." Ah, and a new hint of spice as well.
"I don't see what made you think I wanted to discuss anything important with you, Elder-san." Chikage said casually, evidently ignoring how the narrowed eyes quickly evolved into another hot glare. "Could I not ask for someone to enter my chamber without them thinking that all I want is to endlessly converse about the pressing matters of our country? It's not like there are any..." She muttered the last part under her breath but Haibara's keen ears still caught it. Still, the elder did not address it in favor of keeping her icy composure.
"Then I suggest you call for someone else to talk to; I have urgent matters of my own to tend to." Haibara stood up and bowed in one swift, fluid motion, then promptly made her way towards the double doors that she had looked upon in dread just moments prior. It seems I have to make do with the remaining time I have, then, she distressingly thought with a sigh and snuck a quick glance at the grandfather clock, But it appears that time is not in my favor either.
"I am worried." The queen's small voice reached her ears, "I am worried, Haibara-san, for my son."
Haibara's swift footfalls faltered for a split second before they came to a slow halt, pausing before the doors that would lead to her desperately wanted freedom where she could finally settle her mind as she did and finished her plans. Conflicting debate ensuing in her mind, she stared at the door, contemplating the pros and cons of which direction she chose to go towards. Of course, she had twisted her body marginally to look at the troubled queen with renewed curiosity, choosing to figure out what had plagued the queen's mind with anxiety.
She brightened as she made eye contact with the reserved girl, a delighted grin spread on her lips. She blinked before coughing delicately into her hand, this time looking back at Haibara with a pleasant smile as her indigo eyes shined with mirth.
"I knew you would understand, Haibara-san."
Haibara rolled her eyes but once again sat in the armchair, wondering if this was worth not initiating her earlier plans. Looking at the clock as the minute hand slowly crawled to the six, she decided that she would just have to make time for it tomorrow. After all, getting her curiosity fed was, at this moment, first and foremost on her importance list.
*~OoOoOo~*
Perhaps he shouldn't constantly annoy and ignore the maids for too long, he decided as the head maid brutally dragged him across the quiet halls, an occasional giggle of stifled snort of amusement from the maids or advisors only made the strict lady harshly yank him forward - or backwards in his case, for she held the collar of his shirt in an iron-grip, making him stumble over his feet in a vain attempt to regain his balance. But then again, another part of his mind countered as he was jerked around the corner, arms flailing outwards to balance himself, they should have known that he wouldn't always listen to them. Really, what fun was there in that?
He let out a let out an overly dramatic, strangled choke from his throat as the head maid pulled just a little too hard, effectively cutting off his air supply for but a moment. An annoyed growl erupted from the young lady's throat, making Kaito seal his lips at the sound warning. He didn't want his life to be strangled short a few years, after all, by someone who is more than capable of doing so.
Another harsh yank and that reasoning was stomped upon and shredded to nonexistence. "Aoko!" He exclaimed, pulling at his collar in an attempt to get air into his withering lungs, "Why do you have to pull so roughly? Take pity on my air deprived lungs!" With a dramatic gasp at another, much more powerful yank, he stumbled backwards before quickly back-flipping onto his feet, a smug grin on his face.
Aoko, red in the face with pure anger, directed a seething glare at the showman whom blinked innocently at her with teasing indigo eyes. Screwing her eyes shut, Aoko continuously reminded herself that she had a job to do and would do it without getting caught up in a childish banter with the equally childish prince because that was what he wanted her to do. Plus, it gave him an easier way of escape, and she wouldn't want that to happen when her blood was boiling, would she?
No, she wouldn't.
She mentally counted to ten - something that she had always seen Hakuba do when around Kaito - and hooked her fingers on his collar again, resuming her dragging Kaito along the floor. "This is very important, BaKaito, so you better be still and obedient or I'll have to call Akako-san to cast some spell on you." Aoko bit out through tightly clenched teeth, stomping as she vented out some of her anger on unsuspecting, unfortunate someones.
Kaito was deftly thrown into his room, left to stare at the ceiling until a group of maids forced him to stand up while tailors began measuring and writing down notes. It made him feel vulnerable, just standing here as they politely stripped him of most of his clothes, only leaving his undergarments on. It wasn't as if they did anything indecent, it was just that he felt insecure without having his various magic on him during this - the main reason why he hated "clothes making time" as Aoko and his mother put it.
He supposed that leaving and magicking his measurements for the tailors would be rather elementary. But this was also for an event important to Kaito, one that was so important that he would dutifully do what Aoko and his mother say. So, if they say he needed to be measured for some new clothes, then he would stand here until they were done measuring and leave to do whatever he wanted until they called for him again.
He would continue this for the rest of the day. And until the day after the important event, he would cause mayhem and chaos until he felt satisfied that he put everyone involved through just as much torture as they put him through.
Maybe more, maybe less. But really, who's complaining?
He certainly isn't.
After they deemed him measured, Kaito poofed away with bright pink smoke, leaving the tailors and maids to cough helplessly, as he happily walked through the palace's corridors, planning to see what his mother would want him to do next. As he neared her chamber, he heard muffled, arguing voices beyond the door. Curious as he was, he stopped his tracks by the door and listened intently as he listened to the familiar voices of Haibara and his mother argue with each other in controlled voices.
"Why now of all times, Chikage, when we finally initiated the plan?" Haibara's angered voice reached his ears. Strange, he thought, Haibara is always calm no matter what the circumstance.
"Because I decided now to think straight, Haibara-san. I've always trusted and listened to you and the other Elders because I felt that it was the best choice when it came to topics such as these." She replied, her voice somewhat strained, "But now, when my only child is out there putting himself at risk - when he doesn't even know it, might I add! - I think it's time that I started making some of my own decisions here."
Surprised that he was mentioned, Kaito crept closer to the door, mindful of keeping his presence unknown to the bickering ladies who both had a strong sense of knowing when there were eavesdroppers.
"He's safe. We've planned this out for years and we've taken every possibility into concern. Your son will be completely unharmed when going through this plan." Haibara retorted, gaining back part of her lost composure. "Do you not trust us?"
"I am debating with myself if I do or not." Chikage answered softly, "After all, it was that same trust that my husband put into you that caused his death."
*~OoOoOo~*
The sound of faint footsteps caused his eyelids to snap open in alert. It was far too late for Kaito to be visiting so he slowly stood from his sitting place in the moonlight and hid in the shadows, cautiously raking the area for his surprise visitor. As he saw a figure dressed entirely in black, he slowly backtracked, making his way into the confines for the barrier before he let his shoulders slump slightly from its tense position.
He continued to observe the man whom seem to be headed straight for him, his teeth gleamed as a predatory grin made its way on his face. Stopping on the other side of the barrier, almost nose to nose with Shinichi, the mysterious figure gave a menacing, dark chuckle that made Shinichi's blood go cold at the familiar sound of it. Looking up, his startled blue gaze locked onto the piercing, killer gaze of the mysterious man.
"I found you, Shinichi."