Still alive. Easily tired and with what seems to be a perpetual headache, but... well, I'd go insane if I didn't write. As it is, this one is finished before LD again, but, well... better something than nothing, right?

(6)
Probable.

Kaito opted to tag along when Shinichi headed out after an informative talk with Haibara, and Shinichi didn't even offer a token complaint. On the way, Kaito explained his relationship with the Nakamori family and the Taskforce as well as a certain British detective (during which Shinichi snickered at him) and molded some very realistic fake tiny puncture wounds that he applied to the junction of his shoulder and neck before slapping a bandage that had been lightly dabbed with fake blood over them.

"You're terrible," Shinichi informed.

"Hey, you've got yourself a very weird explanation running through the ranks and I need an excuse for showing up with you today. It's better than them asking questions, right?"

"So you're counting on someone noticing that under the edge of your collar."

"And Hakuba being his normal nosy self if he's there, which he almost always is the day after a heist."

"Might want to look a little more pale, then," Shinichi sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Ooh, good idea," Kaito grinned, somehow managing to make himself look just a touch pale without makeup and moving closer to Shinichi as they neared the Ekoda Division headquarters, suddenly a tiny bit wobbly.

Even knowing it was an act, Shinichi automatically reached out to steady him. "You should have stayed back at my place," he scolded as Kaito leaned into him for a moment, slowing until Kaito 'steadied' as one of the Taskforce members came within easy hearing-range.

"Not leaving you to deal with Nakamori-keibu on your own after that," Kaito refuted. "If he starts yelling, you'll go all snarly on him. On a good day. I'm not so sure this is you on a good day."

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "Fine, fine. Let's get out of the sun, already."

Kaito shot him a cheeky grin and Shinichi shoved open the door before steering Kaito inside and to the nearest chair. "Stay," he instructed before crossing the lobby to the vending machines.

Two chocolate bars and a water bottle in hand, he made his way back over to Kaito, who—surprise, surprise—had been completely right about Hakuba being there and was being questioned by said blond.

Shinichi cut in with the sort of protective irritability that he would have if one of his friends really was suffering from blood-loss and was sitting dizzily in a chair, even though Kaito was only faking. Authenticity demanded no less, after all. "Hakuba-san, I would greatly appreciate it if you would leave Kaito alone today. He doesn't need to deal with you and the headache."

Hakuba startled, jerking around to stare. "Kudo-san?"

Shinichi gave a curt nod, sidestepping the Brit and handing Kaito one of the chocolate bars and the water. "Eat all of that," he instructed, "I've got another for you in ten minutes. And drink the water!"

Kaito grinned at him, still looking a little shaky, "You're the best," he managed to sound almost adoring and matter-of-fact all at once. So, the guess on 'chocolate addict' was probably right, or at least 'sugar addict'.

There was a strange sound from Hakuba's direction, so Shinichi turned to give him an unimpressed glance as Kaito bit into the chocolate and stood up, swaying almost imperceptibly before starting towards Nakamori's office.

Shinichi moved to spot him, 'just in case'. Hakuba would notice both of those things; he was a decent detective for all his superior attitude at times.

"You two know each other?" Hakuba demanded, pushing open the Taskforce bullpen's door, where Nakamori was grumbling at a few of the officers.

Shinichi snorted, "Toi-san was my godfather. Tou-san's Kaito's. Of course we know each other."

Nakamori stopped in his half-volume cursing, glancing over at the three as Hakuba shut the door behind them.

"Ah…"

"Look, I'm just here to do my share of the paperwork from last night. Kaito's planning on babysitting either me or you, Nakamori-keibu, I'm not sure which."

"I'm just here to make sure no one gets hurt," Kaito informed. "After hearing from gossiping Taskforce members that you got shot last night, I think I'm entitled to hover."

"Yes, because it's always a good idea to run around Tokyo after losing a few pints of blood."

"One: you're exaggerating, and two: you're walking around uninjured; I don't want to hear any complaints out of you."

There was a soft 'grk' sound from Hakuba and everyone in hearing range went dead silent. Considering the fact that they were in the bullpen with five Taskforce members and Nakamori himself, that was saying something.

"If last night hadn't been quite as obvious as it was, I would so hate you for saying it that way."

Kaito only grinned at him, "That's what you get for getting yourself shot in front of the police."

"And would you have rathered that someone else get shot?"

Kaito paused. "Ano…" On the one had, yes, he would sort-of rather be the one getting shot if he was the one the shooter was aiming at, but on the other, Shinichi could get back up from it.

Shinichi quirked a sardonic eyebrow.

"You know what? I'd rather no one got shot."

"Good answer. That said, it's a little late to worry about keeping this from the police, although I'm still hoping we can keep it from the rest of the world…?" Shinichi glanced at Nakamori.

"I know nothing," Nakamori stated, raising his hands placatingly. "There were shots fired, but no one is injured. I can swear to that in front of a judge."

Kaito snickered, then swayed.

Shinichi caught his elbow with an exasperated huff before glancing at Hakuba—who still seemed a little unsteady himself. "Chair?" he prompted.

Hakuba blinked twice, shaking his head a bit as though to clear it, and Nakamori grabbed the nearest chair to him and dragged it over to them before the Brit managed to gather himself.

Shinichi unceremoniously dumped Kaito into the chair and passed him the second chocolate bar.

"See?" Kaito grinned up at him, "You love me!"

"Not wanting you to pass out on the floor is basic decency."

"That wasn't a denial~!"

"You suck."

"And you get cranky when you're hungry."

The entire group of others in the room took a collective step back, then Nakamori cleared his throat almost hesitantly. "Can we just get the paperwork filled out?"

The 'so you can leave' was heavily implied.

Shinichi nodded once, casting a sharp glance at Kaito when he made as if to stand. "Kaito, stay. Hakuba, keep him there. I'll be back soon."

Kaito pouted, but settled back again, and Shinichi turned to follow Nakamori to his office on the far side of the bullpen. This kind of paperwork never took long anymore, he had so much practice filling it out.

Having Nakamori give him a nervous look as the door closed was somewhere between irritating and hilarious. On the one hand, it meant that the police inspector did believe the new theory. On the other…

"Do you have so little faith in me, Nakamori-keibu?"

The head of the Taskforce jerked.

"I will not take a life."

Nakamori swallowed, then nodded. "I think we all know that. It's just… damn it, Kudo, how are we supposed to react?"

Shinichi shook his head, a half-smirk quirking his lips. "Welcome to my life, Nakamori-keibu. It's just another day."

xxxx

Hakuba had been surprised to see Kuroba sitting in one of the waiting chairs in the station lobby—surprised and quickly concerned, as his classmate/'main Kid suspect' seemed a little pale and hadn't noticed him enter the room. And was sitting quietly.

He didn't seem to be favoring any particular part of his body, but with the heist the night before having ended with Kid going out the window and Kudo shot… well. The possibility existed that Kid hadn't managed to escape completely unscathed.

Bandage on his shoulder—well, just below the front of his trapezius, anyway, centered a little closer to neck than actual shoulder, right where one of the larger veins started to get closer to skin—and Hakuba's fear dimmed. Not shot, then, because that would have been obvious in such a location. Possibly cut, considering the glass shards that window had spat out, and considering the location of the bandage… blood loss, then.

He'd already crossed the room to stand in front of Kuroba, scowling down as he tried to cover concern with suspicion. Kuroba shifted back—not favoring that shoulder nearly as much as a cut deep enough to cause that kind of shaky pallor would have warranted—and the collar of his shirt pulled askew just enough for the full size of the bandage to show.

It had been too small for his theory to be true, and then Kudo had stepped up behind him, warning him back from Kuroba, and promptly ordered Kuroba to eat a bar of chocolate and drink a bottle of water, which was standard procedure after donating blood.

The implications had all fallen into a single picture, considering the fact that Kudo seemed completely fine.

They'd dug a bloody bullet out of the wall and doused every blood-spot (and the wall and bullet) in bleach, and even with the utter destruction of evidence, Hakuba hadn't been able to protest. Not with Kudo Shinichi having been shot through the chest and gotten back up.

He'd been moving carefully and clearly in pain on leaving the building, but on Hakuba first sighting him in the precinct, he seemed perfectly fine, if a bit irritable. His careful handling of a somewhat wobbly Kuroba implied that the idea of 'vampire' might be correct.

Especially considering the size and placement of the slap-on bandage Kuroba sported.

(Finding out that Kudo and Kuroba were significantly more connected than he'd ever imagined was something else on the 'did not see that coming' list.)

Also, nothing said or done indicated that Kuroba was Kid. He did tend to hang around after heists, occasionally with Aoko and sometimes simply traversing the usual crowds (which the last one hadn't really had, with the gem's owner refusing a large audience by simply keeping the notice away from the media). While it certainly didn't mean he wasn't, it may well mean that Kudo didn't know about it if he was.

How Kuroba would be able to keep something like that from Kudo Shinichi was a mystery, though.

For the first time since starting to attend Ekoda High, Hakuba found himself doubting. What if Kuroba wasn't Kid?

(As disgruntling as the thought was, it was safer than thinking on everything else. He didn't want to touch on the supernatural. Koizumi Akako having turned him into a squirrel was more than bad enough. He didn't want to know his fellow detective was a creature of the night.)

Hakuba was relieved that he wasn't the only one to relax when Kudo and Kuroba left.

Was it bad that he, a detective, was in complete agreement with Nakamori-keibu's decision to hold up his hands and say "I know nothing"?

xxxx