After a much-too-long break, Breaking Point is back! Sorry about the hiatus, guys, I just got way too backed up on schoolwork, work-work, and other things... But summer's here and that means I'll have more free time to write with. No guarantees about it making my chapters come out all that much faster, but at least I don't die of stress. As always, thanks so much for all the views, reviews, story alerts, and favorites! They mean a lot to me and give me something to smile about.
I don't think there's anything too worrisome in the chapter.
The snow beyond the confines of the building continued to drift lazily to the ground as the rising sun painted the world in its rich orange-red light. It was the picture of beauty after so many days trapped beyond the sky's reach, a warming sight despite the season. The young detective hadn't known how invigorating such an ordinary sight could be, but seeing the light of dawn, knowing that he was alive and free… it gave him energy he didn't know he could have. Home wasn't far, and with Kid by his side, he was certain they would make it. Vampire might have been able to confine them before, but with the whole world to hide in, he doubted there would be too much trouble avoiding the man or his lackeys.
The thief and detective made their way through the chilly winter air with blankets from the building wrapped around themselves. Conan made sure to follow Kid, knowing the thief would lead the two of them back to safety. It still felt strange, putting so much faith into his rival like this, but it also made him feel safe. Kid really was a good person, going through all of this trouble to help him out like this, even without the chance of personal gain.
Lost to his musings, Conan didn't notice Kid had stopped moving and walked into the thief's leg. "Sorry," he apologized, stepping back a couple of times to offer Kid some space. When Kid didn't reply, Conan furrowed his brow in confusion at the statuesque thief. "Oi, what's wrong?"
That was when he heard it. The thief's breathing was horribly ragged, like it had been the night before. He collapsed into the snow and clamped his eyes shut as those terrifying breaths grew more and more desperate.
Sh-shit! Conan thought in panic. He's really going to die if we can't get to help…! But where can I go? There's nothing anywhere near here! He wildly looked to all directions, hoping and praying for something, someone to come to their aid. Seeing nothing, he returned his attention to the wounded thief. "O-oi! Kid! Answer me…! Please…!"
After a shaky breath, Kid finally responded, eyes still shut tightly, "G-God… I-I'm going to… going to die… right…?"
There were two ways he could answer that. He could tell the truth, that the thief was probably on his last leg and then stay by his side until the end came… or he could lie and do his best to encourage him to hold on.
"Look at me, Kid," Conan calmly spoke, placing a hand on the fallen thief's shoulder to give him an idea of where to look. When Kid finally cracked open an eye, the diminutive detective stared in open confusion. The thief's eye had changed to a pale green coloration, then returned to its normal indigo within a handful of seconds.
"Wh…what…?"
Conan shook his head. It was probably a trick of the light or something. He couldn't afford to be distracted. "I need you to try your best to sit up or roll to your side. I need to see what I can do about your wounds… And I'll do everything in my power to get you through this."
"I'll try…" Kid replied, forcing his limbs to move with obvious strain. When he'd gotten himself slightly elevated, Conan helped pull him into a sitting position, though the thief quickly fell into a forward slouch, head dragged down by gravity. They shouldn't have moved so far so fast, Conan realized. Kid hadn't been as well as he'd made himself look. He'd strained his wounds far too much… pushed himself far beyond his limits… He wouldn't last another day. They had to find somewhere to rest. Had to find someone to help them. Anyone would do.
Conan helped remove the thief's jacket and shirt to find gruesome gashes running down Kid's chest and abdomen. A small amount of blood still leaked from the larger cuts, and several of them looked like they were starting to become infected. Damn it. Those wounds needed cleaned and treated. The closest thing to sterile water was the snow, though that might only make things worse…
The thief gave a slight shiver as the snow began to ghost over his exposed abdomen and slowly closed his eyes. "I… I think this is as far as… I can go, Tantei-kun," he said with a sad smile. "Beika's just north of here… Good luck…"
"Oi oi," Conan said, hoping the worry in his tone would go unnoticed. "We're going home together. That's what we agreed on, right? Don't try to get rid of me that easily." With little other choice, the diminutive detective took his own blanket and tore it, taking great care to avoid further hurting the thief. Kid winced slightly at the contact, but allowed Conan to continue wrapping his wounds.
As the diminutive detective finished, the wounded thief gave a mirthless laugh and murmured, "I can't move, Tantei-kun… My body feels like lead… Even if you stay here… I'll still… still…" he cut himself off there, and Conan didn't need him to finish to know what he meant. Kid was all too aware that he would probably die soon, and the thought of even admitting it out loud frightened him. And, to be honest, the thought of Kaitou Kid—the thief that defied all odds on a regular basis—dying scared Conan as well. Kid and death didn't often mix, and when they did, well, the person responsible was usually caught, humiliated, and sometimes even humbled… If that guy died now though… Conan wasn't entirely sure he'd know what to do.
"Listen," Conan started, hoping Kid would hear his false confidence and believe it over the desperation that likely laced his words. "Like you said, we're almost home. It's not that much farther. Don't you dare give up here. Not after buying us time to escape Vampire. Not after pushing me to keep going…! We'll just rest here for a while, okay?"
The thief was quiet for a while as Conan helped him back into his shirt and jacket and repositioned Kid's blanket on him. The faintest of tremors made its way through the thief as Conan helped keep him warm, though whether they were from pain or cold was impossible to say. Finally, after Conan settled close to the thief's side, Kid asked in a hoarse whisper, "Why do you care…?"
"Do you honestly think I didn't?" Conan asked in response, gently knocking a small layer of snow from the wounded thief's hair. Sure, with their roles set as they were, the two of them were meant to be rivals, but that didn't mean he didn't care. When Kid didn't respond, Conan felt a little stung. Had he really come across as that cold…?
"…Aside from one friend," Kid murmured with the saddest of looks in his now-open eyes, "I've usually been alone… Didn't think anyone but that friend… ever really cared…" Those exhausted indigo eyes met Conan's, seeming to quietly ask for his sincerity as he waited for some kind of response.
"I'm sorry, Kid," he finally came out and said, giving the thief a gentle, one-armed hug. "Even if it seems too late, know that I do care. I'm not abandoning you. I'm here for you. And I promise… I'll get us the rest of the way home."
"…Thank you… Tantei-kun…" the thief said in a whisper. He stilled soon after, finally falling into sleep's embrace, if his breathing was anything to go by.
Conan moved his gaze to the snowy ground beneath them. They were in a terrible situation… No food, stuck in the cold, and Kid was far too exhausted to move… For all he knew, Vampire and his men were still out there, looking for them as well… The two of them were sitting ducks, immobile prey just waiting for the predator to show and bring about the end. The feeling was awful, but it wasn't like there was anything he could do about it.
A small shock, something small and weak like static electricity, startled him from his thoughts. When he looked at his afflicted digit, he found it touching the gem Kid had stolen before all of this madness had begun. What was it called again? Something with "light," that much he remembered. Still, when and how had Kid given him the gem? Neither of them had moved since Conan had originally settled down… And come to think of it, how could he be shocked if he wasn't moving…?
He quickly looked the gem over and found nothing on or near it on the ground. Just a normal gemstone. Conan shook his head and moved to pocket the stolen jewel when the briefest flashes of light green came across his vision. The diminutive detective blinked and reexamined the gem, this time putting it under direct sunlight. Sure enough, the gem produced that same green glow. So maybe that had been what he'd seen earlier… Still, strange as it was, it didn't really have much impact on the present. Best to put it away for now.
Conan stuck by Kid's side, doing his best to stay warm as the sun finally rose to its noontime height. The snow finally stopped falling and the sun's heat at least made it bearable. At some point Conan started dozing off, eyes open, but mind blank except for a dull ache. His own exhaustion was starting to get to him, it seemed.
Quick footsteps drew near the two, barely registering in the tired boy's mind. Heh… Looks like we're done for… he thought as the steps finally stopped and the panting breaths of the person sounded from just behind him.
"Oi," an uncertain male voice stammered. "Oi, wake up…!" A hand slightly jostled his shoulder, further snapping him out of his daze.
Blinking a few times, Conan looked and saw a worried young man with fairly long black hair tied up in a ponytail kneeling next to him. The man's anxious green eyes gained a look of relief when he found that the diminutive detective was okay. Needless to say, when he tried to rouse Kid and failed, that worry returned.
"Who are you…?" Conan asked, starting to feel the claws of fear in his heart as Kid refused to wake.
"Can you walk, Boy-kun?" the stranger asked, slightly biting his lip and glancing back and forth between the two wounded males. "I can probably move your brother… My house isn't all that far away..." he continued, glancing in a slightly eastern direction before looking back at Kid. Conan was fairly certain the strange man was muttering to himself when he said, "Yeah. Yeah, I think I can move him that far…" When Conan nodded, the man sighed in relief and smiled, "Thanks. Uh, just follow me, okay? I'll get us home and Tou-san'll fix you guys right up."
The stranger had a little difficulty finding a way to pick up the unconscious thief, but within a minute or two he'd managed to get a good grasp. It made the diminutive detective wince to see Kid lying limp in the stranger's hands like that, but at least this person seemed willing to help. And hadn't that been the godsend he'd been looking for?
He followed the stranger through the empty field of white, passing footprints that probably belonged to the man on his way out, and to a small house. A person could probably miss this place pretty easily if they weren't looking for it, Conan thought. And what if this guy was actually one of Vampire or Futoshi's men? Was he killing them by trusting the man? All he could do was hope he hadn't misjudged the man in the few minutes he'd had to decide in.
Crossing the threshold and reaching the door quickly dispelled some of the diminutive detective's anxiety. The stranger was trying to find a way to keep Kid in his arms and open the door at the same time. It wasn't turning out so well for him, much to the man's embarrassment.
"Uh, hey," he laughed, probably trying to cover up his embarrassment. "You uh, wouldn't happen to mind opening the door, right?"
Conan nodded and went over to the door. It wasn't locked and the inside of the house was fairly well-furnished and warm. He never thought it would feel this good to be somewhere warm and small, but it was amazing after all that he'd been through.
The man laughed a bit and smiled, motioning for Conan to go inside with a free foot. "Glad you approve, Kiddo." The stranger then had Conan follow him into a living room area after closing the door with his foot. Kid was carefully placed on a couch and the stranger said, "Feel free to sit anywhere in here. I need to get Tou-san, but I'll be right back." The young man left the room and its inhabitants behind after saying that.
A glance around the room brought nothing of concern to attention. The furniture, such as couches and chairs were all relatively near each other, while a few lamps and a large bookshelf graced the walls. The room had a type of closeness that probably reflected on the family's intimacy. If he had to assign the room a word, cozy would probably fit best. The only oddity he picked up on was the lack of photographs in the room. If the family was as close as he assumed, he would usually expect to see portraits of them in the living room. If he remembered, he'd ask about it sometime, though, right now he had to focus on getting better and getting Kid patched up.
He walked over to Kid, quickly checking the thief's pulse and breathing. If he hadn't woken up earlier, then odds were his condition was only getting worse. The damned cold and their shared hunger hadn't helped anything either. He sighed and rubbed his temples, feeling his headache draw lines of dull pain the longer he stayed awake.
His legs slipped from under him and Conan soon found himself slumped on the floor with his back against the couch. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to sleep a little… That guy didn't seem bad… it was probably safe.
The sun shone proudly in the blue, blue sky with nary a cloud in sight. The grass looked green and vibrant, full of summer life. Conan was lying down, watching the world move around him from under a large tree, while next to him lay the young boy from the photograph, wild hair and all. The boy was asleep with a few white doves hanging about him, the picture of serenity.
Soon, he stretched and the doves flapped to the ground. With a large yawn, he turned to Conan and smiled. "So you're still here, huh?" he asked in an almost smug way. "Well, the sun shouldn't go down for another hour or so… Wanna play?"
Looking around and finding nothing else in sight, Conan turned his attention back to the boy and nodded. It had been a while since he'd last had an opportunity to relax, so there really wasn't much reason to avoid it now that he was safe. "Sure," he answered. "Do you have any ideas of what to play?"
The boy smirked, "Well, tag's always fun." With that, he let out a laugh and poked Conan in the chest before taking off at full-speed. "Catch me if you can!"
The two played like that, running after each other over the pleasant field until the sun finally began to vanish over the horizon in a ball of orange-red splendor. All Conan could think of was how fun it actually was and how very-like Kid the boy was. And maybe that was the point. Throughout the whole game, neither had complained about being 'it' and neither of them saw the game as anything other than a challenge from one speedy child to the other. There didn't need to be much else to bring enjoyment, not with competition so lively, yet carefree. The simple game felt like the most fun Conan had had in a long time. It reminded him of the heists he'd originally gone to after getting this body… the ones where things like murderers and villains wielding guns didn't exist. Before people started using Kid's heists as cover for heinous acts. Yes, it was only a competition between himself and Kid, like it once had been.
The child-Kid laughed and fell back onto the grass. "You're really good at this game! We should play more often!"
His simple enthusiasm made Conan laugh in response. "You're not too bad yourself. And yeah, I'd like that."
"Then it's a deal!" Young Kid exclaimed, holding out his pinky. When Conan took it, he grinned and said, "We'll definitely play again someday. And both of us will be even more awesome at it! Bet next time even you won't be able to catch me, though!" His grin was wide as the Cheshire Cat's and his eyes sparkled with happiness. Young Kid's happiness was extremely contagious, and Conan couldn't be more grateful for it. After being stuck with death and despair for so long, it was nice to finally have a moment of peace.
"It's a lie."
The diminutive detective blinked and looked around. There was no one there but himself and Young Kid. That voice was far too deep to be either of them… "Did you hear that?" he asked.
"That voice?" Young Kid asked, furrowing his brow. "Yeah. I hear it pretty often. Better to just ignore it. It'll go away on its own."
"So wait, it's not a person?"
"I don't really know," Young Kid answered. "I don't ever see anybody when I hear it. Big Me decided to ignore it."
"Big You?"
"I guess we're having kind of similar dreams? I don't know, heh heh." Young Kid put an arm back over his shoulder, looking extremely sheepish.
"You shouldn't have left."
True to his word, Young Kid merely sat up and watched the sunset. Conan didn't know how he could ignore all of this, especially since the Voice seemed to come from their very thoughts. How could he ignore the accusations and blame it piled on them?
"Everyone will die."
Conan winced at that. Given the condition Vampire was in when they'd fled… that was a very likely outcome of their escape. And even Akeru… Mia, was she really safe, going back for their sakes? Those other escapees, too. Did they make it home yet? Did they die running for their lives?
"Don't listen," Young Kid advised, never once taking his eyes off the horizon. "This is only a nightmare."
"Even you will die."
"…If that's what it takes to buy peace." Young Kid acknowledged. "If it means making the world safer for Aoko and the others… I think I'd be willing to give them that world. But don't get me wrong. I want to be part of that world. Part of that future. Because I will keep them safe, you hear?" A long silence passed and Young Kid smirked. "Looks like you can't come up with anything else, ne?"
Silence again filled the air, and soon the ground beneath them started to freeze. The sun was blotted out of the sky and the world was subjected to darkness and ice. A lone shadow stood a good handful of feet before them, clad in chains and various metal bits. All that Conan could make out of their face was an almost glowing purple eye. The ground near its feet froze solid and where its chains scraped the earth, lines of frost appeared. It didn't look happy.
"You shouldn't have upset me," the Voice, now Demon, spoke evenly, tone filled with ice.
Conan felt his body start to numb in Demon's presence and looked to Young Kid. "We need to get out of here."
"No kidding," he replied, looking for a way out. A chain quickly wrapped itself around the young thief's leg, making him cry out as the ice bit into his flesh. By instinct, his hands found their way to his freezing leg and Kid quickly learned to regret that as his hands started freezing at the contact, drawing a howl of pain as Demon ripped the chain back toward him, dragging the miniature thief with it.
"K-Kid!" Conan shouted, ready to dash for him.
"D-don't!" Kid roared at him. "Get away!"
Conan had been fully ready to ignore him until a deeper darkness enveloped Demon and its body quickly changed to that of a monster. Taken completely off-guard, Conan fell back and could only watch was the beast set its fangs into Kid's throat. His mouth went dry and his eyes widened at the sight of the monstrous Demon ripping into his rival and eating him alive.
Kid didn't have time to scream as the beast continued to quickly rip him apart and consume him, leaving nothing but liquid darkness and blood on the miniature thief. Finally, the monster moved its bloody maw to the thief's chest and broke through the shield of ribs. Oh God make it stop!
At the top of his lungs, the diminutive detective screamed, "S-STOP!"
Demon dropped Kid and the miniature thief dissolved into nothingness before Conan's eyes. Then, the monster turned its eyes on him. The insanity and bloodlust in those eyes made the diminutive detective take an involuntary step backward. There was no way to fight this thing off. No hope of overcoming it. No hope of even surviving. It bore its fangs, now dripping with Kid's blood and the darkness Kid had dissolved into. It wanted him.
Demon took a step forward; Conan took a step back.
"Oi Kiddo!" the stranger's voice called. "Wake up, Kiddo!"
"Not yet!" Demon growled, ready to pounce. "I'm not done with you yet!"
The beast pounced, driving its claws into the ground as Conan barely dodged in time. If he didn't wake up soon, he'd be in a really bad spot. The fangs came next, snapping his injured leg and making his world shake and reel. The pain was just as bad as the heated blade ripping into his flesh, though this pain didn't yield.
"Get up Conan!" Kid's voice exclaimed. "Wake up!"
The world started to fade around him and Demon's fangs snapped shut on thin air.
Conan sat bolt upright and screamed as he came-to. He was covered in a cold sweat and his breathing was quick and panicky. His heart felt like it was about to pop out of his chest. Kid and two others were around him, watching with worried expressions plastered on their faces. That… that was horrible. He hoped he'd never have a dream like that ever again.
"Oi Kiddo," the stranger from before started, very concerned, "Are you okay? That… that must've been some hell of a nightmare you had there…"
He wanted to answer, he really did, but he couldn't. He couldn't find the breath to form even the smallest of words. The oldest of the three gathered males sat down near him and kept a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright now, Boy-kun," the older man calmly said. "Nothing's going to hurt you here. Now look at my eyes and take some deep breaths with me." It took a long time, but eventually Conan's breathing did even out. He finally was able to calm himself down from the nightmare and Demon's attack.
"You alright?" Kid asked, some of his concern changing into curiosity.
"Y-yeah," Conan nodded. "That was… pretty awful."
"I can imagine," Kid agreed. "You were screaming like someone was butchering you."
The diminutive detective blinked in confusion. Hadn't Kid been there? Or maybe it was just his imagination running wild… Damn, that dream really wrecked him, didn't it? Running a hand through his hair, Conan sighed. At least they were both okay.
"You seem about normal," Conan mused, glad that the thief was awake and more energetic once more.
"Ah well, you know, can't kill me off that easily," he grinned in return. "I guess I just got used to healing fast or something." The thief shrugged, impish grin never leaving his face. "And of course, we can't go forgetting our friends here," Kid said as he nodded to the two friendly strangers from before. "They tended our wounds while we were out of it."
Conan looked to the two men and thanked them before asking, "How long were Kai-niichan and I asleep?" He needed to know how much time they'd lost. The longer the two of them were gone, the worse those back home would feel. And he was getting pretty tired of leaving Ran to worry about him. He couldn't help but think that Kid's friend was probably worried as well.
"I'd say maybe a day and a half," the older man said, thoughtfully scratching his chin. "You two were pretty beat up. I think you'll be okay now, though." Turning to Kid, he grumbled in an authoritative tone, "Don't be running off and leaving your little brother to fend for himself, understand?"
Kid looked sheepish and placed an arm behind his shoulder, "I didn't intend to, Ojii-san. Things… happened… and prevented me from getting us back home."
Snorting, the older stranger grumbled, "Indeed. Try to be more careful in the future. I don't want to go on a walk and find you two half-buried in snow again. It's bad for your health."
"No arguments there," Kid smiled. "Thanks again for taking care of us. If I can, I'll find some way to repay you."
"No need. You two just need to continue healing. I already have all that I need," the man waved off the offer with a small smile.
"If you guys want, you can stay another night," the younger man offered, eyes shining with excitement. "It's been a while since we had guests over."
"Hush, Matsunaga," the older man reprimanded. "We've had several over. No need to make our guests feel obligated to stay when they've been far from home." Matsunaga seemed to slightly wilt at the older man's tone, but regained his cheerful demeanor soon enough.
Did Kid let them know what's going on? Conan wondered, looking between the man and Kid. He felt a slight chill when the thief seemed to minutely stiffen. No. No he hadn't. How does he know…? Don't tell me he's with Vampire…! But wait… if he was, why would he take care of us? There wouldn't be a reason to treat us or keep us here… Who is this guy…?
The older man simply smiled and pulled a pair of reading glasses from a pocket. "I suppose we should introduce ourselves, now that you're awake. I'm known as Daichi, and my son is Matsunaga. A pleasure to meet you both."
Kid took it in stride and gave a slight bow, saying, "I go by Kai, and this is my little brother, Conan. The pleasure's all mine. And thank you again, for saving us. If there's anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask." He looked down at Conan and asked with an impish grin, "Do you think you're ready to move again, Conan? Or should I just carry you?"
Conan shot him a slight glare and grumbled, "I'm fine walking on my own, Nii-chan."
"Good," Kid's smile didn't fade as he ruffled Conan's hair and turned back to the other men. "I think we'll take our leave now. Like you said, Daichi-san, it's been a long time since we've been home. We're both getting a bit homesick."
It wasn't long before the duo were back to trudging through the snow, making their way back to Beika. The sun was, once more, high in the sky, bathing the ground and its denizens in its warmth. It promised to be a pleasant day.
"Are you really okay, Kid?" Conan asked, skeptical of his miraculous recovery. Though he had to admit, the thief was walking much better than before and even looked more energetic than he'd been since this misadventure had begun. Hell, Conan also noticed the pain in his leg and back had mostly vanished of their own accord as well. Whatever Daichi did while they were unconscious, it seemed to work wonders.
"Somehow, yes," the thief replied cheerfully. "I'm not complaining."
"Er, you didn't happen to notice anything weird about them, did you?"
Kid hummed a bit before saying, "Define weird, Tantei-kun. My world is certainly not normal. But if you mean Daichi knowing we've been gone for a while… well I don't exactly know how he knows, but maybe one of us said something in our sleep. Or, maybe he just deduced it based on our appearance and the fact that we were passed out in the middle of nowhere. No need to be paranoid if you don't have to be."
Conan sighed. Maybe he was right. Maybe there wasn't anything wrong with those two. It wasn't like he never jumped at ghosts when he was stressed out… He supposed this would just have to be a question for another time.
Almost home...!
Note: Demon is the same as from Conan's first dream (chapter 2).