Anon Review Replies:
D: I own a Meow Wow plushie actually XD It shall be called Meow Wow and will be my Meow Wow :3 I go on a bunch of websites I find on Google to find the meanings of the flowers. I think over time my writing changes, but I find the structure comment funny because the order of all the paragraphs were in completely different places before I changed it to the final edit.
oLynxXo: Ehehe, hope I don't disappoint you with this next installment then. ^^; In this chapter there aren't a lot of flowers, if that helps any. Only time will tell about Ran's feelings over Kaito. ;D
guest: It has been continued! Hope you like it!
lumiere: Update! I'm really happy you like it ^^ Uh, hmm… Well, the Summer chapters can be seen as KaiShin in a way, more like a build up to the relationship. Because it's not a true love at first sight – no, the relationship needs to be developed as well as the characters to realize what they hold for one another. Something like that, I think.
A/N: So…ehehehe, it's been a while hasn't it? Hope everyone still reads this!
Usually I don't do this, but it has been a while, so I'll make an exception.
Summer Highlights:
First Summer: The royal heirs meet for the first time. Kaito switches targets from Ran to Shinichi. Shinichi is introduced to the Holmes novels, and Kaito dubs him 'Conan' whenever he wears glasses. Flowers.
Second Summer: The Kuroba prince does not get along as smoothly with the Kudos as he hopes, but that doesn't deject him. Shinichi attempts to ask for permission to learn about magic, but is denied by his father. Shinichi starts seeing some random ghost lady. More flowers.
Third Summer: Kudos' (Shinichi/Conan's) birthday. Shinichi cannot eat sweets. The hallucination he saw by the window of the personification of the wind giving him flowers was proof of that.
Fourth Summer: Kaito plays a trick on Ran and now she holds a grudge on him. Shinichi writes Holmes fanfiction and gives it to Hakuba to read. Kaitou Kid is formally introduced to Shinichi, and the two start a game of wits. Kaito's glad he knows magic.
Fifth Summer: Kaito's birthday. Kaito talks to himself in the garden. Akako gives him a brooch that he uses to distract Ran with (who still hold a grudge), and tries to repay Shinichi for the trouble he caused on his birthday. Ghost Lady comes and Shinichi wonders if he hates Kaito as well, and not just because his sister does. Shinichi is touched by Kaito's gift. Kid comes and tells Shinichi that he's not after his sister. Shinichi decides to give Kaito a chance.
Sixth Summer: Shinichi is given a musical score by Ghost Lady, who leads him to a secret music room high by the Astronomy Tower. Shinichi plays the piece, with Kaito listening intently on the branch outside the window. Kaito reveals himself by singing along to his family's lullaby. Shinichi's not allowed to sing because of something in the past. Kaito checks the level of trust between him and Shinichi, as both Kaito and Kid, and is happy to find that Shinichi has opened up to a degree. Shinichi asks Kaito about ghosts, the Kuroba prince telling him that they don't exist. Spooky.
Seventh Summer: Kaito has to give Ran her engagement ring that glows in varying degrees. He can also charm an answer out of everyone, specifically Hakuba. I did a reference with threes that I don't for the life of me remember why. For the Kudos, "out of sight, out of mind" is a philosophy they live by. Shinichi freaks out over a book. Kaito suffers from ichthyophobia, not thalassophobia. Falling stars can be charmed to be necklaces.
Remember now? Don't know if you noticed, but flowers are a motif.
So, let's continue!
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Chapter Eight: Getting to Know One Another: Eighth Summer
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All their pushing and annoying hints…
I've got bruises with their fingerprints…
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Kaito focused his eyes on the fire, watching the blue flame burn. "Hmm, this isn't that bad." He moved back to look at Aoko with a cheeky grin. "Seeing your finished product made me really scared."
The lady in waiting burned hotly, clenching her fist and bringing it to collide with the prince's head. Kaito stumbled, but held his ground. "Ba-Kaito!" she exclaimed, shaking her still closed fist. Aoko reached out but Kaito smoothly redirected her around him.
The Kuroba prince threw a dash of some kind of powder on the top of the pot. "Finished!" Putting on the gloves, he held up the finished product of Ragout Rabbit Stew triumphantly. "Betcha the Kudos never had something like this!" He lowered it and poured a small portion into two small bowls before he handed one to Aoko for tasting purposes. "Let's see if this works."
Together they tried it at the same time, finishing it all in one gulp.
Kaito lowered the bowl and grinned, licking his lips. "This'll cure Ran-chan right up!"
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Shinichi was the first to sneeze, Ran following a short moments in between afterwards. She sniffled, blowing her nose into the tissue that Shinichi had handed her a few minutes ago just for this occasion. "Gosh, I hope you're not catching my cold," Ran mumbled after blowing her nose again. "I really wouldn't want you to suffer through this."
Shinichi shook his head. "Rather me than you. I hate seeing you like this." Ran took a deep breath, and Shinichi quickly handed her a tissue so that she could sneeze again. "Really, you look awful."
Ran snorted. "Gee, thanks." Her hair was in disarray from having to stay in bed for a few days, combined with the negligence to actually brush it. The Kudo princess was dressed in a simple white gown, but it was barely visible underneath all the sheets she was under to keep her warm. At a close distance, Shinichi was there for support, ready to hand her a tissue at a moment's notice.
"But, Shinichi," Ran said after blowing her nose again and tossing the thing into the waste bin. "isn't it strange? It's the first time that I was the first one to get sick."
Shinichi thought about it. True, usually they got sick at the same time, when they were to even be sick in the first place. While Shinichi had those horrid stomachaches, those only were when he ate sugar – which were already slim to none. The Kudos were healthy, with Shinichi eating properly and Ran exercising/training most of the year away, save for the summers here of course.
So Shinichi just shrugged, not knowing how else to reply. "Hopefully you can get better soon…"
It was at this particular moment that the door slammed open. Ran and Shinichi turned to the door to watch the Kuroba prince carrying a pot with protective gloves walk in, followed by a particular, looking rather annoyed, maid. They quickly made their way to a nearby desk, the Kudo siblings giving them strange, confused looks that depicted the proper reaction to the situation. They didn't have the slightest as to what a certain prince were doing in here when their parent specifically said that no one should bother them after they made such a request for privacy. Ran didn't mind Aoko though. Shinichi could really care less for either Kuroba.
"Ran-chan!" Kaito exclaimed as Aoko sidestepped to give the prince room to move and approach his betrothed. "We made you something in hopes that you would feel better!" He lifted the lid of the pot and out came a savory fume that seemed to be a combination of a variety of spices, and yet Shinichi can specifically point out the smell of carrots. He stuck out his tongue; he hates carrots.
Ran chuckled; she on the other hand loves carrots. Ignoring her fiancé, she gave a warm, amused look to her brother then Aoko as she pulled herself up from bed and attempted to fix her hair with her fingers. "Shinichi, don't worry about it. I'm sure that Aoko did a great job."
Aoko blushed and bowed. "Thank you, your Highness, but it was not me who made the dish, I merely supervised while Kaito-sama worked on your meal."
Ran shrugged. "That's good enough for me." She looked over to Kaito with a bored expression as he placed the pot beside her on her bedside table. She gave a curt smile that grew into a happy grin as she smelled the food; it simply smelled divine and everyone's mouth began to water. "Oh gosh, I can't wait to try it."
"Yep, yep, this meat was especially hard to get," Kaito said as he motioned for Aoko to come over and serve everyone. Taking a peek and seeing that Shinichi was merely watching from the sidelines, he motioned for him to come closer. "But I'm sure - "
Aoko screamed as Ran fell down from her bed to the floor. The princess's fingers grabbed the doily on the bedside where the pot was placed and that soon fell as well. Kaito moved Ran back to her bed so she wouldn't get burned with the falling soup that he had worked so hard to make all day as Aoko managed to catch the pot before it hit the floor, making sure that not a drop was spilled. They had all moved so fast that Shinichi could do nothing but quickly make his way to his sister and the rest of the Kurobas.
Kaito frowned as Aoko quickly checked the princess's pulse and, seeing her expression, swore loudly. "Fuck, I wasn't fast enough."
Shinichi looked to him, a confused look in his eye. "Fast enough for…"
Kaito tilted his head towards the soup that he had made. "It took me longer to find the rabbit than I thought it would. The poison has already taken over her system."
Shinichi widened his eyes. "Poison…?"
Kaito cursed some more. "It's only a matter of time before this gets to my father, and he is not going to be happy." He shook his head as he walked out of the room, muttering to himself that Shinichi could barely hear. "Oh, not one bit."
"Will someone please tell me what is going on!?" Shinichi exclaimed, hating when he has no idea what is happening, and especially with his sister involved.
"Ran-sama has been bitten by it," Aoko attempted to explain to the lost prince. "Kaito-sama was attempting to save her before it got too ugly, but it took him longer than he thought it would and he has run out of time. Now the adults have to get involved, but it will be hard since she – nor you, Shinichi-sama – have the same resistance to it as Kuroba citizens do. For now we could only hope that Ran-sama will be safe."
"And what is it, Aoko-san?" Shinichi wanted to demand for her to stay, but Aoko was starting to leave the room and he didn't want to leave his sister alone.
Aoko gave him a grave look at the door. "I'm not at liberty to say, but I'm sure it has come across in your reading, Shinichi-sama. If you would excuse me." She gave a hasty bow and left the Kudo siblings behind, Shinichi severely confused as he held his vegetable sister in his arms.
Shinichi kept thinking if there was something that he may know, since Aoko had implied as such.
As it slowly dawned on him, he too quickly but gently placed his sister back down on the bed and dashed out of the room, heading to his father's room to alert him of the situation.
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It…can't be that, can it?
But it has to be. Everything fits. The time, the day, the situation.
No… Shinichi closed his eyes as he tried to remember exactly what happened.
He had felt a stabbing pain in his wrists and ankles, but for only the briefest moment as they ran through the oleander and rosebay flowers, playing a beautiful free game of tag. It was harsh enough for him to stop in his place, but it left quickly enough that he had to question whether or not he had imagined the whole thing.
He had looked to his sister after looking up from his wrists, looking as pale as they usually were. "Ran, are you okay?"
Ran frowned, confused as she turned and approached her brother but kept her distance. He was it after all. "Yes, why?"
"I…" Shinichi shook his head; it was probably nothing. He reached out to touch her. "You're it!"
"Hey! Cheater!"
He shook his head; it just didn't make any sense! If anything, he would have been the one on his bed and it would have been the other way around. He was the one who felt the pain, not Ran. He reached to his neck to play with his necklace absentmindedly.
Shinichi sneezed, the cloud of dust tickling his nose causing him to perform a chain of sneezes. Finally the sneezing calmed down some and placing his hand over his nose in order to protect it, he continued without delay to skim though the passage he had flipped to for anything that would particularly useful.
…no, nothing here sounds even remotely of the symptoms that Ran had that would work.
Cursing internally, Shinichi slid the book from the table to the floor, where it landed with a soft thud on top of the other books. Knowing that it was not harmed in the process, Shinichi proceeded to grab another book from the shelf at random before opening it to the index only to repeat the process.
At this rate, he was going to pass out from all the sneezing that he was going through. He shoved the last book off the table and reached for another, only to find the shelf empty. Looking at the mess that he had created on the floor that indicated how much time he had wasted with nothing to show for it, Shinichi stabbed himself with his fingers in his palms before closing his eyes and biting his lip. He was trying his hardest not to cry since he was no longer a child and it meant nothing, but he just felt so hopeless and he didn't know what else to do.
Blinking back the tears, he noticed that his hand was trembling and he had to consciously try to make it stop, placing his other trembling hand over it in order for it to stop, which it eventually did. Shinichi spied the orange light coming from the window and looked up towards the ceiling, where he could spy some constellations that were painted up there. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes once more and slumped on the bookshelf behind him, not caring that with his added weight a few books came loose and fell on the other side. Legs no longer strong enough to carry his weight, they slowly gave in and Shinichi found himself lowering to the ground. He raised his legs to his chin and clutched them close to himself in order to hide himself from the light and anyone who may pass by. He had to hold in his sobs in order to not attract attention; Hakuba may be in here and while Shinichi was still a prince and held power over practically everyone, he didn't want to order his friend to leave him alone.
"What in the world are you doing, Shin-chan? You're not reading with your glasses like you usually do…"
Shinichi didn't have the time or patience for this right now. "Leave me alone," he muttered quietly as a ghostly hand brushed his shoulder, causing for him to jerk away. Since he hid himself in his knees, he didn't see the woman pout.
"Shin-chan, you're crying? What's wrong? Please, tell me," the woman tried again, wanting to comfort but not knowing how since she didn't know the situation. "Please, let me help you."
"Help me by leaving me alone."
"Shinichi - "
"Just leave me alone, woman." Shinichi's tone was as cold as ice. "I do not have the patience to deal with you or your cryptic wording right now."
"I want to help - "
He couldn't take it anymore. Needing an outlet for his frustration, he ended up taking it on the only person in his company. Shaking, Shinichi picked himself from the floor and exploded, "There's nothing you can do! There's nothing anyone can do! Ran is going to die because of this illness and there's nothing I can do about it!"
The woman's eyes were wide as Shinichi slumped back on the floor. "Shinichi…"
Shinichi clutched his head and hid it between his knees, tears leaking from his eyes to the velvet carpet as his necklace swung a bit. "It's all my fault, I should have never mentioned anything. If I kept my stupid mouth shut she wouldn't have been caught by whatever the heck it is and she would have been here with me and we would have been reading like we do every year trying to avoid Kaito who would be yelled at by his father for not spending enough time with Ran and questioning why she spends so much time with me but only because we never get to spend any free time together back home and she would have been happy and safe and wouldn't be slowly dying and our father wouldn't have had to have left to go and check the library back home for any known cure but I could just tell that she isn't going to make it by the time Father comes back and - "
A sudden tug of his hair pulled Shinichi from his monologue and the harsh slap on the face shut him up. Surprised, Shinichi looked up at the one who had their hand in his hair and was confused to find it to be the Kuroba Prince with tears streaming down his own cheeks.
"Don't you dare blame yourself for something that isn't your fault!" Kaito screamed, smacking Shinichi on the cheek once more. His cheek now numb, Shinichi slowly placed his own hand over it in an attempt to comfort it while Kaito released his hair, gently grabbed his other hand and pulled in the other prince for a hug, causing for Shinichi to tense.
"I know I'm not Ran but…" Kaito swallowed. "It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. All the pieces were in the wrong places, all a different set of circumstances and we were just dealt the worse one due to a chain of random events that no one would have seen coming." He squeezed the Kudo tightly, continuing when there wasn't a reply. "Please don't blame yourself for something that you had no part of. I'm asking, no, begging you. Please. I don't want to see the cool and suave Kudo scholarly prince lose himself at the seams for something that he didn't do."
"I…" Shinichi choked with his dry throat. "I just don't know how to save her."
Kaito said nothing for a moment, before he pulled back and gently placed Shinichi back to his feet. "Wait here." He dashed off before Shinichi could say anything else.
He only managed to wipe a few stray tears when Kaito returned with a large dusty book that Shinichi had never seen in all of his years in the library. Kaito placed the book on the table and motioned for Shinichi to come closer to take a look.
On the open page that Kaito was pointing at was ofa sketch of a flower bud that looked caught between wilting and blooming, a small circle around it. The picture underneath was of a circular field containing what is assumed to be these flowers surrounded by trees. The night sky held no stars and was hung above the circular flowers, which seemed to be illuminated from the circles around them, acting like the stars on earth.
"This flower has two names depending on the speaker," Kaito was explaining. "The sun brings light, but the dark brings death. And these flowers bloom in darkness. So, darkness is evil, light is good. Whether you want to call them Heaven's Mirror or Death Lights, Shinichi-kun, that's up to you. But, I guess these days pretty much everyone has taken to calling them Death Lights."
"…You called me Shinichi."
"This flower holds many mysterious properties that not everyone knows. But I can tell you this," Kaito said as he shut the book closed and looked Shinichi straight in the eyes hidden behind the foggy lenses. "With my help, it can heal just about everything. Including snake venom."
Shinichi was still a little caught up on the fact that Kaito had called him by his name. He never does that. "…What do you mean?"
Kaito pointed out the window where the sun was setting and towards the trees. "Over there, beyond the Forest, lies the field that was in the book. I can grab a flower and we can use it as a cure to save your sister."
Shinichi shook his head. "I need to come and see this for myself." Besides that the situation was already skeptical enough as it is, he wanted to see this 'death flower' for himself.
Kaito sighed. "Alright, fine. I can show you how to get there, grab some flowers, and get back in time to save Ran-chan."
Shinichi turned back from the window to get a good look at the Kuroba prince. "W…why would you help me? Don't you hate Ran as much as she does?"
Kaito only smiled as he led Shinichi out of the library. "I don't hate Ran-chan - I just don't like her as much as I like you."
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Kaito looked up to the night sky and saw the stars twinkling with the full moon hanging over them. He realized that he didn't really have anything to prepare for the Kudo prince for the Kid visit but he'll deal with that later after they get the flower, if they were to make it before the day breaks. The Heaven's Mirror was its most powerful during full moons, so perhaps it was for the best that this take priority than over the usual visits.
"Alright," he said as he clasped the chains of his cloak around his neck and placed on the hood over his head with Shinichi doing the same. "We have to make this quick. Not only does Ran-chan not have a lot of time left, I…" He said the last part so low that Shinichi didn't catch it. "I'm not really allowed to go to the field especially since she is most likely there considering the circumstances."
But Shinichi had good ears. "What was that?"
Kaito stood up at attention and waved his hands. "Nothing, nothing! Come on." He grabbed Shinichi's hand and started dragging him towards the forest. "Let's go."
"But…" Shinichi looked up to the moon before shaking his head. "Alright, you lead the way."
Kaito turned back to give him a quick smile before turning back towards the forest. "Be sure to stay close, you don't want to get lost – especially this late at night."
Shinichi allowed for himself to be led by hand into the ominous forest by the Kuroba prince, who most likely knew it better than anyone. "Ah…okay."
Kaito was still feeling a bit giddy from the twilight, having acting as he did in front of the other prince. And the fact that he wanted to come really pleased Kaito more than he knew. He couldn't stand to see Shinichi breaking down over something that was really a tradition for the Kurobas, which really was confusing in itself because he was sure that if anyone were to have magic – it would have been Shinichi and not Ran with all this ghost talk.
That in itself gave Kaito a horrible taste in his mouth and the giddy feeling died with it. Ghosts? He had done his research over the year and what he had found wasn't quite heartening. He had to sneak around the Secret Royal Archives and keep the books in his room, thankful that Hakuba wasn't allowed around those documents.
That would mean that Shinichi probably had an affinity for Death, and that was not a good omen for anyone involved. It meant that something was destined to happen, something that could doom them all if they weren't careful.
Kaito, on the other hand, seemed to wield the Fool, Magician, and the Wheel of Fortune, which is the most that any heir to the throne seemed to wield. If anything, it explained why Kaito was the best in what he does for so long. Everyone in the Kuroba Kingdom wields magic to a certain degree. Everyone that she decides has to go through her game gets a boost in his or her magic. She rarely plays this game anyway. And she only does it to those she knows won't harmed, unless…
But if that was the case, then why was Ran the one on the bed slowly being consumed by the lack of magic that she had? Why did Akako choose her instead of Shinichi?
It made no sense!
"…Kaito-kun?"
The calling of his name drew Kaito from his musings, where he didn't really know they were leading to and was glad for the distraction. He looked back to the one he was leading. "Yes, Shin-chan?"
Shinichi pouted, apparently he liked being called his given name. Kaito simply smirked as he elaborated, "What is it?"
"This flower, Heaven's Mirror - " For a moment Kaito was a little taken back that he hadn't called them Death Lights, but then again this is Shinichi he is talking about. "Are you sure that it'll help Ran?"
Kaito sighed, ever the skeptic, even now. "Because I'm with you it will. I'll make them help you."
Shinichi made a face. "What does that mean?"
"It's real simple and I'd rather not go into the details, but pretty much I'll talk to the flowers and tell them to make Ran-chan better."
"…If that was supposed to be explanation, it didn't really do a good job."
Kaito laughed; probably not. Still, he rather not reveal the extent of his powers if he can help it. "Shin-chan, how much do you know about the curse that Ran-chan is suffering from?"
"…I… I should have caught it." His tone was depressing. Kaito bit his lip. Shit, that wasn't a smart move.
Just as he was about to change the subject, he caught the whips of the music. Ah, finally. Now here was the tricky part. Kaito turned to his companion, placing a finger over his lips. Catching Shinichi's attention from lack of movement, he whispered, "Do you hear that?"
Shinichi closed his eyes in concentration, and Kaito realized, 'What if he couldn't hear it?'
To Kaito's immense relief, Shinichi nodded. "What…is that?" he asked, looking up in confusion to their surroundings, trying to find the source of music that was playing in the background.
Kaito chuckled. "That, my dear Shin-chan, is the sound of the Forest. Or at least the magical aspect of it. It means we're here. Now, make sure you stay close to me. No one outside a special few out of the Royal Family has been here, and there's no telling what could happen. Although, the fact that you were able to hear the music helps a lot." Kaito wiped some sweat off of his head that he didn't know he had.
"I never heard of such a place," Shinichi said, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"The Public Royal Library can only hold so much free information, Shin-chan," Kaito explained. "Some of this type of information is for the Royal Family only; not even Hakuba has access to this type of information."
"So…when…" Shinichi bit his lip. "When you and Ran have to get married, does that mean that we will have access to it?" he asked, his tone having a melancholy quality to it.
Kaito held back the laughter that he wanted to throw at his companion. Sounding so polite and helpless only because Kaito is the only one that could help him in this current situation. He wants the witty, charming Shinichi back. "Shin-chan, if you want, I can just let you read the books when we get back."
"R-really?" Shinichi was wide-eyed.
Kaito just nodded. "Yep, and maybe next year I'll explain to you how this whole magic thing works." He gestured to an ivy-covered rock before pushing it aside and leading the two to another area of the Forest that would never be mapped out. This section he had to rely purely on his magical sense as well as his musical ear – it was for this purpose that the music was playing, so that he wouldn't, and Shinichi in turn, wouldn't get lost.
He wasn't learning how to play the piano for nothing.
"Alright, now this is where it gets a bit harder. Please sure follow me." He squeezed his hand tighter on the other prince as he led him to where he was sure the Tower would be, passing by various trees and going through the twists and turns that made this section of the Forest more like a maze than anything else.
Hopefully Akako would be open to Shinichi. If not, well…
Not halting in his movement, Kaito said, "Shinichi, there is something I should tell you." He looked up to the sky and pointed to the tips of something in a distance. "The field that we're trying to get to, it's in front of that Tower. And someone lives in that Tower. She is most likely the reason why your sister is ill right now and we're on this journey. If you ask me, if you had been the one to undergo what…the person in the Tower is making your sister go through…you wouldn't have been suffering as your sister is right now. This probably would have been a regular summer with nothing note-worthy happening if you were the one who got sick. Heck, you most likely wouldn't have gotten sick! What I'm trying to say is," Kaito took a deep breath; looks like this year came earlier than he thought. "I think that you have - "
A rustling of leaves broke Kaito's attention and he whirled around, only for his blood to run cold.
"Shinichi?"
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Shinichi has no idea what just happened. One second Kaito was leading him down this path and the next he vanished!
He could still hear the music, but it was being drowned out by another melody that he could now only hear, this one being someone's humming.
The best thing in this situation would be to simply wait here for Kaito to come back and retrieve him. That's what one must always do when they're lost. Stay in place.
Shinichi simply plopped himself down on the grass, thinking of what his next move should be. He may have been lost and desperate, but he wasn't stupid. So stay in place for Kaito it is. Darn it, now all that was left to do was to think about everything that has happened.
He was definitely not going to see Kid tonight, which was depressing. So he quickly moved his thought somewhere else.
Kaito…what he did in the library was completely uncalled for. He had no right to speak and hurt Shinichi in such a way. The Kudo prince placed his hand on the cheek that Kaito had slapped. Then again, it did calm him down some and he even offered to help him. He didn't have to do that, especially since no matter what Kaito said he was sure that their feeling of hatred was mutual.
Oh boy, if Ran knew how much time she was spending with her fiancé, she would have been so angry… Which makes sense. After all, Kaito always seemed to pay more attention to Shinichi than her, and she was the jealous type.
How everything had gone so wrong was beyond him. It was supposed to be just a simple cold from being out too late without the protective layers, not a whole rite of passage or whatever the heck it was since apparently Shinichi's knowledge was quite limited on these matters.
Speaking of the knowledge on these matters, Kaito did mention something about snake venom. What the heck did that mean?
A sudden chill went through his spine, as well as a breeze decided to be particularly harsh at that particular moment, so Shinichi huddled himself closer to his cloak that didn't really help, but at least it was something.
He looked up to the starry sky with its moon seeming laughing at him and began fiddling with his necklace. Where was Kaito?
"Look, look! I told you I wasn't kidding!"
"You really weren't! Woah, now what do we do?"
"Oh, do you think he can hear us? Not many people do…"
"Should we even provide help if he can't even hear us?"
"Of course! We must always help those in need!"
"I don't know, he looks kinda weird…"
Shinichi looked up to where he believed was the source of various voices – of a female and two males – and could see three lights fluttering around him. He rubbed his eyes. Surely this magical forest was making him go crazy.
"Is it me, or is he staring at us?"
"Oh oh oh! Can I poke him with the stick I found? If he feels it, then he must be human."
"That doesn't even make any sense!"
"Um, excuse me." Shinichi didn't even know what he was doing. Crazy magical forest making him see and hear things. "If you floating lights are talking about me, I can hear you."
There was a moment of silence before the lights huddled close together and Shinichi had to strain to hear them, this time trying to distinguish their voices.
"He can hear us!" A male colored green.
"Not even the Royal Family can hear us, let alone see us!" The other male was colored blue.
"This is madness; I say let me poke him!" The first male again. Shinichi looked around for that stick; he really wanted to poke him.
"You two, be quiet!" The pink female seemed to have the most power, the other two shut up immediately. The circle broke and the light approached him cautiously. "You there, human, can you see us?"
"You mean you three lights? Yes, yes I can," Shinichi answered, glad for a distraction away from his thoughts. Those were some scary things. He picked himself from the ground and attempted to get a good look at the three talking lights, whom he suspected to be something that he had thought had been extinct. But…it can't be.
"You wouldn't have happened to see anyone else here, have you? Another boy, perhaps three centimeters taller than me, crazy brunet hair, wearing a cloak similar to mine? He's a friend of mine."
A small gasp was heard and the lights huddled together once more. "He can see us, he can see us!"
"I can hear you too," Shinichi reminded them, making them gasp again.
One light, the female, focused on him. "What is your name, human?"
"…Kudo Shinichi." He just had an idea. Probably not a brilliant one, but a change of pace. "You three wouldn't possibly be able to lead me to - "
"We have not seen anyone save yourself and the Witch who resides in that tower. " Above the light was the tip of the rooftop of said tower. "We have not seen your friend, the Kuroba prince, Kudo Shinichi," the pink firefly was saying, to which Shinichi nodded.
"I see. Well…" Shinichi dusted himself. "I was hoping that you may be able to lead me to the field of Heaven's Mirrors; I need one for my sister."
"You want us to lead you to her domain?" the blue light was questioning. "You must be crazy!"
"Yeah, we would never - "
"We'll do it."
Green and Blue looked to Pink. "But, Ayumi-chan, are you sure?" Blue asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I don't like this guy," Green added, but Ayumi would not relent.
"Mitsuhiko-kun, Genta-kun, if he can see us surely he must be a good person," Ayumi explained as she floated closer to Shinichi and placed her hand on his bruised cheek, healing it with her touch. "Who harmed you, Kudo Shinichi?"
Shinichi reached out to touch her, only for the other two to quickly move her away. Was he really in the presence of what couldn't exist anymore? "Kaito-kun did, but - "
Ayumi tsked. "The Kuroba prince? How distasteful." She did a somersault in the air before she began drifting away, Blue whom Shinichi assumed to be Mitsuhiko and Green Genta following her side-by-side. "Please follow us, we will make sure that you will quickly find the Heaven's Mirror to save your sister, Shinichi-kun."
Shinichi, not wanting to disobey, quickly followed, not noticing that the humming had stopped and had been replaced with a faint hissing noise that sound faded away as well and was replaced with the original ocarina tunes.
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"Oh fuck, fuck, fuck," Kaito couldn't stop himself from muttering as he maneuvered around, searching for any sight of where Shinichi may have gone. "Come on, you can't be lost. If you're lost here, you're lost…"
Forever.
"Something wrong, my Prince?"
Kaito halted in his tracks and didn't bother to turn behind him. "Akako, who said you can leave your tower? And what's with that outfit?"
The girl stepped out of the shadows, strutting to her Prince while dressed as a genie with a bra shirt and poofy pants along with her golden snake staff in her hands, hair up high only to dangle down with bare feet. "You don't like it? I think it suits me."
Kaito turned to her with a bored expression. "What are you doing here?" He quickly averted his eyes as a strong breeze passed through them. "Please change your outfit."
Akako snorted before switching back to her dress that came up to her knees. "I sensed your distress and made my way here. What ever is the matter?"
Kaito turned from her, continuing his work even though he already knew it was futile. "It needs not concern you, Akako."
Akako giggled. "Oh, but I think it does. After all, I'm the reason why you two are here, aren't you?" When Kaito didn't reply, she raised her staff to him. "Aren't I?"
Kaito didn't even flinch. "Why, Akako? Why are you doing this?"'
Satisfied with attention, Akako drew back her rod. "Well, I'm never allowed out of my… Tower, you call it? Yes, and I truly wish to have a word with your betrothed's sibling…"
"So you make her sick so that we would come out here?"
Akako snorted once more. "No, I intended to summon him here, but then your damned fiancée had to go and get in the damn way."
"What do you mean?" Kaito narrowed his eyes at her.
She hissed, "The prince was supposed to get sick, not the princess! It was of a new spell and specific, invented spells have side effects that I am not aware of until it comes into effect. I don't know how, but he managed to deflect my spell to hit his sister when he was the only intended target. Therefore, the spell is now trying to kill the other person it came in contact with since it didn't reach the prince."
Kaito tackled Akako to the ground, removing the dagger he kept in his boot and held it to her neck. "You mean to tell me you were trying to kill Shinichi?"
He wasn't expecting for the witch to laugh, but he was sure it was because of nerves and she was actually terrified. This was a mystical dagger after all, and she knows it. He could kill her right now, and she knows it. "Why would I kill someone that holds so much fascination to my Prince?" Akako calmly retorted, but that only resulted in Kaito slamming her to the ground and holding the dagger even more closely to her neck.
He held it dangerously close now. "Don't you dare lie to me! Your life is now in my hands. Now answer me. Why were you trying to kill him?"
Akako knew that it wasn't a time for playing, not anymore if it ever was with the Kudo prince involved. "I…wasn't trying to kill him… I… I wanted to test him."
That caused for Kaito to fumble. "What?"
Akako saw her chance and quickly shoved Kaito aside, kicking away the dagger with her barefoot, screeching with pain with the cut it caused. Ignoring it, she picked herself up from the ground and pointed a finger accusingly at Kaito, who went to retrieve his weapon. "You know why! His affinity, it's something that never exists! This is the first time in centuries that one was born with it! Not to mention the fact that someone was born with Clover magic when they are of another nation! There are so many things wrong with this situation that I should have just expected for my spell to hit someone else. And don't try to redeem yourself – you were trying to test him as well. I'm just more direct." She looked like she was about to say something else before she tensed, turning back towards the tower. "Someone's there. Someone's picking the Lights."
Kaito widened his eyes. "Shinichi?"
Akako looked up to the waning sky before she turned back to the prince. "Impossible, he shouldn't have been able to get there without getting lost." She held out her hand. "Take my hand."
Kaito looked disgusted and jerked back. "I don't want to touch that."
"We don't have time for this! No one can touch those when they are about to diminish!" She grabbed his hand and they were whisked away.
=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=
"Thank you, Ayumi-chan, Genta-kun, Mitsuhiko-kun," Shinichi thanked as he picked four flowers. "I'm sure that this will be enough."
Ayumi seemed to glow brighter. "It was no problem at all, Shinichi-kun, although we must get going. We do not wish to worry the other Fireflies."
Shinichi smiled. "Of course. Thank you."
"But, Ayumi-chan, what about - "
"Let's go!" Genta exclaimed as he began his leave, and Ayumi turned from Shinichi and began to drift away. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to return and kissed the prince's cheek, glowing particularly bright as she whispered, "Until next time, Shinichi-kun," and quickly left as well. Mitsuhiko took one last look at Shinichi before following after his friends.
Shinichi waved them farewell as he found a flat stone to sit on. He took a good look at the field, and noticed that the flowers seemed to be falling dimmer by the second.
"Shinichi, drop the flowers and look away! Hurry!"
Shinichi turned at the sound of the voice, twirling the stem of the dimming flower in his hand. "Kaito-kun?"
"There's no time for this!" Shinichi didn't recognize this voice, but he didn't have much time to think of it as his head was shoved down to the ground and was forced to taste dirt.
There was a moment of complete silence, all music that the magical forest apparently held died for the briefest moment before starting up again, starting very quietly before picking back up.
"What was that?" Shinichi questioned as he was picked up from the ground and spied Kaito with a new companion. "Who's that?" Shinichi stared at her, he was sure he had seen her before…
She opened her mouth to explain, but one glare from Kaito shut her up. Instead, she merely bowed. "I wish you luck, Kudo Shinichi." And with a wave of her hand, she disappeared.
Not knowing what else to do, Shinichi turned to Kaito. "What was that?"
Kaito was out of breath as he picked up the flowers that had been dropped earlier. "I'll…explain…another time…" He pointed up to the sky where the sun was beginning to dawn. "For now…let's go…and save Ran-chan."
"But how do we leave?" Shinichi asked, what had happened for him to be so breathless? "Are you okay?"
Kaito seemed to be muttering to himself as he peppered up and kissed the petals of the flower individually. Shinichi rolled his eyes. Kuroba Magic.
"Alright, I'm good," Kaito declared, placing the now wilted flower in his hair as he picked up another. Shinichi did a double take, how had the flower wilted?
"…What?"
"Don't worry about it. Just take my hand and we'll be home soon." Kaito held out his hand for Shinichi to take. Shinichi looked up to the rising sun and sighed as he placed his hand in Kaito's.
Looks like I'm not seeing Kid this summer…
And Kaito's departing words were spoken so quietly that Shinichi didn't hear but Kaito needed to say it. "I'm sorry that Kid won't be able to appear to you this year."
But Kid wouldn't be able to, now that the full moon had passed and he didn't want to risk Shinichi breaking through the magic.
He just didn't want to risk it, not when Shinichi was near the Heaven's Mirror when they added their number to the starry sky. According to the flowers, since he was the closest one, he was the one who absorbed their excess magical power. Luckily there will be enough to heal Ran, but there was no telling what is going to happen now until the next full moon.
=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=
Shinichi gently closed the door behind him as he approached the bed. "How are you feeling?"
Ran picked herself from her bed. "Much better. What happened? Everything's a little fuzzy."
Shinichi smiled softly as he took his place beside his sister's bed. "You missed Kaito talking to flowers like a crazy person."
"Ehh?" Ran pouted. "I'm sorry I missed it."
Shinichi smiled but thought back on the memory, of Kaito's monologue with the four flowers.
"Ehh? You mean to tell me – Oh, yeah, he's fine. He's the one I was talking about." A hot flush bloomed on Kaito's cheeks. "Sh-shut up! Anyway, please, would you mind lending your power to save her?" A pause before Kaito smiled warmly at the flowers. "Thank you."
Kaito had then at that point placed the flowers in her hair, muttering a few words before leaving that caused for the flowers to begin to wilt then bloom before staying in bloom and disintegrating, Ran waking up shortly after that.
Shinichi shook his head; he doubts he'll ever understand magic.
=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=
I can do much better I am sure
He's so immature…
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A/N: Oh gosh, please read this. Please oh please even though I know a bunch of people aren't going to and that makes me sad.
Alright, this chapter was stupid. I'm sorry, I have no idea what happened. Like, I knew the general idea of what this chapter was supposed to be about, but I had no idea what happened along the way. I am so sorry that this chapter was crap, it probably wasn't worth the long wait. And for that I am sorry. I think my depression leaked into my writing. Or maybe it's because I worked on this instead of studying for finals. I couldn't study regardless so I figured I might as well work on this instead of going on my tumblr and such. But I cannot re-write it, so hopefully this installment makes sense. I don't know how to fix what you just read.
There were a bunch of things I added and will go back to later probably, and a few things I mentioned that I didn't want to reveal too much information because it may ruin the surprise later on.
Full Moons only occur once during the summer, hence why Kid only visits once a Summer. I don't know who reads the A/Ns, but that's the reason why. I may mention it in another chapter for the people who skip over these things.
I cut down on the flowers, hope that's okay. Unless people like a lot of flowers? I honestly have no idea. Sorry.
I have age 15 for this chapter… So that makes 2 more Summer chapters? Yeah, I think so. Okay.
Heaven's Mirror/Death Lights are from the video game Eternal Sonata and I took a quote of the game to describe the flower, though I did tweak it just a tad. Lost Woods concept…do I really need to say where I got it? And does anyone know where I got the stew? Props and a shout-out to the people who do.
Reviews encourage me to write faster. Well, they make my day, and make me want to write some more. So it's the reader's call. I know I'm rambling, but do you know how disheartening it is to get alerts and faves for stories but not reviews? I doesn't make me want to work on them. Reviews though (and not flames or whatever), even if you don't alert or fave, those are the things that make me want to continue the story. An example of this would be Heroes. I really don't feel like working on that regardless of all the people that want me to. I'm working on Lilies next because of all the support I've gotten on it.
There are so many other things I want to say since I assume I have your attention. Like for example, do you guys really like this fic? Or would you prefer for me to do another one and drop this one? Would you guys follow me on tumblr? Although that's more of a KH thing than DC, I want to make an art blog with Conan. -sigh- I really should be studying… I need to move everything to AO3 too… So much things to do and I'm boring you all who are still reading this. Thank you for doing so though.
Again, I apologize for this horrible chapter, but as always, I must thank you for taking your time to read my crappy work. Until the next thing I write then.
Language of the Flowers:
Oleander & Rosebay – Beware