~A NEW METHOD OF PERSUASION~ Will be -GIN CENTRIC/SLASH- slash- yaoi- Shonen ai- boy/boy pairings.
As per fanfic regulations there is no profit besides pure utter giddiness from writing this, no value what-so-ever besides the ungodly amounts of time each of us puts into our works, nothing to show for it since no one reviews almost anymore, and absolutely no sanity for why else would I writing this pairing?
a/n 1: written to Bad Apple! Shadow Play, Gumi & Touhou version in particular. Can be found on Youtube and highly recommended. video 'Ec0QuViLVbY' . Lyrics will be present in this chapter, dunno exactly what I'll do with them, but they'll be there. Also references to the Case of the Blue Carbuncle, from the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. You do not have to read the case to understand the chapter, I just found it entertaining. Also as I progressed through this chapter I found that it went in an aburpt left turn towards the obscure, I was not pleased with it, so I ended up with what is currently the end of this chapter. I intend to fix it later, but as it stands it created a standstill which is not allowed. Please accept my apologies, but I really want to continue and further the storyline, I will come back and address Conan/Shinichi's park visit later... I learned my lesson and will not be veering off like that again. At least... not intentionally. Happy reading.
Also there are several point of view changes in the end, going back and forth between three characters in particular. Ayumi, Shinichi, and Agasa. I'm sorry the lyrics make it confusing, but think of them like breaks at that point. Lyrics have a single quotation on each end of an italic line.
PART TEN- ROTTEN APPLES & THE SHADOW PLAY
'Even in the midst of flowing time, I feel languid, look, spinning around and around.'
Kid had actually had to come back to check on him, he could see the relieved look on the thief's face when they crossed the threshold of the Kudou Manor despite the poker face. It was the slight drop of Kid's shoulders, barest hint in his eyes, and the soft sigh as the door shut firmly behind him. Shinichi made sure he locked it this time. He didn't want any repeats of the last time he had been home.
"I came to personally invite you to my heist tomorrow, do you think you'll live long enough to get there?" Kid's expression was masked, but there was a slight fear that with everything going on his favorite detective may not show up. Shinichi looked at the mail that Agasa had neglected to pick up, there on top was Heiji's handwriting. He felt the thief's stare remaining on him for longer than he deemed comfortable.
'I can't even see the heart that's leaving me, didn't you know?'
"Of course, if I do manage to die you'll have to forgive me for only haunting you at heists until I am given a chance to haunt you home," Shinichi smiled devilishly, "then I'll go find Heiji and possess him so I can continue this game of cat and mouse. Fair enough, speaking of him… I think someone tattled on me." He held up the envelope for Kid to see, clear enough was the writing of the Osaka detective. The thief let out a ring of laughter reading it to himself.
"I wasn't aware that what we have is a tryst Tantei kun," Kid smirked taking up the envelope and looking over it for himself, "may I open your flame mail?" Shinichi nodded following the thief into the library where he slumped in his favorite chair for a moment. Dawning Heiji's voice and accent Kaitou Kid proceeded to read Heiji's note aloud.
"KUDOU! What the hell are you thinking? Getting involved with the Kaitou Kid? Are you nuts? There's going to be a trail of pink confetti following you everywhere! Not to mention Inspector what's-his-face, and that girlfriend of yours is scary as hell. That girl that's in the same situation as you… Haibara isn't it?" Kid paused looking at Shinichi wondering if that was the little girl. He got a brief nod as the detective waited for him to continue, "What I really want to know is why you let that… I can't even think of anything other than the words 'March Hare' to describe him!
"Well that's almost a compliment.
"You are such a stubborn idiot some days Kudou. Anyways, I did have something to ask you before I got that phone call this morning. It seems like I'll be at that hotel crash all day, give me a ring if you got any of that spirit left after the camera gets done with ya. Hattori Heiji." Kid looked positively beaming up until the hotel part. Shinichi looked at the thief waiting for the inevitable question. It never came, the thief just glanced at it briefly again before handing it back to him.
"Hattori can be an ass at times, but he's good guy over all. So what's bugging you Kid san?" He took a leap of faith and wondered if the thief would spill whatever the other reason he came to see him was.
"That case in the papers, you seemed less than surprised to hear of it, also earlier you joked of your own death like it was nothing," Kid stretched out and gave him an almost pointed look, "you are far too accustomed to these things Tantei kun. Just promise me you won't be too reckless…" Kaitou Kid was worried he was going to do something stupid? Shouldn't he have mentioned this prior to Shinichi contacting the blond murderer that had left a new bloodstain on his father's carpet just yesterday?
"Of course, do you happen to have a paper Kid San?" he asked rather hopeful. Kid reached under the blazer and pulled out a slightly wrinkled but intact paper, "thank you, ah there's your heist note as well. Ran and Sonoko will probably be there again as well…" Kid smiled, he liked that his poker face allowed for different types of smiles to grace his face. They allowed so much more communication than words alone.
"Of course, the more the merrier! See you tomorrow Tantei kun," he waved cheerily when he was about to make his escape when Shinichi grabbed the end of his cape. The thief stopped at the slight tug and looked at the expression on the shrunken detective's face.
"I need another favor, but this one is more for Ran then me. Any chance you could spare a few more minutes tonight on this annoying detective?" Shinichi had a very… lost look on his face. Kid smiled and nodded dropping down to Conan level. "I need you to call Ran as me later this evening. It will set her mind at ease and will help separate Conan and I as being the same person."
'I can't even get myself to move, I continue to be washed down the cracks of time.'
"But of course Kudou Meitantei san! What are the greatest magicians in the world but manipulators?" Kid replied with smiley sarcasm, "now you owe me three Kudou san. Expect that I will collect some day, probably to prove my identity to the fake Heisei Holmes as not Kaitou Kid."
Shinichi smiled back, "I guess you'll have to teach me some tricks of your trade at that point. Catch you tomorrow Kid." The thief grinned cheekily and threw a pink smoke pellet to disappear. With the thief's departure Shinichi started back into the article from early that morning. The burglar really had deserved most of his treatment yesterday. He sighed looking at Kid's notice finally, it was intriguing to say the least.
'I don't know anything about what's around me, I'm just me and no more.'
In a scuttled brig as the last vestiges fade from a day of flames its course is set to head. Sunk in the serene fluid movement there are the stark pale contrasts of Kings and wives. Surrounded by such majestic banners, yet poisoned by the amount of eyes centered 'round. Drifting without alarm through the shrinking clouds of doubt. Will the ravens or crows claim this night their own? Who knows, but it will drive past the audience of onlookers to safe haven in long forgotten doors.
'Am I dreaming? Or seeing nothing? My words are useless even if I speak.'
Shinichi looked pleased with himself, the notice was fairly straight forward after thirty minutes of intensive staring at the notice. Kid's target was the Bismark Sapphire, a relatively large gem inset in platinum with diamonds flanking either side of the necklace. It was by no means a hard choice given the reference to the German battle ship. The location and time on Tuesday were a bit more difficult. Had it actually been hosted at the private residence where it was being housed it would have more interesting.
The heist was to occur just after sunset on Tuesday, at the Royal Pavilion during an event hosted by none other than the Suzuki financial group. Sonoko was going to be thrilled at that, she would have her access and watch Kid up close again. Ran would of course be invited, which would give Conan's opportunity to attend a much higher chance. Kid would be very happy to see him front and center…
Wait a minute… why hadn't Kid tried to pose as Sonoko? She had access to everything, but of course that could make things way too easy for him. Kid liked a challenge and being Ran was far easier for Kid to cause such panic and dysfunction then as the annoying Suzuki heir. Maybe Kid just didn't like acting as annoying as Sonoko, though he could almost pull off both Mouris without being given away. He yawned thinking back on just how tiring the last few cases involving Kaitou Kid had been.
'I'm just tired of being sad, I should go on without feeling anything.'
Shinichi looked back at the earlier article he had been reading between Kogoro's fingers, the burglar's death at the hotel had been no coincidence either. The man had actually stolen from the hotel and was out on parole from that incident. The items had yet to be recovered, and it seemed the police had no leads on finding the missing pieces judging by the reward printed in bold for any relevant information leading to the discovery of the missing property. Another yawn covered his features when he set the paper down, his eyes drooping ever so slightly.
Shinichi decided that perhaps he should call Heiji about the hotel incident, grabbing up the phone he resigned himself for the tongue lashing he might get should the call go through. He set the phone back down a little too quickly, dropping it harshly against the cradle. That was when it occurred to him perhaps he should just stay out of it, Heiji was more than competent at the detective field in comparison to Kogoro and even Megure Keibu.
'Even if you give me the words I'm at a loss for, my heart just won't pay attention.'
Perhaps he was too involved now, it was time to take a step back and let the world spin a little. Shinichi looked out the window and decided he would rather be analytical to life outside then in his gloomy house at present. He grabbed a soccer ball and headed for the door to find something to distract his ever present need to solve puzzles. He thought back on his Holmes novels fondly as he turned and locked the door behind him. He closed his eyes and focused hard trying to pick a case to think through.
'If I move myself away, if I change everything, I'll turn it all black.'
He had a case in mind, from the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. He started thinking through the case as his feet lead him towards the park. He started dribbling the ball as he thought to what Watson must have thought when he stumbled upon that scene. A filthy old hat draped over a chair that had been inspected like it was the finest gem on display at a museum. He smiled lightly, then minutely noted the sky looked a lot… smoggier than it had been on his way home with Kid in tow. At the moment it didn't concern him, it was probably just a fire nearby.
He had found it rather… liberating to read a Holmes case that didn't involve some sort of violence. It wasn't his favorite case, being only a few chapters long, he much preferred the Sign of the Four. It took him a little prompting to remember the case, after all he had read the stories so many times they all tended to blend together as a mash of evidence.
'Is there a future for someone like me? Will I still exist in a world like this?'
His feet shuffled forward, still dribbling the soccer ball within detective mode, he barely registered the random event taking place before him. Then the soccer ball dropped, Shinichi paused his thoughts to track down the annoying ball. His senses had him weaving a crowd before the curiosity kicked in, why was there a huge crowd in Beika city park in the first place?
Shinichi darted through the small crowd to find a sack of groceries tipped all over in the middle, a scarf that had been repaired multiple times, and of course a bunch of small children fighting over a sack full of apples. The mortified mothers standing at attention, trying to quiet the small bundles of chaos efficiently; this happened to be futile considering the two crying at the edge of the circle.
He worked his way towards the two and found the first one with a skinned elbow bawling hysterically. She was so pitiful sounding he almost silenced her with a tranquilizer dart, the other was barely crying holding his knee and staring, no make that glaring, at a nearby patch of sidewalk.
'Is this painful? Is it sad? Not even knowing myself.'
One mom came up to the little girl and started to quiet her screeches, most likely from not being the center of attention. The child in front of Shinichi stood after a moment and when back to the apple bag. The adults in the area had dispersed the crowd much like policemen would do after a scuffle or murder. Shinichi was remotely impressed at how easily the rest of the children had separated, that left him with the child with the scuff on his knee, and the whiney girl with her mother, at least she seemed to be her mother. The bag of groceries still lay abandoned on the bench, the apple bag wasn't very far away leading Shinichi to believe they belonged to the same person perhaps.
"Can I take a look?" he asked the other boy who was hovering over the apples. The kid looks over at him shrugs and walks away. Shinichi can hear him muttering, but it isn't what he expected. The boy is muttering about 'why would anyone want a bag of rotten apples?', and how boring it is. Shinichi reaches in the bag and pulls out an apple from the bag sitting on the swing set across to examine the apple. He also is keeping an eye on the grocery bag.
'I'm just tired even of walking, I don't even understand people.'
The apple in his hands actually is not rotten, it is wilted because around the step looks as if it has been cut. Since it is no longer refrigerated the skin is sagging around the outside and feels as though it has been bruised. He gently tugs at the stem, with a soft pop the top part of the core pops out revealing a hole in the fruit. Shinichi lets a genuine expression of shock cross his face, inside the apple in his lap is a small gem.
Shinichi inspects the small stone, having some basic knowledge of precious stones surely helped him now. It was fairly large for a stone, about the size of the average woman's thumbnail, it had a slightly reddish tint to it. Shinichi can't tell if the stone is real or not, he has no idea what it is supposed to be so he places the stem piece back on the apple. After replacing it among the others he sits down on a swing set across from the bags.
'If someone like me can change, if I can change, will I turn white?'
He sits there watching, swinging slowly and watching. He slowly started to lose focus on the apples for the story he had begun before he reached the park. He watched as the world around him started to fade to nineteenth century London, was this what most people called day-dreaming?
Shinichi excepted the gradual fade to London in good stride, all of the children around started to look like English children. Running around a market giving their parents trouble, he watched as a tall bobby came and picked up the groceries with a frown painted across his features. Shinichi's curiosity peaked when the bobby simply left the bags there.
'Even in the midst of flowing time, I feel languid, look, spinning around and around.'
Shinichi could feel his mouth drop, why would the bobby leave the bags when they were abandoned? Shinichi continued to wait, he blinked twice when he saw a limping man, with tawny hair following a quick stepped fellow with a piercing gaze and gray eyes. Shinichi felt his heart stop, that could only be!—
'I can't even see the heart that's leaving me, didn't you know?'
"Holmes!" the tawny haired man called, "wait a second will you?" Shinichi smiled, if that was Holmes, then the limping man could be none other than Dr. Watson. Shinichi watched in amusement as Holmes turned on the groceries picked them up after barely looking at the apple bags. Shinichi spared Watson a glance, Watson was confused but followed limping deeply after Holmes. Shinichi stood and tried to run after them, he was soon met with an unseen obstacle.
'I can't even get myself to move, I continue to be washed down the cracks of time.'
"CLANG!" Shinichi felt like he had just ran into straight into a wall of iron, he watched as Holmes and Watson faded into darkness. He thought, that it was far too bright for 19th century London, at least for Shinichi's opinion, he shielded his eyes trying to block out the pounding headache that threatened to spill defiantly out his ears.
'I don't know anything about what's around me, I'm just me and no more.'
It seemed like he was half suspended in midair, perhaps that was just his outfit being snagged on what ever this thing was that was as cold and irritating as wet snow in your clothes. It was unpleasant and it didn't help with the high pitched noises he was failing to understand at the moment. If he didn't know any better, he'd say he took up sleep walking again judging by the varying degrees of discomfort.
'Am I dreaming? Or seeing nothing? My words are useless even if I speak.'
As he tried to move one arm he heard the noise increase exponentially, not to mention it hurt like hell. He could feel something rolling down his arm slowly now, and his head seemed like he had hit the metal stand of a goalie net instead of the net. He blinked trying to figure out where he had ended up in his dreaming this time.
Colors blurred together with the high pitched warnings that had gone down considerably since he stopped moving. There was a small pink and cream shape that was wobbling back almost warbling and forth with one considerably bigger white form looming behind it. Shinichi fell back into the black for a few moments he was sure, it was a bit of a sensory overload for him at the moment.
'I'm just tired of being sad, I should go on without feeling anything.'
"Conan kun! Stop moving," Ayumi watched her friend who was apparently sleep walking slammed himself into Kudou manor's dark gate. Hands outstretched trying to reach some object he was seeing in his mind, he was still trying to reach it now. His arms were being punctured by the fleur de lee on the gate, blood slowly trickled down his arms as he continued squirming. Ayumi tried to grab his shoulders to stop him, Conan only fought harder until she let go.
'Even if you give me the words I'm at a loss for, my heart just won't pay attention.'
Conan slumped against the gate, his sleeves starting to turn almost black from the blood and the dirt on the gate. Ayumi ran to Agasa's house in a panic, she couldn't just leave Conan there, but she couldn't stay there and watch him bleed himself… well he was already technically unconscious. Point being she was afraid for her friend, to her good fortune the professor answered quickly.
'If I can move, if I change everything, I'll turn it all black.'
"Ayumi chan, where is he?" Agasa was stumbling after her toward Kudo manor when he saw it's young inhabitant tangled up in the massive iron gates. Shinichi had scratched himself up good apparently. The professor took out his key and slowly unlocked the gate as to not jar Shinichi too badly with its movement. He lifted him off the gate and sat him resting against it.
Shinichi did not move, there was an unreadable expression crossing the overly boyish 'Conan' face. Then the small muttering, it wasn't crying coming from the young detective's mouth. The detective was whining about being left behind by Sherlock Holmes? Agasa shook the boy awake, as Shinichi returned to awareness he also changed expressions. A cringe was spreading across his face slowly, Agasa was shaking him where some of the scratches were located.
'Is there a future to come out of this useless time? Will I exist in a place like this?'
"Itai," he breathed slowly as he wrapped one uninjured hand around the one that had liquid running down to his wrist ever so slowly. Shinichi blinked as Agasa's form became clear, as did Ayumi's. He stared at his arm, willing it silently to stop bleeding as it would get him banned from the Kaitou Kid heist for sure.
'If I wanted to tell you what kind of person I am, the words I'd use would be -"good for nothing."-'
Ran was not going to be happy with either of them, especially not Conan who was going to be pulling a lot of disappearing acts in the near future. Shinichi sighed as he allowed himself to be pulled to Agasa's home to have his arms looked at. Kid would not be pleased with him either at this rate. Thankfully the amount of the crimson liquid staining his sleeves was actually more sweat than blood, between his morning run away from the Shonen Tantei, that and then his running at the gate trying to catch Holmes; he had more than enough to account for the liquid coating his arm.
'Will I exist in a place like this? Will I exist in a time like this?'
Shinichi smiled in good fortune as he remembered that the Apotoxin did have one good effect, the scratches would be mostly healed before he entered Haibara's custody. He had several shallow cuts where his arm had scraped quite harshly against the gate, there were only two or three large ones that had provided the majority of the blood that stained his once pristine white shirt.
'If someone like me can change, if I can change, will I turn white?'
Those cuts were treated and wrapped, Ayumi's mother stopped by to get her during the process. After all she couldn't be expected to walk home by herself in the dark, and 'Conan' was not an option seeing as he needed to be treated for the accidental self impalement on the rusty wrought iron gates of the very likely haunted Kudou manor. Shinichi nearly slapped his forehead, she might not have realized he was sleepwalking when he was sleep wrestling the iron gate.
'Am I dreaming now? Or seeing nothing? My words are useless even if I speak.'
He had all but forgotten that most of the Shonen Tantei thought his house was haunted ever since his disappearance. He realized that his house was indeed haunted, if not plagued by phantom thieves, high school detectives, not to mention mass murderers and crazed scientists. He was starting to wonder if things would ever get back to normal, he doubted anything could ever be considered normal in his life…
'I'm just tired of being sad, I should go on without feeling anything.'
At least Ran was normal. Shinichi smiled fondly, yes Ran was about as normal as he was in entirely different world. Ran was a champion when it came to Karate, as good as it gets for a friend, and as dangerous if not more than the blond when in a good rage. Shinichi visible paled when he remembered something she had said, she had in fact mentioned beating the tar out of him for being gone for so long. Or something along those lines, either way he was screwed.
'Even if you give me the words I'm at a loss for, my heart just won't pay attention.'
Sonoko was going to kill him as well, at least if he survived Ran's promised use as a sandbag. Not to mention what he was going to have to tell the Shonen Tantei… Perhaps that could wait a bit longer, he just needed to take one step a time. One small baby step towards freedom, one small leap of faith towards the sunlight.
'If I can move, if I change everything, I'll turn it all black.'
Agasa had left him in the front room to work on something, Shinichi found himself in the professor's kitchen seeking out the coffee that Ai had tried to hide from him weeks before. It never worked, of course she probably didn't realized just how many stashes of coffee the small detective had, or quite how many tracers extra the professor gave him to locate said miracle working drinks.
'If I move, if I move, I'll destroy everything, I'll destroy everything.'
The coffee was poured, drank and re-stashed away to be used at a later date when Ran appeared. She gave him her best ominous glance, that was when Shinichi realized that he as Conan had not called, or given her so much as one word of where he would be. Not only that, it was very close to a time kids that were Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko normally went to bed. Shinichi had only managed to gain half an hour with all the good behavior he could muster.
'If I grieve, if I grieve, can my heart turn white?'
"Conan kun, its time to go home. You have school tomorrow, that is unless of course you want to miss Sonoko at Kid's heist?" Ran's tone held more amusement that threat by that point. She certainly did have a point, Sonoko truly was at her worst fan-girl behavior when attending a Kid Heist. It would make the most excellent blackmail, except of course… That he had no way to use that blackmail with out reveal that he was in fact Shinichi shrunk to a ten year old size.
'I still don't know about you, about myself, about everything.'
He of course knew that if somehow managed that Ran would find out, and oh the gods how Ran had blackmail on him if she ever found out for sure. He shook his head and called out a good bye to Agasa Hakase before setting off with Ran. She seemed to be in a better mood, hopefully she didn't notice his missing bloodstained shirt. He really didn't want to explain that…
'If I can open my heavy eyelids, if I break everything, then turn black!'
"Conan kun, do you think Shinichi will ever be back," she asked solemnly looking down at him. Shinichi wished he could say something other than 'I don't know Ran Neechan,' but honestly he didn't know. He didn't know a lot of things, but there was at least one thing he was absolutely sure of.
Ran was more normal than he was, at least at the moment.
IMPORTANT PLEASE READ a/n 2: poll started. Should Kaitou Kid get a costume if I finish before halloween. Should be able to... Anyways log in and vote, 'tis annonmous.
That is for the kid heist in the next chapter, also there is a line that I would like to put in for the next one. It's a Kaitou related run on sentance, however it truly would be appropriate given its about Kid. Here is the sentance, if you would like this in the story just leave a note in the reviews segment. Thank you for your time, Hittocere
~~~~Original sentence: * Kid checked his sleeves and hidden pockets, (on the right side on his person he found… smoke bombs, dye, at least four decks of cards, handkerchiefs, red and white roses, pigeons, doves, tar, flour, and superglue. On the left… Silly string, high tension cable, confetti, flash bombs, clovers, wax molds, lock picks, Bobbie pins, face make up, latex masks, the card gun and spare ammo… In between in some interesting places: Tranquilizer gas, fake Bismarck sapphire, and his personal favorite, the walkie-talkie of doom.) he found just the thing hiding in a small inner pocket.~~~~
Yes or no, Thank you again.