FEH holy crow. Once a week? PAHAHAHA! FUNNY! GOOD JOKE STREAKZ! -shotdead-
MY FIRST YEAR OF COLLEGE = OFFICIALLY OVER!
I'm very happy ahahaha. Sad thing though, no internet at home. (Well, okay that's a lie. The old comp has dial-up, but I hate that computer and wrestling with it makes my head hurt…)
No worries, I can walk to the library and get on there.
AND I have a ton of free time (for now, I've gotta get a job though so I'm not at all sure how long that'll last…) so yay I getta write. XD
BLANK (Lol you don't have a username...) - Ahahaha, yeah, didn't...update weekly. -fails so hard- Ayumu IS actually an OC. I never realized that I just randomly tossed so many of them in there. Eh, whatevs. DC has a bunch of random characters that just pop up all the time anyways. XD
Serendipital- I blame college...for the...y'know, wait for this last one. XD (Okay, College and my RPG site, I can't help it if it's fun though owo)
Pally- LOL geez, I just realized that I left off at a terribly exciting part. That wasn't all that nice of me. XD
Aleathiel Elendil- This love is a thrill shock suspense~ Seriously that's what first went through my head reading your review. XD I thought it was pretty fantastic. Hence why I decided to randomly share that piece of beautiful glorious information to you. XD Oh god, I feel bad about the Cliffhanger thing because this chapter...literally doesn't show you what happened to Fang. -coughs- I'm one of those awful authors that just leaves you hanging for chapter after chapter while you're inwardly screaming 'ARGH I DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS, I WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO FAAAAAAAANG!'
Chapter Ten - Of Worries and Thieves
The dreams were always filled with blood now. Or at least, I assume that's what they were. The time I fell asleep with Mikey and Shiho was literally the last decent sleep I'd had. Nearly a week had passed, and the dreams were worse than before.
Yes, you heard me correctly. Worse. It wasn't just the scene of my death back then playing itself over and over (complete with agony that didn't leave when I woke up anymore) but there were worse things mixed in with it. The strange amphitheater room with the gurney, whatever strange surgical things happening there. Fang, with his hands at my throat, his eyes as black as coals.
Other things too. Another blood filled dream to line up with the nightmares, take their ranks. It's odd to say that I know it's terrifying.
I'm sitting on the hill that I first saw stars on. My legs dangling over the edge, there's something solid in my hand. I can feel it beating somehow, in time with my own heartbeat. And each slight pulsing of the object sent pins and needles up my arm. It was nearly painful, yet I couldn't bring myself to let go…or look at it.
Maybe it doesn't seem so terrifying. Even with the sun setting and changing the sky to a deep shade of red that seems to be the theme of all my dreams, it seems just like a normal thing. A sunset on a hillside. Apart from the fact that I can see it of course, there doesn't seem to be anything odd about it.
Except that my hands are soaked in blood. Just dripping in it, and I know somehow, that if I look down someone will be dead at the bottom. The person is different every time. But it's always, always somebody I care about.
You can hardly blame me then, for not wanting to sleep. So it was that I was sitting in my room with Mikey on my lap, my hand rhythmically stroking the dark gray fur of his pelt. I was exhausted, and to be honest the motion was more than likely going to put me to sleep.
What did I do? Fight sleep, or just endure the nightmares? Even when I woke with either my stomach wrenching in horror, a numbness that terrified me, or the agony of my death…is it something so easy to put myself through?
I was beginning to consider just talking to Agasa. Maybe getting him to make me some kind of magical experimental drug or something that would just put me to sleep without the threat of dreams. Hell, maybe I could just dope myself up so much that I'd be completely knocked out every night.
I was starting to get a little irritable during the day. Which, you know, with me isn't something super subtle. Let's face it, I'm not mister happy-pants. So it's hardly unnoticeable when I become even MORE likely to snarl something rude at people.
It was only a matter of time before someone decided to say something about it. And he hated that, to be honest with you. He had a hard time dealing with people prying into his personal affairs. Even when those people were just ones that genuinely cared about him.
It was an old habit he was sure, from back when he was running away from people all the time with the flock. No trusting anybody, not easily at least, and old habits die hard. Believe me, I know it better than a lot of people.
I sighed to myself, my eyes were starting to droop. Damn, I didn't want to fall asleep. In fact, it was about the last thing I wanted at this point. No, maybe I was a coward, but I didn't want to face sleep at this moment.
I jerked into a full upright position, my eyes stretching wide for a moment and my heart racing. I heard something, some kind of sound at my window. For a moment I didn't know what to do, or to say even, and then I heard it again. A sort of impatient tap.
Cautiously I pulled myself out of the bed and went to the window, I don't know what caused me to pull it open, I just did. The next thing I knew I was hearing the sound of a billowing cape, and was aware of the fact that someone else was in the room with me.
"It's always good to see that you're well, Iggy-kun." The voice took me a moment to register. Hell, for the smallest amount of moments I thought that maybe it was Shinichi. But there was something too mischievous in that tone, despite the heavy sense that who I was speaking to happened to be incredibly arrogant.
"You make it sound like you see me a lot, which, as far as I know you don't." I said, my voice coming out as an irritable growl. I sat down on my bed, and arched my eyebrows in the direction of my night visitor. Mikey was up on his paws, and his purring had stopped on account of the fact that I wasn't petting him anymore. "What do you want, Kaitou Kid? Something tells me that Shinichi isn't going to appreciate you resurfacing in his own house."
I could hear the smirk in his voice, something I was almost certain that Shinichi could only do. That is, until now. "Tantei-kun shouldn't know I'm here, that is, unless you tell him."
"Are you seriously underestimating Kudou Shinichi? You're not nearly as smart as people seem to make you out to be." I said, my tone was rather dry, and I was wishing that this idiot thief would just get to his point instead of bothering me in the middle of the bloody night.
I didn't know much about Kaitou Kid to be honest with you. I haven't had nearly as many run ins with the guy as Shinichi has, just the time at the mall and the fall of the organization to be brutally honest with you.
In fact, the fall was apparently the last time Kid had shown up…anywhere. No more heists followed that, not a single one. It was as if the thief had just dropped off the face of the planet. I remember Ran mentioning something about the detective in charge of Kid's cases being obsessed with the thought that the thief was still hanging around somewhere.
Well, obviously he'd been right.
"Oh I haven't underestimated Tantei-kun, I'm prepared for him to bust into this room because his detective senses start tingling." Kaitou Kid spoke in a lofty and confident manner. There was an odd mingling of seriousness and overall playfulness that just draped over his words. Mostly though there was that arrogance. Like he could steal the moon and no person would be able to stop him.
"You going to get to your point, or are you just some kind of creeper?" I finally said. Kaitou Kid chuckled, though he didn't seem to be in any sort of hurry at all at the moment. The thief was rather quiet for a few brief moments, and I wondered if he was doing something elaborate and theatrical.
All well and good, y'know, guy can do whatever theatrics he wants. Still, KIND of annoying when you happened to be unable to see any of those said theatrics. The point sort of gets lost when you're hanging around with a blind person.
"I seem to have lost touch with a good friend of mine." Kaitou Kid spoke very slowly, thoughtfully. I had the sudden sensation that as arrogant as he seemed, as mischievous as his tones could be, the thief didn't say anything without thinking of what words he was going to speak very carefully.
"Nice, what do you want me to do about it? Sniff them out like a hound dog? You're better off talking to Shinichi about someone who has gone missing." I said, picking Mikey up and setting him in my lap. The cat started to purr, and I pressed my face against his forehead.
"I never necessarily said someone went missing." Kaitou Kid said, sounding almost amused.
"Well then what the hell do you want me for?" I growled, my patience was slowly beginning to wear thin. And, heh, I really don't HAVE much patience to begin with. It's probably one of the reasons I wasn't part of the group that lead the Flock around. That was always the job of Max and Fang.
That, and I think my blindness had something to do with it as well, though neither of them ever said as much. I was always considered in the same group as the other kids, even though I was just as old as Fang and Max. It's not exactly something I like to talk about.
Not that I resent it or something. Just that…okay, maybe I resent it a little bit. I don't think you can really blame me in this particular scenario though. It's hard. Just because people don't SAY my blindness will get in their way doesn't mean I don't realize it.
I'm blind, not stupid.
"I didn't say somebody DIDN'T go missing either. Just that I never specifically said that a person went missing." Kid's voice was light, but I was detecting a slight edge to it. It's hard to say. Kaitou Kid is KNOWN for having a pokerface, and hiding his emotions very well.
Still, I was used to sensing how people felt in different ways. I can't see facial expressions, so I rely on the tone of a person's voice, and the overall atmosphere AROUND them to get a feel for how someone is feeling.
I narrowed my eyes, still focusing on scratching Mikey behind the ears. The cat seemed to enjoy that, though he liked having his chin scratched even more. If I didn't know any better I would have thought…I cleared my throat, "Well again, if someone is missing there's not much I can do. I learned the hard way that being blind makes it a bit tough to go looking for someone. You want Shinichi for that."
"I don't think…Tantei-kun should get himself mixed up in this unless it's absolutely necessary." The seriousness in his tone was no joke, there was something almost chilling about it. Like he was warning me. And suddenly I knew that if Shinichi didn't figure out that Kaitou Kid was here, I was probably not going to tell him about it.
Not because I would be covering for the thief, do not misunderstand. That wasn't my thought at all. No, it was the sudden sense that there was a heavy gravity in the room. Like Kaitou Kid and his friend had been treading in dangerous territory, and now I was about to start walking there as well.
"So…you have a feeling about these people. You think you might know who it is that made your friend disappear?" I said slowly, it was almost a rhetorical question because I was already pretty sure of the answer. I wondered, suddenly, if this was how Shinichi felt when he was solving his cases. Like all the questions he asked were merely for show.
"I have a fair idea." Kaitou Kid's words were dark, and I could understand how people found this person so mysterious. A conundrum of a thief, the sort of person you automatically wanted to trust despite your logic.
"These people are dangerous then. If you don't want Shinichi involved, it's not because you don't think he can handle it, but because you don't want someone to get hurt if you can help it right?" My tone was sharp. I was done beating around the bush for his answers, the thief was going to get to his point and he was going to get to it at MY pace. I wasn't jumping through any hoops for this.
"Possibly more dangerous than the syndicate." Kid said, and I felt suddenly like I'd been socked in the gut. Someone more dangerous than the people who had nearly killed us? Someone more dangerous than Them? The people that Shiho had been terrified of, the people that shrank Shinichi and I. The people who were damn GOOD at keeping themselves hidden…
Fantastic.
"Shinichi isn't likely to appreciate me keeping something like that secret from him." I said, not to mention that keeping secrets from him was something nearly impossible. I felt like I was going to be sick. Not this whole scenario again. It pissed Max off then, and I knew it would piss off Shinichi now if I kept him out of the loop. I blinked, "Why are you telling ME all of this? Why do you think I should be involved?"
"Because you basically already are." Kid said, and I felt confusion swamp me. Uh…okay. So somehow I got myself in a buttload of trouble without realizing it. That's nice. "My friend who went missing, you know who he is."
I suddenly felt sick. Somebody I knew, but a person that wasn't close enough to Shinichi to drag him into it. That took out practically every person I met in Japan. Hell, you might as well say that it DID take out every person I met in Japan. The only people I was close to here were Hattori, Kazuha, Kogoro, Ran, a few police officers, the detective boys, Shiho, Agasa…
All people who had something to do with Shinichi in some way, shape or form. You know who that left for Kaitou Kid's mystery friend group? Yeah, people from the Flock. And there was only one Flock member that was even IN Japan right now.
"Fang." I croaked, feeling half sick to my stomach. Kid didn't reply, but really did he have to? I groaned, pushing Mikey from my lap. The cat thudded onto the ground, and made some sound of indignance before leaving us to our peace. "Damn idiot, what did he DO?"
"He got himself caught, or at least that's what I suspect." Kid said thoughtfully, that edge to his voice was easier to place now. Worry, Kid was worried about Fang. I was wondering how the hell my friend even KNEW the thief, let alone what the two were up to.
"You said I had something to do with this." I growled, I found my head snapping up, and judging from the way the thief stopped wandering around the room, I'm pretty sure I landed a bulls-eye with my glare. Heh, I knew very well that it can be kind of creepy when a blind person seems to be staring right at you. And I've gotten kind of good at that.
"I'm not sure what, Iggy-kun." Kid spoke calmly, his tone was quiet. "Or how you've got something to do with this. It was something that Fang-kun knew, but I didn't ask him about it. Perhaps it was unwise of us not to trade information, but he is…not the trusting sort."
I gave a slight smile. No, I figured Fang wouldn't be quick to trust the thief either. Though I had to wonder how Kid even pertained to any of this at all…or why he was back after his absence. There were a lot of questions, but not much I could do to ask them.
"And…what do you want me to do?" I asked, knowing that as I said the words there was something else being spoken as well. What did this thief want me to do…without telling Kudou Shinichi? It was going to be tough keeping a secret from Shinichi, but then, I had managed to keep the bird thing a secret…at least for a little while.
If I stayed calm, played my cards right, and didn't say something stupid, he didn't have to get involved. Granted he was going to be furious when this was all over and he figured it out. Oh, yes, I was more than certain he'd probably blow up or something equally catastrophic.
Detective brain chunks flying everywhere around the room. It'll be a sight to see, too bad I'm blind eh?
"Two heads are better than one, Iggy-kun." Kid said, that amusement and mischief once more entering his tone. I heard the window open, and was aware of the rush of cool night air. "I need your help finding your friend, and if we cannot do that then I need you to help me find out what he found that made him drop off the face of the planet."
"You think Fang found something?" I said the words hastily, trying to get them in before Kid made whatever dramatic exit he was planning to make at this moment in time. There was a small pause, and I heard the sound of his gloves sliding across the brim of a silk hat.
I suddenly had a very vivid picture of him in my mind's eye. He was there, during the time I was killed. Someone in the background. A magician with a white cloak and a white top hat, and a monocle. The memory must have lent to the picture in my head, because for a brief moment I could have sworn that I literally saw him there, at the window. With moonlight streaming in my room, that arrogant smirk on his face.
"I know he did." The thief said, and then he was gone, and I was alone in the darkness. Blind like always, and too keyed up to sleep. I stayed where I was for a moment, just staring blankly into the darkness that my world always had.
After a moment I sighed, and my fingers closed around my cellphone. Kid said that I shouldn't get Shinichi involved, and I wouldn't. But this was Flock business, clearly, and Max…I wasn't going to keep her out of this. Not this time.
Aoko was pretty sure she could be put into a category that certainly was separate from your average high school student. Not that she was the sort that thought she was better than everyone else, or even wanted such a division.
It's just that…well, sometimes things are that way.
Her reasoning behind such a thing isn't exactly unfounded. Oh no, she doesn't just say it to set herself apart in any way or something like that. No, there's good solid evidence to back that up. Like the fact that last year she was kidnapped.
She's pretty sure that doesn't happen to your average Joe on the street. And to be honest, it wasn't something that just flitted out of your mind all easy like either. She wasn't scarred by it persay. She knew that something far worse could have happened to her that day.
That wasn't to say she hadn't been TERRIFIED. She had been. Utterly and totally terrified. A person doesn't really remain inwardly calm when they happen to be tossed into a cell in a basement. Oh most assuredly NOT.
Aoko shuddered slightly at the memory, her dark blue eyes sliding closed in the darkness. Yes, she was pretty sure most girls didn't get kidnapped in their life…and she was even more certain that those girls didn't hide that fact from their fathers.
Yes, she hadn't spoken a word of that to her father. She didn't even let him know she'd been KIDNAPPED. The girl had gone and taken a fall for something she seriously couldn't help. Hell, she hadn't WANTED to be kidnapped.
Still, she'd convinced her dad that she had merely gone to stay with Kaito, without saying anything about it at all. She could remember the wide-eyed look Kaito had given her when the words tumbled from her mouth.
It was easier that way though. Easier because she didn't have to explain who had kidnapped her. Easier because she didn't have to explain WHY, which was delving into dangerous territory. Easier, because she didn't go near the subject of that other thing that set her apart from most high school students.
That her best friend, Kuroba Kaito, was the Phantom Thief, Kaitou Kid.
Aoko sighed to herself. Granted he had told her, as the police had swarmed about like madmen, trying to capture those organization members that hadn't been killed and cuff them, as the ambulance stood and the boy who had been dead, but was somehow alive, had been pushed inside…he had told her then that he was done.
"I suppose there is no need, for Kaitou Kid any longer." He had muttered, his tone had been oddly sad at that moment, not in the way of someone disappointed for not being able to do something any longer, but the voice of a person saying goodbye to a long kept friend.
Aoko slammed her desk drawer shut, wincing as it crushed her pinky finger. With a hiss she pulled it from the drawer, and stuck it in her mouth. Her expression was sour she was sure. The girl felt a flash of irritation.
He promised. She thought, twitching, He promised.
Well, not really. He hadn't said that he would stop being Kid. Still, it had come as somewhat as a shock to her when he slid up to her in the hall, and whispered those words in her ear. Kid is back. She didn't know if he was planning to steal something, or WHAT, just that he had spoken those words, and melted into the crowd.
It was frustrating, because she couldn't exactly confront him about it in class. And he'd disappeared nearly right after the bell had rung, leaving her to walk home alone and become rather irritated with her boyfriend and former (she hoped) phantom thief.
"You mad at your desk?" Kaito's smooth tone was somehow unfamiliar, even though he didn't actually change it all that much to act as Kid. Aoko whirled, her blue eyes flattening and becoming rather unamused at the sight of him sitting at her windowsill with his white suit, and hat tipped low over his eyes.
"Baka." She hissed, trying not to let her gaze linger on him for too long. It was unfortunate really, that Kaito could pull off his role of phantom thief oh so well. He was almost like a stranger to her as Kid, a very sexy mysterious stranger.
Strange, how she could think of him in that manner, since she knew it was him.
"Noooo, you're mad at me." He said, lightly removing his cloak and hat. There was a moment of pink smoke, and then he was in front of her, mischievous grin plastered on his features, all the Kid get up gone. Aoko tried to keep her glare level, but it was hard. "Mou, Aokooooo don't be such a gruuuump."
She twitched but took a deep breath. "Are you going to tell me why? Or just that it's happening?"
"What's happening?" Kaito said, blinking his blue eyes in a manner that made her seriously wonder how he managed to be wily enough to get out of some of the situations he had in the past. The magician tilted his head to one side, in a manner that was actually rather cute.
Damn it, it was harder to stay mad at him now that they were more than 'just-friends'. Back then she would have scolded herself for thinking him cute. He had been her best friend. Now that they were officially an item she didn't technically have that cushion anymore.
"Oooooh, you mean the Kid thing." He said, sudden dawning lighting up his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her neck, somehow switching their places on her, so that he was sitting in the chair and she was suddenly in his lap. She blinked, disoriented for a moment. "Sorry Aoko, a man has to have his secrets."
There was worry there, hidden beneath the joy in his eyes. It was strange how he could pull the wool over most anyone's eyes, but she had learned to read him…no, read THROUGH him better than anyone he ever ran into. She prided herself in it, it made her happy to know that while the rest of the world might not know what Kaito really had on his mind…
She always would.
"It's dangerous isn't it." She muttered, her dark blue eyes pinning his own gaze down. The magician didn't move, just became very still. "You don't want me involved."
"I'm being VERY careful." He whispered, as if to assure her. Aoko had heard the story of why he first became Kid a thousand times, long story short, to destroy the dangerous Pandora Gem. Well…it HAD been destroyed. Not by Kaito, but by that girl, when she brought the little boy back.
Aoko couldn't help but think that, out of the people present there that day, she was probably the one who knew the least about it. It wasn't that anybody had said anything to her, or that they were even talking to each other in a manner that suggested that. In fact, Aoko hadn't seen ANY of the people besides Kaito since that day, though she kept in touch with Max.
There was just the feeling that there were other things, and she didn't know them. Aoko was uncertain whether to take it in stride, just shrug and accept that people had secrets and she, as a stranger to them, had no right to learning any of them. Or if she should feel left out.
"Are you alright?" Kaito asked, making her start a little. He was looking at her with open concern. His blue eyes were so expressive. She wondered how he could possibly cover his emotions up the way he did sometimes. "You seem a little out of it."
"Barro." She said, watching as he pulled a wounded look at the insult, "I'm fine. Just tired. It IS three thirty in the morning, and I've been up all night…"
"Waiting for me? I didn't tell you I was coming though." Kaito muttered, frowning as if he was trying to remember. Aoko laughed, pressing her lips to his for a brief moment. She loved the way he instantly relaxed, like just that simple action could wipe all the thoughts from his head.
"No, but I expected you to." She muttered, "And you haven't let me down yet."
"For the MILLIONTH time." I said as I shoved toast in my mouth. I was really regretting calling Max last night. Though the constant calls to my cellphone had been handy in keeping me up all night. I heard Shinichi pause in his cereal munching and I forced myself not to lower my voice. "I don't KNOW anything Max. If I did I'd tell you."
See you may be wondering why I decided not to lower my voice. Well I live with a detective. Who happens to be very nosy. I decided to use a bit of what I like to call reverse psychology. Lowering my voice meant I was trying to keep something from him, which would make him interested in what I was talking about.
See? I'm a clever little blind bird kid.
"Like you told me when you got shrunk." She spat, and I very nearly dropped the phone as I winced. She heaved a tired sounding sigh, "I'm sorry Ig, I just…I'm worried about him."
"I'll kick his ass when I see him if you like." I said cheerily, sitting down at the table. I was trying to speak in a manner that wouldn't raise Shinichi's suspicions too much. "Or should I say 'kick his ass again' considering I did that once already."
"I bet he didn't fight back." Max said, there was the ghost of a smile in her voice, and though the jab irritated me to no end (because Fang DIDN'T fight back) I found myself feeling a little better for injecting even a little bit of amusement into Max's life.
"Whatever. So are you guys coming here or what?" I muttered, stealing whatever Shinichi had been drinking and ignoring his irritated grunt. Orange juice. Who in the world drank orange juice with cereal anyways? I deserved that drink.
"Yeah, we're going to take off this afternoon. Probably be there in a few days. Three at the most." Max said, sounding a little distracted. I bit back a yawn as I shoved another piece of toast in my mouth. Darn, this was probably going to be my only breakfast for the whole day. "Do you think we can stay with you guys?"
I winced. With captain suspicious? I tried to think up a reason on the spot for saying no, when I heard something fall on the kitchen floor. It shattered, and I jumped, aware suddenly that Shinichi was gasping with pain, and breathing in a manner that seemed difficult. "Whoa, are you okay?"
"What happened?" Max asked, and I set the phone down, suddenly incredibly concerned for my adoptive brother. He wasn't ANSWERING me, that was the scary part. Not a grunt, or even anything to tried to wave off my concern. "Ig?"
"Shinichi?" I asked, trying not to sound nearly as panicked as I felt. And I DID feel panicked, incredibly so. He made a small choked sound of pain, and I was half terrified that someone had poisoned him. That some person he'd put away, or a relative of theirs or something had actually put poison in my brother's food, and that he was dying or something. "Oh god, oh god, oh god."
Thing I have learned. Apparently when dealing with a medical emergency I freaking SUCK at being helpful. Repeating 'oh god' over and over? Yeah, that doesn't DO ANYTHING. Sheesh, I half wanted to bash my head into the tile under our feet, but I didn't think that would help things any more than my mindless repeating of words.
"Ran, I'm calling Ran." I said, diving for my cellphone and mashing the buttons in my panic, completely forgetting that I happened to have Max ALREADY on the line. I felt a jolt of panic bolt through me. God DAMN it what the hell was wrong with me?
"Don't." Shinichi croaked, he sounded shaky, and something niggled in the back of my head, but I was too relieved to pay any attention to it. He coughed, "I'm fine. I just…was a little dizzy for a bit."
"Dizzy." I said flatly. Because I'm not an idiot. He was in pain. But he didn't sound like he was dying now. Like he was shaken a bit, and tired, but not like he was dying. "You…you were in pain for a bit there Shinichi."
"I'm fine." The detective nearly snarled the words, and I knew that if I pushed it anymore, his patience was bound to snap. I fell quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say or even do. Shinichi must have been picking up the pieces of the bowl, and I left the room and stood in the hall.
"Is everything alright?" Max said, knowing I could hear her even without my ear pressed to the phone. I swallowed, and it took me a moment to realize I was being an idiot an nodding my head.
"Yeah, I think." I found myself speaking in a low tone despite myself. I was shaken now, reverse psychology wasn't exactly something that was running through my head at the moment. I walked away from the hall and headed to my room, "Yeah, he just had some sort of…I dunno what. I think he's okay though."
"Are YOU alright? You seem shaken." Max's tone was concerned. I WAS shaken.
I don't know if people realize how much Shinichi means to me. I don't mean to get sappy or something stupid like that. It's just that…I lived with the Flock my whole life. I chose him, my adoptive brother, over them. Because we were more than friends. We really were brother's. Family.
Granted I chose Shiho over them too, but still. Shinichi was every bit as close to me, if not closer, than most of the members in the Flock that I grew up with. I don't think that even ballparks it, saying he's like my brother to me. There's like this deeper level of trust there.
I don't trust people easily, alright?
"We'll find someplace else to stay. Sounds like you guys are kind of busy working something out." Max said, I had no idea what she meant by that. Maybe me dragging him to the hospital or something to make sure he wasn't, in fact, dying of some crazy illness. My eyes narrowed, there was something familiar about that though…
"Something…" I muttered, this was something important, I was thinking…something about this…
"You said we had an ally by the way." Max said, I jerked from my thoughts, trying to drag my mindset back to the conversation I'd been having moments before my brother had scared the holy living crap out of me. "You have yet to tell me his name."
"Kaitou Kid." I said, "He popped up in my bedroom last night, believe it or not. Creeper."
"K-Kid?" Max said, she sounded stunned, and I could hardly assume why. She laughed after a moment, and I was suddenly incredibly confused. Great, I'm the only one in the club who has no idea what's going on with anything. "Heh, I guess he does technically owe us for that one time."
"Huh?" I said, blinking a little.
"Nevermind. Do you know if you can get ahold of him when we get there? Anything at all?" She asked, her tone was serious. I frowned, uh, no. Actually I had absolutely no idea how in the world I would contact the Phantom Thief. "Well try and figure it out before we get there."
"Sure thing, MOM." I said, she snorted a little irritably, but I found myself smiling a bit. I missed Max, and I was glad that she seemed to be less angry with me now. She was someone I looked up to. Well…erm, not looked. Hahaha, get it because…never mind.
Max hung up the phone, her dark brown eyes were starting to droop with exhaustion. This time difference made it hard to converse with Iggy. Though, soon enough, they'd all be there in three days or so. If things went well.
Her stomach wrenched with worry, and she turned her face to stare out the window. Was Fang going to be alright? Some part of her was wondering if she'd be able to tell. To feel it, in her heart, whether he was gone or not.
The time on the gurney flashed in her head, and she felt nearly sick. That moment…it had nearly crushed her. And when he left after all of that, it had practically torn her heart to pieces. Wasn't she better off just ignoring Fang?
Wasn't she better off without him?
The leader of the Flock grit her teeth. Funny, how she had conditioned herself to never think that way. No matter how angry she was at him. No matter what stupid things he did. No matter how many pieces he tore her heart into…
Fang was part of the Flock. Her Flock. Just like Iggy was. It didn't matter if he said he quit. You didn't quit the Flock. Because the thing is…it wasn't just a group of crazy hybrid kids running everywhere. It wasn't just that they survived so many things together. It wasn't just that they were friends.
They were FAMILY. You didn't quite being a part of a family when you went away. It just meant you were growing up, and that you were moving on to other things. But the thing is, the old ties with your family didn't dissolve, they didn't go away.
And Max…she'd do anything for her family.
"Are we going on another trip?" Gazzy asked, standing where he was, rubbing his eyes, Max wondered if she should just leave him at home. She quickly abandoned the thought. Young or old, they were all in this together.
"Yeah." She said, her dark eyes flicking to Nudge's. The girl looked just as tired as Gazzy, and Max was aware that they'd been staying up to hear the end of her conversation with Iggy. To hear exactly what was going on. "We've got to save someone's feathered-butt again."
"We should get badges or something. Or maybe hats. Oh, I think we could start wearing uniforms. Cause, you know, we seem to be heading off on rescue missions an awful lot. Or, oh my gosh, HEY MAX, we could totally be super heroes! Oh my gosh, I can't believe we didn't think of this before!" Nudge prattled, and Max smiled for a moment to herself.
Sometimes, even when you were on the brink of panic, you had to take enjoyment in those little things.
"Everyone else is asleep." Gazzy mumbled, "Dylan sent them to bed…"
"You guys better go to sleep to." Max said, and quickly corrected herself, "Actually WE better go to bed. We're going to be flying tomorrow. But hey, in three days or so, we'll get to see Iggy."
After a few wayward questions, to which Max just said she'd explain in the morning, the two remaining members of the Flock were off to bed. Max herself slid underneath her covers. It would probably be the last bed for a few days that they were going to be sleeping in. A luxury she'd gotten slightly used to, she was a little ashamed to say.
Still, she sighed to herself, holding her hand to her heart. No, even if Fang tore her to pieces, she'd still come and rescue him. She loved him, even if he didn't love her back. Even if he didn't want to see her. You're going to be alright Fang. She thought, eyes sliding closed. You better be alright.
AND it's done -jazzhands-
Wow, lot happening in this chapter. So you guys still don't know what's happened to Fang (SORRY), but the Flock's heading over to Japan!
Le-gasp, how in the world is Kaito involved in all this madness anyways? When in the world did he meet Fang? And did I write him alright? It feels weird now XD because I'm now used to thinking of him as Glow's character, and I kept telling myself she'd be able to do it better. e_e; yes. I can shamelessly take characters from REAL authors and such and confidently write them out, but give me one my friend usually plays and I feel like I'm doing it wrong.
I was much more comfortable writing out Aoko XD I love Aoko, have you guys learned that? Favorite DC character right there. And since I LOVE writing with her there will probably be more of her in future chapters (YAYAYAY XD)
Also, poor Shinichi :C
And Max -sniff- oh gosh.
Anyways, R&R, sorry for the long wait. You know I love you all right? XD