Hey, so sorry that this took so long to upload, but it's kinda long, so maybe it'll make up for it? anyways, i don't know if any of you noticed in my last chapter but i got the japanese honorifics incorrect(and if you're reading this now, you'll realize that they're not wrong anymore! i went back and fixed them! Yay!), and my great reviewer Mai-chan63 (read her fanfics, they're great ^.^) pointed this out to me. so in this chapter, things will be a little switched up. Toichi will now be referred to as Kuroba-san, Kaito will be Kuroba-kun, and Chikage will be Chikage. Shinichi will be easy to recognize, but i just wanted to warn you before hand, so when you read, you won't get mixed up! Thanks for all the support people, and enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 10
Heiji was nervous. He'd called Shinichi like he always did, and was shocked to hear her talking to another person. After a while of listening, he recognized the voice as Kuroba Kaito, the guy from the heist that had flirted with Shinichi since the moment they'd met.
Heiji had refrained from asking why Kuroba was at her house, feeling that he'd pried in her life enough already. He wanted her to be happy, although sometimes he wanted to be selfish and just take her for himself, locking her to him forever so that she'd never have another thought about another man. But Heiji wasn't that selfish. At least, not yet.
Sighing, Heiji decided that he'd visit her in a couple of days. He knew that he couldn't leave that day, or else Kazuha would have a mental and emotional breakdown. So he resignedly sat back and waited patiently for Kazuha to show up and prove her 'no, really, I'm happy for the two of you' again. It was torture for both of them, but Kazuha was too stubborn to stop.
Oh well.
…
Shinichi was laughing. That alone surprised her. She wasn't a frown-all-the-time kind of person, but she definitely didn't laugh a lot. And yet, here she was, laughing at something that Kaito had said. It was nice, really, to laugh and to actually mean it.
"So, do you like me enough to dump Baka—" Kaito's nickname for Hattori that Shinichi didn't approve of, "—or do I still got a ways to go?" Shinichi just rolled her eyes and stood, looking at some of the now familiar picture frames or their small family. They all looked so happy. As she was thinking of this, her stomach suddenly grumbled and she blushed slightly as Chikage, Kaito's wonderful mother, grinned and headed for her kitchen to get the teenager some food. Chikage proved to be a great cook, and absolutely adored Shinichi, along with the fact that she could communicate with her husband.
Toichi waved, grabbing her attention, and she listened as he said, "Tell Kaito that I see him in your near future, your romantic future." His eyebrows wiggled, and she laughed. She knew that Toichi couldn't see the future, and just wanted to mess with his son. It seemed to be a trait passed on through genes.
"Kuroba-kun, Kuroba-san says that he sees you in my near, romantic future." Kaito hooted excitedly and stood up, hugging his mother as she came in with refreshments.
"Hear that, Okaa-san?" he asked excitedly, twirling her around like a dancer, skillfully maneuvering the tray of tea and snacks so it sat on the couch, safe, and continued, "She loves me! She loves me!" Shinichi's eyebrow rose slightly, more of a twitch really, and forced her mouth to not smile.
"Does she now?" Chickage asked and I smirked at how dubious the woman sounded. The tone of her voice made Kaito's happiness die down slightly, and he sat back down.
"Alright, alright. So maybe she doesn't love me yet, but she will!" he vowed and Shinichi snorted. Chikage smiled at her enthusiastic son before pouring some tea in a cup for Shinichi.
"Here you are, dear," she said, and Shinichi felt warm at the endearment. Her parents usually never called her anything but annoying nicknames, making her hate anything but her full name, but when Chikage called her 'dear' or 'sweetheart' she felt happier.
"By the way, Shinichi," Kaito interrupted her thoughts, and then asked, "who called you? You didn't seem very happy to speak to them." Shinichi felt annoyed that he'd asked, but sighed heavily.
"Hattori. He called to say that he'd visit in a few days. I think he recognized you, but I'm not sure, since he didn't say anything. Who knows with him?" She wished the look of anger would leave Kaito's face, but knew it was impossible. Hattori and Kaito just weren't meant to mix. Ever.
Kaito stood and paced in front of the couch he'd been sitting on and Shinichi watched with slight amusement as Toichi mirrored his son but was standing behind the couch, holding his chin the same way Kaito was.
"Calm down, Kuroba-kun, it's okay," she tried to get him to sit back down, but he just rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"What did I tell you about calling me 'Kuroba-kun'? I don't like it! We're close enough that you can call me Kaito and I'll call you Shinichi! We agreed!" he insisted, making her eyebrow twitch again.
"Oh, we did, did we?" she asked coolly, and Kaito realized he might've stretched the truth a bit (just a bit, really!) and immediately pulled out a white rose, asking for her forgiveness.
"I just wish you'd call me by my name," he sighed, lying down on the couch, his head on his mother's lap, his long legs hanging off the opposite edge. Shinichi rolled her eyes and glanced at Toichi as a distraction from the lo—like, (don't get too far ahead of yourself, girl) in Kaito's voice.
Toichi noticed her look and grinned. He knew that she didn't want to love Kaito, but seemed to be leaning towards it more and more as they spent more time together. He knew that, and he cheered them on, saying that he would back his son up on whatever—or whoever—the boy chose.
Aah, a reminder of one of the many things that confused Shinichi about this man. He loved his son so much, more than Shinichi had thought possible. After all, from her experience with parents, children were just a necessity, not as important as traveling the world, or doing what they liked. So this determination from Toichi confused her like no puzzle or case ever had before.
Toichi interrupted her thoughts, saying, "Don't think you can run away from a Kuroba, Shinichi-chan! We're the most stubborn people you'll ever meet!" he informed her cheerfully. She scowled at him, crossing her arms across her chest and turning her head away from him childishly.
"Then you don't know me very well, Kuroba-san!" she said stubbornly. Kaito and Chikage watched with interest as she had a conversation with their dead father and husband. "I'm more stubborn than you'd think!" Toichi just laughed and moved to sit underneath Kaito's legs on the couch, simply falling through the boy like he wasn't even there, and laughed again at her sick expression. Every time he did that, she felt like she was going to hurl, but she got it under control. Eventually.
"You okay, Shin-chan?" Shinichi nodded, and then scowled at Kaito. Of course he would shorten her name even more, and to something ridiculous, too.
"Yeah, I'm just thoroughly disgusted by ghosts," was all she would say about it, and decided to tell Kaito that she needed to go home. She had some things there that she wanted to finish. Namely, a new mystery book that she'd bought from the bookstore down the street from her house. "I've gotta go, Kuroba-kun, Chikage. I'll see you later." Kaito pouted, folding his arms across his chest like a child while Chikage quickly stood.
"Wait, Shinichi!" she called, and Shinichi looked back at her as she slipped her shoes back on. She came back with a large basket, telling Shinichi, "This is enough food to last you the day, right?" The look she gave the mother told her exactly how long this would last, which was probably forever. Shinichi had never held so much food at one time before. It seemed wrong, but she didn't refuse. She knew that Chikage was worried about her.
"Thank you, I'll be leaving now." She waved as she opened the door, but took a step back when she noticed the person on the other side. There stood her own parents. In the flesh. Not in America.
"Tou-san, Kaa-san? What are you doing here?" she asked slowly, looking back at Kaito and Chikage. Kaito was standing now, looking like it hadn't ruffled him that her parents had suddenly shown up, but she could see underneath the mask that told her how pissed he was at the sight of the couple. Chikage simply smiled at them and invited them in.
"Shinichi?" Yukiko asked, shocked. Sighing slightly, Shinichi didn't say anything as she tried to move past them, unsuccessfully. "Why are you here? How do you know Toichi-sensei's family?"
Toichi-sensei? Shinichi thought idly, but shrugged. "I met Kuroba-kun at a Kid heist a while back. We became friends." Yusaku looked interested at her words, and was about to ask something when Kaito came in and smiled hugely. Shinichi knew that it was fake.
"So you're my beautiful Shin-chan's parents!" he exclaimed and Yukiko giggled like a little girl as she sent her daughter a sneaky look. Shinichi just sighed and wished she could kick Kaito. It would make her feel a lot better.
"You're dating?" Yusaku asked, looking me in the eye, but was stating the question to Kaito. Kaito nodded happily, ready to have her parents believe that they were, but Shinichi wouldn't let it go.
"No, we're not. I already have a boyfriend. Kaito just can't seem to accept that." Kaito pouted, but Shinichi could see that he was truly sad underneath his so-called 'poker face' that he'd told her about (him or Toichi, she couldn't remember who told her) and felt a little guilty. She knew it hurt him when she talked about Heiji, but she was loyal, and she wouldn't try to hurt Heiji in any way. Not on purpose at least.
Yukiko immediately perked up. "What? You have a boyfriend, Shin-chan? Since when? Who is it? Is he cute?" She rambled of question after question as Shinichi sat there, uninterested. Finally, she stopped and waited for answers.
"I'm dating Hattori Heiji, that one detective from Osaka. We've been dating for a little while now. Goodbye." She felt the need to get away from them as fast as possible, but the look of an excited-child on Yukiko's face, and the interest on Yusaku's made her cringe. There was no way she'd be able to leave yet.
"Come in already," Chikage said, grabbing her arm gently, and leading Shinichi to sit next to Kaito on his couch while taking the basket back and putting it on the coffee table between the two couches. Kaito tried to put a comforting hand on her knee, but she dodged it by crossing her legs, her tight black jeans making it slightly hard. Knew I shouldn't have worn these. I can't do anything in skinny jeans! Why did I even buy them in the first place? She conveniently forgot in that moment that she'd bought them with the boy next to her in mind, and sat, trying to hold in her scowl.
Yusaku and Yukiko sat on the couch where she'd been before, and she felt slightly creeped out from the way her father kept staring at her. She shook it off as she let her eyes wander around the room, searching for a distraction.
Chikage asked the couple why they were here, and Yukiko gladly answered. "We knew that the anniversary of Toichi-sensei's death is coming soon, and wanted to visit and give our condolences to his son and wife. And because I haven't seen you or your cute son in so long!" Shinichi watched Kaito silently as he flinched under his mask at the mention of Toichi's death.
Speaking of Toichi…where was he? He wasn't anywhere to be seen, not since her parents showed up. Shinichi looked around and noticed that Toichi was outside, glaring through the window at her father. She tried to casually catch his attention, and when he looked at her, she lifted her brow in a question. He growled angrily and stepped through the wall to stand next to her. She didn't look at him, but at the window, waiting for his answer.
"After seeing how uncomfortable you are with your own parents, it's made me very, very pissed off! It's obvious he's been neglecting you, and my own student is so focused on her own life that she barely notices you! I don't understand such people and they're not my friends any longer! Tell them that I don't want to see their faces ever again!" Shinichi sighed heavily and leaned slightly over to Kaito.
"How long does your dad hold grudges?" she asked and Kaito looked surprised. He quickly guessed that the question pertained to his father's ghost, and shrugged.
"Not very long unless it's something he cares deeply about. What's the grudge?" Shinichi didn't particularly want to tell him, but knew she should.
"Let's talk in the kitchen," she suggested and turned to her parents. "Kuroba-kun and I need to speak in the kitchen, if you'll excuse us." She stood without an answer, gesturing to Chikage to stay and keep them distracted. She nodded, not sure what they were planning, but knew it was important. She told the Kudos to ignore them and continued on with their previous conversation.
Kaito pulled her to the far end of the kitchen, where her parents were still in sight, but out of ear-shot. "What's this all about?" he asked, serious for once.
Shinichi sent a dark look to Toichi, who'd followed them into the kitchen and was standing beside his son defiantly. Really, sometimes, he reminded the detective of a child. "Your father is angry at my parents, because he thinks they're neglectful parents, and wants me to kick them out of your house. Tell your dad to stop being ridiculous," she sent a glare to the older Kuroba, who pouted, folding his arms across his chest and turning his face away insolently, and she continued, "and to let it go already. It doesn't matter." She directed the last sentence to Toichi, but realized she'd picked the wrong Kuroba to deal with the problem. She should've asked Chikage, the one who didn't have a crush on her.
Kaito looked angry, not even bothering to hide it behind his poker face, and asked, "Well, are they neglectful? Because if they are, I'm going to kick them out and tell them to never come back, and to make it up to you!" he told her, folding his arms across his chest the same exact way his father did.
Shinichi ran her hands through her long black hair and sighed heavily. "I can handle my own problems. But Kuroba-san, do you really want to end your friendship just because of me?" she asked, feeling sad. "Don't judge them too harshly. I prefer my life the way it is, so don't ruin your relationships with them when it might be too late to change later on. And if you still can't forgive them, then act like you do, because I don't want this to end on a bad note. Got it?" After a full minute of considering this, both Kurobas' nodded and they all headed back to the front room.
"Sorry about that," Shinichi said, smiling. "Kuroba-kun and I had something to discuss." Yukiko nodded, happily accepting this, but Yusaku looked calculating, thinking hard about something.
"Honey, I think it's time to leave. After all, we do want to have time to unpack, don't we?" Yusaku asked, and Shinichi felt suspicious. Unpack what?
Yukiko squealed excitedly, and told the other three, "Oh, yes! We've decided to move back to Japan, and all of our stuff is here! We figured we'd say hello before officially settling back in our home. We really do feel like we've been leaving dear Shinichi by herself for too long!" Kaito looked surprised, as did everyone else, but Shinichi was the only one who didn't show it. Instead, she plastered a smile on her face, telling them how excited she was.
The couple left first, telling Shinichi that they wanted to start packing immediately, and Shinichi wanted to stay as far away from them as possible for as long as she could. When they'd driven away, she finally let out her anger.
"Suck! Ugh, I hate those stupid people!" she growled under her breath as she banged her head against one of the walls in the kitchen. Chikage looked amused, but Toichi and Kaito looked confused.
"Why are you so upset? Isn't this what you wanted?" Kaito asked and Shinichi sent him a dark look that made him immediately step away with his hands in the air.
"Why in hell would I want them back? They bother me all the time, they're obnoxious, and I'll never have another quiet moment in my life! Now, not only do I have to deal with Hattori, but them too! Ugh!" She felt like she was going to puke, so she decided it was time to leave.
"Alright, well, I'm going now. Keep your food, I'll be fine. I'm just going to go for a very, very, very long walk and hope that by the time I finally reach home, my parents will remember how much they hate that house and already be gone back to America." She headed for the door and quickly shoved her shoes on, missing the silent conversation between Kaito and his mother. Kaito finally nodded and ran up the stairs to get dressed for being outside.
Shinichi ran down the street, not stopping until she'd felt every muscle in her legs were exhausted. When that happened, she kept walking, letting her frustrations out with each step. Little did she know that a certain boy was following her closely, watching her for any sign of needing help. He was, after all, a gentleman thief.
Please review, and tell me about anything you thought while reading! sorry if Toichi seemed a bit out of character, as well as Kaito, because i don't think i made him as playful as usual! tell me what you think! Thanks!