Lucky number 13~
Shinichi found it very telling that he was getting used to being woken up in different ways and/or different places. This morning he was woken by the sounds of people talking and the feeling of moving up and down slightly. He groaned softly and tried to bury his head in his pillow.
"Shin-chan, that tickles!" It took a few moments for his sleep muddled brain to process the words. Lifting his head slightly, he blinked and peered blearily at what he thought was his pillow. He was met with the sight of dark hair and lightly tanned skin. Blinking a few more times, he looked past his not-pillow and blinked sleepily at the smiling faces of Heiji and Saguru.
The blond chuckled lightly and held out a drink of some kind, placing the straw near Shinichi's lips. Staring at it for a few moments, the blue eyed teen leaned forward and took a sip, humming a bit at the taste of iced coffee. He'd rather it have been hot and less sweet, but coffee was coffee.
"Shin-chan's not good with mornings." It was only after the caffeine started to force his brain into waking up that he realized his not-pillow was Kaito's shoulder and he was currently being piggybacked through town. He was still in his clothes from the previous day, and his hood had been pulled over his head to keep the sun from shining in his eyes.
The magician chuckled. "You looked so cute sleeping that we didn't want to wake you. And the inn we were staying at didn't have coffee available, so we had to pick some up on the way." He adjusted his grip on Shinichi's legs and started moving again. "We're almost back at the villa, so you can thank us for letting you sleep by making us an early lunch!"
Shinichi would have complained about being carried, but he hadn't had near enough coffee to wake him up yet and didn't feel like walking the last bit. Not to mention Kaito was actually taking care to keep his hands from accidently brushing his legs and made sure he was gripping the shorts instead. It was nice to know the other teen was being considerate of his dislike of touch even when he'd been asleep.
Saguru handed him the iced coffee and Shinichi lazily sucked the rest of it down. He'd have to make some regular coffee when they got back. Iced just wasn't strong enough for him. As the Kuroba's villa came back into view, the magician spoke up once again. "Yukiko-san called while you were asleep. She was worried because you weren't picking up, and I told her I'd tell you to call her back when you woke up."
He hummed slightly and yawned. "Never left me alone for this long."
"That's a surprise," Saguru spoke up, "Considering how independent you and your parents seem."
"Mm," Shinichi closed his eyes and rested his cheek on Kaito's shoulder, absently making sure his hood was underneath his cheek. He was still tired. "She worries. Afraid if she leaves I'll be gone. Tried before." His words felt jumbled in his mouth, and he wasn't even sure if they were coming out as actual words or gibberish. He needed more caffeine before conversations.
He wasn't sure when he drifted to sleep again, but when he opened his eyes again he was back in his bed in the Kuroba's villa. Glancing at the clock, he found it was late afternoon, meaning he'd been asleep for a few hours. Rubbing his eyes, he grabbed his phone off the charger and checked his messages.
He had over twenty missed calls from his mother, and a multiple texts asking if he was having fun, sleeping still, and why he wasn't answering his phone. There were also some from his father, telling him to call his mother so she'd stop worrying and checking to make sure he was alright.
Sitting up, he glanced at the soccer ball plush that had been set on the nightstand and smiled a little. Scooting back so he was leaning against the headboard, he grabbed the plush and dialed his mother. If he waited any longer, she might decide to get on the next flight over.
She picked up halfway through the first ring. "Shin-chan?"
"Were you trying to blow up my phone?"
He grinned softly at the pout he could hear in her voice. "You didn't answer and I was getting worried. I miss my baby boy. How have things been? Are you having fun?"
Shinichi thought back to yesterday and hugged the soft soccer ball. "Mm. A little." He felt bad at the relieved sigh. He hadn't meant to make her worry. "Hattori-kun stepped on my glasses and broke them. Could you ask professor Agasa if he has a spare?" The recording function that their neighbor had built in had come in handy. He was sure his mother would adore the video of Saguru all dressed up.
Yukiko chuckled. "Kai-chan told us when I called him earlier. Professor Agasa said he could have a new pair ready by the time we leave. Do you think you can hold out a few more days?"
"Mm. Kuroba-kun said they'd get me a replacement, so I can use those until you get here."
"Kai-chan also said you all went to a festival last night? Were you alright without them?"
"Ah. I just kept my eyes on the ground."
"Kai-chan made it seem like you all had a good day yesterday."
Shinichi closed his eyes and hugged his plush a little tighter. "It was different." He'd always tried his hardest to stay inside and do nothing but read, so being outside all day without even touching a book was much different than what he had grown used to. It was out of his comfort zone, and not something he would have chosen to do willingly. "But it wasn't bad."
"I'm glad that you're having a good time, but I still miss my Shin-chan." The teenager shook his head. "Kai-chan told me he'd have you call when you woke up, have you been asleep this whole time?"
"I think I woke up a little earlier, but I fell back asleep and nobody came to wake me up."
"I wish they had. Now you're going to be up all night."
"Mm Probably." Shinichi stretched and grimaced. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll see you in a few days."
Yukiko whined, "But we've barely talked." Heaving a large, overdramatic sigh, the retired actress reluctantly agreed. "I'll see you in a few days. I love you Shin-chan."
"Mm. Bye kaa-san." He paused for a second before muttering, "I love you too." He hung up before his mother could say anything, knowing if he didn't then he'd be stuck on the phone for another few hours.
Setting his plush on the bed as he stood, Shinichi pulled out some fresh clothes and made his way to the bathroom. He didn't hear anything from the other rooms, so he assumed the others were either downstairs or had gone out somewhere.
Taking a nice and long, hot shower he changed into his clean clothes and brushed his teeth before tossing his dirty clothes in the hamper he'd claimed as his. Kaito had the one next to it as they shared the bathroom. The magician had claimed that they could all more easily keep their clothes separate this way for when they wanted to wash them – or just toss them back into their bags to be washed later at home.
Heading back to his room, Shinichi put his earplugs back in and was about to grab his gloves when he paused and glanced at the large white jacket that had been draped across the back of his desk chair. Glancing between the two for a few seconds, the teenager finally snatched the jacket up and put it on again.
He pulled the hood over his head and zipped it up before making his way downstairs. If the others questioned it, he could always claim that he liked it because of the hood and that he hadn't felt like wearing gloves that day. Even if they didn't buy it, that was what he would stick to. He'd never, ever, admit to liking it because it reminded him of how he'd had fun yesterday, and how he'd felt safe with the three blocking him from the crowd.
Shinichi paused at the bottom of the steps. He could see Heiji's head from where he was standing, and the Osakan was snoring away. Creeping closer, he found Kaito was sprawled out on the couch, muttering something in his sleep and occasionally raising either a hand or a foot. Saguru was on the opposite recliner from Heiji, his head in his hand and a book resting in his lap. His eyes were shut and breathing even.
The blue eyed teenager shook his head with a small smile and quietly made his way into the kitchen. He eyed the empty ramen containers in the trash and sighed. He hadn't seen any ramen earlier, so they must have gone to the store while he was asleep. Glancing back at the three sleeping, he wondered if he would wake them by making dinner. It was still a little early, but he could at least start.
Taking another quick inventory of the food they had, he nodded to himself and rolled up the sleeves on the jacket as well as on his ling sleeved shirt underneath. Since he had so much time, he could make a variety of dishes. That way they could also have leftovers that simply needed reheated instead of going out for instant ramen should he sleep through lunch again tomorrow.
It would double as his way of saying thank you. It had been the first time he'd been able to enjoy something without worrying about his curse. It was the first time he'd actually forgotten about it and had fun.
It was also a thank you for having believed his bad feeling and not only protecting the man, but also not finding the fact he'd been right about it creepy. Everyone else who had come to find that his bad feelings tended to be right would look at him as though he were the one responsible for it and tell him to stay away. But Kaito, Saguru, and Heiji had accepted it and treated him like normal.
That had been the best part of the day for him.
Smiling a little to himself, Shinichi got to work on his feast.
"Mmmm," Kaito yawned and stretched. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and glanced around. Saguru was asleep in the recliner to his left, and Heiji was snoring away in the one on his right. Both had blankets placed over them, and looking down he found one lying in his lap as well.
Since all three of them were asleep down here, that probably meant Shinichi had woken up. They hadn't meant to fall asleep like this. After putting Shinichi upstairs, they'd migrated to this main room both to keep from waking him and to talk about what the sleeping teen had let slip while he'd been half awake.
It had sent a pang through the magician's heart to hear his friend essentially admit he'd tried to kill himself at one point. They'd already guessed as much, but it was one thing to guess and another to have it confirmed. When Yukiko had called him again about half an hour after they'd gotten back to the villa, they'd asked for her side of the story.
She'd simply told them that it was in the past and not to worry about it before hanging up.
Standing up, he glanced outside and found the sun was getting ready to set, meaning it had to be getting pretty late. His stomach rumbled as he caught a whiff of something that smelled delicious. Following his nose, he stopped at the entrance to the kitchen and blinked a few times before rubbing his eyes and making sure he wasn't dreaming.
Swallowing, he turned and ran to the other two. "HAKUBA! HATTORI!" The detectives both shot up and looked around before their eyes settled on Kaito who was nearly bouncing up and down in excitement. They sighed in unison and slumped back down.
"Are ya trying ta kill us?" Heiji groaned with a yawn.
The magician ignored the tone and smiled widely. "Come on! You have to see this! It's like heaven!" The two yawned and groaned but stood up to follow their excited friend. When they got to the entrance of the kitchen, their eyes widened and jaws nearly dropped.
"Yer right Kuroba," The Osakan said faintly, licking his lips, "Dis is heaven." Food covered every surface available. The dishes ranged from Japanese, to English, to Chinese, to Italian, and more. And where the dinner ended, desserts began. Kaito felt like crying when he saw the large chocolate cake sitting on the counter. He took a picture and sent it to his parents with the caption 'I've died and gone to heaven.' He sent another to Shinichi's parents with the caption, 'I'm going to marry Shin-chan.'
Saguru's jaw moved up and down without sound before he finally managed a strangled, "How?"
"I don't care," Heiji said, finally taking the first step inside. "Itadakimasu!" He picked up a plate and a pair of chopsticks left near the entrance and began piling his plate with a little bit of everything. Kaito wasted no time in doing the same. Shaking his head, Saguru followed their lead and dug in.
It was heaven on earth for the three as they ate their fill. Everything was delicious. The cleanup of it all was a bit of a chore, but since Shinichi had already cleaned the pots and pans he'd used to cook all the food, none of them complained.
"I'm fairly certain he used all the remaining ingredients we had," Saguru said when they were done. He was back in the recliner he'd been sleeping in earlier.
Heiji snorted. "Ya, but now we don't have ta worry 'bout food da rest of da week."
Kaito laughed. "It's probably his way of telling us to stop waking him up to make food." The magician sighed happily. "Do you think he went back to sleep after all that cooking?"
"With how much he slept today," Saguru yawned, "I kind of doubt it."
Heiji shrugged and stretched his arms above his head. "He probably didn't want ta wake us."
The magician glanced outside and smiled. "It's a full moon tonight." At the other two's raised eyebrows he elaborated, "I don't know about you, but after that," He paused and glanced at the clock, "almost eight hours of sleep I'm not very tired. Anyone up for some stargazing?"
Hakuba smiled. "That sounds nice."
The Osakan nodded. "We'll go set out da blankets, you go get da chef."
Kaito was about to run up and do that when he froze. Tilting his head a bit he asked, "Do you hear that?" The other two grew quiet and strained their ears, barely hearing what the magician had heard. The indigo eyed teen walked slowly towards the back door and opened it, the other two following. The sound got clearer as they all stepped onto the back patio.
It was someone playing the violin. The tune was short and simple, repeated multiple times. Each time the tune restarted, there were less and less mistakes and the player seemed to gain in confidence. After the tune was repeated five times without mistakes, the music disappeared.
Saguru tapped the other two on the shoulders and pointed towards the Kudo villa. Standing on one of the balconies was Shinichi, a violin tucked between his shoulder and chin. He was still, with the bow poised just above the strings as though he was about to begin.
A minute later, the music started to flow again. This time it wasn't the same simple tune that they had heard earlier. It was the song Amazing Grace. Kaito smiled and took a breath before singing along. Shinichi fumbled in surprise but continued playing. Heiji and Saguru smiled and joined in as well, all three singing in English rather than Japanese.
Kaito pitched his voice to hit the high soprano notes while Saguru sang bass. Heiji rounded them out with his tenor. When the song was over, Shinichi turned and headed back inside while the others once again started setting up for their stargazing. They pulled out multiple blankets and spread them over the grass in the backyard, tossing multiple pillows down as well.
The magician smiled when Shinichi joined them after putting away his violin and locked up his parent's villa. He bit back a laugh when he saw the blue eyed teen was back in the white jacket from the other day and brought out the stuffed soccer ball Saguru had given him at the start of the festival. He found it rather endearing that the other teen liked them so much.
The four settled down, with Heiji on the far left, Kaito next to him, Shinichi next to the magician, and Saguru on the far right. "I didn't know you could play the violin," The blond commented after they were settled.
"I haven't in a long time."
"Pretty good for bein' rusty," The Osakan said lightly.
"Hakuba should join in on the piano next time," Kaito said with a grin, "Since his singing sucks."
The blond rolled his eyes and commented dryly, "Not everyone is as talented at altering their vocal cords as you and your father are Kuroba."
"We'll leave da singin' ta you next time," The dark skinned teen said. "I'd rather play da Ryūteki den sing." Seeing the three incredulous looks he got, Heiji flushed. "My kaa-san made me learn!" Kaito laughed while Saguru chuckled.
"We'd be one strange sounding group," The magician said.
The four were quiet for a while as they gazed up at the stars above them. It was peaceful. Surprisingly to the magician, it was Shinichi who broke the silence, his voice no louder than a whisper. "What would you do…if ghosts really existed?"
Kaito wanted to play it off as a joke, but something in the teens' tone made him bite his tongue and really think about it. What would he do, if he found out that ghosts weren't just scary stories to scare kids, but actually existed?
So I wanted to fit in some music somewhere. And yes, this is my idea for introducing his powers. I promise I'll explain his thinking process in the next chapter, since in every other chapter I've basically been saying that Shinichi will never tell a soul about his powers on his own. I do actually have a reason for everything I've been putting into the story.
And for those who think that the cooking was overdone, there's a reason I never described exactly what food was there. I just said enough to cover the surfaces - and part of those were desserts. Yes, I do bake and I do cook. I know how long these things take. But I never said the desserts were decorated. And I never said the dishes were fancy. Simple food can be just as delicious as complex food. Besides, he had from late afternoon (so around 3-4ish) until evening (so around 7ish - yes I looked it up, the sun sets in Okinawa Japan in summer (July to be specific) around 7ish). So that's around 3-4 hours for him to cook everything.
Anyway, we're finally getting to the part where the others learn about Shinichi! Huzzah!
I thought long and hard (not really, just tossed around some ideas and then this suddenly typed itself, but whatever) about it and decided that it would wind up taking forever and be too forced if I tried to write them finding out by accident. Besides, you'll learn why I like this idea in the next chapter.
As for Heiji's choice in instruments, his family is pretty traditional so I looked up some traditional Japanese instruments online. I liked the thought of him playing a flute of some kind, and if I am to believe the translation, the one I choose is also called the 'Dragon Flute' or something like that. I don't know if it's right, but I liked the sound when I looked it up on youtube. I thought it would be a good fit for him.
And I didn't realize until now that I unintentionally had Hakuba agreeing with Kaito that his singing sucked. Whoops. Oh well, I'm too lazy to change it.
Don't forget to let me know what you thought~
CHAPTERS LEFT: 3