The Witch of Ekoda

Kid had warned that it would be better if he made contact with the witch first before introducing Shinichi to her. The thief claimed it was because she was not trustworthy, but Shinichi got the feeling Kid was trying to cover his own tracks. That was kind of frustrating. Still, Shinichi didn't push the issue. He had said that he would respect Kid's privacy, and that included letting the boy decide when and how they would approach the witch.

As such, the next day Shinichi was ordered to go to school while Kid got things ready. The thief was playing "sick" so he wouldn't have to attend elementary school. Perhaps he worried that Shinichi would eavesdrop if allowed to linger in the house. That was also kind of frustrating. On the plus side, Subaru had left earlier that morning to do some FBI work, so Kid would have the house to himself. That made things easier.

"Let me know if anything happens," Shinichi said, even as he was ushered towards the front door.

"Don't worry," Kid said, "I'll have everything sorted by the time you get home." He held out the spare set of glasses that Professor Agasa had made. "That said, you should probably hold onto these just in case."

Shinichi blinked. "She's really that dangerous?"

He'd almost started to doubt it, thinking that Kid was only trying to protect his own identity.

Kid stared at him grimly. "This witch tried to kill me just because I refused to bow down to her and become her lover." He shoved the glasses into Shinichi's hand. "Yes, she is that dangerous. I wouldn't go near her while I'm weakened like this if I didn't think there was a high chance she could help."

Shinichi swallowed. "Oi, oi, don' forget you're in my body! What if she—"

"I doubt she has any interest in children," Kid said bluntly. "We're not going to tell her who you are. She'll think I just switched bodies with Edogawa Conan." He shrugged. "If I know this witch, she'll want to help me if only to get her potential plaything back."

Shinichi frowned. He wasn't sure he was convinced. Maybe that was because Kid didn't look particularly convinced either. It seemed like the thief was trying to reassure himself as much as Shinichi.

"Kid," Shinichi began, "maybe it's not a good idea to meet with the witch after all. We'll keep researching. We'll—"

"And how long will that take? It's been five days already and we have no leads."

"I know, but—"

Kid sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We can't keep going on like this, Kudo. At least this way we have a real chance of getting our bodies back to normal."

Shinichi opened his mouth to argue, but then he stopped. Maybe it was because Kid had dropped the honorific and used his proper name; maybe it was because Shinichi had done far more reckless things in the past for the sake of getting a lead on the Black Organisation. He knew that Kid was frustrated—that Kid had also got the short straw of the deal. Shinichi had been gifted a chance to live his normal life, but Kid was trapped as a child. Yet even ignoring all of that, the fact remained that neither of Shinichi's identities were safe. Not Kudo. Not Edogawa. The Black Organisation was still out there and needed to be stopped; plus, Kid had his own life to get back to.

The charade had to end.

So Shinichi did not make any further arguments. Instead, he nodded and told Kid to be careful. "That's my body," he reminded Kid. "I don't want to come home and find that witch has done something weird like turn you into a frog."

Kid actually laughed. "She isn't that kind of witch. Honestly, the thing I'm most worried about is what she'll ask from me in return for her help. I doubt you need to worry at all."

Shinichi didn't find that particularly comforting either, though for quite different reasons. Kid was risking a lot to meet with the witch; enough that the boy had given him the spare tracking glasses just in case something bad happened. Shinichi also knew it was his fault Kid was going to such lengths. The phone call incident had crossed a huge line. Now, Kid wanted out. It didn't matter how; all that mattered was there was a chance to end their time together quickly.

"Um," Shinichi began, rubbing the base of his neck. "I know you think this is the best option, and I'm not going to argue with that. Just don't do anything too reckless, okay?"

Kid raised his eyebrow. "I said I'd take care of your body."

"It's not that." Heat spread across Shinichi's cheeks. He folded his arms and looked the other way. "I just—I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

Kid blinked. He shuffled on his feet. "Oh."

"Anyway," Shinichi said hastily, "I'd better go or I'm going to be late for school. See you later."

He hurried off before Kid could respond. Shinichi had never been good at expressing his feelings—not towards, well, anyone. Feelings made him embarrassed and awkward and that tended to take expression through rude, standoffish comments. Except this time he'd chosen to be honest. Kid, whether Shinichi liked it or not, meant something to him now. More than just a helpful ally to have in a pinch; more than just an interesting rival to take his mind off darker matters. Kid was his friend—albeit, of the much more dysfunctional variety when compared to his friendship with Hattori. Still, they were indeed friends. At least they were in Shinichi's eyes. He wasn't sure what Kid thought of him.

In any case, Shinichi didn't want to see the boy hurt—that included not getting trapped into some weird agreement with the witch just to get their bodies back to normal. His only consolation was that Kid was not an idiot. If anyone could out-trick a witch, it would be the sneaky trickster who had been leading the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, if not most of Japan, on a merry dance since he'd made his comeback. Even Shinichi had been outwitted a few times.

Shinichi sighed and slipped the spare glasses inside his school bag. Well, only time would tell what would happen. For both their sakes, he hoped he would not need to use the tracking function on the glasses.

oOo

The glasses were not needed. When the bell signalled the end of classes, Shinichi received a message on his phone from Kid telling him that all was sorted and he should catch the next train to Ekoda Station. Kid would meet him there. Shinichi sent back a quick reply, then headed off for the front gate before he could get cornered by Sera or Sonoko. Both were as bad as each other when he was in this form.

"What's got you in such a hurry?"

Shinichi paused at the sound of Ran's voice. "Hey," he said, adjusting the strap of his school bag on his shoulder. "Listen, now isn't a good time, so—"

She gave an odd sort of smile. Something twisted in his stomach.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing." She shook her head. "Never mind."

His brow furrowed. "Ran, if there's something bothering you—"

"I'm just being silly," she said, forcing a smile. "Don't worry about it."

Shinichi couldn't not worry about it. Not when she said something like that. Unfortunately, he was also conscious of the message on his phone. Kid would be expecting him to arrive in Ekoda on the next train. He didn't think making a witch wait was a good idea.

Making an impulsive decision, he stepped forward and kissed her briefly on the lips. "We'll talk later, okay?"

Ran blushed and nodded. Shinichi waved goodbye and ran down the slope. Kid wouldn't like it that he had kissed Ran again, but this was probably one of the last times Shinichi would see Ran while still in a teenager's body. If all worked out with the witch, it could very well be the last time. That made something hollow form in the pit of Shinichi's stomach, but he ignored the feeling and kept running.

Once he was a safe distance from the school, he slowed to a brisk walk and made his way to the station. Fortune was on his side today; he was able to get on the next train and soon found himself meeting Kid near the vending machines in Ekoda Station. The boy looked as if he had been messaging someone on his phone, but he slipped the device in his pocket when he noticed Shinichi.

"Let's go," Kid said, stepping away from the vending machine.

Shinichi raised his eyebrow. "Hello to you too."

Kid ignored this sarcasm. He explained that they would be taking a taxi to the witch's house. She lived on the outskirts and it was too far to walk.

"But first you need to get changed," Kid said, reaching into his bag and pushing a pile of clothes and a pair of shoes into Shinichi's chest. "I haven't mentioned anything about you being a teenager, so it will look odd if you turn up in a high schooler's uniform."

Shinichi saw the sense in this, so he didn't protest and simply went into the men's toilets to get changed. The clothes weren't black or even overly flashy, for which he was glad. Shinichi tugged on the khaki pants and striped T-shirt. There was a blue jacket as well, which he also slipped on. The fit was loose and comfortable. He tugged on the shoes, then stuffed all of his own belongings into his school bag. When he emerged from the toilets, Kid tsked and pulled him down to his level by the front of his shirt, then messed up Shinichi's hair with his free hand.

"There," Kid said, releasing him and taking a step back. "Alright, let's get out of here."

Kid moved quickly, heading for the taxi area without even glancing at the taller boy to make sure he was following. Shinichi frowned. Kid was much more restless than usual; Shinichi thought it might just be because they were off to see a witch, but he still found it odd.

The smaller boy made a frustrated sound. "You have got to be kidding me," he muttered.

There were no taxis available in that moment. The last had just been snapped up by a group of women, and while there was a fresh line sure to be along soon, it seemed Kid didn't have the patience for that. He huffed, tapped his foot, and in general behaved like an antsy cat on a hot tin roof. Shinichi's eyebrows started to disappear into his hairline.

"What's with you?" he asked. "You seem a little—"

Kid went perfectly still. He was staring at something beyond Shinichi. Suddenly, the thief grabbed Shinichi by the hand and yanked him behind the closest pillar. The back of Shinichi's head thudded against the stone a little too hard for his liking.

"Kid, what the hell?" Shinichi demanded. "What are you—"

"Shut up!" Kid hissed.

Shinichi obliged, but only because Kid wasn't even looking at him. The boy was peering around the edge of the pillar, looking as pale as Shinichi no doubt did when he spotted a member of the Black Organisation. Shinichi couldn't resist sneaking a glance of his own—just a quick peek. He had to do a double take when he thought he saw Ran; however, the girl was wearing the wrong uniform and her hair was styled a little differently. Shinichi didn't get a chance to observe anything else because his leg jerked in pain. Kid had kicked him.

"Keep your head out of sight," Kid growled.

Again, Shinichi didn't protest. It seemed that there was someone out there who was a danger to Kid's civilian identity. Much as Shinichi was curious, he had to stick to his promise not to pry or sneak another glance. It was just really, really hard. Solving mysteries was like breathing for a detective; letting one slip from his fingers went against every fibre of his being. Still, Shinichi managed to keep his gaze fixed on Kid instead of whatever was happening behind the pillar. Eventually, the thief let out a breath.

"The taxi is here," Kid observed. "Let's hurry."

Shinichi hurried after Kid and soon both boys were sitting inside the taxi. Kid gave the directions to the driver, but the old man still couldn't seem to figure out where they wanted to go. Perhaps the witch's house didn't show up on GPS; perhaps the old man just wasn't that good with obscure destinations. Either way, Kid resigned himself to being a human navigator and directed the old man himself. Eventually, the houses got fewer and they came to a driveway surrounded by trees.

"This is it," Kid said.

Kid paid the old man and the two boys got out of the taxi, watching it drive off before they started down the driveway. A large house peeped out from behind the trees: dark and designed in the Western-style, if not rather gothic. Shinichi raised his eyebrow a fraction. He wouldn't have been surprised to have found gargoyles snarling down at him; instead, what waited for them on the front steps was a hunchbacked thing with a creepy smile. It was a cliché straight out of a horror story.

"Well, it definitely looks like the home of a witch," Shinichi muttered. Either that or a mad scientist.

The hunchbacked thing smiled wider, revealing rows of missing and misshapen teeth. "Mistress is waiting for you." He made a gesture with his hand to the open door. "Please, come inside."

Shinichi glanced at Kid, but the boy was already walking up the steps. Shinichi shrugged and followed. The inside of the mansion was worse than the outside. For one, there actually were gargoyles: the hideous things had been carved into all the corners of the entrance hall's ceiling; there were even two smaller ones positioned on the front part of the staircase, as if to ward off anyone who dared to go up the stairs. A thick, velvet carpet covered the floor, and everything was a bit dark and depressing. There weren't any cobwebs, though. At the very least, this witch was clean. However, she did favour some rather disturbing ornaments. He was pretty sure he had seen a shrunken head on a shelf at one point. The whole place also hummed of something that made the hairs on the back of his arms and neck prickle. Magic?

"Wait here," the creepy hunchback said, pausing outside a heavy oak door.

He entered the room, though he left the door ajar. Shinichi could hear voices coming from within: one of them was female and far, far too lovely. It made his heart flutter and his blood quicken. It made him want to thrust the door open and throw himself on his knees before her; made him want to give up everything—even the beating heart in his chest—if he could just keep listening to her voice.

His leg throbbed in pain. Shinichi blinked to find Kid scowling at him.

"Geez," Kid muttered, "I was worried about this."

"Worried about what?" Shinichi asked, rubbing his leg. "And why'd you kick me?"

"You're weak to her charms," Kid answered. "Better not meet her gaze. Also, don't eat or drink anything she gives you. In fact, best avoid her completely if you can."

Shinichi blinked a few times. He didn't get a chance to ask for a further explanation as the door was pushed open and the hunchbacked servant ushered them inside. A girl sat on an ornate gold chair at the end of the room as if it was a throne. Her hair was black yet with a reddish tinge, falling silkily around her shoulders. She wore a blood-red cloak, as was fitting of a witch. Her skin was pale and her eyes were a rich colour that was more red than brown, yet there was nothing unnerving about her gaze. It just seemed to fit. Everything about her seemed to fit. That said, she was a lot younger than he had expected; she was also very, very beautiful. Shinichi swallowed. His pulse raced and he once again had the odd urge to throw himself at her feet—maybe beg to be her servant.

"Akako!" Kid snapped.

It took Shinichi a moment to realise that he was halfway to his knees. He straightened in surprise, even as the witch laughed in a stereotypically evil way and covered her mouth with her hand. The hunchbacked servant was nowhere to be seen.

"I was just testing," she said. "It looks like your immunity to my charms hasn't extended to this boy, even if he is now in your body." Her eyes glinted. "Interesting. You truly are one of a kind, Ku—"

Kid's glare intensified.

"—Kid," the witch hastily tacked on.

Shinichi's mouth twitched into a frown. The coiling snake of seduction that had been working its way around him had broken. Clarity had returned like the elastic snap of a rubber band, and with it had come two realisations: first, the witch wasn't as irresistible as he had thought (though she was still very pretty); second, she had just slipped up and that was undoubtedly Kid's real name she had been about to say.

Kid continued to glare at the witch. "Stop messing around," he said, not even trying to hide his irritation. "And lay off with the seduction charm already! I knowyou don't need to put it on that thick, so quit it!"

"Why?" she taunted. "Are you perhaps feeling the effects?"

He snorted. "Hardly. I just don't want you messing with my body."

Now it was her turn to look irritated. "One day I will figure out how you resist me, Kaitou Kid. Then I'll create a counter charm and you'll be mine."

"Well, for now you can figure out a way to put our bodies back to normal," was the tart response. "That's why we're here."

The witch pursed her lips. Kid raised his eyebrow in challenge. Shinichi felt like he was watching a tennis match. All he could do was glance from one to the other, for once having nothing to say. Only an idiot would dip his finger into that mess of a relationship.

"Fine," the witch said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "A deal is a deal."

"Thank you," Kid said with exaggerated politeness.

The witch ignored his comment and stood up from her throne—that was the only thing Shinichi could call it—and closed the distance between them. An intoxicating scent drifted to his senses; he couldn't place the mixture. In one breath it was floral, another pleasantly musky, another spicy, and then it settled into something clean and with a hint of fruit. He blinked. The witch smelt like Ran's shampoo.

"What the?" he murmured.

She smiled and stepped in front of him. He was careful to heed Kid's warning this time and did not meet her gaze. "You're quite the interesting one yourself," she observed. "A pure energy cloaked in lies."

He blinked. Okay, that made zero sense.

"My name is Akako," she continued, as if she hadn't just babbled nonsense at him. "I normally don't reveal myself to civilians, but this is a special case." Her smile widened a fraction. "Plus, I was curious to meet the boy who switched bodies with Kaitou Kid. Edogawa Conan, isn't it?"

He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah."

Akako stared at him for a moment longer. The effect was much more unnerving now that she was no longer fogging his mind with her seduction charm; he could feel her gaze prickling along his skin, slipping past tissue and membrane to peek into what was underneath. Or, at least, that was what it felt like.

"I thought so," she said softly. "I have sensed your energy before."

Shinichi frowned, but Akako didn't explain further. She stepped back a few more steps and considered both boys through her reddish-brown eyes. Her expression had become less taunting and seductive and was now more thoughtful.

"Well?" Kid prompted when the silence dragged out for too long. "Can you switch us back?"

"I told you it wouldn't be that easy," Akako said, if a little reprovingly. "My power is rooted in controlling the mind and body; I capture hearts, not souls. Besides, this is my first time coming across a proper soul exchange."

"Soul exchange?" Shinichi repeated.

Akako nodded. "There are temporary kinds of switching enchantments that usually wear off on their own and will leave a magical trace or thread linking the two people." She gestured to the space between the two boys. "I could have manipulated that to get your souls back to where they belong, but there's no thread connecting you. As far as your souls are concerned, these are your proper bodies now."

"I'm guessing that's a bad thing," Shinichi said dryly.

"It is if you want to return to your original bodies." Akako's brow creased as she stared at the two boys. "This is rare and powerful magic; it's practically a lost art. I'm surprised you managed to stumble across it."

Kid folded his arms across his chest. "What I want to know is whether you can fix it. You were confident earlier that you could when you made that deal with me."

"I wasn't expecting you to have been dabbling in ancient magic," she retorted, not quite managing to hide her pout. She didn't seem to like having her abilities called into question. "Temporary switching spells are straightforward enough to fix; this is different."

His eyes narrowed. "Akako, if this is all a trick to make me—"

"A witch never breaks a deal," Akako said with dignity. "I will help you, Ku—Kid. I'm just going to need some time."

"How much time?" he demanded.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "Given the permanent nature of this switch, it's likely the only way to get you both back to your bodies is to perform the soul exchange spell again. That isn't going to be easy to recreate. First, I'll need the gem."

"Gem?" Shinichi asked with a frown.

"The one that was housing the original spell," she explained with an edge of impatience. "The gem Kaitou Kid stole when you first switched bodies."

Shinichi almost slapped his forehead. He felt like such an idiot. Kid also looked a bit slack-jawed.

"I can't believe I didn't think of that," Kid muttered. "I should have thought of that."

Akako raised her eyebrow. "Well? Where is the gem?"

"I already returned it to Inspector Nakamori," Kid explained, running a hand through his hair. "It's been five days since then, so I doubt the police will still have it in their custody considering its worth. The Violet Dream should be back in the museum unless the owner panicked and decided to end the exhibition early."

"You haven't checked?" Shinichi asked in surprise.

"It wasn't the jewel I wanted," Kid said bluntly. "It's not like I'm running a jewellery babysitting service here. I don't care what happens to the gems once I've passed them back to the proper authorities. It's their problem to deal with after that, not mine."

Shinichi held his hand up in an appeasing gesture. "Alright, alright, I get it. No need to get snarky."

Kid ignored this comment and shifted his attention back to Akako. "So, you think you can switch us back if we bring you the gem?"

"I can try," she stressed. "At the least, there should be magical traces left on the gem. That will be a start to figuring out how to recreate the spell."

"Sort of like putting clues together," Shinichi said, thinking it was a lot like how he solved crimes. "I understand."

Kid sighed. "I can't believe I have to steal the Violet Dream again."

Shinichi blinked. Right. They really would have to steal the gem; it wasn't like the owner or the people running the museum would just hand it over for Akako to inspect. His stomach wriggled a little unpleasantly. He wasn't sure how he felt about being party to a heist. Shinichi was a detective; he wasn't a thief.

"Stop looking so moral," Kid said, rolling his eyes. "You won't have to do anything, Detective-kun, so spare your conscience the worry. I'll return the gem once we're through with it anyway. Just leave this to the professional."

Shinichi frowned. "How do you plan to do anything when you're that size and in my body?"

Kid flashed his trademark grin. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

The detective wasn't sure whether to sigh or smile. Somehow, it didn't surprise him that Kid would have a plan to counter his new body in order to carry out heists. Kaitou Kid really was an unstoppable force. Still, if it meant they could get back to their original bodies, Shinichi couldn't complain. He did wonder what deal Kid had made to get the witch's help, though, as did he find himself itching to know the rest of the name she had almost let slip.

Damn it. Respecting Kid's privacy really was hard.

I threw in the old man taxi driver who can't find anything because that has been my experience with taxi drivers quite a lot in Japan. I have actually said I would just walk once because my phone's GPS said I was pretty much there and the guy was going around in circles. Both amusing and frustrating. I'd blame it on the fact my Japanese is not amazing, but it's kind of hard to muck up numbered coordinates. I even gave him my phone to use as a GPS, haha. Poor ojiisan.

Anyway, rambling aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's barely edited and I know I started slipping into writing "Kaito" a few times while writing, so please point out any glaring typos if you spot them!