Starting the Big Adventure in the Eccentric Mansion!

Anime Ep 394-396
Chapters 475-478 (Volume 46)

Despite common belief (and most evidence) to the contrary, Kaito could actually be considerate. Which was why he was trying very hard to avoid having a heist on Nakamori Ginzo's birthday. It was one of the few times a year the man actually took time off and went on a family trip with Aoko (since it was summer she was guaranteed to have school off). But Kaito couldn't just lay low for a month before the big trip, and he knew any activity would make Nakamori-keibu think about staying home and make Aoko angry, so he decided it was the perfect time to chase down the more unusual stones; the ones that were more urban legend than fact. It was something he could do without breaking out the KID persona.

The first few stones were just that, legend. But, when he began investigating Sanzui Kichiemon's Nio Stone, he actually found something promising; or at least, people willing to go too far because they believed it. Tamai Teruhisa was one such man. Kaito first encountered him roughing up an old man. Frankly, the treasure hunter looked a bit scrawny to engage in such behavior, but clearly he had experience. He didn't just attack the old man; he used a bat on his displays and goods, things that would hit the shopkeeper financially.

Kaito might have over reacted. He'd sworn to lay off KID, but he wanted to make sure that Tamai never went near the old man again. "What the?!" Tamai cried, flinching away from explosion of pink smoke that erupted on one side of him. Then stared in astonishment at the man who had appeared there.

"Hey," Kaito had changed into a white button down shirt, and blue vest and pants. Most important was a casual white top hat that was significantly shorter than his usual one, yet still looked natural. His monocle gleamed under its brim. "It's not nice to bully old men."

"Who the hel-" The man began, but cut himself off with a yelp as doves exploded from under his jacket.

"You should stop looking for the diamond." KID stated coldly as the birds began to flap about the man's head, disorienting him more than doing him any harm. "After all," KID spread his arms, calling the doves to perch on him. "It's not as if you will be able to defeat Kaitou KID." He smirked dangerously. Tamai gaped at him and stumbled out of the shop. KID only let him go because the stink bomb that his favorite bird had planted in Tamai's pocket could go off at any moment, and he didn't think that the storeowner would appreciate the unpleasant aroma (that he'd designed specifically for a blond detective with possible OCD) lingering around his shop.

The old man was incredibly grateful. He happily gave Kaito the information that Tamai had been so harsh in extracting. He even gave the thief a few contacts to make chasing down the stone easier. Unfortunately, the closer that Kaito got, the more competition that he had. Tamai hadn't backed off either, despite Kaito going out of his way to trip the man up.

Still it was no surprise that Kaito was first to reach the ramshackle mansion that he'd become convinced the stone was located in. Kaito moved through the ingenious maze of a house searching for clues to the riddle created by Samizu Kichiemon (a man who was rapidly gaining Kaito's hearty respect). Kaito ultimately found himself out on the front again, in front of the pond eyeing the water dubiously. This was… an old… koi pond… Kaito shuddered. It was one gem that he was almost inclined to leave where it was, but with so many people after it, it was best that he got it. Though what he'd do with it if it weren't Pandora was anyone's guess. Not like there was an owner he could return it to.

Kaito moved towards the water. He braced himself and jumped~! Only to catch himself last second at the edge of the lake. This was stupid! It's not like there were actually fi- fish in there! The pond was way too old! Surely any aquatic creatures would have died out ages ago- There was a splash and Kaito glanced up to see something moving just under the surface.

"Nope." He said, turning around. "Nope, nope, nope." Maybe Jii-chan would- Kaito's foot caught on one of the rocks and he promptly fell in the water with a high-pitched scream.

Kaito's eyes snapped open under the water, instantly staring around him in terror for the monster. He scrabbled at the floor, his hands only finding muck and mud, until one of them closed around something solid under the grime that almost seemed to click when pulled out of place. Something touched his shoulder and Kaito launched himself off of the lake floor in a blind panic. The second Kaito surfaced he darted out of the water and up on to the highest boulder he could reach. He looked behind him anxiously, as if the creatures dwelling in the water could somehow follow him. (He'd had nightmares the first time he heard of "flying fish".) Kaito breathed a sigh of relief and looked down… to find a mud-smudged gem sparkling in his hand. Kaito gaped at it a moment, unable to believe his luck, then he beamed. "Oh yeah!" He shouted, punching the air with the hand gripping the diamond. He'd figure out what to do with it once he'd checked it under the moonlight (assuming it wasn't Pandora) there was no way he was going back in that vermin infested lake again!

Kaito became aware of a strange sound… It was almost as if gears were shifting. Abruptly water started pouring out of the house. Kaito yelped. In a brief moment of panic his only thoughts were The pond is rising! The fish are coming! He darted up a tree. What was happening? Unless, he glanced at the diamond in his hand, this was another trap. Kaito had to laugh at the possessive old geezer. It seemed that Samizu Kichiemon wasn't even willing to relinquish his diamond in death; not even to someone who had solved his riddle. But what to do? The water was raising like mad. It almost seemed as if there was enough to wash away the entire hillside. He had no idea where all of this water was coming from, but given the rest of Samizu Kichiemon's traps, he knew that the water wasn't likely to stop until the diamond was returned. Kaito glanced apprehensively down at the water and set his jaw. He had to put it back.

Kaito took a deep breath and dove into the murky depths. Just think about something else. He thought desperately as he swam to the bottom and started looking for the mechanism that he'd found it in. Think about pranking Hakuba or avoiding Aoko's mop. Kaito flinched violently and whipped around. There was nothing there, just his imagination conjuring up finned monsters. Kaito was quickly running out of air. He forced himself to keep looking. Surely something could distract him from the possibility of those horrible things; a flash of light off glasses, a smug smirk, only to be replaced by childishly innocent eyes when around others. Kaito calmed and almost immediately spotted the device, almost entirely buried in the mud. He slotted the diamond into place and kicked his way to the surface. Kaito gasped as he hit the air, and clambered out of the water into the branches of a tree. He surveyed the area. The water wasn't too high yet, and it looked as if it were going back down. It was a good thing he'd acted so quickly. But… He hadn't been able to check the diamond under moonlight.

Kaito ground his teeth in frustration. He'd have to figure something out. He was certainly going to need Jii-chan's help (he never wanted to go near that pond again). But for now, he had to find a way to deter fellow treasure hunters. Kaito began to plan. He'd have to repair all of the traps. Some of them weren't looking too good, and he'd disabled a good many while he was making his way through the mansion. (That room with the swinging blades was seriously dangerous!) He could stick a note behind the waterfall in case anyone made it to the last stage of the hunt as he did; even if it did mean crossing that horrific lake again.

As soon as the water level had fallen to little more than drenched soil (Kaito was not going to risk even an inch of water that finned horrors might be lurking in) Kaito busied himself with the repairs, setting everything right again, and even improving the rigging with modern materials (though he didn't dare mess with the artistry of the actual mechanisms). It was the afternoon when the first of the other treasure hunters arrived. Kaito easily avoided them and continued setting his traps.

Suddenly there was a loud splash from outside, followed by another, then another. Kaito frowned and made his way to a window… Someone was pushing the stone lanterns into the lake. He couldn't tell who it was. They vanished into the trees as the last lantern vanished in a splash of water.

Well, that was… weird. Kaito turned away and began to tinker with the mechanics again.

_|_|_
.^_O~

Several hours later, Kaito heard young voices outside. He mentally groaned. He could not risk children stumbling on this house! He'd have to divert them somehow. Kaito made his way downstairs, the voices still indiscernible but growing clearer, until one of them shouted "Look! It's a carp!" Kaito fell down the stairs and briefly blacked out.

When he came to, privately embarrassed and blaming his lapse firmly on the repeated exposure to fish, Kaito hurried to the window. He breathed a sigh of relief when he confirmed that they were still outside. They had successfully managed to lug part of a stone lanterns out of the pond. Their conversation was still hard to hear, as they seemed to be surrounding the stone, examining it. There were three of them: a rather large boy who was absolutely drenched indicating he was the one who went in the pond; a tally lanky boy who seemed positively fascinated with something written on the stone; and a little girl with a headband, who seemed interested in the stone when she wasn't chiding the larger boy. The girl made a suggestion, and the boys seemed to agree with her (it was clear who the leader of that little group was). The kids ran off, grinning.

Kaito breathed a small sigh of relief that he didn't have to chase them off himself. He should have known better than to tempt fate. He heard them return rather quickly. It sounded as if they had gone to get friends. Kaito groaned. Just great, more people he had to protect. Kaito made his way down the steps. One of the kids was speaking. Somehow, it lifted his mood.

He shouldn't have been surprised when he saw Conan kneeling next to the carved stone. His face broke into a wide, genuine smile, he ducked into a more shadowed doorway. Kaito gazed at his soulmate fondly, then forcibly turned his eyes to the others. So, these were Conan's friends? He vaguely recognized them from the first time he was investigating Conan now that he knew the connection; though the serious girl with light brown hair was new. Kaito leaned forward more closely, as if that could help him hear them better.

"The stone this writing describes is a Nio Stone." Conan said with a grin. "It translates to 'King of Gems', a diamond." The other children lit up. Even the serious girl dawned a small smile.

"Diamonds were first imported to Japan at the end of the Edo Period." She informed the others. "So the timing is right." Kaito's stomach dropped, and he tried not to groan. They were going to look for the treasure. Conan was going to look for the treasure. So many things could go wrong here. The traps… the treasure hunters… the fish… the- why was the old man going back into the water?

Kaito gagged and very nearly vomited as the old man dragged a body out of the pond.

I have been... so busy. I work 5 days a week, volunteer one, and I accidentally joined the planning committee of the Literary Festival. (On that note, what would you like to see from a FanFic panel/discussion at a Literary Festival?)

Anyway, I finally got a few days off, and though this chapter is kinda short, I thought you really deserved the update.

Also, I just started posting my favorite story to write, Manipulations of the Heart. I highly recommend it. It's totally platonic, but shippers will probably like it.

A few people have been asking if I will do the movies. The answer is... kinda... but not really. I don't love the way that Kaito discovers Conan's identity in the movies, so I'll be rewriting that (I might draw inspiration from the movies to do it, I'm undecided right now). Kaito will probably learn around the time of The Strongest Safe and The Kiran's Horn. And since all movies take place after Kaito knows Conan=Shinichi Kudo, any possibility rewriting the movies would have to come after that. So we are still a ways off.

Meitantei-Clark: Toichi and Yuusake aren't soulmates. Toichi and Chiikage were. Sorry, but I think that Kaito needs a strong romantic soulmate pairing to look up to for his desire for a romantic soul bond, and Toichi and Chiikage make the most sense (also... there aren't enough other characters in MK to pick someone else). I am tempted to make it so that Yuusake actually hasn't met his soul mate yet, while Yukiko's was maybe Sharon? Not sure yet. I just know that Yuusake and Yukiko aren't soul mates, but they are perfect for each other, which is why Shinichi finds the soul mate thing mildly ridiculous.

Jeager's Paradise: You are right about the movies, and I might pull some scenes from them. But, you know, that scene in Movie 14? I'd definitely have to do that if I did the movies, and I'm not sure if I'm comfortable writing something that explicit. Sorry. But my trademark is pretty clean, and if I were rewriting the scene the reason that Kaito didn't help Conan out and stayed on the top of the blimp would have been because he had a little problem. That's not what I think actually happened, but it's the only reason that it makes sense for this Kaito not to go with Conan in such a dangerous situation.

Guest: It's not intended to be a complicated love quadrangle. Kaito 3 Conan. Conan 3 Ran. The other relationships are purely platonic. Though they are close friends. and the Hattori soul mate thing will drive Kaito up the wall. I hope that's acceptable.

Orika: The Gosho boys do really follow a pattern. Like father like son. I played with an idea regarding their kids that was kinda different. But still the same. It's mildly interesting. If you ever want to hear it.