Chapter 25: Seclusion
Kaito followed him downstairs. Saguru was too tired to care, though he did throw a questioning glance at him when he entered the bedroom.
Once in bed, Kaito decided that was a good time to get in bed next to him.
"What do you think you're doing?" Saguru sat up and tried to push him away.
"Be quiet. I'm trying to go to sleep."
"In my bed? My mother said you have your pick of the whole house, so go sleep elsewhere."
"Don't want to."
"And why not?"
But Kaito had already closed his eyes and his words were drawing more quiet with each syllable.
Saguru laid halfway down so that his head was propped up on his hand and poked at the magician. "Come on. You're not even under the sheets. Why do you want to sleep with me?"
'Um.' Kaito got out of the bed long enough to grab the sheets, eyes mostly closed, and fix the covers so that he was under them and not drawing them tightly enough around Saguru to be uncomfortable, as they were at his initial invasion. "It's safe."
"What's safe?"
Kaito shook his head. "I don't know."
And then Saguru knew he wasn't going to get an answer from Kaito any longer, as it was obvious that the other was simply too tired to stay awake any longer than he had.
"Really," he mumbled to himself. "I can see why you can fall asleep just about anywhere if this is how you do it every night." And it wouldn't surprise him if the magician did. To have nightmares every night would be exhausting. He couldn't even imagine it. Every person had nightmares, and he'd had several in a row- but to deal with them for that long... He was going to go somewhere tomorrow. He needed to pick a few things up, including some new clothes.
Saguru sighed. That was going to be a nightmare all over again, in and of itself. If Kaito's mother was so vivacious about getting him into every outfit that suited her fancy, his own mother would be much, much worse.
And he'd worry about all that when it came up. He was tired too, and as much as it was awkward having the magician sleeping with him, he was glad for the company. If there was one person who was good at fighting off the darkness, it was the person next to him, who treated the shadows the same way he treated the light.
...
"You're such an idiot!"
He stormed out of the living room, debating whether to go in his basement bedroom or head outside. Since he was trying to escape and not corner himself, he chose the latter.
"Who are you calling an idiot?"
"Must we really yell so loudly in the morning?" His mother came out of the kitchen where she was making breakfast, rubbing her eye to ward of any lingering sleep. "What's all this fighting about anyway? You two seemed to be getting along just fine."
"His- This..." Saguru clenched his hand into a fist after brandishing it at said idiot. "Has no more IQ than a garden snail!"
"A what?" Kaito shook his head. "Where do you pick these up? Anyway, I told you I didn't do anything!"
"Yeah right! And who else would? Who else besides you would know-" Saguru shook his head, having gotten his point across. "I mean, could you have made this any more public? The entire world knows you're here now and if I don't show up to find you in my own neck of the woods, then somebody is going to notice something!"
"I told you," Kaito growled, showing off his teeth. "I didn't do anything!"
"Then who else would?"
"How should I know?"
The both seethed silently for a while. Kaito threw a new dark coat over his shoulders that Saguru hadn't seen the magician wear, and he knew it wasn't his mother's.
"You know, I don't care. I just don't care. Don't believe me. Fine!" Kaito held his hands close to his side but Saguru sensed the urge to spin on his heels and shout at him that Kaito was giving off. "That doesn't mean I'm just going to sit here and let you blame me for something that I had nothing to do with! I get that enough from you with the stuff that I'm actually responsible for. I don't need it for the things you think I'm responsible for, too!"
The door didn't slam but the noise was close enough to it that his fear spiked.
"Now," his mother said, seemingly unfazed by all the things going on. "What was all that about?"
"Nothing," Saguru shook his head. There was nothing to say to his mother on this particular subject, not that he didn't think she'd bring it up the minute she watched the evening news, if only out of interest.
That damn thief. He told him- specifically TOLD him not to do anything! What were the chances that someone would impersonate a Japanese criminal while both of them were here? Kid. Tsh- As if anyone could, even if they tried to. He'd seen the heist note. That damned idiot couldn't be impersonated with as much accuracy. It was best that he was gone. Saguru was ready to go off on him anyway and that was one argument he didn't want to have in front of his mother, no matter how much Kaito seemed okay with the idea.
"You know... you really should have at least waited until breakfast was finished. I'm sure Kaito doesn't know his way around, and I doubt that he'll be very warm out in such a thin coat. Without breakfast and the proper attire, seeing as we haven't been able to go shopping yet, the boy is likely to get sick."
"I don't care." Let the magician get sick. He deserved it.
His mother looked up at the clock and Saguru found his own eyes trailing along. It was a little before ten. The notice had been sent out early this morning for late tomorrow night. He'd never known Kid to make a proclamation with so short a time limit for preparations. Not that he cared what Kaito was planning. Maybe the magician had done it in the hopes that Saguru wouldn't have time to notice before that night.
"Seeing as we now have no plans, I'm not really sure what to do with my day. I'm not going to take you shopping only to have to go back with Kaito."
"Forget him. With any luck... this will make him go home. That's where he belongs anyway." Saguru stalked away, not feeling in the mood to eat. He wasn't about to just stay at home though. If Kaito did return, it would be when the magician wanted too. That didn't mean it worked the other way around. Saguru wasn't sure how long it would take before he was ready to face Kaito again, but the next few hours didn't look promising.
Everything was so far away from his house and he didn't feel like spending time with his mother. She was a nice woman and all, but it was clear from her words that she wasn't taking his side in the argument. Not that Saguru could blame her. It looked as if he had started the fight, and he had, though for reasons solely on Kaito's shoulders. There weren't any words to express to her why he was the one in the right without saying too much, so it was best to remain silent.
In the end he grabbed his coat and walked out the door without even bidding her goodbye. She had seen him slip his shoes on, so it wasn't like she didn't know he was stepping out. Whatever breakfast she has made, he found himself hoping that he hadn't ruined it, though it was likely he had. That didn't sit well with him either and only gave him more incentive to get away from everyone. He just needed some time alone. He hadn't had any in... He couldn't remember. Ever since he'd been poisoned it seemed that he was constantly being smothered by attention – not that he didn't enjoy that at first. He was scared and he didn't want to be alone. All the attention, after a while, was more of a drawback than a solace to him. With Kaito gone and his mother possessing worry-free tendencies, he was sure he wouldn't be followed like any other wandering child would be. He was old enough to take care of himself, even if he didn't look it, and he wished that someone would acknowledge that fact.
He liked walking his streets again. Yes, maybe he did think of England as more of a home than Japan. He knew what to expect here, remembered these roads far better and was more comfortable with his mother's language than his father's. He may have grown up with his father, but he had been young. His mother had taken him soon after the point that he was retaining memories, so he couldn't be sure which of them had influenced him more as he matured. He was, in his own opinion, very unlike both of his parents.
Though his father had instilled in him a hatred that he knew he could never rid himself of. Saguru just… couldn't stand the way his father worked. He watched as, half the time, his father was too lazy to complete case files when they were handed in to him and the other half he was laughing off details that should have been looked into. Seeing a man like that run a police force was sickening, so he'd never had any interest to join the ranks of the followers. The cases, however, had never once left his mind. Detective work was very intriguing to him and as he went passed middle school, hearing how those around him wanted to be doctors and firefighters – some even lawyers and artists – he found himself alone in his ambitions. A detective, in the eyes of high schoolers, sounded like an idea out of a fairytale. No one ever praised detectives in real life.
And books were where he was led to, though he'd been an avid reader for most of his life. Saguru was ashamed to admit that he had not grown up with Doyle's stories, though he envied the man's character. Only after he'd fed himself all the information he could find on the science involving old case files did he then look into fictional works. When he turned fifteen, he remembered asking his mother to buy him the series after he finished the first book. They were interesting and the character was one he idolized, since no human in his life had ever shown the same interests, let alone the same talents that he wished to possess.
Obsession was a good word for it. He knew that very well. Books were… often times much better to have at your side than a friend. Books didn't berate you the same way.
Saguru laughed to himself when he found that his steps had taken him to the library.
"Of course," he whispered under his breath, hoping no one would hear and think him strange. How he'd gotten there so quickly, he wasn't sure. The library was in Woodbridge, which was a good two towns over, though he had to admit that the towns around him were quite small in comparison to most. His own was branched off from the bordering town he had just passed through without notice, so it wasn't any surprise that their population was rather small.
Not that the lower population didn't help. Through his life growing up, he'd never once been involved in a crime and only a minor car accident down the road made any lasting impression on him. It was so calm and safe here…
And so boring.
He shoved that though away as he pushed open the library doors. He'd come here many times as a child, though he'd never walked. As he aged, it was a comfortable bike ride over, but his mother had always taken him in the car before that because of the distance. He scarcely noticed it while he was lost in his thoughts.
The smell of cleaner and worn pages welcomed him towards the comfort he was longing for. That smell would be forever one that he looked forward too and he detested any place that held books and didn't hold that scent.
Ignoring the patrons around him, he sought out the crime section he'd found himself wandering towards since he was old enough to read. He'd picked up books far out of his league more than once, to the great displeasure of his mother. When he became old enough to take on tasks that suited his qualifications, he'd left the pages in search of real-life experience. Now that he was back, he was free to peruse as he saw fit.
Immersing himself in fictional writing at the moment wasn't interesting him. After picking up a few books he had read and enjoyed years ago, he placed them back on the shelf. The characters- he didn't want them. Following along with another person at the moment was a good way to escape, but not when you were reading crime - not when something like that had just happened to you - not when your situation was as safe, yet as dire as any that you found in the pages of a fictional story.
So he went on to the non-fiction. That was a bit more interesting and he lost track of time for a while reading over formulas that he had long since discarded. Ai, after all, had brought back some of them, though he hadn't had time to dissect his own mind and find the necessary components to be of assistance to her. He probably never would be anything more than a nuisance anyway. She was a scientist in profession while he was a detective. The odds weren't very high that he would have helpful information that she didn't already possess.
One of the things that made him so good at what he did was his ability to retain information. It was something that he had assumed all of the greats out there possessed. Much to his dismay, he had to admit it was something that made Kaito so good at what he did.
Being a library, even though he was in the part obviously not meant for children, didn't mean there weren't kids running around. Two in particular, boys, were making it very difficult to concentrate on anything for longer than a few seconds before one of them would slap one of the metal shelves or they'd go rushing by him in some makeshift game of tag.
He sighed. This was a pointless venture in any case. The books weren't the only thing about libraries that he cherished, so he placed his current non-fiction work on microorganisms back on the shelf and treaded his way carefully over to the steps so as not to be rushed by the two boys running around as if the devil were on their heels. He would be soon, in the form of a librarian, if they didn't knock it off.
Upstairs was a lounge area where any noisy behavior of any sort was watched and criticized to the point that the noise-maker would either leave feeling embarrassed or take one step into the room and realize it wasn't the place they wanted to be. This section held all the large-scale newspapers from the town as well as the surrounding neighborhoods. There were magazines and filmstrips that could be looked at. Comfy chairs outlined the room in anything but symmetrical fashion, with equally as soft benches aimed in the center so that it felt more like a home than it did a place of literature. Even the study section was outside of this room so not even scratches of a pen could disrupt the solitude.
Saguru avoided the newspapers for one main reason- they held something he did not want to think about right now. He sat down in one of the chairs in a more shaded part of the room where only half of the current six occupants could see him.
He should have brought a book with him, but he hadn't really been thinking about that. Saguru sighed, turning away to the shelves around him. Magazines never held his interest. They were basically by writers sure of their self-importance and the other half were full of advertizing.
The chair was comfortable and he didn't feel like getting up and being judged as the annoying child who was disturbing the peace by walking back and forth, so he relaxed. He really wasn't tired, but it was nice to just sit back and not feel like you were being watched. It took him a moment to realize that he hadn't had this kind of time alone since… well, since everything happened. It was kind of nice.
And also a bit boring.
His hands itched on the armrest and he found himself looking at the papers around him anyways. The news that morning already told him what he'd find on the cover page, but he hadn't listened past the word "Kid" at the time to know what was being stolen, just that it would happen tomorrow.
The papers were right in front of him so why not look? He had time to kill and the longer he stayed here the less time he would have to be home. He was out of the cage right now, so what did it matter if he was interested or not? Saguru smiled. It wasn't like he couldn't stop Kaito with the way he was now…
The magician seemed so angry at him though. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Kaito hadn't put out a notice. If he hadn't, then that was the most uncanny timing he'd ever come across to date.
He had to put the newspaper down before climbing back up into his seat and settling in. As to be expected, Kid was across the front page. It wasn't often that he showed up outside of Japan… right. Kid had to have been someone else before Kaito. He knew who now. The picture the paper had printed, while far enough away not to show any features, was clearly not the teen. After he'd identified Kaito with a certainty, he'd been able to match up Kid's pictures with his basic body type. This person was too tall and his grin didn't contain the same amount of teeth that Kaito's did. It was clearly his father's picture, which shouldn't have been a surprise since Kaito hadn't been photographed in the UK.
His stomach growled and quickly withdrew into himself, hoping no one heard it. He really should have had some breakfast before he left.
Some annoying bodily functions aside, he had to wonder if that bothered Kaito at all. There'd been enough recent photos of him back in Japan that the thought had never occurred to him before. Saguru shook his head. That was not what he should be focusing on. Now that his body so loudly stated how hungry he was, he wanted to get his mind on other matters that could distract him, but equally were impersonal enough not to make him second-guess himself.
That was easy enough to do when he read the first line of the paper and had to put it down before reading further. If this wasn't Kaito, they certainly had guts. He really should have continued to listen to that news broadcast - not that he was sure what they would have said. He was certain that his hometown wasn't used to having shades in white throwing out riddles.
There was a photograph of the heist notice and Saguru saw nothing strange about it, just as he was sure the picture on the news had been authentic. Kid wasn't someone who could be imitated easily, seeing as they would need the mind as well as the conviction to pull it off.
For now, the least he could do was find out exactly what was being targeted.
Tomorrow night, taken from the crown, two clear discs from on high shall shine on parallel wings of iron
Okay, so the time and day... and the crown jewels - seeing as how there isn't much else 'taken from the crown' could be translated as - were obvious. Was this really Kid though? Saguru had to think even Kaito wouldn't be so much of an idiot to state it blatantly that he was going after something so well-guarded.
But then again, Kaito had proved himself an idiot in the past.
There may have been other crowns out there, but right now there was no further hints as to a more specific target, so he had to let his thoughts float around the idea that Kaito had gone insane. That being said, there wasn't a singular crown jewel, as the term referred to not only jewels but other items held in value by the royal family.
The discs part made him think it was something circular, and since Kid fancied diamonds, that's where Saguru's mind went. The 'from on high' had him guessing though. There was no question that the jewels under the crown were kept at the Tower of London, but he wasn't sure where in there they were kept. 'Tower' was a shaky description, as the Tower of London was more a medieval fortress than a skyscraper.
If only he wasn't so hungry, this might be easier to decipher. That, and it had been ages since he was familiarized with the crown jewels. He's seem them a few years back on one of the exhibit days, though he'd hardly categorized them all. He knew there had to be a lot of diamonds in there that fell under than category, but he didn't have the information to narrow it down.
That, and he was a bit surprised to read further and find no mention of the notice being translated. Kaito may have been able to speak English well enough but he doubted the magician could write as well as he could recite, and even his reciting wasn't all that good.
If there was one thing, Saguru didn't want to admit he was wrong. He couldn't be. Who else would do this? Threatening the crown wasn't something to be taken lightly and the notice looked so authentic if not for the perfect script.
There was no further mention in the article as to how the note had been deciphered.
Before he knew what he was doing, Saguru had gotten up and gone to one of the children's computers downstairs and started looking into the facts. There were more than enough artifacts to look through, but he started with what he already knew about Kid. The thief's attracted to the big and shiny like mosquitoes are to sugar.
That being said, it wasn't as if the crown jewels were advertised over the net and, being that there were two, he thought that there was some connection there between the artifacts. There were more than enough jewels that were cut from the same stone but none that had their residence here, nor were any being hosted from a foreign country.
Then there was the possibility of it being a crystal as well. There may have been, and probably were, hundreds of crystal artifacts out there, and that wasn't something he was familiar with. Looking it up online he was just as unsuccessful.
There were just so many things out there that it could be. He had to think, narrow down his search. Wandering aimlessly across the net wasn't going to do him any good.
The Aurora Pyramid of Hope came a while back, but even Kid couldn't steal that... maybe he could. Kid had gone after a huge statue in his presence before... Maybe... He'd keep that as a secondary guess. It would have to be stolen whole or all the diamonds making it up would be displaced. How Kaito thought he'd be able to hide it though, that was another question.
Two discs from on high... okay, that sounded like the sun and the moon, but they weren't out at the same time, and if they were, he highly doubted that they were both out at 9:15, as the 'parallel wings of iron' stated. That meant either an hour after the sun went down or too early in the morning for the moon to be out.
So two discs had to either be referring to two items in that shape or something else he wasn't seeing...
What else was there that was round and fitted the 'from on high' description...
Well, there were stars.
For the next few hours, Saguru went through all diamonds, crystals, and anything that had the word 'star' in it. He came across a couple that would have fit, but none that were close enough to mean anything.
Laying his head down on his hand for a second, he started thinking. What was he missing? There was the Cullinan Diamond... that was a start.
It had several pieces two it, most famously know for as the The Greater and Lesser Stars of Africa. That would fit... There were nine pieces, but those two got the most recognition and they were currently in the Tower of London.
But how would they shine? That was another puzzle. Sure gems would shine in the light, but did that mean that Kid would be striking during the day? Or did it have something to do with the method that he would be using?
Someone touching his shoulder made Saguru jump, a small noise of fright escaping him as he tried to calm himself down.
"Hey."
He put a hand to his mouth to stifle his breathing. "Kuroba-kun, you really have to stop doing that."
"Didn't intend to. In fact, I didn't even want to come." Kaito closed one of his eyes and looked away. "Your mom was worried and asked if I'd look for you." The magician shrugged. "She said you'd be in here somewhere if you weren't home or at the park."
"What time is it?" Saguru looked over at his computer screen, since it was easier than finding his watch. Seven twenty-five was clearly displayed at the bottom.
"Late. Come on."
Saguru shook his head. "You go. I'll be home when I wish to be."
"Look," Kaito growled. "Your mom is worried and, if you didn't notice, it's dark out there and you still have a good walk home. I'm offering to walk back with you. You should take the offer."
"I don't want it."
"Fine." Kaito turned away, mumbling under his breath. "Don't blame me if someone kidnaps you."
"I won't." Saguru went back to the computer but his heart wasn't in it anymore. When had... He shook his head. Nevermind, it didn't matter. But his fingers on the keys didn't want to move. Why did this matter? Why did he feel it was so important to find out what Kid was after? He couldn't be there to stop him. Odds were he was to be sheltering the criminal after the fact as well. All this... it meant nothing anymore.
Saguru exited the windows he had open and climbed off the chair, exiting the building with a small smile at the wonderful second home the place had become to him.
Kaito, as he thought, was out front waiting for him.
"You know, I can get myself home."
The magician didn't say anything, wouldn't even look at him. Saguru was still angry at him for the same reasons that were likely holding the magician's tongue in check. Maybe it was better this way. Of course, he'd thought that once before to, only to discover he was wrong.
"Hey."
Saguru wasn't expecting Kaito to be the first to break their silence, walking on as if it was no big deal. Saguru had stopped a moment before running the few feet to catch back up to the teen's longer strides.
"Yeah?"
"Why were you at the library?"
Okay... how was he supposed to answer that? "I was there because I wanted to be there, why?
"It looked like you were doing research."
Saguru smiled something he hadn't in months. "Yes, I was. That was unintentional. I simply grew bored with sitting there with nothing to occupy my time with."
"I thought the first thing you'd want to do was get as far away from anything to do with me, or Kid, as you could get. I didn't expect to find you diving headfirst into your own investigation. Don't you have any friends?"
"I don't see why that's any of your concern. I'll do what I want."
"You never really talked to anyone in class. I always thought it was because you were busy or you were getting ready to head back over here. You didn't really spend much time in Japan. I think I saw more of you, you, not you, sitting-in-class-and-doing-what-you-have-to-to-get-by, as Kid than I ever did outside the costume."
"It wasn't as if you ever invited me to your house before now."
"No, but I had my reasons. You didn't. I'm not your only classmate."
"They didn't interest me."
"And me, who did interest you... the closest you ever got to me was something closer to stalking than it was anything else. Even Aoko... Thinking back on it, you said that you liked her, but I didn't see you talk other than on some rare occasions."
"I do like her."
"You don't even know her."
"I don't have to know her well to know the type of person she is."
"That's not what I mean."
"Than I'm failing to understand what you're asking me."
Kaito sighed, rubbing his fingers against his eyelids and down his face. "What I'm saying is that I've never seen you spend time with anyone, you know, like a friend. You go off getting all mad at me, and you run off to a computer?"
"What so wrong with that?"
"What isn't wrong with that! One person, that's all I ask. Just tell me one person who's your friend in the literal sense of the word. I mean, I've got Aoko but I know all of my classmates and I've spent time outside of class with at least half of them because I like them and they're good people, not to mention that it's fun and it's what normal people do."
"So you're normal?"
"Stop trying to change the conversation."
"So what if I don't have any friends? Is it that big of a deal?" Saguru looked up at Kaito, finding that something about this topic was making him very angry and he wished the magician would just drop it.
"You know..." Kaito whispered. The teen's face blended in well with the moonlight, reflecting his eyes a darker shade. "You know so much about me, and I don't really know anything about you. I mean, sure I know all this science-detective stuff you like, but that's about it. And there's something about that, that kinda makes me wonder... is there anything else there? Don't you have any other interests? Anything that you're passionate about? As a person, I know next to nothing about you. The you you are now isn't the one you were before. You're scared and I get that, I do. I felt that way before too, though I got over it. I don't really know you." Kaito looked over at him sideways. "And I don't think you really do either. Being by yourself... that's not... I couldn't do it. Don't you ever get lonely?"
"Sometimes," he admitted. It was the first time he ever allowed himself to say as much aloud. "But I'm used to it. I used to have friends back in middle school, but they always wanted to do this or that, and I really wasn't interested. I'd play the sports, go through the motions, but I wasn't anything special. Someone else would always get the high-five or the cheer. When I got old enough that the girls became interested in me, I couldn't relate to them and it only pushed me further from the other boys. So no, I never really had friends or the need for them. I got by, did I not? And, unlike what you've said, I'm happy with the person I've become."
"What if it didn't have to be that way?"
"Huh?"
"You're not the only one that's been thinking on stuff." Kaito held out his hand, looking the other way. "Come on. I'll be your friend."
"Really?" Saguru asked in an are-you-serious tone of voice. "I think I'll pass."
"Fine." Kaito shoved both hands in his pocket impassively. "But just so you know, you're my friend. I've been known to lie to my friends. Look at Aoko. I feel bad about that."
Kaito full out grinned and turned to him for the first time. "And you know what? I think I'm getting tired of it." He winked. "Sorry about lying to you before, but don't make plans for tomorrow night. I'm going to be a little busy."