Yay for coffee shops! Also, hours and hours of layover in airports is conducive to writing.
disseminate: to spread information
29
Disseminate
"Shinichi-san!" Mitsuhiko blinked, surprised at the teenager glaring grumpily at Haibara-san as she passed him a large mug of what he assumed was coffee. Shinichi-san wasn't Conan-kun, but he was a lot like Conan-kun, and they felt a lot more like the Shonen Tantei-dan when he was there.
He didn't know what had happened to Conan-kun, but Ran-san had looked so sad when they'd asked her. (He didn't want to think about what that might mean. They were just kids, he knew that, but Conan-kun had taught them a lot. About friendship and loyalty and kindness as well as detective work… and death. The reality was that Conan-kun had almost died in that cave, and many more times besides, though the cave had been the worst injury. But… the adults wouldn't hide it from them if Conan had died, would they? Even children were told when a friend wasn't ever going to come home.)
He suddenly realized they'd never asked Shinichi-san and the flare of hope was impossible to ignore or even slow. Shinichi-san didn't even have time to return his initial surprised greeting before Mitsuhiko continued, completely without meaning to. "Do you know what happened to Conan-kun?"
Shinichi-san blinked, clearly startled, "No one told you?"
Ayumi-chan and Genta-kun both zeroed in on that the same time Mitsuhiko did, "So you do know?"
"Where's Conan-kun? Is he all right?" Ayumi-chan looked so desperately worried that Mitsuhiko winced, not having intended to stir that up.
"Conan's fine, right?" Genta demanded in the almost-angry voice he got when he was worried.
Shinichi-san closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with an expression of exasperation not unlike the one Conan wore when the Shonen Tantei did something less than smart. Mitsuhiko tried not to bristle, and found himself slightly mollified by Shinichi-san's muttered, "You know, there are some things that the adults in your lives are idiots about."
Genta paused, "Eh?"
"Conan… you know about the case I was working on, the one with the big group of bad guys?"
Mitsuhiko nodded, glancing at the other two to make sure they were recognizing it, too.
Shinichi-san lowered his hand and looked at them properly before he continued, and there was something just a little off when he spoke. Conan-kun probably would figure out what it was instantly, but Mitsuhiko was more interested in what they were finally being told. "When my part in the takedown got leaked, one of the higher Organization operatives found out that Conan's related to me. He instantly became a target, and the FBI took him into protective custody and gave him a new identity in America. You can't tell people about it—it's likely that the remnants already suspect something like that, but it's still safer for all of you, including Conan, if you guys don't talk about it."
"But…" Mitsuhiko looked helplessly at the other two and found himself seeming like the spokesperson, "… doesn't that mean we won't be able to talk to him again? Why would he…"
"Can't you think of a reason?" Haibara-san asked, dry but not unkind.
"I…" he could, "If he knew it would keep us safer."
"Yes," Haibara-san agreed. "Edogawa-kun would not abandon you, but he would leave you if it meant your safety."
"That's not fair!" Genta burst out, "He's our friend, we could protect him!"
"Yeah," Ayumi agreed, scowling.
"Do you remember the cave? Where Edogawa-kun was shot?" Haibara-san raised an eyebrow.
All three of them silenced at that, because they did. They did, and it had been terrifying, running away from people who wanted to kill them as Conan-kun had grown weaker and weaker, trying so hard to keep them calm and safe even as he'd been bleeding out. And… he'd pushed them ahead of him, knocked all three of them aside as the gun first went off.
Mitsuhiko didn't know which one of them he'd taken that bullet for. He didn't want to, either. "He wouldn't let us get hurt, and he got hurt protecting us." Would never let them get hurt, if there was any way to prevent it, even if it meant taking a wound himself, and was so much smarter than they were that he always saw danger coming first.
"And he does have parents, as much as he rarely saw them. They do have the power to tell the FBI 'yes' for him," Haibara pointed out.
Mitsuhiko had forgotten that part and he frowned, subsiding at the thought.
Shinichi-san sighed, "I have contacts in the FBI," he told them. "Even I can only rarely talk to him, and then only through carefully secured channels, but… I can pass on messages when I am able."
Which was more than anyone else got, if what Mitsuhiko had heard about the way the FBI set up that kind of thing was true. Which was something. Not much, but… something. He looked at Shinichi-san properly, intending to thank him for it, and paused.
"Shinichi-san… you look really pale. Are you okay?"
Haibara-san cast him a sharp glance before eying the mug in front of him, which was still full. "Kudo-kun, you are supposed to be drinking that, not waiting until you pass out and I have to find your minder."
Shinichi-san growled at her, sharp teeth glinting in the lights, but raised the mug and drank anyway.
Mitsuhiko took several seconds to work through the image, and it was really Genta-kun's shaky, pointing declaration of "V-v-vampire!" that made it click.
Shinichi-san grimaced, licking red from his lips, and Haibara-san breezed past them towards the refrigerator. "It's fine, everyone. He's really quite nice, as vampires go. He mainly drinks that synthetic."
"I can eat like a normal person, Haibara," Shinichi-san groaned, and that was exactly the tone that Conan-kun used with her, long-suffering and exasperated. No wonder so many people compared Conan-kun to his older cousin.
She pulled something small and dark from the refrigerator and threw it at him.
He caught it easily, and it took a moment to see that it was a bar of dark chocolate—dark enough that refrigerating it probably wasn't even needed to keep it hard, but maybe that was just where they kept all the chocolate.
Shinichi-san only rolled his eyes and tore the wrapper, tilting the corner of the bar between his fangs to snap off a piece between his more normal front teeth. It was a distinct method of biting, showing that he was at least used to working around the longer (and sharper) bicuspids, and while Mitsuhiko wanted to protest Genta's stuttering explanation, neither Shinichi-san nor Haibara-san had. Which they would have, if Haibara-san stayed even remotely true to form and Shinichi-san was as much like Conan-kun as he seemed… unless it was true.
"Ano…"
"Will it help if I promise not to bite anyone who doesn't ask for it?"
"Literally," Haibara added, grinning her 'I have something to hold over your head' grin.
"Shinichi-nii-san is nice," Ayumi-chan decided out loud. "Ayumi won't hate Shinichi-nii-san for something that isn't his fault."
That was something Mitsuhiko could agree with, and Genta's blustering splutter meant he did, too, even if he didn't want to say it out loud.
Shinichi-san's expression eased, a tension Mitsuhiko hadn't noticed until it was gone dissipating.
He gave in to his curiosity. If vampires were real, he had to ask. "So, which of the commonly held beliefs are true?"
Shinichi-san chuckled, shaking his head. "I should have known. You guys… well, the blood and healing are pretty much like the legends go. Sunlight gives me headaches after a while, and fire makes me nervous but I haven't tested that any further. Nothing in the way of religious symbols seems to be a problem, though, and we are still figuring this out. It's not like it came with a manual."
"Maybe we can help you guys figure it out," Ayumi-chan declared, and Shinichi-san huffed a laugh.
"Maybe you can, but for today I think I'd rather just relax. Should we see what new game the Hakase's cooked up for you?"
Shinichi-san wasn't Conan. He didn't hover a little awkwardly at the edges and sometimes fail at trying to fit in. He didn't know what was going on in Kamen Yaiba if they didn't tell him, and he didn't play the games Agasa made. He wasn't in their class and didn't walk with them to the park to play soccer or baseball after school.
But Shinichi-san was like Conan. He helped with their homework when they asked and treated them like people, not little kids. He watched them play the Hakase's games with a smile and sometimes agreed to help them improve their soccer footwork, though he always declined to play against them and flat-out refused to play baseball, saying that it was 'Hattori's thing'. (After playing soccer against Conan-kun, who could wipe the field with them three or four against one, he wasn't sure he wanted to see what would happen if they played against Shinichi-san. It would be the sports equivalent of a massacre.)
Just because Shinichi-san had developed fangs and a taste for blood sometime in the last two months didn't mean things had to change. Well, aside from maybe the times they chose to drag him off to teach them new soccer tricks. Afternoon probably wasn't the best, anymore.
xxxx
Kaito had been so, so gratefully relieved at Aoko's acceptance (he'd been worried, at first, because she only used first-person pronouns when she was really serious or upset) that it had taken him several moments to remember that dropping in on Shinichi unannounced while he was in his little 'doctor's appointment' was probably not the best idea. Shinichi wouldn't mind if it were just him—he'd proven that several times over—but Aoko?
Also, Kaito had a few quick things to take care of before he could do anything else. His online coursework was complete, of course. He could do that from Shinichi's home as easily as his own, after all. The doves and his classroom-courses, on the other hand… "Hang on, hang on," Kaito didn't let his best friend pull him out the door. "I need to take care of the doves, first, and grab my books for later. And make sure Shin-shin is out of his appointment—his doctor is scary."
Aoko stopped tugging, but paused carefully at the last part. "… Scary?" she asked.
"Terrifying," he informed, grinning. "Worse than my mom on a sugar-high, only without the hyperactivity." Because the Phantom Lady had always been into scare-tactics, and while Kaito was not above mild scares, Kuroba Chikage had moments where she'd terrified even the best of her friends for fun.
Aoko managed a bizarre cross between cringing and relaxing before giving up with a wince, "That kind of scary, huh?"
"That kind of scary," Kaito confirmed, "I'll text Shinichi and take care of the doves, and we'll see if we can't swing a meeting today. You don't have classes, right?"
"Hai," Aoko agreed, "No classes today. I'll go grab Tou-san's bento, and we can drop it off once we know for sure?"
Kaito nodded, waving a semi-dismissive hand, "See you in a little bit," he affirmed, heading towards the doves' room while texting Shinichi a short list of relevant questions.
When he'd finished cleaning the coops and making sure there was plenty of fresh food and water, as well as making sure the chute was clean and clear for those who felt like exploring or following him, he had a list of answers. Kaito was welcome, Aoko was welcome, the kids would be there, Ran might, and text again when he was getting ready to come because the exact location might change.
Kaito grinned, sending back a little ˆ_º~* that Shinichi would probably mock him for at some point (it would be worth it to see him smile) and genuinely happy that Ran was talking to Shinichi again. Not that he'd doubted the detective when he'd said she would, but it had taken less time than he'd feared, and that was something else to smile about.
(He never would have imagined this was where his life would start leading, and he was so grateful that he'd been granted so much. A terrified eight-year-old screaming against the fire could never have guessed that one day he'd be this happy again.)
xxxx
"Shinichi-san, go sit down," a familiarly imperious voice ordered, and Kaito had to work very hard not to 'aww' out loud. There were three children maneuvering Shinichi further into the shade beneath a thickly-leaved tree, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi each pulling on a hand and Genta pushing him from behind while a fourth not-child watched the proceedings with a fondly amused smirk.
Aoko didn't restrain herself, "That's so adorable!"
Kaito grinned as Shinichi huffed in exaggerated resignation, deftly twisting out of the children's grips and dropping down to sit with his back against the sturdy trunk, "You guys…"
Shinichi's overly-sulky tone got the actual little girl to scowl at him, "Shinichi-nii-san, you know the sun's not good for you! You're taking a break."
Kaito couldn't help but laugh as he lead Aoko over to Shinichi and 'his' kids, "You should listen to the little lady, Shin-shin."
Shinichi looked up at him, visibly brightening, and Kaito faltered under the force of his detective's grin. He recovered quickly when Shinichi moved as if to stand, though. "Ah! You heard the lady; I shall join you in the soft grass beneath the gentle wisteria, to share in partaking of the lovely shade—ow!"
Shinichi whapped his calf, cutting off his waxing poetic. "That's enough out of you, you dramatic sap."
Kaito grinned, flopping down into the grass and draping himself halfway across Shinichi's legs. "You love it," he declared.
Shinichi rolled his eyes and started introductions.
xxxx
Shinichi glanced up as a familiar set of footsteps approached the tree that the Shonen Tantei still weren't letting him out from under, pulling his attention from the small-scale (for Kaito, anyway) magic show that had attracted several other children and families aside from the Shonen Tantei and Haibara, who actually seemed to be enjoying herself. The angle made it a little too easy for Shinichi to pick apart the tricks, but it was nice to see Kaito in his element without fan-screams and police shouting as a background.
"He looks just like you, Shinichi," Ran's observation started out startled before shading into something close to disbelieving, and Shinichi remembered several times where Ran had gotten close enough to Kid that her figuring this out wouldn't be entirely impossible. Still, he had a handy distraction.
"Wait until you see his childhood friend," Shinichi offered dryly. "It's ridiculous."
Ran turned to eye him with the sort of wariness that said she knew he was doing something vaguely prank-like but wasn't sure what. "What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.
Shinichi found himself relaxing a little, eased by the familiarity of the interaction. She wasn't scared of him. "Nakamori-san?" Shinichi called, quiet enough not to interrupt the show but loud enough to catch the girl's attention.
"Hai, Kudo-san?" Nakamori Aoko started, turning, only to blink and have her jaw drop a little as she spotted Ran.
"This is Mouri Ran," Shinichi introduced, smirking a bit. "My childhood friend."
Another blink, and Nakamori started grinning, "I have a twin, too!"
Ran suspicions were completely derailed, "Wow. Okay, Shinichi's right—this is ridiculous! What are the odds?"
Shinichi couldn't help but grin, "Low enough to be completely unavoidable with Kaito and me involved."
Ran laughed at that one, "I don't want to know. You're bad enough on your own."
(The proper introductions—as with anything involving Kaito's somewhat reality-bending stunts—ended up being a production. Ran wasn't the only one who ended up leaving with a new friend and a smile.
Haibara flatly telling him that his life was impossible before stalking off looking disgusted was really just a bonus.)
xxxx
Kaito stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk halfway back to the Kudo manor, "Huh."
Shinichi turned to give him a questioning look.
"We still haven't told your parents."
He watched in amused concern as Shinichi cringed.
(Ten minutes later, he found out why.)
xxxx
Yuusaku winced as his wife's tone hit 'squeal' and kept on rising. He wasn't surprised to see Shinichi do the same, although the fact that Kaito managed to cover his almost entirely was impressive. No wonder he made such a good Kaitou KID—his Poker Face, as Toichi would have called it, was impeccable.
Focusing on keeping himself from going deaf was a great way to keep from focusing on the bit of news (no, no thinking about it, not until the boys were out of sight) because he'd been vaguely hoping to never have to sort out the general conflicted mess he had around the whole thing, though he wasn't surprised to end up having that hope dashed.
They weren't being… new couple-y, he supposed. Not really. They were comfortable around each other and Kaito was draping himself over Shinichi's shoulder with an easy grin, but that seemed like an old habit, not a new one in the making.
Kaito also turned his head to give Shinichi a peck on the cheek, and Shinichi rolled his eyes but looked fond when he did it. Of course, Shinichi probably wouldn't appreciate PDAs of any kind, and even less so in front of parents.
When Yukiko went from her happy (and very elongated) 'squee' to an attempted glomp, though, Shinichi and Kaito relocated two meters sideways in a puff of smoke, leaving the former actress pouting on an otherwise empty patch of floor. It was quite impressive, even moreso that Shinichi and Kaito were in the same position they'd been before the smoke, and Shinichi looked to have taken the sudden shift completely as a given.
…This was going to end up very, very mind-breaking. He just knew it.
xxxx
