Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
While Kaito sleeps, the detectives recall and deal with what happened after the heist and intend to get the magician back to sleep once he wakes up. Unfortunately, things are not as easy as one might wish, when dealing with a kaitou.
Sorry for taking so long, my boss threw more assignments at me than I'm really able to take on and to make matters worse, my neighbors started renovating their apartment, so it's not only noisy here, but everything is covered in dust… Really, it's a miracle that I managed to get this chapter done at all! And… I broke the length record again xD 13k words for the sole chapter (over 14k in total with introduction and ending)… Jeez… I really should learn to write shorter ones, right? xD Would make me faster, but somehow I find it hard to cut it… Hope you don't mind too much ;)
And I completely forgot to add something in the end notes of the last chapter – you see, it wasn't an accident (nor just me being mean :P) that the boys decided to give Kaito a fish to eat. From what I've learned in my research on poisons, it's actually fish oil is good for you when recovering. Just a small curiosity in case you wanted to know ;)
So not to focus on idle chatter for too long, let's get to the review reply part, shall we? ;)
april-list - Well, I hope you didn't mind the wait this time either ;) But yeah - you probably should update as well xD Honestly speaking, I did intend to get to that soon, but... somehow I write the idea and end up with 10 words and decide that I should finish a chapter xD So in the end I still haven't covered a thing I intend to write in the next one (jeez - I have no idea how it happens xD)
Mists - Pff~ I'm glad you liked it so much xD Saguru and Kaito do have a special kind of relationship here, so I decided to give them a bit of time ;) And you know - it would be boring if Kaito could just rest... xD
DragonPhantom 75 - I'm trying to get to that... Hopefully I will manage in chapter 36. Oh gods... I'll never finish this story with this pace xD But I'm happy you like it ;)
Dark Calamity of Princess - Yeah... xD I wonder what will happen xD Especially when Kaito will be able to freely move around, but will still need to take it easy xD And I have to admit... I like Kaito too much to just kill him xD
Cerlinfia - Well, want it or not, he doesn't have much choice xD And he was lured to them for long now ;) Had to start giving in sooner, or later ;)
DaLantis - You'll get a bit more moments just between Kaito and Shinichi here ;) I'm glad you liked it and no need to apologize for reading late - in the end I slack off with my chapters, so I have no right to complain xD
Kensy Echo - You are most welcome~
Oh, I don't mind it at all - especially since I like hinting on various stuff like that, so it is intentional xD And you're in for a little treat in this chapter – hope you'll enjoy it ;)
You are quite right here~ Kaito is very dear to them, but not only out of gratitude for what he did for them, but also for just how he is. Well, it is easier for Kaito to force himself to believe that their intentions are not pure - this way he is able to keep his distance. Tough luck, though xD Yeah - he will be scolded numerous times for neglecting his own needs, don't you worry about that xD
Oh, I agree with you there. About Aoko, I can accept only 2 times she teased Kaito about his phobia - the first time (when she just wanted to check, if it is true) and with wearing fishy panties (because with that it's self-defense xD). Outside of that, it's just plain mean. But in this situation Kaito's reaction was exaggerated, poor guy had to deal with not only his phobia and risen anxiety, but also the primal fear of suffocating. Eventually he would have fainted, even if Shinichi didn't dart him. As for Heiji, yeah... he meant no harm, just made a stupid move. Yeah, other people's fear and anger always influences what you feel yourself and it is even worse for empaths. Although you can hardly blame Heiji and Saguru for freaking out ;)
He had to train himself, I imagine - in the end, his life depends on him noticing everything around him. One slip and he's either dead or caught (which basically is the same). Pff~ Well - might be a bit gruesome, but I imagine Kaito doing his best to tease people, even while laying on his deathbed xD He doesn't want people to worry about him, no matter what. And distracting them with teases is the easiest way to achieve it ;)
Oh~ You got to the root of the problem xD After all, being friends with a suspect is something else than being friends with someone who for sure is a criminal xD But I will address it a bit later on in detail ;) As for the Vegas part... This just means that the detectives will be allowed to keep Kaito in their care for a bit longer, neh? ;)
I'm glad you liked my explanations~ I'm kind of annoyed that I didn't get to find enough actual data, but then again, I'm not surprised to have little information on poisons on the internet xD You need to wait no longer :D And madelita-chan says 'hi' back ;) (beta's note: who are you calling "madelita-chan?" Also, hi, Echo-tan~)
Meitantei-Clark - Alright, alright xD Sorry for taking so long ;) I just don't want to give you guys an half assed product...
So without further delay…
Please enjoy and review! :)
Chapter 34: Forgotten friends
When they reached the living room, Hakuba turned to Hattori, who was silently following him, and hissed through his clenched teeth. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry... I didn't think-"
"No! You clearly didn't!" Saguru snapped, avoiding raising his voice. "For all we know, he might still die. It's a miracle that he didn't suffer any brain damage, but if we are not careful enough with him-"
"I know that as well as you do!" Heiji snapped back, before his expression turned back to remorseful and he looked away. "I just- I wanted to give him the opportunity to laugh it off, you know? It didn't even cross my mind that it might do more than annoy him. Gods..." He rubbed his face with his hand. "I mean, we always tease each other, you know, and we both sort of' enjoy it..." He tried to smile, but failed.
The blonde sighed heavily and rubbed his eyelids. It probably didn't help how many times the Osakan witnessed people die in front of him. And given how bad Kuroba was the last time he saw him... No wonder he wanted to try and have him act normal and alive again. "It's hard for all of us. I guess... Sorry for lashing out like this on you, Hattori."
"Nah man, I deserved it this time." He waved it off and focused his gaze on the Brit. "Anyway, how are you feeling? Because you look like hell. You should get some rest."
Saguru shook his head. "I appreciate your concern, but I don't think I would be able to fall asleep anyway. I'd prefer to make sure he is fine..." He looked back at the stairs leading to the higher level, where the guest room was.
Heiji clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, I get it. But lil' Neechan most likely won't let you now anyway. Come on, I promise I'll wake you if anything changes." He noticed a grimace on Hakuba's expression, so he added. "You can take the second heart monitor with you and put the volume up. It'll alarm you if anything drastic happens."
"I do appreciate your concern, but I really don't think-"
"Oh come on! Even if you won't actually sleep, a little rest would do you good and you know it."
"Well, I had plenty rest like that while watching over Kuroba."
Heiji gave him a very unimpressed stare, clearly showing what he thought about 'rest' like that. From the worried professor, they knew that since the two of them left on Saturday morning, the Brit practically haven't left Kaito's room. At most, he could have dozed off on the chair, although apparently he was more or less awake each time anybody entered.
Neither Kudo nor Hattori wanted to leave obviously, but they had no other choice. Throughout the frantic night, when they had to work hard to prevent KID from dying, they completely forgot about the girls. So to keep everything a secret, the two of them had to return to them and despite their efforts, they weren't able to return to Agasa's for the night. Fortunately, Shinichi managed to manipulate Sonoko to kidnap Ran and Kazuha to celebrate the start of the summer break with a girls-only Sunday. Which left little Conan under Heiji's care~ Well, actually Ran left him in Kogoro's care, but since the guy was more than happy to pass the burden on somebody else, it was all the same.
After finally getting to the professor's place, they didn't fail to notice how exhausted their fellow detective was, but since Ai declared that KID was well enough to try and wake him, they decided to do that first. It was obvious that Saguru wouldn't be able to rest before he knew that his classmate didn't sustain any permanent damage and despite how tired he was, he was best equipped to conduct an examination.
Hattori sighed heavily, but before he could reply they both heard quiet steps on the stairs, so they turned towards it. Haibara soon appeared and sighed with annoyance, as she noticed the hopeful looks they were giving her.
"He's asleep now, but I think it should be obvious that you three ganging up on him anytime soon is a bad idea and a waste of my efforts. You'll have to wait with your insistent questions until he recovers enough."
Hakuba let out a breath he didn't intend to hold, his expression visibly relieved, clearly not being bothered by her dry tone. "Yes, I do believe you are right, Haibara-san. I'll go and-" He was already raising his foot to put it on the stairs before she moved in front of him, blocking the path.
"I think I made myself clear. No ganging up on him. Kudo-kun is with him and I would think he can handle an unconscious teenager. And if he can't, he should be able to call for help," she replied with a heavy glare.
Heiji raised his hands, hoping to ease the little girl. "Maa, maa, we get it. But you know, you actually chose the guy with the most questions to look after him~"
Ai focused her glare on him. "I have high hopes that Kudo-kun will be smart enough to refrain himself from pushing my patient." Both detectives felt a chill run their spines, as she said that with an unvoiced threat hidden underneath her words. "Either way, I wasn't left with much choice. KID-san doesn't know Hakase and I have something else to do. Should I have chosen a blabber-mouth, who might as well worsen things up AGAIN-" Hattori did his best not to wince at that. "Or a guy who is already barely holding up on his feet? You'd do best if you rested, Hakuba-san and get your emotions back in control," she reprimanded the Brit harshly.
Saguru hung his head, mumbling an apology and took a step back, unwilling to argue with his host. Heiji grimaced, but chose to hold back his tongue as well this time. Quarreling wouldn't do any good and most likely he wouldn't hold back once they started. Also... she did have a point after all, even if she was unnecessarily harsh.
The little scientist, seeing that they wouldn't argue or defy her, stepped past them and walked towards the basement laboratory.
"Come on." The Osakan placed a hand on Saguru's shoulder to get his attention. "You'll feel better once you got a little shut eye. We'll watch over him in the meantime."
"Alright, but-"
Hattori rolled his eyes and interrupted him. "Yeah, yeah, we'll wake you up, if anything happens, or before we have to leave. But for now, you have a couple more hours, so use 'em before you end up in need for more care than Kuroba." He winced as he felt a glare from Ai on his back. Crap, he thought she already left. The girl made it clear that she did not appreciate them supplying her with KID's identity.
Hakuba smiled softly, noticing the other's dismay and appreciating his efforts. "Alright. But I am taking the monitor with me."
"Sure~"
After Saguru left to the guest room, Heiji wondered what he could do to keep himself occupied. He went to the kitchen to have a little chat with the old inventor to see if he wanted some explanations, or needed assistance with anything, while waiting in case Kudo called for his help.
After dressing the injury, Shinichi covered Kaito's curled form with a spare blanket. Before leaving his side the detective checked his temperature and pulse. Neither was in norm for a soundly sleeping person, as he was a bit cold and had a higher heart rate, but it wasn't at an alarming level and seemed to be stable, thankfully. That done, Conan could leave him be. He wondered about the possible impact this attack could have had on the magician's condition and figured he should make some preparations, just in case. From his experience, of using the dart watch on multiple people, he could easily predict how long a healthy person would be knocked out by it. Taking into account Kuroba's state, he could guess that the period for him would be most probably a bit longer. And since, while the drug was in effect, the person wouldn't move in their sleep, it should be safe to leave him alone for a few minutes. So without wasting any time Shinichi stepped away from the bed and out of the room, leaving the door open behind him.
He found Heiji talking with Agasa in the kitchen. Both of them turned to him with alarm, when they noticed him.
"Oi, something wrong?" Hattori asked with worry, already walking towards him hastily. "You could have called out if you needed help."
"Everything's fine, don't worry. He's sleeping soundly and won't be moving around for at least 10 more minutes." This visibly eased the worry on both males' expressions. "By the way, where's Hakuba?"
"He went to a guestroom to get some rest just a while ago. He should be still awake, if you need anything from him." The Osakan supplied helpfully.
Conan shook his head. "Nah. Best let him rest, he'll probably won't do that after we leave again for the night. Anyway, I wanted to ask for a favor. I figured that now Kuroba will be having a harder time using his hands and I'm worried that he might not be able to hold a spoon steadily." He didn't need to say that chopsticks were out of the question entirely.
The professor frowned, undoubtedly thinking of a new invention to solve a problem like that. "So you want something to help feed him that's not a tube?" He hummed.
Shinichi waved his hands. "No, no. I imagine he would want at least a little feel of independence. Even I definitely wouldn't be happy to be fed, no matter if by a machine or a person." The elderly man's expression fell with disappointment. "I just wanted to ask of you to blend the stew and serve it in a cup with a wide straw." He shrugged. "Not the most appealing form, but he should be able to deal with it by himself that way. Also, I would be grateful if you could bring it to the door in about half an hour. I don't really want to wake him up forcefully, but if the smell does the trick, it would mean he's fine enough." He added with a shrug.
Agasa smiled heartwarmingly. "Alright Shinichi, no problem."
"Thanks Hakase~"
"Um, Kudo..? Is there something I could do?" The Osakan asked with a perplexed tone.
The boy turned towards his friend. He easily recognized the guilt on his face and felt sorry for him. Unfortunately, while he would like to give him some assignment, he couldn't think of anything aside from waiting on standby in case he would be needed. "Well, unless he starts trashing again after the drug, I should be able to handle everything by myself. It would be best, if he went back to sleep after eating, so I'd prefer to be alone with him, to not get him agitated too much. It would probably be best to just leave him alone after he wakes up, but there's a chance he might need some help. And I doubt he would call out to get it. Most likely he would stubbornly try to deal with it himself, even if it meant getting hurt in the process."
Heiji nodded to that and his gaze fell to the floor. "Listen, Kudo, I'm really sorry..." he made a pause to find the right words and Conan used it to cut him off gently.
"I know, Hattori, but it's not me who you should apologize to. Although I bet he knows as well that you meant no harm. We all know how you are~" he added with a smirk. "He'll be fine in a few days, so don't worry too much. But till then, we have to be careful with him, so just try to hold back and don't do anything stupid anymore, alright?"
The teen snorted. "You suck at comforting you know that?"
"Who said I was trying to comfort you~?" Shinichi retorted with a sly grin.
Heiji chuckled. "Fair~ Anyway, you have to admit that it was surprising for him to shriek like that."
Conan chuckled as well. "Can't say I expected it~" He looked at watch. "Well, I have to get back to him. Haibara will kill me, if he falls out of the bed." With that, he turned to the stairs.
"Ah, she'll kill you if you question Kuroba too much as well~" Hattori explained "helpfully."
Shinichi snorted and waved a hand dismissively, already suspecting something like that and started climbing the stairs. It was true that initially he hoped that they could get some answers out of the magician, as soon as he woke. And that they could clear some of the more pressing matters. But as things were now, he didn't need to be told that he should avoid any stressful topics, unless Kaito started them himself. As annoying as it could be, Conan was patient enough to hold back a few days, especially if it meant that Kuroba would get better faster.
Back in the room, the magician didn't move an inch, so Shinichi was left to his musings. He could have taken a book or a game to keep himself occupied, but he doubted he could focus on it. He wondered how Saguru managed it. Conan's gaze scanned the room until he noticed the volume he lent to the Brit. Curiously he picked it up and opened it. He noticed that a bookmark was still tucked under the cover and careful carting through the pages didn't reveal any other type of marking. Of course, Hakuba could simply remember the page he finished on, but somehow Kudo had a feeling it wasn't the case. He put the book away, slightly abashed for prying into his friend's private matters.
His attention was brought to the kaitou again, as he heard him stir under the cover. The detective held his breath. Apparently the drug was losing its effect. Shinichi was slightly worried that Kaito might start trashing, but fortunately he only adjusted his position and became motionless again. The silence was once again disturbed only by KID's wheezing, as his body kept on the struggle to pump in and out enough oxygen. As worrisome as the noise should be, the detective was already used to it and now it only kept him comforted that Kuroba was still alive. Conan sighed and walked over to him, feeling the need to confirm the kaitou's heart rate and temperature.
It all felt so wrong and ironic. Shinichi always saw himself as the one who reminded everybody that KID was just a human, with human limitations. But apparently somewhere on the way, he eventually also fell for those all-knowing smirks, and beyond reason, he started believing that the white clad man was an unbreakable and unstoppable force. This is why he never felt bad about venting out his frustration at the harmless thief. Only after the long talks with Hakuba, he started worrying about the magician. It was challenging, because somehow it felt only natural that no matter what happened, KID would always return to dance in the night sky, while basking in the moonlight. That no matter what, he would always prevail. This is why it was so hard for Conan to witness him fight for his life like this. And nearly lose.
Shinichi doubted that Kaito remembered much of what was happened to him while Heiji carried him to the parking lot, or after leaving the mansion. Back then, he practically wasn't responsive anymore, as the best they could get out of him were unintelligible grumbles. They struggled to keep him awake, needing to bring him back from unconsciousness two more times during the short trip. They failed to wake him the third time. Hattori insisted to ride in the back with him and sat on the floor, continuing his efforts to wake the kaitou up and making sure that he didn't stop breathing. It might have been easier for Conan to fit in the tight space, but he didn't have enough strength in his current form to perform an efficient CPR, in case Kaito's heart stopped. Thankfully that didn't happen, but Heiji's strength was still needed, as the thief's trembles, which the detectives noticed before, turned into violent seizures and the Osakan had to struggle with him to make sure he didn't hurt himself or choke. By the time they were already at Agasa's and Hakuba managed to join them, the spasms faded and it seemed as if Kuroba's body was giving up. His temperature went on a rollercoaster, apparently as the last attempt of the organism to fight back. But it went out of control. The fever peaked so high that Saguru worried about possible brain damage. Somehow that possibility felt as frightening as death to the detectives, if not more. They took the unconscious magician to the bathroom, stripped him from his clothing and kept pouring cold water on him to lower his fever only to warp him in blankets, rubbing his arms, when the temperature dropped dangerously, struggling to prevent hypothermia in turn.
It took Ai over an hour to synthesize the first antidote and even after applying it, Kaito struggled with the dangerous temperature swings for around fifteen more minutes, before the fever stopped being so high. Even after he was out of the danger zone, they had no guarantee that he would be fine. There was a possibility that his body would reject the antidote, or that he was already too damaged to survive.
When the medicine started finally working on him and cold compresses were enough to handle the fever peaks, they dressed him again and laid him on the bed, to give his body at least a little comfort. But overall Kaito was terribly weak. His breathing was barely noticeable and shallow, and as for his heart... It nearly stopped a dreadful two times. Only thanks to immediate reaction were they able to prevent that, but they had to come to a conclusion that if there would be a third time, they would have to call an ambulance. Thankfully there wasn't.
Haibara did her best to improve the recipe, to make it as acceptable for human organism as possible and support his failing organs. Shinichi wasn't sure how many times they changed the IV they were feeding the magician with. Eventually she came up with a formula, she was pleased with and Kaito seemed stable enough to not need any additional medicine. It was dawn already at the time, so she ordered them then to go to sleep, so they wouldn't be useless later on. Bemused, Shinichi wondered if she listened to her own advice and doubted it. Nonetheless, they had to admit that they were exhausted, the full night of stress and struggle taking toll on their bodies and minds. Sleeping was out of question, as they were too worried to manage that, but they agreed that trying to get some shut eye would do them only good. So they decided on shifts, so that there would always be somebody watching over Kaito and they did their best to rest. Unfortunately they didn't get much time before Ran called and they had to leave.
Having already folded the dirty bedding, Shinichi was trying to busy himself with mindlessly browsing the internet on his phone when he was alarmed by silence. The constant wheezing from the sleeping kaitou has gone quiet, with one last soft sigh. Conan nearly jumped towards him, shout already forming in his throat, when he noticed that Kaito's body under the blanket was still keeping the steady movement of peaceful breathing. The detective paused, carefully observing him for a few long moments. His breathing pattern, while still a bit too shallow, was a rather convincing imitation of a soundly sleeping person. Even Kuroba's face was a pure image of peacefulness, without even a hint of pain or struggle from before. Shinichi smirked at that and shook his head. He might have fallen for this, if he didn't see how the sleeping magician acted before. He checked his watch. The half an hour he established with Hattori and Hakase still haven't passed, but it was close. He wondered if KID woke up purely by himself, or from the faint smell of cooked food. Oh well, not that it mattered really. He sat back on his chair, waiting for the kaitou to open his eyes, sure that if anything was wrong with Kuroba's heart rate, he would be alarmed by his friends.
Minutes passed and he heard the faint scraping at the door, but Kaito still didn't move. Shinichi wasn't sure anymore whether the magician haven't fallen back to sleep, but he decided that this wouldn't do. He walked to the door and found two cups waiting behind it. One, rather large, with a straw sticking out from a lid and another, regular sized, with heavenly smelling coffee inside. This brought a smile to his face. However, both were still steaming hot. He carefully picked them up and brought into the room to place them on a nightstand. That done, he turned his unimpressed stare towards the seemingly sleeping figure.
"I know you're awake, so it would be great if you opened your eyes finally and stopped pretending," he said with a bemused tone, but softly enough to not startle Kaito in case he was actually sleeping.
After a few moments of consideration on the magician's part and staring on the detective's, KID finally sighed and rolled on his back.
"You really are creepy, you know that? What if I like to take my time before leaving the dreamland~?" The teen offered in an amused grumble, before he opened his eyes, glittering with amusement, fixed on the tiny figure beside him.
"Sure you do," Shinichi replied with an eye roll. "More importantly, how are you feeling?"
Kaito grimaced and instead answering he pulled himself up on the pillows to sit up again. Seeing his shoulders shiver while doing it was enough of an answer for Shinichi. The detective averted his gaze, unable to help the teen anyway and unwilling to make him feel more awkward.
The magician sighed tiredly after he sunk into his makeshift backrest. "Had better days," he admitted with a small smile, only half succeeding in bringing some amusement to his tone.
It felt off to see KID having trouble concealing the unwanted emotions. And it made Conan wonder about another possibility, besides shame of showing weakness, that could have cause it.
"Hey, despite what you might think about it, it's not a bad thing that we discovered your phobia," he said softly and didn't miss the slight twitch of Kaito's lips and took it as a sign that he hit the mark. "I'm really sorry you had to go through this, especially now. But we had no idea that it might be a problem, so now at least we do and will be able to avoid it." He grimaced and scoffed, seeing that the thief didn't look convinced. "Come on, you didn't really think that we might use it against you, did you? Hattori is really regretting how he acted. You know he didn't mean wrong, right? He's just acts like an idiot sometimes~"
The kaitou breathed a laugh. "Yeah, he does~" His expression fell and his eyes scanned the blanket, as if he was searching for something to focus his gaze on. "But I'm not- I mean… I don't react this bad usually. I don't faint at the sight or after having it mentioned," he blurted out, with a mix of annoyance and confusion on his face.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you didn't. I darted you, so you passed out from the drug actually." Kaito's eyebrows rose as he turned to Shinichi, so he continued hastily, before he could get any wrong ideas. "As Hakuba told you, your insides are swollen, so you weren't able to make up with your breathing for the risen heart rate. We had to lower it, or you would have passed out of suffocation and your body definitely doesn't need another trauma like that." He shrugged. "That was the fastest and safest method."
"Huh, yeah I guess… Thanks."
"Anytime~" the boy replied with a smirk, causing the magician to give him an unimpressed glare.
"Just don't make a habit out of it."
"We'll see~ Anyway, just for future reference, does your phobia apply to all marine creatures, or just..?" Shinichi trailed off, carefully observing the teen, watchful for any worrisome symptoms.
"Just the finny things…" the kaitou mumbled and glared at the detective for his raised eyebrow. "Gotta call it somehow."
Conan raised his arms and made a mental note, to avoid the f-word as well. "I'm not judging. So, care to tell me how did you end up with a phobia like that? It's not a common thing," he added trying to avert the topic from the magician's state. Might not have been the best choice, but honestly speaking he was curious about it.
"That's not a memory I like to recall, thank you very much. Then again, I guess you should be able to figure out the general reason" he added slyly.
Shinichi looked at him with curiosity. Meaning he already knew enough? "Oh… Must have been hard to be a son of a fear kaitou?"
Kaito snorted with fake amusement. "I'd rather say that it wasn't at least boring whenever she was around~ Apart from that accident, it wasn't bad, really."
An accident, huh? Well, that was to be expected actually. In the end, the cheerful woman didn't strike him as a hidden psychopath, but then again she didn't seem to be a kaitou either.
Conan glanced at the cups. Hopefully their contents would be already cold enough for consumption. He hopped off the chair and took a step towards the nightstand. If only he could clear up the heavy atmosphere. He couldn't blame Kaito for feeling more on edge now. He felt not only physically vulnerable, but also mentally. Most probably he would have a hard time sleeping, until he accepted the situation. He glanced at the magician. Aside from seeming slightly subdued, he appeared fine and Shinichi doubted it was just an act this time. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to give Hattori's method a try? With a more careful approach…
"Well, I'm happy to know that you weren't constantly traumatized. Sorry for prying…" He trailed off and Kuroba just smirked, shaking his head, to show that he didn't mind. "But anyway, I'd never thought I'd hear a shriek like that from you~" he teased, while carefully eyeing KID from the corner of his eye.
The magician tensed and turned his accusing look at the tiny detective. "Oi! I thought you said you won't be teasing me about this!" he complained.
"And I'm not, I'm only talking about your reaction. Especially that I won't rather get to see it again. Such a waste…" he sighed and picked up the larger cup.
Kaito glared at him, but his mouth spread in an unpleasant grin. "Well~ At times like this, I'm glad I'm me, with both my memory and my skills~"
Shinichi stilled, sensing a trap and he put the cup down, just in case. "What do you mean by that...?" he asked carefully, turning his gaze towards the kaitou. Apparently the tease worked as he hoped, but suddenly the detective wasn't so sure if he really was happy about it.
KID's grin gained his usual edge and he cleared his throat and to Conan's dread, he spoke softly with the detective's teenage voice first. "Well, I'm going to look around the roof. Ran, do you want to come with me?" The detective paled, recalling the situation. There was a slight interruption of Ran's voice. "Eh..?" And the kaitou continued with Shinichi's voice. "There's an observation level above." Then Sonoko's voice spoke up, as the shrunken boy ran back to the bed trying to shush the thief, but he cheerfully ignored his frantic gestures. "Just go ahead, Ran!" and the childish Conan's voice "I want to go too!" followed by the heiress' grumble "You can't go..." The boy clapped his small hands on Kaito's mouth, muffling him as he started crying out loudly in Conan's voice "I want to! I wa-"
Shinichi glanced at the door and only hoped that Heiji wasn't eavesdropping… The Osakan would never let him live after all the trouble Conan put him through with one particular recording. Undoubtedly, he would gladly take this opportunity for payback.
"Shh! Don't you EVER do that again. Are we clear?" he tried threatening the magician.
Well, at least he had a proof that KID's memory and wits were doing fine. Somehow he expected to be more relieved about it. He allowed Kaito to peel his hands off his mouth, uncovering his sharp grin. He was about to say something, when suddenly the door burst open and Heiji rushed into the room.
"Oi, what's-?!" the Osakan started with an alarmed voice, but cut himself off, as he failed to notice any emergency – just Conan sitting on Kaito's lap, with the magician holding his hands. He raised an eyebrow. "Everything alright here? I heard Kudo shout…"
Kuroba grinned at Hattori. "Everything's a-ok~ The little guy here was just overly happy to see me awake again and wanted a cuddle~ Right, Tantei-kun~?" the magician asked, with a sly grin directed at the boy.
Shinichi glared at him and his lip twitched with annoyance. If not for Kaito's condition, he would've gladly done something to him. He definitely had to avoid using Heiji's methods of dealing with Kuroba in the future.
He turned his gaze towards his friend and wasn't amused with how high up his eyebrows were. "Seriously? We were just fooling around and this idiot made me want to strangle him. Sorry to have you worried, Hattori."
"Aww~ Come on Co-chan~ There's no need to be shy about it~ Especially after you so vigorously jumped on me~" KID replied with a wide grin.
The shrunken detective opened his mouth, but closed it again. And how was he supposed to reply to this?! The worst was that Kuroba did have a point. He grumbled something incomprehensible and turned to get off his lap, when he got pulled into a hug. "Oi, oi-!"
"Happy now~? Sorry for holding you back before~" the magician spoke with far too much amusement and Conan barely held back from kicking him in the gut for it.
Heiji opened his mouth and closed it again, shell-shocked with the sight, of his friend struggling in the magician's hold. Shinichi could practically see questions forming in his mind, but thankfully he decided to not voice them. For now. "Erm… Alright then, sorry to have-"
But he didn't get to finish his thought, as Kaito interrupted him with a softened smile on his face, while easing his grip on the shrunken teen, who used the opportunity to get off his lap. "You don't have to leave, you know. I might be still pissed at you, but it doesn't mean I don't want to see you ever again. I mean, come on! You put me in such a state and leave Tantei-kun to apologize for you? Not cool~"
The Osakan stopped midstep and gave the magician a glare, but it softened fast, guilt winning over. He sighed. "I'm really sorry about that, man… Treat it as a payback for knocking me out during the Suzuki challenge?" He offered with a weak smile.
The kaitou glared back at him and crossed his arms. "Heists don't count. You don't see me trying to pay back Tantei-kun for all the soccer balls." Shinichi winced while getting to the edge of the bed, away from Kaito's grip. "Besides, knocking people out is what I do at heists. You can blame only yourself for falling for it."
Conan gave a bemused chuckle. "Yeah, I sure blame him."
He reached for the large cup and passed it to Kuroba, keeping his hold on it, until it was safely resting on the magician's stomach. The tremble of his hands was far more visible than before and it was doubtful he could hold it by himself. That done he hanged his feet off the bed and picked up his own cup. He sighed with pleasure at the soothing scent.
"Well~ Can't say I minded~ Made my work easier, for a change~" The magician continued and glanced at the cup with interest, but didn't try to open the lid. Probably figured that he might spill the contents while trying to. "What's this?"
"The vegetable stew. We blended it, so you can drink it through the straw. Might be still hot, so watch it." Heiji explained and when he saw that Shinichi didn't mind his presence there, he walked over to the vacant chair next to the bed to sat on it. He figured that his friend could use some backup with holding the magician at bay. "Still. I came all the way from Osaka and didn't get to chase you at all."
"Don't blame me for the second day. That I had nothing to do with~" He snorted and took a careful sip through the straw.
Meanwhile Shinichi tilted his cup, savoring the taste. He gave a relieved sigh and turned his gaze to the kaitou. "By the way. What did you have initially planned for the first day?"
Kaito tilted his head and gave a convincing show of incomprehension. "What do you mean?"
The shrunken detective rewarded him an eye roll. "You really thought I would believe for a second that you actually planned for a lame trick like that?"
The kaitou glared back. "Well, it was enough for Nakamori-keibu and Suzuki-no-jiisan."
Shinichi smirked. "And since when is that enough for you~? Besides, you knew it was lame and wasn't happy about it, which is why you had to get rid of the three of us in the first place. It's obvious that you had both days planned beforehand and had already the initial preparations done, but just didn't have enough time to manage it on the first day. I won't push you, if you don't want to tell us, but don't try to deny it."
KID chuckled with a pleased grin on his face. "I can never get anything past you for long, can I~? Alright, I admit you're right. Care to tell me what you thought I have prepared~?"
"And will you correct me, if I'm wrong and tell the true plan?"
Kaito hummed and took another sip of the stew. "That depends on how much you figured out~ I don't want to do your job for you~ It wouldn't be fun~"
Meaning he would be giving them tips at most. Conan huffed a laugh. "Alright, fair enough. I'll humor you." He drank the rest of his coffee and turned on the bed to sit cross-legged. It was actually a good idea – this way he would give Kuroba time to slowly finish his meal, avoiding their presence there being awkward and hopefully with agitating him too much. "First of all, you have a tendency to repeat a trick when you repeat a heist, so I guess that you would have wanted to at least repeat the main part of the second day – being the wall crossing. I'm pretty sure that most of the footages you fed the security with were done in advance. Most likely soon after the building was finished. I'm not sure whether you done it in person, or just placed your image over the corridor record, but all that matters is it was still done beforehand. There were only two you made directly before the show – both in the room with the dagger. Preparing it probably took most of your free time before the heist. You couldn't have done it before, since you didn't know who would be guarding the target and what it would be."
"And what lead you to that conclusion?" The magician asked, clearly intrigued.
Heiji smirked, noticing Shinichi casting him a look. "Because the background didn't match on the other footages. It wasn't anything obvious, but the color was slightly different." He shrugged, internally enjoying the shared deduction show. "Most likely they changed the light bulbs in the meantime and it slipped your attention."
Kaito blinked in surprise and smirked back. "Huh... oh well~ Figures you guys would have noticed~ I admit that I prepared the records five months ago. Unfortunately, I only kept tabs on any remodeling or installment of any new equipment inside." He shrugged. "My bad."
Conan huffed. "Well to be honest, the difference wasn't big enough for us to notice it during the first time we watched it, so I'm not surprised you missed it. Anyway, I'm not really keen on magic tricks, but since your main tools for the evening were the tunnels and those footages, I guess you planned something of a multiplication trick, where you would run in several corridors at once."
The magician only crooked his head, raising one eyebrow and continued slurping on the stew, without replying to the comment.
Heiji rolled his eyes and picked up where Shinichi left. "There were a few factors that could have stopped you from doing it. First of all, the old guy surprised you with the short notice and you couldn't prepare everything. Timing the records when you stand still and can focus on it is one thing, but making it while running? Impossible. You probably intended to set up some motion sensors that would do it for you or something like that. Secondly, Suzuki hired way fewer guards than you expected him to."
"And why would that bother me? In such a big building, having fewer guards, especially when the cameras are in my control, only works in my favor." Kaito reasoned with a grin.
"Which means that for the full trick to happen, you needed to blend into the crowd." Shinichi replied and frowned. He rubbed his chin and his gaze fell as he continued speaking, more to himself. "Meaning the second day heist wasn't what you planned on either. It was a limited version, since the officers were cuffed, so you couldn't blend with them at will..." He raised his gaze to meet the laughing indigo orbs. "You expected us to be part of the pursuit as well, didn't you?"
The grin on Kuroba's face widened. "A multiplication trick done like that would be really lame~ I expect that even Baka-Tantei would figure it out… Eventually~" He chuckled.
Conan snorted. "You know, Occhan actually isn't as stupid as he seems."
The magician waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. "Yeah, yeah, I know... He only acts as a douche. Maybe he would be even an acceptable investigator, if he wasn't so impatient and didn't try to show-off."
"Funny coming from you~" Heiji pointed out with a snicker.
Kaito glared at him. "Unlike him, I can pull it off and I know when to act oblivious instead of all-knowing, when I'm not in control of the situation. And... I don't handle sensitive situations so roughly." His lips twitched, before he grabbed the straw with them again.
Shinichi winced, recalling each time the magician was present at a murder case and how strongly he reacted to them, before doing his best to either help, or keep tabs on the killer. "Well anyway, back to the topic." The kaitou looked up at him with interest back in his eyes, as if nothing happened. "Meaning you didn't intend a multiplication trick, but some kind of cross between what you did on the second day and that? Hum..." He narrowed his eyes and gasped. "The moment when you phased into the wall on tape... How many of these did you make?"
"I'd say enough~"
Hattori huffed a laugh. "So what? You'd make it into a phasing trick, where you show in different corridors both physically and on film? But how would you manage to ditch the chase hot on your heels, so they wouldn't see you pass the wall?"
"He would probably have had a few installments like that one 'accidental' on the second day, where his hand ripped off the black hole, so that they would manage to witness him passing a wall. Besides that, he would run around with the security, as one of them. If he timed it right and neither of us would be able to follow the monitors, it could work. Especially, if he had us witness him turning into mist and going into a wall."
Kaito slurped on the straw one last time, finishing his meal. "Bin~go Tantei-kun~ I knew you could figure it out~ Too bad I wasn't able to manage it though... Would have been fun. Oh well. Mind if I ask you a question in turn?" Conan raised an eyebrow at that and gave a small nod. "How did you discover the tunnel? I was kind of proud of that particular trick. Thought you'd need more time to figure that one out."
Both detectives chuckled at it. "Well, to tell you the truth, I got lucky and stepped over it with my badge on. It has an LED light you see." The magician hummed in confirmation, apparently pleased with the answer. "My turn for a question? What happened to the 'Crimson Dagger'? You still didn't return it and you didn't have it on you during the 'Dresden Green' heist. Didn't you manage to check it out yet?"
Kaito snorted with annoyance. "I want the old guy to sweat a bit for forcing me to hold a heist when he feels like it. Maybe that will teach him."
Conan coughed in his fist. "Oi, oi… come on, it's not like you to be this petty…"
"Correction~ It's unlike KID to be petty. And I'm pissed. Besides, I never promised to return as fast as possible, so just let him worry that it actually was what I'm looking for and that I won't be returning it at all," he added with a grin.
The detectives let out dry laughs. They couldn't really blame him. Obviously, if not for Jirokichi, Kaito wouldn't be in such a bad shape and most likely wouldn't end up getting poisoned, but it didn't feel right. It was already enough to swallow that he stole at all.
Heiji gave him a wry smile. "Yeah well, I get you, but still… Just say where you keep it, so we can return it and forget about it."
"Hum~? Now wouldn't you like to know where's my…" The magician trailed off and his expression fell.
Before either of the boys could react KID cursed under his breath and threw off the blanket, already moving to get off the bed on the right side. He stumbled on his bare feet, having some trouble with keeping the upright position.
"Oi, oi! What's the big idea?!" Heiji shouted, leaping off the chair and already circling the bed to cut the kaitou from the door and herd him back.
"Kuroba, lie down." Conan tried to keep the calm in his voice, while grabbing his left arm to try and pull him back.
Kaito clicked with his tongue with annoyance. "Sorry guys, but I really need to go. I'll be back soon, th-"
"What?!" the Osakan shouted, cutting him off and slowly stepping closer. "You're in no shape to be moving around, you ahou! Already forgot what happened just an hour ago, after you saw a fish?!"
The magician winced at the forbidden word, but it was Shinichi who spoke first. "Kuroba, he is right. You might collapse as soon as you leave the house." He didn't say that, he doubted Kaito could make it to the bottom of the stairs, because the idiot could have taken it for a challenge and turn out more determined to do it. "And besides, even if you do somehow manage to avoid that, the poison might become active again and kill you. You need to stay hooked to the drip."
That stopped the thief to reconsider. But apparently not what they wanted him to, as he turned his gaze towards the IV, the gears in his head nearly visibly turning seeking a way to solve the issue.
Heiji's eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "You're not disguising the IV to be something else, ahou."
Kaito smirked at him. "Why not~? It would be actually pretty easy, all I need is-"
The Osakan growled with anger, cutting him off efficiently. "Not the point here! Just get back to bed before we knock you out, will you?!"
The magician sighed, dropping the amusement. "Listen, I get it that you guys are worried and I'm really grateful for all the help and I would gladly stay, if I could. But the thing is that I really need to go. I'm sorry, but it can't wait. I promise I'll be back soon."
"What is it about, Kuroba?" Shinichi asked calmly again and internally sighed in relief when the kaitou sat back on the bed, rubbing his eyelids. He was apparently feeling dizzy already.
"It's…" Kaito clicked with his tongue, clearly not willing to admit to what caused the alarm.
Before he decided to continue, the door burst open again and Hakuba rushed in, his gaze instantly snapping towards the magician and the Osakan, clearly blocking him off from the entrance.
"What's going on here? Kuroba, your heart rate is peaking up again. You should be lying down."
The kaitou rolled his eyes. "And you should do something about your bed-hair and clothes." He pointed out, noticing that his classmate apparently only got up. "Seriously, I've never seen you so-"
"Kuroba. Hakuba's appearance is of no importance here…" Conan reminded him, holding back the urge to either groan at the sudden shift, as if Saguru couldn't come in a few moments later!
Kaito blinked at him and tilted his head, astonishment evident on his expression. "I'm starting to understand why people get so annoyed when I interrupt them… Fascinating~!"
"Kuroba!" The three detectives growled at him in unison.
"Alright, alright!" he groaned with his arms raised. "Jeez... you guys are definitely too tense. But seriously Hakuba, you do look probably worse than I do. Go back to sleep, there's nothing to see here anyway."
"Yeah? Why don't you listen to your own advice, Kuroba?" Heiji poked the magician on his chest to push him back on the pillows.
Kaito tried to smack away his hand, but missed. "Would love to, really, but I can't right now. You know what they say: 'with being a kaitou comes great responsibility,' or something like that."
"It's 'with great power', Kuroba. And I feel the need to remind you that you don't have any powers. Aside from causing headaches to everybody around you..." Hakuba grumbled, pressing his eyelids.
"Hey~ You have to admit that it is an awesome power~" Kaito jested, but sighed, seeing their flat looks.
He closed his eyes for a moment again and pressed his eyelids. Shinichi used this opportunity to gently push him back on the pillows. The kaitou growled with annoyance, but didn't resist this time.
"Come on…" he complained and pushed away the blanket, which Conan was trying to cover him up with. "I'll be back in two hours tops and I'm not planning anything dangerous, exciting or physically demanding. Promise."
"Kuroba... You can't move around yet." Saguru reminded him softly. "What is it about? Maybe we can do it for you?"
Shinichi noticed out of the corner of his eye the door move and he thought he saw a small hand retreat from it. Apparently Haibara was also alarmed, but for now decided to leave it for them to handle.
Kaito grimaced, clearly not willing to take the offer. "It's about my birds. I need to take care of them. They'll be wary, if it's somebody else..." he trailed off and turned his attention to the detectives, who were exchanging worried glances. "What? Something happened to them?" the magician demanded, highly alarmed and tried to get up again, but Heiji didn't let him and kept him laying down.
"Calm down, it's nothing like that. As far as we know, they are fine." The Osakan explained, trying to ease his worry.
"It's just that Aoko-kun is taking care of them. Remember? You apparently asked this of her yourself, before leaving." Saguru reminded him with careful tone, wondering if perhaps his memory got damaged after all.
The kaitou sighed with unhidden relief. "Jeez! Don't scare me like that! Gods... I know Aoko is taking care of my doves at my house, but why do you believe that a kaitou would be keeping all of his birds in his house?" The recognition and bewilderment on their expressions were apparently enough for him. "Yeah, exactly. I keep a few in my bolt hole."
Well… crap. This at least explained why he was so stubborn on doing it himself. Shinichi grimaced, wondering how to convince him to give up on the idea.
Heiji clicked his tongue. "Kuroba, I know this may sound cruel to you, but you really can't leave the bed for now. I don't know..." He drove a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture. "Maybe in two or three days it'll be most or less safe for you to go for a short walk? Can't they hold on for so long maybe? I know it's not perfect, but..." He trailed off noticing Kaito shaking his head slowly.
"Not quite the point here. They can freely get out of the place and since it's summer, I don't think they would have much trouble seeking out food, if such a need came. At least enough to survive, until I returned. And that's the real problem here. You see…" He huffed, trailing off for a moment. They didn't try to rush him, understanding that he considered this his trade secret, thus his reluctance. "They are the ones that keep me safe, ok? I send them out before each heist to scout the area for snipers, carrying cameras and trackers. But I didn't get to take off their equipment after the last one. They are trained to return to the nest, even without the signal after around two hours, so I'm not worried about that. But it's impossible for them to take their equipment off by themselves, so they are currently stuck with it. Which is not only inconvenient for them, but a bit eye-catching to see. And the worst is that pigeons are birds that are mainly active during the day." He added with a grimace.
He didn't have to add what it meant. When the birds got hungry, they would fly out during daytime and possibly attract attention to what they were carrying. Then, when they returned back to the nest they could lead unwanted visitors to the kaitou's lair.
"Oh... crap. Don't you, I don't know, have them trained to not fly out with their equipment on?" Heiji asked slightly distressed.
Saguru shook his head with worry. "They're just birds, Hattori. Training can only lengthen the time of how long they will stay obedient, when facing hunger. It's about survival after all. Even if they were able to understand the threat, they still have to eat and drink. Especially that they have no way of knowing when their master will be back."
"So how long do you think we have?" Shinichi asked soberly, eyeing both Hakuba and Kuroba for answer.
Kaito shrugged. "For all I can say they can fly off in an hour, tomorrow, or yesterday. The sooner I get to them the better."
Meaning this could be dangerous already, as the detectives realized grimly.
"But you can't. Kuroba, I understand that you don't want us to know where your safe-house is, but..." Hakuba trailed off, seeing that his classmate shook his head again.
"You're missing the point again. Unlike my doves at home, those birds are not used to other people. Even if I told you where it is, they won't let you guys catch them and take their equipment off." He grimaced and added after a moment. "I guess I could take you with me, if that would make you feel better? So you can make sure that I won't collapse, or anything?"
Saguru sighed. "Kuroba, it's not about us feeling better. Your body might not be able to take such strain. I told you already, you should be only eating and sleeping. You're already obviously getting tired from this conversation." He pointed out and the kaitou turned away with annoyance.
"And what if I wear your suit?" Heiji suggested. "I mean, we have roughly the same build, so it shouldn't look to awkward on me. And you are a master of disguise, so your birds are probably used to you wearing another face, right?"
The magician raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, already catching on the possibility. "Oho~? Admit it, you just want an excuse to wear the suit~"
"Wh- Ahou! I'm trying to help you out here! Jeez, be serious, will you?" Hattori snapped at him, thrown off from the topic, and huffed. "Anyway, who would want to wear something tasteless as that anyway?"
Kaito glared at him. "I'd say roughly half of Japan and who knows how many people all around the world."
Shinichi sweat dropped and tried to calm them down. "Yeah, yeah, you've got plenty of fans, we get it. It's all a matter of taste, but don't argue now guys, we're in a hurry, right?"
The two teens turned their glares at the boy and Saguru sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose, trying to maintain calm. "Kuroba. Do you think Hattori's plan might work?"
The kaitou glanced at the Brit and hummed, displeased. "Well... I guess it could, if he manages to stay quiet and do the commands right." Kaito admitted reluctantly. "But you guys are still forgetting something else. I don't use keys, when I don't have to. Stopped using my home keys years before I donned the cape. So to get inside, you need to pick the lock and I can't teach you how to do it fast enough."
"Somehow it doesn't surprise me really…" Hakuba muttered with a sigh.
"But it does explain where he got his practice from~" Conan replied with dry amusement.
The Brit grimaced and shot a bemused gaze at his classmate. "Oh, you don't want to know where else he got the practice…" Kaito grinned to that.
"Whatever. Either way, it's not like your hands are very steady now either, you know." Heiji pointed out with a wry face.
The magician rolled his eyes. "Oh come on… I've been picking locks since I was five and there's literally no lock I can't open. I've already proven it. Besides, this one is not very difficult to begin with. Normally, I could open it with my eyes closed and holding the picklock in my teeth~ There's another trick to keep the place safe, that doesn't require precision to disable. I can manage it, even as I'm now. At most, it'll take me just a bit more time than usual. No biggie."
"If you say it's not difficult, then most likely I can manage it as well." Shinichi replied with a shrug. "I wouldn't call myself a professional, but dad taught me the basis of picking locks."
Kaito snorted, resigned and closed his eyes, not bothering to hide how tired he was. "Is there anything your dad didn't teach you~?"
The boy smirked at him. "Could ask you the same~"
"So? Will you let us do it for you?" Saguru asked, returning to the matter at hand.
Kuroba clicked with his tongue and grimaced, opening his eyes and focusing them on the empty cup in his hands, as if searching in it for another solution.
Conan sighed. "We won't try to make you, so it's up to you. But we're not letting you go by yourself either. It's too dangerous for you."
The magician huffed, clearly displeased. "Yeah, yeah… I know. It's just that. Eh… Bring me my stuff, will you?" He rolled his eyes, seeing the wary glances. "Come on, I'm not planning to use it to escape you. I'm not in shape for that anyway."
"Yeah, you're not." Heiji agreed pointedly and turned to the door. "Alright, I'll fetch it."
"So where is that safe house of yours?" Shinichi asked with interest
"Turn on a digital map, will you? Would be easiest if I just showed it to you."
Saguru turned on his phone. "Which district?"
"It's an apartment building in Minato." Kaito took the offered device and hesitated for a moment. "Just... try to keep your noses out of people's business there, alright? And for your own good, don't poke around my place. I'll tell you how to disable the traps, so you won't have to worry about those, but it's still not a place where I admit guests. Some of my equipment isn't very safe when you don't know how to handle it. I can even promise show you around when I'm back on my feet, if you want to. So just don't touch anything you don't have to, alright?"
Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Come on, we're not kids, you know."
"No, you're detectives and that's probably worse~" He corrected him with a smirk.
The two sleuths snorted at that, but didn't try to defy the logic, acknowledging that it was just a way for him to distract himself again. "Fine, we didn't intend to search your place anyway." Conan replied with a smirk of his own and Kaito marked the right building, slumping on the pillows afterwards.
Just as the two detectives were checking out the address and the easiest way to get there, Heiji returned with the folded suit and some things gathered on top of it along with the hat. He placed the stack on the bed next to the magician.
"I left the glider parts, but besides that, here's everything. What are you looking for?" The Osakan asked, taking away the cup, as Kaito focused on the suit.
"Thanks." His trembling fingers reached for the familiar fabric, noticing that the shirt was freshly washed, but not the suit itself. He put the shirt away and carted through the rest of the pile, seeking out what he needed. "I need to give you guys a few things and as for the rest of it, there's no point for you to carry it around." He took a thin coil of wire and set of picklocks out of the hat, before folding the headwear with a light tap on it and placing it on the shirt. "You can borrow them, if you need Tantei-kun." He added absently, sliding the tools to Conan and putting the wire away and reached back to the suit. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the tiny detective picked up the picklocks and looked through them curiously, before hiding them in his pocket.
He was pleasantly surprised to notice that his gadgets weren't misplaced, which meant that even if his detectives played with his stuff, they had the decency to put it back in place. Unfortunately, nearly immediately he noticed the lack of a particular bulge in the chest pocket, indicating the lack of the jewel he stole. He sighed internally. Well, that was only to be expected of, but it still was somewhat disappointing that his efforts were wasted. Especially with how much he had to pay for it. So in the end he would have to travel to Germany? Oh well… He found his monocle and placed it on his nose, carefully trying to turn it on. He wasn't sure if it would work, concerning the distance, but the weather was nice, so there was a chance. He spoke airily, while trying to force his fingers to work accordingly.
"I see you already returned the 'Dresden Green'?"
"Yeah, we sent it back along with a note saying that you're not dead. The inspector was worried and sent out quite the team to search for you, or your body."
Kaito snorted with amusement. "Yeah~ Nakamori-keibu does have a soft spot for KID, no matter what he says~"
"True." Shinichi smirked, noticing the small signs of disappointment on the magician's face. "Of course we checked the gem for the red glow in the moonlight before returning it."
The monocle fell out of his grip, as he turned his shocked gaze at the detectives. "Uh-oh... And here I hoped that I only hallucinated about telling you that..." he grumbled and picked the eyepiece back up.
"Nope~ And we will want to talk more about this, but not now." Kaito hummed in reluctant agreement, grateful that he had the time to think what in particular he would tell them. "What are you doing now anyway?"
"Well, I'm trying to... Ah~ Here we go~" The monocle on his face gleamed, as if reflecting moonlight, the magician sighed with relief. "Seems like all three are all in the safe house."
"So the monocle shows you the video feed from the cameras?" Saguru asked curiously.
"Yeah." Kaito mumbled a reply and took off the monocle and the detectives noticed that it was transparent again, before taking out a small monitor device from his jacket.
"Huh?" The boy picked the eyepiece back up and turned it in his fingers. "It turns off automatically?"
The kaitou smirked. "A safety precaution against people who might try to shoot it off my face, while I'm using it~" he explained with a smirk, eyeing the boy, so it was obvious who among others he had in mind.
Shinichi had the decency to make an abashed expression. He set down the monocle and reached to the magician, who was struggling to turn on the device and gently took it from his shaking hands.
"What do I need to do with it?" he asked softly, as if it was natural.
The kaitou grimaced, annoyed with his own inability. "Push the switch on top right and middle bottom simultaneously to turn it on. What? I need to avoid having it turning on and off by itself, while I do my stunts," he explained seeing the disbelieving stare from the tiny detective. "Alright, now press the red button under the lid. This way, you'll send my birds a signal to stand by. It should buy you at least an hour. And they'll be expecting me, so they should be less suspicious." He hummed, wondering if he should share this information with them, but figured it would be best. "You might want to take it with you. For the trackers those three are carrying now, the range is about 5 km. So in case you won't be able to find all of them, this will help. Turn this dial to narrow the range. They will be displayed on channel one."
Shinichi gave a nod and looked back at the device in his hands, curiously turning another dial to switch the channels. There was a total of five. "What are others for?"
Kaito internally rolled his eyes on the detective's curiosity. He kind of expected to get more questions than he really wanted to answer. Not that there was any point in hiding that now, so he explained while busing himself with picking out things out of the suit again. "They read signals from my spy doves~ But those are turned off right now… Ah, got it." He took out a business card from a florist in Shinjuku and handed it to Conan. "On the front door between the handle and the lock you'll notice a small gap, push this in this side first." He tapped on the paper. "You should be able to fit it 3/4 in. It will disable to traps in the adjacent rooms upon unlocking the door." Among other things, he took out a handful of steel marbles and smirked putting them aside. He turned his gaze towards Heiji. "Alright, I don't think you should encounter any surprises while putting it on now~" He explained, folding the suit on the hat and shirt.
Slightly impressed by the sheer amount, Hattori looked at the bundle sitting next to the magician. "You sure know how to pack stuff~ But do you really need all this?"
Kuroba picked up a small firecracker and snorted. "In my line of work, anything can come in handy, you know~" He put the item away and turned his attention back to the detectives, but his sight was blurry. He clenched his eyelids shut and shook his head, before looking back at them with better focus. "Well anyway… When you get to the building, you need to go to the top floor. You'll find three doors there, two of which should be blocked. The one that interests you is on the right of the staircase. There's nothing of particular interest in the main room, you'll have the kitchen on the left and the bathroom on the right. That area will be safe, even if you don't disable the traps, since it only serves as a passage. Anyway, head straight for the kitchen. If the traps are on you'll see red light blinking on the fridge. If that happens, leave the apartment, make sure you've placed the card in the gap as deep as possible this time and open the lock again. If you've done it right, the light will be off." He made a slight pause and sighed. He really hated revealing his favorite safe house like this. "The passage is in the cupboard in the corner, just take out what's inside and press the rear wall. It'll click and open. Further on, you'll find the room with the birds, so only Tantei-han in the suit can come in, at least until they'll recognize you as me." He turned his attention to Heiji. "I doubt you can coo convincingly and they won't believe you're me if you screw up the more complicated commands, so the easiest way for you to lure them will be to just clap your hand, spread your arms and snap your fingers. It's a signal for all three to come and hide in my clothes. So, if everything goes as planned, they will take off and head towards you. Just stand there and wait for them to settle in. Might feel strange, but don't worry, they know what they're doing and they won't hurt you."
"I thought you said that you have to do a trick after you snap your fingers~" Hattori pointed out with a smirk.
Kaito grinned at him. "Oh~ I can assure you that when Kaitou KID snaps his fingers, tricks happen whether you want it or not~" He winked. "Just don't get startled. My girls are used to seeing me confident. Think you can keep the act~?"
The Osakan eyed him warningly, not sure what he meant by that, but apparently trusting that the magician wouldn't be crazy enough to pull a prank on himself. "Yeah, sure."
"Good~ Well anyway, I'm not sure how would they react when you pluck them out of your suit with somebody else present. They shouldn't freak out, but just to be on safe side, it would be better, if you could unburden them by yourself. If you figure that you can't, then close the windows first, so that they won't escape outside, before letting anyone else in. There is a lever on the left from the entrance, just pull it down to close the windows and then back up to open. Just don't use it if any of the birds is on the sill. You could startle them, as I don't usually close the window and I don't want you to hurt them." He made a pause to close his eyes briefly and shake his head and they waited patiently. The conversation was taking its toll on him and he was feeling dizzy, but had to make sure they wouldn't mess up. "To take out a pigeon safely, you have to grab her over her wings and hold firmly. Obviously, don't squeeze too hard, but remember that they are not too fragile either. Then you can turn her around, feet up, to take off the camera and tracking device. They won't protest, unless you take too long, so try to be brief. They might have some abrasions from wearing the equipment so long, but unless it'll be swollen bad or have open wounds you can ignore it and just let her out. If you do spot injuries..." He trailed off, worried about the possibility, before continuing. "There's a desk at the window. I keep only bird stuff in it, so don't worry about setting anything off. You'll find a white and small container with chamomile smelling ointment in a top drawer, just apply it, if you will. They don't like it very much, so keep a firm hold on them because they'll do their best to wiggle out."
"Don't worry, they'll be fine. We'll make sure of it." Shinichi assured him softly.
The magician smiled at him. "Thanks. Anyway, after you're done with all three, just take out a bag of seeds from the locker and leave it open on the desk. They'll help themselves to it. You could pour them some water as well from a bottle near the desk. You'll find a bowl in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I don't have running water there."
"Huh? Shouldn't we put it in their feeders instead?" Heiji asked surprised.
Kaito snorted. "Well, you can try if you want to, but first of all, they are not spacious enough to hold enough grain, since I usually fill it daily. And second, they are pretty high up. The girls won't mind helping themselves from the bag, so unless you just want to play with some acrobatics, don't bother. Anyway, you can leave the trackers and cameras in the desk, before you go. Just make sure to close the cupboard in the kitchen and place everything back inside, just in case."
"Alright, so just to sum it up. There are only three birds there? Just in case they won't fall for the trick and we'll have to try to lock them in." Shinichi asked, pocketing the monitor and card.
"Well, I would prefer it won't come to this, but…" Kuroba hummed, wondering about it and shrugged. "I guess, there should be only three, although sometimes some wild pigeons come for a visit."
"Huh... alright then. Well, I think this is all we needed." Heiji stated and casted a glance at his fellow detectives, who gave him their nods.
"Alright, I'll stay here just in case. Do you want me to call Baaya to give you a lift?" Saguru asked towards the other two.
"Nah, the bus connection seems good enough. We should manage to get there long before an hour passes and we'll attract less attention this way." Shinichi replied with a small smile.
"Wait..." Kaito mumbled surprised. "You're not going with them, Tantei-san?"
Hakuba shook his head, turning his attention back to his classmate. "It doesn't seem like I would be needed there and I might be here."
"I won't... I mean- I am grateful and all, but I don't need anyone looking after me anymore. You are free to go. Besides, aren't you curious?" He added with a fair amount of suspicion.
Heiji snorted. "What got your pride injured~?"
The magician gave him a flat stare, but Saguru cut in before they could get into another squabble. "I am patient enough to wait for the promised tour. Right now I would be just making crowd."
"Fine... But only if you go to sleep as well. Frankly speaking, you look like hell and besides, I don't want you to keep staring at me while I rest."
Shinichi snorted and got off the bed. "Well, we'll leave you to figure it out. I'll give a call to Hakase when we're done, so try to get some rest till then."
"Alright. And thanks again." Kaito replied warmly and glared at Saguru, who approached him and reached to the bundle beside him. "Hakuba. To bed. You're not allowed to play with my toys before you do." He heard the other two snort with amusement, but he didn't turn to them. The door closed with a soft click.
Saguru sighed heavily. "Kuroba, please. You shouldn't play with these either. Besides, you need sleep far more than I do and I just want to make sure that you do sleep."
"Yeah? And you want me to believe that you'll go get some rest yourself, as soon as I close my eyes? Sorry, Tantei-san, I know you too well for that." He sighed. He was really too tired for this. "Jeez, I'm not planning to go after them, you know. And I don't have much to do here with the state I'm in. Besides, they got the monitor, so you can be sure that I didn't give them false directions."
The detective looked away, abashed. "I, uh-"
Kaito snorted. "I get it you don't trust me too much and I can't really blame you for it, but come on-" He didn't get to finish as Saguru cut in.
"It's not it, Kuroba. I- well, I just can't help but to worry for you. Your state was extremely bad just a few hours ago and you needed to be constantly watched over. There were a few close calls…" He admitted reluctantly and looked away.
The brunette rubbed his face. "Look, I get it, I really do. And I am grateful and all, but I already told you that I simply can't get a good rest if somebody is watching me. So, seriously Hakuba, don't take it personally, but unless you intend to drug me again, I really need you to leave me alone. I don't know… Will it make you feel better if you examine me again?"
The blonde winced at that and mumbled. "Right, you did mention something like that… Alright, just let me go get my stethoscope."
"Sure." Kaito shrugged and started taking off his shirt, while the Brit left the room.
Despite his dizziness, the kaitou was more focused on his classmate this time around during the examination and he noticed something curious. He was putting his shirt back on, after Hakuba finished, when he spoke.
"Funny, I never took you for being gay~" He teased, carefully watching the detective's reaction.
"What?!" Saguru nearly choked on his tongue. "What on Earth gave you that idea? I'm not gay!"
Kaito snorted. "Well the way you were staring at my bare chest kind of supplied me with it~ Don't even try to explain it by the examination. I didn't get shot or anything to justify such intense observations~" He added with a smirk, cutting Hakuba off.
The Brit looked away with an abashed expression. "Sorry, it wasn't my intention just…" He wavered and the magician didn't rush him, curious of what it was all about. "It's just that you don't have any scars and I can't stop wondering how come."
Uh, oh… that. His Poker Face firmly covering for the worry inside, Kaito just shrugged, perfectly indifferent. "Sorry to disappoint you? Apparently I'm better than you believed~" He offered with a smirk.
Saguru gave him an annoyed glare. "Seriously, Kuroba. I understand if you don't want to talk about it and I had no intention of asking about it. But please don't try to treat me as an idiot. Aside from any injuries during your childhood, which undoubtedly you had to suffer from to gain the skills you have now, there were a few incidents I know you had for sure. And there is no way you wouldn't end up with a few scars from them."
For a change, the kaitou didn't try to hide his grimace. He was tired, but he didn't intend to offend his classmate. He was silent for a moment, wondering if he could say it. He smirked. "Sorry. I just figured that there wasn't a chance you would believe me, if I told you the truth. And sadly this was the best I could come up with now."
Hakuba's posture relaxed as he eyed the thief curiously. "Try me?"
Kaito huffed with amusement. "Alright. I have a…" He trailed off, searching for a way to describe Akako.
"Friend?" Saguru supplied helpfully.
"Acquaintance." He corrected with a smirk. "Who apparently is an adept magic user." The blonde's eyebrow raised, but he didn't say anything, listening with full interest. "Sometimes they help me, sometimes they go against me, going as far as trying to kill me. It's really hard to tell what to expect from them next. Anyway, after my last accident, they eventually decided to fix me up and ended up with a better result than expected." He added with a shrug.
Hakuba stayed silent for a while, the cogs in his head nearly visibly turning. Kuroba started slowly dozing off when his voice brought him back to attention. "And by magic user, you mean..?"
"Well, magic – hocus, pocus and puff." He waved his hands in the air. "Things happen that are not tricks. Flying on brooms, mind controlling people, things bursting in flames and so on."
Saguru looked at him with disbelief. "Flying on broom..? That one heist…"
Kaito grinned, internally worried, if he didn't tip the detective too much. "Yep~ Just as a side note, I didn't ask them for help that time."
The Brit shook his head. "You're just riddling me now, aren't you?"
The magician snorted. "Like I said, I don't expect you to believe me~ So? Is that all?" He tried to focus his tired gaze on his classmate, clearly displaying his fatigue.
Hakuba looked back at Kuroba and got up from the chair. "Yes. Sorry to have bothered you for so long. If anything happens-"
Kaito rolled his eyes and cut in. "It won't. Just let me sleep. And fulfill your promise to go lie down yourself."
Saguru sighed. "Alright them… Rest well, Kuroba." He said and walked towards the door.
"Yeah you too… And Hakuba? Don't try to break your mind over this~" he added with a smirk and sunk into the pillows, closing his eyes.
A moment later he heard the door close with a soft click and he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.
Yay~! End of chapter xD Next time, the boys will get to see the kaitou's lair~ And the big questions of the day are: will Heiji and Shinichi be able to resist temptation and not search the place and what will Saguru come up with, from his classmate's explanations? xD Stay tuned~
You probably guessed right, but just in case you didn't – with Shinichi, Kaito referred to Movie 8, where he impersonated the detective (the quote used here was taken directly from the translation I've seen it in ;) ) and the heist Saguru mentioned at the end was in the manga and special anime, where Akako dressed up as KID and gave Kaito the ultimate alibi, just a moment before Saguru managed to capture him.
I'll do my best to update as soon as I can, but I'm really busy lately, so don't expect an update before November. Sorry about it :/
See you next chapter *grins*