File Eighty-Two: Detective Under the Moonlight
Teleportation… He really said that, didn't he?!
Young Kudo Conan couldn't believe his ears ─ he had, KID had actually said that. Yet, the most inconceivable thought was that he was saying the truth.
"Let's meet again in less than a minute from now… after I travel through time and space."
The arrogant smirk Conan had grown used to seeing ─ the one that would stir violent thoughts inside his head, such as breaking his nose with a soccer ball ─ was there, in plain view for everyone to witness.
And Conan knew. If Kaito KID was smiling like that was because he was certain that he could perform the impossible. An unbelievable miracle.
Just as he was contemplating how he was going to pull that off, Inspector Nakamori and the rest of the task force threw themselves to catch him. The widening of his smirk was all the kid saw before another cloud of smoke covered his sight.
And like that, Kaito KID was gone. As if he had never been there to begin with.
"H-He disappeared?!" exclaimed Ran, shocked out of her mind.
"No, he just slipped back into the crowd," Kaito ─ Shinichi ─ replied, absentmindedly, before rolling his eyes. "Seriously, for such a world-renowned magician, he pulled such a cheap trick..."
Sonoko's eyebrow twitched violently then, feeling offended by this random guy insulting the great Kaito KID-sama, she leaned over, "What would you know?" and spoke out with a very demanding tone. "If he just slipped back into the crowd, someone would have seen him-"
"Misdirection." Sonoko's mouth clicked shut and blinked at the boy that calmly placed his hands inside his pockets. "That's when a magician draws the attention of the audience to one thing to distract it for another," he stated and turned to her, lips curving into a cocky smirk. "He did all that show of pulling out a cloud of smoke and, while everyone was focusing on it, quickly changed clothes and calmly walked away."
The girl blinked, then blinked again ─ at that moment, Shinichi's smirk dropped, gradually coming into the realization that he probably said too much.
"You..." But worse than Sonoko was Ran, who wouldn't stop staring at him, surprised. "You really know a lot."
"Kaito is a magician, a good one," thankfully Aoko spoke, directing the attention away from his gradually paling face. "That's probably the only thing he's good at."
It took a second more than usual for Kaito to reply. "At least I'm good at something... Ahoko," he mumbled irritably as he looked away.
Despite having been more preoccupied with the thief's whereabouts, Conan still gave him a quick glance towards his way. Weak, it was as if he had said it out loud, because Shinichi could have sworn he heard it ─ in return, he feebly glared at his brother, but it went completely unnoticed.
"Why are you always like that, Bakaito?!" Aoko, despite everything, still got a riled up.
He glowered at her, even if mentally he wondered am I supposed to keep this going or…? Since he had been present in plenty of Kaito and Aoko's fights, he knew for a fact that they were often endless, and he wasn't really confident he could keep this going just like the boy could.
But it wasn't her the one he was ultimately worried about ─ it was the gaze that had yet to leave the back of his head. What… By the corner of his eye, he briefly glanced at Ran, whose eyebrows had been brought together as she kept her attention purely on him. What did I do wrong?
Something white zoomed past his ear, causing his attention to snap away from the girl to Kogoro, and watched him kneel and pick up a card. "That's Kaito KID's mark," he exclaimed in surprise.
Instantly Conan had run to his side, sharp eyes instantly settling on the opposite side. "Three?" he mumbled, confused.
He didn't have to wonder about it any further, "I got KID's card!" because the excited screams of another fangirl, a good distance away, crossed his ears. "Two?"
Another guy caught the last card and read it out loud. "One."
And a puff of smoke suddenly brought everyone's attention. No… Conan's eyes went wide, as they realized what hid behind it all. No way.
Contrary to anyone's expectations, he was there. Under the gentle glow of the moon stood a figure in white, cape flowing with the gentle breeze that danced atop of the thirty-meter tall building.
Squeals and curses all the same mixed together in a garbled mess that Conan's brain couldn't decipher. "Nineteen point seventy-five seconds..." was all he heard from the blonde detective standing right next to him, clearly as amazed as he was about the entire feat.
"He really did teleport, huh?" commented the red-eyed girl, amusement decorating her entire face. "Wouldn't expect anything less from the Great Magician Under the Moonlight."
All the while Shinichi just watched, undoubtedly interested now, the magician turning around, a cocky smile visible even from there, and handing the heels he had stolen to the perplexed cameraman.
Silently, he wondered how he could have done it. Well, it shouldn't be me the one thinking about it…
Isn't that right, KID Killer-kun?
He smiled at the thought, turning to give the kid in question a look, before he froze completely. Hey… His smile dropped when he saw the child crouching. Hey, hey, he thought, more alarmed now, at the sight of Conan turning the knob on his shoes.
KID let himself drop backwards, just as the kid straightened up. His wings folded out, just as Conan's hand reached for his belt.
Seeing that his show had gone splendidly well, he couldn't help the boisterous laugh that bubbled up his throat.
It died down when his spectacle broke and fell, after being whisked away from his face upon contact with a ball coming his way at a dangerous speed. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder ─ fierce blue eyes were piercing right through him, he knew, even if the distance made it difficult to determine.
KID smiled, accepting the unspoken challenge.
"Did you see Kaito KID last night?"
"I saw him, I saw him! It was on TV!"
"It was awesome, wasn't it?"
"Hardly." At the unique comment, the three children looked over their shoulders to face the only one who could have said something like that. "That guy just slipped back into the crowd and got into the roof with no one noticing."
"Without anyone noticing?" A feminine giggle made him groan, more out of habit than anything else. "That includes you, I assume."
"Ah, you were there, weren't you, Conan-kun?" asked Ayumi, grinning cheerfully. "At the intersection where KID was."
"... Yeah."
"I see, that's why you're so moody today." Genta chuckled. "You're mad you don't know KID's trick."
Conan flinched at that, then turned to look away from the amused gazes that had fallen on his face ─ mostly the scientist's, who leisurely walked next to him.
"There could have been two KIDs, right?" Mitsuhiko proposed, suddenly more interested in the mystery than teasing the bespectacled detective. "On the ground, there was one who disappeared after taking the heel, and another one who was waiting on the roof-"
"Not a chance," interrupted Conan, annoyance taking over his tone. "One of the guards protecting the treasure left a handprint on KID's cape before he disappeared that appeared when he was on the roof later. He's the real deal."
Though, if we are speaking of Kuroba Kaito… Yeah, there actually were two of them last night.
The three hummed at his words, letting them sink in for a moment before turning to continue chatting about it, excitedly. Conan stared at them for a few seconds, then sighed, focusing back on the way ahead, juggling with the soccer ball he had been carrying under his armpit.
"Well, he did create a miracle there," commented Ai, watching the boy balance the ball over his head. "He vanished in front of everyone and, within twenty seconds, appeared on the rooftop of a nearby building."
The ball suddenly ceased moving. "It doesn't seem possible for a human, but then again..." Holding it against his chest, Conan's lips curved into an excited smile, without him being none the wiser of his action just now. "It proves you can't do it without those twenty seconds." Looking back ahead, his smirk grew even wider, if possible. "I'll solve the twenty-second mystery… and unveil the instant movement trick this time."
Ai observed him for a couple of seconds, and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. "You sound excited." At her remark, the boy gave her a confused stare. "Like a child who's about to open a present they know is a toy."
His eyebrow rose. "How old are you again?"
"Oh, should I remember you I'm older than you?"
"A year older."
"You mean seventy-six years older."
Conan stared, eyebrow raising. "You're not eighty-four years old, Ai-san."
"You saw a magician teleporting in front of your eyes just yesterday and still don't believe in the impossible?" Ai shook her head, throwing her hands in the air. "Talk about being painfully skeptical..."
"That's why I'm telling you, he did not teleport. He just pulled out a poor trick I'm definitely breaking apart."
"As you wish. Good luck with that." Her amusement never left her eyes, even as her gaze settled on him. "Your opponent is the famed moonlight magician, Kaito KID. At night, when he appears in his conspicuous white costume, he's prepared for anything."
The comment silenced Conan, and caused him to glance away, eyes focused on the pavement, even if Ai knew he wasn't really looking there, but somewhere else entirely. She was definitely going to watch the heist on TV, she decided ─ the determined glint in those eyes told her it would completely worth her attention.
"Speaking of presents..."
The smirk dropped from her face in a flash. "You're rather insistent."
"So?"
"No."
"Had to try."
"Let us in! Let us in! Let us in!"
The crowd wasn't exactly by the course of events ─ Conan could confirm that, groaning out of annoyance at the loud chanting that had taken over the intersection. Just a few moments ago, a card had been shot from somewhere in the multitude and KID's voice had rung from the speaker attached to it.
Since the people had been forced to stand outside the net, and all TV cameras had been chased away, the thief had voiced his strong discomfort, promptly cancelling the magic show because there was 'no tension' ─ whatever that meant, Conan had thought, rolling his eyes.
As a result of all that, the discontent was eminent in the air.
Just like last night… He shot those cards before appearing on the roof. Sonoko was gushing over a random video of KID she was watching on her phone, but he ignored it in favor of surveying the place ─ hoping for something, he guessed. Since he appeared five or six seconds afterward, he must have shot them just before.
Briefly, he observed Jirokichi and Nakamori talking rapidly ─ someone had reported seeing a person with a gun, and there was no doubt in the child's mind that it had to be KID's card gun.
Nobody saw him that other time, so he must have left the ground ten seconds after disappearing...
Except that's impossible. It frustrated the kid to no belief, but he still couldn't get it. In ten seconds, KID had to climb a tightly secured, thirty-meter building, and somehow launch the cards while he was still inside. Without hiding. Without being seen.
It pained him to admit, but right now this made absolutely no sense.
"Ran, what are you doing?" Sonoko asked, sounding confused for some reason. "Are you looking for someone?"
Blinking as if she had been woken up from a dream, the girl gave her a distracted glance.
"Ah! Don't tell me, Ran..." At the sudden gasp, her friend jumped, then wiped her head from side to side, frantically. "Don't tell me you saw KID, Ran?!"
This seemed to finally snap her out of it. "No, no! You're wrong, Sonoko!" she hurriedly said, then added with an awkward smile. "I was just… looking for somebody else."
The way her tone lowered drastically certainly caught Conan's attention. On the other hand, Sonoko's interest seemed to have dimmed, raising an eyebrow while crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"I was just wondering… If Hakuba-kun and the others were around here..."
"Eh?" Sonoko leaned forward, causing Ran to step back, a little disturbed. "What's this? Why are you interested in that prick suddenly?"
It took a moment to sink into her head. "Wha-? Sonoko, that's not it!"
"If you're going to be unfaithful to your husband..." Conan gave her a puzzled glance when she suddenly pointed at him. "... don't do it in front of his brat here."
Eyelids sliding down, Conan stared at her, clearly unimpressed.
"Sonoko, Shinichi is not-"
"Wait..." She gasped, shocked. "Do you think that useless detective freak sent the brat to spy on you?!"
"Really, Sonoko!"
Frankly, Conan felt like his IQ was decreasing rapidly the more he listened to that conversation, so he didn't even bother trying to say anything to her, just sighed and turned around, leaving them to do… whatever they were doing.
When he did that, he froze. There, a distance away, Conan caught sight of a girl pressing her hat against her head as she bended over slightly, eyes wandering around while she slowly made her way through the people. Aoko-neechan? Just as he recognized her, she turned to look over his way, and their eyes met.
He couldn't help the dry chuckle that escaped his lips when she held her finger in front of her lips, before disappearing back into the crowd. Yeah, very subtle.
They must be trying to find KID among the people, he realized, with a shook of his head. The idea, per se, wasn't bad, the execution however…
That's probably why we haven't crossed into them yet-
"HEY!" Abruptly, a cry broke through the chanting of the crowd. "Didn't KID say he wanted an audience?! Let's give him one!"
Encouraged by the voice, there was a collective cheer before chaos broke loose. Unsurprisingly Jirokichi and the task force proved to be significantly weaker than the large group of KID's crazed fans, and eventually found themselves unable to impede the inevitable ─ in a flash, the magician had gathered everyone inside the net to chant his name over and over again.
"No way!" And, predictably, it didn't take long for Sonoko to gape at the phone in her hands. "The TV program is going again!"
When that guy wants something done, he really goes and does it, huh? thought Conan, crossing his arms behind his head, turning back to the crowd. Well, this more or less confirms it...
Without an audience, his trick doesn't… His eyes widened at a certain person crossing his sight, only to disappear in the flow of people again. ... work.
Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder and, after making sure that Ran was distracted with the broadcast in Sonoko's phone, quickly slipped away, taking off running before anyone would realize he was gone.
His eyes darted around frantically. I just saw him. He was certain of that ─ there, in between the people, he had glimpsed a teenager dressed in black clothes, hat secured on top of his head preventing his face from being seen. Yet, even if it wasn't as much as a glimpse, they had crossed gazes enough for him to realize who that person was.
That was Kuroba Kaito's face… He affirmed in his mind, standing on the tip of his feet so he could see something, despite his small complexion. Which means that the person right there was actually him… High school detective, Kudo Shinichi-
"Don't move." Or not, thought Conan with a shudder when something pressed against the back of his head. "Move, and you're dead."
Despite the initial fright, Conan slowly realized that he could recognize that voice. The one that strongly resembles Onii-chan's... Drawing a shaky breath, the child closed his eyes and forced his heart to calm down. "If you don't take that toy away..." He managed not to let show his internal crisis, masquerading it with a smirk. "... I'm going to scream very loudly, and you won't be able to get away this time."
His brother knew better than to pull a joke like that, Conan was certain. That left out a single possibility.
Kaito KID.
The pressure against his head vanished when KID, presumably, took his card gun away. "I see you still have no sense of humor."
"Your sense of humor is poorer than I originally thought if you think that's funny." Even if there was nothing stopping him from turning around and looking at him straight in the face, the young detective felt no need to it. "State your business now, or I swear I will scream."
"Say, Tantei-kun." If anything, that had only seemed to have amused the magician. "Do you know Thurston's three principles?"
"Yeah." He had done his research in magic, as lightly as it was, desperate to get the upper hand with the insufferable thief. "Never give away the secrets of the trick. Never reveal what's happening next. Never perform the same trick twice with one audience."
"Such a good little detective." Kaito clapped mockingly, and Conan barely held back the urge to snipe him with his wristwatch gun. "I see you did your homework."
"Then will you enlighten me?" He glanced briefly from over his shoulder. "Why are you willing to risk the taboo, Kaito KID-sensei?"
"As long as it goes unrevealed..." Conan could hear his smirk in his voice. "... it will remain the greatest trick of all, don't you think?"
The kid's mouth opened, visibly irritated now, "Conan-kun!" but didn't get to complain when he heard his name being called, turning around out of instinct. "Ah! There you are!" Ran was making her way back to him, quickly. "You can't keep straying off!"
By the time he turned back to Kaito, he got an unpleasant surprise when he found out that the thief had escaped into the crowd. That bastard, he thought with a mental scowl, even as he apologized profusely to Ran for running off suddenly. Is he underestimating me?
A card was shot, flying through the air for everyone to see.
"My, it seems the audience has become quite lively," and KID's voice didn't take long to resound through the entire crosswalk.
I'll show you…
"The curtain on the show will raise soon! Please enjoy it."
The greatest trick of all time… The one called 'deduction'.
"That's why I'm telling you," the teenager said with a long sigh. "I have nothing on me. Nothing."
Rolling his eyes, he raised his arms,"You can check it out again, if you want," and he said, exasperated by the member of the task force that wouldn't stop staring at him, rather intensely, eyebrows raised far above his hairline. "I don't have anything on me."
"You must have hidden it somewhere..." At the accusation he was receiving, he let his head drop forward with a groan. "We have witnesses that claim to have seen you with a gun."
"I don't-"
"Where are you hiding it, Kaito KID?"
Remind me, why am I doing this again? Kudo Shinichi lamented mentally, blankly staring back at the man that was, out of the blue, retaining him. People were starting to notice them, turning around and whispering among each other, and he just wanted to be anywhere else but there.
"Kaito?" Shinichi jumped slightly, shifting over to watch Aoko making her way towards him. "What is wrong?"
"Kaito?" The police officer gasped. "As in Kaito KID?!"
"No, as Kuroba Kaito." This person was getting on his nerves. "Aoko, would you mind telling this officer that I wouldn't be as stupid as to use my name in my stage name?"
Though it's written differently, Shinichi didn't exactly care.
The girl blinked at him, clearly surprised by the accusation, before turning to the officer who clearly demanded an explanation. She stared for a couple of seconds until a giggle rose up her throat without her consent. "Kaito? No, no way!"
I wonder if Kuroba would look offended or relieved right now.
"I'm sorry, miss." By the looks of it, it was the officer who didn't seem pleased with her amusement. "But several people described a person with a gun, and it matches your friend completely."
Her laughter stopped completely, and the man took it as an incentive to continue. His hand reached to grab Shinichi by the arm ─ mentally, the boy worried. He had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do if they tried to investigate him further, and therefore the fact that he was not Kaito was revealed to everyone.
Though, the thing that made his skin crawl was that he wasn't really using a disguise ─ if word got around that Kudo Shinichi was in Ekoda...
"Look." He was most grateful when the girl crossed her arms, standing right in front of him. "Kaito is not KID, I'm absolutely sure about that."
"But-!"
It was almost comical to the detective how the man paled instantly when Aoko took a step forward, foot stomping the ground and hands now firmly placed on her hips. "Kaito KID is still around," she said, fiercely. "I refuse to waste a moment here with someone that clearly is not him!"
The police officer backed away.
"Bring my father if you're not convinced! I'll tell him every little detail about how you're disrupting KID's capture by wasting time here..."
"Y-Your father?!"
Shinichi raised his hand, almost timidly, and promptly pointed at the girl who was glaring daggers at him. "Nakamori Aoko… I doubt she's pleased to meet you, though..."
"A-Ah! I'm sorry! I'm terribly sorry!"
As quickly as it had begun, the problem was resolved. Note to self, thought Shinichi, watching as the police officer bowed in front of the girl in question, repeatedly, before scurrying away as quickly as humanly possible. Never mess it Nakamori Aoko.
She watched him go with a scowl on her face ─ which actually reminded Shinichi of her father's. Now I see the resemblance ─ until he disappeared between the crowd of people. Aoko nodded to herself, and faced Shinichi once more, an innocent sweet smile now decorating her face.
"Now, that's solved."
Almost a year and a half had passed ever since he had moved there, but Shinichi didn't think he would ever get used to her fast changing mood ─ Kuroba still hadn't, he knew that for a fact, and they were childhood friends.
"Uh, Kaito," she said, tilting her head in confusion. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no..." He cringed at how weak his response sounded. "Just thought I saw something… Guess I didn't."
Aoko gave her a long look, eyes narrowing slightly. Shinichi did his best effort not to flinch under her inquisitive stare.
"What are you two up to?"
"... Two?"
"Yeah! You and Hirai-kun!"
Me?
Hey, hey, what did I do now?!
"Aoko..." Shinichi tried to sound as irritated as possible. "We aren't-"
"You're acting oddly, Kaito," she observed, eyebrows raised. "Today, you're like an entirely different person."
Heh, funny for you to say that.
"And there's also Hirai-kun..."
That completely caught his attention. "That guy?" He scoffed. "He's odd, by nature. Did you just find out about that?"
The girl's eyes flickered towards this way, making Shinichi halt and blink, rather stupidly, while she blankly stared at him, contemplating him for a second, before frowning. "I don't know what I trusted you with that." Aoko whipped her head away, hitting him in the face with a bout of hair. "Stupid, insensitive Kaito."
With that, the girl wordlessly walked away, leaving Shinichi to stare after her, feeling genuinely lost about the events that had just transpired.
"Glad you have Nakamori-san to back you up," a voice said at his side. "Although I don't believe Kuroba-kun will be pleased when he finds out you caused her to be angry with him."
Shinichi didn't even turn to look at the red-eyed young witch. "What are you talking about, Akako?"
"I believe that proves it," she said, giggling lightly under her hand. "Kuroba-kun is not such an incompetent liar under pressure."
He scoffed, pretending not to be offended by her words. "You have no proof."
"Well, I don't," she would give him that. "But one can not fool their own eyes…"
This time, Shinichi stared at her, confusingly.
"Just as you were talking with Nakamori-san, I saw someone looking exactly like you," she stated, hands latching together behind her back. "He was placing a gun on a young boy's head-"
"That bastard did what?!"
Akako paused long enough for the teenager to realize that he probably reacted a bit too wildly. "Oh?" A smirk grazed her lips and caused Shinichi to frown deeply. "It sounds like you know both of them very well."
"N-No-"
He was interrupted from his incredibly embarrassing attempt to put a proper response together by a loud bang, followed by a puff of smoke. A card with Kaito KID's signature smiling face descended from the sky, slowed down by a parachute attached to it, and Kuroba's voice boomed through the entire place ─ the show would start soon.
"I wish I could be excited for what's coming..." said Akako, with a sigh. "But last night's performance was quite disappointing."
"You really think so? I thought last night's trick was pretty clever."
For Kuroba's standards, anyway…
"It was a good trick," she conceded with a shrug, her eyes fixed somewhere else. "But…"
Curious about what was going through her mind, Shinichi followed her gaze and noticed, barely concealing a flinch, what she had caught her attention.
"Remember, there was a case when he was walking midair, right?" Conan's cheerful tone could be heard even from the place where they stood. "That's the same as last night's instant movement. They have KID hanging in the middle of the sky and then-"
The kid was interrupted by an angry Sonoko, who snapped at him violently and claimed that it was impossible since Jirokichi had personally checked everyone piloting the helicopters, impeding KID's accomplice from slipping in. Even Ran, smiling apologetically at the boy, had agreed with her friend.
"All that is needed for a show to be truly memorable..." Akako chuckled, amused for some reason. "... is a formidable antagonist." Followed by that, she shrugged, and slowly made her way back into the crowd. "I wonder if tonight will be any different from last time."
Shinichi watched after her for a beat, before turning to observe his little brother offering Sonoko a nervous smile, saying that he might have to think over it again and turning back around. Although he seriously doubted it had been a conscious action, Conan's gaze rose to the building where KID had appeared the other night and let a grin stretch all over his face, eyes glimmering with excitement under his thick glasses.
Now, Shinichi had never been fond of magic shows, but he was certain that this one would be absolutely thrilling.
Darkness gradually descended in that populated square of Ginza, thus the squeals and cheers directed to a certain magician began to rise, filling what it would be otherwise a silent night.
Conan gazed up to the starry sky when a white figure crossed the blackness that surrounded it and took it as a cue to start his own plan. So, like that, he silently vanished between the crowd when the rest was fixated on the magician that landed on the pedestal, ready to begin the show.
Well, Conan was more interested in ending it, he decided while making his way through the multitude and neared the building. As expected, several guards were protecting the entrance.
Really, sneaking inside proved to be so ridiculously easy that it hurt. True, he was small, and had to dart a guard that had almost spotted him going up the stairs, but it made him wonder what Jirokichi could be thinking. No wonder KID had the upper hand in everything.
All it took was a push, and soon the chilly breeze caressed his cheeks. It's here, he thought, approaching the ledge of the building, hands curling around the fence as he gazed down. The magician was still there, clearly noticeable with his pristine white clothes in the middle of a crazed crowd of people chanting his name.
Smiling at what was about to come, he climbed up the fence and sat on top of it. Carefully, he began slid down so that he could stand on the ledge.
"That's out of limits." He didn't get the chance to do it ─ something held him up in the air by his armpits and carefully set him back into the ground. "Wouldn't want you to fall off a building, again, do we?"
Conan turned his head slightly to look at him, even if he didn't need to see to know who was there. "I wasn't going to fall," he rolled his eyes as a statement of his annoyance. "Don't need you to babysit me all the time, Onii-chan."
Kaito's face shook as Shinichi placed his hands on his waist and, with all the sternness of a mother, leaned forward. "I wouldn't do it if you didn't give me a reason to," huffed as he walked away, waving his hand at the glowering child. "If you misbehave, I'm telling Ran, you hear me?"
And wordlessly plopped down on the floor, arms crossed in front of the chest and staring intently at him. "Whatever," Conan huffed, turning back around and climbing up the fence again, peering downwards while hanging from under his armpits ─ not daring to cross it, however. Shinichi crossed his legs and rested against the wall, satisfied.
Conan decided to ignore his brother, in favor of watching the thief disappear in a puff of smoke. He couldn't believe it ─ how could he have been this blind? Now he could clearly see a black-cloaked figure darting away, zigzagging through the people and coming into a stop right in front of the building he was waiting at.
Soon Kaito felt himself being pulled upwards and, instantly, pulled out his card gun. Three, he thought, watching a girl picking up his card.
His lips twitched upward.
Two.
A chuckle bubbled up his throat, escaping his mouth before he could have the chance to stop it.
One.
Rendering unable to hold himself any longer, Kaito let himself burst into laughter as loudly as humanly possible.
"Zero."
Kaito choked.
"Unfortunately, the magic show tonight is a free one..." He strained his neck upwards, struggling to see if the childish voice that echoed in his ears belonged, in fact, to the little brat he thought he was. "The reward is zero, Magician Under the Moonlight."
Though he wasn't willing to admit that his poker face had just slipped and fallen, he really panicked there ─ Jii must have noticed, would later rationalize, given to his rushed order of dropping the weight that was pulling him up and closer to him.
His feet raised until he was stepping on the LED sign he was raising in front of, and then, gritting his teeth, he gazed up. The gentle silver glow of the full moon fell upon a little boy, chasing the darkness away just enough for the magician to see a smirk directed towards him.
That little bastard, he thought, despite the fact that he was actually mirroring the child's expression, listening as he explained that he had figured out the trick by watching a video on Sonoko's phone ─ when he had realized that the news ticket read they were looking for 'beloved women', instead of 'women who love dogs', which made better sense, and that the accent on the word 'dog' was covered up. "So the deduction I overhead through the bug was-"
"Fake, yeah." Conan shrugged, "I couldn't let you know what was going to happen," before chuckling, amused, as if he had thought of a good joke. "Since I would be breaking the second principle, wouldn't I?"
This time, Kaito actually laughed. "Impressive," he said, his grin widening further. "Though you have a long way to go, Tantei-kun." Conan gave him a weird look at that. "You just broke the first principle by telling me how you deduced my trick."
"Maybe. But you just said it's 'impressive', despite risking the taboo..." Conan's eyes narrowed, smirk deepening. "... unlike that stupid instant movement trick you just pulled, that just got you captured."
Hand raising to grasp his black robes, Kaito chuckled arrogantly, "Who said..." and threw them off, revealing his white suit beneath them. "... I got captured?"
Amazed squeals reached Conan's ears ─ the child could tell with most certainty that they belonged to those below, blown out of their own mind at the sight of the magician, seemingly standing sideways in a building so easily.
"I finally understand, by the way," said the child, suddenly. "Your choice of color is not to exhibit your fearlessness to the world. It's the laziest way to hide it ─ just cover it with a dark cloth and you're all done."
Likewise, if something white were to show in a dark place, it would stand out ─ thus, the people that were gaping at him from below.
"So, is it up or down?" questioned the small detective. "If up, you may be saved, but your accomplice will be automatically delivered to the police. The other option is self-explanatory."
Kaito hummed quietly, gazing down at Inspector Nakamori and Jirokichi, loudly promising him immediate capture if he was to get closer.
"Uh, no good… I think I'll take the middle."
"M-Middle?"
Taking out his gun, the thief shot the banner that was concealing his accomplice, and immediately used the wire he was being lifted with to swing towards him. Once he grasped his hand, he opened his hang glider and soared away from harm. Realizing that he easily got over the net, Conan tsked, annoyed and, just as he was about to turn away, he noticed something hanging from the wire ─ a pair of heels, and a note that undoubtedly read something along the lines of 'these jewels aren't the ones I was after'.
It made him wonder if there really was a jewel Kaito KID was after.
The clapping that followed brought Conan back to reality. "Such a splendid performance." He had been too caught into KID that he had completely forgotten about his older brother watching over him, he mused. "You did a good job, Little Detective Under the Moonlight."
Conan stared back in bewilderment at the older detective until his words really dawned on his mind. "Stop it," he hissed, hopping back onto the ground and taking a few steps, until he was right in front of him, to glare up at the amused teenager. "That sounds as if I'm actually related to him."
"Oh? So you prefer KID Killer instead?" Shinichi shrugged. "The other one sounds much better..." Chuckling at the annoyed gaze, the teenager crouched down in front of the child, and promptly laid his hand on top of his hair. "Guess we need to find you a proper nickname."
"I don't need another nickname, thank you."
He really didn't need another one ─ Conan groaned ─ since he already had too many for being comfortable about it anymore.
"Conan-kun?" Both boys flinched at the definitely familiar female voice, getting closer. "Conan-kun, are you here?"
Before the kid could even think of replying, the door to the roof burst open to reveal Ran, frantically looking around, until their eyes finally met. "Conan-kun!" Shinichi barely managed to step away to give space for Ran to fall onto her knees in front of the child. "Geez, would you just stop doing that?"
Conan could only drop his head and quietly apologize to the girl.
"Don't be so hard on him." Ran looked up at the teenager who stood beside them with his hands stuck in his pockets. "He's the KID Killer. I'm pretty sure not even he can stop himself from going out to chase him."
Ran seemed to observe him for a moment more to be deemed normal ─ Shinichi took a step back, feeling rather apprehensive suddenly. "You..." She frowned slightly. "You are..."
Shinichi unconsciously held back his breath.
"Don't you remember? That's Kaito-niichan!" exclaimed Conan rather quickly. "He was watching over me. He also helped me a lot when I went to Ekoda!"
The teenager glared at the kid from the corner of his eye. That last part wasn't strictly necessary...
Ran stood up and faced Shinichi ─ or, rather, Kaito ─ and clasped her hands in front of her. "I'm sorry, I didn't even introduce myself, did I?" then bowed slightly. "I'm Mouri Ran. Thank you for taking care of Conan-kun..."
Her words trailed down into a silence that none of them attempted to break ─ and neither did Conan, who merely blinked curiously at the two teenagers that gazed at each other for what it seemed to be an eternity. Before long, a small yet tender smile caressed Shinichi's face.
"I haven't introduced myself properly either," he said, with a nervous chuckle, and brought his hand up. Ran's eyes widened dramatically, unable to tear her eyes away from the rose that had just popped up from nowhere, and that this boy was offering her. "Kuroba Kaito. Nice to meet you."
Far too stunned to pronounce another word, Ran nodded jerkily and, hesitantly, accepted the flower. The teenager said nothing else, just ruffled Conan's hair once more and calmly walked away. She didn't recover right away, just gazed at the closed door with a rather odd expression on his face.
All the while, the little boy could only blink, unable to process what had just happened.
"Inside your pants' pocket."
Shinichi would be blatantly lying if he said that he could understand what all that was coming from.
In fact, he had just arrived at Kuroba's residence when his phone had started to vibrate violently in his pocket, and had fished it out to see that it was none other than his little brother. Naturally he had picked up right away, worried that something had merited such an unusual call, yet it had been Conan's cold, accusatory tone that had truly disconcerted him.
"That was such an obvious trick," the boy continued, leaving him no time to adjust his mind to what it was happening. "You hid the rose, then flicked your hand to reveal it."
Kudo Shinichi was a rather unique housemate, Kuroba Kaito would agree without an ounce of hesitation. That, and that equally particular little brat he had as a brother, made it difficult for Kaito to predict what kind of scene he would find upon reaching the living room ─ though the sight of Shinichi pale and shouting, rather panicky, at a phone pressed against his ear was quite the common one lately.
That didn't mean he wasn't startled when a burst of laughter met his ears the moment he put a foot on the room.
"Ah, no, sorry..." Shinichi said between breaths. He had yet to notice the magician there, it appeared. "Just thought about something funny, don't mind me."
It sounded as if Conan wanted to ask, but then decided not to with a heavy sigh. "What was all that about?" he questioned, sounding rather annoyed ─ which was rather usual now, Shinichi pondered. "Didn't take you as the kind that would be interested in magic."
"Kuroba taught me that," he explained, plopping down on the couch. "If I was to act like him, at least I needed to pretend I knew magic, you know."
Conan was raising his eyebrow now, his brother was absolutely certain about that. "A magician doesn't go around giving roses to the girls he meets..."
The tip of Shinichi's lips tugged downwards, "Neither does Kudo Shinichi," but didn't let it show on his voice. "That's something he would never do… And I needed to convince her to that I'm not him."
"You're making it sound like she knew..." The silence he received made Conan give his phone an odd look. "Wait, no way."
"I'm almost certain she at least suspected it... She was staring at me weirdly."
"I got all that, but why didn't you just tell her?" Conan's voice raised a little. "Everything."
"Conan, I already-"
"I didn't mean that, you dumbass."
Shinichi found himself blinking stupidly at the phone, unable to articulate another word. There was a strange sound ─ the older detective suspected Conan had facepalmed out of irritation ─ followed, yet again, a heavy sigh.
"For as long as I can remember, I have always seen you both together," the child explained, even if he hadn't been asked to. "Waltzing around between love and denial, and even I could see it and wondered when..." Shinichi's head dropped forward, a strange glint taking over his downcast gaze. "Then I saw you giving that rose to her…"
"Conan, don't read into it. It's not going to happen anytime soon."
"Fine..." Conan shrugged on the other side of the phone. "Don't blame me if she ends up falling in love with Kaito-niichan, or something."
"Yeah, yeah… Wait, what did you say?!"
"See you."
"Hey-!"
Click.
Groaning, the teenage detective yanked the phone away from his ear to glare at the screen, as if it somehow was the source of all his problems. That runt… Eyebrow twitching still, he put the phone away. He didn't have to word it like that.
If Ran were to fall for a clown like that...
His face smoothed out at the random thought, and set his gaze on the ceiling, thoughtfully silent. If the worst came to the worst… His lips pursed together. Maybe it would be best if Ran just…
"You could just confess, you know." He jumped, and even let out a startled cry, when the magician crossed his field of vision to reach the kitchen. "Even an eight year-old brat can see it."
Scoffing, Shinichi turned his head away. "Same eight year-old brat that almost got you captured today."
"Tantei-kun is Tantei-kun, he's special in that regard," the thief conceded him. "And I'm sure he can see how terrified you're about pursuing a relationship."
"I'm not scared. Despite how I look like now, I'm not Kuroba Kaito."
Shinichi fully expected the magician to, at least, give him any kind of response, but all that met him was the sound of running water as Kaito silently poured water on a mug. Wordlessly, the teenager continued, and it wasn't until his tea was all done that he walked back into the living room, and sat on a chair backwards.
He stared at him intensely, as he took a sip of his steamy mug. "What?" Shinichi asked, irritated and incredibly uncomfortable right now.
Kaito slowly lowered down his mug then, sighing deeply, he said:
"You're scared… Because you don't have much time left."
Followed by that, Kaito raised the mug back into his lips, and decided not to say anything else until Shinichi, who stared back at him with wide eyes and a face pale as snow, decided to breathe. He even thought of pointing out that he needed oxygen to live, but decided against it ─ he wasn't completely devoid of self-preservation instincts, after all.
"What…?" It was slow, Kaito realized, but didn't comment on that. Finally waking out of his stupor, the great detective stood up and gave him a crazed look. "What-?!"
"Aoko might have already asked you about it… Something I needed to find about." Slowly, Shinichi nodded, yet he didn't look any calmer. "She was concerned about your odd attitude lately and I, naturally, took into my own hands to solve this mystery since a certain detective, I'm sure, wouldn't say a word even if he were to be held at gunpoint..."
"You didn't..."
"It's your fault for disappearing for the entirety of this day under mysterious circumstances." In fact, he had only returned for the heist and had been so incredibly secretive about it that not even Kaito had been able to persuade him into telling what he had been doing. "And forgetting I'm a thief who's perfectly capable of lock-picking your bedroom's door."
It went without saying that he had seen it ─ the letter that Ai had sent him a couple of days ago through his brother. Shinichi wanted to shout at him, angry from crossing over the boundaries he shouldn't have stepped on, but just deflated with a sigh and sat back on the couch, drained of all his energy to argue about it.
"Meitantei," Kaito began, albeit hesitantly, yet Shinichi didn't even try to look at him. "You can't just-"
"I… have things to do tomorrow." Not waiting for the magician to finish, Shinichi stood up and stepped out of the room. "Night, Kuroba."
Before anything could be said or done, Shinichi left the room. For the longest time, Kaito just sat there, silently staring at his tea until it went cold, and did not attempt to move from his place. Just frowned and pressed a hand against his face.
All the while wondering if he should have approached this any differently.
A/N:
F. C. Meyer: Well, I thought about it a lot at the time, and believed that it would make sense that Conan wouldn't notice considering there were much more important matters at the time, like you know, not drowning… I thought it would make more sense than Shinichi suddenly losing all his clothes.
SherryGirl 21-6: Of course I didn't forget! The thing is that I had to push it back a bit because… stuff I can't really say right now XD It might take a while for it to appear but it will, hope you don't mind… Well, about Ai's eye color, most of the time I try to stick with the same color she had on her first appearance, but I must admit I, too, like her movie eye color a bit more. Although, most of the time when I use 'icy' or 'gelid' stare, I'm actually referring to a 'cold' stare, as in a 'not friendly' manner, so to say.
Yuna: Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean.