Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
This chapter I proudly present you a pleasant weekend, preceded by a small review of both Kaito's and Conan's fun and games, hope you'll enjoy this~
So yeah… mostly just a fun chapter, but I hope you'll like it and the snippets of plot.
And now to the review part~
Boogum - Probably not as soon, as you hoped for, but still sooner then I expected ;) I hope you'll like this chapter just as much as the previous one :D
Cerlinfia - I don't intend to leave before I end this story (and the two others that I've started and put temporarily on hiatus ^^"). Well - for the magic for kids you'll have to wait for the next chapter (because Conan doesn't really count as a child xD).
Mists - Yeah - the thing is that there are actually very few stupid characters in the DC/MK - it's just that compared to the Gosho Boys they don't seem as much ^^" Thank you for your permission, I will use it gladly then (unfortunately not too soon though ^^"). Yes... I do hope I will manage to warp eventually up all of the things I tend to set up for this story... If not then this will never reach an ending xD
Lady Paper - Honestly I had no idea that such a short comment can make me this happy :D Thank you :)
mjclark - Well - Conan's story is a complicated matter and he does know (or rather suspect) quite a lot for his tastes. Anyway this chapter is more of 'fun and games' than discoveries ;)
So without further delay…
Please enjoy and review! :)
Chapter 27: Drawn with laughter
After giving it much thought Kaito decided to see what he could do to help Tantei-kun. His plan was risky, but after his talk with Tantei-han he wanted to act as soon as possible, since it was clear that time was running out for Kudo Shinichi, and soon there wouldn't be a point for him to return. Unfortunately all the preparations he needed for this to work out equaled him having a very busy week. Not to mention the coming weekend's promise to Hattori. And the next week wouldn't be much better, especially with the incoming heist. Only to start the sneaking around right afterwards... Hopefully without getting caught or noticed in the process.
Fortunately, beside of a sole bicker with Akako, he didn't have any problems in his civil life and was left to his own schemes. Hakuba seemed satisfied with just observing from afar, which conveniently left him unable to notice any of the interesting stuff.
Kaito was somewhat worried about the witch's sudden focus on the Brit and he just hoped she wouldn't try to use him to force the magician to agree on the additional magic tests, or anything like that. Even without mentioning that it appeared that only physical spells affected him, so those attempts really weren't fun, he really couldn't be bothered with that now. Besides he didn't want the witch to find a way to control him. It was bad enough when she used the voodoo dolls, like last time when she forced him to go to her. Seriously… couldn't she use a phone like normal human being?
Focused on his thoughts, he nearly failed to notice Hakuba approaching him during Friday's lunch break. The magician crooked his head, while hanging upside down from a tree branch in the school yard. Because of a tiny squabble he had earlier with Aoko and a few other female classmates (they really should learn and get better padlocks in their locker room - why they never listened to him? Not that it could stop him anyway. Kekeke…), the girl wasn't around and other students in the yard stood in groups, busy with discussing after school and weekend plans.
"Do you have a moment, Kuroba?" The Brit asked politely, unfazed by the other teen's uncommon sitting choice.
Kaito snickered slightly. This was probably the silliest question the detective could have asked, so he couldn't quite help himself answering with a wide grin. "Well, as you can clearly see, I'm very busy actually~"
Hakuba snorted with amusement and rolled his eyes. "Yes, clearly. So anyway, I just wanted to inform you that I'm meeting with Conan-kun this Saturday at the river bank and we would be glad if you decided to join us."
The magician raised an eyebrow and let himself slip from the tree branch, falling down with a flip and landing on his feet. "And why would that interest me~?" He asked, half expecting the reason to be that they wanted to see him was the riddle.
He wondered if he didn't make it too hard this time. He didn't have much time to listen to the conclusions made at the station, but when he heard that they are suspecting him to go to Hokkaido, he got a bit worried. It would be surely amusing to have the Task Force running around the whole Japan, but for one, it would humiliate them a tiny bit too much and secondly, there wouldn't be anyone to admire his trick. And he did think of a little beauty this time around. Would be a waste to not have anybody to show it to.
Internally, Kaito sighed. He definitely should have taken more time to think his words through and figure out all of the possible solutions, before saying it on air. The problem was that initially he didn't even intend to make it a riddle at all. He wanted to give the police a week off and then send a regular notice a day before the heist. But he had a promise to fulfill and decided to add a little bonus and give Tantei-kun some distraction for a while during the week as well. So he had to act fast and was more focused on getting into the Nichiuri TV station without getting caught in the process. He figured that his favorite critics could get the riddle right even if it was a bit rushed. But he might have overestimated them a little.
Saguru shrugged nonchalantly at that. "No reason at all, I guess." He answered with a smirk. "Just thought you might want to know."
Now wasn't that interesting? Hakuba was attempting to jest and he was giving an open invitation, instead of a persistent one. And given that Kaito was going to stalk and keep the shrimp occupied this weekend anyway, it wouldn't be bad to play along. He did want to keep his distance from the detectives, but given how much he had to shoulder now, he really didn't want to make this harder for himself than he needed to. He could also use this opportunity to find out what they figured out from the riddle and pass on a few hints, if they've gotten it wrong. The magician tucked his hands in his pockets and mirrored Saguru's smirk.
"Well, depending on the hour, I just might tag along for a bit then."
"Great. We'll be meeting at 10 AM., but I'm not sure where will be going afterwards. So if you'd like to join us later… I guess you have my number?"
"Sure thing~" Came the response, but before Kaito could say anything more the bell rang, announcing the end of the break, so instead they headed out back to the classroom.
Shinichi had yet another annoyingly plain week. Thankfully to KID, he had at least something amusing to focus on for a few days, for which he was silently grateful. He wasn't very happy with Hakuba's conclusion that they shouldn't be going to the heist, since he was looking forward to it, but it did seem to be correct. So he reluctantly agreed to the idea. To secure having free time during the weekend, he decided to spend the most of his time after school with the Detective Boys, so they wouldn't be too clingy later on and he could have some time without being Conan.
He did stumble on three cases during the week, but despite how it occupied his mind, it wasn't anything he would ever call 'fun'. Especially since those were murder cases. Shinichi was slightly worried about his little friends tagging along with him on those, but there wasn't much he could have done to prevent that.
In order to judge their progress with Kuroba and to make it up to themselves for missing the heist, the two detectives decided to meet with the magician during the weekend, by giving him an open invitation. Shinichi wasn't sure how it would work out, but to his pleasant surprise the Brit managed to get KID's approval to spend some time with them on Saturday, so all that was left was to wait.
School was boring as always. More so since for some reason Haibara decided to stay home, due to being 'sick'. Like he would ever believe that after seeing the girl the previous weekend. But of course she didn't offer any explanation. Hoping that she was onto something with the antidote, the detective decided to leave her alone. Especially since the professor told him in secret that she was locking herself in the laboratory. Unfortunately the kids at school for some time now returned to teasing him for being the shortest boy in class. Not that it really bothered him and the Detective Boys did the best they could to defend him. He remembered that he was slow to grow during his first childhood, but couldn't quite recall if it was this slow. Well… there was scientific evidence that often the new generation was higher than the older one, although he wasn't sure if it was valid for only 10 year gap. He somehow doubted that, but it did bring a little consolation.
Finally the long awaited weekend came. Ran didn't oppose him leaving the house for the whole day, having her convinced that he would spend it with the Detective Boys and eat at Agasa's. It was disturbingly easy for him to lie to her now, but he tried not to think about it too much. He needed some time to be himself and couldn't really deny himself the opportunity. Without wasting any time, he rode his sun-powered skateboard and traveled to the spot by the river in Ekoda, where they met with Kaito already once. He enjoyed the little freedom and independence this device provided him, since that this way nobody asked him for his guardians, as it often happened when he traveled by bus or train.
Despite the longer route he took to get there, he expected to be the first one, but as he hopped off his skateboard, he noticed a dozing figure on the slope. Closer inspection confirmed that it was the magician. He was wondering if the teen was actually sleeping and whether he would be able to startle him, when the person in question stretched and spoke with a lazy tone.
"Hiyah Chibi, you're early." He yawned and opened his eyes, focusing his gaze on the detective.
Shinichi didn't let the annoyance he felt for the nickname show on his face, but somehow had the feeling Kaito knew about it anyway. "Hey thief." He responded with his own tease and smirked. "You're the one who's early. Didn't get much sleep last night?" He asked as he stopped by the teen.
"The weather is nice, just asking for a nap~ And despite the common belief I like to be early on my appointments whenever I can. I just don't tend to show up till the last second~" He answered and closed his eyes. "Hakuba should be here in about five to seven minutes." He added lazily.
"How do you know that?"
"It's his habit to come around five to seven minutes before the appointed time. And he hates to break any of his habits, especially those regarding time." He answered with a smirk, with his eyes still closed.
Kuroba's calm and how talkative he seemed to be was somewhat surprising for Shinichi. Although, while one on one, the kaitou rarely shown wariness towards him, the detective always felt like it was there, hidden under the Poker Face. And the thief always preferred to be enigmatic, rather than straightforward. The detective felt the urge to do something to check if the magician wasn't actually observing him somehow or, if he would answer more personal questions, but decided to leave it for now. He sat beside Kaito and turned his gaze to the water, taking in a slow breath.
"I like it here." He admitted peacefully.
"Mm~ Me too~ I used to come here a lot to practice my tricks or just chill like this."
"But you don't anymore." Kudo observed, before he could bite his tongue.
But it didn't seem to bother the magician who answered calmly. "I still get to pass here on my way from school. Not much free time beside it."
Shinichi gave a hum of confirmation, idly wondering what the kaitou would be doing now if he didn't agree to meet with them. And why he agreed if he really was so busy.
Neither of them spoke, keeping up the comfortable silence between them for the next few minutes, until Saguru came.
"Oh hello, I'm sorry to have kept you two waiting." The Brit apologized, slightly taken aback to notice that he was the last one to show up.
Conan turned to him with a small smile. "Don't worry, we were just early. Nice to see you too."
Kaito sighed lightly and cracked his eyelids open, moving his gaze to Hakuba, without getting up. "Alright, so what did you guys want from me this time?"
Saguru raised an eyebrow, moving his gaze to his classmate and shrugged. "Nothing in particular. I thought I made it clear. I'm sorry if I've gotten you confused."
The magician resisted the urge to narrow his eyes, unsure whether to believe the other teen. He did seem sincere. So maybe Kaito has gotten it wrong and they didn't yet give up on him after all? Despite how troublesome it was, it gave the kaitou a warm feeling in his chest. He tried to ignore it. Outwardly, he gave a thoughtful hum and got up from his resting place, while wondering how to maneuver the conversation to the riddle, without actually showing how interested he was in the topic.
"Alright. And you don't have any specific place you wanted to go to?" He asked with light tone.
"Not necessarily. But I did think of going to the Senso-ji temple, if you guys don't mind? Wanted to get a look around there."
Conan shrugged at that and secretly eyed the magician, who held back his smirk, noticing the motion, keeping up a neutral expression.
"I don't mind either. Which one?" He asked casually, already walking back to the path over the slope.
"Thank you. I meant the one in Asakusa district. I wanted to take a look there later, but figured it would be nice to have company."
Kaito gave a nod, slowly walking towards the train station, inwardly grinning at his critics. So they did unravel his riddle, huh? And since there was no rain forecast (and heavens thank that!), it was most likely that they got the time correct as well. At least he didn't have to bother now with poking Nakamori for clues of what he had on the riddle.
The walk wasn't long, but it was enough for Kaito to play a bit with his antics. During the walk and train ride, he managed to dazzle a woman he bumped into with his charm while walking backwards on his hands, conjure four flowers, some confetti, two doves and a very surprised dog, who ran away to his owner afterwards, and made other minor tricks like that. He also made quite a few people certain that Conan was actually his little brother and a voluntary assistant. Eventually the detective gave up on smoothing his hair down.
Shinichi figured that the magician was like a laughing force of nature. Or rather an overjoyed and clueless puppy, who occasionally peed on the floor. The thing was that it seemed nearly impossible to stop him from what he decided to do, but at the same time he somehow managed to spread his cheerfulness on others, so it was hard to really stay mad at him. On the other hand, getting mad was rather easy.
Conan also learned fast that spacing out in Kaito's reach was just asking for trouble and to get pulled into a trick or prank. That put the detective in a state of a heightened alertness, but the kind that didn't wear him out at all. If anything, it made him excited, eager to spot and try to prevent another trick before it happened. Similar to what he felt on a heist.
What was more, Shinichi noticed that Saguru seemed more at ease around the magician as well. He was of course irked occasionally with his tricks, but at the same time, he was simply having fun. Most likely because Kaito fooling around did pull a lot of attention to himself, which encouraged others to be themselves as well. Without any worry of being judged or rejected by anyone. And the genuine smile the magician gave when you laughed sincerely was simply contagious.
At the temple grounds itself, Kaito was relatively calm, narrowing his activity to chatter and looking around. He acted as if he was there for the first time and came for sightseeing and to pay his respects to the goddess. Not that Shinichi expected anything else from the thief, but he was wondering if his calm acting was caused from actual respect towards the goddess or he was simply being polite.
Eventually they approached the statue decorated with the large topaz, which was the target of the next heist. Kaito didn't give it more attention than anybody else, but Saguru clearly wanted to make him react somehow.
"So this is KID's next target?" He said quietly with interest in his tone.
The magician eyes snapped towards the Brit, turning huge and round with genuine surprise and delight.
"Eeeh?! Really?! Kaitou KID-sama is going to steal this gem?!" He shrieked with shock, turning back to the statue to take a better look at the target.
His act was so genuine that it could have fooled anyone who didn't know that he was KID. Shinichi sighed heavily and pinched his nose bridge, noticing how much attention Kaito gained by this outburst. Hakuba just settled for an unimpressed stare at his stunned classmate. The place was rather busy and now most people were giving out excided whispers and squeezed themselves to take a better look at the future target. The detectives should have suspected the kaitou would want to get as much attention as he could for his heist.
Eventually Kaito backed away from the display and turned to Saguru with a smile. "Nee? So when will the heist be~?" He asked without lowering his voice and Shinichi noticed people quieting around them to hear the answer.
Hakuba grimaced slightly, not very pleased with the outcome. "Don't tell me you don't know when 'the wettest time where no drop falls' is?" He asked teasingly.
"No clue. When?" Came an immediate response, which made Shinichi flinch.
The Brit looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or yell at the outrageous magician, but eventually he just sighed, keeping his cool, and closed his eyes briefly. "Wednesday midnight." He answered, willing to only end this charade.
The familiar grin was the only indication that the solution was correct. "Ooh~ That's the famous detective for ya~ Solving such a difficult riddle~"
Hakuba snorted and smirked at the magician. "I wouldn't call it difficult. If anything, it was rather dull..."
Now it was Kaito's turn to give an unimpressed glare and Conan groaned inwardly, fearing the next riddle the kaitou would prepare to challenge the detective. But despite the ire he chuckled to himself, seeing the amusement shared by both of the teens, at least they were all starting to get along. Whispers around them shifted with heightened excitement as people started making arrangements to be able to attend the heist. Shinichi noticed quite a few of them busy themselves with their phones, either writing messages or making phone calls. The magician didn't even try to hide his satisfaction, which at the same time seemed to amuse and irritate the other teen.
"But seriously. Who would expect KID to have so little respect for the gods. Or maybe it's only that this is the goddess of mercy that he decided to take his chances?" The Brit teased again, as they were slowly walking away from the gathering.
Kaito smirked at that. "As his biggest fan, I wouldn't expect him to bow to any god. Well, maybe except Lady Luck, who seems to favor him~"
"Pff... biggest fan my ass..." A mocking voice behind them laughed at the magician.
Shinichi turned around to see the most probable future victim of Kaito's prank, before his appearance might get changed dramatically by the prankster. It was a 14-15 year old bespectacled boy with a haughty grimace, trying to look down at the slightly higher kaitou, who turned to him with a raised eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" He asked with a polite, but taunting tone that made all of the Ekoda High students and teachers run for cover.
His newest victim clearly didn't have much self-preservation instinct, because he only huffed at the magician and answered. "I said that you're no fan of Kaitou KID-sama."
"And what makes you say that?" KID asked, tucking his hands in his pockets which were most likely filled with his tools.
Both detectives unconsciously took a step away to not get caught in whatever would be unleashed at the unaware boy.
The future victim rolled his eyes. "Because you clearly think that he is human."
Kaito blinked at that, somewhat surprised and suddenly interested. "Oh? And what do you think he is~?"
"A kitsune, of course." Came the obvious answer followed by a snort. "Such a big ass fan you are. I bet you haven't even seen him up close."
It was getting hard for the detectives to keep only mild interest on their faces.
"And you have~?" The magician visibly relaxed, hiding his amusement under his Poker Face, but not doing his best job with it.
"Sure I have. And I even caught a glimpse of his tails, so I know for sure!"
"Tails? As in plural?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and muttered to himself quietly, but loud enough for the detectives to hear. "Now how did I never notice that?"
Shinichi bit his tongue to keep his laughter in and felt his cheeks burn from holding it all back. He noticed Saguru turning around to hide his face, but it seemed that the boy failed to notice anything, as he only rolled his eyes and answered with a huff.
"Yeah! Did you expect him to be anything less than a kyubi?"
"It does make sense when you put it that way." Kaito agreed seriously, after giving it some thought. "And I guess his fur is white?"
"Sure it is! And this is why nobody can catch him! Ha! And the police are just stupid to even attempt it!"
"Sooo... he's really an at least thousand year old fox and a harbinger of destruction?" The magician clarified, recalling shreds of common lore to his clear amusement.
"You don't have to believe that if your mind can't comprehend it. As long as we give him tribute, he won't be any danger at all."
"Tribute? Are you in some sort of cult?" Kaito asked, showing great interest and Shinichi was trying not to suffocate.
"I mean the jewels he takes! Jeez! How can you be so stupid? When he gets enough, he'll go back to sleep."
Kuroba gasped as in revelation. "Oh~ That would explain his 8 year absence!"
"Pff... talking with you is such a waste of time." The boy grumbled and walked away.
"Bye~ Thanks for the info~" The magician cheerfully bid his farewell, waving his hand eagerly.
As he was regaining his breath, Conan thought he saw the kaitou throw something at the other boy, but as nothing happened, he dismissed it. Especially since Kaito was grinning and it didn't bode well.
"Don't." Saguru grumbled, as they were walking away and the thief was humming cheerfully to himself.
"But why? I like this melody~ And I don't think I was very loud. Was I?"
The Brit grimaced in annoyance. "It's not what I'm talking about and you know it."
Kuroba rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. I have no idea what you migh-"
Hakuba growled, cutting the magician off. "You're not going to dress up as a kitsune."
Kaito's grin spread as he asked innocently. "Now why would I want to dress up like that~?"
Hakuba huffed remaining calm, as Shinichi did his best to not laugh again, with his stomach starting to hurt really badly. "KID is also not dressing up as a kitsune."
"Why would he dress up like that? It's more like the opposite since he clearly is one~"
"You can't be serious..." The Brit moaned clenching his eyelids tight.
"Why? The guy got me totally convinced~ I mean it explains so much~!" Kaito cheered throwing his arms up.
Hakuba rubbed his temples, begging the goddess of mercy for help. "No. Simply, no. You know as well as I do that if KID will make people believe he is a kitsune, quite a few officers will quit their job. He messes enough with their heads as it is. So just don't..."
Kaito hummed thoughtfully with his eyes still full of mischief, but decided not to answer. Shinichi shook his head in amusement and wondered if and when they would get to see a kitsune KID.
As they kept walking Shinichi felt mildly surprised that Kaito didn't punish the kitsune-theory fan in any way and wondered if the thing he threw wasn't a tracker, so the magician could get his revenge later. But he never expected the kaitou to be this petty. His surprise ended as they were nearing the exit and heard a loud blast behind them. Both detectives jerked around and noticed colorful smoke emerging from above the people behind them. That and the fact that the magician was completely unfazed by the noise easily explained who the culprit was. The laughter from people further away who could probably see the victim was another clue. So was the outraged cry, so similar to the voice of the boy who tried to talk down Kaito. Hakuba sighed heavily and shook his head, attempting to hide his amusement and relief. Shinichi snorted quietly and out of the corner of his eye noticed a satisfied smirk on the kaitou's face. Somehow the shrunken detective started doubting that they would ever see a kitsune KID.
On their way back, Kuroba played a bit with his phone and found quite a few professionally adjusted photos on the internet showing KID with fox tails that seemed nearly real. A few were subtle enough to give an even better impression. Curiously Shinichi asked Kaito if it was the first time he heard about theories like that. It was surprising for the detective, especially since the magician seemed rather well informed about what people said about his alter ego. The kaitou admitted that he did know about it, but it was his first time actually meeting a fan like that. What's more, he told them it wasn't the only supernatural theory about KID. The other two leading in Japan were of the thief being a tengu or an actual phantom. Shinichi didn't miss a small smile Kaito gave saying about the other theory. In the end he was actually acting as a ghost of his father. Also apparently the USA fans favored a theory of him being an alien.
Surprisingly Kaito stayed with them for the rest of the day and kept them in that mixture of amusement and resignation state. Eventually they went to Hakuba's manor to have a late lunch (or early dinner). The detectives were surprised to learn that somewhere during the week the magician's mother left leaving behind a brief note. Shinichi got worried about it, but Kaito dismissed it with a laugh, explaining that he would be shocked if she actually wanted to bid him farewell.
After they finished their meal, Shinichi proposed a match of chess to the kaitou. The magician seemed surprised at that, but admitted that although he roughly knew the rules, he never actually played the game himself and asked the two detectives to play together instead. So they did. Shinichi had to admit that Saguru was a very difficult opponent, making it an even match. The game took far longer than expected, but surprisingly Kaito didn't seem bored by it. On the contrary, he was observing them playing carefully and the detective could practically see him planning on possible solutions and tactics. That made Shinichi very eager to see the kaitou play. Unfortunately by the time the detectives finished their match (which was won by Kudo), it was rather late and in order to not worry Ran, he had to return to the agency. Since Baaya offered to drive him there, Kaito decided to take his leave.
"So, see you guys tomorrow." He said while putting on his shoes.
Conan blinked at the magician and Saguru asked with surprise in his tone. "You plan on meeting us again Kuroba?"
The kaitou snorted in amusement. "Well, I did promise to play with the squirt, right?"
The Brit frowned slightly, wondering what his classmate was scheming, while Shinichi responded with a snicker, easily accepting the poor excuse. "Hope you'll make the wait worth it."
Kaito snorted. "Watch out who you're challenging kid. I might think of an punishment in case you lose~"
That statement clearly sent off alarms in Hakuba's head, but his fellow detective responded with a grin. "Oh yeah? Then I'll think of one in case you lose."
"I wouldn't count on it if I were you~" Kuroba replied with a grin of his own and grabbed the handle. "I'll pick you up at ten. See ya!" He stated and closed the door behind him.
That left the two detectives blinking. Hakuba opened the door, but unsurprisingly the magician was no longer in sight. He closed the door, just to be rushed out by the old housekeeper. The two spoke again during the ride.
"What do you think he's scheming?" Shinichi asked with mild amusement, actually glad by the outcome.
Saguru sighed and shook his head before answering. "I wish I knew…"
"Do you think he can actually play chess?"
"No idea either." He answered with a grimace and raised an eyebrow glancing at his companion. "You don't seem worried about possible loss?"
Shinichi shrugged at that. "Well, I'd prefer to not have to go through his punishment, but I doubt he'll think of something harsh. He seemed to be having fun today, so I think he just wanted an excuse." He replied with a small smile. "There was also that I wanted to play chess against KID for some time now anyway." He added with a chuckle.
Hakuba let out a laugh. "Well, I do admit that you are very challenging. So I'm afraid that if Kuroba didn't play before, then the match won't be very exciting."
"Thanks, but I wouldn't put it pass him to surprise me nonetheless. Anyway, you are a tough opponent yourself. Do you play often?"
They focused on chatting about chess and wondered about the reason Kaito wanted to pick up Kudo himself. They decided to not go against his wishes, in case there was something the magician wanted to discuss alone.
Shinichi was mildly surprised and worried when it was already 10 AM and the kaitou was nowhere in sight. Figuring he might be reluctant to actually enter the agency, he decided to leave and wait outside, hoping he wouldn't miss him. The moment he was going to set his foot on the sidewalk from the stair, he got scooped up by the passing, wild haired teen. Walking with past pace, Kaito brought the stunned detective to eyelevel.
"Hiyah Chibi~ Missed me~?" He asked, grinning.
Shinichi gave him a flat stare and grumbled. "You can put me down, you stupid thief." Then he added with a snicker: "I didn't know you were so afraid of Ran."
"Huh? Why would I be scared of her?" The magician asked with genuine innocence, which Conan didn't believe for a second.
The boy sighed, deciding to drop the topic since it would only lead to Kaito denying being KID. "Where's the hurry anyway?" He asked instead, seeing that the teen still didn't put him down and was walking rather fast.
"Would be a bummer if we missed the train. Next will be rather packed most probably."
"Why did you pick this hour then? We could have met earlier, or later."
"Later would be a waste of a day and I didn't want to deprive you of your sleep, by meeting early~ You know that you won't grow properly, if you neglect that~"
That earned Kaito a light kick in the stomach.
To Shinichi's surprise, they didn't actually talk about anything in particular during their ride to Hakuba. Not that the magician was quiet of course. There was a lot of idle chatter and laughter from him, accompanied by his small antics, which fortunately were rarely directed at the detective and seemed more like something out of habit than anything intentional.
Much as expected, Kuroba turned out to be a very difficult opponent during the game, despite that he did seem to be still a greenhorn with it. The detectives had to correct him a couple of times when he tried a move out of the rules, but it didn't seem he did that in an attempt to cheat. Shinichi at least expected that he wouldn't be so straight forwards with it. It was a long match, but in the end he managed to defeat Kuroba.
With a heavy sigh the magician leaned over his backrest. "I don't like this game. Too little maneuvering space…" He muttered with displeasure.
"You're just saying that because you lost. And now you're going to get punished~" Shinichi pointed out with a snicker.
Kaito winced at that. "Yeah, yeah… So what it will be? Just nothing long term, if you could."
The shrunken sleuth narrowed his eyes. They actually neglected that topic, but it was curious why the kaitou proposed the punishment rule in the first place. It was doubtful from the beginning that he would win, despite how cocky he was. So the question was: why did he want to allow Shinichi to punish him? Hakuba did mention that the magician tended to test him several times already. Was this the same case? Did he want to see what Kudo would do having some power over him?
His musings were interrupted by a cheerful melody from Kaito's direction. With surprise, the magician took out his phone and checked a message on it. He snorted in mild annoyance.
"What is it, Kuroba?" Saguru asked, seeing that his classmate didn't try to cover his reactions to whatever he read.
"Meh, just Ahoko being annoying again." He dismissed it with an eye roll, while apparently writing an answer. "She's plotting something and asked me to meet with her again."
Shinichi held back a cough. "Why do you think she's plotting something?"
Kaito glanced at the boy, considering his answer for a short moment. "I know her long enough and she's too direct." He replied and tucked away his phone.
"You haven't discovered what is it yet?" Saguru asked, trying to sound indifferent about it.
The magician crooked his head at his classmate and answered with a smirk. "Nah~ That would ruin the surprise~"
"So why don't you then go and meet with her as she asked?"
Kaito laughed at that. "What is it with detectives and the interrogation~? You guys want to get rid of me so soon~?"
Hakuba grimaced, feeling scolded, but Shinichi just smirked in return and answered before the Brit managed. "Sorry~ You just tend to stir up curiosity."
The kaitou grinned, clearly taking it as a praise. "As a marvelous magician should~" He answered, grabbing a queen from the board and with a smooth move turning it into a rose.
"So~ As for your punishment…" Kaito winced at those words, while making the flower disappear. "I want you to play another round with Hakuba-kun."
Kuroba blinked in genuine surprise, which for once Shinichi could believe in, and smirked with a shrug. He snapped his fingers and a small smoke cloud covered the board. When it cleared all of the figures were at their starting positions.
"I hope you didn't tinker with them…" Saguru grumbled, while taking the seat Conan freed for him.
Kaito chuckled and answered with a wink. "You'll have to see for yourself~"
Apparently the magician didn't do anything to the chess pieces. Shinichi was amazed to see the progress Kuroba managed to make from their own match. He surely didn't make any of the previous mistakes and pulled Hakuba into a few traps. The game was even longer than the previous one and by the time they finished, Baaya urged them to eat lunch. Much to Kaito's annoyance, Saguru won and was wondering about a penalty for his opponent. The magician argued that he didn't agree to those terms, but eventually admitted that he would've punish the Brit if he had won instead.
This is how after the meal they were headed to the mall to meet up with Aoko. Shinichi supposed that it was fine, since the kaitou was bound to have figured out from their reactions that they were somehow involved in the girl's scheme anyway. In the end, KID was just too good with reading people.
Conan had to admit though that Aoko was easy to read and apparently her goal on that day was to check which of the two cakes they ended up choosing with the kids earlier that week the magician would like better. Another goal seemed to be to choose a present for Kaito. The detective wondered if Kuroba didn't catch up with that, because of course he didn't show anything.
In the end it turned out to be a very pleasant weekend, full of mischief, small pranks, laughs and fun in general. And they did manage to learn a bit about Kuroba as well. It all nearly compensated for not going to the next heist. Nearly.
Eventually the heist night came. Shinichi was slightly surprised to discover that both Kogoro and he were expected, by the priests to come and protect the 'Morning Light' from the thief. It seemed that the rumor about Conan being the natural enemy of KID reached them somehow. Ran was invited as well and apparently the girl lately heard interesting gossips from Sonoko about marvelous beauty of said place, so she was eager to go there. Unfortunately the shrunken detective already managed to announce that he was feeling ill a day before, so the decision was made that he would stay home. Ran seemed feeling somewhat torn between the need to take care of the child and her desire to go and see a light show made by KID at a nice scenery. In the end Conan managed to convince her to go and not worry about him, claiming that he would go to bed early anyway.
Left alone, Shinichi was keeping himself busy reading some case files delivered to him by Hakuba. In between he did wonder if it wasn't the thief who spread the convenient gossips and if so then how would he react to the lack of his pursuers.
It was already past 1 AM and the detective was already in his futon, trying to fall asleep, when he felt a breeze flew into the room.
"You didn't come to admire my illusion. Even though I prepared such an easy pass for you." The smooth voice had a slight offence in it.
Conan snickered and raised his gaze to the windowsill, unsurprisingly seeing the white clad teen. "Sorry? Didn't want to chase you this time, seeing as it was a personal case this time."
KID's pose relaxed slightly, although the detective didn't notice any tension before. The kaitou crossed his stretched legs on the windowsill and moved his gaze before him. "It always is Meitantei. But thank you for your concern." He answered sincerely.
Shinichi wondered why the thief came. He doubted it was only to moan about his absence, but unsurprisingly the teen's posture or expression didn't give anything away. Not that there was any rush. He settled himself more comfortably, leaning his pillow over a wall behind his back and idly wondered how KID could be comfortable where he was sitting. Most likely he wasn't. The show off...
"So? How did it feel to lay your eyes on the same jewel your father did?" He asked casually.
The kaitou spared him a glance and produced the yellow gem with the flick of his wrist, raising it up in the air, against the moon like he usually did. "Beautiful. As always." He whispered with a mesmerized tone, avoiding the question, but not denying it either. "Have you ever tried looking at it like this?" He asked casually, moving his gaze to the boy.
Shinichi shook his head. He retrieved quite a few gems from KID till now, but he actually never bothered to look at them like this. He never was overly fascinated with lifeless beauty anyway. To his surprise, the kaitou threw him the topaz.
"I thought you wouldn't be returning it before Sunday."
"I'm not. I'm just lending it to you to you admire it for a bit."
This startled Conan slightly, but he figured that there wasn't any harm in it, so he decided to humor the kaitou a bit. He got up from his comfortable spot with a smirk and obediently raised the gem against the moonlight. The play of light on the facets was definitely beautiful and he admired it for a moment, idly wondering what KID hoped to find looking all those jewels like this. He was mildly surprised to see the thief still sitting in the same spot as he lowered the gem. He half expected him to sneak inside when Conan was distracted. He turned the jewel in his fingers considering the situation. He wondered what KID expected him to do now. Or whether he would ask him to return 'The Morning Light'. He figured it was doubtful. More likely KID would simply steal it back. But this wasn't a heist now. They weren't competing and the kaitou was sure to return it after he visited his precursor's grave on Sunday.
Conan smirked slightly, making his decision. "It's beautiful." He admitted and threw the priceless jewel back to the thief who caught it easily, giving in return a small smile that seemed genuine.
"I told you so~" He teased playfully, while making the gem vanish.
"KID..." Shinichi started quietly and sighed. "Could we talk now a-" He cut himself off seeing the kaitou slowly shaking his head.
"Not tonight, Tantei-kun." He answered quietly with an apologetic tone. "This is a magical night. I don't want scary words to stain it. We will talk next time we meet under the moonlit sky and I will help you. Just be patient, alright?"
The detective's eyes widened at this promise, eager to ask what he meant by 'help', but knew better than to ask. So instead he sighed heavily and gave a small nod.
The kaitou moved his gaze to the sky and spoke up with a quiet, casual tone. "Too bad you weren't at the heist today to admire it. Mother Nature truly is by far the best magician. Especially when given a bit of help~"
That earned him a raised eyebrow from Shinichi, who shrugged without voicing a question this statement rose. "I'll see it later on the record." He promised, dismissing the matter.
KID shook his head slowly. "Some of the magic cannot be captured on film, Tantei-kun. Despite how hard you may try." He explained and threw his arm into the room, letting out glitter inside.
Conan sneezed at the powder, whatever it was and gasped as he opened his eyes. Shining between the glitter in the air there were multiple small, bright lights. No, not lights - fireflies, as he corrected himself. He looked around the previously dark room, now illuminated with the gentle glow and smiled to himself. KID probably was right - firefly glow wasn't strong enough for the camera to catch it the way a bare eye did, so if that was the trick he used on the heist, it definitely wouldn't be as magical as it seemed seen in real life. He started regretting more not coming to the heist itself. On open air, this trick most likely looked far better.
After a few moments he turned back to the window, but unsurprisingly the thief was already gone. He moved his gaze back to the magical scene around him, faintly hearing a key quietly opening the door to the apartment. He knew that cleaning up and explaining this all would be a bother later on, but he still appreciated that Kuroba came by to show it to him.
Well I sincerely hope you liked this chapter~ In the next one we're going to have Kaito's birthday :D Do look forward to it~
See you next chapter *grins*
