Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.

Hey guys~! Guess who's back? :D Thank you for rooting for me~ For those who don't know – aside from personal trouble that led to me to not having much time on my hands, I recently underwent an eye operation. It went well, but sadly my eyes are still not fully healed, so writing on a computer is a tad bit troublesome for me. That being said – I was getting impatient and just had to continue with this story ;)

I'm really thankful to you guys for sticking with me for so long – especially that I wasn't updating for such a long time! I sincerely hope to improve :)

This chapter isn't anything much – more like a prelude to the next one (I did intend this to be a part of the next one, but figured I'd give you something to read while I improve the serious part ;) ), as well as a show of the boys' interactions. Still – I hope that you will enjoy it nonetheless~

But enough about that – time for the little review reply section~!

lupsss1412 - it's not like I can blame you for wanting a chapter as soon as possible - which is why I really do feel bad for taking so much time! Oh~ I'm sure Kaito would have a blast at your classes - especially if you wouldn't try to restrict his antics ;) This chapter didn't turn out as I thought it would, so no need to be afraid just yet xD

Mel72000 - you're welcome~

Dhycornwell - well... now? xD

Mists - yeah, I sometimes wonder whether I didn't make Saguru too sweet, but oh well xD I'm glad you enjoyed it!

winxander - haha, right~? Come on =- he would have to be on his death-bed to stop with his antics - and this is why we love him so much, right? ;) Heiji and Kaito do have a bro-code! :D Ever since I looked closer into both of them, all I could think was 'wow - they would get along pretty well!' Especially with how fast Heiji is to call everybody his friends (he sure didn't waste any time in deciding he is Shinichi's best friend despite not knowing the guy even a little XD), and I believe that Kaito wouldn't be able to resist such a cheerful personality ;)

Guest - I'm glad you did :) Have fun reading~

Lillr Kaitou Kid - 3 reviews? How nice :D Well - starting from the first: as you probably realized - Kaito was simply under major stress back then - sure he didn't have to be so violent, but he was just getting sort of desperate to both stay alive and not let anyone else get hurt. And it was basically the point - he did want to push them away. He needs friends but is too afraid that they might get hurt or end up being forced to make hard choices.
Well - you can still read the heist in the 'Small favors' series ;) It has side stories for F&H that are not really important to the plot and would only slow the whole story if I decided to post them here. Kaito is too stubborn to ever admit that he is KID - just because he decided that he wouldn't xD Not that it's a problem anymore ;) And yeah - I wanted Kaito to win in chess as well - but figured that it would be too much of a stretch - the detectives are capable as well and if they do have more experience in this game, there was no way Kaito could win ;)
Now, now - that sounded bloodthirsty, you know xD Wanting to see Snake get minced live... You scare me! ;) Do you really expect Kaito to be the one to bring this up? If you haven't noticed, he is a pro when it comes to distractions - and this is basically what you'll see now xD I'm basically blushing here from all the praises you gave me in those reviews~ Thank you so much! It helps me a lot - especially with how critical I am for my own works xD And no worries - I don't mind misspellings or stuff like small 'I' - as long as I can understand what you're saying, it's all fine :)

poisoniceblade - I'm really glad you think so :) I still see things I could improve my writing, but it's very nice to hear that you are able to appreciate my efforts :)

ToLazytologin - pff~ Yeah I know - when I wrote it, I was wondering whether I wasn't overdramatic here, but... it was just too tempting for me x) Hope you can forgive me xD

This chapter was ofc corrected by my lovely beta - madelita! Thank you so much for your hard work dear!

So without further delay…

Please enjoy and review! :)


Chapter 37: Stalling for time


Heiji closed his eyes, as he focused on swiping the card laying on his tight with his thumb. But he was disturbed by a muffled chuckle.

"Oi! Stop it, you ahou!" he growled, glaring at Kaito, who was laying in the bed, next to Heiji's chair.

The magician waved a hand at him. "Sorry~! But you are just so tense! It's not a bomb, you know. Relax and don't fear your audience! I won't bite you!" he added with a wide toothy grin as if to contradict his words.

"Che... I'm not afraid of you... or any type of audience for that matter," Heiji grumbled, trying to hold back his annoyance. He was a detective after all – he's done a ton of deduction shows.

He looked down at his hand while trying to shake the card out of his sleeve with one smooth movement, but it got stuck in the fabric again. It was definitely a lot harder than Kaito made it seem like.

"I've told you - you have to distract me from what you're doing, or you won't be able to fool me," Kaito continued softly with a friendly smile on his lips. "Guide me with your gaze away from what you don't want me to see. It is easier than doing it with your hands while performing a trick."

"Well, I can't look at you! You're the one distracting me if I do!" Heiji snapped and hastily looked away when he noticed a smirk on Kaito's lips. "And there's much point in it either. You know the trick through and through, so I won't be fooling you anyway," he pointed out with a pout.

It wasn't like he cared much about learning magic tricks in the first place anyway. The two of them were amusing themselves with conversation, but after Kudo left to let Hakuba in, Kuroba's focus dissipated. He was still witty and funny with his comments, so it took Heiji a little bit to notice that Kaito wasn't actually paying much attention to what was being said. Regretfully, it was only to be expected that he would figure out that the three of them met to question him. And it was no surprise to see him showing signs of worry about it. Heiji would have liked to ease his worries, but he figured that talking about it wouldn't really help. So he instead decided to find a way to distract him. It was actually quite easy to come up with an idea and initially, Hattori thought that it could turn out pretty fun.

"I do, but does that mean I can't appreciate it?" Kuroba asked softly and waved a hand over his lap, dropping a card of his own on it, luring the detective gaze with the movement. An ace of spades, Hattori noted absently. "You see, the very purpose of magic tricks is for them to be fun."

He moved his left hand over the card and it vanished, as expected. His movements were smooth and somehow hypnotizing. Heiji knew where to look but still found it hard not to follow the Kaito's eyes and distracting gestures.

"But not only for the audience." Kaito showed both of his palms, proving them to be empty, despite not having long sleeves. "First and foremost you have to enjoy yourself. This way you'll make it more fun for those who watch you~"

He flicked his wrists, and a card turned backwards appeared in his right palm. He took it between two fingers of his left and revealed it to be a joker. He turned it for a moment towards himself, blew at it and turned it back while grinning widely. The jester image was now replaced by a KID doddle.

Heiji couldn't help it and chuckled with amusement. "Show off~ That's not even the trick you were supposed to be teaching me~!"

Obviously enough, the thing Kaito loved the most was magic. So all it took for Hattori was to recall a seemingly easy card trick and ask him to teach him how to do it. He kind of expected Kuroba to require some convincing, but he was pleased to notice that the request immediately brought Kaito's full attention and he didn't really hesitate to teach the detective a little of his art. Heiji relayed his assumptions of how the trick could be made, but he was lacking a few details, which in theorizing weren't important at all. This is how with only a little teasing, Kuroba ended up patiently tutoring Hattori through proper hand motion, both to manage the trick and to divert attention from doing it.

Kaito winked and parted his fingers, with which he was holding the card, revealing another underneath – as expected, the ace of spades. "No~ I just enjoy improvising. But it did make you laugh, so I would call it a success~"

Heiji didn't hold back himself anymore and laughed openly, with Kuroba echoing it with a quiet chuckle of his own. Kaito started shuffling the three cards, adding a few additional cards with each shuffle, seemingly out of nowhere, until he was toying with a whole deck. Heiji sighed quietly and returned to his practice, trying not to get annoyed with how pale his skills were in comparison.

"Pumpkins…" Kaito whispered, breaking the silence.

Hattori stopped what he was doing and raised an eyebrow at the teen. "Huh?"

Kuroba looked up to him and he explained with a soft smile. "If the audience bothers you too much, just imagine them as pumpkins in a garden. You can't avoid their staring, so use your courage to confront them~" His expression seemed a little nostalgic and he turned his attention back to the cards in his hands, humming quietly a melody Heiji was familiar with but couldn't quite remember where he heard it before.

It seemed as if Kaito echoed his own words. Hattori wanted to ask about it at first but thought against it. It wasn't important after all and he wasn't sure whether Kuroba was fully aware of the expression he was making. So instead, he hummed, accepting the tip and returned to his practice, cherishing the comfortable and honest atmosphere between the two of them.

After a short while, Hattori smirked, as he finally managed to slip the card out of his sleeve with one smooth move. He looked at Kaito, who without looking back showed a genuine smile of his own. The moment didn't last, however, as Kuroba turned towards the door, his smile shifted to his usual smirk. Hattori turned as well and noticed their two friends standing still in the doorway, staring at him and the card, which he just managed to slip out.

Conan's hand was still on the handle, as he was the one to open the door for Saguru, who was carrying a tray with plates on it. Both of the detectives seemed frozen in surprise. However, after a moment passed, Shinichi snorted and shook his head at the sight, while stepping aside to let Saguru in. Hakuba on the other hand, much to Hattori's surprise, lowered his gaze and his lips twisted in a bittersweet expression. Holding back a frown, Heiji stood up to help him set down the tray somewhere.


Saguru had to admit that he was stunned. Why had it never occurred to him to ask Kaito to teach him a magic trick? He struggled so much to find a common topic, despite that the answer should have been so obvious. He couldn't help but feel disappointed with himself before he noticed Kuroba's slightly annoyed gaze set on him. Hakuba wasn't sure whether it was about their previous argument, or that Kaito reacted to his mood again, but he didn't get to ask about it because Shinichi spoke up.

"And I was wondering what the two of you were up to since it has gotten so quiet. Don't tell me that now we will have to deal with two magicians from now on~?" He chuckled and stepped aside to make space for Saguru.

Hakuba held back his smirk, as he noticed him hiding the present behind his back.

Kaito grinned at him. "An interesting idea, Meitantei~ We'll have to consider it, ne~?" He added with a quick wink at Heiji, before frowning as his gaze trailed to the tray. "But what's up with the food? Can't we eat at the table downstairs, like normal people?"

Hattori chuckled while busying himself with making enough space on the small dresser. "Since when you do anything like normal people~?"

Hakuba snorted while setting down the plates. "Besides that, I believe that Haibara-san," he ignored Kaito's choked laugh at the name, "asked you to not leave the bed unless necessary."

Kuroba rolled his eyes. "More like she tried to threaten me, which makes it a challenge~!" he corrected Saguru with mirth dancing in his eyes, only to blink with surprise at a neatly packed gift Conan laid on the bed beside him. "And what's this?" He looked at Shinichi as if expecting to read an answer from his gaze. "I know you're a fan of mine, but there's no need to spoil me with presents, I assure you~"

Conan's eyebrow twitched. "As if I was a fan of yours, barou… It's a birthday gift. I never had a chance to give it to you, so here you go." He paused and added a little awkwardly. "Happy birthday, I guess."

Kaito's eyes widened slightly at the first part and he slowly put the card deck away, without even attempting to make it vanish. However, he hastily recovered and beamed at Conan after hearing the clumsy wishes. "Thank you~ I appreciate it." He looked down at the package and started unwrapping it, careful to not tear the paper.

The two teenage detectives stood by the dresser, curiously waiting for his reaction. Despite the distance, Hakuba didn't miss the tiny sight of strain in Kaito's eyes when Shinichi replied to him. He wondered what caused it. However, he didn't get to dwell on it for long, as Kuroba managed to unravel the gift and laughed at the sight picking up the box.

"Oh~! How thoughtful of you! Now I can make my own jewels~! This will save me so much time! Thank you!"

Both Hattori and Hakuba chuckled at the over the top reaction. It wasn't quite what they expected to see when Shinichi first told them that he intended to give the kaitou a gem-growing kit, but it's not like anyone could have predicted back then that they would be done with KID's masquerade by the time Kaito received it.

"You're welcome. Just don't even think about using this stuff on us," Conan warned him with a slightly annoyed tone, but couldn't really hide his smile.

Seeing how interested Kuroba looked while carefully examining the label on a vial with chemicals from the crystal growing kit made it obvious that supplying a very bored prankster with things like that might not have been the best idea out there. And Saguru was the one to be left alone with him again...? Oh dear…

"Huh?" Kaito crooked his head. "Why would I want to do something like this?" Thankfully for him, he switched the oblivious expression fast for his usual smirk and waved a hand. "No worries, I wouldn't anyway. This stuff would hurt skin if it came in contact with it. Not sure about the hair, but it's not worth the risk."

Hakuba sighed internally and nudged Hattori, glancing at the plates. The other raised an eyebrow at him but apparently managed to understand his intent. That was good enough. The food was already getting cold, so they should probably eat it, but Saguru didn't really want to be the one to try and convince Kaito about it. Also, he was curious about how Heiji would manage this.

"Can't be too safe around you," Hattori cut in with an amused smirk on his lips and walked over with two plates, offering one to Kuroba.

Shinichi took the cue to leave the side of the bed and take his own plate. Saguru in the meanwhile sat down on a chair, silently observing the exchange between the two of them. Conan took his own plate and sat on the other chair beside him.

Kaito grinned back, taking the offered plate. "Don't tell me that I scare you, oh Great Detective of the West~"

"Ha! You wish! I'm gonna give you a run for your money once you've recovered enough~"

The spark in Kaito's eyes that these words ignited made Shinichi chuckle wearily and Saguru wonder about Heiji's sanity. They definitely had to remember to keep a safe distance from those two when the time came.

At the very least, the meal went without any awkwardness. Hattori and Kuroba kept throwing teases and obviously empty threats at each other, in between munching on the stew. Meanwhile, Kudo and Hakuba ate their portions in remote silence, choosing to add a comment or two to the ongoing argument only once or twice.

It almost felt like a pity to ruin the mood, but Saguru was pretty sure that those two could go on like this endlessly, given the chance. Both him and Shinichi finished eating a while ago but didn't try to interrupt the new argument, until it became clear that neither of them was interested in the food anymore. Once they exhausted their current topic, which left Heiji glaring at grinning Kaito, Conan tried to cut in.

"Glad you managed to settle this-"

"Like hell we did!" Heiji snapped, apparently somehow figuring that his best friend decided to betray him and support the annoyance in front of him. "There's no way I'll ever agree that okonomiyaki from Hiroshima is better than the one from Osaka!"

Shinichi rubbed his temples while Saguru had a very hard time to hold back a chuckle and looked away, unable to hold a steady expression.

"Oh come on! Anyone who has more than two active brain cells will tell you that mixing all ingredients before cooking won't let you appreciate separate flavors enough!" Kaito waved a hand dismissing the issue. "That is unless you cook with poor quality ingredients. I guess then it would be a good choice..."

"Are you implying that we save on the quality of food in Osaka?!"

Conan let out a groan, but apparently, only Hakuba heard him over Hattori's rage. There was really no point trying to stop it now that the argument got reignited unless Shinichi wanted to hurt or drug either of the two idiots. Thankfully it didn't seem to be his intention, as he just settled with covering his face with his palms, waiting for the storm to pass. Hakuba felt sorry for him, so he patted his shoulder gently and gave him a consoling smile.

Unfortunately, asking Kaito to just agree with Heiji resulted somehow in supplying him with more arguments against Osakan cuisine. Fearing for the well-being of their eardrums, Kudo and Hakuba decided to take refuge in the kitchen, leaving under the pretext of washing the dishes. Not that it seemed to matter to the other two anyway. It was possible that they didn't notice them leaving. The two detectives took their time and prepared themselves iced tea and coffee, and managed to finish their drinks while waiting for the quarrel to subside.

At some point, they heard Heiji's surprised shout and then a rise in his accusations' volume. Neither Shinichi nor Saguru paid it much attention though, already half expecting something like that and figuring that Hattori somehow managed to cross the line and got punished for it.

Clearly enough, Kaito wasn't going to let anything flow out naturally, so it was up to them to steer the conversation towards the course they needed it to go. They just needed to avoid allowing the magician to distract them, which they were nearly sure he was doing now deliberately. Easier said than done. Oh well… The two of them calmly washed their cups, before walking back.


I probably should have skipped this chapter and get into the serious part of the conversation but… the Kaito-muse in my head is just too good at convincing me, I guess xD

I admit that the flow of the next chapter will be different from what I had planned earlier. Trying to continue with the original plan was what actually held me from posting the chapter for so long (aside from the lack of time ofc). It just didn't work the way I hoped it would. Still, you can expect some reveal to take place – but mostly emotion wise and some change in dynamics :D

See you soon, next chapter *grins*