Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Humor

Summary: Hakuba is pleasantly surprised to run into one Kudo Shinichi in Ekoda when no sirens are sounding, but then he finds out why Shinichi is there. To say he is shocked would be an understatement.

Note: I am posting parts of this series as I finish them, so they are not posted in order. This installment would be set shortly after "The Long Way Round".

A Shocking Turn

[Nature of Love series]

Kudo Shinichi looked from the address he had recorded in his phone to the building before him and back again, brows furrowed. He was fairly certain that he had deciphered the riddle that he had found on his nightstand that morning correctly, and therefore he had the correct address. However, when he had looked the address up online, he had been told that it was attached to a family-owned diner.

The building before him, however, was not a diner of any kind but a boutique that apparently specialized in formal kimonos. Clearly, this meant that he had either solved the riddle incorrectly—or he was lost. Since he had triple checked every line of the riddle again just now, the odds were rather higher that he was lost. This was a problem because he had only ten minutes left to get to the diner where he was supposed to be meeting Kaitou KID—er, Kuroba Kaito, he corrected himself. It wasn't easy getting used to using the thief's real name, but he refused to be like a certain Osakan blabbermouth who never failed to pop out with the wrong name at the worst possible times.

Besides, the thief had asked Shinichi to call him Kaito. The memory made Shinichi's stomach do something fluttery and a hint of pink climb into his cheeks. Embarrassed by just how ridiculously happy that one simple little request had made him, the detective ordered himself to focus back on the problem at hand.

He could always call Kaito, but it would be horribly embarrassing to have to tell the thief that he was lost. That left him with only one viable option: ask someone.

He was just about to walk into the kimono shop to do just that when he heard someone calling out his name.

"Kudo-san?"

Startled, Shinichi turned around to come face to face with a young man he recognized. He blinked.

"Hakuba-san?"

"It has been quite a while," the blond said, smiling. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise," Shinichi replied. He hadn't seen the other detective since the last Kaitou KID heist nearly a month ago. And though they weren't close friends the way he was with Hattori, he had worked with the blond a few times since his return and grown to consider him a friend.

"I read about your work on the Morata and Larkspur cases," Hakuba said. "It was very inspiring work."

Shinichi blushed, both pleased and rather embarrassed at getting such an open compliment from a fellow detective. "Thank you."

"Although I fear you take too many risks," the blond continued. "If the situation had unfolded just a little differently at Larkspur, you could have been seriously wounded if not worse. You really should be more careful."

"So he keeps telling me," Shinichi muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Hakuba.

"Nothing, nothing," Shinichi said hastily. "Thank you for your concern though. I will try to be more careful."

Hakuba nodded, apparently satisfied. "I'm glad to hear it. So, I was meaning to ask you, what brings you here to Ekoda today? Are you here for a case?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. I'm just here to meet someone," Shinichi explained. "Actually, I'm really glad I ran into you. You see, this is my first time in this area, and I think I got turned around somewhere. I'm looking for somewhere called Koko's."

Hakuba's eyebrows shot up at that. "The diner?"

Shinichi perked up instantly. "Yes, the diner's. Can you tell me how to get there?"

"Of course. I can take you there right now. It's very close." Gesturing for Shinichi to follow him, the blond turned and started walking. "Koko's is rather difficult to find if you have never been there before. I was asked to work a case there once, and I could not find it without help either."

Shinichi laughed. "I have to admit, that makes me feel better."

"Perfectly understandable. We have to turn in here."

"Here?" Shinichi peered in mild disbelief at what appeared to be a narrow alley between two buildings.

"Yes, here," Hakuba confirmed. "It's that or circle around nearly four blocks. I suspect you would prefer the shorter route."

"I would but… Well, I guess if you're sure." Squaring his shoulders, he stepped into the alley and was relieved to see a strip of daylight not too far ahead. He sensed more than heard the older detective moving into the alley behind him.

"Just keep going forward," Hakuba instructed.

Shinichi did as he was told, and soon he emerged into a small but neatly kept courtyard complete with a tiny, cheerfully bubbling fountain. A handful of equally tiny shops circled said courtyard.

"And here we are," Hakuba said. "Koko's is on the second floor." He pointed at a flight of rickety stairs. "I must say though, I did not realize you had started seeing someone."

Shinichi nearly stumbled over his own feet. "What?"

Hakuba paused to give him a look with raised eyebrows. "Are you not here for a date?"

Shinichi opened his mouth then shut it again. "I—er, I mean…"

Understanding flashed through Hakuba's eyes, and his lips twitched in what Shinichi suspected was a suppressed smile. "Koko's is a reservations-only establishment that caters exclusively to couples," he said. "I suppose the person you are here to meet did not tell you this."

Shinichi huffed. "No, he didn't."

Hakuba studied the smaller detective's face with a slight frown. "Is this a problem? If this person's advances are unwelcome, I would be happy to lend you my assistance."

"What? Oh, no! No, it's not like that," Shinichi hastened to explain. "It's only that Kaito and I have only just started going out, and we haven't exactly told a lot of people. So I wasn't expecting a couples' place…" He trailed off as he finally took in the frozen expression on the other detective's face. "Um, Hakuba-san? Are you all right?"

"You said Kaito," the blond started in a slightly strangled voice. "Would you happen to be referring to the magician Kuroba Kaito?"

Shinichi blinked, still somewhat confused by the odd tone in the blonde's voice. "That's right."

"You're dating Kuroba?" The sheer incredulity that the blond managed to pack into that one question made it sound like he thought Shinichi had just announced that murder was not a crime.

Shinichi felt his blush returning. Was it really that strange that he was seeing someone? Okay, yeah, he'd always said that, omega or not, he didn't need a mate to be happy (a claim he still firmly stood by), but that didn't mean he was totally against the idea of finding someone. With Hakuba still staring at him like the blond thought he had completely lost his mind, however, Shinichi found himself feeling strangely like he needed to explain himself. Except he had no idea how to do so because he really didn't know why any of this was a big deal.

Before Shinichi could formulate a response, however, a new voice spoke up.

"Yes, he is," it announced. There was a puff of smoke, and suddenly the two of them were no longer alone. A tall young man with a mess of dark hair and a razor-edged grin seemed to materialize out of nowhere right next to Shinichi. He immediately slung an arm around the dark-haired detective's waist and leveled the blond with a challenging stare. "Is that a problem?"

"Kaito!" Shinichi exclaimed. "When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago," the magician replied, flashing Shinichi an affectionate smile before turning a hard gaze back on Hakuba. "Well?"

Hakuba's eyes narrowed, and it looked to Shinichi like he was about to say something acerbic, but then the blond looked at him and seemed to think better of it. "I was merely surprised. In any case, don't let me detain you. You must have a reservation to get to."

"We do," Kaito said breezily before giving Shinichi a gentle push towards one of the flights of rickety stairs. "Let's go. Koko's doesn't take kindly to people who're late."

Hakuba cleared his throat, "Kuroba, a moment, if you would."

Shinichi glanced from Kaito to the blond and back again with some concern, but, at another nudge from Kaito, he reluctantly set off up the stairs. Kaito waited until he was sure Shinichi was out of earshot before turning to Hakuba.

"What?"

The blond leveled him with a hard scowl. "I don't know what your game is this time, but if you are even thinking about using Kudo-kun to further one of your schemes—"

"I'm not using Shinichi," Kaito snapped, eyes flashing with sudden anger. "And I'll thank you not to make such an accusation again."

"Well what do you expect me to think?" Hakuba snapped back.

Kaito scoffed. "I honestly don't care what you think. Just stay out of my business with Shinichi." Shooting the blond detective a last warning glare, the magician vanished up the stairs after Shinichi.

Though it took an effort, Kaito managed to get his irritation under control by the time he joined Shinichi at their table. He refused to let Hakuba of all people ruin a perfectly good date. Seriously though, if that pompous nuisance did anything to jeopardize his relationship with Shinichi, Kaito was going to make him regret ever setting foot in Japan!

"What did Hakuba-san want?" Shinichi asked.

"Nothing important," Kaito assured him. "He was just being a nosy bastard like usual. Anyway, forget about him. Have you checked out the menu yet? If you'd like, I can make a few suggestions."

It was an obvious diversion, and Shinichi debated calling the magician out on it, but only for a moment. After all, if it was important, he was sure Kaito would tell him about it sooner or later. If it wasn't, well, then it wasn't.

-End-