Finally, this is out! Thank you to airu27 for the fic idea and the beautiful art! I hope everyone enjoys! (Read on ao3 for the art)

A young boy sat on his bed, blankly staring at the wall and the fish swimming around in the tanks embedded within. He hugged a stuffed rabbit tightly, not letting himself move from his position. The lights had been turned off a while ago, but still, he didn't feel like sleeping. Of course, he was sleepy - no six year old could stay fully awake for that long - but he didn't want to go to sleep again, because…

"Kaito, are you still awake?" A voice called out quietly. The boy turned to the door. He didn't say anything, but his mother came in anyway. Slowly closing the door, she came over to the boy and sat down next to the bed. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to dream," he said, his voice sounding a little hoarse.

The woman sighed. "Kaito, have you been having nightmares again?" Kuroba Chikage asked. "It's okay, nothing bad will happen to you in your sleep."

"But the fire-" Kaito paused, trying to bring his voice down, knowing his father might be asleep. "But the fire's gonna get me."

A Kuroba was destined to die in a fire. It was something that Chikage and her husband, Toichi, had known for a long time, and had passed on to Kaito. They didn't know who would die, when they would die, only how. It was a warning to stay away from the deadly flames. They had taken extreme precautions to make sure that a fire would not happen in their home, including placing fishtanks in the walls all around the house, but they still feared. And they always warned Kaito.

"The fire's gonna get me," Kaito repeated again, shivering. "It'll get me and I'll melt like ice, but it will be hurting me over and over…" He seemed to draw in on himself, and the grip he had on his stuffed rabbit tightened. "I don't wanna die, Kaa-san."

"My poor baby," Chikage whispered, wrapping her arms around Kaito. "The fire won't get you in your dreams, Kaito. You can sleep, and if it gets too bad, find me, okay?"

"...kay," the small boy muttered.

It took an hour, but eventually, he fell into a deep slumber.

Yet for the next few years, Chikage and Toichi continued to warn Kaito about fire.

Their stories became even more horrifying. Kaito knew too much about how it would feel to die in a fire. He was terrified, and he knew he had to stay away, yet his parents didn't seem to believe that quite yet.

When Kaito was 8, he was watching a magic show by his father, when the fire started.

He screamed, and wouldn't stop sobbing even after he arrived home.

(The fish made it worse. After all, his father had burst into fire after being dunked right into a fishtank. Kaito would never be able to see fish again, as every time he did, he thought about dead eyed fish surrounding his father's corpse.)

An alarm clock woke Kaito up. Yawning, the now teenage boy sat up in his bed, rubbing the blurriness from his eyes as he turned off the alarm. Why do I bother keeping that thing on… It's a weekend, after all, he thought sleepily, almost ready to fall back into bed and sleep once again. However, he forced himself out of the bed and into the bathroom. His hair was messier than usual after he just woke up, and he quickly brushed it slightly, knowing the knots would never fully go away but wanting it to look at least a little neat. After cleaning up briefly and making himself look presentable, the boy changed into his clothes for the day and headed downstairs to eat breakfast.

Ever since Kuroba Toichi died, Kaito had been living by himself. Grief stricken, Chikage had moved to America, and Kaito had been put in charge of taking care of himself. Nakamori, the father of Kaito's best friend, came over and helped sometimes, but overall, Kaito had become self reliant. He never had the courage to take out the fishtanks, however, even after his father's death. The fish had all disappeared (courtesy of Chikage), but the tanks, filled with water, remained.

A Kuroba was destined to die in a fire. Perhaps that ominous prophecy had already been fulfilled when Toichi had died, but Kaito was still scared of the burning flames. He had to do whatever he could to protect himself.

The toaster beeped, signaling that his breakfast had finished being cooked. Kaito picked up the hot toast cautiously and put it onto his plate, before waiting a few minutes for it to cool down. He wasn't sure what he would do today, but hanging out with Aoko wasn't an option today. She had called him yesterday to say that today, she would be hanging out with Keiko. Leaving Kaito with practically nothing to do.

Except…

After finishing his meal, the magician stood up, grinning to himself. "Time to make my next heist perfect ."

Red and orange flames engulfed the building. Shinichi stood in horror as it began crumbling down, falling to pieces, to ruin. People were running away, past him, but he couldn't move.

There was still someone inside the building.

A boy with messy brown hair was being slowly consumed by the fire. Screaming, yelling out Shinichi's name. Shinichi stood in shock for a few moments before quickly pushing those feelings inside and running towards the boy.

(Shinichi thought he called out the boy's name, but he wasn't too sure.)

Yet it was too late. The fire completely covered the boy, and he kept screaming until finally, the scent of death hit Shinichi's nose. He stopped, staring in horror and shock at what once remained of the boy. "No," he murmured. "No, no-"

"NO!"

Shinichi jolted up from the bed he had been sleeping in. Taking deep breaths in and out, he tried to calm himself down. He quickly noticed the cold sweat on his skin and his trembling hands gripping the bedsheet. It was just a dream, he thought in relief, but yet, it felt too real. For several minutes, he couldn't move, struggling to regain his breath and consumed with memories from the dream, of the boy's indigo eyes staring at him with helplessness, and his enigmatic smile-

He didn't smile in that dream. Now Shinichi was really going crazy.

After quickly cleaning himself up in the bathroom, Shinichi headed to his neighbor, Agasa's, house. Knocking on the door, the old man opened it and grinned. "Hey, Shinichi-kun! What are you here for?"

"Well, Haibara, honestly," Shinichi admitted, peering past Agasa to search for the little girl. After the Black Organization had been defeated, Shinichi had decided to return to his old life while Ai remained as a child. The two of them still remained close friends despite this.

"Ah, she's in her room!" Agasa said enthusiastically, though Shinichi noted he seemed a bit disappointed that he didn't come here to see his new gadgets. Frankly though, Shinichi knew the new one was just doomed for failure.

"Thanks, Hakase," Shinichi said, smiling and passing by him on his way to Ai's room. Knocking once on the door, he heard the sounds of her moving inside and eventually, the girl opened the door.

"Oh, it's you, Kudo-kun." Ai didn't even try to hide her yawn, much to Shinichi's chagrin. "What do you want?"

"Well…" Shinichi paused, realizing just how ridiculous his question would sound to her. "It's hard to explain."

Rubbing her eyes, Ai just opened the door a bit wider. "Come on in."

Shinichi nodded thankfully, stepping into the room and watching as Ai closed the door behind him. He sat down on a chair as Ai sat down across from him. "Have you ever heard of, well… dreams that felt too real?"

"You're going to have to be more specific than that," Ai said plainly, looking bored already.

"Dreams that feel like…" Shinichi paused, struggling to find the right words. "Like you've lived through them before. Like it actually happened in front of you, and that the dream is just a flashback of what happened before. Like, if I dreamed that I saw a stranger die, but I felt like I knew the stranger better than I know myself."

That seemed to get Ai's attention. "I've heard about that before, back in the organization," she said slowly. "I don't know how much of it is true, but…" She sighed. "I never paid too much attention. I'd have to do more research about this. Just tell me if you have any more dreams."

Shinichi nodded, standing up. "Don't worry, I will."

Ever since he got his original body back, Shinichi had felt it was hard to rebuild his relations.

He and Ran, his childhood friend, had drifted apart during his time as a child. When he eventually told her that he was Conan, it just made things between them even more awkward. Talking with Sonoko was even worse at times. The heiress had loved teasing Shinichi and Ran about their relationship, and at first, she still called them lovers, before Shinichi had finally told her that neither of them had feelings for each other anymore. Now Sonoko didn't seem quite sure how to interact around Shinichi, when so many of their interactions had involved Ran.

That wasn't even counting the people he knew as Conan, but not too well as Shinichi. Heiji, Ai, and Masumi had all known about the shrinking event, but others such as Kazuha, Takagi, and Sato didn't, and he had barely interacted with them as Shinichi. He had to create a new relationship with them, and none of them were like they had been before. The Detective Boys also didn't know him much as Shinichi, so after returning, he felt like he had lost some of his closest friends.

But for now, Shinichi had promised to meet Ran, Sonoko, and Masumi at Poirot. He would struggle through the conversation, not knowing how exactly to interact with most of them, and trying to hide that he and Masumi knew each other better than Sonoko thought they did.

Yet he couldn't get the dream and the boy out of his mind.

Why was he so familiar?

A few days later, Shinichi went to the next Kaitou Kid heist. Sonoko, of course, had gotten them an invitation from her uncle, Jirokichi, and Nakamori couldn't exactly send him away, no matter how much the inspector wanted to. Currently, the teenage detective stood near the display case, briefly checking his watch to see when the thief would show his face.

"One more minute!" Nakamori announced. Shinichi's watch confirmed it, so he put his hand back in his pocket. If Kid was here, it was best not to let him get a good look at the watch - after all, the tranquilizer dart still remained. Shinichi hadn't had a chance to use it on Kid yet since he returned, but today could easily be the day.

Suddenly, the lights all turned off. Shinichi, having expected it, didn't react. Most of the officers were the same, only with a few glancing around. The crowd of Kid fans all gasped in shock, making Shinichi internally sigh. They were fans of Kid, yet they didn't even know about one of his favorite tricks? Out loud, he said nothing, only waiting for the thief to make his appearance.

It didn't take long. Kaitou Kid appeared on the display case, the jewel already in hand, with a smug grin on his face. "Ladies and gentlemen! As you see, I have already stolen the Siren's Temptation!"

The building filled with the chanting of "Kid! Kid! Kid!"

"Officers!" Nakamori bellowed. "He couldn't have actually gotten the gem that quickly! It must be a fake! Secure the real Siren's Temptation!"

"It isn't here!" An officer called out, looking at the display case.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, Nakamori-keibu, do you not believe me?" Kid sang. "How cruel of you! But now, I must take my leave." The magician bowed, making some of his fans swoon, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Immediately, Shinichi spotted the black figure darting away in the crowd. According to his deductions, Kid would definitely try to blend in with his fans, so the black figure was almost certainly him. The detective was instantly in motion, chasing after the figure, running up the stairs. It was on the fourth floor that Kid stopped and turned around to face the detective, quickly putting on his signature white outfit as he did so. Shinichi noticed he was positioned next to the window, ready to make a quick escape if needed to.

"Hello there, Tantei-kun," Kid greeted with a smile that seemed almost genuine, compared to the ones Shinichi usually saw on him. "I believe you figured out the trick?"

Shinichi nodded. "Yes. There was enough time between the beginning of the blackout and when you appeared on the stand. Wearing that black outfit, you would have been almost unnoticeable. Of course, you disabled the alarm beforehand while disguised as a police officer. After taking the gem, all you had to do was jump on the display case and put on your white outfit."

Kid began clapping. "Bravo, Meitantei! You figured it out quite easily! It was a simple trick this time, I admit, but to be seen through so quickly? I'm surprised!"

"Give back the Siren's Temptation," Shinichi demanded, holding his hand out. Though the thrill of the chase and seeing Kid again were Shinichi's main reasons for going to heists, he did still have to get the jewel back anyway.

Kid raised the gem and held it against the moonlight. When nothing happened, he tossed it back towards Shinichi, who caught it quite easily. "There you go. Now I have to leave. I can't get caught by a detective like you, after all!" Grinning, Kid threw down a smoke bomb.

Usually when this happened, smoke would rise and the next thing Shinichi knew, Kid would be flying outside, too far for him to chase.

But this time, when the bomb hit the ground, a small flame rose.

And Kaitou Kid screamed.

The flame vanished in seconds, not having what it needed to be sustained for long, and Shinichi turned his attention towards the thief. For the first time, the detective saw genuine, pure terror in his eyes as he stared at where the flame once was. Quickly, a poker face was slammed down, and Kid turned around and flew out the window, his hanglider ready.

Yet Shinichi stood there, in shock.

Those eyes… Weren't they the same as the boy in his dream?

Kaito landed on his balcony and quickly changed into casual clothes before anyone could notice the bright Kid outfit. Staggering into his room, the magician collapsed onto his bed and took deep breaths.

…was I stupid? He thought, after he was able to think again. Was I stupid for freaking out over such a tiny fire?

If Chikage were there, she would tell him he wasn't. That all fire was dangerous. She would say that he could have died that night, that he had just avoided a close call. He could never be too careful, never be too scared.

A Kuroba was destined to die in a fire, and perhaps his father just wasn't enough.

Kaito curled up in his bed, trying to push all thoughts away. He should probably clean up after his heist, remove all evidence that he, Kuroba Kaito, was the phantom thief, Kaitou Kid. Right now though, he didn't have enough energy. Jii would clean up the most important things for him.

Right now, he just wanted to sleep…

Once again, the boy, who now looked so much like Kaitou Kid did when he wore his simple, black outfit, was burning in a fire.

It was a hospital room this time. Shinichi was staring through the window at the burning boy while trying to shove himself through the crowd. "Are you stupid? Don't go near the fire!" Another patient shouted, pushing Shinichi backwards. He struggled up again and tried to make his way to the boy.

And like the last dream, it was too late. Last Shinichi saw, the boy was smiling at him, before the flames completely covered him.

"No!" Shinichi cried out, reaching forwards.

And he woke up, scrambling out of his bed, trying to take deep breaths. Once he could think properly again, he thought, Well, another dream to tell Haibara about, I suppose…

Making his way to the professor's house, he exchanged the same greetings as last time before making his way to Ai's room. One glance at him told her exactly what he had come here for. "Another dream, huh?"

Shinichi sat down and sighed. "Yup." He described the dream to her briefly.

Ai thought for a moment, then said, "I'm not too sure why you're having these dreams yet. I have ideas, but not yet anything to prove them. Maybe after next time…" She paused, thinking again, before saying, "Well, just come back next time, then."

Shinichi got up, wistfully wishing he could have sat down for longer. "Alright. See you, Haibara." He made his way to the door.

"Don't forget you have school today, Kudo-kun!" She called out.

"Crap!" Shinichi muttered, walking even faster to his house. Ran wouldn't be happy if he was late again .

Shinichi was just about to leave his house when a voice called from behind him. "Wait."

Immediately, Shinichi whipped around and saw a girl whom he had definitely not let inside his house. Some part of him wanted to forgive her for apparently breaking in because she was just so beautiful, yet the logical part of him fought against that. "Who are you, and how did you get in?" He managed to force out.

A smirk played on her lips. "Ah, so it works on you too. I was worried it wouldn't, since it doesn't exactly work on… him…" The smile fell, and she sighed, letting a worried look fall on her face. "My name is Koizumi Akako, and I am a witch."

"Magic isn't real," Shinichi said immediately.

Akako ignored him, instead looking at him with pleading eyes. "Please, detective." She whispered. "Please save Kuroba Kaito from his curse."