With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of Detective Conan that rightfully belong to its owner Aoyama Gosho.
Once again, I would like to thank OnyxKatana for all of her help and input in the eighth installment of this series! So without further ado, let the show begin!
In spite of all the embarrassing situations that Kaito had put her through over the years, Aoko still cared about her childhood friend greatly. And what better way to give him a little push in his budding love life than arrange a Sunday afternoon with Shinichi-chan at Tropical Land? It has been highlighted in several magazines as an ideal place for a first date, and even came with a special discount for couples! Aoko would definitely have to thank Hakuba-kun for informing her about this surprising discovery at the fashion show a few weeks ago, the brown-haired girl thought as she tutted around the Nakamori household doing chores.
Besides, what kind of person would she be to not want give the pain-in-ass magician a little happiness (and revenge) that he deserved?
Yet for the coffee-haired girl who stood by the park's entrance in varsity clothing and a black cap, this 'get-together' was an absolute recipe for disaster. Tropical Land had been the place where Kudo Shinichi had disappeared without a trace emerging as Edogawa Agatha in her two-year absence. What if there were members of the Black Organization still on the loose, trying to rebuild their criminal empire and decided to start here? Or worse, someone would be murdered on one of the rides, like what happened last time, and she would be recognized amongst the crowd?
These thoughts have haunted Shinichi's every waking moment after Aoko had announced that she was going a date with Kuroba-san at the destination she had picked for them. And the possibility of getting her friend involved with the ravens was the last thing Shinichi wanted to happen to him.
Just as her troubled mind could ponder any further, an enthusiastic voice called out to the Detective of the East.
"Hey there, Shin-chan!"
Shinichi turned to the source of the noise and saw the teenage magician approaching her in a fashion that could only be called 'bounding' over to her. He wore street clothes too, which seemed to compliment the slightly tamed bird's nest he had for hair. Nonetheless, Shinichi mustered up the courage to smile at her classmate despite the inner turmoil bubbling in the depths of her mind.
"Hello, Kuroba-san."
The scruffy-looking teen shot her an exasperated look. "Shin-chan, I've told you not to call me that. Call me Kaito."
"Kuroba-kun?"
Kaito shuddered theatrically. "Don't. That sounds even weirder when it isn't Hakuba calling me that." Shinichi just rolled her eyes at his exaggeration, easily settling into their usual bantering as the pair walked towards the admissions booth.
"Well, of course. We can't have you being reminded of dear Hakuba-kun while you're on a 'date' now, can we? After all, this is a chance for us to 'get to know each other in a place that isn't school, because honestly, school is no place to properly find romance'."
There was a moment's silence before the two teens shared a small laugh, being reminded of Aoko and Keiko's over enthusiastic lecture that was the catalyst to their Shinichi-chan's 'date'. Between the sleuth and magician, they decided that it was best to spend the day together so that Aoko would not be upset. Plus, it gave them a chance to enjoy everything as friends.
Once they had calmed down Kaito bowed before the Detective of the East, presenting a ruby-red rose and an arm to her. Shinichi smirked and plucked the thornless offering from between his fingers and made a show of accepting it while hooking her arm in the crook of his elbow. As Kaito purchased their tickets, Shinichi could not help but notice the mischievous twinkle in his eyes; something told her that maybe, just maybe, this day would not be quite so bad as she thought it would be prior to his arrival.
Besides, what was the worst that could happen?
xPFx
Despite the long trek through meandering civilians and dodging hyperactive children, Kaito had been steadfast in not letting Shinichi spend a single yen even when she had offered to at a few snack stands. When she asked why, the magician explained that because this get-together was in all technicalities, a date. Furthermore, quoth Kuroba Kaito himself, "Both Ahouko and my mother will skin me alive I come home and they find out that I let a girl pay on the first date".
After they got off the last ride, Kaito told Shinichi that she could whatever she wanted on the next date they went on. Dark blue orbs blinked owlishly and asked if there will be other dates. The only answers she got were an unusually serious expression and a warning to never underestimate with the force known as Nakamori Aoko. But then with a cheeky grin, the prankster added that there was no way Shin-chan could resist his "magical" charm.
That earned him an eye-roll and a tap on the nose.
Regardless, Shinichi thought that this day was going really well. There was not a sign of a person dressed in all black, and the air was filled with laughter and music instead of a terrified scream that foretold the activation of her family curse. Kaito had also been surprisingly good company, not that she would ever admit it. The mischievous boy didn't need any more stroking his already-inflated ego. They were sitting on a bench, joking around when the next words that came out of Kaito's mouth send Shinichi's spirits plummeting.
"Say, Shinichi, you attended that fashion show, right? The line inspired by KID? How was it? I never actually got around to asking about it, and I'm curious how they managed to create fashion wear inspired by KID."
Right. That. How could Shinichi ever forget the shocked expression on Ran and Sonko's faces when the three of them met again for the first time in a long while? If someone had not been poisoned at the event due to theft and blackmail from a rival designer, Shinichi was quite certain that there would have been a major argument, mostly from the Suzuki heir.
"Shin-chan? Shin-chan? Oh for the love of God, why do you get so mopey whenever you're with me? I can't possibly be that awful for company!"
Shinichi was suddenly jolted back to reality when the magician next to her spoke in an exasperated, and somewhat concerned voice. When she looked up, slightly widened azure orbs locked onto her own eyes. His gaze...he really was worried about her. And so, with a watery smile, she shook her head.
"It's nothing. Just remembering a few...not so pleasant recollections from that particular event. It was going well, don't get me wrong. At least...until I bumped into my best from Beika who probably wants nothing to do with me right now. That's probably why Aoko decided to arrange this date. To cheer me up'."
Kaito's eyes softened. In his personal opinion, Shinichi was probably reading too much into the situation. But he didn't say it. Instead, he got up and dusted himself off, after which he offered the teen detective his hand.
"Come on, girl. We've been sitting here long enough. Time to stretch your legs a little~!"
Shinichi stared at him in surprise though but allowed herself to be pulled up from the bench and tugged along down the sidewalk. Glancing at her, Kaito bit the bullet and asked her what was on his mind.
"If it's not too intrusive of me, what happened between you and this friend who might not want to see you ever again? That seems a bit extreme, don't you think?"
The coffee-haired girl understood what he meant, and found herself telling him the closest version of the truth. After all, she could not risk revealing everything, lest breaking at least several laws pertaining to national security, plus incurring the wrath of one Jodie Starling from the FBI. Inhaling a deep breath she said, "I kept a secret from her. A big one. And she decided it wasn't nice for me to deceive her for almost two years because of it."
Kaito looked at her in disbelief. "I don't claim to be an expert on friendship, but I still think that's a bit extreme. I mean, how bad could this… secret have been?"
Shinichi shrugged. "It was bad enough that it could have made Ran a target if I hadn't kept it from her or others who knew me. She thinks that I should have trusted her to protect herself and let myself be helped, rather than spinning lies."
Deciding that he has heard enough, Kaito took a risk and suddenly stopped walking, almost causing Shinichi to collide with him. He then turned to face her, ignoring her quizzical expression. Looking at the sleuth straight in the eye, his demeanour became serious.
"Shin-chan, smile."
The furrowed brow in her hairline suddenly straightened to a deadpanned stare. "...Excuse me?"
"Smile. You know, that upward curve of the lips, preferably with a flash of your pearly whites. Like this?"
He raised his hand to Shinichi's face and used his index finger and thumb to indicate a U-shape, lightly brushing against her lips as he went through the motion. Shinichi went cross eyed trying to keep his hand in view, before she stepped back and gave him an amused, even confused smile.
"What are you doing, Kaito?"
The magician grinned widely in reply (and relief that she was finally stopping addressing him like that irritating prat!), and presented another flower to Shinichi at the flick of his wrist. "See? You do look even nicer when you smile!"
If you asked her, Shinichi would swear up and down the hall that the light pink flush on her cheeks was only because it was a warm day, and had absolutely nothing to do with the dark-haired, blue-eyed prankster she was on a "date" with.
xPFx
After having some snacks, the pair had walked around and talked some more. Kaito had enlightened Shinichi on the intricacies of exactly how he had made Hakuba's hair turn a fluorescent green the other day, though not before making her swear in the name of Sherlock Holmes that she would never reveal it to the British sleuth.
In return, the Detective of the East had regaled him with a few tales from cases she had solved. He had felt an irrepressible surge of satisfaction when she remarked that the Clock Tower Heist was that one of the most challenging cases she had dealt with since she began her career as a freelance sleuth for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. The fact that she held his alter ego Kaitou KID in grudging respect did wonders for the magician's pride.
After a while, Kaito had suggested that they should go on a few of the rides before the lines stretched from a five minute wait to almost two hours. Plus it was better than just sitting around and watching people, he reasoned. Shinichi agreed, and their first destination ended being the bumper cars. Needless to say, they enjoyed themselves thoroughly, but they were far from outright admitting it. Something about a misplaced sense of pride?
A couple of rides later, the dark-haired teenagers wound up in line for the Mystery Coaster. It was not until Shinichi finished laughing at one of Kaito's jokes that she realized where they were.
Immediately, the detective's body language tensed and she clammed up as memories from her last visit rushed through those little grey cells.
Decapitation.
A pearl necklace.
Sleeping pills.
Gin and Vodka, sitting left and right seats of the fourth car.
Being the observant young man that he was, Kaito instantly picked up on the sudden change in his companion and almost groaned out load. This day had been going so well, so what the hell had prompted Shin-chan to act like this now?! Inhaling a deep breath, he decided to use drastic measures: he poked the detective's cheek. Everyone back at Ekoda High knew that Shin-chan did not to be touched, and surely a subtle touch would have earned the class prankster five whacks on the head if he did not have lightening-fast reflexes.
But when the coffee-haired female gave no indication of a reaction, Kaito decided it was time to worry. Gently tugging Shinichi out of the line for the ride to the nearest bench, he carefully eased her to sit down and then took the opportunity to kneel in front of her. Vacant dark blue orbs just stared right back at him. The magician raised one hand and placed it on her shoulder, gently shaking her.
"Come on, Shinichi. What's with you?"
Shinichi was jerked back to reality at the sound of Kaito's voice. Now twice in one day, this infuriating guy has seen vulnerable. A side of Kudo Shinichi that should be kept under the lid a jar on a high shelf, remain untouched until the end of time. And from the look he was giving her, Kaito was not going to let her go without an explanation. The Detective of East hated to do this again, but a half-truth once again, even though she had promised herself to not lie to any more friends she might make in Ekoda after the failed reunion with Ran. Blinking back the tears that threatened to surface, she rasped out her answer. "I don't really have the best history with this ride, y'know?" That was all it for the dam to burst.
Shinichi explained that a little over two years ago, the Mystery Coaster had been the scene of a gruesome murder; a perfectly normal outing with her childhood friend that eventually became the catalyst to their crumbling friendship, courtesy to the curse that seemed to haunt the Kudo family for generations. The discussion soon evolved to the sleuth venting out loud, explaining that she caused so much death wherever she went, the nickname Shinigami from the police gossip mills reached her ears prior to moving away. The Detective of East wanted to believe that starting off with a clean slate in Ekoda could change things, but it didn't and she was sick and tired and just wanted a damn break.
Somehow, even through her frantic dialogue, she was able to keep the conversation miles away any or related to the Black Organization. Her truthfulness with friends didn't quite cover that just yet.
Meanwhile, Kaito patiently listened to her and never relinquished the grip on her shoulder. At some point in the conversation, he had shifted from his kneeling position to sitting beside her on the bench, an arm coiled around the sleuth's shaking shoulders to act as an anchor of sorts. Once Shinichi had finished speaking, the magician told her to stay put for a few minutes and went to purchase bottled water from a vending machine. Handing it to her, azure eyes watched as his companion sipped the cool liquid. Once he saw that Shinichi had calmed down enough, Kaito held out his hand to her. The coffee-haired girl just looked at him with the body language and gaze of a lost child.
"Come on, Shinichi. You and I are going on this rollercoaster."
"No. No way."
"Yes, way. Come on, please. Do it for me."
"No. Today has already been too good to be true, seeing as I spent the whole day in a thickly populated area and no one died yet. I'm not going to test my luck, Kuroba Kaito, and that is final."
Kaito closed his eyes and counted to three before he took a deep breath and responded. "Fine. Don't test your luck. Test mine instead."
Shinichi was lost. She could not understand the boy's cryptic statement, but there was something about the sheer conviction in his eyes that made her stop. Thankfully, the silence allowed Kaito to continue his speech.
"You think you're a magnet for death? I don't. You just have the luck to be stuck in a series of unfortunate coincidences. That's all. All the deaths or murders that occur around you are not, in any shape or matter, your fault. You just happen to be there. Honestly, think about it! There are so many cases that you got 'called' to, and you weren't even there when the person died. So, how does their death suddenly become the burden you have to carry on your shoulders, silly girl? And if you still don't believe me, then take my hand. Come with me on that rollercoaster, just this once. No one will die. I promise."
Shinichi stared at him for a long-hard moment until she spoke to him in a shaky voice that she hated to no end. "How can you be so sure?" Kaito then flashed her a grin that was so like him, yet from its usual mischief.
"Because I know that any and all bad luck you might supposedly have can be cancelled out by my phenomenally good luck. So, will you take a gamble my lady?"
Shinichi looked between him and his proffered hand, deliberating for a few moments before placing her hand into his larger one. As he pulled her up, she muttered under her breath.
"For both our sakes, you had better be right about your phenomenal luck."
xPFx
The rollercoaster screeched to a stop before the safety braces rose up seconds later. People disembarked from all four cars, quickly leaving so that the park employees could allow the next wave of waiting visitors to climb in. Amongst the departed were a boy and a girl, both almost looked similar in terms of physical features, yet displayed different expressions on their faces. The boy was smiling widely while his female friend walked beside him with a disbelieving expression on her pretty face that had the tell-tale signs of a first time roller-coaster rider.
To any passerby, they looked like a couple. And it might as well have been, with the way due to the euphoria that Shinchi was feeling at the moment. No one had died. She had nearly spent almost four minutes on the Mystery Coaster, and nothing happened. Perhaps… for once, this idiot magician was right.
Kudo Shinichi was not a harbinger of Death. She was just...Shinichi.
For his part, Kaito was truly enjoying the expression on his companion's face. The fact that he had been the one to put that expression of pure wonder on her face gave him a rush of happiness that only his magic shows had ever given him. A proverbial lightbulb went off in his head as an idea suddenly struck him. By the end of today, Kuroba Kaito would make this the best date Shinichi had ever been on, despite the fact that they had been basically forced to go on it for Aoko's sake.
"Shinichi, do you want to go to the park? It's pretty close to here, and we still have a while to kill before the 'deadline' Ahouko set."
The Detective of the East smirked as she thought of the deadline that Kaito just brought up. Aoko had told them that under no circumstances were they to come home before six o'clock in the evening unless one of them was dying, or pretty damn close to it. Shinichi shrugged.
"Sure, why not? Besides, I hear the park is rather romantic at this time."
Kaito shot a sunny grin at the dark-haired female. The Kudo Shinichi he knew had come back! And the resident magician knew just how to make sure that she stayed that way until it was time for them to go home. In his rush, he almost pulled her all the way to the park.
"Whoa, there! Slow down, Kaito!"
"No can do, Shinichi-chaaannn! I've got a surprise for my lovely date!"
Shinichi rolled her eyes at his antics, but let him drag her along the sidewalk. There was no stopping the hyperactive prankster, and she knew it all too well from Aoko-chan and personal experience.
When they reached their destination, Kaito dragged Shinichi to the playground. Pushing her down onto a nearby bench, he instructed the detective to close her eyes and not to move a single muscle. For good measure as well as to ensure that she did not spoil the surprise, he sweetly asked one of the mothers accompanying their children to make sure Shinichi stayed put. The lively stranger agreed to the magician's terms with a light laugh before she commented on how adorable young love was. Shinichi almost snorted at that, yet decided to remain silent.
After what seemed like an eternity, she heard Kaito thank the woman and felt him take her hand with one hand, while the other covered her eyes. Slowly, he led her to wherever the surprise was. Judging from the sound children chattering or playing with loud giggles, Shinichi automatically deduced that they were still near the playground. She felt Kaito remove his hand from hers, and he told her to open her eyes on the count of three.
"One. Two. Three."
Shinichi opened her eyes to see herself surrounded by children. And in front of her, standing a little bit to the right was Kaito with a mischievous grin in place.
"Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be amazed!"
Shinich's smirk soon became a full-blown grin. The idiot had actually organized a magic show! Suddenly, his insistence to go to the closest park from Tropical Land made sense. Not that she would admit it out loud, the sleuth found herself enjoying the tricks Kaito displayed, rather than trying to figure out how they worked.
"For my last trick, I need a volunteer from the audience. Would the young lady at the back care to help?"
Shinichi giggled as she walked over to Kaito, and dropped into a mock-curtsy before the messy-haired prankster.
"Why, it would be my pleasure, sir!"
Once the card trick was finished with Kaito being able to successfully send Shinichi's card to the very back of the audience, he grabbed his assistant's hand as they took their bows from the clapping children and impressed parents. With a flick of his wrist, Kaito made a deep pink rose appear and offered it to Shinichi. The Detective of the East took the flower and looked at him with a raised brow. He just smiled and shrugged.
Realizing what he was referring to, Shinichi blushed slightly and showed her gratitude with a small incline of her head and shy smile. When Kaito saw the faint dust creep across his friend's cheeks, he could have sworn that his heart skipped a beat. When he returned home later that evening once he made sure Shinichi had gotten home safely, he admitted to himself that the "date" went exceptionally well. As the two teenagers got ready for school the next morning, they both shared the same thought.
Perhaps Aoko was not that off the mark. Not neither of them would admit it out loud, of course.
Another act of Paper Faces has been written, and what better way to celebrate the New Year than a pinch of KaiShin fluffiness? :) But before I head out of town to handle a family emergency next week, I wanted to let my readers know that there is a poll on my profile. I usually do not use them but through a suggestion from OnyxKatana, it has become a crucial part for an upcoming project that is in the works. If you could hop over to the aforementioned area and cast in a vote before the evening on January 9th, that would definitely help us move forward!
Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added Paper Faces to their alert lists.
Welcome 2017, and let us continue the show with even more magic and mystery. See you next illusion. - (KID caricature)