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Sky Colored Eyes

25: The Witch's Heart

Pain lanced through his chest. Going rigid as a board, Shinichi gasped into his pillow. His fingers dug into the sheets beneath him, scrabbling desperately for something—anything—to hold onto. Squeezing his eyes shut, he gulped for breath. His head felt heavy, and his limbs were made of lead noodles. The spasms in his muscles subsided, leaving behind a numb unnatural weariness. His breaths were still coming in short, shallow pants, and he found himself swallowing a whimper as another stab of pain shot through his chest.

When the fit finally passed, it left in its wake a deep, boneless fatigue. It was several minutes before his awareness returned. Forcing open one eye, he peered blearily in the direction of the clock. The alarm hadn't gone off yet, but it would be doing so soon.

He exhaled slowly. What a way to start the day. And here he'd thought the shrill blare of the alarm was an unpleasant wakeup call.

Dragging himself lethargically out of the comforts of the bed, he set about getting ready for school. Standing by the coffeemaker as it whirred, he turned to get his thermos from the drying rack and paused as his gaze fell on the single pink rose sitting in a glass of water on the table. The soft, pink petals seemed almost luminous in the morning light. The sight of it made him feel just a little odd—warm and bubbly and kind of like he wanted to either blush or hide or both. It was weird, and he rather thought it ought to be uncomfortably so except that it wasn't.

Excluding the overdramatic thank you from Kaito way back when which Shinichi had thought was more for show than anything else, the last time someone had given him flowers was when he'd still been young and taking violin lessons. His violin teacher had often held recitals for her students, and it was fairly common for parents or even the teacher herself to give flowers to him and his fellow students after the performances. Those flowers had been congratulatory gifts given as signs of encouragement. He hadn't felt much of anything when he'd gotten those except maybe a mild embarrassment if his performance that day had not been, in his opinion, good enough to deserve congratulations. But then again, those flowers were expected.

Kaito had had no reason to give him a rose last night. Then again, he was sure by now that the only person who would ever understand why Kuroba Kaito did anything at any given time would be Kaito himself. For all Shinichi knew, maybe he'd just felt like pulling the rose trick. It did seem to be one of his favorites. Or he could have been down to his last rose and aiming to use it before it wilted so he could move on to a new batch. It could also have been a reflex. The magician often gave out roses when greeting people. Maybe he occasionally did the same for partings. Shinichi really hadn't known him long enough to say.

The point of the matter was that there were many possible, simple explanations for the rose's new existence in Shinichi's home, and none of them seemed like they warranted the butterfly feeling he got when he looked at it.

Seeing that the coffeemaker had finished its work, he poured the coffee into his thermos before popping a piece of toast into the toaster. When that too was ready, he brought both coffee and toast to the table with him where he continued to stare at the rose in thought as he munched on the toast. It was only one blossom, but somehow it changed the entire atmosphere of the kitchen. What had been just a kitchen before now felt warmer—more lived in. Like it was truly a place where people lived rather than just one where they stopped by to eat. Now that he thought about it, it was the only piece of décor in his apartment. When he'd moved in, he hadn't exactly been thinking about the place as a home so much as a temporary residence whose purpose was so that he had somewhere to sleep that would be closer to his new school. He'd chosen the furniture for their practicality and brought in only things that he considered necessary: clothes, toiletries, books, kitchen utilities, stationary, and case files. There were no pictures on the walls, no games, no movies, no rugs because they were hard to keep clean, and no cushions other than those the couches had come with. It was a very pragmatic apartment indeed.

But maybe he should start thinking about decorating a bit. Just little things like the single rose in its glass glowing on the table. Simple but poignant.

This was, after all, his new home. Not just a work space or a hotel. This was the home where his new life was beginning. It was time he started treating it like one.

Feeling suddenly much happier, he finished his toast, picked up his backpack and his thermos, and headed for the door.

Of course the moment he stepped over the threshold, the early morning stillness was cracked by a gunshot.

Jerking around in the direction of the shot, Shinichi caught a glimpse of a running figure. Then it was gone and all was still until doors started to open and people began to ask each other what had happened. Biting back a groan, Shinichi fished his phone from his pocket and dialed the police.

X

Kaito had been a bit annoyed when he'd gotten to Shinichi's apartment to pick him up only to be turned away by police officers. He would have snuck in anyway, but his phone buzzed before he could. It was a text message from his detective asking Kaito to go ahead without him and let the school know he would be late. Kaito sent back a 'fine' and resumed his trek to school.

The news had traveled fast though. By the time he passed through the Ekoda High front gates, students were already whispering about it.

"Did you hear?" one boy asked his friend. "Someone in Kudo's apartment building committed suicide this morning!"

"I heard it was murder," his friend shot back, tone a strange mix of horror and excitement. "There must be a serial killer on the loose!"

"Don't be ridiculous," his friend retorted. "It's just one case. And Kudo-san is going to catch them, so there isn't going to be a serial killer."

"Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we could catch the guy?"

"Only if you actually could, which you can't."

"Hey, what do you mean by that? Are you saying I don't have what it takes to catch bad guys?"

"No, I'm just saying that liking to read about superheroes doesn't give you the skills you need to be one."

Kaito laughed quietly to himself as he passed the two bickering friends.

"You must have noticed all the weird stuff that's been happening," the wannabe hero was saying now. "And when weird stuff happens, there have to be people who deal with it. Fact of the universe."

"You mean the fictional universe."

"Don't you want some excitement in your life?"

"It's not that I'm against excitement. I just want to make sure I graduate high school in one piece. If you want to be a hero so badly, why don't you join the police when you graduate? Or you can try the high school detective thing going around. We already have two of them at this school. You can get them to give you tips."

"Now you're making fun of me."

"No. Just giving advice."

The mood of the rest of the school, however, wasn't nearly as casual or lighthearted.

Just a little farther down the hall, a gaggle of girls was crowded much more closely together than was usual and whispering to boot. Even Kaito's keen ears were having a hard time picking up on their conversation. Curiosity made him slow his steps and concentrate on eavesdropping.

"Six different types," one girl murmured. "Each one for a different kind of protection."

"…keep them with you all the time."

"…want two. I want to give one to my mom."

"I'll take one each of those three. That should cover most things."

"Do they…do they work?"

"I think so. All of the charms from this shrine are supposed to be potent."

"Oh, well, I'll take another one then."

"Hey, can I have two sets? My brother wants some too."

"Really? But he didn't mention anything to me when he came by with his friends earlier. I thought he thought they were being silly asking for charms."

A giggle. "Not at all. He didn't ask you himself because he has a crush on you and can't string two words together without stuttering when you're around."

"Wha—what?"

Sensing that the more serious talk was over for the time being, Kaito picked up his pace again. Part of him wondered with some exasperation how the news had spread so fast. But that was gossip for you. It had wings on it that any bird would envy.

X

"Koizumi-san, I need to talk to you."

The redheaded beauty of Ekoda High looked up to see that Kaito had shouldered his way through the crowd of male students who had been vying for her attention. "So you've finally come."

He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, can we talk? In private," he added.

"As you wish." Akako rose from her seat, the motion graceful and controlled.

Kaito could feel jealous eyes boring into the back of his head as he and the witch made their way out into the hall. He ignored them.

With class soon to start, the hallway was mostly deserted. Even so, Kaito glanced both ways before turning to face Akako.

"Well?" she inquired. It didn't sound much like a question though.

"Here." The magician snapped his fingers. There was a flash of light. Then he was holding a small, maroon gift bag with the stamp of a local chocolate shop on it out to the girl. She regarded it with a raised eyebrow (which was as close to an expression of surprise as he'd ever seen from her).

"It's not like you to bring me gifts."

He shrugged. "Let's just say I don't want to owe you anything."

The corner of the witch's lips quirked. "Indeed. How very cautious of you." She took the proffered bag. "Ask your questions then."

"First, you heard about what happened to Chishima-kun and Takamura-san, right?"

"I doubt there is a soul left in this school that has not."

He conceded the point. "What about the incident with Hasagawa Ren's mother?"

"I have heard a few things about that too, yes."

"Right then. That should make this easier. I spoke with Chishima-kun yesterday. According to him, several of the recent accidental deaths around Ekoda, including Takamura-san's, are all connected to this man who claims to communicate with the spirits of the dead. I don't know which rumors you've heard about Hasagawa, but her mother was going mad, trying to do things to please her dead son and whatnot."

"And?"

"Do you know this guy? The one who calls up the ghosts. He sounds like one of your kind of people. Is he?"

"Did I not warn you weeks ago?"

"You weren't exactly the paradigm of clarity."

"In answer to your question then, yes, I am certain now that he is the one I have been sensing. Hearing what you've discovered, I see that his powers are, however, much more…extensive than I had anticipated."

"Is that your way of saying that he's powerful?"

"If you wish to take it as so then yes. But it isn't so much power as potency. He has not only shown them spirits but convinced them so completely that they carry their visions away with them into their daily lives. Humans are stubborn creatures by nature. Their minds do not change easily or gracefully. Certainly not to such extents or for such lengths of time."

"So then…can they be real? The ghosts."

Akako hesitated. "I would not say it is impossible, but it is more likely that these so-called ghosts are reflections—shadows drawn from the hearts and memories of their loved ones. The dead have better things to do than haunt the living," she added, smirking faintly. "Or at least that's how I see the matter. Without a more direct source to analyze, I can only hypothesize."

"If I got you an interview with Chishima Sai, would that count as a direct source?"

Akako hesitated for a moment then nodded slowly. "It would. But I imagine his situation is delicate right now. I will have to properly prepare before I can approach him."

"Right." Kaito couldn't claim to understand what she meant by that, but he didn't particularly want to. Her brand of magic had never much interested him except when it crossed his path as a problem. He had, however, come to accept that at least part of it was real.

"So how long would you need to get ready?"

"Give me one week. Then I will see the boy." She spoke with the absolute certainty that Sai would see her if she decided that it be so.

"I'll let him know then. Shinichi will probably want in too. Would it cramp your mystic energies or something if we all came?"

The witch actually laughed. The sound made Kaito's hairs stand on end.

"By all means," she murmured. "Bring your little sparrow. It makes no difference to me. But I advise that you both take care. Shooting stars never last for very long."

"Is this another one of your prophecies or are you just determined to say something cryptic?"

"That is for you to decide."

Kaito rolled his eyes. He'd figured as much. Granted, the witch had already been more forthcoming than he had expected. For that, at least, he was thankful.

They paused as another group of students hurried past in the direction of their classroom. This group were all clutching omamori. One of them had a tiger ironed onto the back of his school jacket which was probably going to get him in trouble once he reached class. But what really put Kaito's teeth on edge was the muttering.

"Isn't that the class where that new detective—"

"Yeah. Glad I'm not in that class."

"Yeah. I want to live to see graduation."

Indigo eyes narrowed, and Kaito would have called the two back for a "chat" if not for the manicured hand resting on his arm. An Akako with her hand anywhere near him definitely took precedence over a bunch of thoughtless idiots. That didn't mean he still wasn't irritated. He turned back to the witch.

"What?"

"It upsets you."

"Well of course it upsets me! Thoughtless words like that are how rumors get started. It isn't Shinichi's fault things happen when he goes places. But he runs himself into the ground anyway trying to fix everything even though he doesn't have to. He doesn't need their nonsense on top of that."

"Don't you ever wonder though?" she murmured as though she was just thinking out loud. "That boy, he comes to Ekoda and suddenly there seems to be more going on than the usual, ah, crimes."

"What are you getting at?" Kaito demanded, not liking where this was headed. Akako simply smiled at him, leaning forward until she was far closer than was appropriate.

"Oh I'm not trying to get at anything," she purred. There was a vicious edge to her smile. "I was just thinking. Who knows, maybe they are right to worry. Maybe some people really do bring misfortune with them where they walk."

"Don't you dare tell him that!" he snapped, indigo eyes hard as he stared the witch straight in the eyes.

Her own gaze was cold. "And if it's true?"

That gave him a moment's pause though he wasn't backing down. "Is it?"

For a long moment Akako didn't answer, simply gazing at him with a look he couldn't put a name to. Finally, she lowered her eyes and took a step back. "No, it isn't."

He relaxed slightly, though he hadn't realized he'd been that tense. He had only known Shinichi for so long, but he knew the detective well enough to know that—if he were ever to believe such a thing about himself—it would destroy him. Shinichi cared too much for it to end any other way. Now that he thought about it, he supposed it was a very good thing that his detective wasn't prone to superstition.

"However," the witch continued before he could say anything, "it is fate. Every one of us has a role to play in this world. That cannot be changed. Remember that."

An uncomfortable silence fell hard and thick over them, sinking in tiny claws that made it that much harder to dislodge.

It was Kaito who finally broke it. "I'll talk to the Chishimas and Shinichi then and see about arranging a time. You said you need one week, right?"

"Yes."

"I'll arrange everything and let you know when and where."

With that, he bowed to the girl then slipped back into their classroom. The bell signaling the start of the school day rang right then as if on cue.

Akako remained where she was a moment longer though, her ruby gaze distant. Though none of it showed on her face, on the inside, she found herself in turmoil.

Why was it that she felt this way every time they spoke nowadays? She sighed then glanced around quickly to make sure no one had heard. How embarrassing, to be so effected by a mere conversation.

When Aoko had started growing closer to Hakuba Saguru, she had thought that perhaps she had a chance after all.

It was the first time she had experienced hope. She had never had to hope for anything before, nor had she ever felt the need or the desire to. The feeling had been so foreign and yet sweet in its own way.

It had also been frustrating—still was, though she had somewhat come to terms with it. Who did Kuroba Kaito think he was to force her, a powerful witch with abilities beyond human comprehension, into a position where she was reduced to hoping for anything?

Now though, watching him walk away with that pensive look hidden behind his smile, she thought that maybe, just maybe, she could make peace with that part of her heart.

Besides, she was no fool. She recognized a lost cause when she saw one. But she wasn't the kind to give up either.

She couldn't make him love her. She couldn't even make him believe her words, but she could damned well make sure he respected her.

TBC