Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

Sky Colored Eyes

27: Heartfelt

The mountain trail was a thin and not overused one that rose and fell, twisted and turned, undulated and meandered like the thoughts of old poets given form by earth and shrub and towering trees. It was beautiful and utterly unorganized. As the party made its way slowly up the mountain, they walked along muted green paths dappled by golden beams of sunlight. The wind rustled in the leaves, soft and insistent and all encompassing. It was another would. No more were the concrete and glass buildings of the city. No more the paved roads or glass-fronted shops. Even the distant hum of traffic had completely disappeared. Their voices grew quite as they moved deeper and deeper into the forest. The tranquility of this natural sanctuary fell down upon them in soft, golden folds, stilling their words and allowing thoughts to calm and distill into slivers of true clarity here far from the noise and confusion of the city.

This was, Shinichi thought, a good kind of place for thinking. He could feel it already, seeping into him as they walked. Dry leaves crunched beneath their feet like a soft, whispering reminder of other times and other places, of things that were always changing yet ever the same. He paused on the path as the others drew ahead, his gaze fixed on a fall of sunlight dancing over the leaves of a red maple. It was like seeing fire dance without heat. Only the beauty of it, shifting and spinning, orange, red, and gold. It was mesmerizing, and he thought for a moment, seeing the fireless flames dance their sunbeam and maple dance, that maybe there really was magic in the world.

"Shinichi!"

Snapping out of his reverie, the detective looked around to find that he was now several hundred paces behind the rest of the group. Kaito was waving at him from farther up the path with the others almost entirely out of sight.

"Hurry up or we're going to leave you behind!" the magician was saying.

Those words sent a sharp pang through his chest that he didn't want to contemplate. "I'm coming!" he called back, hefting his picnic hamper higher on his arm and adjusting the straps of his backpack to make sure they were steady before he picked up his pace.

Despite the unpredictable and rather whimsical layout, the trail was an easy one, and it was only an hour or so into their journey when the trees parted and a large, western-style house emerged before them. A sign out front proclaimed the place to be the Shiratsuki Lodge. The building turned out to be a combination of information center, restaurant, and inn. It had been built by the two families who originally owned the land. It was their ancestors who had introduced the swans to the lake where they now lived, and their descendants and associates now ran the information center and cared for the lake and its birds as well as the surrounding forests and streams. It was, in essence, a privately run natural park.

"A good spot for picnicking?" The young woman at the information desk tapped her chin thoughtfully. "There's a nice meadow not far from here that's quite popular for that sort of thing because there are a lot of flowers in bloom there all year round. You can't see the lake from there though. If you're up for the hike, the southern shore of the lake gives you a great view and a good shoreline. You want to avoid the eastern shore because that's where most of the nests are."

"Is the trail to the lake easy to follow?" asked Aoko.

"We do our best to keep all the trails clearly marked, but there are quite a lot of them. I have a map here. I can mark out the route you should take for you if you'd like."

The inspector's daughter beamed. "That would be great. Thank you."

The woman turned to rummage through the drawers of the information desk, humming quietly to herself. A moment later she pulled out a map. As she did so, another pamphlet slid out from the folds of the map to go fluttering to the floor.

Ayumi picked it up and turned it over curiously. On the front, a snow white swan was just spreading its wings to take flight. Droplets of water sparkled as they were cast aloft by its large, powerful wings. The little girl gasped in delight.

"It's so beautiful!"

Mitsuhiko and Genta crowded around her to see. The former's eyes widened. "I've seen that painting before." Producing a small guide book, he riffled through the pages before turning it around to show the others. "See? It says here that it was painted by the renowned wildlife painter Kanzaki Mamoru."

Genta's eyes grew round. "Wasn't that the same guy who—"

"Yeah, it is."

"Excuse me, Onee-san," Ayumi said, holding the brochure up so that the woman behind the desk could see it. "Are these paintings still being exhibited here? I can't find the date."

"Oh, I'm sorry, most of the paintings have already been taken to a gallery in Okinawa," the woman said, leaning over to look at the brochure in question. "But since this was where my brother painted his first really famous pieces, we always have a few of his works on display. His old studio is open to visitors too, though there isn't much in there. Just some of his old books, sketches, tools and the like."

"You mean Kanzaki Mamoru is your brother?!" all three elementary school detectives exclaimed.

The woman smiled. "He is. My name is Kanzaki Momoko. My brother used to work here too while he was trying to get his career as an artist off the ground. He was the one who kept the records about our swans—how many cygnets there are each year, how each bird is growing, their behavior, health, territory shifts—all of that stuff. It meant he got to spend a lot of time with the swans. He says they showed him the path to inspiration."

"But is it true?" Mitsuhiko blurted out. "The guidebook says he said he found gold here!"

Momoko laughed. "Oh, that. I remember that. It was back when I was fifteen. My brother was twenty two at the time. I remember I was having dinner with the rest of the staff when Nii-san came running in shouting about how "It was all gold and diamonds!". Everyone heard it, but when we asked him what he was talking about, he just ran off and locked himself in his studio. Of course when word got around about what he'd said, a bunch of people started coming to ask him about it, but he just laughed and said that it was a secret between him and the swans."

"So you don't know anything about where he might have seen the treasure?" asked Genta.

Momoko shrugged. "Not a clue. Though it was probably somewhere up around the lake, seeing as that's where he spent most of his time. Personally though, I think he was talking about his inspiration. That was when he painted this whole series of swan and lake paintings that got him noticed."

"So you said some of his paintings are here still, right?" Mitsuhiko was all but quivering with excitement. "Are any of them from that first series? Can we see them?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, two of them are. They're actually the first. You can see them in the lounge right now if you'd like."

The words had barely left her mouth before there was a mad stampede of childish feet into the aforementioned lounge. The young woman was left blinking in mild astonishment at the empty space where the kids had been. Well, children were just children after all. Smiling and shaking her head, she turned back to Aoko with the map she had promised.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting. If you look here, this is the main hiking trail. It has several branches. Some of the branches lead to scenic glades or offer you a good workout. This branch here leads to a particularly unusual rock formation that some visitors like to go take photographs at. Then there's this ridge which overlooks the lake that offers great views, but the terrain there is too rough for a relaxing picnic. That's why you want to take this trail here when the main trail branches. Go along this route as it curves up through the woods and down past these bounders—you can't miss them—and that'll get you to the southern shore. The land there is mostly flat with a lot of soft grass. The shoreline itself is rocky with a bit of sand."

As Aoko, Ren, and Hakuba listened to Momoko's detailed overview of the area's trails, the Shounan Tantei had found the two large paintings adorning the walls of the lodge lounge.

Shinichi came up behind them with Ai, observing the way they had their heads together as they whispered. He would recognize those signs anywhere.

The first of the two paintings was a wash of sunset sky against which a flock of swans were soaring in formation. Beneath them, the waters of the lake glittered like a second sky, mirroring the graceful flight of the birds and the fiery radiance of the sky. The second painting was the one that had been featured on the front of the brochure. Here in its original form, however, the bird was so much more life like. It was in the strokes of the brush and the gleam of the light as it gilded each feather and danced on each water drop. It was poetry in motion in wings and wind and water.

"Wow. This guy really knew his stuff," Kaito remarked, coming up behind Shinichi and draping an arm over his shoulders.

"They're beautiful pieces," Shinichi agreed. "It's like they have souls."

The magician's smile softened. "Indeed it is."

"Do you think there might be a clue as to where the treasure is in these paintings?" Ayumi wondered aloud as she stared up intently at the paintings.

"I'm sure there has to be something," Mitsuhiko replied. He had pulled out a notebook and was starting to take notes. "I mean, if you're going to hide treasure, you have to leave clues. And these are the first two paintings he painted after finding the treasure. It has to be here. We just have to find them."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. Was it just him or was that logic a bit shaky? He turned his head and lowered his voice so that he was murmuring directly into Shinichi's ear. "Any idea why they think there's treasure?"

Shinichi shivered at the sensation of warm breath tickling his ear. "I—I think it was something the artist was supposed to have said in this case. But they've always—" He cut himself off as he noticed the hand stealthily lifting the lid of the picnic hamper. His own hand smacked down, slamming the hamper shut again as he pulled out of Kaito's grasp. "No peeking!"

Kaito tried to look innocent. "What do you mean?"

Shinichi huffed. Like he was going to believe that. "Well don't even think about it." That said, he headed back to the entrance hall to join the others at the information desk.

Hearing what sounded like a chuckle, Kaito looked down to find the Haibara girl wearing an amused smile. She caught him looking and raised an eyebrow.

"Can I help you?"

"Dunno. Do you know what he's hiding in that basket?"

She shrugged. "Maybe."

"I see."

"Aren't you going to ask me what it is?"

"Nah. I'd rather find out for myself."

"Oi, all of you, we're leaving," Nakamori-keibu barked from the lounge entrance. "Where'd those brats go?"

"Dad!"

"I mean where'd those elementary school kids go?"

"They said something about an artist studio," Haibara replied.

"Well find them!"

X

The hike up to the lake took considerably longer than the one to the lodge had. Kaito was somewhat disappointed that Shinichi spent most of it carefully avoiding walking too close to him, all the while keeping one hand on the picnic hamper. It was funny too though, watching Shinichi carefully shift the hamper to the opposite arm whenever the magician came within arm's reach, so Kaito couldn't really complain. It was tickling his curiosity like crazy though. He was starting to think that the contents of that basket had something to do with him.

Coming up behind the Shounan Tantei, he observed that the skinny, freckled boy had a notebook open in his hands. It had a few lines of writing scribbled down on it. His two coconspirators were walking on either side of him, and all three were whispering.

Curious, he moved to walk a little closer behind them, keeping his steps light and maintaining just enough distance not to loom so as not to give away his presence.

"—have to be directions," Mitsuhiko was saying.

"Yeah, but it doesn't say where you're supposed to start," said Genta.

"Maybe we're supposed to start from the studio," Ayumi suggested. "I mean that's where we found his notes."

Genta frowned. "Uh, but that means we have to go back."

"I don't think it's the studio," Mitsuhiko objected. "It says to start by following the water. That must be talking about the lake. There isn't any water down by the lodge."

The little girl brightened suddenly. "Didn't she say that he used to keep the records for the swans? Maybe the starting point is where he used to go to do that."

"I guess that's possible. But how will we know where that is?"

Kaito shook his head, bemused. "Man, those brats sure are obsessed with treasure."

Overhearing his comment, Hakuba snorted. "Says the jewel thief."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "You should learn to be more creative you know. You're starting to sound like a broken record." He heaved a melodramatic sigh. "Poor Aoko. It must be boring hanging out with you all the time."

The blonde glared before an expression came over his face that Kaito had never seen on him before. "Well I see Kudo-san seems to be avoiding you."

That…was actually rather unexpected. Which in itself was pretty surprising. Usually Hakuba was about as predictable as they came. Kaito raised an eyebrow. "That was random. What does Shinichi have to do with this?"

"Nothing." Now the blond detective was looking distinctly smug. "I simply invite you to consider which of us is the one who needs a change of attitude."

Indigo eyes narrowed, but the blonde had already picked up his pace so that he could walk beside Aoko. The nerve! The magician immediately began to plot his revenge. How dare that stick in the mud detective criticize his courting methods! Wait a moment. If that really was what Hakuba had been insinuating then it also meant that the blonde had noticed or at least suspected Kaito's intentions.

That was unexpected. Well, it didn't really change anything. As long as he didn't do anything to jeopardize the thief's plans, Kaito didn't really care what Hakuba thought about any of it. On the other hand, if the blonde did take it into his head to try and get in his way…

"Uh, Kaito-kun?" Nakamori-keibu frowned slightly at the teen magician. He had watched the boy grow up and viewed him as something of a surrogate son, but in all those years he'd never known the boy to give off such a threatening aura (normally Kaito didn't give warnings). "Is something the matter?"

Reminding himself to keep up his Poker Face, Kaito turned to grin up at the older man. "Nope. I was just hoping we get there soon. I'm starving!"

"…Right."

X

They heard the swans long before they saw the gleam of water. Then they were emerging from the forest fringe onto a wide stretch of open grass that sloped gently down towards the lake. It grew sandy near the shore before disappearing beneath the lapping waves at the water's edge. A series of rocks jutted from the water like a series of natural stepping stones. And there, out on the smooth, glassy waters, were several large, white shapes. The swans drifted lazily beneath the clear, blue sky, their heads occasionally darting forward to snap up something edible. Every now and then their entire front ends would disappear downward after some plant growing deep under the surface, leaving their tails in the air before the birds would right themselves again.

The kids cheered and ran down to the water's edge for a closer look at the birds. Back on the grass, the teens began to spread the picnic blanket and set out the food. Kaito offered to relieve Shinichi of his basket and was refused. Then everyone was crowding around their makeshift banquet. The sound of their merriment echoed out over the water to join the cries of the swans.

Loading up her plate with more of the cold pasta she was rather proud of having made, Aoko looked up and paused when she noticed that Ren was no longer by the blanket. A flash of concern raced through her, and she turned. It didn't take her long to find the lone figure standing down by the water. Plate still in hand, the inspector's daughter moved to join her.

The other girl didn't turn, though her shoulders tensed imperceptibly as the crinkling crunch of Aoko's footsteps reached her ears. She could sense the warmth of another human being now standing beside her, but her gaze remained fixed on the vast expanse of water. The other shore of the lake was so far away that it was little more than a suggestion at the base of towering, stony cliffs. Against that sprawling backdrop, even the swans with their long necks and enormous wings were little more than flecks of white like snowflakes on the wind.

Aoko bit her lip. Should she say something? She would ask if Ren was okay, but it felt like she had already asked that same question umpteen times over these last few weeks. It wasn't like she didn't already have a fair idea of the answer she'd get either. So instead she just stood there beside her friend, watching the swans and wondering if Ren was seeing the same things that she was.

"You know, in the wild, this species of swan migrates a lot. But even so, when they go to their nesting grounds, parents can still join up with their old offspring."

Aoko blinked. "Oh… I didn't know that."

"Do you see those yellow patches on their beaks?"

"Yeah."

"The shape of that patch is different for every swan. If you remember them then, if you come back again any time like next year, you'll know if the same swans are still here."

"Oh."

"It's kind of strange, isn't it?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Now Aoko was seriously confused.

"They're so beautiful. We look at them and we use them to describe people who are graceful and elegant, gentle and delicate. But they're not gentle at all. They can cause a lot of damage with their wings and beaks, and they'll actually drive away other animals that might compete with them for food. They're nothing like the way they look. But I guess that's just how reality works. Nothing's ever how you think it should be, and you can never take anything at face value."

"Don't say that," Aoko whispered, taken aback and maybe a little sad too to hear such words from her usually strong and upbeat friend.

"But it's true. Everything can look all wonderful and right, and you think that life's great and the future is bright, but then you turn around and it turns out there was something festering under the smiles. And then you have to wonder if any of it is real." The black-haired girl's voice had gone rough with unshed tears, but still she stared at the lake like she could see another side to her words if she tried. Find another answer than the one that had been creeping up on her.

"Ren…"

"I—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say all that, really. I just… I don't know what happened. I still don't know what happened. Why couldn't I have seen it sooner? I want things to go back to the way they were. I want us all to be a family and be happy again, but they tell me she's probably going to have to stay in the psychiatric ward, and they won't say for how long, and now Dad's afraid I'm going to lose it too, and maybe I am. Sometimes I feel like I just want to throw something at the wall and scream, but that's stupid because it doesn't change anything."

Aoko said nothing. Setting her empty plate aside, she hooked her arm around one of Ren's in the hopes of offering comfort and just listened as the words poured out in place of the tears that still refused to fall.

X

"Kaito?"

The magician looked up from his fruit salad sandwich to find Shinichi standing in front of him. The boy looked uncharacteristically nervous, and he still had that picnic hamper over his arm.

"Yes?"

"Can we talk? In private?"

"Sure." Devouring the rest of his sandwich in three large bites, Kaito dusted off his hands and rose. He waved to Nakamori so that the man would know they were leaving before leading the way towards the rockiest section of the shore. It lay in the opposite direction from where Aoko and Ren were still talking in low voices.

Finding a particularly large, flat rock seated right on the water's edge, Kaito hopped up onto it and patted the empty space beside him. "Have a seat."

Shinichi climbed up onto the rock and accepted the proffered seat. The slightly rough surface of the rock had been baked to a comfortable warmth by the sun despite the faint chill of the mountain air, and it was actually quite a comfortable seat.

"So why did you want to be alone with me?" he inquired, wiggling his eyebrows as he smirked.

The rather suggestive undertone to his question, however, flew right over Shinichi's head.

"I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me since I moved here," he explained, setting his picnic hamper on the flat rock before them. "So, well, you did say you liked chocolate cake, right?"

Kaito blinked. Sitting inside the hamper was a box. And inside the box, when Shinichi lifted the cardboard lid, was a cake. It was round and coated in dark chocolate shavings and whipped cream. A dozen bright red cherries added a vivid splash of color. It wasn't a particularly fancy cake, but it still looked and smelled delicious. He also couldn't help but notice how the box had been carefully packed into the hamper along with some now slightly squishy ice packs to both keep it steady and cool. It was a minor detail, but it was a mark of the careful attention Shinichi had given to it.

As Kaito examined the cake, Shinichi had taken the stack of paper plates from where they were strapped to the inside of the hamper's lid. Next he removed the utensils that had been secured beside the plates. He turned and offered the knife handle to Kaito.

"Here."

The magician accepted the blade, his fingers lingering a moment longer than necessary where they brushed Shinichi's. "You mean you got this all for me?"

"Er, well, I was thinking everyone could share it later, but I… What I mean is, you've been going out of your way a lot lately, and I—"

"So I get first dibs."

It was Shinichi's turn to blink before he laughed. "I guess you could put it that way. So why don't you cut your piece. Then I can take the rest to the others."

"Gladly." Kaito deftly cut the cake with the precision of a master. "Hand me a plate?"

"But you've only cut the cake in half."

"Yep. Half for me, and the other half for everyone else. It is essentially my cake after all. Unless you want it?"

"Er, no, that's okay," the detective said quickly. "I'll just bring this to the others then."

A strong, calloused hand caught his wrist before he could repack the hamper. He looked up to find himself the subject of an intent, indigo stare. That familiar warmth began to creep up into his face. It was just something about the way Kaito was looking at him, the feel of his firm yet gentle grip on Shinichi's own hand…

"They can wait. If you want to thank me then you can at least stay with me a little while, right? Or are you afraid I'm not gonna like the cake?"

At the reemergence of the joking tone Shinichi had grown accustomed to hearing from the magician, the detective relaxed a little and chuckled. "Maybe a little. I've never had anything from this bakery before. I just saw that they had good reviews." But he sat down again, and he didn't protest when Kaito cut him a much more reasonable slice.

The next few minutes were spent eating in companionable silence, watching the swans drift serenely over the mirrored surface of their sprawling, aquatic home.

X

"Have either of you seen those damned brats?" the inspector demanded the moment they were within earshot. "We can't find them anywhere. Again!"

"They said they wanted to go hike some of the other trails," Ren said, a mild note of worry creeping into her voice. "The trails here all seem pretty safe, so I didn't think it'd be a problem. I'm sorry if I should've stopped them."

"No, no, it's okay," Aoko assured her. "I heard them say they wanted to go see the lake's other shores and find some caves or something. I'm sure they just wandered a little too far and forgot that they're supposed to be meeting us back here. You know how kids are."

"Hey you, uh, Haibara, was it?" Nakamori turned to the composed, honey-haired girl. "I seem to remember that your little detective playgroup has some kind of communication device, right?"

"We have our badges," the girl replied calmly, taking a sip from her cup of iced tea. "They can act as communicators and tracking devices with the right equipment."

"So can't you just call the damned brats and tell 'em to get back here right now or risk getting lost in the dark when the sun sets."

Ai took another slow sip of tea. "I did try calling them. They appear to be out of range."

"Ch. That figures. Never let nosy brats run off without supervision," he grumbled as he stalked off in search of other leads.

Seeing that Shinichi hadn't moved to follow the inspector, Kaito approached him. "Shall we form our own search party?"

"I think I might know where they are," Shinichi murmured, one hand rising to his chin. "But if I'm right, I'll need your help to get there."

Kaito beamed, draping himself over the detective's back and wrapping his arms loosely around Shinichi's middle. "It would be my pleasure to help. What do you have in mind."

Struggling to ignore the abrupt invasion of his personal space, Shinichi explained his theory.

X

"I see you detectives can be pretty crazy sometimes too, eh?" Kaito chuckled softly, tone approving.

"Shh," Shinichi hissed. "I have no intention of being mauled by swans. Now can you get us up there or not?"

"Hey, I said I would, so I will."

To say that the Shounan Tantei were surprised when they finally reached the cliff ledge indicated by the sheaf of instructions they had unearthed from one of Kanzaki's old sketchbooks to find that Kaito and Shinichi were already sitting there waiting for them would have been a gargantuan understatement. First of all, they were one hundred percent sure that no one else had seen those instructions. Secondly, they had had to hike through the woods and navigate a complex network of caves to get up here. There were no other paths as it was mostly sheer cliff in every other direction. And they were also sure that no one had passed them on the way.

"Come on you guys, it's time to go," Shinichi said sternly.

"We can't go yet," Genta complained. "We still have to find that treasure!"

"There isn't any treasure," the detective replied. "Or at least not the gold and jewels kind."

"Aw, so you mean someone else got it first?"

"It wasn't you two was it. That's not fair!"

"Oi, we didn't take anything," Kaito interjected, wagging an admonishing finger at the boys.

"But…"

Shinichi glanced up at the sky then turned to Kaito. "Do you think Nakamori-keibu would mind if we stayed just a little longer?"

The magician smirked. "He'll be fine. The brats—"

"Hey! Don't call us that!"

"—did put a lot of work into finding their way up here. Why not let them have their gold and diamonds?"

"Ah ha!" Genta exclaimed triumphantly. "So you two did take the treasure!"

Shinichi cleared his throat. Waiting until the children had quieted, he gestured out over the cliff edge towards the lake. "Look."

The three blinked at him then turned in unison to do as he had instructed. There was a sharp intake of breath before an awed hush fell over their little group.

The sun was setting. Here on their ledge over the eastern shore, looking over the waters towards the west, they had an unparalleled view of the sky and the lake as both were set ablaze. A golden radiance washed across the sky and pooled in the lake below. And there, where the water rippled and danced under the caress of the wind and swans alike, the light fractured and danced like the sparkle of light off of a myriad of scattered gems.

"I don't know if you guys saw, but the titles of those two pieces in the lobby were Sunset Gold and Diamond Dust," Shinichi said into the silence. "His sister was right when she said he was talking about his inspiration. If you look closely, the backgrounds in those two paintings match what you see from this position. I believe it was this sight that inspired him to paint those amazing pieces we saw in the lodge."

"It's beautiful!" Ayumi breathed, hands clasped before her chest as though to hold this moment forever in her heart. "It really does look like gold and diamonds!"

"Yeah," Mitsuhiko agreed, still stunned.

The moment was broken as Genta let out a sudden grunt of dismay. "But that means there's no treasure! Oh man. I thought we were going to be rich."

Ayumi giggled. "That would have been nice. But I think this was worth it too."

"Well, you guys can debate it all you want on the way back. If we don't start moving now, it's going to be dark before we reach the lodge."

"Oh man, I guess we have to go back through those creepy caves then," Mitsuhiko grumbled, already pulling out the instructions they'd been following.

Kaito cleared his throat loudly. "Actually, you'll be going my way."

"What is your way?"

Ten minutes later, Kaito caught the back of Mitsuhiko's collar as the boy tried to run away and lifted him off his feet. "Now, now, struggling will only make things worse for you. I promise you'll get down in one piece."

"Shinichi-niichan!" he cried out in desperation. "We're going to die!"

"Kaito's really good at this," the older detective assured his former classmate. He did feel a little sorry for the boy, but on the other hand, the kids had brought this on themselves by running up here by themselves and not telling anyone else.

And so, one by one, the Shounan Tantei found themselves clinging for dear life to Kaito as the magician repelled them down the side of the very tall cliff. Shinichi was the last to leave the ledge, and he had to admit that being carried down the cliff by Kaito was one experience he would never forget (he said he could do it himself, but Kaito insisted, saying he only had the equipment for one). It was unnerving but just a little fun and exciting too, and maybe it was kind of nice to have someone he could rely on.

The Shounan Tantei and Shinichi waited as the magician collected and packed his tools. Then it was time to sneak past the swan nests and back onto the approved trails.

They had almost reached it when Mitsuhiko's foot slipped on a rock and sent it tumbling down the slope to collide with a large, feather-covered back.

There was a honk as the swan reared up and spread out its massive wings. Mitsuhiko let out a squeak that he would later deny, and suddenly they were all running as large, white birds chased after them.

X

"What the hell happened to you lot?" Nakamori Ginzo stared at the two teens and three kids covered in scratches, bruises, leaves, dirt, and white swan feathers. "You know what, I don't want to know. Just get in the van. We're heading home."

"Yes, Sir."

Of course then one of the car tires went flat.

"This is ridiculous," Hakuba groaned.

For once, Nakamori was in complete agreement with the blond detective. "I'm never renting a van from this company again."

"We could

just camp out here for the night," Kaito suggested from his seat beside Shinichi. "It's not like we have school tomorrow. When the sun comes up, we can either hike back to the lodge or down into town,."

"But we didn't bring any camping equipment," Aoko pointed out.

"We do have left over picnic food," Ren offered. "And we could probably sleep on our seats in the van. It's not perfect, but it's not that uncomfortable either. And if anyone needs to answer the call of nature, they can do it right outside."

A few more arguments were lodged, but as they really didn't have much in the way of options, the group began to settle down for a quick dinner of leftovers and a night in the car.

Feeling the need for some space and fresh air, Shinichi slipped out of the van when no one was looking and shut the door quietly behind him. The air here in the mountains was cold and a little damp with earth and condensation, but he kind of liked the smell. It was clean in the way that dewdrops were clean and fresh like spring soaring into summer.

"Hey, you wanna come up and join me?"

Startled, he looked up to find himself eye to eye with an upside down Kaito. He took an involuntary step back and bumped into the side of the van. "Kaito? What are you doing?"

"Come up and I'll show you." The face disappeared, but a hand soon replaced it. Shinichi examined the hand for tricks before giving in and reaching out to grasp it. The next thing he knew he was being pulled up on top of the large traveling van. There, he found Kaito.

The magician scooted over and pat the car roof beside him in a clear invitation for Shinichi to join him. The detective did. It felt a bit odd to be sitting on the roof of a car in the middle of a mountain road, but he couldn't say it wasn't novel.

"You can see the moon from here.

Shinichi glanced at Kaito then looked up. Ahead of them, the black silhouettes of the surrounding trees cut jagged, black shapes against the softer black velvet of the sky. But there, almost directly ahead of them as though it was the light at the end of a tunnel, was the round, white circle of the moon.

"Kaito?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering, are you…"

"Am I what?"

"Never mind."

"Come on, spill it. I can tell it's important."

"No, really. I just wanted to tell you that, well… If you ever have anything you need to tell me, I promise that I will not judge you, and I'll listen to the whole story."

"Do you have something in mind, Tantei-kun?"

A shiver ran up Shinichi's spine at that name—that tone. But he ignored it. "I don't know. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I just…wanted you to know that."

"I see. Well, thank you. And if you ever have anything you need to talk about, I'll be here to listen too."

"O—oh. Um, thank you… That means a lot."

TBC