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Sky Colored Eyes

46: Shadow of the Moon

"You saw a what?" Kaito asked, incredulous.

"A…a monster. Or maybe a ghost. I—I don't know. It was standing, hovering, behind Setsu-san. It was horrible!"

"Yeah, I think maybe you've been way too stressed out about all this."

"I am not making it up, Bakaito!"

"Hey, hey, I didn't say that, did I?" The magician flapped a placating hand at her in a manner that Shinichi felt Kaito probably knew would only make the girl madder. "But take it from an expert. People see what they want to see."

"Are you saying I wanted to see a monster?"

"I'm saying that you've had monsters on your mind so much that you're now predisposed to seeing them."

"Is it possible that Setsu-san induced your vision somehow?" Shinichi suggested, more to divert the girl's rising ire than anything else. His question had the desired effect as everyone sitting in the gazebo paused to think.

"It's not impossible," Hakuba said finally. "Although, whether or not it is, I don't think that he meant to make Aoko fall. His expression when she slipped was shocked."

"But…how would he make an illusion like that?" Aoko wondered aloud.

Three pairs of eyes turned to Kaito.

"Obviously there are ways," the magician replied with a shrug. "It's you two who were there who should be telling us what he could have done. Blondie here is supposed to be a detective after all. Oh wait, sorry," he amended with a snide smirk. "I guess it should be Greenie right now."

Hakuba's eye twitched. "Aren't you supposed to be the expert on illusions? Or are you admitting that this is beyond you?"

Kaito scoffed. "Nothing is beyond me. But unless Aoko here was under the influence of some drug, there's no reason that she would have seen an illusion while Hakuba did not. You were both there, weren't you? Walking together?"

He was answered by an uneasy silence.

"We did have breakfast with him," the inspector's daughter said finally, tone doubtful.

"Really, Ahoko, why can't you just accept that you were probably seeing things?"

"Because I wasn't," she snapped, temper flaring up again. "You could at least go and look at the place. Do something useful with all that stupid magic stuff you know for once."

"Well that's a fine way to ask someone for a favor." Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Kaito bounced to his feet. "Come on then, Shinichi. We better go look if we want any peace on the rest of our holiday."

Aoko stuck her tongue out at the magician's retreating back before she realized how childish she was behaving and stopped, casting an embarrassed look sideways to where Saguru was pinching the bridge of his nose again.

"You were making her angry on purpose," Shinichi said a little accusingly as he and Kaito drew out of earshot of their friends. "She's obviously extremely upset by all this. You could have been more sympathetic."

Kaito cocked an eyebrow, folding his arms behind his head as he walked. "And do what exactly? Commiserate with her about how creepy her vision was? What good would that have done?"

"And making her mad is better?"

"Look at it this way. She's not scared anymore."

Shinichi opened his mouth then shut it again. That was true, he supposed. Aoko had been pale and shaking when they'd first lain eyes on her at the gazebo. By the time they'd left, however, she had been looking much more like herself. She'd been annoyed, yes, but in the familiar, day to day way that was basically harmless. It was a weird way to cheer someone up, but he could kind of see the sense in it too. He shook his head at the thought.

"Do you really think it was just her imagination?" he asked, thoughts turning inevitably back to the case at hand.

"Well, I'm not ruling out the possibility that it was real, witches being real and all, but as I said earlier, the human mind is exceptionally good at deceiving itself."

Shinichi hummed in thought. "And the possibility of an illusion?"

"Unlikely. Such a trick would require setting up, and this guy joined the tour last minute. He wouldn't have had any time to prepare anything big, and I doubt he risked hiking up here in the middle of the night to fiddle around with the landscape. That's a recipe for a broken neck."

Shinichi nodded. He'd been thinking the same thing.

Despite their doubts, they conducted a thorough examination of the steps upon their arrival. As they had predicted, however, they found nothing of note. Shinichi was turning to head back down to the inn when Kaito caught his arm.

"Let's go see the shrine. We're here anyway. It'd be a waste to just go back now."

Shinichi hesitated. "But Aoko-san—"

"Has the prat with her. She'll be fine." As he spoke, he subtly began to herd Shinichi up the stairs. "Besides, we're still on vacation. It would be dumb to let a little hallucination get in the way of having fun. And since neither of us is dumb, we're going to have fun."

X

Kuroba Chikage stood at the edge of the patio with her arms folded loosely atop the rails. Her face was tilted upwards, and the moon's soft light fell over and around her like the warm embrace of a lover. Her face in that moment was open and soft, tranquil and touched with a hint of a sadness so deep that nothing on earth would ever be able to fill it.

Kaito hesitated only a moment before padding across the patio to stand beside her. He draped a coat over her shoulders, marveling at the fact that he was taller than she was now. He still remembered being a child and having to look up at his mother while she smiled down at him, watchful and warm as the sun. Now he stood taller than she, and it was his turn to offer comfort. Except, well, he knew what that shadow of sadness was, and he didn't know if he had the power or the right to vanquish it. He did know, however, that he was the only one who could. Because that was another of the legacies his father had left for him. To love and care for the woman his father had loved and who had given Kaito himself life.

Sometimes, he really wished he didn't have to hide so much from her. He knew she was aware of much, but he could never bring himself to just open the doors and bring her into the heart of it. It wasn't because she couldn't handle it. She had, after all, been the wife of the Kaitou KID (and a pretty damned good thief herself, back in the day). He was sure she could handle anything. But he didn't want it to have to come to that. He didn't want her to be entangled in the affairs of this battlefield. He wanted her to stay out of the line of fire and just be there for him as she'd always been.

"Do you remember?" she asked him suddenly, raising a hand and pointing to a spot in the sky.

Kaito looked in the direction she had pointed. There was nothing there now. But in the theater of his mind, another sky stretched deep and pure and dazzling, full of distant galaxies.

"The shooting star," he murmured, indigo eyes soft in memory. It had been the first one he'd ever seen. They had seen the star together. All three of them. It had streaked across the sky, a gleam of silver against rich velvet.

"We each made a wish," his mother said, her gaze still fixed on the phantom of that star long past.

"I remember." He recalled rushing to chant his wish in his head before the star disappeared: to be a great magician one day just like his father, whom he'd known with all the certainty a young soul could have was the best in the world at everything. He had been a mere child then. The funny thing was that his wish hadn't changed all that much over the years. Although perhaps his ambitions had grown. Now he wanted to be an even greater magician than even his father had been. A magician who could amaze even Kuroba Toichi.

"We had the same wish, your father and I," Chikage murmured.

Kaito cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah? What was it?"

But his mother only smiled and changed the subject.

"So how was your flight?"

He didn't bother asking her how she knew. "It was good."

"Aoko told me you and Shinichi-kun got lost."

He coughed lightly. "I wouldn't go so far as to call it being lost. We just took the scenic route."

"I see." The woman sounded amused. "And did you see anything interesting?"

He chuckled. "Quite a lot. We caught a few butterfly watchers who we were fortunately able to absolve of any murder charges. We saw the jewels of the forest again, and we paid a visit to the shrine and searched for ghost monsters. Didn't find any though."

"That certainly does sound like quite a full day. It's no wonder Shinichi-kun didn't make it to dinner."

Kaito winced inwardly, though he kept his Poker Face neutral. Shinichi hadn't missed dinner just because of a little fatigue. The detective had nearly collapsed halfway down the trail back from the shrine (almost giving Kaito a heart attack. His detective had very nearly pitched head first down the stairs). Even thinking about it now made Kaito's blood run cold. How could he have forgotten about Shinichi's condition? And then the detective had to go and apologize, which had only made Kaito feel like a jerk for having been so pushy.

The whole fiasco had put an abrupt end to his original plans to coax Shinichi into going to the hot springs with him or trying out the tub-spring in their room.

"Kaito? What's wrong?"

The magician pulled on his best smile. "It's nothing really. I was just thinking that I may have planned too mush for one trip. It is supposed to be relaxing after all."

He couldn't tell his mother about Shinichi's medical condition. The detective had trusted him with this secret—this weakness—even though it was clearly something that the detective was still struggling to accept. Kaito wanted to honor that trust.

"Better to be over prepared than underprepared."

His mother made a thoughtful noise in the back of her throat that he couldn't quite decipher. "Why don't you bring some food to Shinichi-kun?" she suggested. "Since he missed dinner. That boy is far too skinny already. And the sky is so clear tonight."

Kaito blinked then laughed. "You know, that's a good idea."

It was Chikage's turn to laugh.

The magician moved to give his mother a hug and wish her goodnight. Then he disappeared just as silently as he had come. Chikage turned her gaze back to the moon once he had gone, a gentle smile gracing her lips. Oh how he'd grown, that boy of theirs. And she wished with all her heart that Toichi could have been here too, to see the man their son had become. There were times when she felt like her very soul ached with that wish. But at others, like now, with the moon's light all around her and the world oh so still and at peace, she felt like he really was here with her after all. Watching over them.

She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply as her mind wandered back through the years.

X

Kaito made his way through the hotel like a shadow: swift and silent. The night really was still young, he thought. Indigo eyes gleamed with controlled energy.

First he had to get rid of Hakuba. That was easy enough. He not-so-accidentally ran into the blonde getting tea and dropped a few hints about how Aoko was still feeling unsettled, and wouldn't a bit of quiet stargazing help brighten up her mood?

Then Kaito had gone to the kitchen to collect some necessary supplies and gone back to their room.

The room was dark when he opened the door. That was no surprise. What did surprise him was that Shinichi was sitting on his futon with a book open on his lap. The light from the moon outside pooled on the pages like puddles of silver, providing just enough light for the detective to read by.

"You were supposed to be resting," the magician admonished as he slid open the doors to the porch and began setting up.

"I did rest," Shinichi protested, eyes never rising from their task. "I slept, but then I woke up. I feel a lot better now, so I thought I could do a bit of reading. What are you doing?" he added as an afterthought, having finally noticed the picnic cloth spread across their porch and the neat little basket of assorted foods as well as the stack of plates, utensils—and were those candles?

Kaito grinned. "Since you missed dinner, I thought I'd bring you a little something. There are no clouds tonight, and we've got a great view of the moon and stars. It's the perfect way to wind down from an eventful day."

Rising to his feet, Kaito swept into a deep, showman's bow. When he rose, he raised both his hands and snapped his fingers. Instantly, every candle he'd set up came to life. It was as though the room's wooden floor had sprouted a crop of fiery blooms.

"Well?" the magician said when Shinichi didn't immediately react. "What do you think?"

"It's very pretty," Shinichi admitted. "But the staff isn't going to appreciate your candles. They're kind of a fire hazard."

The magician wagged an admonishing finger at him. "Now, now, do you really think I'd be that careless?"

Shinichi snorted. "Accidents can happen even to the most cautious of people."

"Maybe so, but I'm good at improvising, especially when it comes to problem solving," Kaito retorted. "Now stop ruining the mood and come here."

"The mood?" Blue eyes blinked at him in confusion. Kaito thought the expression was rather adorable, but he kept the thought to himself. It wasn't time to show his hand.

"It's a beautiful night," he said instead. "We've got good food, and we're on vacation. It doesn't get much better than that. We've got an obligation to enjoy it."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Shinichi. But he set his book aside and let Kaito pull him to his feet. They tread carefully through the field of candles until they reached the clearing in the middle where their dinner awaited them. Kaito handed him a laden plate and a pair of chopsticks.

Shinichi thanked him. Then he spent a few moments prodding at the contents of his plate with the chopsticks.

"Is there something wrong with the food?" Kaito asked. He had already cleaned off a quarter of his own plate. When he'd managed to do so, Shinichi had no idea. Had the magician even stopped to chew?

"No, it's fine," he said when he remembered he'd been asked a question. "I'm just not very hungry." He knew he should eat it, but he really didn't have much of an appetite.

"Start with the cold noodles then," Kaito suggested. "They're lighter, and they're a bit sour. Mom says a hint of sour can help encourage a person's appetite. Not sure if it's true, since I've never had that problem, but you can't go around skipping meals if you ever want to get better."

Shinichi felt a sudden chill at those words, but he shook it off. He didn't usually like his noodles cold, but these had indeed been made well. They ate for a while in silence. The detective's gaze was fixed on the candles scattered about the patio before him. Kaito, on the other hand, split his attention between the moon and his companion's profile.

The magician's thoughts flashed back to the moment on the mountainside. He'd been watching Shinichi then too, gauging the detective's reaction to one of his stories, when all of a sudden Shinichi's face had gone white. The next thing he knew, the detective was pitching forward.

"Is it always so sudden?" The question slipped out before he could stop it. Then again, he wanted to know, so he supposed he didn't regret asking.

A pained look flashed across Shinichi's face before his features smoothed and he sighed. He could guess what Kaito was referring to.

"It varies," he said eventually, voice soft. "I can tell it's coming sometimes, but…" He raised one shoulder in a half shrug. He still didn't like thinking about it, but, for some reason, he found he didn't mind telling Kaito about it. The magician already knew most of it anyway.

"How often?"

Shinichi waved a hand vaguely. "Not that often anymore."

"So it's getting better."

Shinichi looked down. "Maybe…"

"Shinichi?"

"I… Haibara says… It's not really something that… Chances are high that it's a permanent condition."

Kaito took a moment to process the new information as he poured them each a cup of chamomile tea. The information was unpleasant but not entirely a surprise. There was no point dwelling on it. Besides, it didn't really change anything. It didn't change the people they were, and it couldn't change the way he felt.

"You know you have nothing to be ashamed of, don't you?" he stated more than asked.

Shinichi blinked then looked away. He swallowed a lump that had mysteriously risen in his throat. Was he ashamed? He supposed he was, although he hadn't thought about it that way.

He took a few more bites of his food to give himself a moment.

The moment grew longer and softer until finally it fell away.

"Thanks."

It was only one small, almost inaudible word. But saying that one word lifted an immense burden from Shinichi's shoulders. Burdens he hadn't even been entirely aware that he had been bearing.

It was okay to be the way he was.

He'd just needed to hear that from someone, he supposed. To hear that it wasn't some huge problem that was ruining his life forever and ever. It was just a new part of the person that was Kudo Shinichi. It was different, but it didn't have to be a big deal.

A calloused hand took his. "Come now, Miko-chan. We're having a picnic. The stars are beautiful. The moon is bright. We have our candles and our food, and we have us. We've got everything for the perfect date. So stop thinking already and just enjoy it!"

Shinichi blinked. "Miko-chan?"

"Well, you are my Miko-chan. We've been married for years! How could you forget?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I thought you didn't want us to be thinking about work right now."

"Who said anything about work?"

"Well then don't call me that," the detective grumbled. "I only agreed to play the part for the investigation."

"Okay," the thief agreed—too quickly, Shinichi thought. "We'll go with Shin-chan then."

Shinichi spluttered. "What? No!"

"So you prefer Miko-chan?"

"Why does it have to be one or the other?"

"I have to call you something," the magician said reasonably (or very unreasonably, depending on the point of view).

"Just call me Shinichi like you always do."

"Nah. I like Shin-chan better."

"…" Shinichi felt that what Kaito liked better wasn't really the issue here.

"You could always give me a nickname," the magician offered generously.

"…No thanks."

Kaito laughed. Lifting a hand, he snapped his fingers. There was a small flash of light. It disintegrated into a cascade of golden sparks. Shinichi's eyes followed the glittering shower down to find that a pair of small plates had appeared out of nowhere. Each had a rather beautiful fruit tart sitting on it.

Kaito picked up a plate and held it out to him. "Dessert?"

Smiling despite himself, Shinichi accepted the proffered tart. "Thank you."

"Any time."

TBC