Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Chapter Rating: M

Warning: Lemon in the later half

Collection Summary: No matter where or what they are, their lives are always entwined. KaiShin stories in fantasy settings.

Chapter Summary: Ever since he became the forest guardian's consort, Shinichi's life has become filled with magic both literal and figurative. His birthday is no different.


Of Spring Flowers and Showers: Nighttime

[Spirit Verse]

"What was up with all those birds and flowers this morning anyway?" Shinichi asked as he followed Kaito into the depths of Clover Forest. Though the shadows were deepening, he had no fears of getting lost—not with the forest's guardian spirit watching over him.

"Well, I knew I wouldn't be seeing you until this evening," Kaito replied. "But I wanted to be the first to wish you a happy birthday." He flashed one of his most charming smiles over his shoulder at Shinichi. "Did you enjoy the surprise?"

"I enjoyed the chorus," Shinichi replied, thinking back on the incredible and extremely peculiar experience of listening to an entire choir of songbirds singing happy birthday outside his bedroom window. "But the flowers nearly gave me a heart attack. I was trying to figure out what I'd say to Ran and Sonoko if they noticed."

Kaito laughed. "I'd say you could have told them the truth, but I guess that skittish friend of yours wouldn't have taken that too well."

"Ran's not skittish," Shinichi said, feeling obligated to defend one of his oldest friends. "She's just…not very comfortable with supernatural things."

Kaito let out a loud snort but refrained from actually saying anything.

"So where are you taking me?" Shinichi asked, noticing for the first time that the forest around them was unfamiliar. Of course, he knew that, for all that he had traveled more of Clover Forest than any other human alive, he had still yet to see even a tenth of its vast and magical reaches, especially the more extensive portions of the forest that lay purely in the realm of the spirits. But he really didn't feel like they had been walking very far. Then again, he reminded himself, he was traveling with the guardian of this forest. Being both lord and caretaker of Clover Forest, Kaito could travel to any part of it with less effort than it took for a human to take a single step.

"We're going to Cloud Cove," Kaito replied. "It's right over the heart of my forest tonight. We'll have a spectacular view."

Shinichi's brows furrowed. The words all made sense, but the content of those words was another matter. How could a cove have positions? And a view?

"You make it sound like this place moves around in the air," he said.

Kaito beamed. "Oh, it does. It's called Cloud Cove for a reason. If you're ready, we can start the ascent."

Figuring he was about as ready as he could be and increasingly curious about this Cloud Cove, Shinichi replied that he was ready and accepted Kaito's proffered hand. The spirit gave Shinichi's hand a light tug, indicating that he should resume walking, and the two set off again. Only, this time, as they moved, Shinichi could actually see the forest around them shifting as though they were strolling through a dreamscape where the landscape was never the same from one moment to the next—simply fading from one into the next.

The changes in the plants around them and the slope of the ground beneath their feet were the only reasons why Shinichi could tell that they were moving rapidly from one elevation up to the next. Kaito had to be taking them up one of Clover Forest's mountains. The air thinned and grew chillier, yet Shinichi found that he could still breathe easily. Then he saw snow, and he knew that Kaito had to be using magic to keep him warm. This incremental journey upward was probably for Shinichi's benefit as well to help him get accustomed to the changes and the shift from the mortal realm to the spirit world more naturally. For Shinichi could sense the difference in the air now, and he knew that they were in a part of the forest that lay entirely in Kaito's world.

The air in the spirit realm always seemed to be brighter, richer, and more…alive. There was an energy in the very atmosphere that Shinichi had never felt anywhere outside of the forest.

"And we're here!" Kaito announced.

They stepped out onto an expanse of white beach.

Shinichi caught his breath, eyes growing wide with delighted wonder.

It was as though they had stepped out onto the shores of a seaside cove encircled by rocky ridges and a light dusting of trees and flowering shrubs except that everything from the beach to the rocks were a pure, soft white. A moment later, Shinichi realized that this was because all of it was made of clouds—or at least he thought they were clouds. They looked soft and fluffy like clouds, but the ground beneath his feet, though springy, was firm. And in the middle of it all, a great pool of crystal clear water glimmered. It was breathtaking and surreal like a scene out of a fairytale.

"Come on. You have to look into the lake," Kaito told him. "Then we can eat."

Shinichi followed the spirit down towards the water's edge still marveling at the impossible landscape. When he ran his hand over the trunk of a tree they passed, he found its bark to be smooth and almost velvety. The leaves of the pushes were less substantial and tickled his fingertips like feathers.

Down at the water's edge, Shinichi's breath caught again as he gazed down into water so clear he wouldn't have known it was there if not for the light rippling across its surface. He could see straight down to where the shore sloped gradually away down into the water until it seemed to dissolve into a glittering, underwater galaxy. He even thought he saw several fish darting by, except that they weren't fish, he realized with a start. They were more like birds with no feet whose bodies flowed out into long, fish-like tails.

"They're a kind of high altitude water spirit," Kaito explained, seeing where Shinichi was looking. "They're shy and very rare. This school was rendered homeless by some really foul smoke from a human city far to the south of here. I found the last survivors wandering near my border some sixty years ago, trying to find a new cloud sea to inhabit. So I made Cloud Cove for them to live in. They've done well. The school's still undersized, but I've seen a few chicks, so I think the new home is agreeing with them."

Shinichi smiled, watching the distant silver shapes frolicking in the depths. "I'm glad." And he was, though it also saddened him to think of how these strange but elegant creatures had been driven from their original homes by humans who probably didn't even realize they had nearly wiped out an entire community of living creatures. He really wished more people would take the time to appreciate all the myriad of lives around them, both human and nonhuman.

"What are those lights?" he asked, leaning forward slightly to squint into the pale, blue-tinted depths.

Kaito grinned. "It'll be cooler if you see it for yourself. So we can eat first then go for a swim."

The picnic basket Shinichi had brought to the forest with him was sitting on a blanket already spread out higher up on the shore. They unpacked the food then settled down for a comfortable meal. Shinichi shared stories of the day's events and the things that had been happening around the village, and Kaito told him about the negotiations he had been engaged in with the spirit lord of a neighboring domain as well as the upcoming spirit realm ball that always took place around the summer solstice.

"If you'd like you could go with me this year," he offered. "Your body is well enough adjusted to the spirit world by now to make the journey safely."

"I'll think about it," Shinichi said, fishing a small satchel from his coat pocket and holding it out to Kaito. "I almost forgot. I just got these today. They're a gift from Sonoko. Since her family works in the merchant business, I asked her a while ago to see if she could get them for me. It turns out she remembered."

Curious, Kaito opened the satchel.

"You asked her for some seeds?" he asked, puzzled.

Shinichi looked away, a hint of pink rising to his cheeks. "Well, you said you'd like to be able to make your own chocolate. These seeds are from the plant that chocolate comes from. She got me a book about the chocolate making process too."

Kaito blinked then smiled softly. "I see," he murmured. "Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you."

A faint blush crept into Shinichi's face, and he ducked his head to hide it even as something inside him gave a happy little flutter at the warmth in Kaito's eyes. He busied himself fetching the book from where it had been wrapped in paper and tucked safely underneath the cloth in the picnic basket. Kaito accepted the book and wrapped both it and the satchel carefully inside a protective bubble of magic which then vanished in a shimmer of distorted air.

"I'll read it later," he said, rising to his feet and dismissing the basket as well as all the dinnerware so that only the blanket was left spread across the shore. "Now come on. You still have to see the best part of this place."

"The best?" Shinichi repeated, wondering how this already magical place could get any more incredible than it already was. He stepped up to stand next to Kaito by the water, giving Kaito a confused look when the spirit simply stood there watching him. "What?"

"We're going swimming," said the spirit. "You'll need to take your clothes off. Although if you'd prefer that I take them off for you, I would be happy to oblige," he added and laughed when Shinichi blushed and tried to smack him. Kaito dodged him easily, smile broadening into a positively evil grin. "What's the matter? As I recall, you were quite happy to let me take your clothes off last time you visited me. And all the times before that, come to think of it."

Turning even redder, Shinichi turned his back on Kaito, muttering under his breath about perverted spirits. But he did as he'd been told and stripped, feeling Kaito's eyes on him all the while. Folding his clothes neatly on the soft, springy shore, he turned and marched straight into the water without looking at Kaito.

Having expected the water to be freezing, he was surprised when it turned out to be only pleasantly cool. The discovery distracted him so that he didn't notice Kaito coming up behind him until strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist, pulling him back against Kaito's bare chest. Shinichi started then relaxed despite himself.

"I thought it would be colder," he said, leaning back into the embrace. He felt more than heard Kaito chuckle.

"I keep the temperature here regulated. The water spirits here can withstand quite chilly temperatures, but they don't prefer it. This way, everyone's comfortable. The water in a cloud sea isn't exactly normal water either."

"I suppose it would have to be abnormal to stay in the sky," Shinichi said dryly. "Is it safe to drink?"

"Perfectly safe," Kaito assured him. "It just has a high magical content, and the pressure of it remains the same no matter how deep you swim. Anyway, I'm going to cast a spell to help you breathe underwater. Then we can head down."

There was something eerie about knowing you were underwater but being able to breathe like you weren't. It took Shinichi several minutes to finally get the hang of it and stop expecting to start choking. Once he had though, the experience became rather enjoyable.

Together, he and Kaito dove towards the lake's sparkling depths. Shinichi kept looking around, hoping for a better look at the strange, bird-like water spirits, but the creatures were every bit as shy as Kaito had said they were. Not a single one of them came within fifty feet of him, and they always seemed to be swimming away. He felt a bit disappointed, but he supposed there would be other chances. Maybe one day they would get used to him. He hoped so since, according to Kaito, he would eventually share some of Kaito's duties as the guardian of Clover Forest.

As though the world itself seemed to have been eavesdropping on his thoughts, suddenly, it was all there. Clover Forest. It spread out below him in a vast tapestry of forests and rivers, mountains and lakes, all wild and beautiful and alive.

Shinichi stopped dead in the water and just stared. It was as though he was a bird hovering high above the forest. Though it looked far away though, it also somehow felt close enough to touch. And the entire mirage glittered as though sewn with jewels.

He wasn't sure how long he hung there entranced by the view. It wasn't until a hand tapped him on the shoulder that he started out of his awed stupor. Slowly, he followed Kaito back to the surface of the cloud sea, casting glances back at that panorama every few seconds.

"Was that real?" he asked later as they made their way back onto shore. His words came out hushed as though loathed to leave that magical moment behind.

"It was," Kaito replied. Drying them both off with a quick spell, he pulled Shinichi down onto the blanket they had left on the shore. Still lost in thought, Shinichi let Kaito pull him onto the spirit's lap and didn't even comment on the fact that his neat stack of clothes had gone missing. "We were looking through the under clouds of the cloud sea."

"But what were those lights?"

"Spirits, mostly. Places with more concentrated energy too, and magic. It's a property that the water of cloud seas can gain once you've had this particular type of water spirit living in it for a while. It has the power to show things as they are. This water is also a great aid for scrying."

"Is that why I felt like the forest looked more alive? Because I was seeing the life in it?"

"Indeed it was."

Shinichi shook his head slowly in wonder. "That really was amazing," he murmured before a sudden frown came to his face. "What would have happened if we swam too far down?"

"Are you asking me if we would have fallen out the other side of the cloud sea floor?"

"Well? Would we? Because you really should warn people about those kind of things before taking them somewhere."

Kaito chortled. "Rest assured, you were in no danger of falling out of Cloud Cove. I would have caught you before that happened."

"That sounds suspiciously like you're saying I could have gone right through," Shinichi said dryly.

"Well~," Kaito drawled. "We are in a cloud. The bottom of the cloud sea is pretty thin, though you still would have noticed it if you'd gone down any further. But if you'd pushed at it, it, shall we say, wouldn't have pushed back much."

Shinichi grimaced then sighed. "I'd say I'd prefer to be forewarned of such possibilities in the future when we go sightseeing, but I suspect it wouldn't do me any good."

Kaito just chuckled. "Most places have their dangers. It would spoil the experience though if you're always looking for them. All you really need to know is that I'd never let anything hurt you. You do trust me, don't you?"

Shinichi ducked his head, cheeks turning pink. "I do."

Smiling, Kaito leaned down to kiss the back of Shinichi's neck. "Good," he murmured, warm breaths ghosting across Shinichi's skin.

Shinichi shivered, though it wasn't because he was cold. He became abruptly aware of the fact that he was sitting on Kaito's lap and that they were both still very much unclothed. The itch he had been trying to ignore all evening returned with a vengeance, blossoming rapidly into an intense craving as Kaito's lips migrated to the sensitive spot just under his ear, and the spirit's hands began gently stroking his thighs.

On an impulse, Shinichi turned around so that he was straddling Kaito's lap and slid his arms around Kaito's neck to pull him down into a deep, passionate kiss. Kaito was quick to take the invitation. His hands found their way to Shinichi's hips, pulling him even closer so that they were pressed flush against each other as Kaito took control of the kiss.

Shinichi moaned softly. The feel of Kaito's arousal growing under him made his own body shudder with desire. He shifted his hips without thinking, rubbing himself against that enticing hardness as he wrapped his thighs more snugly around Kaito's hips.

Kaito let out a sound that was half laugh, half groan of pleasure. "My, aren't we bold today."

Shinichi blushed and buried his face in the crook of Kaito's neck. "It's this bond and the stupid seasonal tides." His embarrassment didn't stop him from slipping a hand down between their bodies to give Kaito's erection a long, firm pull. He felt a certain satisfaction when he heard the spirit's breath hitch. The hard length in his hand pulsed, and Shinichi shuddered. He wanted to feel that inside him.

He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the side of Kaito's neck. "I want to feel you come inside me."

His words had the desired effect as Kaito stiffened.

Then Kaito had caught Shinichi's chin with one hand and tilted his young lover's face up as he leaned in to seal their mouths together in another heated kiss. His other hand slid lower to cup the warm, soft curve of Shinichi's butt. He gave that delectable behind a firm squeeze, and smirked when Shinichi squeaked but moved into his touch. The hand he still had wrapped around Kaito's cock gave another firm pull.

A low, almost feral growl escaped Kaito's lips. Seeing his typically shy lover so eager was making his already hard cock throb with desire.

It was time to step things up.

Shinichi moaned as slick fingers pressed into him, stretching him—preparing him for something bigger. In and out they moved, first two fingers then three, sliding deeper with each thrust and stroking the fire inside him into a raging inferno all heat and pleasure and an all consuming need. And just as he thought he was going to go mad with want, those fingers were pulling out.

Shinichi let out a gasp of surprise as he was pushed onto his back on the soft blankets beneath them. Calloused hands slid over his thighs, spreading them wide. Then something hot and hard was pressing against his stretched entrance. He let out a breathless whimper as Kaito's rock hard length thrust slowly into him. It filled him, thick and hot, stretching him to his limit. His muscles clenched reflexively around the intrusion as it slid in deeper and deeper until Kaito's pulsating length was finally fully sheathed inside him.

Kaito trailed his lips up the curve of Shinichi's neck and along his jaw before moving to capture his lips in a lingering kiss. Shinichi's head was spinning by the time he pulled away.

"Comfortable?" Kaito murmured against Shinichi's lips.

In answer, Shinichi wrapped his arms around Kaito's neck and pulled him into another, passionate kiss as he clenched his inner muscles around his lover's length. Kaito made a guttural noise in the back of his throat as his hips jerked, and Shinichi gasped. Kaito rolled his hips, and Shinichi mewled, head falling back against the blankets as his hands scrabbled at Kaito's strong, bare back for something to hold onto.

Kaito didn't give him any time to recover as he held Shinichi's hips in an iron grip, holding him in place as Kaito pulled almost all the way out of him then thrust slowly all the way back in. Shinichi all but convulsed around him with a stream of breathless little mewling cries that went straight to Kaito's cock. He gave another long, deep thrust that had Shinichi arching off the ground. One of his hands tangled itself in Kaito's wild mess of hair while the other left scratches down the spirit's back before twisting itself in the blanket under them.

Making a low sound in the back of his throat that was half a growl and half groan , Kaito picked up the pace. Each thrust had him plowing hard into Shinichi's sweet spot, sending electric jolts of pleasure searing through Shinichi's nerves as pleasured cries spilled unchecked from kiss-swollen lips.

Kaito loosened his grip on Shinichi's hips and let out a pleased noise when the boy immediately began moving to meet his thrusts. Shinichi was riding each thrust of Kaito's cock like an animal in heat even as he canted his hips just so to allow Kaito in even deeper.

Overwhelmed by the intensity of the heat and the pleasure rolling through his body, it was all Shinichi could do to hang on, but hang on he did, not wanting the moment to end. Kaito could sense he was close though—could feel Shinichi's velvet heat growing tighter and tighter around his cock. The sensation only spurred him on. His thrusts grew harder, faster—wilder, and Shinichi positively writhed.

With a wordless cry that was almost a scream, Shinichi came, muscles clenching tight around the hard length still moving inside him. Kaito managed a few more thrusts before he too came buried hilt deep in his lover's trembling body.

Shinichi moaned loudly as he felt Kaito's release inside him, filling him completely with everything Kaito. He shuddered, and his hips rocked instinctively, inner muscles spasming as though trying to milk every drop from his lover's cock.

It was Kaito's turn to moan, and he pressed his mouth against the side of Shinichi's neck, nipping and sucking at the sensitive skin until he had left a prominent mark.

It was several minutes before Shinichi swam up out of the pleasure induced haze into which all his thoughts had melted. Slowly, the world around him came back into focus, and he blinked dreamily at the impossibly large moon. It really was a beautiful night. His gaze shifted to meet the pair of bright, indigo orbs peering down at him, and he smiled, feeling warm and content.

Kaito returned his smile with one every bit as warm and leaned down to capture Shinichi's lips in a gentle, lingering kiss that had Shinichi all but melting into a puddle of bliss.

They stayed like that for another long moment, wrapped in one another's arms and savoring the taste one another's lips. When they finally broke apart, it was with more than a little reluctance.

Giving Shinichi one last peck on the lips, Kaito pulled gently out of his now docile young lover, hiding a grin when his sharp ears caught Shinichi's faint whimper of protest at the sudden emptiness. He sat back and ran his eyes over Shinichi's prone form. The boy lay sprawled in the midst of the rumpled blankets they had spread out over the beach with his eyes closed again and an expression of serenity on his delicate features. Kaito's gaze picked out each mark he'd left on that pale neck and chest, and a hum of possessive satisfaction rumbled at the back of his throat. His gaze trailed even lower to those long, supple legs still so wantonly spread and that perfect little hole that had been wrapped so lovingly around him mere minutes ago. He could see his own essence leaking from that puckered ring.

A tendril of arousal curled in his stomach at the enticing sight. His hands twitched with a yearning to touch Shinichi's satin-soft skin again—to feel that warm, supple body arching up against him, but he held himself still, not wishing just yet to interrupt this moment of serenity.

Sensing Kaito's gaze, Shinichi cracked open his eyes to peer at his lover. Their gazes met and held. What he saw in those smoldering indigo pools sent a wave of heat pulsing through Shinichi's veins, and he shivered. Blushing, he sat up, pulling his knees together and tucking his legs under him as he tried not to notice how he could still feel Kaito's essence inside him and trickling down his inner thighs. He had to swallow a quiet moan even thinking about it as his body tingled with mixed pleasure and renewed want.

His blush darkened when Kaito's lips curved into a knowing smirk.

Shinichi fought the urge to stick his tongue out. Instead, he stood up and started walking down towards the water. "I'm going to go swim."

Kaito hopped to his feet and jogged after him. "Good idea. I'll come with you."

So they splashed and swam and laughed in the crystal clear lake that was not a lake and ended up making love again right there in the shallows. And it had, Shinichi thought sleepily much later as he lay curled in Kaito's arms after yet another intense round of lovemaking back on their blankets beneath the star dusted sky, been a day to remember.

"So do you want to make a birthday wish?" Kaito asked.

Shinichi thought for a moment then shook his head. "I don't need to." He shifted where he lay in Kaito's embrace to smile a little shyly up into the spirit's face. "I already have everything I want."


-End of Chapter-