Unlike most children Shinichi had never feared the dark, or imagined creatures lurking in it. After all they could be explained away with logic and he had faced down far worse people that were actually real. Of course after his time spent as Conan he had developed his own boogiemen. The creatures haunting his dreams were actual people he had faced off against in the waking world. The beings lurking in the shadows now had faces. They had, and if given even the slightest of chances would once again, hurt him. If any good had come from the whole fiasco it was the new found sense of caution he had when dealing with the many shadows in the world. Even with the new caution, and hyper awareness that came with it, he did not fear the dark. Because not only bad things came from the dark. Some who walk on the dark side are just lost or misunderstood. Honestly they aren't even really shadows at all. Just mischievous and playful phantoms. Not to mention that Shinichi had a secret weapon to fight off the darkness, his Moonlight Magician. True to his name he was the soft blanket of light that protected the detective when it seemed like the dark would overwhelm him. With Kaito at his side he knew he could take on the world, honestly a few measly shadows paled in comparison. If he held a little tighter to Kaito once the sun went down, than it was just because the temperature decreased with it. Shinichi knew Kaito would always come to take him from the dark.
After being kidnapped on the way home from a crime scene, tortured, and held prisoner for who knows how many days. It was getting hard to hold onto things like hope, but Shinichi held on to his belief in Kaito. No matter how many kicks, hits, or knife wounds they gave him he continued to stare these latest shadows defiantly in the eye. He would not fear the dark, be in the darkness of his cell or that of his captors' hearts. These people obviously had hearts as dark as pitch since they were doing this just because Shinichi and Kaito had fallen in love. He had been able to deduce that the people holding him belonged to some sort of homophobic cult. So far they had tried to get Shinichi to join them. Telling him that once they 'fixed' him he could marry into their family. They had even paraded several females ranging from the estimated ages of between thirty and ten. Even if he had been interested in anyone other than Kaito he would have been disgusted at the most likely coerced prostitution, not even mentioning the underage girls they had flaunted at him. When he got out of this he was going to make sure the people pulling the strings here were locked away for a long, long time. Especially when a girl who looked uncomfortably similar to Ayumi had been sent to try and convert him. His only silver lining in all this was that none of the females would tough him until he went through some sort of cleansing process after giving up his 'blasphemous' life choice.
The detective had lost track of just how long he had been held for, no doubt a planned maneuver on his hosts' part. He was sure that it had been too long since they had given him any water, longer still since his last scrap of food. At the rate they were going he was beginning to fear just what state Kaito would find him in. He did not want his beloved magician to have to see him in a terrible state. Kaito got worried if Shinichi missed a meal because of a case, he had no desire to see what the mother hen would do if he saw the sad shape his lover was in now. On top of the lack of basic survival necessities, the people holding him had been by to torture him less and less frequently. While this didn't technically mean something bad, Shinichi was too much of a realist to think that it could be anything good. From what he had been able to tell there used to be at least twenty people in the house at all time, not counting the females that had been brought in and presented to him. Now he could only detect the presence of five men at most. While this would make escape or a rescue much easier he had to wonder why he had become such a low risk as to decrease the onsite guard. Footsteps on the decrepit stairs that led to the ground floor told him he would most likely be getting some answers very soon, even as his gut told him he would not like the answers.
As soon as the door began to creak open Shinichi slammed his eyes shut and buried them as well into his shoulder as he could with his arms chained above his head. A soft click alerted him that whoever had come down had indeed turned the lights on. It took several long seconds but he finally got his eyes adjusted to the new light level just as the man finished making his way to the bottom of the stairs. This man was the head of the cult, as far as Shinichi could tell, and he was quite possibly the most criminally insane person the detective had ever met. The man was in his early to mid-fifties, with salt and pepper colored hair. He had a tiny mustache and long goatee in matching colors. Whenever they were trying to brainwash him into joining them the man would wear an older pair of half-moon spectacles, yet they always came off when it was torture time. He was a large man, not quite overweight, but not really muscular either. He had introduced himself as Patrick Grizzlie, the father of this family. Apparently he had seen Shinichi in the new and decided that he would be a good target for their group. With someone with his means and influence they could gain access to more potential victims, as well as have an insider ear on the police. Shinichi had never had many friends, and after his time as Conan he had become much more private, though many saw his as shy and withdrawn. Not to mention the fact that he was at the primary target age for groups like this, it was really no wonder they had decided to try and force him to join their ranks. Too bad for them he wasn't buying what they were selling.
"Ah good evening son. I haven't seen you in a while. Good to see you're finally awake." Grizzlie spoke in his slightly wheezy voice. The spectacles sat perched on his nose, letting Shinichi know that the game was once again on. The detective decided that he would not waste his energy or words on the man, and instead just stared blankly up at him. His capture seemed to read something in his eyes that Shinichi doubted was actually there, and the older man let a smirk cross his features for a moment before smoothing it back into his normal attempt at a paternal smile. "Now we have given you a good long while to think on things. All we want is your happiness, as I told you when we first rescued you from that cold, ragging, river of a life you were leading. So join us Shinichi. Become a part of our family. That doesn't sound so bad does it? You will have many mothers waiting for you to come home with a hug and warm meal waiting for you. They will take care of you and love you. You will have tons of new brothers and sisters, both older and younger to play with and go to when you need to talk. You will have me, a father to nurture and guide you. Someone to match your stride as we take on the path of life together. We would never leave an only child alone while going to another country to live. We will never abandon you Shinichi."
Shinichi felt a bit of old pain at the man's words. While it had been his choice to remain in Beika full time when he turned fourteen, even knowing his parents would be moving out of the country he had never had the option before that point. In his deepest of hearts, a small part of him had hoped that his parents would decide to stay with him, at least until he was of age. He remembered the ache of loneliness he had felt as a child when he would see other kids playing with their brothers and sisters, or how they would laugh at him for playing alone. How other parents would whisper about him and his own when they would see him playing detective. For a long time he had been resentful of his parents for never giving him a sibling, and then just abandoning him all the time. As he grew older and made some friends he had come to accept his parents and life for who and what they were. Sure his parents weren't always with him physically, but they were always there for him when it truly counted. Even from an early age they could tell he was independent, and possibly if his mother was to be believed a little shy, so they had given him space to grow and branch out. His friends and family were small in number, and a bit scatterbrained from time to time, but they all loved him and would run head long into danger for him. Even if Grizzlie's offer of family had been enticing to him, he would never accept. He had found the one person in the world he could not live without, and who could not live without him. Somehow these people had found out about his Kaito and their love, and they had seen fit to rip him away from that. He would never forgive these people, let alone become a member of their family.
"I'm sure you remember you remember Greta right?" Grizzle asked, and the sweet face of a little girl around age ten flashed through his face, she was the one who looked similar to Ayumi, a little girl who had gone missing along with her older brother just a few weeks prior to his own kidnapping. Her real name was Kuragi Sakura, and her brother was named Kotetsu. "It has been decided that she would make a good wife for you after her emergence ceremony. All you need to do is agree to join our family and it can happen. Greta has even suggested a new name for you, and I am gracious enough to let the name she picked become yours after you join us. So what do you say son? Are you ready to become Samuel Grizzle? To leave behind Kudo Shinichi and his life filled with murder and debauchery for a wife and family that love you?" This time Shinichi shot the man a glare for his words. Sakura, unlike the rest of the females paraded before him had not known what was considered taboo to talk about with an outsider. She had explained in graphic detail just what an emergence ceremony was for the girls here. Everyone would gather in the main hall and watch as the top men took turns with the girl, to make her a woman they claimed. Patrick Grizzlie was always the first and last to take the girls. Sakura had told him that boys had a ceremony as well, but it was just between the boy and the top men. Apparently it was very difficult and not everyone made it through alive. Kotetsu had apparently lost his life attempting it. According to Sakura several girls had also died due to their ceremony. There was no set age for the ceremony, only when Grizzlie decided it was time for the girl to marry or the boy to prove himself worthy of a wife. Once again the man misread Shinichi's expression as he softened his own features. "I know your past life was hard my son, but you are with us now. Father will make everything better, just submit to me."
"You are not my father, and never will be. I am Kudo Shinichi. Son of Kudo Yuusaku and Yukiko. I have lots of people who love me, and who I love. I am not, nor would I ever be interested in joining your cult. I am a detective, and I prove every day that one truth will prevail. Today that truth is that I love my male lover, and would never leave him or the rest of my precious people for anything you could ever offer me. When he comes for me, and they will all come, I will take great pleasure in watching the truth of what goes on here be exposed and, watching as your empire of lies and deceit crumble around you." Shinichi said with an air of confidence. Although most of the strength in his voice was only an act he meant every word he forced out. Unsurprisingly his captor was found his response to be underwhelming. The man didn't even bother to remove his spectacles before lashing his foot out at Shinichi, catching the detective in the face. Shinichi's head flew back and collided painfully with the wall. The man leaned down, probably to give a cutting remark before ordering a couple goons down to torture him some more, but Shinichi didn't care to listen. He spat the blood in his mouth right in the man's face. He had braced himself after, expecting another blow. Instead Grizzlie just rose with an eerie calmness about him.
"I see. It is a shame. You would have made a good husband for Greta. I suppose she will have to wait longer for her ceremony to come. I had such high hopes for you. I would have been a good father to you, and I would have made you into a great son." Grizzlie said, rising slowly from his crouched position and pulling a cloth from his pocket. He then used it to methodically clean his spectacles. "Even though you were unable to join our family in this life we will still honor you by burying you as one of our own dead. I had truly hoped that it would not come down to this. Such a shame, the waste of a good life." The man pulled a small wooden case from an inner pocket of his jacket, making Shinichi just slightly wary. That turned into near blinding panic as he man pulled a needle filled with a strange liquid from the case. Shinichi tried to struggle away from the man, but the chains prevented most movement and his strength had been spent long ago. Grizzlie injected the liquid right into his jugular. Shinichi felt his eyes water as the drug immediately began taking effect. It felt almost like taking one of the temporary cures all over again. Everything was on fire, his heart was beating out of control, and no matter how desperately he fought for it he could not pull in one single breath. The pain was excruciating, but more frightening than all of that was the numbness he began to feel spreading from his chest.
He recalled years ago when Haibara had thrown herself into her work, refusing to come out of her lab for nearly a month unless absolutely necessary. As it turned out she had been working on what turned out to be his permeate cure. She had found that his heart would be unable to take any more of the temporary cures. It just would not be able to take it. As it was the final cure came with some pretty big risks. She purposely designed it so that if it failed he would be immune to all of its properties, insuring he would never try to take the temporary cures again, and thus die from the stress to his heart. It could also have killed him on the spot, his heart had been weakened that much. She had forced him to take a full week to decide if the risks really were worth it. She had suggested he tell his parents and get their opinions, but had not pushed when he did not. Finally, when they week ended he had decided to go through with it. He had taken another couple of days to say his goodbyes and settle his affairs as Conan. Surprising his visiting mother with a whole day spent together, shopping to her heart's content, although he would not let her buy anything Conan sized. In the end it had worked, but it nearly did kill him in the end. While Haibara was working on medicines to improve his heart all the time, and it had indeed gotten well enough that she no longer forced him to carry emergency doses with him everywhere for fear that something could cause his heart to explode, his heart was still in pretty bad shape. Going off the confused, and dare he say frightened, look on Grizzlie's face this was not the normal reaction his victims had to this drug.
The man rushed up the stairs, screaming for his men the whole way. Shinichi wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not, but as the man left the room the world began to fade back into darkness. Shinichi was neither surprised nor afraid of this fact. After all he had never been afraid of the dark. If there was one thing, he lamented it was that he would not be able to see his beloved magician's face again. Oh he knew that Kaito would come for him, possibly in full Kid regalia, but Shinichi could no longer pretend to himself that he would still be there when Kaito found him. Just as these thoughts danced through his mind he could hear screams from upstairs, and then an unearthly silence. Luckily this silence was shattered nearly immediately by frantic footsteps pounding down the stars to his basement cell. As the door was flung open he heard his beloved's voice scream his name. Seconds later he was wrapped in familiar arms and pressed against a just as familiar chest.
"Shinichi…Shin-chan? Speak to me…SHINICHI!" Kaito's voice called from what sounded like far away. Shinichi was surrounded by darkness, but he was not afraid. His Moonlight Magician had come for him, to be his guiding light as always. He could feel the others tears falling down onto his face. He breathed out the other's name, but even his own ears could not pick up the sound. He wanted to embrace his lover, show him what he could not say to him, but the numb feeling had spread and he could no longer feel most of his body, let alone move it. It really wasn't fair, he was losing Kaito just after the other found him again, but he needed to be strong for the other somehow, and even if he was falling into eternal darkness he was so happy that the other had come for him. Shinichi felt the last of his life drain from him, and as it did he left with unheard whispers of love and a smile on his lips. What need was there to be afraid of the all-encompassing darkness when eventually his thief would come to guide him through the dark. Though he could wait, and would prefer Kaito take his time in joining him.