Chapter Fifty
I'm not doing the 50 chapter thing. I REALLY WANTED TO BUT NO ONE HAD ANY QUESTIONS! *cries* So have a perfectly normal yet plot relevant chapter. *sniffle*
Also Osomatsu-san ends next week and I am SAD.
Ruri watched her room spin faster and faster. She felt sick.
Her body was burning. It was so hot.
The pain was unbearable.
She choked on a scream.
She knew she was relapsing. She knew she had to call Ai. Before someone found out.
Before she put someone in danger.
But it hurt. It hurt too much.
The world went black.
Ruri awoke on the floor, her body aching. It was growing dark outside.
She scrambled to her feet and hobbled over to her cell phone.
Flipping through the contacts, she found Ai's and heard the "trr trr" as it connected.
"Hello?" an old man's voice chirped.
"It's... Ruri," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I need Ai..."
Ai pressed the stethoscope to Ruri's - no, Natsuki's chest.
The little scientist sighed.
"The good news is that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. The bad news is that your transformation was triggered but for an unknown reason."
"What about my parents?" Natsuki croaked out.
"You'll have to tell them that you're staying at a friend's place. Although, you look enough like yourself that you could probably wear a padded bra and have no problem. But I wouldn't push it."
"What do I do?"
Ai paused. "Do you still have that apartment?"
Natsuki shook his head. "I didn't keep it since I changed back. It was a waste of money if I didn't use it."
"Then I'll talk to Kudou and see if it's ok with him for you stay the night."
"Thank you, Ai."
"Just pay me back later," the little girl waved it off, pressing some numbers into her phone.
"Ah, hello, Kudou-kun? Yeah, it's about Ruri. She relapsed."
"...got it."
Ai turned back to Natsuki and gave a rare smile. "He said if you need a place, there're spare rooms in the manor."
"You really don't know what triggered it?" Natsuki asked.
"It could be stress, but unless I run some more tests, I can't say for certain."
The girl turned boy deflated. "So then what should I do?"
"I came as soon as I could," a familiar voice broke in. "Is she ok?"
Natsuki and Ai turned to face Conan.
"She's fine, Kudou-kun, " Ai snipped.
"I could use a break from the testing, though," Natsuki whispered to the little boy.
Conan snorted at that.
"I can hear, you know."
"How about it, though? I heard that KID's holding another heist tonight in..." Conan checked his watch. "2 and half hours."
"A break? At a KID heist?" Ai question, raising an eyebrow.
Conan shrugged and turned to look back at Natsuki. "How about it?"
The two children watched Natsuki's unmoving body.
"Ruri?" The little boy asked, making the boy jump.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. Why not?"
KID sighed for what was probably the hundredth time that day.
Tonight's target was the Bejeweled Lady: a necklace covered in all sorts of precious stones and showcased one of the world's largest cut lapis lazulis.
He was depressed. His favorite tiny detective hadn't been coming to ANY of his heists and since that little... thing with...
KID slapped himself to come back to reality.
His heist was starting in 8 minutes, for god's sake! He didn't have time to be reminiscing and feeling sorry for himself.
The thief positioned himself in the vent and above the case that held the necklace.
He froze when he spotted an all too familiar mop of brown hair and tiny detective.
Natsuki stood quietly next to Conan who was next to Nakamori-keibu. Guards were posted at each of the doors and a few feet away from the case that held the Bejeweled Lady.
He watched the inspector pace back and forth while grumbling.
"You ok?" Conan whisper-asked.
Natsuki nodded. "Just a little nervous. I haven't met KID in this ...body so..."
"Worried he'll recognize you?"
"I wouldn't put it past him. He's smart enough and I look enough like my female self that it wouldn't be hard."
"True. But just be confident."
Another nod.
"1 minute to 11!" Nakamori yelled.
Natsuki began the countdown to 0.
3...2...1...
The lights shut off and a spotlight turned on, angled at the smoke on top of the case.
"Welcome to Kaitou KID's magic show for tonight!" the white clad thief spread his arms wide and released a flock of pigeons, pink smoke, and colored streamers.
"Get him!" Nakamori wasted no time in yelling.
The men closest to the case jumped at the thief, but he had disappeared.
"Natsuki!" Conan yelled.
Natsuki's vision was filled with smoke and then top hat as the thief appeared in front of him.
"Hello, dear newcomer," KID swept into a bow and then straightened himself.
"Hello, Kaitou KID," Natsuki smirked.
KID seemed to be taken aback momentarily but quickly recovered with a smirk of his own.
"What are you waiting for!" Nakamori yelled again, causing the thief to tip his hat and begin running away.
With a skillful dodge and a jump over an officer, he had rounded a corner and was gone.
"Hurry up!" the inspector barreled after the thief, followed by his task force.
"Shall we get started too?" Conan asked, smirking up at Natsuki.
The brunet had already taken off after the task force, causing the child to sigh.
Natsuki had somehow managed to outrun the task force and dodge all of KID's traps.
"You're pretty good, bishounen-kun," KID laughed, forging ahead.
"Bishounen-kun?" Natsuki repeated, following after that white fluttering cape.
"Not a bad nickname, right?" the thief turned around to face Natsuki.
"Please don't ever call me that and ARE YOU TAUNTING ME?"
KID grinned while running backwards. "This is the most fun I've had in a while! Forgive me if I want to enjoy it!"
"You don't sound very sorry!" Natsuki yelled after the thief, who had rounded a corner, again, running backwards.
The magician thief gave out a loud, "HA!" which caused Natsuki to run even harder.
The boy could feel his lungs protesting, but he didn't want to lose sight of KID.
After what seemed like ages of barely dodging and not quite dodging KID's traps, they finally got to the rooftop.
"You're GOOD!" the thief grinned, out of breath but ecstatic.
"Thanks," Natsuki coughed.
"You ok?" the thief's expression changed from euphoric to worried.
"Fine, fine. Just need to catch my breath," the boy gasped.
"Oh. Ok."
The thief watched as Natsuki gulped in giant breaths of delicious oxygen.
"I've got a question," KID finally said.
Natsuki looked up at the magician. "Yeah?"
"Are you Ruri?"
The boy froze.
He's just going to ask me? Really? Is this a trick? Or a test?
Natsuki took another gulp and replied, "Who's Ruri?"
"She's a girl that looks suspiciously like you."
KID started walking towards Natsuki and the boy stiffened.
"You look exactly like her... just...shorter hair."
The thief stopped just short of a foot before Natsuki.
"I don't know who you're talking about," the boy repeated.
"Why are you here?" KID growled.
Natsuki's eyes widened.
KID?
"I-"
The magician looked at the boy.
"I'M NOT RURI OR WHATEVER! I'LL PROVE IT!" Natsuki yelled, grabbing his hand.
And brought it to his crotch.
Hi. How are you guys? Like that ending? I do. I love it. I absolutely love it. So what do ya think? Ready for another emotional rollercoaster ride? No? Ok...
ANYWAY I MANAGED TO WRITE THIS IN ONE SITTING AND TOOK MANY BREAKS ONE OF THEM WAS TO WATCH ABOUT HOW RATS SWIM UP YOUR TOILET. DON'T ASK.
On a more story-related note, Natsuki's back! And he's staying for a WHILE. A LONG while. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show... er, fanfiction.
NEXT TIME: *INTERNAL SCREAMING*
DFTBA!