Nature, Three Pink Roses and a Brute Squad
It Started with an Egg
…
July. The beginning of Tanabata with all its celebration, colors, and wishes written on paper dangling from bamboo trees. Summer vacation is simply the best time of year. Kuroba Kaito has certainly enjoyed a few days of doing nothing but lazing around, eating, reading, and bouncing next-door to hang out with his dear friend Aoko and her father Nakamori-keibu. Entertaining his (unofficially) adopted family and joining in on meals. Just like old times.
He still has not figured out if Aoko has become more of a loving sister, an awesome cousin, or a pesky mother-in-law. She can be all three within a single day. Nonetheless, he loves her and she will always hold a large piece of his heart.
"You are more chipper than usual this evening, Kaito," Aoko says, serving him miso yaki onigiri and seaweed salad.
The crispy onigiri may be a bit dark, but it smells edible. Actually, it smells delicious, or so his hungry stomach tells him. His brain is a little smarter and informs him the rice balls are probably decent and maybe even good. Aoko's cooking has been improving lately and she has worked hard to tempt him to come over more often. Plus, she wants her father to eat healthier.
Kaito smiles widely at her as he picks up his tall cup of oolong tea. Nakamori eyes the beef tataki he was given in addition to the onigiri and salad.
"You shouldn't eat that, Keibu. Aoko probably didn't prepare it properly, so the raw beef will give you a stomachache – ITAI!" Kaito yelps as Aoko smacks him across the forehead with a wooden rice paddle, splattering him with bits of sticky rice and causing the utensil to stick itself onto him. Somehow his tea did not spill and he sets the cup back down.
She is fast as lightning with a short-range weapon. Where was she hiding the paddle? Why does she even have it? She finished dipping out the cooked rice to make the onigiri a while ago.
Oh, yeah. It is her favorite utensil to hit him with. She must have kept it on-hand and waited for his usual irritating remark about her cooking. She could have at least cleaned the paddle first.
One of these days he is going to give her a compliment and will still be hit because her reactions have become automatic.
"Bakaito!" she shouts, yanking the stuck paddle off and swinging it at him again. He slips down the front of his seat to the floor, scampering underneath the table to avoid the blow. "Don't you dare have the audacity to badmouth my cooking when you are sitting at the table eating it!"
"Ahoko! I hadn't worked up the courage to try it yet!" He scrubs a hand over his face to get some of the clinging bits of rice off. Some of it stuck to his eyelashes.
He hears Aoko move and dodges, running out from under the table as she throws the paddle after him.
"Why do you even come over to eat if you hate the food?!"
"Because it is food and you would cry if I didn't," Kaito retorts, sticking his tongue out at her.
Aoko makes a sound like a rhinoceros about to charge.
"That is enough, children," Nakamori says, used to their many squabbles and beginning to eat.
"Aoko isn't a kid," Aoko grumbles, seating herself in her usual spot.
No, I am, Kaito thinks with a sarcastic chuckle. "You sure act like it getting rice everywhere."
"It is no worse than you with your glitter!" She immediately gets up and lifts his plates off the table, going back into the kitchen.
"Wait!" he exclaims with a whine. "I was going to eat that!" He races back to the table and around it, following after her.
"You don't deserve it," she says as she sets the salad down on the counter and opens the lower cabinet to dump the onigiri into the trash.
There is only one way to save his dinner now.
"It may not taste any good, but I still want it," Kaito says.
Sure enough, Aoko snatches an onigiri off the plate, whips around and smashes it into his face.
Nakamori exhales loudly.
Kaito cups his hands to catch the food as it slips off him, taking a couple steps back to keep her from planting a second one on him. Practically blinded by the mash of rice coating the majority of his face, he selects a piece still intact and eats it with a grin.
"Hey, it tastes pretty good!" he says cheerily.
Aoko cannot help but laugh.
"Now you are chipper, too," Kaito says, holding out his messy hands for his plate.
She relents and gives it back. "You don't have to make Aoko mad first."
He makes sure he has hold of the plate and she does not before replying. "No, I just piss you off because it is fun!" He jumps back as she swipes for his onigiri, keeping it out of her reach. "No take backsies!"
"Kaito!" She shakes her fist at him.
Nakamori clears his throat and the two settle down. The inspector has a difficult job and deserves peace at home. Aoko huffs and goes back to her chair. After washing at the sink, Kaito returns to the table with his plates. They proceed to eat the majority of dinner in silence, interrupted only by a puff of blue smoke that reveals a beautifully decorated chocolate cake in the middle of the table.
Aoko smiles at him and Kaito knows he is forgiven.
"You two will make a hot-blooded, but good couple one day," Nakamori says, sipping his tea.
Kaito bites his tongue, somehow swallows at the same time and chokes. Legitimately chokes. The table provides cover as he thrusts a fist into his diaphragm and manages to get up the wayward bits of food before anyone can notice. He has to cough a few times, but not enough that causes worry.
"Tou-san!" Aoko exclaims with pink cheeks. "I don't think that is ever going to happen. Kaito is too much of a jerk!" Her eyes veer toward Kaito, and then down at the table, grumpily embarrassed but also something more. A bit happy and shy, maybe?
Oh, damn! Oh, no, no, no! Kaito thinks.
There is no doubt within his mind if he had not discovered his father was the first Kaitou KID, and if he had not chosen to step into the role himself to take down those responsible for his murder, he would have pursued Aoko. They love each other, have a strong potential to become more, and she has also expressed interest in her own shy, girlish way.
However, he cannot.
He has not only kept secrets from her, but has lied and used her to "prove" his innocence. With her strict beliefs of what is right and wrong, she would never forgive him. Most importantly, she would never trust him again.
He hopes with most of his attention directed elsewhere, and if he is annoying enough (as long as she never takes it personally) whatever interest she has in him will fade and she will find another more suitable (more respectful and truthful) partner. He cannot be that for her and cannot be what she needs.
Even if he could, his heart now belongs to Kudou Shinichi and Mouri Ran. The two loves of his life. His only regret being he cannot be open and honest about it with Aoko. She would not understand a relationship consisting of more than one lover. She is not yet open enough to consider the unconventional and does not even know how to handle her attraction to just one person.
It is possible she would not accept his female half, either. Feminine ways, yes, but maybe not his anatomy.
It hurts. Seriously hurts. He does not want their futures to go in different directions, which will likely happen once she finds someone else. Actually, has already happened with him being KID.
"The reason I am so happy this evening is because Aya has finally begun to nest. She and Hiroaki have an egg," Kaito says, hoping to deviate away from the topic of couples. Human couples at least.
"That is great!" Aoko says, beaming. "You used to worry because she wouldn't accept any mate and would just go off on her own all the time."
"Is that the one that would land on my head and peck all the time?" Nakamori asks.
"Yeah," Kaito answers, laughing. "She used to be rowdy, but my man Hiroaki won her heart. It took every trick I taught him, and then I still had to bribe Aya with treats whenever they were together for her to play nice."
"Now Aya is sweet and lives up to her name," Aoko points out with a laugh. "She is like a whole new bird."
"Love will do that," Nakamori says sagely, reaching to cut himself a slice of cake.
Aoko smiles and her eyes once more veer toward Kaito. He avoids her gaze and looks down at the table.
Is it just him or is Nakamori dropping some major hints? Where has this come from all of a sudden? Is it because he and Aoko are nearing their last year of high school? If not for having birthdays in the second half of the year they would have graduated already.
Honestly, Kaito has been considering asking the school board if he can take third year finals and be done. Then again, it is convenient he can play hooky whenever he wants (so long as he does well on all tests and exams because he and his teachers have an understanding) instead of having to play the part of a responsible adult and find a job. That could interfere more than not with his main agenda. Jii said he would hire him, at least officially so he has documentation and proof of income. The only drawback is he cannot legally work night-shift for the Blue Parrot until he is twenty. He only just turned nineteen last month.
He glances at Aoko, but she looks down at the table with a slight frown, having noticed his awkward hesitance concerning her father's insinuations. Originally, he was going to enjoy cake with them, but now seems like a good time for a tactical retreat. Before he can hurt Aoko's feelings more, or possibly be asked numerous invasive questions by Nakamori, who normally is not the subtle type.
"Thanks for dinner, but I better go check on my girls. You know how it can be during brooding season," Kaito says, standing and gathering his dishes to put in the sink.
"You will come over for breakfast, won't you?" Aoko says, her voice sounding small.
She probably feels embarrassed by her father's attempts at playing matchmaker (at the very least giving them permission to start dating seriously) and Kaito playing oblivious, practically to the point of refusing her. A coward's way of not wanting to hurt her feelings.
He will have to talk with her about it. Soon. Not tonight in front of her father as such a conversation should be private.
"You know I wouldn't miss it!" Kaito says exuberantly. It is enough for Aoko to feel better and smile again. "Although I am expecting my kaa-san to visit sometime this week. You know how she likes to pop in and surprise me. When she does we can all have dinner at my place, okay?"
"Sounds great!" Aoko says, beaming. "It has been so long since I last saw her."
"See ya later! Oyasumi, Keibu. Aoko," Kaito says, trotting through the main room and seeing himself out.
"Oyasumi!" Aoko returns.
Nakamori lets out a breath, disappointed.
…
Kaito unlocks his front door and steps inside. Only once he shuts the door does he allow his shoulders to slump. He releases a heavy breath that is part relief, but mostly an achy sadness. His chest feels weighed down.
So much so he places a hand over his heart. The beats seem to thump out a slow, mournful rhythm.
He shakes his head to be rid of such melodramatic, melancholy thoughts. Becoming KID had been a spur of the moment decision, requiring no self-questioning at all, and though it may have taken a bit longer to fully understand the repercussions and just what he was giving up, he has long since come to terms with the loss. No, his lips did not just quiver.
He turns, placing both hands flat on the door and leans to grind his forehead against the barrier. No, he will not cry! This is a decision he made. These are the consequences he accepted.
"I am truly sorry, Aoko," Kaito whispers, though she is much too far away to overhear.
His decision has and will continue to hurt her for a long time. For that he is so very sorry. It is the one regret he will carry with him all his life. The pain he has caused her and the thoughts of what-if.
"Dammit," he mutters, scrubbing the back of one hand against his eyelids. What a cruddy way to end a great day.
He trudges upstairs to the spare room turned aviary to check on his flock of nearly forty birds, smiling once he opens the door. Many immediately fly at him, landing in his hair, on his shoulders and anywhere they can cling along his clothes. With the air full of flapping wings, some choose to waddle over and climb up his shoes and pants. All of them nuzzle against him, cooing in welcome.
"Chihiro, stop, that tickles!" he says to the female nibbling behind his right ear. "Etsu, Haya, Giichi, Hiromichi, yes, I see you. Hi!" He uses two fingers to rub along their chest feathers.
Their feathers are relaxed, so he is able to pet through onto the warm downy underneath. He quickly inspects each bird, noting plumage, eyes, beaks, and scaly feet with their mini talons.
The flock is not satisfied until they have all been acknowledged and given pets, excluding Aya who is the only one currently nesting. This year she will be the only one allowed to keep her eggs. Otherwise, he will end up with too many birds to properly care for. The aviary may be spacious, even with all its branch-like perches and tunnels near the roof, nest boxes, ladders, swings, rings, bells, and hay balls, but with this many residents it is more of a roosting and eating area.
The majority of the time his doves spend outside stretching their wings in their protected area and playing with each other. If he is not training them.
With a snap of his fingers and a brief point in the direction they are suppose to go, the flock flies off him and back to their perches. Well, most. A few waddle off, crossing the floor. One dips under the hem of his shirt, clinging to the material, and scoots up his back. Kaito does not bother trying to reach for him, but instead carefully plucks off his shirt, setting it down on the floor and waiting until the dove waddles out of it.
"Tatsuya, we have been over this. You know the signal for 'off'."
The dove tilts his head to the side, looking up at Kaito, and then waddles a couple steps before hopping onto one of Kaito's colorful espadrille shoes and climbs up a pants leg. Once Tatsuya reaches his waist, without a shirt, the bird has nothing to continue climbing up. Tatsuya extends a leg, trying to grasp and climb anyway, tiny talons tickling. The dove keeps trying until Kaito cannot take it anymore.
"Okay, yeesh! Quit with the tickle torture." He extends a hand to the bird and Tatsuya hops onto his fingers, cooing as he is placed on Kaito's right shoulder. "This is why you are not allowed on field trips. You don't listen and you make the others jealous. You will never get a girlfriend at this rate."
Kaito allows him to stay as he walks to the closet for the necessary feeding supplies. He takes down the rubber gloves he washes daily and hangs to dry, puts them on and grabs the broom along with the lidded trashcan. He gathers bowls, dumps out the old contents, cleans and supplies them with fresh birdseed, grit and water, adding cuttlebone grindings and fresh dandelion greens to the seed and vitamins to the water.
For sanitary reasons the bowls will be kept out the way until cleaning is finished.
After hanging several honey sticks throughout the room as their monthly treat, which are immediately noticed, he checks the condition of the bird protectors that defend against mites and other nastiness.
In the two far corners of the room are biodegradable pads laid out as their potty areas. He rolls these up, places them in the trash to be used as compost later, and removes his gloves. A sweep takes care of loose feathers and other debris, during which he collects and puts on his shirt. Tatsuya is briefly covered by the shirt, but peeks from the collar and crawls out back onto his shoulder.
Almost finished, he spreads out new biodegradable pads, returns the broom and trashcan to the closet, gathers his gloves to be washed and places their bowls back. Finally, he shuts and latches the window.
In the nest box nearest the window, Aya coos softly in greeting. This should not be taken lightly as most birds are highly protective of their nests and do not tolerate anyone aside from their mate coming near. However, his doves have never had a problem with him being in close proximity while nesting.
"Hello, mother-to-be," Kaito says quietly, refraining from petting her. As much as he would like to. She would not appreciate it while sitting on her precious cargo. "You have one more egg coming. You can do it, Aya. Then you will have your own little family." He catches the wistful tone lacing his voice.
What he would not do to have a proper family. One that he can see every day. One that can grow and laugh and...just be. It has been nearly three months since he returned to Tokyo from Hawaii aboard Jirokichi's Bell Tree Sea Spirit. That was a few days after Shinichi's birthday in May, just after spring vacation and it has been nearly two months since he last saw the two.
What is taking them so long to figure out the clue to his identity? To find him? Where are his people?
"Dammit," he mutters, once again scrubbing the back of a hand against his eyelids. "I blame hormones."
The action causes Tatsuya to teeter a bit. Aya notices him and makes a displeased hiss. Kaito takes that as the cue to move, but before he gets far Hiroaki flutters down from a nearby branch and lands on his left shoulder.
"Hi, buddy. Did you sit on the nest today while your girl got some lunch, or does she not trust you enough to handle that yet?" Kaito rubs a finger along his head and down the side of his neck. Hiroaki begins preening Kaito's temples and bangs.
This goes on for several minutes until Kaito touches one of the honey sticks. Hiroaki cannot resist temptation and flies up for the treat. Tatsuya stays stubbornly where he is and Kaito debates whether or not to try placing him on a branch. Experience has taught him Tatsuya won't willingly perch anywhere that is not Kaito if he wants cuddles over rare yummies, so he resigns himself to sharing his bed with the feathered companion.
"Oyasumi, mina," he says, walking out the door and switching off the soft overhead light. On either side of the room two dim nightlights automatically turn on.
The room suddenly explodes in a frenzy of fluttering wings. All coming after Kaito.
"No! Heel! Bad birds!" Kaito exclaims as they once more land over him until there is no space left. A few get bumped off and forced to perch on his shoes. He does not move for fear of accidentally harming one or more of the birdbrains.
"Tatsuya! This is all your fault! You made them jealous!" Kaito grumbles loudly. "Shoo! Down! Bad, bad birds! Tonight is not share a bath night. There are birdbaths outside. You all had opportunity."
Enough is enough.
He issues a sharp whistle. Every bird flies off him and he feels twenty kilograms lighter. However, his doves choose to land on the floor rather then go up to their perches. Their little talons skitter across the hardwood floor as they turn back toward him and waddle close.
"Seriously?" Kaito looks down at them all lining up and scrubs a hand through his feather decorated hair. He spins for the bathroom, where he intends to take a shower, and then have a long soak in the tub. "Whatever. Bathtime, and then bedtime. Let's go. If anyone messes in my bed I will pluck their tail feathers out."
The biodegradable pad he keeps in a corner of his room will cover any nighttime emergencies.
He steps down the hall followed by four long lines of waddling doves. Their excited cooing sounds triumphant.
