Welcome back readers. And for anyone new here, welcome as well. This story is dedicated to all of you, my readers. I know it's been awhile since I last posted anything, writers block is an awful thing. I was starting to lose confidence in my ability and was considering retiring and ending the series. But I still get notifications of people favoriting, following, and reviewing my fanfics, and it inspired me to continue on. So for everyone that faved, followed, reviewed, I hear you. And this one is for all of you. I really, really hope you like it.
As always, once you are finished reading please consider dropping a review. Author note at the bottom for anyone interested in my final thoughts, inspirations, etc.
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Conan and KID sat side by side, quietly gazing at the moon together. Off in the distance, KID's task force were chasing after a KID balloon, convinced that it was the real thing. By the time they realized their mistake, KID would be long gone, but for now, he took a few minutes to sit with his biggest critic.
KID was the first to break the silence, "So now that the Black Organization has been eradicated, what are you going to do?"
Conan didn't speak for a moment; KID waited patiently. "There isn't really a reason for Conan to stick around any more. Haibara is finishing the antidote as we speak, she expects to be done within a couple of weeks. More than enough time for Conan to say his good byes and return to his family in American."
The thief turned to face Conan and studied his profile, "I would have thought you would sound more excited about returning to your true body?"
Conan's pause this time was even longer than the first one, "I'm just not really sure what I would be returning to. Most of my friends have moved on and forgotten Shinichi. If Shinichi returned, if I returned, would anyone even care?"
"What about Mouri Ran?" KID asked.
Conan snorted, "She forgets about Shinichi more and more every day. She still acts like she's in love with him, with me, whatever, but I think she's just going through the motions. It's just muscle memory. She doesn't really love me anymore. I just don't think she realizes it yet."
"I'm sure once you return to your true self, you could make her fall for you again," KID said. He got no answer in return. After a moment he asked, "Are you considering staying as Conan instead?"
"No," was the immediate, firm reply. "That would be worse. I think at this point, more people like Conan than they do Shinichi, but I could never be fully happy staying as Conan. I'm living a lie right now, and I'm tired of all the lies. But I feel like I'm stuck. I don't want to stay as Conan, and my old life as Shinichi is gone. Maybe it would be better if I just disappeared."
It felt like ice was creeping up KID's spine, "You aren't thinking about doing anything drastic, right?"
The smaller boy finally turned to face KID and offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Don't worry, I didn't mean anything like what you're thinking. I more meant maybe I'll travel. Go live somewhere else for awhile. Make a new life for myself."
It was KID's turn to pause before answering, "But if you leave, how will you continue to attend my heists?"
"Snake was included in the capture of the Black Organization. You intend to continue your heists?"
"What I'm looking for is still out there. There's always a chance for a new, malicious organization to hunt it. I intend to find it so that nobody else gets hurt." Conan nodded. KID continued, "You didn't answer my question."
Conan's smile was sad this time, "Shinichi was never interested in thieves. It would be strange if I joined in a heist without a reason behind it. People would ask questions I'm not prepared to answer."
"I think you should stay. Don't leave. Stay," KID said softly.
Conan turned more fully to face KID, his gaze seemed to penetrate directly into KID's soul, "Why should I stay?"
KID smiled at the boy next to him and stood up; he walked to the edge of the roof. Conan remained seated. "I'll tell you when you get your body back. So make sure you don't go anywhere, okay?"
KID jumped and activated his glider. The small boy watched the thief glide away before he stood and exited the roof.
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4 weeks later
Kaito sat at his desk waiting for the professor to start the lecture. Still another 10 minuets before class officially started. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through the news.
"KAITOU KID STOOD UP AT LAST NIGHT'S HIEST. The Phantom Thief KID, also know as Kaitou 1412, issued a formal challenge to Kudo Shinichi hidden within the riddle to his heist note delivered to the police and news stations a week prior. Kudo Shinichi, nicknamed The Great Detective of the East, has been missing since he disappeared 3 years ago. Rumors circulate that he has been helping the CIA with a large, secret case, but nothing has been confirmed at this time. So it was a surprise when Kaitou KID challenged Kudo at his heist that took place last night. It is speculated that the challenge was issued to pull Kudo out of hiding, but sadly, Kudo didn't show. Unfortunately Kaitou KID could not be reached for comment as the Taskforce once again failed to capture the thief."
Kaito locked his phone and put it away with a sigh. Tantei-kun had said that the little scientist would finish the antidote in a couple of weeks, so he would have thought that Kudo would have returned by now. He had thought maybe Kudo was just waiting for a push to bring him back, and he had thought a formally issued challenge could be that push. But Kudo hadn't shown. Was it because he hasn't taken the antidote yet? Or did he take it but was still laying low, perhaps hiding out in the Kudo manor?
He was started from his thoughts when Koizumi Akako sat in the seat next to his. "What are you doing here? You aren't in this class; I don't think you even go to this university, do you?"
Akako held a finger to her lips to silence Kaito's exclamations, and the professor entered forcing Kaito to be quiet. Kaito frowned and turned back to the front of the class. The professor never called Akako out for not being a student of the class. Whether that was because he didn't notice, didn't care, or Akako had used some of her creepy, mystical powers, Kaito wasn't sure.
An hour later and the professor had finally dismissed the class. Kaito immediately turned to Akako and raised a questioning eyebrow.
"The Sparrow didn't fall due to the Crows, but he has succumbed to another darkness," was her answer.
Kaito furrowed his brow, "I don't understand. Isn't the Sparrow the name you used for Edogawa Conan in the past? I've told you before I have nothing to do with him. We've never even met."
Akako flipped her hair behind her shoulder and completely ignored him, "His light is slowly fading, but he can still be saved by the Dove."
He narrowed his eyes, "The Dove is KID, right? I've told you, I'm not KID. So I don't know why you are telling me any of this."
"Hold out your hand," Akako ordered.
"What? Why?" Kaito demanded.
Akako rolled her eyes and took his hand in hers. She slipped something into his palm and he gripped it on reflex. "If two wear those while sleeping, they can slip into each other's dreams. Maybe the Dove can use them to pull the Sparrow from the dark? They must be used wisely, for they will only work once between the same two people, and only for eight hours or a full night's sleep. Make haste, he doesn't have much time left." She turned on her heel and left without turning back.
Kaito looked down at his palm. He was gripping two identical orbs, each attached to a leather cord. Kaito held one of the orbs up to his eye. It was luminescent, and a deep blue in color. There appeared to be some sort of fluid slowly moving around inside of it. Or maybe it wasn't a liquid, but was a gas? It was hard to tell.
He pocketed both necklaces, unsure what else to do with them. He grabbed his bag, and followed the rest of the class out the door.
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Later that evening KID found himself on the roof of Kudo manor. He cursed Akako for simultaneously peaking his curiosity and concern for tantei-kun. He walked silently until he was just outside Kudo's bedroom window. From this angle, he couldn't see inside, but he could hear someone moving about in the room.
The person made small movements he couldn't place before finally speaking, "All of your vitals are within normal limits. I don't understand why you aren't waking up."
KID recognized the voice as that of the little scientist, Haibara Ai. He decided to take a chance. He leaned over and reached down, opening the bedroom window. He gracefully swung himself down onto the windowsill. He quickly took in the scene in front of him.
Haibara looked mildly started to see him, but her look of confusion quickly changed to one of acceptance. Behind her sat tantei-kun's bed. On the bed under the covers sat Kudo, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully.
"I don't know why you're here, but I would suggest you leave before I call the police, Kaitou KID," Haibara said.
KID ignored her threat, "What's wrong with him?"
Haibara glanced behind her at Kudo, studying his sleeping form for a moment, "I don't know. He took the antidote, and his body immediately began to grow to its proper age. As usual, the process appeared to be quite painful, as it always has been when he's taken a temporary cure in the past, and he passed out from the pain and stress the change caused to his body. That was a week ago. He still hasn't woken up."
KID's poker face held, disguising his concern over the situation.
She continued, "I saw the news. I'm sure you're disappointed that you didn't have another detective to mock at your heist last night. He didn't speak about it to me, but I'm sure he would have accepted your challenge, if he were awake." She paused, sounding a little sad. When she spoke again however, she sounded stern, "If your curiosity is satisfied now, please leave."
He gave a small bow and made a show of leaving, but in reality he hid out of sight until Haibara left. Once the small scientist was gone, he once again entered Kudo's room. He studied Kudo's face, and saw that he really looked like he was just sleeping. Without thinking about it too hard, KID removed the glove from his right hand, and he gently cupped Kudo's face. After a moment he pulled back.
He pulled from his pocket the two necklaces. He gently tied one around tantei-kun's neck. The other he placed around his own. Immediately after he felt an intense lethargy. "It's a big bed, you don't mind sharing, right?" KID laid down next to Kudo on top of the covers. His eyelids began to grow heavy. "I guess if this works, I'll join you in your dreams. I hope I can wake you up. No, I will wake you up." Just before he drifted off, he took Kudo's hand in his own.
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KID opened his eyes and sat up. He appeared to be laying on the floor in a library. He sat up and looked around. The library seemed familiar, but he wasn't sure where he had seen it before.
First thing he had to do was confirm that Akako's necklaces had worked. If they had worked, he should be in Kudo's dream right now. He needed to look around and confirm he was in a dream. So far it seemed to be just a normal library.
The most obvious thing he noticed was the many rows of bookshelves. There were multiple shelves to both his right and his left. The rows stretched out in front and behind him pretty far. He chose a random direction and started walking, choosing to walk down the row of shelves rather than entering a row and looking at the books. Spaced out between the rows were arm chairs that seemed a good balance of decorative and comfortable.
He ducked his head down the row of a random shelf and noticed that the particular shelf he was looking at wasn't full to capacity of books. There were gaps in the shelf where no books sat. He picked a book off the shelf at random and opened it to a random page. Inside was a picture of what appeared to be a small child's hands playing with a toy car and truck. Kaito inspected the photo and suddenly he was the small child playing with the toys.
"Shin-can, are you having fun?" he heard a woman ask him.
"Yes, mom," he chirped happily. He turned around and held up the car to the woman, "Look, this one is my favorite!"
"Why's that one your favorite, honey?" She asked.
"Because it looks cool!" He answered in excitement.
A man's voice joined the conversation, "That toy is an Ashton Martin. Good taste, son." A man stepped into his field of view and ruffled his hair.
Suddenly he was back in the library again.
"Was that…one of Shinichi's memories?"He left the row and returned to the aisle, and resumed his walk.
Soon he noticed something odd. The shelves continued to stretch out in front of him, but now they all appeared to be empty. He walked for a few more minutes, and the shelves kept stretching out in front of him. He couldn't see the end of them, and every shelf he passed was empty.
He turned back around and walked back in the direction that he had just come from. Soon the books returned to the shelves again. He thought about pulling more books off the shelves and looking at them, but if they were Kudo's memories like he was theorizing, that seemed like an invasion of privacy. Still, he might have to resort to that if he couldn't figure out what else he was supposed to do, but he was going to avoid that option for now. At least it seemed he had confirmed that he was indeed in Kudo's dream. But where was Kudo?
As he walked, he became aware of a noise. It sounded like someone moving books. He walked toward the noise with caution, automatically adjusting his gait so that his footsteps were soundless. He quickly found the source of the noise.
Standing in front of a shelf organizing the books was Kudo Shinichi, but with one major difference. He had pure white hair. He looked pretty good with white hair, KID noticed. Making a quick decision, KID arranged himself so that he was casually leaning against the shelf behind the white haired Kudo, or Shiro-Kudo as KID was mentally calling him.
Shiro-Kudo seemed to feel himself being watched and turned around. "A visitor? How unusual. And from the Kaitou KID, no less," he even sounded like Kudo.
"Greetings, tantei-kun. Would you mind explaining to me where we might be?" He asked.
"Tantei-kun? Not fully accurate, but not wrong either, I suppose. You can't tell where you are right now? Doesn't it seem familiar to you?" Shiro-Kudo asked.
KID snorted, "Always the detective." He looked around once again, trying to remember where he might have seen this library before. "Wait, is this the library in Kudo manor?"
Shiro-Kudo nodded with a smile, "Once again, not fully accurate, but not wrong either. This is Shinichi's memory vault, but its modeled after the Kudo manor library. And I am the librarian. I take care of Shinichi's memories to the best of my ability."
"So these books are all memories."
"That's right."
"Why are some of the shelves empty?" KID asked.
Shiro-Kudo answered, "Some of the shelves aren't full because those memories have been lost, or forgotten. You'll notice that shelves that hold Shinichi's older memories, such as when he was a young child, have a lot of empty spaces. Some of the books may appear damaged, or if you open them, they are missing pages. These are where memories might be a little fuzzy. Once again, the older memories are where you'll see examples of this the most. That's because as a child his memory was not fully developed. You may have also noticed the seemingly infinite amount of empty shelves. Those are where new memories will go as Shinichi ages."
"That makes sense. As much as a dream can make sense I guess," KID replied.
"A dream?" Shiro-Kudo asked in confusion, "I think you must be mistaken. You are inside Shinichi's mind."
"That can't be right. I was given a magical necklace by a witch, yes I said a witch it's no more strange than a drug that turns a 16 year old into a six year old, Shiro-Kudo, and I was told the necklace would allow me to enter Kudo's dreams and help me wake him up."
Shiro-Kudo was fingering his hair since KID uttered his nickname he gave him, "That would make sense if Shinichi were sleeping, but he's not. He's retreated deep within himself, or maybe it's more accurate to say he's trapped. The antidote took a lot out of him, and Shinichi wasn't even sure he wanted to come back in the first place. His body was already under a lot of stress, he couldn't handle the mental stress he was under as well. So he is trapped somewhere here, in his own mind."
KID frowned, "How do I find him?"
Shiro-Kudo shrugged, "Truthfully, I don't know. I'm not sure where in his mind he might be. I can tell you he isn't here in my library. I don't know more than that."
"I'll have to keep searching at random then. Maybe I'll find some clues along the way."
Shiro-Kudo smiled mockingly, "Who's the detective now?" His smile softened, "If you intend to continue searching, head out this door." He gestured to a door that KID knew wasn't there before. "I cannot join you on your search as I can't leave the library, but if you head in this direction, you should find a path that will lead you to him."
"Thank you, Shiro-Kudo. I promise I'll find him and I will wake him."
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KID walked through the door leaving the library behind him. He found himself back outside on an unfamiliar beach. The beach was completely deserted, and all he could hear was the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore. He turned and looked behind him. There was the door he had just used to exit the library, but nothing else that would normally be associated with a building. No exterior walls, no other entrances or windows, just the door itself. As KID watched, the door slowly closed seemingly on its own. Once the door shut, KID circled around it, and was able to walk behind the door. The back of the door was identical to the front. After a moment, KID realized the door was missing a doorknob. He supposed he wouldn't be able to get back into the memory vault without Shiro-Kudo's help.
Once again KID found himself picking a random direction and walking. He chose to have the ocean at his right and walked along the shore line. The sky was overcast hiding the sun, but still giving off more than enough light to illuminate his surroundings. He continued walking. It was impossible to tell how much time passed as he walked. He hoped it wasn't too long and wondered how much of his eight hours had already passed. After walking for some distance, structures would randomly come up in his path, things not typically found at the beach. A train car, half buried in the sand, but somehow also looking in pristine condition. A statue of a giant, cartoon chicken, possibly from a restaurant chain. A western style clawed bathtub. Considering this was Kudo's dream, or his mind if Shiro-Kudo was correct, then maybe all of this some kind of reference or meaning to Kudo in some way? Whatever it was, the meaning was lost to KID.
He wasn't exactly sure when it happened, but at some point the sandy beach was replaced by a purple and black checkered floor. The ocean was still to his right, the waves rising and falling across the floor. Mushrooms began to appear in his path, giant toadstools that were large enough that he could easily sit or even lay on top of them. Then the ocean was no longer there, and everything went black, but he could still see. He could clearly see the purple tiles on the floor, the mushrooms that were scattered about, and he could see his hands when he held them in front of his face.
He started to come across toys. Building blocks, a rocking horse, various balls, and stuffed animals, and as he walked the toys became more frequent. He heard the sound of someone humming. Without a second thought he followed the noise. It didn't take long before he found the source.
"Tantei-kun?"
The child turned around, "Oh wow, Kaitou KID, you're here? That's so cool! Hey, do you want to play with me?"
KID paused. The child sure looked like Edogawa Conan, but he wasn't wearing his signature glasses that he used for his Clark Kent style disguise. On closer inspection, he was also missing his voice changing bow tie and his tranquilizer watch, all gadgets tantei-kun wouldn't be caught without. He also seemed to behave as a child, despite the fact that he obviously recognized KID and therefore didn't need to act like a child. This must be another Kudo, like Shiro-Kudo.
The thief squatted down to the child's eye level and gave him his friendliest smile, "I appear to be at a disadvantage. You recognize me, but I'm afraid I don't know who you are. Might I ask for an introduction."
The child frowned and put his hand to his chin, obviously thinking, "Well, I'm sorta Shinichi, but not all of him? I'm just a piece of him. I like to play football, my favorite color is blue, and my favorite dinosaur is the one with the really long neck!"
KID nodded in understanding, "Would it be accurate to call you Kudo's inner child?"
The child nodded, "That sounds like me!"
"How about I call you Conan?"
The small boy rapidly shook his head in denial, "No, no! Conan isn't real. You know that! Don't call me Conan. Shinichi always wanted you to call him Shinichi, he was just too shy to ask."
"Is that so? I'll keep that in mind when I find him. But I can't call yoooouuuu (he gently poked his finger in the center of the child's forehead and pushed him backward. The child giggled swatted at KID's hand.) Shinichi, that would just be confusing. How about I call you Shin-chan?"
The child nodded in acceptance, "Shin-chan it is!"
KID nodded back, "So, Shin-chan, so far I've only met Shiro-Kudo in the memory vault-library. He told me he took care of the memories in the library. Can you tell me a little about yourself?"
Shin-chan cocked his head to the side, "Well, like you have already said, I'm Shinichi's inner child. When Shinichi became a teenager, I wasn't very happy. All teenagers are so eager to grow up as fast as possible! They want to prove to all the adults how mature they are. Shinichi locked me away and didn't let me out to play much. But when he was poisoned and turned into Conan, he had to pretend to be a kid again. So I got to come out and play a lot more! I was sad that we got poisoned, but at least I get to come out and play more often."
KID nodded in understanding, "I'm sorry to hear that."
Shin-chan smiled, "It's okay. At least Shinichi kept up with his love of football. We both like football a lot. It's a time when we can both come together and play, because adults and kids both love football! And solving mysteries is fun too, like a big puzzle! Although, I wish nobody was dead in the puzzles I solved, but at least once I solve the puzzle the bad guy gets taken away."
The thief frowned at Shin-chan's last statement. He had to remind himself that Shin-chan wasn't a real child. It did make him wonder at what age death started following Kudo-kun around, but he did't have the courage to ask Shin-chan.
"Maybe you can help me. I'm looking for Kudo-kun…" KID started.
"Shinichi!" Shin-chan corrected, "He wants you to call him Shinichi and you said you would call him that. It would make him happy."
KID nodded, "Fair enough, so I'm looking for Shinichi…"
"And in return, we get to call you Kaito!" Shin-chan chirped happily.
"E-eh? What?" KID felt his brain momentarily stop. He pointed to himself, "You know my name?"
Shin-chan cocked his head to the side again, "Well of course we do, silly. Shinichi's a detective. He's known for a looonnnnggg time that you're Kuroba Kaito."
"But….but…but…I…wait…what?" His poker face was so failing him.
"Shinichi figured out your name, but he doesn't want to turn you in. Because, well, that's a secret I'm not supposed to tell anyone. And you aren't a bad guy! Shinichi only turns in bad guys. And Shinichi thinks your puzzles are fun. And nobody dies during your puzzles. Shinichi wants to keep chasing you forever!"
"That was a lot to take in. I can't believe you just casually dropped a bomb like that on me. I'm going to not think of that for now and focus on my goal," He massaged his eyelids and ordered himself to focus, "I'm looking for Shinichi. Can you help me find him?"
Shin-chan frowned, "Shinichi was very, very sad. He didn't want to stay Conan anymore, but he thinks everyone likes Conan better than Shinichi. The medicine that made him turn big again also made his body sick. And his bad feelings made his brain sick. So Shinichi was very, very sick! And being sick made him scared, so he decided to go to sleep deep inside himself. He's been asleep for a long time. What will happen if he never wakes up?"
KID put a hand on Shin-chan's head and ruffled his hair. He gave him a big smile, "I promise I will wake him up."
Shin-chan had stars in his eyes, "You're so cool, Kaitou KID! If anyone can wake up up Shinichi, it's you."
Kudo would murder me if he knew I heard his inner child say these things, KID inwardly cringed in fear at the thought. His poker face showed only his smile to Shin-chan, "But I need your help. Kudo…"
"Shinichi!" Shin-chan corrected.
"….Shinichi has a very large mind. I could easily wonder around here for hours, maybe days, and never find him. But I only have one chance and a limited amount of time."
"I see," Shin-chan thought for a moment, "You need to go deeper. You scratched the surface with his memories, and you met me, his inner child. Shinichi is farther down than that. I can help you get a little deeper!"
Shin-chan grabbed the edge of KID's cape and tugged, leading him to a large toy box. He was barely tall enough to open the lid. Once the lid was pulled back, an over sized teddy bear was revealed. It was so large, it should have been impossible for the lid to close over it.
He addressed the stuffed bear, "Sherlock, could you open the way for Kaito down below, please?"
The bear sprang out of the box and gave a little bow. It gestured for Kaito to climb inside the toy box.
"Oh, and before you go, take this," he handed KID a small, glass bottle. It appeared to be an ordinary bottle of cologne. KID pocketed the little bottle.
After everything that had happened so far, KID wasn't going to question any of this. He approached the toy box, then turned back to Shin-chan. "Thank you for all your help. I promise to find Shinichi and bring him back." He stepped into the toy box and felt himself falling down, down, down.
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KID fell for some time. He couldn't tell how long. He once again wondered how much time had passed since he entered Shinichi's dreams. He hoped he found Shinichi before he ran out of time.
He also was concerned about how he was going to survive this fall, but it was only a mild concern. Shin-chan wouldn't have sent him through the toy box without warning if the fall could kill him. So he was probably going to be okay? He briefly thought about using his glider, but all he could see around him was darkness. Was that because nothing was there, or would he crash into something he couldn't see? What was worse, crashing into the ground, or crashing into an unknown obstacle? Shin-chan would have told him if he needed his glider. He trusted him.
After a few more moments of falling, KID saw the ground approaching fast. It looked like he was going to fall into a garden, and lucky for him, it looked like he was going to fall on a large, spongy-looking flower.
Boing!
KID landed on the large, over sized flower with a bounce that absorbed most of his impact. It still wasn't the most comfortable landing, but at least nothing appeared to be broken.
"Uh! What is that smell? That's disgusting!" KID stood up, years of practice giving him perfect balance despite his unstable environment. He looked around at the flower he had landed on. It was the largest flower he had ever seen, but considering this was a dream, it probably wasn't this large in real life, if it was even a real flower. The flower itself was a red in color, with lighter, reddish-orange raised spots. The petals were very round. It looked very similar to a certain Pikomon, Bilebloom. The foul smell was coming from the flower.
He climbed off the flower and onto the grass as quickly as he was able. Once he reached the ground, he felt an unfamiliar weight in his pocket. He realized it was the cologne and pulled it out of his pocket.
"I suppose this is why you gave me the cologne, right? You didn't want me to find Shinichi while smelling like that disgusting flower?" He sprayed a generous amount of cologne on himself. If he were awake and all of this were real, the cologne would probably mix with the foul smell of the flower and create an even worse smell, but with dream logic the cologne deodorized the bad smell and completely replaced it with the smell of amber, bergamot, musk, and a hint of orange blossom.
"Much better. Now let's take a better look at this place," he picked a direction and began walking. The garden seemed have an organized chaos quality about it. Trees, bushes, and flowers were everywhere, but there was a walking path if you paid attention.
KID quickly noticed that all the plants surrounding the one he had landed on all appeared to have a foul smell. Who would anyone want these plants in their garden? Why were these plants in Shinichi's mind? He walked faster, eager to be away from the plants that were assaulting his nose.
He smelled a familiar scent that he would recognize anywhere. It was the smell of roses. His feet pivoted and took him towards the smell.
He found himself in a separate section of the garden, this section dedicated completely to roses. Towards the center of the garden watering one of the rose bushes was another Shinichi. "Excuse me?" He called out to get the gardener Shinichi's attention.
The gardener heard KID call out to him and turned. KID immediately noticed his eyes were orange rather than blue. "Welcome. I've been expecting you," he said in a soft voice.
KID couldn't help but feel disappointed, "I see you are another part of Shinichi, but not actually Shinichi."
"You are correct," he nodded in confirmation.
"What part do you represent ?" KID asked.
"My part is a little more vague compared to the other Shinichi parts you may have met. I suppose you could say that I occasionally give Shinichi a change of perspective. I also help him take care of his relationships, or at least I try too. Shinichi doesn't listen to me very well, so sometimes my advice is ignored.."
"What do you mean?" KID asked with curiosity.
"Well, I have tried to tell Shinichi at least 500 times that Ran is only politely listening to him retelling her about the most recent detective novel that he read, but he ignores me. Or when he's supposed to meet Ran for lunch, and we run into a murder case. I try telling him that he should shoot her a quick text that he will be running late to meet her, but he doesn't listen to me," the gardener vented.
KID laughed, "Sorry he makes your job so difficult, Orenji-san."
"Orenji-san? I suppose that's because of my eyes?"
KID nodded, "So Orenji, what's up with this garden? I just came from an area with a lot of plants that smelled terrible."
"Ah! That would be my work. I worked very hard on that part of the garden," Orenji answered with a chuckle.
"Uh, I mean, I hope I didn't insult you," KID said.
"Follow me, I think I can make you understand," Orenji told him.
Orenji led KID back the way he came to the plants that smelled bad. "This is a Crown Imperial. They emit a skunk-like smell. But notice the beautiful, rich orange color of the flower petals, and the elegant bell shape of the flower. And these butter yellow flowers covering the ground are Yellow Alyssum. Aren't the tiny little flowers cute? And this tree is a Mountain Ash Tree. They bloom those fluffy looking bunches of flowers. See, there's a bunch there. And yes, the flowers do smell terrible. But look, so fluffy! How can you hate them?"
KID still felt confused, "So if I take the time to get past the smell of the plants, I can notice that there is some beauty about them."
Orenji smiled in understanding, "But you're still confused why I would fill a garden full of flowers that smell terrible."
KID hesitated, "When I came to your garden by falling through the toy box, my fall was cushioned by a bouncy plant that smelled like the worst thing I've ever smelled in my life."
"But it did cushion your fall," Orenji pointed out.
"So would many other plants that didn't smell like a pile of corpses," KID replied.
"Ah, so you landed on that plant. Yes, it does smell quite bad, doesn't it? That plant is the Rafflesia, also known as the Corpse Plant. Because you are correct, it does in fact smell like a corpse."
"Why would you have a plant like that in your garden," KID asked in bewilderment.
"Because I work with the tools I have available to me," Orenji gently answered, trying to get KID to understand, "Ever since Shinichi was a young child, people always seem to die in front of him. We don't know how or why it happens, but it's always been that way, ever since we could remember. Some of his first memories are of murder cases. We often are too late to stop the murders before they happen, but we can at least solve the murder case and bring justice to the victim. And that's what we focus on. We look past the murder and death, and think about the good we do by solving the case. We look past the smell of the flowers in the garden, and look at the unique beauty they bring instead. Because it's how we keep ourselves sane."
KID pulled Orenji into gentle hug, "That's terrible that Shinichi's had to go through that since he was a child. I'm sorry for not understanding before. I get it now. Thank you for your important work you do in keeping tantei-kun from going mad from all the murder cases he stumbles across."
Orenji gently pulled away, his cheeks dusted a soft pink, "It's alright. I wouldn't expect anyone to understand without an explanation. Common, let's head back. You won't find Shinichi by heading back the way you came."
KID enjoyed the walk back through the garden with a new prospective, this time admiring the plants for their unique shapes, colors, and patterns and ignoring the odor they emitted. Soon they left the foul odor plants behind and were back at the rose garden.
"What about these rose bushes? They don't exactly fit with the rest of your garden. Might they by chance have anything to do with me?" KID asked with a cheeky grin.
Orenji laughed, "You weren't the first to use roses, KID. Don't be so narcissistic, it's not always about you." He softened his harsh words with a smile. "As I told you, I also take care of Shinichi's relationships. Each of these roses represents someone that Shinichi has a relationship with. What bush the rose is on, and the color of the rose, both have meaning. Let me explain."
He pointed first at the biggest rose bush in the garden that had the most roses on it. All of the roses were neutral colors such as brown, beige, and cream. "This bush here is for Shinichi's acquaintances. Previous classmates, both as Shinichi and Conan, random officers he's met at the police station, people like that. All people that Shinichi knows, but isn't terribly close to. Of course it is a very large rose bush and has more roses than any other bush in the garden, but that's to be expected. Despite its size, it doesn't take much effort on my part to maintain, the reasons for that surely being obvious. All of the colors are neutral because Shinichi doesn't know the people they represent very well. If Shinichi were to get a better feel for their personality, the rose that represents that person may change color to better represent that person."
He gestured at another, smaller bush. This one had roses of many different colors, some of which weren't colors you would see on a natural rose in reality. "This bush is for friends. Many of these roses started out on the acquaintance bush, but they stopped growing on that bush and started growing on this one instead. They also underwent a color change as well as Shinichi got to know them better. These roses here are the Shonen Tantei. And this one here is Sonoko Suzuki. He might pretend not to like her, but Shinichi does consider her a friend. I know she feels the same way as well."
He turned and pointed at another rose bush behind him, this one also had many different colors, "This bush represents Shinichi's family, or anyone he considers as close as family. Here's mom and dad of course, and Professor Agasa. And here's a new addition, this bright red rose is Heiji Hattori. The bright red in this case doesn't symbolize romantic love, but rather reminds me of his hot temper. Shinichi and him have grown very close recently, and Shinichi now considers him like a brother."
Orenji gave a bitter smile, "And the newest addition of all, this yellow rose is Ran. We thought we were going to marry her one day, but after Shinichi's time as Conan, he can only see her as a sister. She of course doesn't know Conan's true identity, but I know her feelings have also changed and she feels the same way."
"I'm sorry," KID said.
"Don't be. The feelings we have for people change all the time. It can be painful, because humans don't normally like change, but we just have to recognize that not all change is bad. Ran and Shinichi will never marry. But they still have a close relationship with each other and they still love each other."
KID looked to change the subject away from Ran, "What about this rose here? It's clearly different from the rest."
He pointed at a rose. This one wasn't attached to a rose bush, but was a single rose growing from a flower pot. The flower itself was white ombre, changing in hue until the center most petals were a dilute lavender.
Orenji gave a soft smile and he blushed mildly, "That rose represents someone very special to Shinichi. You could say that that rose represents the person that Shinichi likes or has a little crush on. I don't think Shinichi would be very happy with me if I told you who the rose represents, but if you spend enough time here in Shinichi's mind, I think you'll be able to figure it out."
KID was surprised to feel a touch of jealousy at the bubble up inside him, but he ignored it. With a neutral voice he asked, "Do you think that person would return Shinichi's feelings?"
Orenji cocked his head to the side and studied KID for a moment. KID's poker face held, but he couldn't help feeling like Orenji saw right through him. "Perhaps do they. Recent events are making me rethink Shinichi's relationship with this person, and how this person might feel about Shinichi." Orenji shrugged, "But it won't matter how Shinichi feels or how that person feels if Shinichi doesn't wake up. Shinichi has held out this long, but he can't last much longer. His light is beginning to fade."
"I'll find him before that happens. I better resume my search. I don't have much time left either," he gripped the necklace around his neck, "Do you know where I should go next?"
"You're getting closer, but you need to go deeper," he handed KID a shovel, "So I would suggest you dig deeper, literally. But make sure you're careful of the flowers."
KID looked around, "So just dig anywhere where I won't disturb the flowers? Orenji? Orenji?"
He turned around and found that he was alone.
"How rude, I'm supposed to be the magician that performs the disappearing acts," he pouted.
With nothing else to do, he picked a spacious area free of flowers and began to dig. Dream logic made the labor fast, quick, and relatively easy. Within a couple minutes he estimated that he was six feet deep. He dug the shovel into the ground and found very little resistance. The dirt fell away revealing some kind of cavern straight below. With no hesitation, KID removed more dirt widening the hole to the cavern and jumped in. Once again, he found himself falling down, down, down.
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KID felt himself land on something soft and silky, then he heard the sound of something ripping and he was falling again. He didn't travel far before he landed on something soft and silky again. He caught a glimpse crimson fabric. Then it ripped from the force of his fall and he was dropping again.
He wasn't a phantom thief on pure luck though. Below him he saw another crimson silk. He spread his arms and legs to slow and stabilize his decent. He felt himself hit the fabric and gripped with his hands with all his strength. This time when the fabric ripped, he kept ahold of a piece of it. He fell much slower as the fabric ripped apart from the main body, gripping onto the crimson silk like a rope. He saw the ground below him. He released the silk and did a flip in the air before landing gracefully on the ground.
"Bravo! Bravo! Simply incredible," someone was applauding.
"You don't think he hurt himself, do you?" Someone else asked.
KID turned with a flourish and bowed. He straightened and saw two more Shinichi clones.
He took in the appearance of the new Shinichi clones, particularly one more than the other, and blinked.
The Shinichi on the right looked like he was being viewed through a blue-toned filter. He stood as if he was trying to make himself appear smaller, like he was trying to hide. He also wore a hooded jacket with the hood pulled up, putting his features in shadow. KID could still see his piercing blue eyes, but anytime the Shinichi clone caught his eye, he quickly looked down. It was very different from the confident detective that KID was use to.
The other Shinichi on the left did not lack any confidence. He stood with his shoulders back and his hands on his hips, giving KID an arrogant grin. His hair was the color of mulled wine. And oh god, what was he wearing? Was that a crop top? It left a lot of Shinichi's midriff exposed. A cropped jacket hung off his shoulders gathering at his elbows, leaving his shoulders exposed as well. Fingerless, fishnet gloves were on his hands. His jeans hung low on his hips and were so tight they appeared to be painted on.
Crop-Top Shinichi spoke first, "Welcome, Kaito, to the part of Shinichi's mind I reside in. I am so glad that my silks were able to stop your fall. You don't mind if I call you Kaito?"
"Of course, and what should I call you and your friend?"
"You mean him?" Crop-Top gestured at Hoodie. Even though they were both the same height, both being representations of Shinichi, Crop-Top seemed to tower of Hoodie, "Friend is a bit of a strong word. Spoil sport might be better. Or baby sitter. Not that I need one, but he seems to think so. Ball and chain might work as well, since he's always restricting my actions and freedom."
"Don't be that way, I'm here to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't do anything Shinichi wouldn't approve of."
"You mean you're here to ruin all my fun, like usual. Shinichi listens to you way too much," Crop-Top argued.
"I think we make a good team, we keep each other balanced," Hoodie retorted.
KID was not used to being ignored. He found he didn't like it and decided to speak, "I hate to interrupt this charming conversation, but I'm here now so please give me attention."
"Of course, darling. I'll give you all the attention you desire," Crop-Top approached KID and wrapped his arms around his neck and slung a leg around KD's hip. KID automatically wrapped his arms around the other man to help stabilize him, his hands carefully holding only on the fabric of his shirtand not the bare skin. He was a gentleman thief after all.
They held each other for just a moment, before KID's famous poker face crumbled and he felt himself blush.
In a flash the other man had disappeared from his arms and was pointing and laughing at him. "I did it! Did you see that? I actually got him to blush! Hahaha."
"Don't tease him," the one in the hoodie chided, "I'm not surprised he blushed. Have you seen the way you are dressed? Could you please put on some real clothes?"
"I like my clothes. Kaito likes them too, don't you darling?"
Hooded Shinichi turned sharply to Kaito, "Kaito, I'm warning you right now. No matter how you answer that, I will probably die from embarrassment either way."
"Guys I think we have more important things to focus on," KID tactfully changed the subject.
"Of course, I suppose I can't make everything about me," Crop-Top gave a devilish grin that nearly rivaled a KID grin, "It's wonderful to finally meet you. Shinichi would never admit it, but we are big fans yours, me especially," he winked.
The hooded Shinichi covered his face with his hands which were currently engulfed by his sleeves, "Don't tell him that! I might die from embarrassment."
KID ignored the hooded Shinichi, "And who might you be, my biggest fan?"
He smirked, "We don't specifically have names, we are just part of what makes Shinichi into Shinichi. I myself am a conglomerate of Shinichi's traits. The part of me that Shinichi uses the most is my confidence."
"Yeah, your confidence turned arrogance really came in handy back in that amusement park all those years ago. I told Shinichi he should have listened to me, but he didn't listen to me at all back then," Hoodie interrupted.
"Don't interrupt, emo. I'm not finished with my introduction. But I suppose he is correct, my influence over Shinichi might have been a touch too strong back in those wonderful days. Now he listens to no-fun over here a little much lately. But I'm not just Shinichi's confidence, that's just the part of me Shinichi uses the most. Can you guess another part of what makes up who I am? I think my attire might make it obvious." He grasped his hands behind his back and stepped closer to KID playfully, invading KID's personal space. Was it his imagination, or were Crop-Top's pupils shaped like hearts?
"I would never want to make assumptions on another's character. I much prefer to get to know the other person and figure out who they are rather than make assumptions based on stereotypes," KID answered smoothly.
"A very gentlemanly answer, except that doesn't work in Shinichi's mind where everyone you meet is a walking stereotype. But I'll take pity on you and tell you myself instead of making you answer. I am also Shinichi's lust. But Shinichi doesn't draw from that part of me too often. As I said, no fun! So, I know you have a habit of nicknaming all of us that you meet. What would you nickname me? Slutty Shinichi? Horny Shinichi? Sinichi? Oh, I think I particularly like that one."
"I don't know if I could call someone that looks like Shinichi any of those names. I've just been referring to you as Crop-Top in my head," KID answered.
"I thought you at least would be more fun, but you're just as much a stick in the mud as this one," Crop-Top sighed.
KID turned his attention to the other, "May I get an introduction from you as well?"
Hoodie avoided eye contact, "I'm Shinichi's insecurity. As the other one said, Shinichi never use to listen to me. That changed once the incident at Tropical Land happened and Shinichi de-aged and had to disguise himself as Conan. Now I have a bit more of a presence than I did previously. But not that much! It's not like I'm really important. Shinichi can still be influenced by Crop-Top, as you called him, but I just want to influence Shinichi enough that another Tropical Land doesn't happen."
"Don't sell yourself short, my poor friend," Crop-Top gently cupped Hoodie's face in his hands and pulled his chin up so that they were looking into each other's eyes, Crop-Top's eyes were half lidded, "You are very important and if not for you, who knows where Shinichi would be at this point?"
Hoodie scrambled back from Crop-Top, "Cut it with the Shin-cest! Could you stop teasing Kaito for one moment?"
"Kaito, hmm? I don't recall him giving you permission to call him by his first name? Sure he might have given permission to Shin-chan and to me, but did he extend that permission to you as well? Maybe you just offended him," Crop-Top teased.
Hoodie turned to KID with the beginning of tears in his eyes, "You don't mind, right? Or if you do, I'm sorry. I won't call you Kaito again, I promise. I didn't mean to offend you."
KID was really out of his element. He was not use to anyone aside from him teasing and pulling pranks. He wasn't use to seeing Shinichi, or a part of him at least, dressed like…that. (Not that he looked bad, if Kaito was being honest.) He wasn't use to seeing Shinichi so insecure with himself.
He couldn't help but pull hoodie into a hug, "You can call me Kaito. Shinichi and all parts of him can call me Kaito, of course I don't mind."
Hoodie sniffled a little, "Okay, thank you Kaito."
Kaito pulled away and turned to Crop-Top," would one of those personality traits that make up you also happen to be prankster?"
Crop-Top shrugged, "guilty."
KID sighed, "Let's turn the conversation back to the reason I'm here. I need to find Shinichi and wake him up. Can either of you help me find him?"
Crop-Top shook his head, "Sorry. I don't know where you should go from here. How about you, emo-Shinichi?"
Hoodie pulled his hood down lower and avoided everyone's eye.
"Hey, what's your problem?" Crop-Top asked Hoodie.
KID turned away from both of them, deep in thought. Where was he supposed to go from here? He studied his surroundings, or Crop-Top's area. Crimson silks were strung across the ceiling high above his head. He couldn't see where he had fallen from, but he knew he didn't need to go back that way, so it didn't matter. He looked at the rest of his surroundings, truly studying them for the first time since his arrival. He stood in a stone garden, multiple pools of water and fountains dotted around the place. Topiary and Greek style statues were in key locations around the area.
Nothing stood out as a direction he should travel in. He could pick a direction at random, but if he picked wrong, he wasn't sure he could afford the time he would waste. He pulled the necklace out from his shirt and inspected it. The orb dimly glowed, seeming much more dull than it did when he had first seen it. He probably didn't have much time left to find Shinichi.
He stuck his hands in his pockets in thought and paused. He felt something unfamiliar, something he knew he hadn't placed in his pocket himself. He pulled it out and found a small book. The cover simply had the date from 4 weeks ago on it. The last time KID and Conan had spoken to each other. He flipped open the book and looked at the first page. Handwritten inside was a note from Shiro-Kudo. Thought this might help. KID snorted to himself, "I must be getting rusty if I'm letting someone else pull a sleight of hand to plant something on me. I'll let it pass though, since it was his realm and he had all the control."
He flipped the book open to the marked page. Inside was a picture, it appeared to be from Conan's point of view sitting and looking down at the ground in front of him. KID focused on the picture and just like in Shiro-Kudo's library, he entered the photo and was seeing the memory through Shinichi's eyes.
KID recognized where he was immediately. Of course he did, he was just there only a few weeks ago. This memory was the last time KID had spoken to Conan, on the roof top of the museum after a heist. Conan wasn't looking at the person next to him, but KID new it was him.
As if on cue, he heard his own voice speak, "So now that the Black Organization has been eradicated, what are you going to do?"
Conan answered, "There isn't really a reason for Conan to stick around any more. Haibara is finishing the antidote as we speak, she expects to be done within a couple of weeks. More than enough time for Conan to say his goodbyes and return to his family in America."
He heard his own voice speaking to Conan again, although Conan still wasn't looking at the magician, "I would have thought you would sound more excited about returning to your true body?"
After a long pause, Conan answered, "I'm just not really sure what I would be returning to. Most of my friends have moved on and forgotten Shinichi. If Shinichi returned, if I returned, would anyone even care?"
The memory faded and he was back in Crop-Top's area. Why did Shiro-Kudo want him to see that memory? He obviously thought it would help somehow.
The memory obviously showed Conan at the lowest KID had ever seen him. Seeing it again made Kaito regret that he didn't stay and talk to Conan longer. Maybe he could have cheered him up and avoided this whole thing if he had. He would never know for sure. Conan had asked him why he should stay, KID had told him he would answer that question at the next heist. The truth was, he was pretty sure the first time he was alone with Shinichi back in his real body, he probably would have kissed him.
But there was no point in thinking about what he would have done. He needed to think about what he should do now. And Shiro-Kudo thought this memory would help.
The memory was of Shinichi when he was feeling pretty low. Maybe the lowest he ever felt. He didn't think anyone cared about him anymore. He was obviously feeling insecure.
Wait, insecure?
KID turned around and faced the two Shinichi clones behind him. Crop-Top was talking to Hoodie while Hoodie was hiding his face in his hands. "You're the key to this aren't you?"
"I'm flattered, darling, but I told you everything I know," Crop-Top answered.
"Sorry, I didn't mean you Crop-Top," KID answered.
"I don't recall approving of that nickname. Can't you call me something else?" Crop-Top requested. KID ignored him, caused Crop-Top to silently pout.
KID approached Hoodie. Hoodie backed up a couple steps but KID kept coming undeterred. He put his hands on Hoodie's shoulders. "You're the one I need to talk to to find Shinichi. He was feeling down before he took the cure, insecure. Please, help me find him," KID gently pleaded.
"I-I didn't mean, I never meant, I'm sorry," tears were welling up in Hoodie's eyes.
Crop-Top spoke from behind Kaito, sounding oddly serious, "It's okay. Kaito would never blame you. Shinichi was giving you too much control in those weeks leading up to him taking the cure, but Kaito can set the balance right. You can trust him."
Hoodie closed his eyes took a deep breath and let it out, steeling his resolve. When he opened them again, he seemed much more calm. He walked around behind KID and covered KID's eyes with his hands. KID felt Hoodie's breath on his ear and heard him say, "Don't worry, you'll be able to breath just fine."
KID didn't even have time to try to make sense of what Hoodie had said to him before he felt himself engulfed by cool water. His eyes snapped open and he was underwater. Crop-Top and Hoodie were gone. Where was the surface? He couldn't tell up from down.
Don't worry, you'll be able to breath just fine.
That's what Hoodie had said, and he trusted him. He took a breath, the water felt cool and chill, but he was able to breath as if it was normal oxygen.
He looked around and didn't see anything around him. He looked down and gasped, bubbles escaping out of his mouth and floating away. Floating deep down below him was Shinichi. Shinichi's eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping. He floated on his back stagnant in place, his hair and clothes swaying gently in the water. Occasionally small bubbles would escape from his nose and float up to KID. He knew instinctively this was the real Shinichi.
"Shinichi!" He yelled, his voice carrying despite the fact that they were underwater. He immediately started to kick and swim down towards the other man.
He reached out his arms towards the detective, even though he was still a good distance away, "Shinichi, wake up."
It was dark down below Shinichi, and to KID's horror the darkness seemed to be creeping upwards toward Shinichi.
He kicked harder and impatiently removed his cape. It was just slowing him down. He had already lost his top hat at some point, he wasn't sure when. He also felt that his monocle was no longer on his eye.
"Please Shinichi, wake up. You're wrong, people do care about you. They haven't forgotten about you," he called too Shinichi, desperately.
He saw that the darkness had just reached Shinichi. Shadowy tendrils were creeping over his legs and arms. Shinichi's eyelids fluttered, filling Kaito with hope.
"People do care about you. I care about you. So please, wake up," Kaito called out.
He gave one strong, final kick and reached out. He grasped Shinichi's hand, and at the same time Shinichi opened his eyes.
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Shinichi opened his eyes. All around him was an endless cloudy sky that stretched out uninterrupted to the horizon. The ground reflected the sky perfectly. He thought at first the ground was a mirror, but he realized it was water, perfectly still without any movement or current. He was standing on top of the water, which gave him the final piece of evidence he needed that this was a dream.
"Shinichi," someone behind him spoke softly.
He turned slowly. Behind him about five paces away was Kaitou KID, but he was missing his cape, hat, and monocle.
"KID?" He asked in confusion.
"Kaito," the other corrected, still speaking softly.
Shinichi paused, "I told you to call me Shinichi, you told me to call you Kaito. But you called me Shin-chan instead. And Shiro-Kudo. And Orenji, and Hoodie, and Crop-Top? Except those weren't really me, just parts of me. So that was all real?"
Kaito nodded.
Shinichi felt himself blush, "Even Crop-Top?"
Kaito's expression stretched into a wide grin, "Even Crop-Top. You pull off that outfit really well by the way."
Shinichi felt his blush darken but otherwise he stubbornly did not react, "Well I'm awake now, why are we both still here?"
Kaito cocked his head to the side, "Are you really awake? Your eyes are open, but you're still dreaming."
"So how do I wake up?"
"Are you sure you want to wake up?" The magician asked.
"Of course I do!" Was Shinichi's automatic reply.
Kaito waited without saying anything.
"At least, part of me does. But I guess another part of me has fallen into a deep melancholy. Would anyone even be happy if I returned?" He asked.
Kaito stepped closer to Shinichi, closing some of the gap between them, "Of course they would. You have many people that love you. The little scientist, the professor, and Hattori-kun both know your true identity and I'm sure they would celebrate your return to your real body because they know how much it means to you. Even if Ran is no longer in love with you, I know she would be happy to have her friend back. And Sonoko would be happy as well. I'm sure you have people from the police station you're on good terms with, and not just because you help them solve homicides. You parents would be happy for you. Maybe the Kudo Shinichi fan club has lost some of its members due to inactivity, but the people that are close to you would actually care."
Shinichi grimaced, "I don't care about the Kudo Shinichi fan club like I use too. My time as Conan has changed that part of me. It changed a lot of me."
Kaito gave a small, teasing grin, "Despite physically de-aging, you really grew up a lot in those years you spent as a child again. But just for the record, having a fan club is great, I would know."
Shinichi let out a surprised laugh at Kaito's unexpected response, then his smile faded around the edges, "I guess I really have changed a lot. The people that don't know about the truth of Conan will have to get to know me all over again."
"Of course you've changed, it has been three years. Nobody should expect you to remain the person you were three years ago. They may not know the truth of your situation, but they know that something happened, something pretty big. I'm sure they'll be expecting a change. And I think the important people in your life are good enough people that they will take the time to get to know the new you. Don't sell your friends short."
Shinichi nodded, feeling his uncertainty diminishing, "I guess you're right."
"For what it's worth, I didn't know the old you before your time as Conan, but I like you the way you are now," Kaito added, closing a little more of the gap between them.
Shinichi almost felt his blush return but managed to fight it off. He felt better after talking to Kaito, but he still hadn't woken up yet, proving he still had doubts. He guessed he would have to continue to talk out his doubts.
"I'm scared," he admitted, "What if they don't like me after the change I've gone through? What if they find themselves missing Conan more than they are happy of my return?"
Kaito took a few steps closer and was able to take both of Shinichi's hands in his own. Shinichi noticed that his hands were free of their gloves. Kaito was close enough now that Shinichi had to raise his chin a little to look up at the other man. He still wasn't sure how KID had managed to disguise himself as Shinichi successfully so many times considering the height difference, but he supposed it wasn't enough of a difference for people to be able to notice without a side by side comparison.
The other man rubbed his thumb over the knuckles of Shinichi's left hand. His hands felt very calloused, most likely due to all the stunts he pulled and things he built for his heists. Shinichi found he didn't mind the callouses.
Kaito spoke, "It's okay to be scared. I'll be there to support you…if you'll allow me."
"Kaito?" he asked, not sure what he meant.
The magician smiled at him, seeming as confident as ever, but Shinichi thought he could see a touch of nervousness hiding deep within his expression, "I was planning on confessing to you after my first heist since your return. During your time spent as Conan, we've really gotten to know each other pretty well. Even though we have never actually met outside of a heist, you see past the disguise and you see me. And I see you. I want to get to know you better, not as detective and thief, but as Shinichi and Kaito. During my first heist after your return to your body, I was going to ask you out on a date."
Shinichi couldn't hold back the blush this time, "You were?"
Kaito nodded. When Shinichi didn't reply Kaito said with a chuckle, "Well don't just leave me hanging like that! You have to at least give me an answer to my confession."
Shinichi looked down. He observed their hands, still joined together. Then he looked back up at Kaito and gave a small smile, "I would love to go on a date with you."
Kaito gave him a warm smile that made Shinichi's knees feel a little weak, "Wonderful."
"I'm still a little scared to return as Kudo Shinichi, but I guess if you're there to support me, it won't be so bad," he said.
"I'll be there for you every step of the way," Kaito replied. He leaned forward, closing the distance between them.
Shinichi raised his chin higher and closed his eyes, waiting for the kiss.
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Shinichi opened his eyes and saw his bedroom ceiling above him. He looked to his left and saw the morning sun shining in through his window. He sat up and faced the open window, feeling the breeze on his face.
"~Yawn~, wow. I slept great," he heard from the bed space to his right.
He turned and faced Kaito, who was rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and smiled at the other, "It's good to be awake."
Kaito returned the smile before pouting, "Did you have to wake up right before I could kiss you?"
Shinichi scratched his cheek, feeling embarrassed, "I guess that was the moment when I fully felt ready to wake up. Sorry."
Suddenly Kaito was close to him, "It would be better if our first kiss is when we are both actually awake anyway, instead of stuck in your dream." He leaned in.
Shinichi swallowed, feeling nervous again. He picked up his pillow and smacked Kaito in the face, "I haven't brushed my teeth in like a week. I'm going to the bathroom to shower and freshen myself up. Don't break into the bathroom." He grabbed a few items from around his room and scurried off to the bathroom. He could hear Kaito laughing behind him.
Once he was freshened up, he returned to his bedroom but found it empty. It looked like Kaito had left. He felt a little disappointed that the thief had left without saying goodbye. Then he saw something on his nightstand.
It was a rose, and it was laying on top of a hand written note. I'll pick you up at 7:00 for our first date. It was signed with the Kaitou Kid doodle, except the monocle was in the shape of a heart. Shinichi smiled, and put the note in his nightstand drawer. He turned to the still open window and approached it with the intent to close it.
Suddenly KID was back, cape waving behind him, sitting on his window sill. "Sorry, I know this should probably wait until after our first date tonight, but I don't like to wait. And as a thief, I steal things I want." He pulled Shinichi close and kissed him.
Shinichi gasped in surprise, then returned the kiss.
All too soon KID was pulling away, "I'll see you tonight for our date. Maybe if you find a crop-top, you could wear that?" He teased.
"Get out of here!" Shinichi laughed and gave a playful shove, careful not to push to hard and cause KID to fall out the window, although he was pretty sure KID wouldn't have fallen regardless.
KID gave him another quick peck on the lips, "I'll see you tonight." Then he was gone.
Shinichi closed the window, then turned and leaned his back against it. He gently touched his lips and smiled. He looked at the rose still clasped in his other hand.
He was glad he was awake.
End
Author's Note: The part with the beach, with the giant chicken statue and the train car, none of those structures have meaning. I considered putting meaningful stuff there, but I decided I wanted completely random stuff. Dreams can have meaning, but sometimes that meaning escapes us or presents itself in ways that our awake brain cannot understand. Or sometimes they may have no meaning at all. I wanted a sequence that was just random to represent those dreams that we can't make sense of.
As you can probably tell, I took a lot of inspiration for this fanfic from the episode of Teen Titans were Cyborg and Beast Boy accidentally enter Raven's mind. I've been wanting to write a fanfic based off that episode since I saw it. The first scene in the library was inspired by a movie I saw a long time ago called Dreamcatcher. I don't remember the movie very well, but I pretty much stole the idea of the memory vault/library from the movie.
The crush flower, which was obviously KID's flower, was based off a real bouquet of roses I once saw in the floral section of a grocery store. I saw the white with the dilute lavender and thought it would be fitting for KID. The "Pikomon, Bileboom" is obviously the Pokemon, Vileplum. Crop-Top's area was inspired by that scene in Disney's Hercules where Meg sang "I Won't Say I'm in Love," minus the crimson silks hanging from the ceiling.
This was my first time writing from KID's POV (in the Side Effects Include series at least), and it was a real challenge. I don't think I did the best job keeping Kaito true to his character, but I felt like his character was appropriate to this story. Behinds, just the nature of this being a fanfic means that all of the characters are going to be OOC to some degree.
Finally, to any readers out there that may be dealing with negative feelings or self confidence issues, this fanfic is not intended to say that having a boyfriend will magically make everything better. Friends and loved ones can be a good pillar of support, but just like it was up to Shinichi to decide to wake up, it's up to you to learn to love yourself.
Okay I lied, one last thing before I go. Please consider leaving a review, I'm especially interested to know what you thought of all the different Shinichi's. Who was your favorite Shinichi and why was it Crop-Top? I really did love the way Hoodie and Crop-Top bounced off of each other. And the "Shin-cest" scene was inspired by the twins from Ouran High School Host Club if you're familiar. And visually I loved the imagery of Kaito swimming down to Shinichi, then the two of them standing on top of the water above the surface in the next scene. The scene on the surface of the water was inspired from the first opening to Tokyo Ghoul, if you couldn't tell. Well enough of me telling you about my favorites, please tell me yours!