Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.
Pairings: eventually Kaito x Shinichi
WARNINGS: Eventual shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned
Dark Side Chances
By V. Shalyr
File 9
Truth
"I hate being a detective."
Conan looked up as Kaito shut the door behind him and tossed his coat over the back of the couch.
"What brought this up?"
"Everything. It's just so boring, always having to be about the facts—the truth. No room for creativity."
"It's meaningful work though," Conan pointed out. This wasn't the first time these sentiments had come up.
"I know, I know. But dealing with all these murderers day in and day out is so maddening."
Quite frankly, they disgusted him, and it was just that much more annoying that his current public persona didn't allow him to vent about it. KID had the freedom to give people a piece of his mind when he wanted to. Keigo, on the other hand... Why had he decided to make the guy a nice person anyway?
Conan got up and went to the kitchen to pour a mug of hot chocolate for him. He'd suspected that the magician would return home today in a foul mood.
"It's about the serial killer case, isn't it?"
Kaito grunted, accepting the mug and downing half its contents before answering. "We got the bastard. But if you ask me, jail's too good for him. I hope there really is a Hell so that he can go and burn in it."
With what the man had done, Conan couldn't blame him. Still, Kaito in a bad mood was rather a lot more dangerous than Kaito in a good mood. The magician seldom got truly angry, but when he did, his anger was cold and incredibly oppressive.
"It's over now," he offered, hoping to lighten the atmosphere—normally more Kaito's expertise than his.
"Yeah, it is."
At least until the next case.
.
Lies
"Being a detective is amazing," Keigo told Nina's mother, his face alight with earnest enthusiasm.
By his side, Conan marveled at how well the thief could lie. Of course he knew Kaito was a master liar, but it was one thing to know and another to see him in action. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought the man was telling the truth.
The woman laughed and smiled. "I've always wanted to meet a real detective. Although my daughter told me that you started out as a journalist."
"That's right. I'm a bit new at this whole detective thing. See, I worked with the police on a couple cases, and they suggested that I give the job a try. And actually, I still do journalist work part-time."
The two continued to converse while she moved about the modest kitchen, pulling snacks from the fridge and arranging them onto a large plate. Nina ran back into the room a second later with an armful of books, which she piled onto the table next to Conan.
"This series, right? I like it a lot too. I have the entire set, and I even got to meet the writer last year."
"You did?" Conan looked over the collection of mystery novels and had to admit that he was impressed. Although at the same time, he couldn't help the sudden, intense regret he felt at having agreed to visit Nina's family. It wasn't that she wasn't a nice child. It wasn't even that he didn't want to be friends with her. It was just that... he couldn't help worrying about getting too close to these people. They didn't even know his real name.
Beside him, Nina's mother laughed at something Keigo said and the moment was broken.
.
Gallery
"A homework assignment, huh? I guess that makes sense, visiting a gallery for an art class. Does it matter which one?"
"Not really. I'm sure there are at least three of them downtown."
"Well, as I recall, there's going to be a jewelry exhibit in one of those. No reason I can't do some scouting while we're at it."
"It still feels weird when you tell me these things," Conan said with a sigh.
Kaito just grinned and got up from the couch to retrieve his motorcycle keys. "Don't forget your jacket. We might be out late tonight, and it's going to be cold."
Conan paused in the process of slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Why? What are we doing?"
"You'll see."
"You know I hate surprises."
"And I love them."
.
Stars
Driving out to the middle of nowhere in the dead of night would have been a bigger concern if Conan hadn't been living with Kaito all this time. You got used to things like this when Kaito became a part of your life. Or perhaps it would have been more accurate to say that you became a part of Kaito's life because of the infectious intensity with which he lived it.
This time around, however, they weren't the only ones on the road.
"Are all those people going to the same place?" Conan asked. That must be why Kaito had insisted that they stay in disguise.
"Most probably."
"Are you going to tell me where that is yet?"
"Nope. But I will tell you that we're almost there."
"There" turned out to be a narrow plateau partway up a mountainside. Several other people had set up tents and sleeping bags dotted the grass. Kaito chose a spot a little ways apart from the others and set up camp. A box of snacks soon joined the blanket on the ground followed by hot chocolate and coffee.
Sitting with the thermos in his hands, Conan glanced around at the expectant gathering and it abruptly clicked in his head—the video cameras, the occasional telescope, and the night sky un-obscured by city lights or pollution.
"This is about the meteor shower, isn't it? I'd almost forgotten about it."
"I thought you might have." Pulling a sandwich from the box, Kaito took a large bite out of it and chewed thoughtfully. "Pretty good. You should try one."
Conan did so and they sank into a companionable silence until the lights began to streak across the sky.
Kaito set his finished drink down with a contented sigh. "I bet there are all sorts of people out there now, making wishes on these shooting stars."
"Don't tell me you believe in that old tradition."
"Who's to say? Maybe it's true. Maybe it's not. In any case, I don't have the time to waste making wishes."
But it didn't hurt to take some time out of their busy schedules to appreciate the possibility.
.
Crowd
Erika cheered as loudly as the next fan in the stands when the black and white ball sailed past the goalie into the net. Beside her, Keigo had a notebook open and was jotting down notes—although it was more for show than out of necessity. He had an excellent memory.
On his other side, Nina drained half her soda and smiled at him. "Thank you for volunteering to bring us, Keigo nii-san."
"You're very welcome," he said, glancing around to check on the group of kids he was supposed to be chaperoning. Well, all five of them were still there and, for the most part, either engrossed in the game or in the snacks he'd bought for them.
The journalist who normally covered soccer games had called in sick that day, and he'd agreed to fill in for him. After all, it got him a few free tickets and he knew Erika would be thrilled.
"She really likes soccer, doesn't she?" Nina observed.
"She sure does."
And "she" wasn't the only one. The other girl and two boys from her class were all but climbing on top of their seats in their excitement. Personally, Keigo didn't see the appeal, but it was nice to see Erika having fun. It was good to know that they could still have fun, even while they were being other people.
And it was a little strange from him, but it felt nice too to just be a part of the crowd—just for this afternoon.
.
Scolding
"You're where?"
This was not the kind of call Kaito appreciated getting at work.
"I'm sorry. I know we should have told someone first, but the kidnappers were going to get away."
"So you and Nina followed them."
"Um, yes?"
If Kaito hadn't been at work, he would have rolled his eyes. But as it was, the office was full of other journalists and magazine staff, and so he smiled reassuringly at his coworkers and lowered his voice. "Of course you did. You'd think a detective like yourself would have learned to be more careful by now. It's a miracle you're still alive."
"At least we got Yoshida out."
"Let me guess, you got him free and got caught yourselves.
"..."
"Tell me where you are."
"It's an old factory not far from the Museum of Modern Art."
"Right. Sit tight. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"The police?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll bring them too."
Which meant doing this the law-abiding way.
Kaito hung up the phone, straightened the papers on his desk, and stood up.
"Sorry, but I've got to leave early today," he said, pasting an apologetic look across his face. "Something came up at Erika's school. I don't think I'll be back today, but you know where to find me if something important comes up."
A few hours later, the kidnappers—two men and a woman—were driven away in a police car.
Keigo glared hard at his charge. For once, what he had to say, what Kaito had to say, and what KID had to say were all exactly the same. "Don't ever do that again. These things aren't games. At least give me a call first, or talk to the police. Next time, you might not be so lucky."
.
Photographs
Conan stood in the middle of Keigo's apartment and turned in a slow circle, taking in all the photographs they had used to decorate the once bare walls. There were pictures of Keigo, Erika, and Nina at the beach, pictures of the art show put on by Erika's school art teacher, pictures of Keigo shaking hands with police officials congratulating him on his work—so many images like windows into the lives of two people who didn't really exist.
The more he thought about it, the more it disturbed him.
"You ready to go?" Kaito asked, emerging from the kitchen. They'd spent Saturday in this apartment, but would be spending Sunday at Kaito's. Catching the expression on Conan's face, he added, "Problem?"
The boy shook his head. "Just thinking—about all this."
Following the direction of his waving hands, Kaito nodded. "Amazing, isn't it? We've managed quite a lot in a relatively short time."
"Not quite the word I would have chosen."
"It's not as strange as you're thinking," the magician said quite seriously. "So what if Keigo and Erika have only been real for a short while? For all intents and purposes, they're alive now. These are their lives. These experiences are real. These memories are real. Their origins are simply a little unorthodox."
Conan turned this over in his mind and had to admit that he had a point too. He wasn't doing anyone any good by getting stuck on the philosophical details. They weren't doing this to hurt anyone. They were doing it to protect them. And in the end, that had to be enough.
TBC...
.