-FIRSTS-
Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.
Warning: KaiShin relationship.
A/N: Can't believe it's 60 chapters. I know the ending scene, it's now what I should do to lead up to the ending that's been bothering me. I've been re-writing so many different versions of the in-between chapters that it's so jumbled up...cringe I'm hoping that at least the following chapters (including this one) would make sense. If you see a plot hole, leave a message ok? I should have them filled but some does escape me every-so-often.
First Pick-up
The bar was dank and dark, quite unlike the pool bar it once was before. Though the pool tables still remained, the overhead lights had dimmed somewhat from his last time being here. Patrons have changed also, looking more sinister than the posh upper-class gambling denizens that the game once attracted. Kaito took a nearby glass and began polishing the rim with a clean cloth as he kept an eye on one end of the wooden counter where Shinichi was sitting, the emergency exit to his left and the nondescript door leading outwards. He had cased out the interior many times with the help of the owner of the place, so he knew each exit (including the one leading from the staff room just behind the counter) and vulnerable points, such as the high windows that a sniper could use and the stairwell the could be used as an ambush. He may have planned out their escape, several in fact, Shinichi may have planned out (and predicted down to the letter) how the conversation would go, but it did nothing to soothe his nerves for what would be happening in the next few hours.
Kaito wasn't sure whether they were fortunate or unfortunate to not have brought the law enforcements into their current setup. For one, without the law enforcement, they would be without much backup. Although Kaito had managed to wrangle, with the help from his mother and Jii, some external help in the form of non-legal means, their own protection was pretty much left to themselves. However, without the hovering law enforcement, it meant they have a great deal more of freedom, that they would be able to bluff their way through without blowing their cover, or use some unconventional means to protect themselves without causing a stir. Policemen and special agents were all good and whatnot, but they will always exert that air of righteousness about them like a second skin. Not that Shinichi doesn't do that as well, but he had enough lessons to be able to repress those sorts of feelings. It was one of the reasons why Shinichi works so well in this grey-toned world filled with favours and debts instead of the black-and-white that a certain blond detective had encased himself into.
Mindless wandering aside, Kaito focussed his attention back to surveying the interior of the borrowed bar. This place held some special memories for him, where he managed to bluff his way through the a game of pool without knowing the rules of the game or even how to hold the pool cue correctly, where he won that legendary cue from the American Hustler, which the bar was named after. The bar was unfortunately poorly lit with the exception of the two pool tables standing at the center of the room. Off towards a dark corner at the furthest end from the bar counter, sat a patron nursing his drink and eyeing on the tables speculatively. Kaito was told by the owner that the patron is an old customer, making quick cash out of gambling on the winner. The other two tables in front sat a pair and a group of four men respectively, all of which dressed in dark suits, thankfully not black but in the dull grey and brown mix, that seems to blend into the background. Kaito tensed, they were abnormal customers he was told, but they were seen quite frequently in here. This bar receives more unsavoury characters than most because of its proximity to some of the less well-off neighbourhoods, and it being in the junction between several territories, and the bar owner had told him not to be bothered by such people, keeping only an eye out for their own target. On one of the pool tables, a game was being played between a young looking male, dressed casually in slacks and shirt with an air of pompousness about him. It was likely he was rich and wanted a little excitement in his life, another type of patron frequenting this bar because of its notoriety in gambling at games. Kaito had to wonder would tonight be too much of an excitement for this young heir to some obscure family, although neither magician or detective speculates anything other than an energetic argument would take place tonight. The opponent of the young male was someone Kaito remembers from his youth, the American Hustler, who flashed Kaito a grin before turning back to the game at hand. Kaito was not sure whether to be gratified at the support or worried for the man.
Eyeing Shinichi once more at the corner, again nursing that drink of his that Kaito made especially for his detective (it looked like an alcoholic drink but in actuality it was just iced coffee), he tries to find out more about his patrons just through observation. For some reason, the small group on the opposite end from the place he had been observing kept glancing towards where Shinichi was. Most likely these were potential threats (or speculative buyers) towards the upcoming transaction. Not that his detective would be going through with of course, it would be hazardous for the Key to fall into the wrong hands. These meetings, as Shinichi likes to call them, were more of a way to tag their threats and bring them down one at a time. Set up a precedence before bringing in the police to capture them at a more private and controlled environment. After all, they do not wish to damage that much property.
At the corner of the bar stood a baby grand piano with an elegant, seductive, and charming lady with a revealing red dress standing in front of a standing mic singing some jazz tune. On the piano itself was an older, more esteemed gentleman, playing the music score from the top of his head. A small group of patrons sat at the tables near the music area, seemingly admiring the singer for her vocal talents. But it was clear their minds were on something else other than the songs radiating the room. Shaking his head, Kaito could not believe their own parents and guardians managed to talk the two of them into letting the adults help out during such evenings. At least his mother and Jii were having a great time performing for the small audience.
Being the only member of staff tonight, Kaito will also have to play the part in providing for all the customers. A good thing he was good at remembering large quantities of information else he could not play the part of a bartender correctly. At least all of the current patrons were nursing a drink, so there was no need for him to be doing anything other than mindless cleaning and keeping a lookout for potential dangers.
The sound of creaking doors alerted Kaito, Shinichi, and the nearest table to the door, which happens to be a pair of lovers, to the coming of new customers. A weary looking elderly man made his way towards the bar counter and placed a simple order of whisky. A younger looking man, that did not looked to be related to the elderly, came after the elderly and as accompanied by two burly bodyguard-type person behind him flanking on the side. This customer came up to the counter and placed an order of dry martini before he eyed the singer by the piano. None of the two made any eye contact with Shinichi so it was safe to assume these were not the people they were looking for. Just as Kaito pushed forward the required drinks to the to patrons, the door creaked once more. This time, a pair of male and female. The male seemed to be around his 30's, dressed casually, and a distinctive bulge at the ankles to signify hidden weapon. The two burly bodyguards and the table of foursome seems to have picked up on it and tensed. The young woman, feminine and extremely attractive, wore a short blue cocktail skirt that clinged to her like second skin. The slit on the side revealed her pale skin and long legs, no doubt aiming to seduce men to her whims. Her dark hair hung about her like a veil on her shoulders, exposing the creamy skin of her shoulders through the strands of hair. Her eyes quickly zoomed in on Shinichi by the counter, as though sensing her intended prey. She strode purposefully towards him, eyes never leaving the face Kaito molded to look like someone else. The only hint that it was Shinichi underneath that carefully sculpted character were the bright blue eyes that never stopped examining his surroundings.
"I take it you are my contact for the evening?" Even her voice sounded seductive, dripping with poison and laced with danger. Her mouth curled into an elegant smile, posh red lips opened a fraction as she took the bar stool next to Shinichi. She waved her hand with careful manicured nails, also in bright red, at Kaito and making a split second eye contact before turning back towards the sitting detective. "Would you like to buy me a drink?"
"What would you like ma'am?" Kaito interrupted the conversation, acting as professionally as he could as he watched the woman hit on Shinichi. How he wish he could wrap his hands around that slim neck, drag her bodily away from Shinichi. Her eyes briefly flickered to where Kaito stood, sparing him little glance before proclaiming proudly her choice of drinks.
"Gin Tonic if you will." She did not notice the slight grimace on Shinichi's face. Kaito had to give his detective credit for his quick recovery, though he could certainly understand why Shinichi would react as such towards the cocktail.
"Right away ma'am." He considered whether it would be viable to add a little bit of extra in the drink, just something to loosen the tongue and loosen the mind before plunging her into a deep sleep (though nothing permanent or traceable). But a quick glance from Shinichi terminated all such thoughts.
He placed down the glass of transparent liquid resting on white coaster in front of her. A plate of condiments was added as an afterthought before he returned to fixing up a new drink for his detective even if the drink still in his hands were half full. Kaito saw how the woman slowly inched her way closer to both the drink and to Shinichi's body, skin almost touching his clothing. He was weary of the woman slipping something unwanted into the liquid and was not about to risk Shinichi's life (or risking Shinichi in general).
When Kaito reached to exchange the drink in Shinichi's hands, the woman scowled. It was a clear sign something had been done to the previous drink and Kaito was grateful that he listened to his instincts.
"Well then should we get down to business?" Her voice whispered softly as Kaito walked away giving her a sense of privacy. Though he had discreetly set down a listening device to catch the conversation as he busied himself with something else on the other side of the counter, tending to the old man instead. Kaito kept half an ear towards the conversation between the woman and Shinichi, whilst also making sure to pay enough attention towards the rambling words of the old man (something about being abandoned and left for dead, the usual rambling of disgruntled comments common for someone his age).
"What is it you want from me?" Shinichi chose to ignore the close proximity of their bodies and instead focus on the conversation at hand. He knew what she wanted but this wasn't the information that he was seeking.
"I've heard," she reached over the hand Shinichi had rested over his own cup. He wanted to shy away from the contact but resisted by keeping a harder grip on the glass, "you have something of interest to us."
"Depends." Shinichi shrugged nonchalantly. "What is it you're looking for?"
"A certain Key to the world of course. There's no need to pretend you don't know about it Lovely."
Shinichi had to repress a shudder at the nickname. Instead, he let leaned just outside of her reach, acting as nonchalant and annoying as possible (and somehow trying to channel the prankster magician standing inside the bar counter a few minutes away from him). As though sensing the draw from Shinichi, Kaito turned a fraction and paid a little less attention to the man he was serving.
"Don't worry Lovely, I'm not about to grab that Key off you. Just hoped that you would share your knowledge with myself and my associates." Her smile was like a viper's tongue, continually sensing and probing at Shinichi's mental defense. It did not help that she liked to use terms of endearment. "After all, we're willing to part some of our powers with you. All we wanted was a larger share than what we have now but we're not stupid to actually go challenge the giants, those existing forces holding the leash."
"And why should I help you, or even why do you think I would disclose such information to you?" Resting his head on the palm of his hand, Shinichi cocked his head just slightly to indicate he was still listening but did not find the offer as attractive as she thought it sounded.
"Of course, we're also happy to offer you some form of compensation." She made a small movement to reach her purse. Shinichi immediately tensed, already expecting the worst if she pulled out a weapon. Instead, she pulled out a small sheaf of rectangular paper and a folded sheet of paper. She pushed it in front of Shinichi. "We're opened to your ideas of course."
Flipping the paper over revealed a blank cash cheque from a swiss account. Shinichi schooled his features, he shouldn't be that surprised that they were willing to pay anything for information. Next, he turned his attention to the folded piece of paper. It had two names, most likely a filename or codename.
"You will see that we're happy to go to any lengths to have what we want." Her phrase had suggested that they were only offering monetary compensation as a show of goodwill and that his refusal would most likely meant threats directed at him or his loved ones. Shinichi was at least glad Kaito had the foresight to fashion him an identity instead of his need for posing as himself under such circumstances. Who knows what they could do, though Shinichi doubt it could be any worst than The Organisation he has on his tail.
"And these are…?" Shinichi decided to play the ignorant and lure the woman into talking. She chuckled, though he was not sure whether it was because of the believability of his acting (and he seriously doubted his own acting at the moment even under Kaito's watchful eye) or because she found him funny.
"You're interesting. Quite different from the many boring old sods I meet on the streets trying to offer me something valuable." She covered up her laugh with her drink, taking a slow sip of the liquid before replacing the half-filled cup on the coaster. "We just need some leverage that's all. Of course, if you're unwilling to provide them to us, we always have other ways…"
She left the sentence unfinished though Shinichi knew full well what would come next if he refused the offer. It was either take the blank cheque and offer her the information or the information would be forced out of him. Subtly, the woman pressed a hard object onto Shinichi's thighs. It was quite obvious what it was and it was no surprise that she came here armed.
"Ahem. A drink for my boss." A man coughed from the empty space next to Shinichi, he had approached them without anyone noticing, which was quite a feat. Kaito nodded at the order, taking a glance at the gestured table, and set out to pull bottles from the rack behind the counter. "And my boss wishes to have a few words with you, young sir."
The pressure came off his thighs the moment the words were said.
"Aren't you a rude one." She glared at the newcomer. "We were having a nice conversation, were we not Lovely?"
"It looks as though you were threatening him than anything ma'am." The man countered. "Besides, you look to be too...mature for the young sir, and a different gender for that matter." There was amusement in his eyes as Shinichi stared at him wide-eyed. "You were eyeing the bartender the whole time young sir, my boss thought he might entertain you better than current company."
Shinichi did not know he was so obvious in the attention paid towards Kaito. It was difficult for him to focus on anything else other than his magician, even under the dim lighting and the light disguise, Kaito shone like a beacon and magically drew Shinichi's eyes towards him.
"Why you?!" She stood up abruptly, her companion standing up at the same time. Music suddenly stopped as the pressure in the air froze between the two.
Kaito diffused the situation by purposefully (loudly) placing the drink on the wooden counter. "Your order sir." He pushed the drink towards the man.
"Of course." He rummaged around for several bills and pushed them forwards. "How unsightly of me. It would affect badly of my boss. I must apologise." He grudgingly tipped his head before turning quickly towards Shinichi to both the ordered cup and Shinichi's own drink. "Shall we?"
Not wanting to be in the company of the woman any longer, he followed the man though taking his own cup from the hand. It would not do if they slipped something in his drink, even though the location is relatively safe.
"So good you could join me." The so-called boss greeted, standing up and extending his hand. It felt very much like a business meeting. "I had hoped that woman had not coerced you into giving into her demands just yet. After all, I might offer you a better deal for the Key."
"You know as well?" Shinichi decided to take the hand and shook it as a sign of goodwill, even if every word and expression passed between them were fake.
"I have been observing you ever since you walked in this evening. I've heard that you frequent this bar and wanted to meet with you. Though, those rumours made no mention of how alluring you are." The man was flirting with him, and Shinichi wanted nothing more than to throw his drink at his face. Still, Shinichi kept a strained smile on. Instead, he placed drink on the table and made a deliberate motion to sit down as he pulled his hands away from the man.
"And?" Being too terse in his choice of words was not favoured for such an occasion, especially since Shinichi wanted information. However, spending any more time in this person's presence will grate on Shinichi's nerves all the more. The eyes the man was using on him, it was as though he was trying to undress him and Shinichi was already having a hard time trying to curb his shivers and the need to kick something at that face.
"I'm not like that woman up there." He gestured to the bar counter where vulture-like eyes zoomed in onto their table. "I like to do things civilly, talk it out if you will."
The man was confident as he leaned backwards in his chair. He looked over at the table behind Shinichi where his bodyguards sat, each nursing a full cup of either beer or wine.
"Bringing strong arms into a deal is not something well thought of." Shinichi commented, sparing a glance at Kaito at the same time he took in the details of the bodyguards. Them being armed is nothing unusual, so Shinichi took stock of what their weapons were and whether any of them preferred their fists over actual weapons. As far as Shinichi could tell, each bodyguard carried two guns and at least a short-range weapon like a knife or brass knuckles. After some consideration, Shinichi finished his drink in a single gulp and called Kaito over under the pretense of ordering, and giving Kaito the opportunity to plant some of his tricks in this area, just in case things got out of hand.
"Buy me a drink?" Shinichi remembered to soften his own features, acting playful and coyish to draw the man in.
"I knew she wasn't your type, though I have no idea that I'd fit your high...expectations." He agreed, pulling out his wallet for the bills. "Anything in particular?"
"Just a refill would be fine, something to pass time before we discuss business." Shinichi leaned forward. Never would he have thought he would be using a honey-trap instead of his words. Maybe Kaito had been right, there is some merit to wearing the body sculpting outfit apart from attracting unwanted stares and salivating perverts.
Each kept to their own silence as they waited for the drink, preferring to listen to the soft jazz-like music rather than talking. Shinichi had to wonder whether it really was Kaito's mother voice singing or if it was a pre-recorded track. It sounded extremely professional.
Kaito quietly observed Shinichi and the man as he placed the cup on the table, taking the payment and the large tip being stuffed into his vest pocket. The man whispered into his ear, about slipping in 'a little bit extra' of a certain something into the next order of drinks. Kaito had to hold back his impulse of throttling the man at the suggestion. Maybe he would slip something in the next order, though nothing for Shinichi but something...memorable for the man.
-TBC-
