-FIRSTS-
Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.
Warning: KaiShin relationship.
A/N: Finally, some plot...hope it'll keep you interested (Vermouth makes for such a nice plot device)
First Chase
Kaito decided to escape last, making sure that everyone else was safe and no one was left behind before abseiling down his line. Though he had been cutting it quite close, by the time he secured his line around his waist, the fire had escaped the kitchen areas and creeping ever closer.
'At least I did manage to persuade Shinichi to go down first.' He double checked the knots, no use in taking the extra risk. 'Though if all else fails, I could probably jump down with only some minor injuries.' He glanced down at where Shinichi stood, his gaze intense towards Kaito with a hand towards his belt. Kaito was sure his detective was preparing for the worst.
After ensuring the integrity of his line, he jumped out of the window and began his descent. Just in time as a third explosion sounded.
'Probably another gas can.' Kaito hasten his actions, letting himself drop with gravity instead of the careful descent he had hoped for. He could not be sure whether the rope would hold, especially with the raging fire.
The last meter or so was when the rope finally caught on fire and started spreading down the line. In hindsight, he should have used his detective's suspenders which had a special coating for it to become fire retardant (Kaito never asked why it was made with that in mind though he suspects it has something to do with a past case). Kaito evaluated the height and jumped the last meter instead of climbing down. He landed, crouched down, waiting for the tingling pain to subside. Shinichi was immediately at his side, assessing his injuries.
"I'm fine Love, no need to worry about me." He stood, brushing off the dirt on his pant legs.
"What were you thinking?! You jumped off the line too soon." Still, his detective refused to take him on his words of health and started patting down his person. "You could have been seriously hurt, or worst!"
"It was only a meter high. I've jumped off from higher without a safety line or net." Kaito indulged his detective, knowing he would not rest until he was absolutely sure of Kaito's health.
"That was not a meter, nearly a storey high you idiot!" Kaito realised he must have scared his detective.
"A meter and a bit then."
"It's three meters you dummy." Finally letting go of the hug, Kaito go see the worry in his detective's eyes. As if the sudden use of a semi-affectionate name did not clue Kaito in, the eyes certainly showed the concern. "I'm surprised you're legs aren't screaming at you in pain."
"Well, at least we're all safe." He smiled, trying to pull his detective back into the hug but Shinichi moved further away.
"Not exactly…" Shinichi pointed at the sky where several plumes of grey-black smoke emerged. "It seems we're not the only building catching on fire."
"Strange." Kaito frowned, recognising the locations of where the smoke emerged from. One was in the direction where the computer sciences faculty was, another from the library direction, one in the approximate location of the car park and laboratories, and finally a new one just blooming out came from the languages department. "Five separate location on the campus? Definitely not random violence then. And I doubt it's acts of terrorism."
"There's been no news on the web about ransom or proclamation from any persons. I'm taking a leap here to say we're not the targets for once."
"Thank heavens for small mercies then." Kaito had been wondering for the whole time. After being confronted by Casablanca, he had to wonder who else managed to crack through his well constructed characters. 'I'm not slipping am I?' He questioned himself as Shinichi led him out of the vicinity of shattering glass.
When Shinichi's phone suddenly rang, startling everyone nearby, both Shinichi and Kaito frowned as they shared a look. It seems his detective was also having the same misgivings about this particular phone call.
Shinichi frowned at the display number. The fact that it said 'No Number' had hinted on the single person wanting to call at this inopportune moment. Wandering away from the group waiting for the police and ambulance, and fully aware that Kaito was following him, he connected the call.
"And what do I owe the pleasure to Vermouth?"
"Oh? What gave me away?" There was no hint of annoyance in the voice, only amusement.
"The fact that you're calling at this exact moment." Shinichi discreetly glanced around their surroundings. To the side was another group of staff, several huddling together for some form of comfort, two sitting down with looks of concern directed at the one lying down. Shinichi surmised the person lying down only suffered from minor injuries, but mostly from shock, seeing as there were no traces of blood.
"You know me too well Silver Bullet." Shinichi could hear the background noise of passing cars and strangely enough, the sound of sirens.
"Where are you?" He glanced more frantically, alerting Kaito to do the same.
"I'm enjoying a rather nice Hazelnut Latte, they're having a special offer here for a coffee and cake set. I'm quite sure the fruit tarts here are to die for." There was the sound of metal hitting porcelain. "I must say, when I was your age, I've never had much of an opportunity to sit down and take a break. Yet here we are, with tea and coffee so close at hand even when there's a great selection of food on the campus."
"Why are you here? Is this your doing?" Shinichi strained to hear what else was in the background. There were the usual sounds of cars and horns, with mutters of exclamations from nearby pedestrians or waiters.
"I'm not here to do anything. Merely enjoying my paid time-off." It was then, the bell rang in his ears. Seeing as it was rather loud, he glanced over towards the bell tower in the center of the campus. He mouthed the words 'cafe?' to Kaito, who considered the question for a moment before putting up three fingers. Shinichi scowled, he needed more information.
"Are you here just for fun then?" He had to confirm whether she was here on official business or not, on who's behalf was she here for. Her muddy allegiances made it difficult for Shinichi to guess her actual employer this time.
"Not fun per-se. I'm here to observe and assess. Though I won't be telling you which party I'm assessing." That was more information than Shinichi could hope. From her words, her purpose of being here was directed by more than one employer.
There was suddenly a loud BOOM in the distance and Shinichi heard the exact same sound through his phone. He quickly glanced at the direction of the rising plume of smoke and sprinted in the same direction. He did not bother to glance behind to check whether Kaito was behind him, trusting his magician would follow.
Shinichi soon arrived at the intersection, only for the voice on the phone to chuckle.
"I never would have thought you'd catch on so quickly." She did not seem all too bothered by the fact. "You're getting warmer though."
"I guess you're just slipping then." Shinichi carefully glanced about the square, taking note of the outdoor cafe on his left, the clock tower in his immediate sight, the building with escaping students and professors to his right. There were several paths diverging from his location, one behind the tower, another on his left and forking somewhere in the distance that simultaneously leads to outside of the campus and another classroom building. Shinichi decided to take the path leading out of the campus. The sounds of cars in the background clued him that she would be close to the roads.
"I'm not slipping, only that there are clumsy people." She tutted, followed by clinking of flatware. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised once the smoke has cleared."
Shinichi halted in the middle of his stride, Kaito bumping into his back and quickly steadied himself with an arm around his waist. His magician leaned in close, placing an ear on the other side of the phone. Shinichi did not mind the closeness, rather, it provided a sense of comfort. He felt a sense of cold dread when Vermouth's words echoed in his ears, it was out of character for her to be so blunt.
"What has you worried that you're dropping the mask?" He asked, no longer in that accusatory tone. They might have differing interests, and he might think her to be cold-hearted, but she had tried to save Ran that one time. Even if she insisted it was a repayment of favour.
"Nothing in particular. Only that, there might be similarities between jobs, that's all." She returned to her playful, cryptic tone. "Though you might want to keep an ear on the streets. There are rumours about an inquisitive owl and an innocent kitty roaming the dark alleys and the small critters are agitated, fearing they would be eaten up by the owl or used as playthings by the kitten."
"It's not surprising." It was clear what she was referring to. It seems word had spread about their enquiry. He only hoped that it was not leaked by Casablanca. "Where did you hear such a rumour?"
"Here and there. Those critters are quite persistent you know, and they are quite widespread. Not as widespread as certain types of birds though. Those are everywhere."
"And is that the reason why the university is on the receiving end of these fireworks? That you're here to observe the removal of the owl and the kitten?" Shinichi really disliked this particular nickname but there was a high chance of their conversation being overheard, despite all the technological jammers and devices.
"As I've said, I'm only here to enjoy the view, take the time off and relax." There was another voice, from the other end of the speaker. A much softer voice asking whether she would like a refill of her coffee. Kaito tapped on Shinichi's shoulders and pointed to their left. They sprinted down the sidewalk with Kaito leading the way.
"Well, it's getting late and I must be going. There's a party going on later this evening and if you have time, do come but remember it's a black tie event. Otherwise, I'll see you in the near future then. Give my regards to your Dove." Her call cut off before Shinichi could ask any further questions. If his deductions were correct, Vermouth was hinting that The Organisation was thinking of doing something.
'But what's that something…?' Shinichi did not pay enough attention to where he was walking and nearly crossed the busy streets. Had Kaito not pulled him back at the last minute, he would end up as roadkill. He flashed Kaito a grateful look, who shook his head in exasperation before jogging off again. Shinichi let out a small smile and followed behind his magician. 'Vermouth mentioned critters, so it could be that The Organisation was thinking of making a show of eliminating these critters? It sounds the most logical.'
They came to a stop in front of a cafe, where they saw a waitress busy cleaning up the table near the street side windows. On the table, Shinichi saw a white porcelain mug and two plates. One of the plates held a half eaten cheese cake with a fork placed delicately to the side, the other with an empty cake wrapper. Kaito was already inside the cafe talking to the cashier, probably asking for information. Shinichi could not help but smile at how his magician could easily read his thoughts. But he quickly shook his fondness away and approached the waitress.
"Excuse me miss, would you happen to see where the person sitting here went?" Shinichi asked the waitress cleaning up the table.
"Um…" Shinichi tries to ignore the blushing waitress and directed her gaze back to the empty seats. "Oh, do you know her?"
"She's a colleague. We were supposed to meet here but I was running late." He fibbed, hoping she bought it. Apparently, his lying skills have improved as the waitress did believe his words.
"That's good then. I found this on the table." She handed over a black USB stick with a white flower drawn on the covers. "I think she left it here. Though it is strange to see it sitting on top of the empty plate, as though she had intended for someone to find it…"
"It's just one of her quirks I believe." Shinichi thanked the waitress and took the USB. Pulling the cap revealed that it was not really a USB, but a MicroSD reader, with the SD card still inside.
"Well, she left five minutes before we arrive." Kaito walked up to Shinichi, eyeing the black USB in his hands. He waited for the waitress to leave before saying "I'm guessing she left this for you to find?"
"I'm not chancing to read this anywhere at home. Who knows what other nasty surprises she has in store." Shinichi tucked the USB into his pockets.
"We should probably try an internet cafe then. There's one a few blocks down…" Kaito's sentence was suddenly interrupted by a buzz on his hips. It came from the burn phone.
Taking the phone out, both Kaito and Shinichi frowned at the 'No Number' display. Though there was only one person who would contact them on this number. As much as they wanted to take the call, it would be a risk to talk in such a public setting. Instead, the let the phone ring before it automatically switches to voicemail. None too soon, there was a text message indicating there was a voice message and a few seconds later, another message from 'No Number'.
"I'm guessing she found something interesting for us then." Kaito glanced about the shop for a more secure location. He led them to the seats at the back of the shop, with their backs to the walls and not in any direct line of sight of visible security cameras. They both ordered drinks and waited for it to arrive before chancing a look at the text.
Kaito dropped the phone on the table, all the while spinning it on the surface. He glanced up at his detective, seeing the pensive and distracted look. A frown was beginning to form on the almond shaped face and Kaito reached up to smooth over the crease between the brows. Shinichi looked startled by his action but still did not say anything. This just proves how worried his detective was of the sudden turn of events.
-TBC-
A/N: I've realised it's been some time since I last had an OMAKE, so here it is (albeit quite short).
-OMAKE: Internal GPS?-
"You know," Shinichi cradled his cup of coffee, temporarily ignoring the phone on the table, "I need to ask."
Kaito gave his detective the utmost attention, pushing his own cup aside and turning to face him. It was not often his detective decided to ask instead of deduce.
"Is this why you bond so easily with your doves?" Shinichi asked with a straight face.
Kaito cocked his head, not understanding what his detective was hinting at.
"I remember reading something about birds being able to orient themselves internally when flying, that's how they remember their route, by landmarks of the surroundings."
Kaito was silent for a moment, blinking innocently before widening his eyes. "Are you trying to say I'm a Bird Brain?" He looked mildly insulted before hitting his detective in the shoulders (somewhat playfully). Shinichi laughed, all concerns and worries temporarily forgotten.
-OMAKE END-
