-FIRSTS-

Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.

Warning: KaiShin relationship.

A/N: I'm alive, the fic is alive (even if updates are sparser now). I'll endeavor to update more regularly but no promises seeing as this fic just doesn't like to let me go at the moment (it was supposed to end a lo~ng time ago but the plot's still going strong even if the readers and dwindled).


First Dinner

No matter how Kaito looked at the apartment, the place felt more like a jail and it irked his thief senses. More than a week had passed since his meeting with his detective, three days since he last stepped out of the apartment. He was going stir crazy, started building a fort out of cushions, books, and anything he found left lying around. If those spying on him found the actions to be concerning, Kaito did not care. He needed to do something and preferably being out of the apartment.

"You look busy." A smooth female voice from the doorway drew Kaito's attention from his seclusion inside the tiny fort.

"Auntie. What brings you here today?" Kaito poked his head out of the 'window' of his fort. He had been trying to lock onto a signal on the transceiver from Shinichi but there must be a jammer somewhere inside the apartment. They had contacted each other three days ago, when Kaito was 'let out' with a babysitter, the same overly active mute teenage girl.

"I thought you might need some fresh air."

"It's as though I'm on house arrest." Kaito stated, dismantling the fort from within. "And I haven't even done anything wrong."

"Think of it as Rum trying to keep you safe." It sounded as though Vermouth did not believe the words as well. "We're still running the background check on your partner."

"Where is he anyways? Are you people keeping an eye?" Time for some investigation, hopefully the woman would see this question as mere curiosity.

She contemplated with serious eye, piercing Kaito in a soul-searching gaze. Somehow, she must have read something as a grin slowly emerged.

"We've always been keeping an eye on the pair of you. Out of your immediate sight of course. We have to keep you safe somehow." That grin spoke of a hidden message. Kaito had always known that ever since their own apartment's location had be compromised, the Organisation's agents would have been keeping an eye. This confirms it.

"An eye only?" He wanted to know how far they went to spy on them.

"We really did not need to know everything, including your private lives." There was no amount of embarrassment, only amusement. "We really don't need to know how loud you can scream."

Lifting a careful eyebrow, Kaito could share the amusement though he was quite miffed at the same time. There were just some things that others did not need to know, especially if that someone was Vermouth.

"Very funny Auntie." Kaito put the books back the old-fashioned, non-magic, way along with the cushion and blankets. "And where are we going this afternoon?" He had to glance at the clock to check the time.

"Lunch, maybe a bit of shopping. Then dinner with Rum. He wanted you for something."

"Uncle's free?" Surprised, Kaito had lingering worry about what the man might be expecting.

"Apparently, it is because there are very few jobs that required his supervision." She shrugged, holding out a coat Kaito had messily draped over the back of a chair. "He likes going out of the office so he likes to go to all of the job locations."

Frowning, Kaito suspected Vermouth's offer of intel. It goes against her previously established secretive nature. Which means Rum most likely found Kaito be the a job, a mission, that he must see to personally. While he hated to be considered as a mere job, he was delighted at the idea that Rum considered Kaito to be dangerous enough to warrant his own attention.

"Is dinner going to be a formal affair?" It seemed like Rum would be the type to like formal dining instead of grabbing noodles at a store. "Should I pull out a suit."

Kaito remembered the first time, after his memories came back, he opened the wardrobe. He was surprised it consisted of a majority of suits and trying one on at random, he found it to be fitted perfectly to his proportion. His limbs were always longer and hip slimmer, hence he could impersonate females with ease, so normal suits often looked like a tent on him. He does his own alterations so it was of very little inconvenience. But the suits inside the wardrobe were obviously specifically tailored rather than altered. There were even hidden pockets in several of the suit jackets.

"Semi-formal." She patted on the coat, loosening some stray dust and hair, "always semi-formal with Rum."

"You know a lot about Uncle. Been together with him long?" Although it was quite obvious, Kaito could not help but ask. Some part of his mind had been niggling at him about Vermouth's and Rum's relationship. The first time they met, Vermouth seemed more distant with Rum. But now, it looked as though she was his confidante.

"I go where the wind takes me, a free spirit that drifts. So yes, you can say I've always been with him in a sense but not in the romantic sense that you are implying." More volunteered information. At least Kaito now knows Vermouth drifts between the various players inside The Organisation and with her outside contact.

"Drifts huh. Must be nice to have many males falling for your charms." Kaito commented offhandedly, hoping it sounded more like a casual conversation than his intentional dig for information.

"Much like a bird, migrating to the best location when the time comes to move away from the cold, harsh winter."

Kaito was spared from further banter, quickly changing into a pair of slacks and a button up shirt. It would look formal enough for most high-end restaurant settings but still comfortable enough to be called casual. The moment he stepped out, Vermouth gave him a once over, asking him to turn around as though to assess him for his choice of clothing. Kaito had half a mind to stomp like a child at such treatment but held back when she nodded and walked towards the front door.

While the afternoon could not be termed as entertaining or pleasing in any way, the fact that he could step outside of the apartment was a much needed relief. Being cooped up was wrecking his mental health. Breathing in the relatively fresh air, not that it was clean in any shape or form seeing as they are walking next to the street cars cruising down the road, Kaito took a page out of his detective's book and observed his surroundings, mainly to check whether it was possible to slip away unnoticed. Unfortunately, Kaito was able to find several well hidden spies amongst the general foot traffic and passing pedestrians. All of these spies had this aura and intense concentration on Kaito that made him want to flee.

If Vermouth took notice of Kaito's sudden tension, she made no indication. She was, like the girl that had accompanied Kaito, all too keen to walk beside Kaito and not-so-subtly guiding Kaito towards a particular part of the shopping district. Kaito could not help but notice how every shop they come across are all high-end shops, those that are willing to turn a blind eye to certain actions given the right incentive.

Pretending not to care, Kaito window-shopped at the stores rather than visiting the interiors. The shopfronts were more than enough of a distraction until whatever time Vermouth deemed appropriate to meet up with Rum.

When dusk finally fell, Vermouth directed Kaito towards a rather tall building. He took a quick glance at Vermouth and the building before striding confidently through the double glass door entrance. The doorman greeted with a bow, gesturing for the pair to walk further into the hall. Kaito was not able to place a specific use for the building for it did not look like a hotel, nor feel like a business and commercial building. It had neither the atmosphere of a shopping mall, but it did not feel as closed off as a private building.

"What is this place…" He muttered, looking up at the ceiling lights that were all shining all too brightly for Kaito's taste. However, he knew that the lights were just a coverup to draw attention to the sparkling interior for it is quite obvious to Kaito that the shadows cast by the light hides hidden entrances and accesses to locations generally barred to the public.

"The best I can say is that Rum partially owns this building." She beckoned Kaito towards her, approaching a rather well lit corridor towards a set of elevators. "There's a restaurant at the upper floors that he frequents."

"Ah." Kaito eyed how Vermouth double taps the 27th floor before pushing the close button. He wondered if it was a habit or if it was deliberate. With Vermouth, it was difficult to tell.

"No need to fret. Rum knows about your allergies and had taken the precaution to order beforehand I'm sure." Her smile was all too knowing, all too unnerving for Kaito's taste but he kept his mouth shut as they zoomed up to the highest part of the building.

Silence greeted them as the doors opened. Silence and partial darkness. 'At least this part of the building is not so painful on the eyes.'

The corridor led to another set of rooms, a tuxedo man greeted them at the entryway. Upon recognising Vermouth, he quickly led them down between tables towards a private sectioned off area.

"Good you're here." Rum greeted when their eyes met. But Kaito's eyes were quickly drawn towards the figure sitting closest to them. Shinichi, in all his suited glory, sat on the opposite end. His back painfully straight and upright, eyes darting between corners and shadows though it lingered longer on Kaito's form, and somehow, something had him spooked. Kaito glanced around, paying particular attention to the view outside the large ceiling-to-floor glass panes. He could just barely make out the outlines of the buildings, but it was enough for him to spot a rather glaringly obvious glint in the distance. He acted as though he did not notice anything and too the seat next to Shinichi, using his own body to block the line of sight between whoever was positioned so far away and his detective.

"It's good to eat together as a family again." Kaito patted himself on the back for his ability to hide the grimace. Shinichi, unfortunately, flinched very obviously and Kaito had to turn a questioning eyebrow at him. "Is something wrong?" He acted as though he did not understand.

"No-...nothing." Shinichi stuttered uncharacteristically, glancing nervously between Kaito and the outside. "I…"

"We bumped into each other on the street and I thought you might appreciate some private time with your partner." Rum answered for him. "And as you said, it has been rather long since we last shared a meal. I took the liberty of placing both your orders." His smile was unnerving and Kaito figured this must be a test for him, to see whether his memories returned. Under normal circumstances, and knowing the sorts of things The Organisation was up to (in particular Rum), Kaito would not dare to eat anything the man offers. However, as his nephew, Kaito has no choice but to sample whatever would be placed in front of him.

The first to arrive on the table was a plate of antipesto, nothing too fancy though Kaito's own dish is definitely lacking in the seafood area. Shinichi still sat stock still at the table, not even bothering to pick up the cutlery or even the drink.

"Is nothing to your taste?" Kaito asked in concern, knowing the reason why Shinichi refused to sample the dishes. Kaito figured seeing as this was a test for him, it was unlikely Rum would have poisoned his food. It would be quite counterproductive to poison the person he wanted to recruit. He picked up his own fork, sampled a small morsel for himself, then proceeded to hold it in front of Shinichi. "Here, you can try mine. They're quite tasty."

Shinichi's eyes grew slightly wider, this time not a noticeable action, before cautiously leaning over to take in the rest of the food.

"See? Nice right?" Kaito nodded in satisfaction as he took another bite himself. "You really need to eat more. You look way too thin to be healthy." He chatised, placing another forkful of food in front of Shinichi, who took another hesitating bite.

"I can easily ask for another dish for Kudo-kun if you like Kaito, there's no need for you to share your food like this." Rum waved another waiter over. "If the food is not to your liking…"

"No, it's fine, we can share. It's better this way isn't it?" Kaito smiled brightly, hoping to put off whatever Rum was planning. It was best for the pair of them to eat from the same dish, this way, it would make it more difficult for Rum to plant any poison.

Unfortunately, it seems that Kaito's real test was in the main course when the waiter accidentally placed a dish of fish, head and tail included, in front of him. Kaito managed to hold back the wince but he carefully distanced himself from the food. Shinichi, seemingly having picked up on his fear, placed a hand underneath the table and rested it on his thighs. The gentle squeeze managed to keep Kaito grounded to the present as he focused his attention on the pressure rather than the dish in front of him.

"Uncle, you know I'm allergic to this stuff…" Kaito, thankfully, managed to keep his voice steady.

"Ah, how forgetful of me." Rum scrutinized Kaito's reaction for a while then carefully waved the waiter over. "I hope steak would be fine?"

"Well done if you will." Kaito could not stand bloody meat, no matter what sorts they are.

The waiter dutifully took the dish away, sparing Kaito of further nightmare fuel, and bowed in apology. Rum looked thoughtfully between the pair.

"Now, there's a bit of business I want to discuss with you Kaito." He pointedly looked at Shinichi, "if you can follow me?"

Shinichi looked as though he wanted to dissuade Kaito, but with Kaito acting the obedient nephew, he only turned towards Shinichi with a calming smile. "I'll be right back. Don't steal my food."

Shinichi's longing look as he parted from the table was quite heart wrenching and Kaito was not even sure how several minutes of separation could be so. He chalked it to prolonged lack of exposure and skinship with his detective. He was quite aware of how Shinichi's sapphire blues glued onto his back as he retreated out of the private dining area with Rum.

"Now, Verte." It was clear Rum meant business, "I have a job for you." Rum produced a pure white envelope, urging Kaito to break open the seal the moment it was in Kaito's hands.

Inside held a normal printed sheet of A4 paper, black text on white. Once again, it was another dossier on a particular individual.

"Uncle?" Kaito could not begin to guess what the man wanted.

"I needed him to be disposed of." Rum stated. "You won't have to pull the final trigger, but you need to lure him to the specified location. My people will take care of the rest."

"But...Unc-" Kaito's fear had finally become a reality. Although Rum stated not needing Kaito to pull the trigger, probably in fear of Kaito actually snapping to his senses when faced with such an immoral action, the man still wanted Kaito to help take a life. If Kaito were to make a guess, it was not a request because Rum trusted Kaito, but it was another test once more.

"How many times do I have to remind you." Rum shook his head with fake fondness. "I have repeatedly asked you to call me Rum, my son."

Kaito bit his lower lips as though in shame, but it was an action to stop himself from lashing out at Rum for using such a term of endearment.

"But...I can't see you as anything but family…" Kaito lied carefully, seemingly heartfelt. "You're my only family…"

"I don't need you to be in danger. Your partner has already become a sacrifice. It would be good if you can coerce him to come back to us." Rum placed a hand on Kaito's shoulder, forcing Kaito to look back into Rum's eyes. "He had been reluctant to come to us. I'm sure you can persuade him back with your words."

"But why? He...I miss him." Kaito acted hurt, as though betrayed.

"I wanted him to bring me something, but I fear my...opponents must have brainwashed him into believing that keeping that particular object away from me is for the best. I want you to persuade him to hand it over. Once I have It in my possession, he can come back and live with you." It was strange how straightforward Rum was in his request, that even Kaito find it hard to dissuade or refuse. Having no other choice, Kaito nodded.

"I can try. But he's stubborn." Were the only words Kaito can offer.

"That's all I ask." Rum nodded. "Now, I'll leave the pair of you to dine together. I have another appointment to go to. This one might become messy if I were not present. Do not worry about the bill, I'll have it covered." He wrapped Kaito into a hug, placing a kiss on his temple like a father to a son. Kaito fought valiantly to stop himself from twitching or pushing away. "A car will bring you back to the apartment downstairs after you've finished the meal. It can drop your partner off at the station on the way."

"Thanks Unc...I mean Rum." Kaito said sheepishly. Rum only sighed before waving some of the nearby guards to accompany him. It was at that very same moment that Kaito realised how many had hidden themselves in the shadows. It was clear that these people were all armed to the nines, with knives and guns hidden at every available opportunity. Thankfully, Kaito had no designs to escape at the moment, especially not when he could potentially save a life.

Returning back to the dining table, Kaito was met with a glaring Shinichi.

"Did you miss me?" Kaito joked, taking his previous seat between his detective and the window. Shinichi scowled once more, hands clenching into a tight fist just beneath the table. Kaito took note of it and immediately took hold of it, out of sight of course, as he sat down. "No need to act so enthusiastic about it." He smiled before returning to the plate of food.

"What was that?" Shinichi demanded.

There were just too many ways to interpret the question, ranging from why Kaito acted as he did for the duration of the meal, why Kaito chose to sit between Shinichi and the potential sniper from beyond the window, and why Rum chose to call Kaito out into the corridor for the private conversation.

"Nothing much, just the same old. Uncle being Uncle, he likes to give me things to do, personally of course. He doesn't trust others to deliver his messages to me." Kaito worded his phrases so that, should anyone be listening in, it would not sound too incriminating. "That and because his messages are normally quite sensitive, needing a more personal touch so to speak."

"And this time? Was it merely a message or was it business?" The way Shinichi's intonation shifted clued Kaito on his detective's thought process.

"Business like usual." He shrugged. "You of all people know how things are. What with how often you're called away for your business."

"My business?" The momentary pause gave Shinichi time to think. Recognition dawned and horror filled his expression. "That's…"

His detective must have finally come to the conclusion that the business Kaito was asked to complete had to deal with death rather than the usual theft.

"I know, it's not very creative." Kaito tries to act nonchalant but he could not help but feel chilled to the bones at the prospect of having to set someone up to be killed. He needed to clue his detective in more in order for Shinichi to hide the person away. "It's just so much easier to ignore it but Uncle insisted so I have no choice but follow."

In the exact moment when Kaito was about to fill a few more clues, the waiter stepped back in with a plate of food. He glanced at Kaito with a weary gaze as he set the plate down.

"Please enjoy your meal." With a polite bow and final stern look, the waiter left the pair.

"Well, we should savour the food fresh shouldn't we?" Kaito immediately changed the topic. It was clear the waiter is one of Rum's underlings and is probably listening outside the room. With the sniper scope trained to where they sat, there were very few options left for Kaito to pass his message across. Slowly, he inched closer in an effort to feed his detective from his plate.

It was still quite worrying how Shinichi obediently took the bite but Kaito did not comment. Rather he sneakily placed his hand over Shinichi's thighs and began tapping out morse code, detailing the target for his mission whilst maintaining careful conversation vocally. Blue eyes sparkled as the message was clearly understood, with Shinichi nodding imperceptibly every so often. Kaito breathed a sigh of relief, knowing his detective now have all the details and hoping that Shinichi could help save this life. It would be a bonus if they could extract information out of the man though Kaito would not placed too much hope on that account. What Kaito was hoping for was for Rum to trust him more so that Kaito could have access on some of the more sensitive information. Alternatively, he would not mind just knowing where Rum locates himself and the business.

"Kaito." Shinichi snapped Kaito mid-sentence, both verbal and non-verbal conversation. "This building…"

It was good that his detective brought it up. It meant less suspicion for Kaito. After all, Shinichi has supposedly forgotten things and Kaito had been fed with information about his current situation and his relationship with Shinichi. No one can fault Kaito for being honest with his partner.

"It's Uncle's. At least he partially owns this place. Who has the other ownership, I'm not sure. However I can be certain is that there's more than it meets the eyes. I mean, just look at this restaurant! Who would have thought. Plus it serves great food, no wonder Uncle likes it here."

"Hm…" Kaito knew Shinichi is already plotting. Most likely thinking how he could plant people, or bugs, inside this building.

"I wouldn't be surprise if this place has secret elevators leading to his office. I mean, how else could Uncle get around such a large building." Kaito joked again. His mental measurements of the building's interior does not match with the size from the outside. It was likely there are secret rooms. Rooms that are equally likely to be accessible electronically and thus Shinichi could hack in. Kaito had to appreciate, and be in awe, of his detectives' skills on the computer at times like this. It was at times like this when he wished he could just hack his way pass the securities placed onto the apartment he is currently staying. He still could not communicated to the outside world with the transceiver he received from Shinichi last time.

"He seems the type to have secret entrances and rooms. Though he's more the type to keep people in captivity."

"You mean cages don't you? Golden metallic cages filled with an assortment of goodies but nothing of interest."

Shinichi stared at him, hands cupping his face as he stared into Kaito's eyes.

"You're not kept inside a cage." Kaito felt something slip into his collar. "You'll never be inside a cage. Just look at now, you're sitting here dining with me."

"Of course Uncle wouldn't cage me." Kaito was fully aware how Shinichi kept a close eye on his pulse and his facial expression. His face never once betraying of the fake words he spouted but his own heartbeat, he knew sped up ever so slightly as he lied. It was intentional on his part, but still very difficult to detect unless the person paying attention happens to be Shinichi, to which his detective could probably sense which words were truth and which were lies. "He's only keeping me safe and out of reach from his enemies. Plus he does have me help out on some things. Though I could use a bit more reading material. Weapons and technology just isn't my thing, especially since I'm so bad at dismantling things."

"You are the type to make elaborate traps rather than taking them down."

They stared into each other's eyes before succumbing into giggles. It was nice to finally be able to joke, even if only for a very short time. For the rest of the meal, Kaito merely made small talk rather than trying to lace their conversation with more information. He wanted to savour the short amount of time he had with his detective, committing this moment to his memory, before diving back into the role he assigned himself to.

'I'm going to suffer from withdrawals for a while.' Kaito thought to himself as he watched Shinichi walked towards the station within the confines of the car. While the earlier part of the night had been tense and stressful, the latter part was much more relaxed and Kaito could actually feel himself unwind. Now, Kaito was pull taut once more as he fell more into the role. 'No more dawdling around.'

-TBC-