20: A Kaitou's Worst Day Ever
It was already going to be a bad day. Kaito knew it the moment he walked out the door to go to school in the morning with a paper mask over his face and an itch in the back of his throat that wouldn't go away no matter how many cough drops he sucked on. He knew that the day could only go downhill the moment that Saguru's amused smirk landed on him. He knew that it was going to be the worst day ever the moment that the blond detective had remarked that 'KID couldn't possibly cancel his heist because the particular target that night had been sold to a private anonymous buyer and this was going to be it's last public appearance.'
Kaito hated it when Hakuba was right. He also hated how his sense of duty to his father prevented him from giving up this chance even though he felt awful.
It was the worst day ever.
Unfortunately, Kaito failed to realize just how bad the day really was until he ran into Edogawa Conan on the roof as he was making his escape with the prize jewel.
"Ah, tantei-kun, I hadn't realized you were here." KID said, proud with how smooth his voice was and how he had held back a cough. Conan smirked, "you host a heist in Beika and didn't expect me to be here? I thought you were smarter than that." Outwardly the thief smiled like always, mentally he was kicking himself for that oversight, blaming it on his aching head and slight nausea.
Conan wasn't an idiot, he was actually quite observant. It was easy for him to take the kaitou's shortness of breath, flushed cheeks, and slower-than-usual reaction time and put it together to get 'sick'. He found it strangely amusing that the magician was still up to his typical shenanigans while he was obviously not entirely well, but… if the thief wasn't going to go easy on him, Conan saw no reason to go easy on the thief.
The detective did maybe feel a little bit of pity as he kicked a soccer ball at KID with his full strength though.
KID's head throbbed painfully as he quickly moved to dodge the hellish soccer ball, but he accomplished the task as well as he usually did. The problem came when he inhaled loudly at hearing the ball rebound off the railing on the edge of the building, and felt the strong urge to cough. Too strong to be ignored, the magician stumbled with one hand pressed over his mouth to mute the cough and was hit in the middle of the back by the soccer ball.
The speed of the soccer ball, even after bouncing once, was still enough to send KID flying forward. For a moment he lay winded, his lungs simultaneously trying to draw in air and cough at the same time. Owe, the magician groaned. If things had gone as planned, I'd be home in bed by now. He complained to himself.
Conan, feeling significantly guilty at injuring the already ill phantom thief, masked his worry with a victorious smirk and waited for the thief to compose himself again. This is taking too long.
Staggering almost imperceptibly, KID stood up. He really felt like crap, maybe he should just cut his losses and go home to his bed to end this day before it could become worse. Of course he was already too late. A red laser dot appeared on Conan's chest. Ignoring his own distress, the magician lurched forward, scooping up the young detective who had been totally unprepared for such an unexpected action on the thief's part.
A smoke bomb hid them from view as KID lunged for the edge of the building. The beam of the scoping laser was visible as it lit the light pink smoke for an instant before a bullet split through it. Conan stopped struggling out of shock when the thief grunted and the bullet's impact momentarily delayed his stride. With a graceful leap the two were falling through the air. Then KID's hang glider snapped open.
"Know of any safe places tantei-kun?" KID asked shortly and Conan ignored the uncomfortable warmth radiating from the thief to point, "Agasa-hakase lives that way, 222 Beika Street." Their flight was relatively short and certainly not as smooth as KID usually achieved, but the soft head wind was enough to land them right in Agasa Hiroshi's front yard.
Conan jumped out of the magician's arms as soon as KID's feet touched down. While KID stumbled dizzily, the shrunken detective had already rung the bell. "Agasa-hakase!" Conan called as soon as the door opened, "Shi- Conan-kun!" The professor greeted, changing names as he noticed the thief. Haibara Ai stood next to him, glaring at the white-clad magician.
"KID already knows", the detective said, "he needs medical attention." KID waved a hand, "no I don't; I have a safe house where I'll be fine." Conan glared at him, "no, you're sick, injured, and I owe you… again." KID sighed heavily, "you don't owe me, those snipers were after me and I'd rather you not get brought to their attention, besides I'm wearing a bulletproof vest so I am fine." The detective balled his fists irately, "they were after you, but they aimed at me! I'd say that means they had their attention on me!" KID closed his eyes and tried to clear his vision, it was taking everything he had just to stay upright at this point. He really just wanted to go home… where he knew that he was safe.
Gathering himself, KID swirled his cape and changed into his darker, but still mostly grey, clothes. "Look, now I won't draw attention, I just really need to get to safety." Conan sighed, "you'll be safe here for tonight. This is not up for debate, you are in no condition to-." He cut off as the moonlight magician yelped and collapsed.
"You guys were going to take forever", Ai said, brandishing her tazer casually.
Conan sighed, "just help me get him inside. He has a high fever and was hit somewhere by the sniper."
KID woke about ten minutes later on a couch in Agasa's lab, "owwwwwe.…" He moaned, "I'll stick to my anesthetic gas thank you, that really wasn't necessary." Haibara didn't respond as she wrung out a cool towel and set it on his forehead. KID glared balefully up at her hazy form from where he lay. "Huh?" He said, thoroughly mystified, "I thought there was only one of you."
"Are you hallucinating?" Conan asked, seeming to appear out of nowhere. "Ah no… Kudo-chibi", the magician replied, "just really dizzy and achy and… it's just me probably… but it's really warm in here." Letting the 'chibi' comment slide, Shinichi frowned, "only you would be stupid or crazy enough to do a heist with a fever. It would probably help if you removed a few layers and stayed here."
KID groaned, "so long as chibi-scientist-san doesn't taze me again… I don't think I'll be going anywhere…." In a poof of smoke, KID's dark grey surveillance clothes were folded into a neat pile and he was wearing his white suit again. Another poof of smoke and there was another pile of white silk and the thief was in a police uniform. "Show off", Ai muttered, speaking for the first time, as a last smoke bomb added yet another pile of blue cloth and KID was wearing only a pair of jeans and a grey t-shirt under a tightly fitted grey bulletproof vest. To hide his identity, KID still wore a black baseball cap and his monocle.
"I can't get this off very easily by myself right now." KID said unabashedly. Rolling their eyes, both Ai and Conan helped pull the tight vest off. "Strange…" Ai muttered, "I've never seen such high quality protection with such a light weight before." KID chuckled with a wince, "the materials are custom, my assistant helped me design and make it. Normally the material is made only in black, but… well… black doesn't suit me."
The magician grit his teeth, "urgh… the bullet probably bruised through that and fractured some ribs anyway, after my fever breaks I'm going to be sore as hell. Thanks for helping me by the way." KID blinked heavily and turned onto his side, "I'll be out of here tomorrow… just know that my identity could get you killed if you do try to unmask me." He wiggled around to get comfortable, "worst day ever" he muttered, "next time I'm sick I am canceling. Even if… it might be… the one." He drifted off quickly as his complaints faded.
"Think you can replicate that?" Conan asked, as Ai continued running her fingers over KID's armor, "not really my area of expertise, maybe Agasa-hakase could. It would be worth it if…" she pulled up KID's shirt to see how bad the bruising was, "wow… how was he even able to fly like this?"
Conan glanced to see what she was looking at and paled. Beside the small round bruise that was obviously from the sniper's bullet, there was a large circular one on the magician's lower back. Angry and dark, the bruise was raised slightly, more like a welt, and was perfectly round.
"Is this what I think it is?" Ai asked with one raised eyebrow. Conan laughed sheepishly and ran his fingers through his hair, "ah… yeah… I may have hit him with one of my soccer balls." Ai frowned, okay… so the thief had saved her life once… she was a tiny bit fond of him and it was always amusing when he annoyed Kudo…. "Maybe we need to recalibrate your shoes." She muttered, "if he hadn't been wearing this vest you could have paralyzed or killed him."
(I'm not the only one whose been wondering what kind of a mark Shinichi's shoes could cause a soccer ball to leave right? He has been known to dent steel with those things. Ouch!)