Phantom of Sesshou
When sixteen year old Ekoda Junior -Kaito Kuroba- was being paired a partner for his psychology class midterm project, he had definitely never expected it to be the resident eighteen year old foreign-genius Saguru Hakuba of all people. In fact, he had very well expected anyone but who it turned it out to be. While this wouldn't have been a huge issue, considering they both were known for their good grades and opposing charms, it only became that much more complicated by the subject they were given to do their project over: Haunted Asylums.
Now, granted, Kaito Kuroba, the real identity behind the infamous phantom thief criminal, Kaitou KID was in no way scared of ghosts. Fish yes. Ghosts no.
Still, death was not an easy thing for him and even the idea of traversing upon land where men and women, merely with a slight mental different, had possibly been tortured and very well murdered in the name of "science" and theoretical "human good", just didn't sit right with him.
Then of course, there was Saguru Hakuba; a self-proclaimed teen detective who honesty, was as good as he claimed he was; Kaito had to begrudgingly admit that was true. Still, the man, like all his little critic detectives, was a walking death magnet. The very idea of getting through this weekend without attracting a corpse was nearly too good to be true.
Nevertheless, a project was a project and he couldn't argue with the teacher. If he wanted to pass this class with an A as he did all his others, he would have to do this project and do it well and that meant, dare he think it, spending the weekend with Hakuba and visiting the most known haunted asylum in Kanto, Japan that was known simply as "Sesshou" or "to take life" as named by the locals.
So that was how he found himself sitting on a long, boring bus ride on a Friday, heading for north Kanto with his archenemies. That was also how they wound up meeting them, of all people. Right before they got on said bus, they had walked up like two mice looking for a good piece of cheese.
"You have got to be kidding," Kaito whispered to himself, face-palming as he collapsed against the bus-stop bench beside his classmate as, low and behold, Heiji Hattori, another annoying self-proclaimed teen detective, and Conan Edogawa, who Kaito knew to truly be the famous teen detective Shinichi Kudo (currently de-aged due to an evil criminal organization), walked towards them.
Conan Edogawa/Shinichi Kudo blinked, obviously also a bit stunned to see the other detective, Hakuba sitting there (technically Kaito and Shinichi have never met before, at least not as their true selves).
"Hakuba-niichan!" he shouted as Conan, hurrying forward.
Hattori cursed behind him and Kaito had to hide his smirk at the other detective's obvious dislike of his classmate. He at least had something in common with the annoying osakan teen.
Hakuba looked just as 'happy', if his expression was anything to go by.
"Edogawa-kun and… you. How unexpected."
Hattori sputtered in indignation while Kudo ignored him and merely smiled as a child would.
"What are you doing here, Hakuba-niichan?" the kid asked like any nosy little child would.
Of course, they all knew he was anything but a normal little child. After all, this boy had earned the title of "kid-killer" for ruining so many of the Kaitou kid's daring schemes. He wasn't to be underestimated.
Saguru sighed. "Myself and…" he paused, turning to Kuroba who merely glanced his way, for all purposes seemingly bored and uninterested. He knew better. "I suppose I should introduce you to my classmate and current school project partner, this is..."
"Kaito Kuroba, magician extraordinaire!" Kaito cut in with a bow and a wide, dazzling grin, "At your service."
Conan stared at the teen, shocked to see how close to his own teen self he looked. Of course, he could see some minor differences, but the still near twin-like appearance was astonishing.
"Ah…" realizing he was spacing out while staring at the other teen who was now staring back at him with an obvious look of concern, made him quickly speak up and smile. "Sorry. You look a lot like my cousin, Kudo-nii. Nice to meet you, Kuroba-niichan!"
Kaito smiled and knelt before the boy, shaking his outstretched hand.
"A pleasure as well, Edogawa-kun." He snapped his fingers with his other hand and presented the young sleuth with a small pink rose.
Conan stared at it a moment before slowly accepting it. The magician grinned before turning to the other detective who had just stepped up.
"I'm Heiji Hattori. Nice to meet ya," said the darker skinned detective.
Kaito merely smiled, but made no move to try and shake the other teen's hand; not that he had offered in the first place. Kaito certainly didn't offer him a rose.
Everyone stood there, feeling extremely awkward. Luckily the arrival of the bus broke the tension. As they all settled into their seats, Conan, who had sat in front of them with Hattori, turned around and peered back at the two who sat stiffly, trying extremely hard not to rub shoulders with one another. He could tell they weren't friends and definitely weren't in any way interested in becoming friends. He wondered why they were together…
"Oh, you mentioned school project partner or something right?" he asked suddenly, remembering the comment the blonde had made, "are you guys visiting Kanto for research or something?"
"Yeah," Hakuba sighed, "We are going to the abandoned asylum, Sesshou."
Conan and Heiji both shared a look. Kaito caught it.
"You guys are going there too, aren't you?" he asked, suddenly suspicious, his eyes narrowed.
Hattori looked uncomfortable, but Conan just chuckled a bit nervously.
"There uh…" he sighed and decided to just say it, "a couple nights ago a woman and man turned up murdered outside the building. Police reported it as having been a murder-suicide, but there were several things that just didn't add up in response to that accusation. We…" he glanced at Heiji who shrugged, "we wanted to check it out. It's a friend of Hattori's father who didn't agree with the findings and Heiji offered to go look it over, so I volunteered (more like he dragged me) to go with him."
Hakuba seemed much more interested all at once, while Kaito felt a shiver run through him. Already something was telling him this place was bad. They needed to turn back now, before they arrived and got pulled in, but he knew they wouldn't and he was KID for goodness sake, there was no way he would either if they weren't.
"Guess I can help too, if you would like," Hakuba suggested, more of a declaration he would help than an actual question.
Conan just chuckled and Hattori grumbled, but neither refused. Kaito honestly just felt resigned as he sighed. The blonde glanced at his classmate, noticing the look and hearing the sigh. He felt a bit bad, but he knew the other could handle himself well enough. Still, he wasn't exactly unaware of the others discomfort in being around dead bodies and while he didn't know why that was, he did feel somewhat guilty for bringing him along, even if they both couldn't have possibly known this would happen.
And so that was how all four found themselves standing before the large steel doors of the abandoned asylum, now overgrown with weeds and padlocked with an iron chain.
"So," started Hakuba sociably, "Where was the murder victims found?"
As the three immediately began talking about the case, Kaito trotted along behind them, but he couldn't help but feel like something or someone was watching them.
PHANTOM OF SESSHOU
Conan knelt, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he looked at the fading stains of blood on the concrete. Why here? Why together? Where was the weapon? What was the motive? Why was there so little blood for two head wounds? It just didn't add up. None of it.
"The bodies were moved here and dumped," he finally responded.
Hattori nodded, his own face uncharacteristically serious as he stared at the scene. Hakuba also agreed, his own findings coming up with the same questions no one seemed to have an answer for.
"The police also noted with the families help, that both victims were missing something personal," Hattori commented as he stood from where he had been kneeling by the blood, "the man apparently was missing a watch and the woman, a necklace. It was something they both wore all the time."
"Our supposed ghost is obviously not the thief, so that leaves only human involvement," Conan snorted.
Kaito who watched them from afar could also see the blanks this crime scene was presenting. While he himself was no detective, he couldn't deny he knew how they thought, what they looked for. It was just… he wasn't the sort to handle that kind of thing. Sure, he could deal with murder and revenge and crime and violence and all that, but he couldn't deal with it again and again and again. How they could, he would never fully understand, but he was in awe of them, though he would never admit it.
"So, I take it we are going inside?" Hakuab asked, dusting his khakis off as he stood.
Conan narrowed his eyes as Hattori spoke up.
"Yeah. Something happened here and I think it was connected to this place's legend. Either someone used it to their advantage, or…"
Hakuba nodded.
"My dad gave me the key," Heiji said as he stepped up to the doors and began to unlock the iron chains.
Kaito who stood at the back of the group felt a cold chill run down his spine. He spun around, staring at the trees surrounding them, but he couldn't see anything. Still, that lingering doubt as though he were missing something obvious persisted and it made him uneasy.
"Kuroba-niichan?" the young voice of Conan Edoagawa called, "are you okay?"
He turned, his eyes meeting that of the boys as his masked slipped back into place.
"Nothing wrong, chibi-kun~," he sang.
Kaito grinned, but Conan frowned. Something about this teen felt familiar to him, though he didn't know how or why. All he knew, was that he would be keeping an eye on him.
"Got it. It's open," called Heiji as he tossed the chain aside and pulled out some flashlights they had brought with them. He handed one to each of them before stepping inside. Hakuba and Conan were right behind him, but Kaito lingered outside for a moment, everything in him screaming not to go in, but he ignored his senses. If his detectives were going in, he sure as hell was too. After all, who better to keep an eye on them but the illustrious phantom himself?
With that somewhat egotistical thought in mind, Kaito started in behind his critics, but couldn't help but jump as the door slammed shut behind him, the sound echoing in the empty abandoned hall.
If the others noticed his nervous actions, they didn't say anything, for which he was immensely thankful. Still, he kept close to them, but also made sure to keep a few feet between them. If something was here, watching them, hunting them… he would be ready to move.
Conan walked just behind Hattori and alongside Hakuba, but neither were on his mind. Instead, he kept sneaking glances back at the self-proclaimed magician behind them. Conan wasn't an idiot. He knew what with the similarities between this teen and his own teen self, as well as his somehow relation with the blonde detective, and his own testament to the fact he knew magic; that this male behind them was most likely the Kaitou KID.
Part of himself really wanted to go back there and question him silly with nowhere to run. The other part of himself knew he was on a case with two other detectives and as much as he hated to admit it, he owed the thief quite a lot. Sighing, he decided to play it off instead as a child's sudden curiosity. Dropping back until he was side by side with the thief, it was only then when he noticed the other seemed distracted. His eyes were looking every which way. Not in fear, but more in caution. His hands weren't just laying at his side, but rather the left one firmly held the flashlight, following his eyes pattern and his right, it seemed to almost twitch in anticipation.
"Kuroba-niichan?" he whispered, trying not to startle the thief.
Kaito however had noticed his favorite little critic by his side almost immediately. His attention, while locked on the walls and abandoned, open rooms around them; had not faltered in being aware of the three detectives he had sworn to protect.
"Yes, Conan-kun?" he whispered back, as though they were strolling through a park rather than a supposed haunted asylum.
Shinichi was quiet, studying the thief. He obviously hadn't been as focused as Conan had originally presumed, but something was obviously wrong if the thief was acting like this. While he had never been around KID in a personal setting before, he knew enough about the thief to know he would have been as calm as a gently flowing river on a non-windy day with his poker face slammed down, if there wasn't something eating at him. Seeing that he was acting more like a cat in pounce position, ready and waiting for the mouse to scurry into the open, it made even Shinichi nervous.
"Do you see something?" he whispered, suddenly aware of the slight chill in the air.
"No," Kaito answered, "I feel something."
Conan was silent. Kaito glanced at his rival and noticed how the boy's eyes were now following his own pattern, checking around, in front, and even behind them as they walked. It both made Kuroba feel much more calm knowing someone else was also aware, but also that much more nervous, because it hadn't been just him sensing the danger.
"Hey, I think I found something," Hattori suddenly called out, stopping a few feet ahead.
Conan, temporarily forgetting about the thief, hurried to his friend's side as Hakuba stood over top of the boy, staring down at the clue as well. Kaito, honestly couldn't care less. He kept his eyes on his surroundings, watching, waiting for it to make its move. The darkness, while an excellent cover, still made it easy for light reflection to be noticed and when Kaito did spot that slight twinkle, his eyes narrowed and he vanished into the shadows, leaving the three detectives behind.
PHANTOM OF SESSHOU
Hattori stared down at the yellow ribbon splattered with dried blood. It didn't take a genius to know this ribbon had undoubtedly belonged to the girl who had been murdered. Her outfit had been yellow with blue jean shorts. Her hair had been down around her shoulders when found, but it wouldn't be hard to imagine it pulled up, what with the current warm temperatures outside, especially in the evenings.
"Kuroba-niichan?!" Conan suddenly called.
Hakuba and Hattori turned, both stunned to suddenly realize their fourth was no longer with them.
"Kuroba!" Hakuba called alongside the boy.
All of them moved their flashlights alongside the walls and around the perimeter, but there was no sign of the thief. Hakuba felt his heart speed up. Surely of all people, something hadn't happened to Kuroba. Shinichi was thinking along similar lines, but he was suspicious. Honestly, they would have noticed had Kuroba been attacked. This only left one possibility.
"I'm going to kill him," Hakuba growled.
Conan didn't argue. The thief had obviously gone off on his own to investigate.
"So what do we do? The trail leads this way," Hattori pointed.
The two stared down the hall where he indicated, before turning to the hall leading the opposite way. None of them had noticed the thief passing, so it was obvious he hadn't gone down the bloody trails direction.
"If he found something," Hakuba suddenly spoke, "we should check it out."
Hattori frowned. "Maybe he just got scared and…"
"No," Conan immediately replied. His comment surprised Hakuba, but made Hattori go silent. The osakan detective had been around his friend enough to know when Kudo knew something for certain or when he was just guessing. "No," Conan repeated, "I agree with Hakuba. If Kuroba found something, we should follow. The dead will remain dead, but the living… I don't want anything to happen we might regret."
No one argued his statement and neither did they comment about the fact that Conan had dropped the honorifics after their names.
The three sleuths started down the shadowed hall, but as they walked, they couldn't have possibly known what awaited them.
PHANTOM OF SESSHOU
Kaito Kuroba stopped just outside a closed door. He could feel it, the tension, the chill… everything seemed to resonate around this room. With eyes narrowed and nerves hidden beneath layers of masks, he reached forward and turned the handle.
It all happened so fast.
Kuroba felt himself flung backwards and a weight descend upon his chest. His flashlight was knocked to the right and he struggled, attempting to reach for it and get a good look at his attackers face. Hands suddenly gripped his throat and he gasped as fingers dug into his skin. He struggled and fought back, but this person, whomever it was, was strong. Kaito could feel his body slowing. He could see the black specks wavering like film static across his eyes before suddenly the hands were removed and he was coughing, hard and like a fish out of water.
Hands grabbed his jacket and began to drag him behind the person and into the room, the door clicking closed as he was suddenly unceremoniously grabbed and thrown onto a nearby ratty mattress. Still coughing and gasping for his breath, his throat swollen and sore, he eyed the room, just barely lit with the dim moon lighting. It took all he had in him not to scream when he noticed the stains beneath where he lay. The mattress… it was soaked in blood and not all of it dry.
Squirming off the mattress, he didn't get far when something slammed into the side of his head. Kuroba stumbled, his mind spinning, but he kept himself standing. As Kid, falling was a risk he had to deal with often and his head, used to having been knocked around from time to time, had learned to stay conscious after such an injury. Still, that didn't mean the thief could see straight as he wobbled. Hands jerked him back, nearly off his feet, but instead of another hit to the face like he was expecting, he found himself being swept up and off his feet; carried.
Kaito blinked his eyes rapidly, the spots finally fading, but not before he noticed where exactly it was he was being carried. Thinking quickly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his deck of cards, slipping the joker, which was always on top, to the floor without his attacker noticing. He could only hope his detectives found it before it was too late.
With that thought in mind, he heard the contraption open and then, he was free falling. Kuroba didn't know how deep this sewer waste-bin was, but his mind didn't have time to find an answer before his body struck unyielding concrete and he knew no more.
PHANTOM OF SESSHOU
Shinichi, Hakuba, and Hattori had been walking a little while before they noticed the small dim lighting of something laying unmoving on the hallway floor. Hurrying forward, the boys slowly picked up the abandoned flashlight, the glass broken, but the bulb still barely lit. A sudden sound drew their attention towards the closed door just to the right of them. None missed the sudden chill that seemed to descend as Heiji reached for the handle.
On the count of five, he yanked it open. The boys, flashlights at the ready, stared into an empty room. Conan, funny enough, took point as he led them inside. Hattori was right behind him and Hakuba took the rear, his eyes peeled and senses on high alert. He tried to not allow his imagination to run free with Kurobas disappearance, but it was hard, especially when they found the mattress coated in blood and a small spray of red against the wall, very clearly fresh.
"Kuroba!" Hakuba called out again, killed be darned.
There was no answer.
Hattori walked around the side of the room, eyeing the sink and the metal cabinets. It was obvious this room had once been a kitchen during the time the asylum was open. He couldn't help but be slightly fascinated by the strange utensils and pans he found lying around the place.
Conan who was still standing nearby Hakuba who was deep in thought and rightfully worried, suddenly noticed the reflection of white a few feet away. Eyes narrowed as he stepped closer, they suddenly widened when he realized what exactly he was looking at.
"Hakuba! Hattori!"
The two turned and hurried over to the small sleuth as he raised the card up, the image of a joker staring back at them.
"Kuroba…" Hakuba whispered.
"He left it behind as a clue," Conan stated without hesitation as he turned to peer around the vicinity. The thief was somewhere here, but… where exactly? Was he already dead? The thought made the mini sleuth shiver and e was struck by how horrified that thought actually made him. It was just… it was wrong somehow to even consider the KID being dead.
Still walking and searching the area, Hakuba suddenly paused and stepped back and then forward again. The sound meeting his ears wasn't quite the same. Kneeling, he narrowed his eyes in focus as he ran his fingers along the floor and found a small lock, just barely noticeable and built deep into the wooden surface. A trap door?
"I think I found something," he voiced as he eyed the floor almost accusingly.
Conan and Hattori knelt beside him, both stunned and relieved to see the trap door. It meant they might still have a chance to catch the killer and with any luck, find Kuroba in the process, hopefully alive.
"I'm not fantastic, but I think I might be able to pick it," Conan whispered as he grabbed the small lock pick-kit he had purchased a while ago from out of his back pocket. Truth be told, he had used it far more often than he cared to admit. Somehow, his being shrunk had brought about certain tendencies he had never needed to use before and hoped to never use again, once cured. Breaking and entering being one of them.
As the lock clicked and the trap door popped up, just enough to get their fingers under to pry it completely open, they grabbed their flashlights and slowly began their descent towards the bottom.
Conan was the first one down and his eyes widened at the sight that met him. Blood, bright and wet, was slathered across the concrete right where they were now standing. Hakuba made a small sound of horror as Hattori stayed silent, though if his clenched fingers were anything to go by, he was angry.
"K-Kurobas?" the blonde whispered, nearly unable to say the thief's name without picturing a horrific murder victim in the process.
"Probably," Conan reluctantly confirmed, "the blood trails in that direction."
The small sleuth pointed further down the abandoned, dry sewer pipe.
"Our killer is probably in that direction as well," Hattori stated.
The boys were silent as they stopped and thought about what they would probably find further down. If being completely honest, they were scared to even look, but knew they had to. They owed it to their friend and they owed it to the victims.
"Let's go," Conan finally whispered and the others followed without a word.
PHANTOM OF SESSHOU
Kaito groaned, his entire body pulsed in pain. He blinked, trying to get his eyes open, but the need to just go back to sleep nearly won, if it hadn't been for the sudden sharp agony that spread down his shoulder and through his left arm as something jerked his foot, causing him to cry out.
Just as suddenly, his foot was dropped and something large was leaning over him. He couldn't see the figures eyes, but his mouth… a smile of decaying teeth grinned down at him caused the thief to shiver in disgust and slight fear as it whispered in a raspy tone.
"Glad to see you're awake. Wouldn't want you to miss the finale."
Kaito didn't have the opportunity to say anything as suddenly his feet were being pulled again, his body dragging painfully across the ground as his left shoulder protested, pierced sharply with pain as though a knife were sticking through it. Only after his eyes were completely open and finally blinking the spots away, did he notice that 'Oh, there is a knife in my shoulder.' The thief could only stare at it, not fully absorbing the meaning his own brain was feeding him, as his eyes flickered closed and he once again knew no more.
PHANTOM OF SESSHOU
The three teens walked down the dry sewer, each in their own thoughts. None of them were really aware of each other until Hattori finally spoke up, breaking the tense silence.
"What is this anyway? I mean the smell is horrific and all, but… when I think of sewer, I think of water and waste and stuff. This place, while filthy, doesn't quite meet the imagination."
Hakuba said nothing, still a bit zoned out. Conan however hummed and looked around the place.
"I think it is a sewer, but… the fact it came from a kitchen, probably the bathrooms and the old food were both tossed down here. As water swirled through, it cleaned that garbage from the vicinity and down through the pipe until…" he stopped, his eyes widening.
"K-Conan?" Hattori asked, concerned.
"This pipe," he stated, his voice suddenly dead serious and… was that fear? "It's very old and in most cases, old sewers didn't have an outlet leading to a recycling center. It usually led to a drop where the garbage and water would free fall into a landfill."
Hakuba's eyes widened as he realized what the younger sleuth was saying.
"You think…"
"Yeah, I do," Conan nodded.
"What?" Hattori asked, following when the other two suddenly began to sprint down the pipe, "What is it?!"
"The killer, he's going to dump Kuroba and then jump, killing himself in the process! His final act as the so called Phantom of Sesshou that has taken over five lives since the legend began!"
Hattori cursed, his speed increasing as he realized why they had seemed so nervous. Scooping Conan up and onto his shoulders along the way, he and Hakuba raced for the finish line.
PHANTOM OF SESSHOU
Kaito stared at the sunshine now filtering through the darkness. He could see the open sky as he was dragged ever closer to what looked like a dead end. He swallowed painfully, his throat nearly swollen shut as he struggled to do even the simplest of body functions. He knew what dead end truly meant, his mind, unknowingly on the same train of thought as his detectives or who were racing to find him.
The man dragging him all this time, clothed in black rags turned to face him, his smile, still just as scary when not right in your face, only seemed that much more terrifying when the rest of his face was revealed along with it. Eyes that were too pale to be seeing were trained on him, as though the man could see with sound alone. His entire face was shrunken looking, the eyes, nose, and mouth misaligned. The deformity was strange but not scary… what made the man scary was the bloodlust radiating from him as he suddenly dropped the magician's feet and turned, walking towards him like a predator would a prey.
Kaito couldn't stop the hysterical laugh that suddenly seemed to bubble up from the pit of his stomach. All this time, all these years, he had been fighting every single day against the destiny his father's death had lay upon him. Snake and all his cronies many attempts to take his life, Kaito couldn't help but be amused that this random killer would be what finally did away with the legend of the great Kaitou Kid once and for all. Though laughing hurt, he couldn't seem to stop as the tears, both from the pain, fear, and his own strange sense of humor, mixed into one small puddle soaking into the rim of his white t-shirt stained crimson.
The killer, confused by his victim's sudden laughter, did not think this was funny in the least.
"Silence, you!" he rasped, kicking the thief in the ribs, shifting the already broken bones as the thief lay gasping, his mouth strained as his eyes clenched shut against the onslaught.
"Kuorba!" a voice suddenly shouted.
The sound was faint to Kaito's ears, but apparently he hadn't been imagining it, because suddenly the killer had yanked him up, a knife to his throat as they both stayed still, waiting. Sure enough, the figures of Tantei-kun, Tantei-san, and Tantei-han appeared out of the shadows like apparitions.
KID felt another urge to laugh fill him, but with the blade painfully close to his already damaged throat, he forced the urge down and kept his eyes locked on his friends.
PHANTOM OF SESSHOU
Hakuba could only pant and stare as he took in the unbelievable sight before him. Kuroba Kaito, though a pain his side nearly every day of the week, stood held at knife point and the only thing Hakub could feel as he stared at this fantastic scene, was panic. Pure, undeniable panic. It took everything in him not to move as he noticed the killer seemingly waiting for them to do just that.
Beside him, Hattori stayed just as still. He didn't know the other teen like his two fellow detectives seemed to, but he would never risk the life of another in an attempt to do something as foolish as attempt a takedown in this sort of situation. He decided to follow Kudo's lead, as the other teen had more experience with this sort of thing.
Conan, on his part, was staying relatively calm. The fact the thief was awake and seemed to be aware was a plus, but the blood dripping sluggishly from his head wound and the mess of red across his t-shirt spoke volumes for what they might find beneath the articles of clothing currently hiding his grievous injuries. Not to mention how the thief was blinking, an obvious sign he was fighting the effects of shock and a probable concussion.
"You come closer," the killer hissed, "and this boy, dies."
The blade slightly cut into the KIDs throat in a show of warning and Kaito managed to stay silent, though his eyes dulled just slightly. He could feel himself giving into the shock that was attempting to claim him and he knew his earlier sense of humor had been only a small part. As much as Kaito wanted to give in and allow the haze to claim him, he knew doing so was just as dangerous as being trapped by a knife to the throat with a killer. Both could claim his life just as quickly as the other.
"Release him and you have my word, you won't be harmed," Conan stated, his voice strong and mature for how young he sounded.
The killer merely laughed.
"And ruin the climax to this great legend, I think not," the man hissed, his arm tightening around the chest of the teen in his arms.
Conan couldn't help the sudden rage that seemed to fill him. Here this man was talking like he was a living legend, but the real legend… the one that made the entire night sky seem just slightly brighter with his over enthusiastic, joyous presence was the one currently in the man's arms, dying, as they spoke. The very idea that the boisterous thief could die this day was unimaginable and immediately rejected by his subconscious as he took a hesitant step forward. If he could just save KID… he could just get close enough…
The killer however, had other ideas.
"The legend of the Phantom of Sesshou shall live forever!" he shouted and dragged the teen backwards.
All three detectives, knowing what he was about to do, sped forward, but it was too late. The man vanished over the edge of the pipe and down into the trees below. The three teens stood there, staring unable to take it in.
Hakuba collapsed to his knees, tears falling as he stared where his classmate and rival had just been pulled to his death. Here he was, saving lives for a living and the one time someone he knew truly needed him, he couldn't do it. He couldn't save him.
Hattori was silent, stunned at what just occurred. Hearing the sounds of the blonde weeping, he closed his eyes. He couldn't imagine what the other teen had to be going through.
Conan on the other hand, was struggling just as hard as the blonde, though his face remained stoic, impassive. Inside, his entire soul seemed to crumble as the thief vanished over the ledge, but the part of him that believed in the magician's miracles. The part of him that didn't doubt for a second that somehow, the thief always had a way…a plan, of some kind, just couldn't accept what his eyes had witnessed. Before he even realized what he was doing, the mini detective was walking towards the ledge.
Hattori, suddenly noticing his friend's movement, frowned and called for him. "Ku-Conan?"
Shinichi ignored him however as he moved closer and, being certain he himself didn't fall, knelt and peered over the edge.
Hakuba watched the small boy as his emotions raged within him, but the detective within him, suddenly noted how the small boys body stiffened.
"He's alive…" the boy suddenly whispered before turning to his two friends, "He's still alive. Help me!"
The two hurried to his side and peered over the ledge and sure enough, a few feet down, on a small ledge that was barely big enough to fit one person, was the thief. His eyes were closed and his body splayed out, the crimson around him much more noticeable in the light of the sun. He looked like a corpse, but none of the three thought that was the case as Conan suddenly began shimmying down.
"Eh, Conan!" Hattori called, horrified that his friend would fall to his death, but Kudo was determined. The edge of the pipe had broken ridges and the side of the mountain where the pipe emptied out of was nearly perfect for climbing. Making his way to the side of the pipe and getting his small feet in the tiny crevices the rocks offered, he began making his way towards the thief's unmoving side.
"I'll call for help!" Hattori hollered as he sprinted back the way they had come. His cell couldn't pick up signal under the shadow of the mountain they were currently in, but he knew outside of the asylum built upon this rock, he would be able to reach rescuers.
Hakuba remained where he was, watching with fear both for his friend and for the small, intelligent boy climbing down to said friend. He found himself praying for the two, whether he believed in that sort of thing or not, as he watched them and finally, he breathed a sigh of relief as the boy's feet found the ledge and he knelt beside of Kuroba.
Conan was silent as he hesitantly reached for the thief's neck. He could see the discoloration and the bruises in the shape of fingerprints around the teen's throat. His anger reared its ugly head once more, but he stifled it as he assessed the rest of his injuries. Definite concussion, he noted as he took in the deep laceration across the side of the teens head. He also noted the rusty knife, more than likely taken from the kitchen that now stuck through the teens left shoulder.
Concerned, he stepped closer to the thief when he noticed the small twitch of the magician's right hand.
"Kuroba?" he whispered.
Nothing.
"Kuroba?" he called again.
This time the hand moved and Shinichi felt hope rising up as he knelt by the teens head as dull indigo eyes peered up at him, not quite seeing him with their lack of focus.
"Kuroba?" he called once more.
This time, the thief focused more in his general direction and in a few seconds, with a lot of blinking, finally seemed to see the small boy beside him.
"M-Meitantei," the thief whispered.
Conan sighed in relief.
"Stupid thief, worrying us like that."
The thief however didn't respond, his eyes trained on something overhead. Conan followed his gaze and noticed Hakuba peering down at them, fear still painted across the pale sheen of his face.
"He's alive!" Conan hollered to the worried teen, a bit guilty when he noticed the thief flinch at the sound.
Hakuba however seemed to relax slightly and his expression morphed into an uneasy frown.
"Hattori went for help."
Conan nodded, deciding to keep the yelling down for the time being, seeing as the thief was already in a large amount of pain and didn't need any added bonuses to the mix.
The thief was eternally grateful for that small consideration. A shiver suddenly racked his body and he gasped at the pain it caused. Shinichi frowned and found himself running soothing hands through the teen's hair in an attempt to comfort him. Slowly, the thief seemed to relax at the small ministrations.
"You need to stay awake," Shinichi whispered.
The thief said nothing, but he did blink to keep his eyes from shutting as he peered at his small critic for a moment.
"What will you do now, great detective," he slightly mocked, though the effort was weak, "will you arrest me?"
Kudo was silent for a moment.
"No."
Kaito stared at him.
"Heists are fair game, but this…" he shivered and seemed to almost curl in on himself as Kaito watched, "this was wrong."
Kuroba found he had nothing really to say to that statement. He was grateful, of course, but at the same time… he couldn't help but feel a small inkling of guilt. He had caused this partially by going off on his own. If he had stayed with the others, perhaps it wouldn't have happened. Perhaps they wouldn't feel like it was their fault and this all could have played out so differently.
Kaito was so lost in thought, he hadn't even realized his eyes had closed until he opened them to find not Tantei-kun, but Hakuba standing above him, staring down with obvious concern. Around him, movements of emergency responders played into the background, but he could barely focus as he tuned in on what the blonde was telling him, his voice faint…or maybe that was Kaito's hearing.
"…hang on… blood loss… survived… killer dead… victims found… hang on!"
PHANTOM OF SESSHOU
Hakuba sat in the waiting room of Kanto General Hospital, his fingers tapping restlessly against his knee. Kaito Kuroba had been rescued from Kanto Cliffs not three hours ago and had been in surgery since. Beside him, Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori, as well as a couple officers who were taking their statements, sat talking. Hakuba had already given his and was now impatiently awaiting word from the doctors on the condition of his friend and rival.
Had someone told him a couple days ago that he would be traveling with his arch enemy to Kanto, Japan where they would face a killer and also a life or death situation involving the magician, he would have called them crazy and easily stated that he would never go anywhere with the annoying teen so long as he lived. Now however, he wanted nothing more than for Kuroba to come walking out those double doors, smiling like he always did with Aoko in the classroom and say 'Surprise, it was all a joke. I'm not really near death!'
Saguru snorted at his own thoughts. He really needed to sleep, but he just couldn't seem to work up the will to leave. Not when he didn't know. Not when the thief could possibly be dead or dying. Not when he should have stopped this all from happening in the first place… he sighed.
"Hakuba-nii?" the voice of Conan whispered.
He turned, locating the boy now standing in front of him, wearing a concerned expression. When had the kid moved? Blinking, he also noticed the police were gone. Huh.
"I'm going to the cafeteria," Hattori suddenly spoke up, "You want anything?"
"Uh… yeah, coffee please. One sugar and two creamers."
"Black for me," Conan replied.
Hattori nodded and headed down the hall as Conan turned to the blonde.
"You really care about your classmate, huh?" the boy asked.
Hakuba snorted.
"Not really," he replied, but it sounded like a lie to his own ears.
"How long have you known him?" Conan asked.
He felt a bit bad fishing for information while the other teen was obviously not in his right mind, but he was interested and his curiosity won over manners.
"Two years now," he replied, almost in a daze of sorts, "sophomore year, I started at Ekoda High. I came to find out more about the phantom thief known as Kaitou Kid and found instead a strange teenager with a knack for magic and mayhem. Something about him… it always drew me in as much as it repulsed me and I…" he paused, suddenly grimacing, "I badgered him constantly about being the true identity of Kaitou Kid. He always refuted the claim and even proved it wasn't true more than once, but I never…"
Conan could see the sadness nearly burying the other teen. It was obvious he felt partially guilty for the current condition of the thief and if his story was anything to go by, he was beginning to regret a lot of the past as well that had occurred between them.
"I shouldn't be telling you this, but… as much as he scams and steals and lies and annoys people," he spoke as though Conan also believed the teen to be the thief, "he truly is an amazing person. You should see him, during the class when he and Aoko-chan are chasing one another with mops. They aren't even paying attention, but they get the answers right no matter what the teacher asks them, whether it's in the lesson or not. And the way he moves, so flexible and acrobatic, it's unbelievable considering how tall he is. The way he produces unexplainable theatrics, the way he smiles and cheers you up with a single word, the way he cares about those in his audience, the way he can sing in different octaves. The way he glows under the light of a full moon while being a completely different persona and yet still himself… it's… it's magical."
Conan stared at the other detective stunned. It was obvious the blonde had never actually noted the positive things about the thief before, because even he seemed astounded by what he had just said. However, before Conan could say anything in regards to what he had just heard or before the blonde could take it all back, the doors to surgery opened and the thief's doctor stepped out.
PHANTOM OF SESSHOU
Hakuba stared at the dark haired teen laying so still beneath the white covers of the hospital bed. He could still hear the doctor's words as he took in the oxygen mask over the thief's face, as well as the numerous needles.
"Family of Kaito Kuroba?"
"Us doc," Hakuba replied, "We are all he has. His other family is…" he hesitated thinking of Aoko and her father. He had called and left them a message, but so far, they hadn't returned it. "I tried contacting them, but so far I haven't been able to read them."
The doctor nodded, frowning.
"Well, normally I wouldn't be able to discuss this with anyone but family, but seeing as how no one has been able to reach them, let us begin."
The three sat down. Hakuba and Conan silent as the doctor turned serious eyes on them.
"The boy was lucky, very lucky. The stab wound in his shoulder was highly infected upon arrival. We removed the blade and cleaned out the infection, but it produced a high fever and with all his other injuries, makes his recovery time that much longer than it would have been originally. He does have a moderate concussion due to the blow to the head. It was a fairly deep wound that required stitches, but I don't foresee any future problems surrounding it so long as he takes it easy and evades further head trauma within the next few months at least."
Hakuba nodded. He would keep a close eye on him.
"He had five broken ribs and three cracked. One was dangerously close to piercing a lung, but luckily it did not."
The doctor suddenly went quiet, his eyes darker. Conan and Hakuba stiffened.
"The most dangerous injury I found was the strangulation around his throat and the slight bruising at the top of his spine. His throat as nearly closed when he arrived and with the lack of oxygen, his body was fighting ten times harder than it should have been, which was only causing his head injury and ribs to worsen. With how bad off his throat was, we had no choice but to insert a breathing tube just below the throat to allow air safe passage to his lungs. As his throat returns to normal, we should be able to replace the tube with an oxygen mask. However, this will take time and seeing as how this process is not at all comfortable and extremely painful, we thought it best to keep him out for a while."
Hakuba frowned.
"How long is a while?"
"Two weeks," the doctor replied instantly, "we have placed him in a medically induced coma. During that time his injuries will be iced and the swelling hopefully decreased enough we can wake him. Of course, this has its own set of risks, but without doing so, I can tell you firsthand, being awake with a tube in his chest would be like torture. Normally I would ask the families permission before doing such a thing, but time was of the essence."
Hakuba was silent. Kuroba was in a coma?
Conan smiled at the doctor as a little boy would, though inside, he was just as stunned as his fellow detective.
"Thank you, sensei."
The doctor gave a formal nod as he walked away, leaving the two boys to sit and think.
That had been nearly two weeks ago. The swelling in Kuroba's throat had luckily gone down faster than they had thought it would and the teen was now on regular oxygen. The problem however, was that he had yet to wake. The doctor said it might take a couple days, but Hakuba was growing more and more worried as time went by.
The Nakamoris came by shortly after the doctor had spoken to them. Nakamori-keibeu made sure the school was aware of what happened and in the meantime, he stayed with his daughter in a nearby hotel, visiting every day, all hoping Kaito would soon wake.
Hakuba happened to be the only one in the room today, but only because Aoko had finally been convinced to leave for something to eat. Nakamori-san promising to bring Hakuba back something to eat as well, not that the blonde really cared.
Sighing, he leaned forward, staring at his classmate. The other teen was growing thinner as the days passed without any real food in him. I mean sure, the doctors pumped him full of nutrients and other vitamins and minerals, but it wasn't the same thing as his body getting a real meal.
"Wake up, Kuroba," Hakuba sighed as he stood up and stretched.
He might have missed the slight movement, but he certainly didn't miss the groan that accompanied it. Turning, he watched in fascinated awe and hope as the thief's eyes blinked. Hakuba hurriedly pushed the button for the nurse. As the groggy teen became more aware, his eyes darkening with pain, the nurses came rushing in. They gently moved Hakuba aside as they began checking him over. They administered some more morphine before just as quickly as they arrived, they were gone.
Hakuba met the thief's tired indigo eyes and smiled as he sat down by his bedside.
"Welcome back," he stated evenly.
The thief furrowed his brow.
"What do you remember?" Hakuba asked, suddenly concerned.
"Uh…" the thief choked and Hakuba suddenly winced for him.
"Sorry, I forgot about your throat. Take it easy, we can talk later. For now, just blink once for yes and twice for no. Do you remember the asylum?"
One blink.
"Do you remember the killer holding you hostage?"
One slow blink.
"Okay, okay good. Do you remember being rescued?"
Two blinks.
"That's okay. Do you know where you are?"
Two blinks.
"You're in the hospital in Kanto. You've been here two weeks, recovering."
Kaito gaped. Two weeks?! Hakuba nodded, frowning in sympathy.
"Yeah, you were in bad shape. They put you in a medically induced coma. Your better now though, but it might still be a week or so before you get to leave."
Kaito frowned. Hakuba eyed him.
"Don't even think of trying to escape early."
The thief sighed. Hakuba suddenly smiled and clutched his hand. Kaito stared, confused and a bit worried.
"Sorry, it's just… you almost died, Kuroba."
Kaito suddenly realized why the detective was acting this way. He felt himself smile just slightly and his fingers attempted to tap Morse code onto the others palm. Hakuba studied it carefully.
"Not…you…fault…"
Hakuba sighed. "Well thank you Kuroba, but, it was partially. Don't argue with me please, I have had time to think. I shouldn't have made you come with us, especially when a murder would be involved. I also should have stayed more by your side, knowing you weren't used to doing such things as investigating a killer's lair."
Kuroba snorted, then grimaced. Hakuba huffed a silent laugh. About that time, Aoko and her father re-entered.
"Bakaito!" Aoko shouted, hurrying to his side, her face a mess of tears and sleepless nights.
Kaito smiled as he gently reached up and wiped the tears away. Hakuba gave them privacy as he moved out into the hall. Conan and Hattori, who were just coming up to see how things were going, stopped when they saw the smile on the teens face.
"He's awake?" Hattori asked.
Hakuba nodded in relief.
"Yeah, finally. He remembers everything too. Should be just fine."
The others were just as relieved as they peered into the room. Aoko was whispering to the thief as he gently comforted her.
"Everything is finally back as it should be," Hakuba whispered.
The others could only nod in agreement as the thief fell asleep beneath the concerned, watchful eyes of his strange little family.