I am drop dead tired. I've just finished a dress rehearsal for Fiddler (school musical (I'm the hatmaker Yussel)) and I've still got a shitload of homework to do despite it being Halloween. But lucky readers, I decided that I needed to update this chapter ^J^ I hope you all had a much better Halloween than SG-chan has, and remember to review! ^_^
Chapter title translation: Split Decisions.
Also, I lied about the SPLSHIMS update, in case you couldn't tell. I don't know when it'll be up, but before Thanksgiving (hopefully).
"Poor dear," Kasumi murmured to herself as she shut the door to the room of a sleeping Conan. "Such a stressful day for the poor boy," she said as she walked down the hall to drop off the charts from the boy's room. The nurse gave a small gasp of surprise as she turned the corner and promptly ran into another person. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" the young woman apologized. The man didn't bother to say anything back and simply hurried past her.
"Excuse me sir, visiting hours are over," she called after him. "Sir? Sir!"
Said 'poor boy' was currently unable to find that final push needed to push him into Mr. Sandman's embrace.
Shinichi just couldn't sleep.
Call it unnecessary paranoia, but the hairs on his arms were standing up, and every fiber of his being was screaming at him to find a place with less access to his person. Really, the last time he'd felt like this was with Haibara, when she pulled that fake gun on him - told him she was doing him a favor by killing him first - in order to convince him to trick Ran, to lie to her again when all he really wanted to do was tell her so that he could have a place to just relax and be himself-
With a slight whimper the boy turned onto his side, eyes clenched tight. A moment later his eyes went wide as he heard the door creak open. His small figure tensed.
"Psst," a voice hissed. "Kudo!" Conan whipped around, now facing a quite proud-looking Heiji. "Hey, how ya do-" The Osakan was cut off as the boy flung himself at him and hugged him tight. "-ing," Heiji wheezed. "Ya sure were pleased ta see me, aren'tcha?"
"It was scary here, too scary," Conan whispered, muffled by Heiji's jacket.
"Okaaay," the taller replied slowly. "Listen, yer nurse let me in fer a bit - was able ta play the 'big brother needs ta make sure his li'l bro's all right' card. She isn't here right now though, so ya don't have ta put on the little kid act Kudo."
"But Shinichi-niichan's sleeping!" Conan protested. "He doesn't want to be disturbed!"
"Kudo, stop it," Heiji ordered exasperatedly. "Tofu-san's not here-"
"I know that!" Conan scowled. "You can't talk to Shinichi-niichan, he told me he had to sleep!"
"Dammit Kudo, stop playing around-"
"I'M CONAN!"
The quasi-shout left the room eerily silent as the two's minds scrambled to regain themselves, Conan from his outburst, Hattori from what he'd just heard.
"Ku-Conan?"
"I'm just as important as him, right?" Conan asked, dark bangs shadowing his face, and Heiji was struck by how small and utterly fragile his best friend looked right then. "Even if it's really him who solves the cases, it's me who helps him to be able to do that, right? You care about me too, right Heiji-niichan?" Conan looked up, smile crooked and not altogether there, while his wide blue eyes were desperately trying to hold back tears.
"Yeah, yeah," Heiji rasped, a strong wave of emotion - sorrowunderstandingaffection - sweeping over him. The Osakan gathered Conan in a tight hug, holding him as if the boy might disappear at any given moment. "'course I care about ya. I care about ya both, you an' Kudo, Conan."
"Thank you," Conan whispered, feeling lighter than air at someone acknowledging him along with Shinichi. "It's a secret though," he added hurriedly. "Shinichi-niichan - no one can know about him."
"No, no one'll hear 'bout him from me," Heiji choked out, threatened by tears himself as his best friend's dilemma started to fully sink in on him.
"I'll get it okaa-san!" Kaito yelled as he heard the phone ring. "Hello, Kuroba residence," he answered.
"Kuroba."
"Hakuba?"
"Could you please meet me over at Koizumi-san's house?"
"What?" Kaito almost yelled. "Hakuba, what the hell are you doing over there?" he hissed. "Don't tell me you're already there - already inside - shit!" Kaito paced the length of his room, a pensive expression on his face. "Listen Hakuba, if you're already there, don't accept anything to eat and whatever happens, and don't look her in the eye!"
"Kuroba, what are you-"
"I'm dead serious Hakuba! Knock yourself unconscious if you have to, just don't look in her eyes!"
"Dammit Kuroba-"
"Don't' ask me how I know or what I know cause you wouldn't believe me-"
"Kuroba, I'm not at Koizumi-san's house right now. I am, in fact, about a block away from your house." An awkward silence ensued.
"Oh," Kaito commented. "Uh, about a block away you say?"
"Yes," was the terse reply.
"I'll be right back." Kaito set the phone down, ignoring the protests on the other side, and quickly ran downstairs to the kitchen. "Okaa-san," the teen panted.
"Hmm?" Chikage wondered what had gotten into her son.
"Hakuba - coming over - don't - tell him anything!"
"Am I allowed to embarrass you?" the former Phantom Lady raised an eyebrow.
"No," Kaito replied before dashing back upstairs. "Hey Hakuba, just had to warn my mom we might have someone else for dinner," the magician cut into whatever rant Hakuba had going.
"I'm not staying for dinner Kuroba," the British teen sighed. "I'm picking you up and bringing you over to Koizumi-san's."
"You're going to have to knock me out first."
"You really don't trust her, do you?"
"If someone tries to kill you, you tend not to trust them very much," Kaito shot back.
"You were serious about that?" Hakuba sounded incredulous.
"Deadly," Kaito deadpanned. "The most polite you have or will ever see me be to her is during school, in front of Aoko and the teachers. We do not get along very well."
"Would it be rude of me to inquire as to why she… tried to kill you?" Hakuba sounded slightly worried and not a small bit skeptical.
"You're just a block or so from my house, right?"
"Just two houses down now actually."
"How about you come in and tell me why the hell you wanna talk with me and Koizumi anyway; then we'll talk about her past obsession with me," Kaito offered.
"I'm not going to get an answer otherwise, am I?" Hakuba sighed, and from the slight whistle in his breath, Kaito could tell he was pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Nope!" the magician chirped in affirmation. "You sure learn fast Haku-chan!"
"Don't call me that. Please," the British teen not-quite pleaded.
"Maybe if you stop accusing me of being KID so much. Maybe," Kaito added as an afterthought. "I'll be down to show you up." Without waiting for an answer he hung up and headed downstairs.
There were no words exchanged, just brief nods as they settled comfortably - or at least not hostilely - in the dark-haired teen's room.
"So." Kaito twiddled his thumbs. "Why were you heading to Koizumi's?"
"I wanted the get the air between us cleared," Saguru replied, folding his hands together. "I want answers; about what you two were talking about, why whoever faked that heist targeted Edogawa-kun - or if it was maybe a coincidence."
"Detective stuff," Kaito waved a hand.
"Yes, 'detective stuff'," Saguru agreed.
"Not 'defective' stuff." Kaito grinned at the glare sent his way. "I do have to agree though, some understanding needs to be reached between the three of us," he admitted. "Not at Koizumi's though. There is no way I'm going back there."
"Would you rather I go there, reach an understanding with Koizumi-san, then come back and tell you all about it?" Saguru raised an eyebrow, his question half in jest.
Kaito leaned back, conflicting desires clashing within him. While Hakuba wasn't really his friend, he didn't want him falling into her clutches… "Fine," the magician glared. "I'll go with you. But only once I have some protection. I know I've got some holy water around here somewhere," he muttered to himself.
"This is so stupid - why did I come? Kami-sama above, what am I doing? Being an idiot, that's what-"
Saguru rolled his eyes at Kuroba's quiet, almost indistinguishable muttering, though inwardly he was worried.
What on earth was it about Koizumi-san that made Kuroba so fearful? He knew for a fact that the magician wasn't religious, or at the least agnostic, yet he'd donned a crucifix - iron-gray in color - round his neck and tucked a flask of holy water in one of his many pockets. And while in the kitchen saying goodbye to his mother, Kuroba slipped a couple garlic cloves in yet another pocket.
Is Koizumi-san some kind of vampire? Even Saguru's thoughts sounded skeptical. Though, that might explain some things, like how his eyes always seemed to find the subtle curves of her body, even under the bulky school uniform, so enticing. Her hips looked just about the right distance for him to grip tightly - not enough to bruise, of course - as he thrust into her-
"Hakuba, are you okay?" Kuroba was looking at him strangely.
Probably because my face feels like it's on fire right now, the blond thought, cursing his mutinous body. His hormones cursed him right back, telling him: Deal with it bitch!
"A-ah, I'm just fine," Saguru stuttered, hoping Kuroba wouldn't notice his sudden little… problem.
"Having second thoughts? Decided not to visit the she-devil?"
Saguru snorted at the hopeful tone in the brunette's voice. "No, Kuroba, we're still going to Koizumi-san's."
"Dammit," Kuroba muttered.
Most of this was written during my math/physics classes XDXDXDXD I write angst during math, I write humor during math, I write porn during math... is it any wonder SG-chan wants to become an actuary to supplement her book writing? xD Also, I nearly made myself cry while I wrote that Heiji and Conan/Shinichi scene. No joke. ;_;
Okey, a few notes on Kaito's 'lucky charms'/rants:
The bit about not looking into Akako's eyes is because hypnosis is generally believed to mainly involve the eyes - especially when it comes to supernatural beings/creatures. Not accepting food is SG-chan's own British Isles heiritage coming into play x3 (seriously, SG-chan is English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish, not to mention the shitload of Scandinavian in her - Hetalianess FTW! 8D) Supposedly if you accept/eat food while in the faery realm you are trapped there forever. See, Kaito does kinda care about Haku-chan! x3 The cross is made of (mostly) iron, as iron is supposed to be able to block/subdue magic. Holy water is a deterrent against pretty much all evil (except schoolwork and preps), it's just that it's been made most popular by vampires. The garlic was thrown in for shits and giggles, and also because one can't be too careful, now can they? ^J^
Welp, don't forget to review, ya hear? Again, Happy Halloween, or All Hallow's Eve if you're old-fashioned like that (one of my friends is Wiccan, and she's particularly sensitive about it ^^;) And congrats to those of you who guessed correctly about Kasumi being from Ranma 1/2, though I'm surprised nobody mentioned anything about Itsuki Koizumi...