Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

Pairing: KaiShin [KaitoxShinichi]

Outlaw Hearts

2: An Open Sky

The following weeks passed with an agonizing slowness for Shinichi. Unable to do more than sit or lie around the cave for endless hours on end was making him antsy. He had no idea if he was a prisoner or not, or what the thief planned to do with him once his injuries were healed. All he knew for sure was that KID probably wouldn't kill him, and he apparently wasn't going to leave him to die on his own or they wouldn't be here. But now he knew what the thief looked like, so it was unlikely that KID was going to let him go just like that. What did that leave?

The question nagged at the back of his mind, but he didn't have the answers and he couldn't do anything right now even if he did.

The first few days had passed in almost complete silence. The Phantom came and went as he pleased, though he spent most of his time near the mouth of the cave, either keeping a lookout or maybe guarding his captive. Shinichi couldn't tell which. Their conversations had been limited to the short phrases necessary when the thief changed his bandages and checked his injuries. Other than that their longest conversation had been on the first night when the thief had plopped himself down right beside him and pulled him into a half embrace without so much as a 'by your leave'.

"What are you doing?" he'd demanded, half shocked half alarmed, only to get an amused chuckle for his troubles.

"The temperatures around here drop like rocks the moment the sun sets. I only have the one cloak and your jacket isn't really wearable anymore. Unless you feel like freezing overnight, we're going to have to share." That said, he pulled the aforementioned cloak out of the supplies that had been piled farther into the cave and wrapped it around them both.

Needless to say, Shinichi hadn't gotten a wink of sleep that night, or the following. As the days passed however he'd gotten used to the arrangement and started to get more sleep.

So here he was once again, counting the cracks on the cavern floor for the fifth time that day. If things went on like this much longer he was going to slowly lose his mind and then it wouldn't matter if his injuries healed or not.

Resisting the urge to bang his head against the wall behind him out of sheer boredom, he turned his gaze once again to the taunting light of the sun pouring in through the cavern mouth. The sky outside was a flawless expanse of blue unmarred by even the wispiest of clouds. How he wished he could be out there right now… Then again, he could tell from where he was sitting that it was probably sweltering out there, so perhaps it was just as well that he was stuck here.

He let out his millionth sigh of the day and finally looked at the man seated at the cavern mouth, examining something that sparkled blue and gold in the sunlight. He frowned. The thief was actually looking over his loot right there in front of him! It was both irritating and kind of depressing.

"What's with that look, Detective?" the thief asked without looking around.

Shinichi started at the sudden question, then snorted. "I was just thinking how some people have no respect for other people's property."

The thief actually laughed. "You wound me. I have plenty of respect for property. Believe it or not, this one," he held up the stone he had been fingering, "belonged to me long before it fell into the hands of the Hakubas. I am simply retrieving what's mine."

The detective frowned. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

That earned him a crooked smile. "Haven't you heard my story? I believe it is quite the popular tale around here."

"You're not actually expecting me to believe that you're the person from that legend about the moon are you?" Shinichi asked dryly.

The thief laughed. "No. Although," he added, tone growing thoughtful as he turned his head to gaze up at the sky outside, "I do believe that was where she got her inspiration."

Shinichi's frown deepened in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

The thief fell silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable, until finally he turned again to regard Shinichi with a strange little smile that didn't reach his eyes. "What would you say if I told you that I've been the way I am now for the last fifty years?"

"…That's not possible."

"Do you think so?"

Shinichi shifted where he sat, beginning to feel distinctly uneasy. Something about the atmosphere was making the suggestion…sound like more than just a suggestion. But…that couldn't be… Could it?

The thief seemed to sense his uncertainty and his smile grew a fraction. "You asked me before how I managed to pull you out of that explosion without getting injured myself. Well, Detective, the fact of the matter is that that explosion couldn't hurt me. Not the way it did you. You see, my existence became locked fifty years ago. I do not age, I do not change, I can't be wounded, and I cannot die. I don't even need to eat or drink. When everything I know is long dead and gone, I will still be exactly as you see me now."

And something about the way he said it in that moment under the evening sun's dark, golden light left no doubt in Shinichi's mind that, impossible as it sounded, it was true. And the look he saw in those intense, indigo eyes made his stomach twist. "I'm…sorry to hear that."

The magician shrugged, his earlier severity melting away a little to make room for amusement. "It's not as bad as it sounds. You get to see a lot of things over the years."

"How did you end up like…like that?" Shinichi asked a bit hesitantly, not sure if it was his place to ask but curious nonetheless. There was a distant look in the thief's eyes and it made him wonder just how lonely it must be to watch the world go by without you. It was a terrible fate to bestow upon a person. What could KID have possibly done to warrant it?

KID glanced at him then shrugged. "Let's just say you should never get on the wrong side of a witch. When they curse you, it's not just a figure of speech."

"But then…what about your family?"

"My family?" The words left the thief's tongue as though they had not been spoken for a very long time. "Well, my father was a treasure hunter actually. Worked with a man called Jii. When I was old enough he started letting me go out journeying with him and we picked up Ginzo and his wife—well, future wife at the time—along the way. You've met their daughter, Aoko. Those were the good days," he mused, smiling faintly at some memory or other. "We'd spend time on the road and just have fun chasing old stories and stuff like that. Found a good few interesting things too. Met a lot of people. My parents both passed on some years ago, but I had more than my fair share of time with them so I suppose I can't complain."

"You are looking at me like I said something strange," he noted, quirking an amused eyebrow in the detective's direction. "Care to enlighten me as to why?"

Shinichi shook his head slowly, though more in befuddlement than anything else. "You…didn't have to tell me all that."

"I know."

"So then…why did you?"

"I suppose I simply felt like it. Believe it or not, you're the first person who has ever asked me about it," the thief replied, a rather sardonic smile lighting on his face. "Most people get stuck on the curse."

"Oh." He thought that was pretty understandable. It was an incredible story. Unbelievable, yet somehow not.

"What about you?" the thief inquired after a moment's silence. "Are your parents detectives too?"

Shinichi frowned, looking away. "I…don't really remember them. They left when I was still really young."

"Left?"

"Oh, they didn't die or anything," he said quickly, hearing the hesitant question in the other's tone. "They were part of a traveling theater troupe that had its headquarters in Beika. They traveled around most of the year. Children couldn't go with them though, so I used to stay with an old friend of theirs. They used to come back to Beika at least once or twice a year but they haven't been back for several years now. We heard they might have received an invitation to perform overseas."

And it was strange that he could tell this outlaw of all people these things that he usually didn't discuss with anyone. It felt only fair, he supposed, since the thief had shared his own tale, but it made him feel uneasy too. Not because he was uncomfortable, but rather because, with each passing day, he was finding himself a little too comfortable.

That first real conversation had been followed by others. Sometimes the thief would tell him stories—strange ones and funny ones which were hard to classify as fact or fiction. Other times they talked about the places they had seen or just about the random thoughts that crossed their minds. Anything to fill the silence of the Oasis.

KID wasn't anything like what Shinichi had expected.

He was starting…to kind of like the thief's company. And that worried him. Things weren't supposed to work that way. You weren't supposed to like thieves, especially when you were a detective. What was wrong with him?

X

"You know, I've always wanted to see the sea."

"You mean you haven't?" Shinichi asked, honestly surprised. "You made it sound like you've been everywhere."

The thief chuckled at that. "Many places, but most certainly not everywhere. I doubt anyone in the world could ever go everywhere. Although it would be fun to try."

"It would," Shinichi agreed, thinking back on all the stories he'd read about far away places and people. When he'd been younger, he'd been content just reading about it all, but after a while it was hard not to want to be the one to have those adventures. "But why do you want to see the sea?"

"Well, it always sounds amazing when people describe it—a realm of water as far as the eye can see, beyond which who knows what kinds of lands might lie. I suppose it always sounded like an adventure."

"I suppose that's true." Shinichi closed his eyes, thinking back. "You can never see the other side so there can always be something more there. There's a cliff near the bay back home. I used to go there a lot to read or just watch the sunset. You can see all the ships coming and going from there, and almost the entire city too if you turn around. But even from so high up, you could always hear the sea."

"Do you miss it?" KID asked, his voice now quiet.

Shinichi had to think about that one. "I'm not sure," he said finally. "Maybe a little, but, well, I actually spent all the time I was there thinking about going other places. It seems strange to miss it now when I finally get a chance to travel."

KID laughed. "I suppose that's true. But home is always home, no?"

"I guess so."

"Is there anywhere in particular you want to see?"

"I…don't know. Anywhere I haven't already been, I guess. I've only ever been in Beika and now here. I'd say the things I haven't seen so far outweigh the things I have that I don't really have anything to be picky about. Although," he added a bit tentatively, "if I had to pick something, I guess what I'd really like to see is snow."

The thief's grin softened into a smile. "You know, I was at this village up in the mountains in the far north once. There they had snow all year round. A lot of people think it's a pain, but it sure was a beautiful place. If you'd like, I could take you there some time."

Shinichi blinked, wondering if the thief realized that he had just offered to go on what sounded like a vacation trip with a detective, but he decided not to say anything about it. Truth be told, there were times when he almost forgot that KID was, in reality, an outlaw. Perhaps the thief was just doing the same.

X

The days turned into weeks. Most of Shinichi's cuts and burns had healed, but his leg was taking its sweet time. He knew broken bones couldn't be rushed, but it didn't make him feel any less restless.

"Where are you going to get these supplies anyway?" he'd asked the thief one day as he watched him troupe back into the cave with food and a full water bottle along with more bandages. He couldn't help but envy how KID could just leave and return any time he pleased.

"There's a larger cave not far from here that actually has a really small spring at the back where me and mine camp sometimes," KID explained, handing him the water bottle. "I don't need it, but my assistants do, so we keep it well stocked."

Shinichi paused, staring into the water bottle as a sudden sense of anxiety swept through him. "Shouldn't you be going back to them?"

KID shrugged. "Nah. They can take care of themselves. They know I'll come find them when the time is right."

"Oh." And again he wondered what the thief planned to do with him when that time came. With no idea exactly where they were, no supplies, and no transportation other than his own two legs (one of which wouldn't be up to much for some time more), all he could do was wait and see. He supposed he could have just asked, but part of him didn't really want to know. Didn't want to think about the future yet.

KID himself didn't seem to be in any kind of hurry either, even as they passed the one month mark. But perhaps the passage of time didn't hold as much significance for him anymore, Shinichi mused. If he hadn't believed the thief's story before, he had plenty of proof now. For one, he hadn't seen the Phantom eat or drink anything except for that one bag of dried, sugar coated pineapples (which he'd apparently eaten just because he liked them) that whole month but the guy was still fit as a fiddle and as energetic as ever.

"They've been looking for you, you know."

Startled from his thoughts, Shinichi glanced up. "What?"

"Your friends have been looking for you."

"How would you know that?" he asked, wondering if they were a lot closer to civilization than he'd thought.

"You'd be surprised how far you can see around here if you pick the right vantage point."

"Oh." Guilt twisted in Shinichi's chest. Ran and Heiji had to be worried sick. And all he was doing was sitting around.

"It would be foolish to try to cross the Oasis in your condition," the thief said sharply, almost like he'd read Shinichi's mind. "Just give it time," he continued, tone softening. "Once your leg is well enough, I'll make sure you get back to them."

Blue eyes snapped around to meet his. "So…you're letting me go?"

KID's eyebrow rose. "What, did you think I was going to imprison you here for the rest of your life?"

Shinichi flushed in embarrassment. "No, I just…"

"I'm not a barbarian, Detective."

"Yeah, but I thought…" He trailed off, mind scrambling for the right words as he wished he hadn't said anything at all. It wasn't like he didn't want to go back. He should just accept his good fortune and be done with it.

"You are thinking that I am being careless," his companion guessed, lips quirking into a wry smile. "But if you take a moment to think about it, I am sure you'll see that I have very little to worry about. Besides, you helped a close friend of mine. It's only right that I return the favor."

"I see." That made sense. Relieved and filled with a new respect for the outlaw, Shinichi smiled.

On the other side of the cave, indigo eyes watched him, observing the way the sunlight sparkled in blue eyes, making them look almost like gems themselves.

X

"What's with that look on your face?"

"I am contemplating the pros and cons of the human inability to die of boredom."

"…Okay. Well, once you've come to a conclusion, would you like to play chess?"

"You brought a chess set out to the middle of nowhere?"

"Nope, although it occurs to me that the middle of nowhere might be the best place to bring one. What I meant however was that we could play with our imaginations."

Shinichi turned the idea over in his head. He'd heard of people doing that before, though he'd never tried it. It sounded…kind of interesting. "All right."

The first time Shinichi won a game, the thief's face broke out into a grin that looked physically impossible. "You know, that's the first time I've lost at this in thirty years."

Shinichi grinned back. "This does happen to be one of my favorite games."

Although he had to admit he'd never played anyone as good as KID before. It was thrilling and made the hours fly by to boot. Admittedly, he still lost more games than he won, but he could see from the thief's narrowed eyes that he was giving the game his all as well.

And considering how much time he'd apparently had to practice, that was rather gratifying.

And it was in moments like these that he realized that somewhere along the line he had started to see the thief as something like a friend. He wasn't sure what to think about that.

X

"I want to show you something," KID said one evening, coming to sit down beside Shinichi.

The detective watched him with curious eyes. "What is it?"

With a flourish, a small, gold pocket watch appeared in the thief's hands. It sparkled as it spun slowly in the air. Shinichi blinked, then glanced at the thief who's expression was one he'd never seen before and couldn't quite place. It looked…softer, maybe a little anxious, a little hopeful, and something more that Shinichi didn't have a name for. Blue eyes turned back to the watch as it gradually grew still. The lid had a starburst pattern on it, each point a dark, shining shard of blue.

"You can take a closer look if you'd like," the thief said.

Shinichi hesitated a moment before he carefully took the dangling watch from the thief's fingers. He could sense that this, whatever it was, was extremely important, and he wondered briefly why KID was showing it to him before his thoughts focused entirely on the watch itself.

It was cool to the touch and didn't warm as he turned it over in his hands. The blue stones set into its lid were, he realized, sapphires just like the ones KID was reputed to like to steal. In fact, they were shaped exactly like the one jewel the thief had claimed belonged to him that day weeks ago. The pattern, however, was missing two prongs. Their shapes had been molded into the cold, but the jewels themselves were absent.

"Is this where the gems you've been collecting came from?" he asked.

The thief nodded. "That's right."

"Is it some kind of heirloom?"

KID let out a low chuckle before taking the pocket watch from Shinichi's hand and popping it open to reveal that the jewels weren't the only parts missing. The watch had no hands. "No. This, my dear Detective, is my time."

"Your…time?"

"Yep. Once I have all of it, I get my time back. I'll be normal again."

Shinichi nodded slowly, feeling a little dazed at the idea. It sounded like a storybook, but he had no doubt that the thief meant what he said. "And then what will you do?"

Indigo eyes turned to him with an enigmatic gleam. "That depends. But I'll cross that bridge when I get there."

"Well, I wish you luck," Shinichi said, meaning every word. The thief smiled at him then, a real smile that, for once, didn't seem to be hiding any secrets, and it made him feel strangely like he had accomplished something. Then he just felt weird. Being stuck out here alone with the thief for so long was doing strange things to his head, he decided. Hopefully it wasn't going to be permanent.

X

"If you polish those any more you're going to polish them right out of existence," Shinichi snapped, glaring sidelong at the thief seated beside him in the cave mouth. It had been a particularly stifling day so the moment the evening breeze began to blow they had shifted to somewhere where they could feel it.

KID looked up from where he had been polishing his pocket watch and the two pendants that belonged to the Hakubas for what Shinichi was sure was the fiftieth time that day with a grin. "Well, we couldn't have that."

That said, he flipped the three trinkets up into the air, juggled them briefly, then made them all disappear in puffs of smoke.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. He'd learned that the rumors about the thief's penchant for magic tricks was true. It seemed he couldn't go a day without pulling something even if he was the only one who saw it.

"What are you going to do with the pendants anyway?" he asked. "Since they're not part of your set."

"What I always do, probably."

"And that would be…?"

"What, didn't anyone tell you?" KID asked, sounding honestly surprised.

Shinichi shook his head. "People were generally more interested in the part where things went missing. So what do you do with the ones you don't want?"

"I return them at a reasonable price," KID replied cheerfully.

The detective's brows furrowed. "So basically you ransom them."

"I suppose you could call it that," he agreed amiably. "I would just give them back, but I do need supplies, and it's not like the nobles can't spare a little gold. Really they're getting the better end of the deal. I could sell the things for a lot more than I ask of them if I wanted to. And if I don't need anything they get them back for free."

Blue eyes narrowed in disapproval. "That doesn't make it right."

"Perhaps. But you know, they get a lot of publicity from the deal, and you know how much nobles like to be famous. They should really thank me."

"So…they're supposed to be glad that they were robbed by the legendary Phantom," Shinichi surmised. "That makes no sense whatsoever."

"Kaito."

"What?"

"My name is Kaito."

Shinichi frowned. "Why are you telling me?"

"Do you find the idea that I would like you to know my name that strange? I know yours after all."

"That's completely different and you know it," Shinichi snapped. "You're a wanted outlaw, remember? Why do you keep telling me things? What do you want from me anyway? Why—"

"Has anyone ever told you that you think too much?"

Shinichi scowled. "No, they ha—" He was cut off abruptly by a warm mouth on his.

His mind blanked out.

Something warm and wet slipped into his mouth. A shudder ran down his spine as a tiny sound that might have been a protest or encouragement sounded in his throat.

It wasn't until a few moments later that he really realized what was happening. KID was kissing him—and he was letting him. What was he thinking?

With a muffled exclamation of mixed confusion and horror he wriggled out from under the thief (how had he ended up on his back?) and scuttled crab-like across the limited width of the cavern.

"What did you—why did you—You just—"

Kaito was giving him a rather puzzled look as he made to stand but Shinichi held up a hand to forestall him.

"Don't come any closer!" he snapped as he struggled to sort through the rather confusing maelstrom of feelings that had welled up in him in the last few seconds.

Kaito raised an eyebrow at that but sat down again. "You don't have to look so horrified. It was just a kiss. Anyone would think you'd never been kissed before."

Shinichi could feel himself turning redder but that was so not the issue here. "Stop changing the subject!"

"Okay, okay, calm down," the thief said in a soothing tone like someone trying to coax a frightened animal out of a corner. "I'm not going to hurt you, and I certainly didn't mean to scare you."

"I am not scared!" he lied vehemently. So he wasn't in the best condition, had nowhere to go, and had just found out that the man who'd been looking after him was…was what?

He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea that the thief might actually like him. They'd only known each other for a little over two months after all. That was no time at all. Well, maybe he was jumping to conclusions here. Just because the thief apparently found him attractive didn't mean he actually liked him. He wasn't sure if that thought made him feel better or worse.

Thoughts running in circles in his head, he watched the thief warily for the rest of the evening and refused to say a word (mostly because he didn't know what to say, but that wasn't the point). When the sun set and Kaito picked up the cloak they'd been using as a blanket, he flinched and glared.

Sighing, the thief sat back down. "I can see you shivering from over here, and frankly I'm pretty cold too. The thing is I'm not going to get sick but you will. I promise I'm not going to do anything to you."

Shinichi held out for another fifteen minutes before giving in. By then his teeth were literally chattering. At least it saved him from having to say something. Still, he kept a wary eye on KID as the thief approached.

"Honestly," Kaito murmured as he carefully tucked the cloak around the two of them. "I gave you my word. And I'm not that kind of person," he added, sounding just a touch offended. "Do you have so little faith in me even after all this time?"

Shinichi frowned but didn't say anything. If he really thought about it, he knew he was probably overreacting. It was just that he really hadn't kissed anyone before. He'd never really liked anyone before, and he'd certainly never had anyone express such things towards him. What was he supposed to do? He'd always been more of a loner before he met Ran and Heiji, and they were like the family he couldn't remember having.

What really bothered him though was that he had kind of enjoyed the kiss.

Well, it wasn't like this…whatever this was could go anywhere anyway. His leg was almost completely better now, or at least as much as could be expected. Soon he would be back with Ran and Heiji and they would go back to Beika and Kaito would return to his band and go back to weaving his legends around Ekoda County. So in the end it wouldn't matter if Kaito really liked him or if he liked the thief because they would be back where they would probably never see each other again.

Somehow the thought wasn't as comforting as he'd hoped it would be. Being out here really was messing with his head.

TBC

A.N: Yes, the Nakamoris are working for Kaito—along with the rest of the task force, etc. Kaito needed subordinates, and they were rather convenient. And it amuses me, hehe.