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Outlaw Hearts

7: Reunions

"Shinichi's been arrested!" Ran cried out as she flung open the door to their suite.

Heiji just stared at her. "What? Why?"

"They're saying he's one of KID's undercover accomplices."

"How did they come up with that?" he demanded incredulously, only half believing what he was hearing.

"I don't know," she replied, lips pressed into a thin line. "But we're going to find out."

X

He could hear shouting in the other room. It sounded like Heiji. Sighing, Shinichi leaned back against the wall behind him and glared at the bars between his half of the room and the half with the door. The only other person in the room with him was a drunkard lying passed out on the other side of the prison who'd apparently been brought in for brawling.

He was still a little unsure how he'd wound up in here when he'd only expected to be asked a few questions. Somehow the questions had turned into accusations well before he got around to giving any answers and now he was here. He'd been told they would be carting him off to a town that actually had a court house come the morrow.

The more he thought about it, the more it was beginning to annoy him. Questions he would understand, but it hardly seemed good etiquette to lock someone up just because someone saw him standing near the enemy (though god he hoped all they'd seen was them saying goodbye). He knew he hadn't helped Kaito in any way (Kaito really didn't need help). Although it was also true that he hadn't bothered trying to stop him…

Deflating a little, he stood up and began to pace, listening to the rising voices in the other room. Suddenly the door slammed open and he spun around to see a grim-faced Ran come in. She shut the door behind herself, cutting off the continuing shouts that had gusted in around her when the door had opened.

"Are you all right?" she asked with concern, her eyes locating him in the prison's dim lighting. "They didn't hurt you did they?"

"No, I'm fine," he assured her, rubbing absently at his wrist.

She studied his face for a few seconds as though she were trying to find something but didn't know what it was exactly that she was looking for. "I was wondering, you never did tell us what KID said to you last night…"

"He just said he didn't want it after all and asked me to return it for him," Shinichi lied, not quite meeting her gaze.

"Shinichi…" Ran let out a quiet sigh as she shook her head slowly. "What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything," he muttered, guilt at the lie making his stomach twist uncomfortably.

Ran was silent for a long moment before she finally spoke again. "Well, we'll keep talking to them, but at the moment it looks like they're determined to go to court about this. They've never actually been able to get a hold of any of KID's accomplices—or supposed accomplices—before, so… Well, you get the idea."

Shinichi let his breath out in a resigned sigh. "I thought as much. I guess it can't be helped."

"But Shinichi, I'm worried," she continued, stepping closer to the bars between them as though not wanting to be overheard. "There seems to be some bad blood between KID and several of the people here. With the mood they're in, I'm not sure it's going to be a very fair hearing."

Shinichi had been trying not to think about that. But still, no matter what kind of grudge these people had, he was pretty sure he had enough evidence to satisfy any court that he hadn't been helping the thief on his heists. All considered, he hadn't even been in Ekoda all that long. All he had to do was keep a level head and argue his case logically.

"I'll manage," he said finally, mustering as much confidence into his voice as he could. "The truth always wins in the end, right?"

Her frown deepened but she relented with a reluctant nod. "We'll see what we can do. Just—try not to say anything that'll make them mad or something."

"Like what Heiji's doing you mean?" he asked, amused.

She grimaced. "Yeah. Telling them how stupid they are isn't going to help our case. So take care, all right? We'll be back first thing tomorrow."

"I will."

X

"Wait!"

Heiji and Ran turned at the cry to see a girl with a ponytail running to catch up to them as they headed back to the inn. She skidded to a halt beside them, breathing hard.

"I heard what happened," she said once she had gotten her breath back. Straightening, she looked them each in the eyes in turn, her own gaze solemn. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Kazuha," Heiji replied, his own breath leaving him in a sigh. "It ain't your fault."

"I know, but…I know how uptight they can be. My dad works with them, remember? It's just that that thief's been making fools of them for so long they get a bit unreasonable whenever a possible lead comes up." Her brows furrowed in disapproval as she looked away. "The thing is…"

The two waited but when Kazuha didn't continue Ran cleared her throat. "Was there something you wanted to tell us?"

The other girl bit her lip, glanced around at the busy street, and lowered her voice. "Is there anywhere we can go to talk?"

Heiji traded puzzled looks with Ran. "Er, we could go to our suite at the inn."

"Let's go then," she declared, face setting with determination.

The three of them made their way back to the inn in silence. It wasn't until they were seated in the suite's small common room that another word was uttered.

"If you can, you should take your friend and get out of here tonight," Kazuha stated.

Two pairs of eyes stared at her in open shock.

"Wha—what?" Heiji gasped.

"No, listen, I know it sounds strange, but if you don't your friend could very well be locked up or worse."

"But he's innocent!"

"I believe you, but like I said, things aren't that simple. You've met Lord Hakuba's son, right?"

Ran nodded. "Hakuba Saguru, yes."

"Well, a few years ago he was in an incident involving one of KID's accomplices. I don't know the details, but the young lord was pretty severely injured. Word is that it was that thief's gang who were responsible. He's been out to get them ever since. If he thinks there's any chance at all that your friend is one of KID's people, he'll see him hung for sure."

The room fell into a dead silence.

Finally Kazuha stood up. "I have to go, but…good luck. I—I hope we can see each other again."

"Wait, Kazuha!" Scrambling to his feet, Heiji caught her hand before she could get out the door. "Um, if—if you ever come to Beika, look me up all right?"

She blushed faintly and nodded. "Good luck."

That said, she slipped out of the room. Heiji returned to his seat, expression grim.

"So what now?"

Ran shifted uneasily in her seat. "I don't know… I don't like the idea of running—and that's assuming we can find a way to get him out."

"Makes you look guilty," Heiji agreed, scowling. "But if she's right…"

Their eyes met, their own uncertainty reflected in each other's faces.

X

It was the feel of a hand on his shoulder that woke him. His sleep had been restless, full of indistinct dreams and a vague sense of longing. It was a little cold too and the warm touch on his shoulder made him flinch in shock. Jerking his head up, he squinted through the darkness.

"Who—"

"Shh, it's me."

"Kaito?" he gasped, shocked.

The thief's grin flashed white in the dim room. "Of course. Were you expecting someone else?"

"I wasn't expecting anyone," Shinichi replied honestly.

"You didn't think I'd leave you here, did you?" he chided before his tone grew serious. "I didn't mean to land you in here. I should have been more careful."

"I should have been more careful too," Shinichi replied ruefully, letting Kaito pull him to his feet. "But you know I can't just leave right?"

"Why not?" Kaito asked, sounding honestly confused.

"Generally running makes things worse."

"You're not staying. I know these people. If you do, they'll find some way to pin something on you and that will be the end of it."

"But I didn't do anything."

"And what reason did they have to put you in here to begin with?"

"Hakuba said someone saw me with you and that I didn't try to stop you…" Which was true, granted, they had simply decided to layer on their own reasons for the incident.

"The little lordling, huh?" Kaito muttered darkly to himself. "He is fortunate I do not believe in shooting people. First he breaks Aoko's heart after she went to all that trouble to save his sorry hide, now this. Some people never learn."

Shinichi shivered a little at the cold malice in the thief's voice. He'd never heard him sound like that before and he kind of wished he hadn't heard it now. "Kaito?"

Indigo eyes returned to his, the slightly frightening ice that had been in them moments ago melting away. "Please Shinichi, come with me. I don't want to lose you."

Shinichi swallowed. He wanted to, but… "I—I can't. If I disappear, they're going to go after Ran and Heiji."

"Where are they now?"

"The inn."

Kaito was silent for a moment, thinking. "Would you come if they came too?"

X

The lock on the inn room door hindered Kaito for maybe the fraction of a heartbeat. Then he had the door open and had shunted them both inside.

"Shinichi?" Ran gasped, looking up from where she appeared to be finishing the last steps of packing.

"Talk later," Kaito cut in. "The guards won't sleep forever."

Heiji shot him a narrow-eyed look. "And who the hell are you?"

"And here I thought I'd made an impression when we all met at Lake Pearl."

Green eyes stared at him blankly before recognition dawned. "You're that musician!"

"Oh, look, he remembers, let's get him a prize. Now if you'll hurry, it looks to me like you two had the same idea I did so that saves us some talking. I have horses just outside of town."

Ran and Heiji stared at him. "What—"

"We'll explain later," Shinichi said quickly, trying not to fidget. He still felt like they were doing something wrong. Although it seemed that Kaito was right that Ran and Heiji had been thinking along similar lines. They were far too prepared for uprooting for it to have been a coincidence. What had they heard?

There were indeed two horses waiting right outside the town. One was the pale gray Shinichi remembered from when Kaito had taken him riding back at Lake Pearl. The other had a dark brown coat that made it blend into the night.

"Guess it was a good thing I brought them both," Kaito murmured to Shinichi as he directed Ran and Heiji to the brown. "I assume you two can ride?"

"Yeah, as long as it's not anything fancy," Heiji replied, securing the pack he'd been carrying to the saddle. Ran handed him her pack too before turning to look Kaito in the eyes. Shinichi watched the two of them nervously but remained quiet. This had to happen eventually.

"You're not really Mister Taoki, are you?"

The corners of his mouth quirked into a wry grin. "If you mean to say that I am an imposter, then I am afraid you are mistaken, but if you mean to say that that is not all I am, then you would be right."

"You're the Phantom."

Kaito swept into a showman's bow. "At your service. Please, call me Kaito. I know you probably have questions, but I would suggest we save the talking for later."

X

They rode all through the rest of the night, taking only short breaks for the horses. When dawn broke, Kaito led them into a grove on the side of the road where they found a small stash of supplies waiting for them.

"We'll stay here until nightfall," Kaito announced.

They took turns sleeping and keeping watch. When daylight began to fade, they ate a quick meal before saddling up and heading out once more. The routine was repeated over the next two days. By then Shinichi was fairly sure they were heading to wherever Kaito's base camp was located.

There really would be no going back.

They reached the outskirts of the Oasis on the fourth day. It was difficult to pick out landmarks in the endless stretches of barren, rocky terrain and by noon none of the detectives could tell which way was what anymore. Kaito, however, seemed to know exactly where he was going. Their path eventually led them to a particularly tall and intimidating set of ridges. Kaito directed them to a narrow path that just barely accommodated the horses in single file. Fifteen minutes later they rounded a corner and a camp appeared before them as though by magic.

They were accosted the moment they had all dismounted by a girl with long, wild brown hair which Shinichi recognized.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded, storming right up to them. "I was right in the next town! I could have helped! Instead I don't even hear about this until I get back here."

Kaito deftly caught her hand as she waved her fist at him and pulled her aside, saying something in a quiet voice that the rest of them couldn't hear. She quieted at that, her shoulders sagging for a moment before she pulled herself back together. The two returned to the trio standing awkwardly by the horses.

"It's getting late. I'll have someone set up a few spare tents. For now, Aoko here will show you where you can get something to eat."

Ran nodded, though she couldn't help but notice that all this seemed to be directed at her and Heiji. Her suspicions were confirmed when Shinichi didn't follow them when they left with their assigned guide. A glance back revealed that he was talking to the thief, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. Shinichi had his back to her so she couldn't see his face either, though his posture was much more relaxed than she felt. What she could see was the soft smile on the thief's face, and seeing that just made her feel odd. And a little like she was witnessing something private that she shouldn't.

Tearing her eyes away from them, she turned her attention back to their guide.

"I'm sure we have some stew left," she was saying as she brought them to the side of a campfire. "Just have a seat and let me go check."

Ran and Heiji exchanged looks before they both sat down. Aoko returned a moment later with two bowls. Handing one to each of them, she sat down on Ran's other side.

"My name is Aoko Nakamori by the way," she said, sticking out her hand. "You're Ran, right?"

"Yes," Ran replied, taking the proffered hand with a cautious smile. "Um, I've been wondering, have we met before? You seem kind of familiar."

The other girl laughed. "We had dinner at the same table once at Lake Pearl. I didn't think you'd remember."

"Oh, I remember now. I saw you dancing with—uh…" She paused, no longer sure exactly what to call the man she'd thought was Kuro Taoki. Er, well, technically he still was, according to the brief explanation he'd given them during their journey, but at the same time he wasn't, and that just made it a lot more confusing.

"Just call him Kaito," Aoko advised, apparently guessing at her thoughts. "To be honest, he's the only one who can actually remember all the names he's ever used. So where're you guys from?"

"We actually live in Beika, though we've been staying around here for a while now."

"You're a long way from home then, huh?"

"Yeah." Ran glanced a bit wistfully up at the sky. Home… What she wouldn't give to be there right now. "We were actually just on our way back, but then all this happened."

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. The city's not going to run away after all. But what about you? Where's your home town?"

Aoko shrugged. "Don't have one. My family's been on the road since before I was born, so home's always been wherever we happen to be."

"Isn't that hard?" Ran asked a bit hesitantly. She liked traveling well enough, but she couldn't imagine actually living on the road.

To her surprise, Aoko laughed. "I suppose it must seem that way, but I've always kind of liked it."

Ran nodded. Before she could say more, her attention was caught by the sight of two familiar figures passing by them. Her gaze focused on the one in the lead.

"Come on, I want to show you something," the thief was saying, pulling Shinichi along by the hand. In moments they were already out of sight. She looked at the spot where they had been moments before for a long time before turning back to the fire before her. The Oasis' evening chill had long since set in. Scooting closer to the flickering flames, she set her now empty bowl down and held her hands out to their luminous tongues.

"Does it bother you?"

Startled, she glanced at the girl sitting beside her. Aoko's own expression was curious but otherwise gave nothing away.

"I…don't know," Ran admitted eventually, eyes returning to the fire. She really wasn't sure how she should be feeling. She didn't particularly like the idea of some strange man—and an outlaw no less—whose whole first introduction to them had basically been a pack of lies having anything to do with her best friend. On the other hand, the thief seemed to be serious about the relationship. Serious enough to not only come to Shinichi's rescue but also to allow her and Heiji to tag along when he could have just taken Shinichi away just because Shinichi had asked him to. There was a level of trust there that she had to admit surprised her.

And it seemed Shinichi had known who he was all along. Knowing that, she now had a fairly good guess of who exactly her friend had been with those three months he'd been missing. Which, of course, meant that the thief had also saved his life.

So he couldn't be a bad person, she decided (or at least she hoped, because he held all their lives in his hands right now, and her friend's heart on top of that). The best thing for her to do now was to get to know him.

So it was that she set about the task of familiarizing herself with the camp and its occupants. Most of them treated her and her companions with a sort of wary cordiality. It wasn't exactly what Ran would call a comfortable atmosphere. With Aoko's help however, she was gradually making some headway.

For his part Heiji was disturbed. Really he felt he would have been a lot happier not knowing that one of his best friends was having a…a relationship with an outlaw. He did not need to wonder if he was going to round a boulder and find them kissing like he had just the other day. He did not want to wonder what they were up to every time they disappeared. The one time he'd accidentally seen them making out, he'd had the overpowering urge to storm over there and drag the thief off his friend and demand to know what they thought they were doing. But he hadn't. After all, they were all adults here. Shinichi had the right to make his own decisions, even if he was making damned weird ones in Heiji's opinion. It was just hard not to be at least a little worried, all considered this Kuro or Kaito—or whatever his name really was—was still a criminal. In his mind, the relationship didn't have very good prospects of lasting. And even if it did, he wasn't sure it would be a good thing. The problem was he could tell from the fact that he'd actually seen Shinichi quite happily move to sit on the thief's lap the other day that he was probably too far gone to see why this wasn't a good idea. Heck, he'd already been arrested once because of it, and here he was, obviously not caring. What was wrong with him?

To think Shinichi was usually such a good judge of character too…

So it seemed Heiji just had to accept that somewhere along the line his friend had lost his mind along with his good senses. All he could do was keep an eye out and be ready to help when everything inevitably went wrong. He didn't have to like it though.

Ran kept telling him he was being too pessimistic about it, but he rather thought he was the only one being realistic around here. It didn't work in their favor that everyone else seemed to have bought into the whole curse story. Honestly, the only magic around here was whatever spell the thief had used to convince everyone that curses were real.

"You don't like me," the thief had observed one evening when the two of them had been waiting for Ran and Shinichi to come back from getting them second helpings of desert at the main campfire, the corners of his lips quirking into an amused smile that told Heiji exactly how little that mattered to him.

"Not really," he had answered, knowing it was pointless to try and deny it and not seeing a point in lying anyway. "Being friendly doesn't make a criminal any less of a criminal."

"You have no right to speak to him like that," a girl who had been passing by had snapped, coming to an abrupt stop to glare down at the seated detective. "You are a guest here on our good graces. Don't forget that."

"Let it go Suzuna," Kaito had interjected, waving away her anger with a nonchalant gesture. "Everyone's entitled to have their own opinions." He turned back to Heiji with that same, amused smile that the dark-skinned detective was seriously starting to despise. "You know, you can leave whenever you want. I won't stop you."

Heiji had snorted but refrained from saying anything as Ran and Shinichi had gotten back by then. He wasn't about to leave the two of them with this man. For all that he was almost always smiling, he was clearly dangerous. Crazy too, if he believed his own claims about being cursed. Why couldn't the others see that?

"I marvel at your friend's ability to deny the supernatural even when it bites him on the nose," Kaito told Shinichi later when they were alone in his tent.

Shinichi let out a snort of laughter though he felt a bit bad about it. "He'll come around once he's calmed down about everything."

He just wished he could say the same with as much certainty about the rest of the camp. The tension that had greeted their arrival in camp had calmed somewhat over the past few days, largely thanks to Aoko and her friends, Keiko and Eisuke, whom she'd introduced to them on the second day of their stay. But it was a gradual process and he hadn't missed the suspicious looks several of them were giving his companions in general and him in particular. He supposed he could understand their wariness, but it didn't make it do much for lessening the pressure. At times it felt like his every move was being analyzed and judged, and even though he knew he didn't have to prove anything to them it still set his nerves on edge.

Heiji was giving him strange looks too. Every time Shinichi saw that look he felt guilty. It wasn't until now that he'd realized that while he had already made up his mind about any consequences his choices would bring to him, he hadn't considered how they might affect his friends. It was entirely his fault that they had been dragged into this and were now temporarily unable to go home. How he was going to make it up to them, he had no idea.

The only time he could really relax was when he was alone or with Kaito. It made him wonder though what Kaito thought about everything. Outwardly his behavior hadn't changed at all, but Shinichi knew him better than to think he hadn't noticed the tensions running through his camp.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're hiding over here?"

He started in surprise. Whipping his head around he found Kaito sitting beside him, looking like he'd been there for a while already.

"When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago," the magician replied with a dismissive wave. "So tell me, why are you over here all by yourself?"

"I wanted to think," Shinichi replied vaguely, turning his gaze back to the vast expanse of land spread out below them. Kaito had shown him this particular spot among the rocky ridges on that first night in camp. Up here, you really could see for miles, and it was sheltered enough by the surrounding rock formations to keep off most of the sun and the wind.

Kaito hummed thoughtfully but didn't comment. Instead he wrapped an arm around him and Shinichi leaned into his side, feeling the tension run out of him like water through a sieve. It was scary how easily Kaito could make his worries disappear, but right now he was just grateful. Still, he wasn't sure if it was fair for him to feel so happy just to be with Kaito when it had caused everyone else so many problems. They sat like that for a long time, just watching the sun sink gradually towards the horizon. It was a breathtaking sight especially with such a vast expanse of horizon.

"Don't let them get to you," Kaito said suddenly, confirming Shinichi's suspicions that he'd known what was on his mind all along. "They really are good people. Just give them a little time. They'll understand one day."

Shinichi nodded, though he wasn't so sure about that himself. He didn't understand it himself, how could he expect other people to?

"Shinichi?" Kaito asked softly, his breath ruffling the hair on top of Shinichi's head. "Are you awake?"

The detective hummed an affirmative, though he was rapidly growing drowsy.

"I love you."

That woke him up much more effectively than anything else could have as something warm and giddy but also nervous rushed through him. He wasn't sure if he was ready to hear that for all that part of him had hoped. And yet…

"I love you too," he whispered, because it was true and it was almost a relief to finally admit it (to the one person to whom it mattered most).

And yet he couldn't help but notice that though Kaito's smile was warm and genuine, there was a hint of sadness there too, hidden behind his eyes.

TBC