Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed or D.N Angel.

Pairing(s): Kaito x Shinichi

WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned

House of Cards

By V. Shalyr

2. Deal

"What... is that?" Hakuba stared at the small bundle on his classmate's desk with wary curiosity.

"This is Shin-chan," Kaito introduced, petting the top of the dove's head affectionately. He'd carefully wrapped a small blanket around the bird to keep him warm from the chilly, winter weather. "He's new and he seems a bit nervous around my other birds, so I decided to keep him with me so he can get used to me."

Doves didn't like to be alone. It tended to make them depressed.

He'd been thinking about having his doves look after the new addition to their flock. They were, after all, very smart and fairly reliable birds, but even as he'd been weighing the pros and cons, his new bird had latched onto his sleeve with its beak and given him what he would swear was a desperate, "don't leave me here with them" kind of look. Strange, that.

Of course, he was also keeping the dove close because he was injured and Kaito wanted to keep an eye on him, but Hakuba didn't need to know that. If the nuisance of a detective knew the bird was hurt, he'd want to know why and Kaito didn't feel like concocting some story to tell him today. And he'd be damned if he'd tell Hakuba the truth. It was just one of the few times Lady Luck had not looked favorably upon him that the blonde detective was in some of his classes even in college. Or maybe that was a lucky thing since it allowed him to monitor the other's actions without having to actively seek him out?

"He's so cute," Aoko crooned, crouching down beside his desk so she could examine the bird at eye level. "That's odd. I didn't know doves could have blue eyes."

"They don't normally," Kaito agreed, "but this one's special."

For one thing, the magician would swear that it understood every word he said—even more so than his other doves, and that was saying something.

Shinichi peered up at the many faces now turned towards him from amidst the nest of cloth the magician had made for him. He had to admit that it was very warm and comfortable, even if it felt a little weird to be constantly manhandled this way. It eased the aching and that was more than a blessing in itself.

So Hakuba Saguru knew KID's civilian counterpart? Well, Shinichi did seem to recall the blonde mentioning something about having a prime suspect. Shinichi had been curious to hear this, of course, but never paid it much mind. He wasn't interested in catching the thief outside of a heist. It seemed to defeat the purpose somehow, to go against the rules of the chase.

"Just what we need," the blonde muttered, "you to get more birds for your tricks."

Kaito just shook his head at that, his face a mask of mock pity. "Comments like that just go to show how underdeveloped your sense of fun is. How do you ever expect to get a girlfriend like that?"

Hakuba glared stiffly. "Like you're one to talk."

The magician gestured around their rapidly filling classroom, raising his eyebrows. "Whatever do you mean? In case you haven't noticed, the ladies love me. I just haven't found the right person yet."

"Or you have commitment issues."

"I'll have you know that I'm a gentleman."

"I'm not talking about those kinds of commitment issues."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Oh, so this is about your ridiculous theories about me being KID again, are they?"

The response was so natural that even Shinichi would have believed the thief thought the claim absolutely ludicrous if he hadn't known better. He turned his head to see Hakuba's reaction. The other detective just glowered for a moment longer before moving to his own desk as the professor entered the classroom.

"I don't see why you two have to keep arguing all the time," Aoko sighed, moving to her own chair. "I would have thought three years would be more than enough time to get tired of arguing."

"It's because he's such an annoying nuisance," Kaito murmured softly to Shinichi, stroking his fingers down the dove's head and back. "Now, you just be quiet and the professor won't ask me to get rid of you. I'm afraid he doesn't have the best impression of my birds."

Despite his words, the magician grinned and Shinichi wondered just what he'd done to turn the teacher against his feathery assistants.

Keeping quiet during the lectures turned out to be quite easy. Kaito's college courses were a whole lot more interesting than the elementary school classes Shinichi had been stuck in as Conan for the past two years. If anything, it was the magician who had trouble containing his boredom. Halfway through the first class, he'd taken out a pack of cards and started shuffling them absentmindedly as he listened, pausing only occasionally to jot down notes. The professor gave him rather pointed looks several times, all of which he pretended not to notice, and the man finally gave up. A bored Kaito was a dangerous Kaito anyway, so as long as he was keeping himself occupied and not disrupting class, the man would count himself fortunate. And it wasn't like he could complain really, since the magician tended to pass all his exams with flying colors.

The bell signaling the end of the hour and the last class of the day had barely begun to ring when Kaito was on his feet, slinging his book bag over his shoulder and scooping Shinichi up off his desk. Shinichi tensed when he saw the thief cast the windows a calculating look as though seriously thinking about jumping through it to speed up his departure from campus. But then he glanced down at Shinichi and, thankfully, appeared to think better of it.

Shinichi could hear people cooing over him as Kaito carried him past them through the halls of the building. He wondered what it was about small animals that tended to coax that kind of reaction out of people. Luckily, birds couldn't blush, though he did find himself shrinking further into his blanket nest, trying and failing not to be noticed. Mostly, he failed because the person carrying him specialized in standing out—unless, of course, he didn't want to be noticed, but that definitely didn't apply here or now. He greeted almost everyone they passed by name. They all seemed to know who he was and he would pause now and then to talk to people.

"Kaito!" The shout halted the magician at the school gate and Aoko ran up to them, her messy hair looking even more wild from her mad dash. "Why did you leave so soon? I wanted to ask you something."

"Sorry, Aoko, but I've got plans. And it was just so stuffy in there."

"Oh." Her face fell. "I suppose that means you can't go Christmas shopping with me?"

The magician slapped his free hand to his forehead in a dramatic show of dismay. "Christmas shopping! I still have to go Christmas shopping. Thank you for reminding me, but I really can't do it today."

Aoko crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't believe you actually forgot. You're planning to go Christmas shopping by yourself again, aren't you?"

Kaito looked shocked. "Who, me?

Aoko glowered at him for a moment longer then gave up and shook her head. Kaito had made it a tradition ever since he'd been old enough to go out by himself to always do his Christmas shopping alone. She understood that he liked to keep his gifts a secret, but with his skills, she would have thought keeping his purchases a secret would have been child's play. But then, the magician tended to be strange like that.

Instead, she asked, "Is your mother going to be back for Christmas?"

Kaito nodded. "She says she'll be returning with the friends she went to visit. Guess they feel like it's about time to come back home to Japan."

"Well, let me know when she gets back so I can drop by and say hi. It feels like I haven't seen her in ages."

"Will do."

Giving her a cheery wave, Kaito turned and jogged swiftly away from the university campus. He didn't ease his pace again until they'd gone a good four blocks or so. Slowing back down to a casual stroll, he continued down the street—but not towards his house.

Shinichi craned his neck to look curiously up at him. There was a faint grin hovering about the magician's lips, but Shinichi had come to recognize the expression as just one of the many, many masks Kaito wore more often than not. And he wondered what the magician was thinking behind that smile.

In the little more than a day that he had now known the thief, Shinichi had learned a few things about him. For one thing, he'd learned that his real name was Kuroba Kaito, and that he was currently a first year student in university. He knew the magician was meticulous and took very good care of his doves, and that he appeared to live with his mother—though she was currently out of the country. Aside from these facts, however, it felt like all he'd really learned was that the magician was one big enigma, and he couldn't even say he'd learned that since he'd pretty much known it already.

At school, the magician was energetic, mischievous, and talkative. He played pranks on people so often and with such ease that they seemed to see it as a natural part of his character. At home, he seemed almost the opposite, eerily silent and contemplative. Out in the street with strangers, he could be polite, distant, charming, cold, carefree, sympathetic—it all seemed to depend not on who he was necessarily so much as how he wanted to be seen. The only thing that never seemed to change was the sharp calculation well hidden behind his indigo eyes that reminded Shinichi of someone caught in a never-ending game of chess, mind always racing ahead, watching, cataloging, and planning.

Shinichi wondered if it was tiring to live like that or if the thief was just calculating and manipulative by nature. One thing was for sure. It was no wonder KID found it so easy to get into places and to acquire the information that he needed with how masterfully he could influence people and pull their strings. It was also probably the only reason he was still free.

The people on the train occasionally gave the young man with the bundled up bird cradled in one arm curious looks, but it wasn't the strangest thing they'd ever seen and no one commented. It wasn't until the voice over the speakers announced the next stop and Kaito prepared to get off the train that Shinichi realized where they were going.

Beika? Why was the thief going to Beika?

He was even more confused when Kaito started walking along a route he was more than familiar with. Were they... going to his house? Now this was getting more than a little weird.

.

Nakamouri Aoko sighed as she made her way towards the mall. It had been years since Kaito had gone Christmas shopping with anyone, so she wasn't really surprised that he had declined. It was just that... Sometimes, she felt like she didn't know him as well as she used to. Of course she knew that people changed when they grew up. She couldn't expect Kaito at nineteen to be exactly what he was like at nine. But still, they were friends, right? Weren't friends supposed to understand each other better than this? Know each other better than this? Half the time, she didn't even know where Kaito was these days.

Aoko was so deep in thought that she walked smack into someone also approaching the mall's glass front doors. Both of them gasped and stumbled back.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Aoko gasped, regaining her breath and straightening up. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"That's okay," the other girl replied with a slightly breathless laugh as she dusted off her skirt and turned to face her. "I wasn't paying attention either."

The other girl stopped abruptly, her blue eyes going wide with surprise. And once Aoko got a good look at her, she could see why.

"Wow," Aoko breathed, "I almost feel like I'm looking into a mirror."

"It's amazing. I guess it's true that everyone has a twin out there." The other girl laughed and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Mouri Ran. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Accepting her hand, Aoko shook it firmly. "Nakamouri Aoko. And it's a pleasure to meet you too. Are you new around here? I'm pretty sure I'd remember seeing you around."

"I'm actually from Beika. I'm just visiting Ekoda for the day with a friend of mine. Are you here by yourself?"

Aoko nodded. Her disappointment must have showed because Ran smiled and gestured for her to follow her. "How about we go inside and I'll introduce you to her? I'm sure Sonoko won't mind. Shopping's always more fun with more people."

.

They were definitely headed towards the Kudou manor.

Shinichi couldn't help but shift about nervously the closer they drew to his old house. He moved around so much that Kaito finally stopped in a park to see if there was anything wrong with him. He sat down on one of the park benches and placed Shinichi in his lap, carefully removing him from his cloth nest and making sure his wounds hadn't started to bleed again.

"Hey, calm down. What's the matter with you?" Kaito murmured, frowning as the dove tried to flap its wings in agitation only to flinch at the pain it caused.

/ Why are we going to my house? / Shinichi wanted to know, but it wasn't like Kaito could actually understand him. The magician had many talents, but speaking dove wasn't actually one of them.

Now that the dove had stopped trying to struggle, Kaito lifted it to eye level. "There now, everything's okay. You need to learn to be more unobtrusive. It's better not to draw attention to yourself sometimes."

Shinichi frowned, or at least tried to. But all it got him was a reassuring pat on the head.

Before he could do anything else, a shout of "watch out!" reached their ears and Kaito shifted Shinichi swiftly to one hand while ducking and reaching up with his other hand to snag the baseball deftly from the air. Straightening once more, the magician grinned at the three children that came running up to them.

"Looking for this?"

"We're so sorry!" a familiar girl's voice gasped. Shinichi turned his head to see and, sure enough, there stood Ayumi closely followed by Genta and Mitsuhiko. All three of them gave the magician sheepish and apologetic looks.

"No harm done," Kaito assured them, holding the ball out to Ayumi. "But you should be more careful next time. Such a small public park might not be the best place for playing baseball."

"We're sorry," Mitsuhiko repeated, scratching the back of his head, "but we couldn't think of where else to go. And we wanted to be nearby in case our friend changed her mind and wanted to join us."

Were they talking about Haibara? Shinichi wondered. They were very close to the professor's house here. And he felt a pang of guilt at realizing that she was probably worried sick. Not that there was much he could do about it until he could fly again. Until then, he was pretty much stuck either waddling around at the abysmal speed a dove could manage on foot or being carried about by Kaito. Kaito wouldn't know to take him to see the mini scientist, and if Shinichi tried to walk, he'd probably get eaten by a cat or something.

"Maybe you should think about switching to a softer ball then," Kaito suggested. And to support his suggestion, he produced a plush baseball with a flourish.

The three gasped again, this time in surprise and amazement.

"Are you a magician?" Ayumi asked excitedly.

"One of the best," Kaito declared with a wink. And he added a yellow rose to the things he passed to her.

Ayumi giggled and the two boys looked uncertain, probably torn between curiosity and annoyance at being upstaged. Shinichi snorted, though the sound came out only as a soft huff of air.

"Well, I've got to get going now," Kaito said, rising to his feet and shifting Shinichi once again to cradle him in one arm. "Have fun with your game and try not to hit anyone."

"Okay," the three chorused.

Shinichi watched them over Kaito's sleeve as the magician strolled away. He had to admit that he sort of missed playing with them. Usually, he found it rather dull, and sometimes even mortifying. But it was also kind of nice how it was so easy for them to enjoy life.

Actually, from what he could tell, Kaito was really good at that too. Kind of ironic considering he was an internationally wanted criminal. Though perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing for a criminal to be. It was better than being bitter or hateful.

All the same though, he had to wonder as they approached the front gates of the Kudou manor... Should he be concerned that it appeared this wasn't the first time Kaito had been in his home? The magician slipped onto the grounds and into the house with such ease that it was scary. So Hakuba was right and KID probably did stalk his detectives. Unless it was just Shinichi. And if it was just him, should he feel honored or disturbed?

Kaito didn't bother to turn on the lights as he maneuvered his way through the house. It would attract unwanted attention, and he had good night vision anyway. His indigo eyes surveyed each room as they went, cataloging the details. There were definitely signs that someone had been living here recently. Making his way straight to Shinichi's room—which, Shinichi thought, was definitely bordering on disturbing—he easily located the gadgets and clothes that Shinichi had worn as Conan, and had stored away when the new antidote had first turned him back.

"So I was right," Kaito said aloud. "He was back for at least a few days. So where is he now?"

Shinichi looked up at the magician's contemplative face, confused. So the magician was here... looking for him? Was he worried because he hadn't seen Conan or Shinichi for awhile?

The thought was kind of touching, even if it meant that the thief was keeping creepily detailed tabs on him. It was nice to know that he could add one more person to the rather short list of people who would know if something had really happened to him. That was the problem with keeping so many secrets and living the way he'd been living for the past two years. There were just so few people he could really rely upon. He wondered if KID ever felt that way. At least Shinichi had people like Haibara and Hattori looking out for him. Who did the thief have who would know—and care—what had happened if he suddenly disappeared? His mother? His assistant? He certainly didn't share anything with his friends on the matter.

/ I suppose I forgive you for sneaking around my house, / Shinichi sighed, settling down in the crook of Kaito's arm. / But next time you visit, I'd really rather you use the front door. /

Of course, first, Shinichi had to get back to being human. And somehow, let the magician know that he knew him—and that Shinichi too would keep his secrets.

.

Sonoko smiled, her eyes gleaming with excited glee as the three girls made their way through the mall. "Oh, this is wonderful! You two are so lucky. I'd love to have a twin."

The mall was a popular destination at this time of year with everyone out hunting for just the right gifts. It wasn't so bad that they had to push their way through the crowd, but they still had to speak fairly loudly in order to be heard over the din.

"I did always wish I had a sister," Aoko said, smiling in return. "It's kind of funny really. It seems like none of my close friends have siblings. Or at least Kaito and Hakuba-kun are both only children."

"Hakuba? As in the detective Hakuba Saguru?"

"You know him?" Aoko asked, surprised.

Ran scratched the back of her head, looking sheepish. "I wouldn't say that I know him. But I have met him before. See, my father's a detective too."

"Is he? Mouri... Your father isn't Mouri Kogoro by any chance, is he?"

"That's him."

Sonoko cut in with an irritated scowl before they could continue. "Enough talk about detectives. Honestly, I don't see how you don't get tired of all that detective stuff with your father and Kudou and those brats Conan-kun hung out with. Let's talk about something fun for a change. Hey, I know!" Sonoko clapped her hands together and exclaimed, "I heard there's going to be a spectacular fireworks show at the Ekoda Clock Tower on Christmas Eve. Do you know if it's true?"

"I'm not sure," Aoko admitted. "You should ask Kaito."

"Kaito?"

"He's a friend of mine. He loves all kinds of shows. If there's going to be a fireworks display, he'll probably know about it."

"Can you ask him then and let us know? And you can come to my father's Christmas party too, if you have time. We can plan a girls' night out!"

"I'll let you know by tomorrow night," Aoko promised, smiling. The sandy-haired girl's enthusiasm was proving somewhat infectious. It had been too long since she really hung out with her female friends.

This could be just what she'd needed, Aoko decided. To get out there and do something fun, make some new friends. It was high time she stopped being bothered by what it was exactly Kaito got up to all the time and got on with her own life. It was the least she could do for herself for the holidays.

.

Shinichi was quiet the entire way back to the magician's home. He didn't complain when Kaito put him with the other doves and disappeared into what Shinichi surmised was his workroom. According to the other doves, it was a dangerous place to be and none of them were allowed.

/ You were out for a long time today, / Aka observed. Out of all the doves, he appeared to be the most talkative.

/ It's not fair, / the dove on Shinichi's other side declared. She, or at least he thought it sounded a bit like a she, seemed upset for some reason.

/ But he's hurt, / Aka reasoned, straightening so he could peer over the top of Shinichi's head at the other bird. / Master was just looking out for him. /

The dove huffed and flapped her wings, accidently or on purpose smacking Shinichi with one wing before taking off to perch on one of the other stands. Shinichi looked after her in confusion, feeling a little hurt.

/ What did she hit me for? I haven't done anything. /

/ Don't mind her, / Aka told him. / Shizu's just jealous that Master took you to school with him instead of her. She likes going to school. /

/ So what did you two do today? / another dove asked, landing in a flurry of white feathers to take Shizu's place. This one seemed smaller than Aka and Shinichi had the feeling he'd been introduced to it before. What was its name again? Zam?

/ Well... / Shinichi trailed off, not entirely sure what to say. / We visited someone's house. /

/ The really big one next to the house with a lot of explosions in it? /

/ Uh... / Was he talking about Agasa's? / I guess so. /

/ Does that mean you found Tantei-kun? /

It just felt weird to hear a dove referring to him by KID's nickname.

/ No, we didn't. /

They couldn't because "Tantei-kun" was right there.

Aka hummed thoughtfully, but before he could say anything, Zam leaned closer to Shinichi and pulled out one of Shinichi's feathers with his beak.

/ Hey! / Shinichi protested, hopping a little in his surprise and indignation. / What are you doing? /

/ It was loose, / Zam informed him, dropping the stray feather. / It's not good to leave loose feathers. You never know when it'll get in the way. /

/ I can preen myself, / Shinichi declared, shuffling away when Zam tried to reach his wings again. Granted, he'd never done it before, but how hard could it be?

/ Ah! /

The screech reached them a moment before a ball of feathers dive-bombed into their midst, almost making Shinichi fall off the edge of the table in fright. The feathery missile resolved itself into yet another dove whose feathers were now sticking up every which way. It was also cackling with barely contained glee.

/ I got it! I got it! Did you see? /

/ No, I didn't, / Aka snapped, ruffling his feathers in annoyance. / I wish you'd stop scaring everyone like that! /

/ Wait till I show Master what I can do now, / the newcomer continued as though it hadn't heard him. / I am so going to be in his next show. /

/ That's Whiz, / Aka sighed, turning back to Shinichi as Zam started grooming the new bird. Shinichi was starting to think the bird was a bit obsessive about organized feathers. / He's always practicing these aerial stunts. /

By this point, all Shinichi really wanted to do was to find somewhere quiet and hide in it so he could have some time to think in peace. But as it were, he had to endure another hour or more of the doves' chattering until a soft chime that Shinichi took a moment to recognize as the clock striking the hour.

In unison, all the doves around him chorused, / Bedtime! /

As if on cue, hands picked Shinichi up and all the other doves took wing to head to wherever it was they slept.

"It's their bedtime," Kaito informed him, "but I'm assuming you don't want to stay with them tonight either."

Shinichi nodded fervently. Absolutely not. He doubted he'd actually be able to manage any sleep with those birds as company.

"Well then, in that case, I suppose you can sleep on the nightstand again."

Where he was promptly place, though he spent a good half an hour watching Kaito peruse his textbooks before actually attempting to get some rest. It was a lot like the night before and Shinichi found, slightly to his surprise, that he liked it. It was peaceful, and the sound of turning pages seemed almost soothing.

Once his injuries were healed and he could move about freely again, he decided, he would find a way to tell the magician who he was. It couldn't be that hard, right? Maybe he could get a hold of some ink and try to write out his story or something. Those other doves performed fancy tricks all the time. Telling one simple story should prove to be a piece of cake, especially seeing as he was sure he was smarter than even the smartest bird.

With that in mind, Shinichi settled down in his blanket nest for the night. Really, being a dove wasn't actually so bad.

TBC...

AN: Merry Christmas and happy New Year:)

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