Before we get started, I'd like to talk to you about the previous chapter. You know, the one with the fangirls. I GOT 'CHA DIDN'T I? FOOLED YOU ALL! HAHAHA! -is hit by soccer ball- OW! Fine, be that way. Anyway, a few of you seem to be taking Heiji's sacrifice a bit hard. So I have good news. HEIJI SURVIVED! -pulls out horribly bruised and slightly twitchy Heiji-
Heiji: I'm never gonna forgive ya for that.
Me: But the fans loved it! Didn't you, guys? ...Uh, guys? Back me up here. -backs away slowly-
Heiji: DAMMIT, YER DEAD! -beats me with katana-
Me: HOLY -censored- WHERE THE -censored- DID YOU EVEN GET THAT THING?!
Heiji: -after beating me to a bloody pulp- I'll never tell. ;)
Kazuha: Don't wink at them, aho! Ya look like a creeper!
-cough- A-anyway. The following story is a bit on the angsty side. Not too much, though. Also, Conan's gonna be a bit OOC here.
The thrill of the chase. It was a rush of adrenaline that was absolutely addicting, like some kind of drug. He never got tired of it, finding his target and chasing him down. And best of all, it worked both ways. Both the pursuer and the pursued were firmly hooked on their game of Cat-and-Mouse, and it was never certain just who was the cat and who was the mouse. Neither of them had the upper hand. While the 'Mouse' (though sometimes he was the cat) was armed with impossible tricks, the 'Cat' (though sometimes he was the mouse) was armed with the knowledge to foil them. And thus they were always grappling with one another, both desperately seeking for the one advantage they'd never find.
Such was the relationship between KID and his Tantei-kun.
And so KID knew something was horribly, horribly wrong when he found Conan on the roof, sitting perilously on the very edge, with his legs dangling over the side. He swung them carelessly through the air, not seeming to care that one moment of unbalance could send him tumbling to the ground below, where he'd inevitably meet his death. If anything, the little detective seemed curious. Curious to see just how much he could gamble with his life. Curious to see if just a few minutes of carelessness could end his life. Was he really invincible? Was it fate that allowed him to survive that life-changing drug, or was it luck? And if it was fate, was he destined to tumble over the edge? If it was luck, would he run out of it that night?
Somehow, though KID could not see the detective's face, he just knew those were the thoughts running through Conan's head. Carefully, so as not to startle him, he made his way over to the little detective and sat down beside him. Conan didn't even bat an eye. The two of them sat in silence for several minutes, not looking at each other, not saying a single word. They simply breathed and stared out at the brightened city below.
Then, "So I assume the Taskforce has been detained?"
KID smirked, though his heart wasn't in it. "You'd be surprised what a bit of glue, an umbrella, and some feathers can do."
"...I really don't want to know, do I?"
"No, no you don't." The thief's voice was smug. Then it dropped into a more gentle tone. "So what are you thinking about?"
"I was considering jumping off the roof," Conan said nonchalantly. Then he glanced at his companion. "And no, I don't have a glider or anything to stop me from plummeting to my death."
KID blanched, then glared furiously at him. "If you jump, I am going to save your sorry ass and then give it a good spanking."
Conan twitched. "And that's exactly why I want to jump," he hissed. The detective was seething with anger. "Everyone treats me like a little kid- even you! Every day it's 'Conan-kun!' Every day I go to a damn elementary school and hang around with a bunch of first graders! Every time I speak, people look at me like I'm speaking gibberish. Cause I'm just a kid, right?! I'm just a freakin idiotic seven year old!" He spat. His hands curled into fists, so tight that KID was sure his nails would break the skin. Concerned, the thief placed a placating hand on his shoulder. The detective's body shook under his hand, but eventually Conan took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.
"Much better," KID said with a satisfied nod. "No tell me, calmly, just what's bothering you."
Conan gave him a withering glance. "What are you, some kind of therapist?"
The thief chuckled. "Not quite. Though Hakuba tells me my heists give off a therapeutic effect."
"And by 'therapeutic' you mean they make him want to run in front of a bus, right?" Conan said dryly.
The thief somehow snapped his fingers through his gloves. "Bingo!" He said cheerily. "Though you forgot about the splitting migraine he gets beforehand."
The two of them snickered, enjoying a rare relaxed moment between thief and detective. For a few moments, Conan felt like... well, like himself. Like Kudo Shinichi. It wasn't like those brief moments in the phone booths when he was talking with Ran, or the serious discussions with Hattori during a case. This was like being in high school again. Just chatting with a friend without any worries, free of guilt or anger or fear.
For the first time in a while, he truly felt at peace.
But, as all good things do, their laughter came to an end. His brightened eyes slipped into their mournful lackluster once again. He turned his dreary gaze to the city lights below, wondering how they'd appear if he did slip off.
The hand on his shoulder tightened, as though warning him. Stop thinking like that. Now. Was what it said. But Conan couldn't. Once this was over, he'd have to revert from Shinichi Kudo to Conan Edogawa once again. He'd be forced into using that annoyingly high pitched and cheery voice, adding Nee-chan to Ran's name and being treated like the child he appeared to be.
"You know..." KID began thoughtfully. Conan dully looked at him. The thief met his eyes and grinned. "You're not the only one with a hidden identity. Obviously, I need to keep this a secret." He gestured to himself. "It just so happens that my best friend hates Kaitou KID."
Conan lifted a brow. "Is this friend of yours your childhood friend and the girl you love?" He asked with obvious sarcasm.
"Yup!" KID answered. Conan stared. "Weird coincidence, isn't it? We have similar faces, the same age, have secret identities, we even have the same TV-drama love story." He giggled in a very un-KID-like way, resembling more of a mischievous boy than a gentleman thief.
The detective only blinked at him. "Strange," he said. "If you weren't a thief or I weren't a detective..."
"We could probably be best friends, right?" KID grinned and ruffled his hair. Though Conan swatted at his hand, he didn't really mind. It was more of a brotherly gesture than a mocking one. "On the other hand, if we weren't who we are, we wouldn't even be having this chat, would we? It's possible that we would go on with our entire lives and never even see the others face. Anyway, back to the main topic. Um, where was I?" He scratched at his ear a bit awkwardly.
"You were giving me advice on how to get over my suicidal thoughts," Conan answered, his tone a bit lighter than before.
"Oh, right! Yeah." He coughed into his fist. "Anyway, my friend hates Kaitou KID. But the thing is, I can't let that bother me. All I need to know is that I am KID for a reason, and a damn good one at that." Conan gave him a curious look. "Though I'm not telling you. Not unless you tell me why Kudo Shinichi is now a seven year old."
"Not gonna happen," Conan assured him.
KID grinned. "Thought so. In any case, I need to remember that until I do my job, I simply have to deal with it. Someday it'll be over, and when that day comes, I'll finally be able to confess." Suddenly he got a weird expression. "You know, why do they call it a confession? It's like admitting to your love is some kind of deep, dark secret that will put you in jail for life."
Conan looked equally bemused. "...I've never thought of that before." Then he blinked and shook his head. "Not the point!"
A sheepish grin crossed the phantom thief's face. "Whoops." Then he cocked his head to the side. "Seems like Nakamori-chan is coming. In three, two..."
"Wait, how do you know-?"
"One!"
The door to the roof burst open and Aoko Nakamori marched onto the roof. "KID!" She shouted. "I knew I'd find you here!"
The thief sighed. "Excuse me, Tantei-kun and I are talking about our feelings."
"And by that you mean you're corrupting an innocent child?" Aoko snapped.
"On the contrary," Conan cut in. "He just stopped me from committing suicide."
Aoko blinked and stared. "You... were going to commit suicide?"
"Is that a problem?" The boy asked.
"Anyway, Nakamori-chan, could you go now? We're still in the middle of talking about our problems, and it's his turn to get rid of my suicidal thoughts." KID added with a slightly annoyed tone.
She continued staring. "KID has suicidal thoughts?"
The thief nodded. "Don't you?" He asked, as though it were perfectly normal. Slowly, Aoko shook her head. KID frowned. "Well maybe I'm just crazy then."
"You are crazy," Conan smirked.
"Says the one who nearly jumped off the roof."
"Touche."
Slowly, Aoko backed away. "...I'm going to get my dad," was all she said before disappearing back down the stairs.
"I suggest you use pliers!" KID called after her with a snicker. Conan found himself grinning.
"Well, you better go before the police get here," He said, a bit startled at his own words. So he was just letting the thief go...? Strange.
KID didn't question it. "Suppose so." He got to his feet, then helped Conan to his. The thief looked out at the sky, it was decent weather for flying. "Before I do though, promise me two things."
"They are...?"
"Come to my heists more often. Unlike Hakuba, they actually do work as therapy for you. Also, don't die." He grinned.
"Thanks for that wonderful advice," Conan scoffed with a roll of his eyes.
"No problem," KID smirked. "Until next time, Meitantei-kun." With that, he leaped off the roof and his hang glider sprang up. Conan watched with some amusement as he soared away.
"...Meitantei-kun, eh?"
Chapter three is finished! So this is some Conan/KID bonding. Not quite as angsty as I originally thought it would be. I guess I'm not really cut out for that kind of thing. ;) You know, unless I'm actually feeling depressed. So review now before Heiji comes back with his katana. -shudders-