Part Seven
Heiji was struggling to control his laughter as he rounded the corner and ran full tilt for the escalators that would take him up to the roof. The reason for his humming hilarity was that he had just run into (okay, okay, tripped over) Mouri Kogoro. It seemed that the Sleeping Detective had worked out that Kaitou Kid would use the opposite half of the building and would use stairs instead of elevators. A reasonable deduction, given some of the out-there ones that the man could come up with. Unfortunately, that didn't prepare him for what Kid could do. So Heiji had stumbled and fallen flat on his face, ready to spit out hellfire and damnation until he'd turned and seen Mouri Kogoro, tied up soundly... with his pants. Oh, the image almost had him laughing outright then and there, save for the fact that he would still need to be with the man for the remainder of Golden Week. Some level of compromise would be necessary to survive.
But that was behind him as he raced on, the Sleeping Detective shouting after him to make sure that Kaitou Kid paid for bruising his pride and ego. Heiji skidded to a halt in front of the escalators and took a breath. The escalators would take him to the fortieth floor where the observation deck was, and then another set of stairs would take him up to the roof's Sky Garden. No doubt Kid would be waiting there, so he pushed onward, looking up to his final destination and show down.
All that changed.
Up on the guardrail of the Sky Garden, Kaitou Kid was standing, wind whipping his cape around him. In his arms was Kudo. And then the two were falling, tumbling, rolling, sliding down the roof of the see-through escalator that Heiji was taking.
"NO! Kudooooo!"
Heiji watched as they rolled over him, back down, and there was no denying the red he could sporadically see as they tumbled by him. One of them was bleeding. How? They were fine in the phosphorescent lights of the Sky Garden...
Snipers...
Heiji moved. Not to where Kudo and Kid had fallen, but up. He surged up the escalator, raced through the observation deck, and exploded onto the Sky Garden. He didn't have his bokken, much less his sword, but Heiji didn't care. His sharp eyes analyzed everything until Heiji knew were all the snipers were, partially from what he'd been briefed on to even be part of this shindig, and all of them were in place, looking around to each other confused. That didn't matter to the Detective of the West, however. One by one he pounced on them, using all his skills as a practitioner of a martial art to take them down. It could be sorted out later who had fired the shot, but none of them were going to get away. Because if it was Them and the target was Kudo and not Kid, there was no way in hell that he was going to let any of them get away.
Heiji was a whirlwind of destruction as he took down the six potential enemies. No one shot at Kudo and got away with it. He'd already had to deal with one frightening phone call where Ran had told him that Edogawa Conan had been shot and was in the ICU of Beika General after she'd given him her own blood because he'd lost so much... He would not live through that again. There weren't many people that Heiji could really call close, mainly because there were so few who could keep up with him. And he would rather go down fighting to ensure that those he cared about were still around than sit back and do nothing. Take the initiative; be proactive. Worry about the details later. Once they were down, he cuffed each of them, having been prepared for Kaitou Kid and his propensity for escaping from everything. Each set of cuffs were then welded shut with a pocket welder. A cutter would be needed and he could do that later.
Heiji took a breath. In his two minutes of pure violence, he noticed that one of them had been using a spotlight the police had set up to try and find Kid and Kudo. Heiji ran to it, ignoring how his lungs burned with all the exertion, how his hip ached and was starting to give under all the strain he was putting on it, proving that it still wasn't up to proper strength, ignored the pounding in his chest and ears and temple as he grappled with the spotlight.
Please be alive!
No sooner had he finally found the figure in white, standing tall just above where the escalators had started, where he had been moments before (that seemed like a lifetime ago...) that the figure jumped into the night. "Hey!" Heiji shouted, worry and fear swirling around him. He moved the spotlight, trying to see if the seven-year-old-form of his best friend was anywhere.
"Heeeeeyyyy!" he shouted, racing to the edge of the guardrail, leaning over it. He had to know. Was Kudo okay? Was he with Kaitou Kid, or did he...? "Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy!" He wanted to shout out his question, Is Kudo okay? but couldn't. The panic and shock and realization that it might be Them had kept his mouth shut on anything that might reveal the big secret that must remain hidden no matter what.
But the white triangle in the distance floated away without care in the world.
"Of all th' fuckin', stupid, 'diotic, AHOUUUUUU!"
Now what; now what; now what; now what...?
Of course! Fumbling with the pin on his collar, he shouted into it, "Nee-chan? What th' hell is goin' on? Is... Is he...?"
"Hattori-kun!" her voice was just as panicked as his was. "His transponder and receiver are broken, we keep breaking up... I don't know how he is..."
"But he's alive?" Not fallen over forty floors to his death? Not shot and bleeding in some dark corner hiding from Them?
"Yes... He's with Kid-"
Thank God.
"And Hakuba-san is almost there."
Shit! Heiji didn't have time for that damn British excuse of a detective. He needed to get down to Ran and start conferring, somewhere where snoopish gaijin wouldn't overhear just who they were going to start looking for. He needed to get moving... Head down the elevator? Run down the stairs? Running would make him feel more useful than standing in an elevator, but would tire him and who knew what state Kudo was in... But Kudo was with Kid. And if that damn psychotic psychologist case was any clue, Heiji could trust the magician-thief to keep his best friend safe.
And if Heiji ran now, who knows what sort of suspicions would arise? After all, he'd just flattened six grown men for no good reason that anyone other than he, Kudo, and Kid knew. At worst, there might be blood in that niche they'd landed in above the escalator start, but blood didn't flow that quickly from a bullet wound, the diameter was too small. Blood loss from a bullet wound was more likely if the bullet wound nicked an artery and the blood couldn't get to where it needed to be, flooding other areas of the body. As such, there was no proof anywhere in immediate sight that would prove that there had been a shooting. And he wouldn't be allowed to leave after thumping the snipers unless he could prove that there had been a shot. And that was going to take time.
Heiji started swearing in earnest again, understanding why Nakamori was so inclined to it.
"Hattori-san," a voice called over the strong winds.
The Western Detective glanced to see Hakuba slowly ascend, each step careful and looking somewhat painful. He could care less. Instead, he focused on the white triangle that was lowering further and further. He needed to know where they were going to land. That way, he'd know where to start looking. It looked like they had crossed the river... Where would be ideal for a thief to land with an injured Kudo? Somewhere dark... An alley? To much danger of infection... Of course. Osaka Castle and its wide park. Plenty of trees and niches to hide in, no visitors at this time in the middle of the night, quiet to hear whoever was approaching... It was a start.
"Osaka Castle," Heiji said into the pin, before finally turning to the British detective who was crossing over to them.
"Got it," Ran replied.
Off in the distance was a faint rumble of thunder.
Hakuba limped over and Heiji blinked, looking the British detective over. Wha..?
And, despite all the worry/fear/concern/distress/panic that was swirling around Heiji, despite all that, he broke out into a grin. "Feelin' a li'l' 'crabby', Hakuba?" he asked. Because Kaitou Kid's sense of humor on the British detective seemed to know no bounds. There was no doubt in Heiji's mind what had been the test for the foreign detective. Kid had handcuffed Hakuba's hands to Hakuba's ankles, and likely no keys Hakuba had (or could even reach for that matter) would work. Leaving the blond detective to stumble along crouched like a crab, one hand/foot combo at a time. Hakuba had since found some sort of tools to break the handcuffs, but in his hurry to find them, he'd rubbed his wrists raw and his socks were clearly showing wear.
"Hattori-san, what did you do to the snipers?"
Shinichi knew how to fly. Not only had he logged countless hours in various realistic flight simulators, his father had also taken him out in the small plane they had in Hawaii, and once, a friend and fellow writer had let the elder Kudo take his son out in a helicopter as well. Shinichi had no problem with heights and actually enjoyed seeing the wide expanse of the world from up in the clouds. But at the moment? He was petrified of how high he was. Because the only think keeping him airborne was a shot Phantom Thief who was painfully trying to maneuver a hand glider. At night.
"Kid!" he shouted over the wind. "Talk to me!"
The thief didn't respond, however. Each twitch of his hand shifted the glider and even shot, Shinichi could see that Kid was manipulating the glider like a master through the strong winds. They were descending, and quickly, though Shinichi had no idea where they were. He cursed his unfamiliarity of Osaka, despite many visits. The city lights below could tell him where streets were and buildings were; he was fairly certain they'd crossed a river, but he couldn't find any defining features of where they were. The tumble down the roof of the escalator had badly disoriented him and he still wasn't entirely sure which direction they were going, making his mental map of Osaka's major landmarks useless, since he wasn't even sure what to be looking for.
A strong gust of wind blew up from under them, sending Shinichi and Kid spiraling. The truncated sleuth did everything he could to hold on. Without any safety device binding him to Kid, all he had were his tiny hands to keep him from falling who knew how many feet to an untimely death. And all this spinning was not helping his disorientation. It was probably a good thing that he'd shoved his heavier (and now malfunctioning) glasses into his pocket. He wasn't sure they'd be able to stay on his face at this rate.
Wait a second... Kid seemed to be straightening out, and Shinichi thought he saw something recognizable before Kid had turned to aim for it, blocking Shinichi's view by the white fabric of the cape that reached up to spread out over the glider frame. Balance was key for gliding like this, but Shinichi had no choice.
"Kid!" he shouted. "I'm going to lean out to see where we're going!"
Whether or not Kid heard him was questionable, as the magician seemed to be concentrating entirely on flying. With a sigh lost in the wind, Shinichi cautiously sat up, reaching out for the frame of the glider. With slow and deliberate care, he leaned out to the right, trying to only go far enough to see where they were going. With the shifting of weight, they started to bank, but Shinichi had seen what he needed and was hunkering back down as Kid adjusted for the changes.
Osaka Castle... That meant they were heading southeast. It gave Shinichi the basics of where they could end up and he could contact Ran once he was out of the wind. Assuming that they didn't fly too far out of range and that his damn glasses would start sending and receiving properly... But he could worry about that once he had both feet flat on the ground. Preferably soon.
Though, given their rate of descent, that seemed highly likely... Though with or without a crash would be questionable.
Shinichi felt a ragged cough under him and then heard Kid curse as the wind started to send them out over the water again.
He's blacking out!
Without thinking, Shinichi reached up to the framing of the glider again and started leaning his weight, calculating and adjusting to try and aim for the Castle grounds. They were sinking faster and faster over what looked like a baseball field and Shinichi called up a mental map of the park. If he could just aim a smidgen more south they'd be in the trees where there was more cover. Leaning right, then quickly left to recenter them, Shinichi finally leaned forward, aiming for a descent that would take them hopefully below the branches of the trees but above the bushes and shrubbery below. Beneath him, Kid seemed to understand what was going on and lowered his legs, skidding down a path before veering into the undergrowth.
...
It was hardly a graceful landing, but Shinichi hadn't been thrown too far and they were hidden under the leaves, bushes and trees. The shrubs seemed to be taller than Shinichi was at the moment, but he didn't risk anything as he crawled over to Kuroba, who was lying on his side, a hand pressing at the wound and breathing heavily.
Leaning down, Shinichi looked over the teenage magican, trying to assess the damage. The good news was that he could see an entry and exit wound. No need for an operation, so that meant no hospitals. Now how to get Kuroba out of here and hidden.
"-nich-!" a muffled sound came from his pocket.
His hand dived in, pulling out his glasses as he put them back on again. "Ran!" he hissed. "Can you hear me?"
"Bar-ly! Wh-r- -re yo-?" There was no denying the sheer worry in her voice, garbled as it was.
"Osaka Castle," he replied carefully and slowly, hoping to get through the damage that the horrible tumble had done to his frames. "The Forest Park in the Castle, I think."
"Fo-st P-rk. A-e -ou oka-?"
"I am," he replied. "Kur..." He sighed. He'd wanted to talk to Kuroba, but it seemed the decision was made for him. Shinichi's instinct was to hide and protect the Phantom Thief, not turn him in. "Kid was shot. I see an entry and exit. I'll bandage what I can, but we need somewhere safe."
"-'m on i-. Be ca-ful, Sh-i-i."
"I'll contact you in ten minutes."
Shinichi sat back, taking a moment to breath. His hands were killing him after the death grip he'd had on Kuroba's suit, to say nothing of the pulled muscles in his arms and the various bumps and bruises that had occurred in their rough landing. Deep breathe. Review what he knew about emergency treatments.
"Kuroba?" he whispered over the heavy breathing. "Are you still with me?"
A small nod. Good. Kuroba was still conscious and aware. That would make life a hell of a lot easier.
"I need to bandage you somehow. Is there anything I need to know about your suit? Is it booby trapped?" Because Shinichi wouldn't put that beyond him. The teenage magician was still thought of as the original Kaitou Kid, and there was a good reason for that. Beyond imitation, nobody could ever get close to Kid without there being some sort of distraction almost immediately on hand. There had to be all sorts of hidden pockets and places to hide things. And some of the gizmos that the thief used could be dangerous since they were explosive.
"Kid," was a quiet weakened reply. "I am Kaitou Kid."
Well, Shinichi supposed he could grant that. After all, while he was stuck in his current dilemma, he was Edogawa Conan. It was only fair.
"Kid, can I pull off your jacket without ten colors of smoke engulfing me?"
"Ha!" Kid let out a chuckle. "Don't make me laugh, it hurts too much." A deep breath. "Give me a minute."
Ran was biting her lip as she shifted through all the feeds coming into her laptop. She had just spoken with Shinichi, finally. After those chaotic moments when she'd heard shots and watched on the security camera feed as both thief and detective had tumbled down the ceiling of the escalator before the Moonlight Magician had jumped, with Shinichi on his back, riding the strengthening winds away from the heist gone haywire.
He's fine; he said he was fine. The bullet didn't hit him; it hit Kaitou Kid... She kept repeating the mantra, hoping that she could believe it. She probably wouldn't at this rate until she held little Conan in her arms and didn't let go. They'd both talked about the possibility of situations like this occurring on cases, of something going wrong and what to do and how to handle it. But somehow, that didn't quite prepare you for when something like this really did happen.
Shinichi...
The window she was focusing on had Hattori and Hakuba on the roof and Ran suddenly realized that Hattori didn't know that Shinichi was fine. Blinking, she looked at the detective badge in her hand that she had been using to stay in contact with the Osakan detective. It wouldn't do if Hakuba knew about the badges, that didn't feel right, so how to let him know?
Ran, you dummy, she reprimanded herself before pulling out her cell phone. She composed a simple text, "Forest Park, Osaka Castle, Fine" and sent it. In the security feed she watched Hattori stiffen, reaching into his pocket for his phone, and then relax.
That taken care of, she looked through other windows of security, trying to assess what was going on. Hakuba had used a radio to call down to the chaos that was Inspector Nakamori and the Task Force and they were detangling themselves to try and hurry up and see what was going on. Her own father was struggling to untie his own pants, and the police stationed outside the building were milling around for orders, having seen Kaitou Kid glide off into the distance.
What could she do; what could she do? She was just communications, she didn't have any real power. She was in the parking lot in the car her father had driven them in. We need somewhere safe. Shinichi had said that. That meant that Shinichi was going to try and help Kaitou Kid without any official involvement. But how could she arrange that? Where would be a safe place to treat a gunshot wound that wouldn't ask questions? Somewhere that Kazuha wouldn't notice if they disappeared to...
Well questions would be asked. There was no denying that. But this was Kaitou Kid. Maybe if they switched, then at least the types of questions would be different... Shinichi wasn't going to like it, but Ran wasn't sure what else to do.
She went online and started researching gunshot wounds and how to treat them. If this worked out the way she wanted to, she was going to need the knowledge.
"Ra-, ar- y-u th-re?"
"Shinichi!" She breathed out another sigh of relief. Another deep breath and she spoke slowly and calmly, trying to get through the static that was interfering. "I'm here and I have an idea."
"Go-d. Kid'- stil- awa-, but -e nee-s m-re th-n wha- I c-n do her-."
"Can he do a disguise?"
She heard him repeat the question. "Ye-."
"I have an idea. We're going to do it like this."
Please, let this work.
Shinichi didn't like the idea in the slightest. She could hear it in his flat voice and incredulous tone, but he didn't offer any rebuttals or alternatives. They didn't have time for debate and he knew it. It took time to work out the details, especially given the garbled messages they were giving back and forth. But it was workable. Any contingencies they needed to plan for would have to be done later, once Kaitou Kid was safe.
"Ra-, I..."
She shook her head, a small smile coming to her face. "Not now, Shinichi. I'll be waiting for you."
"- l-v- y-."
"Me too."
Leave it to Shinichi. He knew he owed her an explanation of things, and now with everything muddled and confused, he was still trying to give her what she wanted to know. He was really trying to make this work, despite his condition, and she couldn't help but love him even more than she ever had before. Their situation was hard, complicated, and more harrowing than any couple had a right to experience. His new size would be enough to trip them up but the added fear and worry about a Black Organization just made things even more... sharp. There might never be an opportunity to redo something. And she was only just starting to see how much that could weigh on things. Shinichi had told her. But with this, it was far more real.
She saw one of the snipers take aim. She knew that Hattori had taken him down when he'd gone samurai on everyone in the Sky Garden. But she didn't know if it was because of orders from the jewel owner, or if it was someone after Kaitou Kid, or if it was Them. And that was truly a scary thought. She hadn't really realized just how big a shadow that They were. She was somewhat aware of it, the way Conan would sometimes stiffen and pointedly keep an eye on certain people who wore nothing but black. But this...
It was an eye opener.
And Shinichi has been under this weight for how long all by himself? Only he wasn't by himself. He'd had Haibara, who understood. But the not-girl was very closed off. Even now, Ran wanted desperately to talk about all this to Shinichi. But she couldn't. Not right now. Her feelings, his feelings, they were all going to be put on hold until they could give Kaitou Kid the medical help he needed.
Deep breathe.
Ran stepped out of her father's car. She sent a text to her father that she was heading back and sent another text to Hattori. "Pick up as soon as you can." Now she had to get a cab and make a call and do some very, very fast talking.
Hakuba looked around, keen eyes not liking what he was seeing. The brash Osakan was currently sitting on a bench, favoring a leg and glaring at the snipers that had been handcuffed together in a heap in front of him. From the various bumps and bruises they were all sprouting, Hakuba knew who exactly had cuffed them all together, and it certainly wasn't Kaitou Kid. This had been a violent exercise and Kid was non-violent to the point of practically putting himself in danger to help someone else. However, Hattori did seem the type to be able to do this, especially given his training in kendo and the reputation he had when he did carry a sword or bokken. Hakuba had heard, once, that a murderer had seen Hattori arrive for the case and had his bokken in hand and said murderer had given up right away. No one confronted the young kendo star when he was so armed unless they were stupid or ready to take the beating they were setting themselves up for.
But despite his hotheaded temperament, Hakuba did know that Hattori preferred using his brain. The Detective of the West would only fight if provoked, and one needed to do some serious provoking to do so. Hattori was more likely to yell and get in your face than throw a punch.
So something drastic had happened to get the dark-skinned teenager to take down all six snipers and in fast order, it seemed. And that drastic thing, as Hattori had clearly stated, was one of the snipers shooting at Kaitou Kid.
Hakuba had already called it down to Nakamori thanks to the radio he'd been provided. His response had been a long line of swears, curses, and cusses that almost made Hakuba blush. Really, does that man not know polite language at all?
Sighing, he stepped forward and examined the snipers once more, noting that the handcuffs were welded shut. So the Osakan had been ready for Kaitou Kid and his skill with locks. Prudent. If at the moment bothersome. They were going to have to get cutters to remove the cuffs.
There was a grunt and Hakuba looked up to see Hattori ease up before coming forward to examine the snipers as well. "You say one of these men shot at Kid?"
"I don' say, I tell," Hattori growled, grabbing each man's hands and lifting them up for inspection. "If y're worth anythin' as a detective, see if you can tell who decided it wuz a bright idea ta shoot with a child 'n the scene."
"A child?" Hakuba's eyes widened. What on earth was a child doing on the Sky Garden during a heist?
"Yep. Ya've met him. Conan-kun."
Oh, of course. Hakuba scowled. Really, Mouri let that child have too much freedom. As much as the child had potential as a detective in the future, with proper guidance, giving a child free reign at a crime scene such as this was just plain foolhardy.
"Don' you go turnin' up yer nose at him just 'cause he's a kid."
Another rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.
"I believe we have about an hour before that storm comes in," Hakuba stated. As much as he didn't like the western detective, he wasn't one to go picking a fight unless the Osakan was being particularly obtuse.
"Well ain't that jus' peachy," Hattori grimaced under the wind. "We'll have ta get these bozos downstairs before th' wind gets much worse."
Hakuba gave his peer a flat stare. "Perhaps if they were conscious?"
Hattori offered him a finger.
Strange. Despite how the two of them stepped on each other's toes and bristled in each other's company (not that Hakuba would ever admit that. British pride and all that...) Hakuba had always known Hattori to be more-or-less level headed during an investigation. Impulsive, certainly. Reckless, by far. Brash even. But there was always calm logic behind whatever he did. And Hakuba knew that Hattori had seen and been swept in many a violent crime, including a propensity to have bodies literally drop from the sky in front of him. So why was he being so emotional about the possibility of Kid being shot? And there was no mistake that Hattori was acting emotionally.
Hakuba didn't comment, however, and started inspecting hands as well, looking for traces of gunpowder along the gloves.
Another rumble of thunder and Hakuba could hear something over the increasing wind around them. Specifically the loud curses and epitaphs of Inspector Nakamori as he and Task Force members burst onto the roof.
"Which one?" he demanded. "Which one of these sons of bitches decided it was a fucking brilliant idea to take aim with their shit guns and shoot?"
"'m tryin' ta find out!" Hattori yelled back over the wind.
"Inspector, might I recommend we get them down to the observation deck?" Hakuba loudly said over the wind. "It will be easier to examine and investigate that way."
Nakamori made a motion and men swarmed around the unconscious snipers, dragging the heap of them down the stairs, though not exactly gently...
Down in the observation deck, out of the wind, communication came more easily as lights were turned on and crime scene investigators of the Task Force started collecting samples. Hattori was still looking at the gloves and hands of the snipers with intense concentration.
"Ah!" Hattori exclaimed. He pulled out a bottle of water and splashed it onto the face of the sniper whose hands he'd been examining.
The man sputtered and coughed, blinking and looking around.
"What th' hell d' ya think you were doin', ya jackass?" Hattori growled, getting into the sniper's face.
Nakamori focused in on the shooter and came up behind, looming over Hattori with his pipe clenched in his teeth. Hakuba felt it better to stay in the background and listen and take notes. He'd share his deductions when he was ready, not before.
"What?" the sniper growled. "I was ordered to shoot and I did so."
The pipe snapped. "You dumbass, there was a child up there! And Kaitou Kid is non-violent! You guys were supposed to be there for show! You #*+%!"
"Hey, I had a clean shot for his shoulder before he decided to jump up onto the rail. I don't even know if I hit him."
Hattori reached forward, grabbed the sniper by his shirt and yanked him forward. "It don' matter if ya did shoot him," he growled. "I saw him and th' kid rollin' down th' roof o' th' escalator." The sniper's face paled. "Ya'd better hope th' kid's not hurt."
"I swear! I got the order to shoot! Orders weren't to fire unless ordered and I got the order!"
Other snipers were starting to wake up. "Inspector," Hakuba interjected, getting two fuming glares sent his way. "I would recommend continuing this at the station. Separating the snipers and interrogating them one at a time so that they can't straighten out stories." Thunder rumbled, much closer this time.
Nakamori clapped his hands together, rubbing them with a gleeful look in his eyes. "Hattori-kun? Can you call ahead and see if you can get some of your Osakan friends to give us some room?"
There was a gleam in Hattori's eye that Hakuba didn't like. "Sure thing, but after that, 'm headin' out. Kid'll probably drop th' kid off 't home 'r a hospital. I wanna check out 'n' make sure he's okay."
Nakamori nodded, putting a hand on the Osakan's shoulder. "I understand, son. And could you take that idiot Mouri with you?"
Hattori grinned, though there was little humor in it. "'f I can find 'm. He'll drive back otherwise."
Something wasn't right. Hakuba stepped forward. "Might I accompany you? If that boy is with Kaitou Kid, I'd like to question him on where Kid might have gone afterwards."
Hattori turned. "No way 'n hell." And stalked away.
"Now wait a minute," Hakuba protested, hurrying to keep up. "You'll be looking after the boy, and I can go looking for Kid. We won't be in each other's way-"
"No," Hattori said more firmly. "Ya'll just bully th' kid ta get yer answers. Y're too obsessed with catchin' Kid that you forget what's goin' on 'round ya. I know how to talk ta that kid. You don't. So buzz off 'n' go chasin' top hats. I'll actually be helpin' someone in need."
Hakuba came up short. He was focused on capturing Kaitou Kid and unmasking him as Kuroba Kaito certainly, but he didn't ignore the world around him.
... Did he?
Kaito looked into the mirror that Kudo had held up for him. He shook his head. "Still not right," he mumbled.
"Dammit, Kid, how picky do you have to be?"
"Extremely. 's the only way I've survived..."
Kudo looked away.
Kaito blinked, holding his monocle a little closer. When Kudo had informed him of this absolutely crazy idea of how to save his caped behind, he'd initially thought it was just a farce. Some strange joke that was going to get him into a set of handcuffs. But looking at the shrunken sleuth now, Kaito was wondering if Lady Luck was stretching out her hand in this tiny form.
If you are, I need to have a serious talk with you. Kudo is not one of your agents; bodies drop too much around him.
Letting out a soft sigh, Kaito quietly said, "Brush the hair again."
"You know," the not-child replied. "Given how windy it is, I don't think anyone would notice how mussed up your hair is."
"I'll know." A cough. "I have to look in the mirror and not see anything of myself to know I've done it right." Of course a large part of that was thinking like the person he was becoming, and Kaito's thoughts were rather hard to corral at the moment. Even now, he was thinking more like Kaito than Kaitou, and that was dangerous. If he couldn't even keep himself straight, how was he going to be someone else?
As it was, Kaito had shed his cape, hat, jacket, shoes and socks. He probably could have gone for some of his changes of clothes that he had, but he wasn't in any condition at the moment to really change. Most of his materials and things that couldn't be found on him once he went through with this bizarre plan had been stuffed into his hat, something that could at least be hidden somewhere without being noticed, he hoped.
And this plan was bizarre. So bizarre, it sounded like one of his hair-brained ideas. Which meant it would probably work. But there was going to be a cost.
"Tantei-kun, you sure about this?" he asked as the bristles of the comb scratched at his scalp again.
"Yes."
And there was conviction in that voice.
"Why?"
"Excuse me?"
Kaito coughed again. "You're about to aide and abed a highly wanted thief. You'll be going against your friends. Against your 'only one truth'. Just to help me. Why?"
That question had been burning in him. Kudo was an idealist to the extreme. He lived, breathed, and ate the whole "There is only one truth" philosophy of his. He fought for justice and truth and uncovering lies. Even now, in his mini-form, he continued with the whole pursuit of truth. Oh, Kaito knew that Kudo had lied about who he was; that of all the people that Kaito knew, Kudo would probably be the only one who might possibly understand what he was doing. But that didn't change the fact that Kudo was a detective, pint-sized or not. His instinct should be to turn him in. But from what Kaito could see, there was no hesitation. No reluctance whatsoever in doing whatever it took to hide him, treat him, and keep him safe.
And in doing so, this was going to cost Kudo. Kaito was certain of that. He knew what was going to happen when he appeared at the hidey-hole that Kudo was having prepared. He understood very well the repercussions that would most likely result, even if he didn't know the details. Granted, it would all depend on Kaito's acting skills, but that wasn't going to be a problem, though it certainly would be a test of his endurance. But he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted his minimized favorite follower to pay such a heavy cost. It didn't feel right, but he could think of no alternative.
Kudo sat back with a long sigh, rubbing at his eyes. Thankfully the walls of Osaka Castle blocked out the worst of the wind, but Kaito had to strain his ears to hear what Kudo said so quietly. "Because... because... it's the right thing to do."
Kaito blinked, not certain he'd heard that right at all. This was the right thing to do? For Kaito himself, it certainly was. He was going to be hidden, treated, and then he could slip away once he got his strength back. But for Kudo? A detective to willingly break the law? And this could hardly fall under the rationalization of Witness Protection like Kudo's case could be.
"And people think I have a warped mind," Kaito mumbled.
Kudo snorted and went back to brushing Kaito's mop of hair.
The rumbling thunder was closer and as Kudo brushed, Kaito reached into his hat, digging through what was there and pulled out a spare set of socks, a set that didn't match his shirt color. All the more in keeping with his disguise, rushed as it was. Of course, trying to put them on hurt. That damn bullet hole felt more like a broken rib and moving his arms at all moved the muscles along his side that just made it... Owwww. Kudo hurried to help him, which Kaito was grateful for.
Both paused however, before Kudo went back to brushing his hair.
"Barometric pressure's dropping," the small detective growled as Kaito pulled out a familiar black cloak that he'd once used to hide the two of them before, at an old shrine to hide from a psychotic psychologist.
With a hiss, rain started to fall. "Luck, you're not being much of a lady tonight," Kaito grumbled.
"Indeed," Kudo agreed, turning on his watch flashlight back to Kaito's unruly hair. The trees and cloak did a good job of keeping most of the rain off them, only particularly fat drops falling through as the thunder rumbled ever nearer. "Dammit, it's almost past two in the morning. Where are you, Hattori?" The truncated detective pushed his glasses up again.
"If he's smart, he's taking his time evading Hakuba," Kaito replied.
Kudo didn't respond, still brushing his hair.
"Kuroba..."
"I am Kaitou Kid."
"Kid. Ran and I will come up with a cover story to keep Occhan distracted, but you're probably going to have to call Aoko-san so that she doesn't get suspicious."
Kaito grimaced, his poker face having long since been discarded under these highly bizarre circumstances. That's right... Aoko... She'll be worried if she doesn't hear from me... And Kudo's ready usage of his real name was not helping Kaito stay focused. Kudo wasn't Hakuba. (Thank you, Lady Luck. Thank you, Tsukiyomi-sama.) Hakuba had a basic suspicion of his identity but absolutely no proof. Once proof was obtained, there was no doubting what the outcome would be, so Kaito stayed three steps ahead of him. Kudo, if that little performance on the roof was any indication, knew who he was beyond a shadow of a doubt, and had proof enough to back up his claims. But Kudo wasn't doing anything about it. He'd even said up at the Sky Garden that he'd just wanted to talk.
Damn little teenage toddler loves changing the rules on me... But he wasn't going to admit to anything now. Not until he had his head on straight and could figure out what the hell to do.
Kudo held the mirror in front of him again and Kaito took a deep breath, reaching for the character he was going to portray.
"It'll do."
Nodding, the small not-boy settled down, shaking out his hands. "Now we wait for Hattori."
Kaito shook his head. "You really think this will work?"
"It sounds like something you would do. So it should turn out just fine."
He chuckled in response.
They sat together in silence, miserable in the rain and growing thunder. Neither spoke as Kaito got more and more exhausted. Kudo had done wonders on doing a makeshift bandage and compress and, based on his rate of blood loss, no major arteries had been hit. But he was bleeding, in the rain, and had been awake for a long time.
"Kudo!" a voice flittered in the wind.
"Wait here," the small detective said before lifting the cloak and dashing off into the darkness.
That was fine for Kaito. He was getting really sleepy. Maybe he could rest his eyes for a few minutes...
Author's Notes: Well, well, well. That should explain part of the What The Hell Happened. Hakuba, as always, remains elusive, the bastard. But writing Hattori's panic sure was fun. ^_^ Whirlwind of destruction indeed! Who can blame him for getting all protective of Shinichi, after all, the guy's stuck in the form of a child. That leaves him more vulnerable than he would be as an adult. The idea of Hattori going samurai on everyone was just immensely amusing, especially since that wasn't in our initial draft. He just kinda told us while we were writing.
Shinichi, as always, flows easily and his instinct on protecting Kaito is confusing him as much as it is Kaito. The two of them really need to sit down and talk, ne? Too bad things just keep getting in the way.
Mah, not much to really say in this chapter. Reactions and getting from point A to point B.
Oh. Yes, there is a baseball field in Osaka Castle Park. Don't ask us.