Hello sweet readers, I apologize for my tardiness, however I have just cause for it. I got the honour of writing the 'Halloween special' for SeleneMoon's series 'The Trouble with Soulmarks' on AO3. Furthermore, I ended up doing some last-minute changes to this whole chapter (every time I thought I was done I went 'nope'). I was never really happy about the development in this chapter, and decided to take two days (three days?) extra to make it just right. I've added…. Almost 3000 words to the original chapter, and another 2000 on the next chapter. That's the reason for the long chapter as I couldn't bother cutting it down (lucky you?), of course, if anyone have any issues with how long each chapter is, I can cut them down?

Unfortunately, due to my hurry to keep my promise of updating each week, parts of this chapter has not been edited by a third party as it was added after I got it back. Any writing mistakes are mine and mine alone and Addy01 is doing a tremendous job helping me out (and getting snippets of things I sent her in a 'does this suck?' mood). Thank you so much for bearing with me!

It seems I struck a nerve in some of you in the last chapter, please read the warnings next time, and I apologize for any discomforts.

Warnings for: erh… I don't know, mention of mature suggestive content? Awkwardness?

Wordcount: ca. 10,400
Published: 01.11.16

Please enjoy!

...

"Fools, " said I, "you do not know

Silence, like a cancer, grows.

Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you."

But my words like silent raindrops fell

And echoed in the wells of silence

Disturbed

…

Chapter 4: Echoed

...

"Shinichi."

He looked the other way as Ran quickly made her way towards him. He clenched his teeth, not wanting to deal with her at this very moment. He should not have been surprised that she had been camping out in the hospital since he had refused to take any visitors. He needed some time for himself to swallow the bitter frustration that lingered on his tongue.

He was getting discharged today, and was now sitting siting in a wheelchair, being pushed by a confused nurse who was wheeling him to the exit where a cab was waiting for him.

Ran stepped in front of them, and the nurse barely managed to stop in time before crashing into the enraged woman – who was frustrated and angry at being turned away time after time these past few days. Large, dark bags circled her eyes, and her lips was thin with worry. Tired lines had etched itself into her forehead as she reached out her palm to grasp the handle in order to stop them from moving again.

Shinichi turned to gaze at her with a blank expression. "What do you want?"

"To talk, you idiot." Her voice turned softer as the anger drained out of her. "We are all really sorry. Please, just listen –"

"You jumped to conclusions without considering all the facts," came his hollow reply, barely managing to keep from grimacing only by a low margin. "I don't have anything else to say to you." He did not want to face her just yet –

She leaned forward to take hold of his hand, but he moved it before she could touch him. Tears started to prickle in her eyes, and he could see the pain he was inflicting on her, just by not letting her explain.

He felt bad for causing her so much pain yet again, however his chest was still beating with anger and disappointment. That she had even considered for a moment that he would take the cowards way out. They clearly did not know each other as well as he had thought they did. The prospect hurt more than the poison had – Ran had always, always been his safe-haven.

"What else was I supposed to think?" Ran blurted out, pain laced her voice and the tears that had previously threatened to fall was now dripping freely down her cheeks. "You have been so distant lately. Ever since –" she hiccupped and gestured her hand in the air as she struggled to articulate her words. "You ran after Gin and Vodka at Tropical Land. Why would you not be wretched and in pain and suffering from PTSD you miserable sod –"

Shinichi dropped his gaze, she had a point. It was a logical assumption – that anyone in his predicament would be suffering from depression and what-not. He had been through so much – they all had been. In the end, they had prevailed against all odds, and in the aftermath they all been irreversibly damaged. Not one of them could ever go back to being the person they used to be, and Shinichi had been grasping at straws trying to come up with another purpose in his life. Back then, when he was still Edogawa Conan, being Shinichi again was a distance dream. He had hoped that everything would right itself, once he managed to bring down the organisation that destroyed his life and returned to his original body.

It had not been the case; the world was still grey and filled with people stabbing each other in the back for the smallest of reasons. And this time, Ran was forever out of his grasp. Of course, he had been feeling depressed, constantly plagued with nightmares in the middle of the night and the throbbing of his damaged limb kept him from sleeping soundly. And then there was the clear fact that the mocking and cynical personality he had chosen to adopt in order to deal with this new reality, was a clear psychological sign of a depressed and tormented individual – and Ran now currently studying to become a doctor, was entirely too clever and perceptive to not take notice.

However he could never, ever, even consider suicide. It had never been a feasible option for him. The fact that someone had thought he was capable of it? It stung, badly. Worse so that Ran had believed it for a few moments. She knew him better than everyone. He swallowed down the tears prickling in his eyes.

"I made a promise Ran," his voice came out low and dejected as he finally spoke and he looked up to gaze into her eyes. "I know you don't love me more than a friend, but I made a promise – to never leave your side again. And I don't break my promises."

Surprise and shock flashed across her face, and suddenly she moved forward to embrace him, pressing her face into his shoulder as she sobbed.

Shinichi could do nothing more than hug her back, his heart fluttering treacherous against his chest with pain. His anger towards her started to drain and he clung onto her just as desperately as she did to him.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she mumbled into his chest, and somehow he could no longer feel the anger that had plagued him for the last week and a half. He was tired of being angry, did not want to push her away. She was the most precious and pure person in his life – without her he would be utterly lost. He would always forgive Ran – no matter what happened, she would always hold a place in the better half of his heart.

But he was not ready to forgive and forget so suddenly. The cracks in his heart was more visible than ever and he could not stop the coldness spreading across his chest, as well as with the feeling of being alone even amongst his closest friends.

…

The table was filled with manila folders and papers spread across the surface in an organized mess. From his corner, Hattori Heiji was starting to look a little glazy-eyed after hours of getting nowhere in their research. Following the paper-trails left behind by the pharmacist was a necessary but a tedious job, and his attention had started to wander as it approached dinner time, and then, passed the hour. He thrummed his fingertips against the wooden surface as he dropped yet another sheet of paper in the 'useless' pile that was stacking ever so higher by his left elbow.

"Do you mind?" Shinichi mumbled from across the table, his concentration broke, disturbed by the constant sighing from the Osakan detective. Heiji had practically moved in since Shinichi had been discharged from the hospital to join in on the hunt for the woman who had tried to murder Shinichi. He, like everybody else, had tried desperately to make up for their lapse in judgement; and Ran and Sera came by practically every day with casseroles of home cooking to either help or keep them company.

Though he appreciated their efforts, there was still the simmering of disappointment, as well as the feeling of isolation, of being misunderstood at the back of his mind. Also, he was starting to get a little tired of all the attention.

Keeping his mind occupied with something else - like this case – was helping him to move past the issue. So far, the clues had been few as the culprit had taken the job at the pharmacy under a false name and disappeared soon after filling his prescription.

The description of the woman, as well as a picture, had been circulating in the media for the last week and a half. However, frustrating little clues had been discovered. Their safest bet would be to go through every case Shinichi had ever solved or made an appearance in, in the hope that something might pop up. The current profile of the culprit was that she had sought revenge for a family friend or lover that Shinichi had sentenced to prison.

So far, they'd had no luck, as the name of suspects sky rocket within hours of their search.

"Can you smell food? I can smell food."

Shinichi sighed and raked a hand through his hair, trying to ignore the other's presence. He had been shadowed like a hawk, especially by the Osakan detective, and it was starting to drive him insane with a longing need for some privacy.

Heiji did not react to his words. Instead, his face snapped to the direction of the door, his nostril flaring like that of a blood hound. Just as Shinichi opened his mouth to comment on the odd – but amusing imagery forming in his head, a soft knock came from the front door.

Without a second thought, Heiji suddenly sprang from his chair and headed towards the door, disappearing out of Shinichi's sight as he went to greet their visitor. Most likely hoping it was the girls with dinner.

With a soft snort, the detective shook his head in bewilderment, opting to concentrate on the documents in front of him. Voices drifted in from the corridor, though it was not loud enough for him to distinguish words nor the owners of the voices. A minute later, he heard the front door closing, soon followed by the shuffling of familiar footsteps as Heiji headed towards the kitchen.

The detective pushed a document to the side, and was reaching for another that was half-way across the table, when he suddenly froze. The hair on the back of his neck suddenly prickled as he got the distinctive feeling that someone was watching him. His heart hammered in his chest and he moved his left hand to grab his cane in case he required it for self-defence.

"Hello," came a soft spoken words from the doorway, and Shinichi clenched his teeth as he recognized the voice. When the detective did not react nor made any attempt to say anything, Kaito continued – nervousness laced his tone.

"Can we talk?"

"No," Shinichi answered immediately and sat up as he withdrew his hand from the cane. He did not turn to face the magician, hoping he would take the hint and leave. Though he had somewhat started on the road to forgive anyone else, Shinichi had not spoken to Kaito since the day in the hospital, opting to end his friendship with the man. Regardless of what had transpired in the hospital room, that was not the reason behind this decision. Shinichi's life was far too dangerous to bring in anyone else, it was better to cut the ties before a real friendship blossomed between them – the attempt on his life was proof of it.

"You owe me that at least," came the neutral reply. However, there was an edge of something darker underneath the tone of voice that made Shinichi turn towards the magician in surprise.

Kaito's face was tight with an unidentifiable emotion, and he clenched his teeth as he strode into the room, ignoring the detective's protest. He slid into the seat Heiji had previously occupied.

Shinichi thinned his lips in response, but said nothing more as their gaze met over the stacks of paper. He mustered up the energy to sound apathetic about Kaito's presence, it would be the easiest choice in the long run if it kept the magician at bay. "What do you want me to say, Kuroba? Thank you for saving my life, but I'm not –"

"Shut up."

Shinichi clammed his jaw shut in surprise at the growl escaping the magician's lips. His heart palpitated in his chest of its own accord. He had never heard Kaito sound angry, and the sudden burst of cold rage left the detective unable to do anything but obey the request.

The anger subsided a second later, and he raked a slightly shivering hand through his hair with a frustrated expression – the reason behind his angry outburst. "I've been thinking, and yes, you are right. We jumped to conclusions, and I barely know anything about you or whatever demons lurking in your past. A normal person usually don't have any enemies trying to poison them."

Shinichi sat back in his seat and folded his arms against his chest as the magician continued on his – most likely rehearsed – tirade.

"I know I haven't known you that long – but we all saw how distraught you were over Ran and Sera becoming a couple. Only a blind fool would not have seen it –"

The detective dropped his eyes. He was expecting anger to erupt in his chest, but instead he only felt exhaustion settling in his bones and a headache brewing between his brows. He was starting to be tired of being angry at everyone at this point, he had never been one to stew over anger in the past.

" – So I'm sorry for not realizing it was an assassination attempt. Seeing you lying there on the kitchen floor, I –" Kaito's voice turned hoarse and grave and his eyes darted to the side, and Shinichi could see the utter petrified expression on the magician's face. His stomach dropped with the feeling of guilt.

He did not know what he had done if he had discovered anyone he considered a friend in the same predicament – had been in a similar position in the past, only it had been expected, but it cut just as deep regardless with the fear of believing he had arrived too late and he had lost someone he cared for –

"Kuroba," he cut in to save the magician lest he started to stutter incoherently, but also to cease the strain of thought he had been spiralling into. "I get it. I'm – well, I'm still angry at the whole debacle. But not at you. We barely know each other, and I think it'll be best if we –" he did not get any further - he was about to suggest that they stopped hanging around each other - when Kaito stood up with a vulnerable expression that had Shinichi's heart flutter in surprise again.

"Then let's get better acquainted, so a misunderstanding can never occur again. I think you are clever and witty and seeing you in that hospital was an image from my darkest nightmares. Frankly, I want to be your friend, and I don't care what you think otherwise."

Shinichi blinked in surprise, and he suddenly realized that Kaito had seen straight through his attempts at 'breaking' them up and had dismissed the aloof expression the detective had adopted in order to drive him away immediately. The magician's eyes were bright and intense as they drilled into the detective's. The stubbornness in the way he clenched his teeth that told the detective that he would not accept a no as an answer.

All of the sudden, Shinichi did not want to decline the proposal, not anymore. He genuinely liked his neighbour. Kaito had a quick tongue and was a genius in an unorthodox way, and the detective suddenly realized, that amongst everyone he considered a friend, Shinichi had missed being around the magician the most, despite the little time they had known each other. His mind flashed back to the memory of Kaito's magic trick in the snow a few weeks ago that still baffled him to this day – he had not yet figured out the trick, and he had not asked for an explanation. It was completely out of character for the detective and his mouth suddenly felt drier than the Sahara Dessert.

He opened his mouth to ask why the magician was so adamant to being Shinichi's friend so much – he was nothing special after all. However, Kaito's eyes were unyielding, and the words died on his lips and all he managed to utter was:

"How did you manage to slip past Hattori?"

A familiar grin crept across Kaito's face as the tension drained out of his shoulder, immediately understanding that Shinichi had no intention of arguing back anymore. There was also a flicker of relief shimmering in his eyes, indicating that he had most likely expected to be turned away. Guilt settled in the detective's stomach once more at the realization – he had reacted harsher than he should have and so had hurt the magician. But at the time he had been upset with just cause. Shinichi was unsure whether or not this was the correct option to choose, but as he continued gazing into Kaito's features he could not remember why it was a bad idea.

"I bribed him with take out from a restaurant down the street."

A chortle escaped the detective in surprise – the first time he had done so for the past two weeks – and he shook head as amusement bubbled in his chest. "You are strange, Kuroba," he commented lightly, wondering why of all people Kaito had decided to befriend Shinichi.

He only got a flash of smile in response, and Heiji stumbled into the room a moment later with a pleased expression as he carried a couple of bags and plates.

"We are keeping him."

Shinichi rolled his eyes and shook his head in bafflement. How did only the odd ones worm themselves into his life? It was not until later that he realized all the anger he had been harbouring inside him against his friends had almost vanished as they started to revert back to the easy-going interactions they'd had in the past before this whole ordeal. They still kept a watchful eye in his direction, but this time with less worry and concern over his well-being and sanity, and he was glad for the minuscule changes.

…

Shinichi had barely stepped into his apartment when there was a soft knock on the door. With a sigh, he dropped his bags of grocery on the commode lining the wall and ran his fingers through his hair. There were a few droplets of water coating his fingertips from the motion due to melting of snow. Next he removed his red scarf from around his neck and licked his lips to linger a moment longer – enjoying the few last seconds of peace and quiet he had sorely wanted for the evening.

He had finally been able to throw Heiji out of the apartment as his would-be killer had been incarcerated. Baisho Akiko had been arrested nearly three weeks after the murder attempt while trying to flee the country. She was the only daughter of Watase Tsuneyo. A serial killer who had murdered eight people – including his own wife – before Kudou Yuusaku and the police force had been able to stop him. Unfortunately, Watase had been shot dead by the officers at the crime scene after a shoot-out. His daughter had sought revenge ten years later, by trying to kill the author's only son in retaliation.

Yukiko and Yuusaku had flown in from Italy once they heard the news to put down their testimony for the case. No one had considered that Baisho Akiko – who had taken her mother's maiden name – would have sought revenge. So the investigation lasted much longer than anyone had liked.

Although Shinichi loved his parents, he had been stuck being fussed over by his mother the last few days and it had started to get on his nerves. He neither wanted, nor needed, any special attention from a doting Yukiko – especially when said doting involved introducing Shinichi to women his own age his mother had met through their travels. He appreciated the gesture – okay, maybe not – he could understand her worries, but he had no interest in getting involved with anyone. And he definitely did not appreciate Yukiko hanging picture after picture of attractive women all over his apartment in the hopes one caught his fancy.

Shinichi's only consolation came from knowing his parents would get restless soon and leave the country.

Loitering for as long as he could without being impolite, Shinichi reached for the door. There was a headache brewing behind his brow in dreary anticipation of who had come knocking. He really hoped it was not Ran as he was not sure if he could turn her away despite feeling too exhausted to be of much company.

Shinichi was mildly surprised when he opened the door to find not Ran, but Kuroba Kaito on his doorstep. The magician wore the home-knitted purple and orange scarf around his neck and it covered the tip of his ears. There was a certain red flush on his cheeks and nose that indicated he had recently been outside in the cold for a long period of a time, and the snow covering his hat had still not melted. Removing his mitten on his left hand, he pushed the scarf down so Shinichi could see the dips of his lips as he quirked them up in a hesitant smile. His right hand was clutching a white grocery bag.

"Hey."

The detective blinked slowly over the unexpected display – wondering for a moment if there was something wrong from the tension in Kaito's shoulder, but brushed the idea away a moment later. There was no alarm reading in his features other than nervousness. They had not seen each other since the magician approached him almost two weeks earlier to gloss over the misunderstanding while Shinichi had been in the hospital – the detective had been far too busy to focus on something that had not been the case and barely spent any time in his apartment.

Truth be told, despite being open to the idea of continuing their friendship, Shinichi had been reluctant to pull Kaito into any danger just by approximation. Being the detective's friend had proven to be dangerous in more than one way, and the magician did not know Shinichi's story – what had happened to him and in his past, and he was never going to share that information to anyone either. Whenever there was a general query about his leg, he always answered elusively.

When Shinichi spent too long contemplating in his surprise, Kaito suddenly flushed deeply and his eyes lowered so he could peer through his eyelashes at the detective. "I wasn't' sure if you are busy, but if you need some time to recharge I brought some takeouts and a copy of Belphegor: Phantom of the Louvre. I remember you telling me you hadn't seen it, so I thought –"

"Kuroba," Shinichi hastily interrupted the magician lest his continuing stuttering would undoubtable lead to a jumbly of unintelligible sentences. His heart was fluttering in his chest in surprise over the ordeal – he had not expected for Kaito to show up on his doorsteps. In the three months they had been acquainted, they had only interacted by mere chance through coincidences such as living across the courtyard from each other and through common friends. The fact the magician had reached out proved his determination to the words he had spoken two weeks ago – that he wanted to be a closer and better friend to Shinichi.

His mouth went dry at the prospect, he should have known better that Kaito would follow up on his promise. The exhaustion settling over Shinichi suddenly lessened, and any thoughts of turning away whoever had knocked on his door vanished. He did not want to decline Kaito's invitation, not when he had taken the effort of providing both food and entertainment knowing that there was a probability it would go to waste.

"Belphegor," he licked his lips as his eyes narrowed in thought. "That's the French one you mentioned?" He did not wait for an affirmation as he continued, "about the French museum thief who took the persona of a spirit to pilfer?"

Kaito's eyes had lit up in hope and he gave a court nod instead of a verbal response, half-afraid the detective would change his mind. Shinichi had no intention of doing so as he moved away from the door so the magician could enter the apartment. He held his hand out to accept the bag of food from Kaito.

"Possessed by an Egyptian spirit, actually," The neighbour let him take it as he stepped into the apartment, and a content smile curled on his lips and giddiness shimmered in his indigo eyes. "I think you'll enjoy it."

Shinichi could not help but to smile softly in reply, and his heart fluttered in his chest with an odd warmth at Kaito's attempts of trying to stay in his life. He had a niggling feeling that the magician was trying to make up for the misconstruing like everyone else he knew – and Shinichi would be cruel to not let them at least try. He knew well the pain of being ignored and not given the opportunity to fix his mistakes – it lay heavy on his soul. He would not let anyone suffer the same due to himself if he could help it.

"I'm sure I will."

Kaito removed his shoes and stepped into a pair of the traditional 'zori' standing ready by the door. Before Shinichi could react, the magician grabbed the bag of grocery on the bench and made his way to the kitchen, and Shinichi only huffed in response and followed suit. He was marginally surprise when Kaito came to a stop in the door opening, and for moment it looked as though the bag would slip through his fingers.

With a frown, Shinichi peered around the magician to observe whatever he was staring at, only to come to freeze with dread raking down his spine at the sight that met him. The entire room, as well as the couch and television serving as a Living Room, was filled with pictures of women from all walks of life. Asians, Caucasians, Mexicans, Africans, blonds, black haired, brunettes, gingers and so forth. Each poster had a description of the women's name, age, country, occupation and interests.

"So this is what is regarded as detective work?" Kaito replied drily a moment later as he finally got his wit back with humour dancing in his eyes.

Shinichi swallowed, before brushing past the magician with a roll of his eyes. "If you are implying I'm a stalker, I assure you it's far from the truth." He dropped the bag with take out on the kitchen counter and leaned his weight against his cane. He wondered how Yukiko had managed to sneak back into his apartment – he needed to change the locks.

He raked a hand through his hair with a grim expression – he wished his mother would stop this nonsense. Although, he could tell she did it out of worry for her son – it was her eccentric way to try to keep him from obsessing over the case. He watched as Kaito picked up the closest poster with curiosity.

"Help me burn them, will you?"

Kaito turned to face the detective, and the grin curled on his lips gave Shinichi a foreboding feelings. "Sure you wouldn't rather have me help you find a suitable –"

"Shut up Kuroba," he groused darkly in reply, and the magician closed his mouth dutifully – though the mirth swimming in his eyes did not evaporated as he started to remove the posters on the couch and television to clear a spot for them.

Shinichi watched him silently for a moment, appreciating that Kaito did not push the subject – did not even ask question about the ludicrousness of the situation, although he suspected the magician had already deduced what was going on. He turned to the cabinet to find cutlery and plates. His heart hammered in his chest for some reason, and it was not before later that he realized that – though Shinichi's eyes had lingered on the pictures of the women clad in revealing clothing or in intimate positions once or twice (although he had become immune against the view now) – Kaito's eyes had not glanced at any of them twice. With a soft smile on his lips, the detective felt a sting of jealousy over the clear signs of Kaito being in a loving relationship with his girlfriend – Nakamori Aoko. He was marginally envious over their close bonds. It appeared all his friends had someone special in their lives, something he longed to have – but doubted he would for obvious reasons.

A few days later when Kaito showed up on his doorstep anew, Shinichi was not surprised and it became a habit after that. The detective had started to feel bad after the third week, and so he had started to cook dinner on the days he knew Kaito would come over – it paid off living in an apartment where he could see his neighbour and could communicate whose turn it was to fix the food.

It felt a little strange, how fast the magician had become a vital part of his daily routine, however he could not find it in himself to mind as he greatly appreciated Kaito's witty commentary on whatever movie or show they were watching. He also respected Shinichi's boundaries and somehow knew when the detective preferred to be alone for an evening.

Sometimes though, he felt slightly guilty for keeping Kaito away from his girlfriend, Nakamori Aoko, but he never voiced it as he was afraid their evenings would come to an abrupt stop if he did. He was sure Kaito balanced his days perfectly well though – as Aoko always seemed to be in a good mood whenever she was around. The niggling doubt that the magician was only being his friend out of guilt was always in the back of his mind, but he learned to ignore the thoughts.

…

It was a cosy little café-cum-bar with dim lights, filled with students drinking coffee and reading for their exams during the afternoons as they offered free internet. In the evening, students would flock to the small bar that served relatively cheap alcohol. One of the corners dipped in behind the bar and into an alcove. The walls and ceiling were covered with random paintings – some of landscape with stickers of different American superheroes and popular anime characters glued to the paintings. Right above Shinichi's head was a painting of a half-naked, overweight Caucasian woman.

Dolls, antique items and an impressive collection of umbrellas hung from the ceiling from a different corner of the cafe. At the back of the café, there was a couple of board-games that the guests could borrow as they pleased.

Kuroba Kaito let out a pitiful moan as he burrowed his face into his hands as he tried to flatten himself across the surface of the table. Shinichi calmly picked up his cup of coffee to take a sip right before the magician's elbow could sweep it onto the floor by accident.

"Why am I even conscious right now? It's barely noon."

"I think you just answer your own question," Shinichi hummed without a shred of sympathy as he tried to wrestle his copy of An Introduction to Forensic Genetics from underneath the magician's head.

"This is not an acceptable hour to be up and about on the weekend," Kaito continued sulking, "I swear Aoko is just out to torture me –"

Shinichi gave a non-committal grunt in response, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. The girl did have that sadistic streak in her when it came to her boyfriend. They were an unconventional couple; it was a thought that had struck the detective many times. They never seemed to be into public display of affections – something which Shinichi was very grateful for – and they always seemed to tease each other, as though they were five-year-olds pulling the pony tail of the girl they liked. Nevertheless, they seemed to find a special thrill in their jokes and easy-going teasing, and they clearly cared for each other immensely. And unlike other couples, they did not seem to need to spend every hour of the day together glued to each other's hips.

It was odd, but it seemed to work for them, and Shinichi had never heard Kaito speak of Aoko with anything but an affectionate tone.

Shinichi took another sip of his coffee. "Perhaps you shouldn't have nagged so much to join me on the 'girl's day out' so much." The magician had started to accompany him on this get together at the end of February. That had been three Saturday's since, and he seemed to be going well with the other girls. He had especially bonded with Sonoko over their common fascination – read: obsession – over Kaitou KID.

"I assure you, I have no idea what you are talking about."

The detective rolled his eyes with a scoff. "I'm sure if you were allowed to pick the time, we wouldn't meet before seven at night."

Kaito suddenly sat up, and the glittering of his eyes sent a foreboding shutter down Shinichi's spine. "Speaking of which, we should all go out dancing tonight –"

He raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, but Kaito did not get deterrent as he only grinned in response.

" – or in your case, swaying like a drunk sailor."

The detective's lips quirked upwards, secretly pleased that Kaito never viewed his dysfunctional limb as a hindrance. It was one of the reasons he enjoyed spending so much time with the engineer student.

Before he had time to comment, a group of familiar girls stepped into the café, and he waved his hand at them in greeting so they could pick them out from the crowd. By the time he looked back at the table, all the books had vanished and was – presumably – put back into the backpack leaning against the foot of Kaito's chair.

The magician bounced up from his seat to greet the girls and give Aoko an affectionate pat – all the while commenting on whether or not she had put on some weight since last week. On cue, the girl's cheek turned pink in aggravation and she swatted after him with her purse as he danced out of her reach. It was a common sight and the rest of the group ignored them in favour of voicing their own hellos and sat down by the table.

Aoko and Kaito joined them a few moments later – the former now had a crown of daffodils around her head. If she knew they were there, she did not say anything, and no one else commented on it.

"So Shinichi and I was just thinking, we should all go out dancing today. It would be a splendid way to cool off before the mid-term exams starts."

Aoko frowned at the suggestion. "But Sera and I have our exam on Tuesday on Behavioural Psychology."

Sera nodded in agreement, and there was a flicker of a smile on her lips - Ran most likely entwined their fingers underneath the table in reassurance. "What about next week instead?"

There was a nod around the table in an affirmation from the proposal and was quickly forgotten a few moments later as they started on a debate on merits of behaviourism within psychology and philosophy that somehow ended up in an argument over which flavour of ice-cream was the best.

Kaito argued that chocolate was best, Aoko that strawberry was the superior, and Shinichi opted to keep out of the conversation altogether as he sipped his coffee with a peaceful expression.

For the first time in months, he finally felt as though he was moving on and was starting to finally fit in somewhere.

…

It took them three weeks to finally find a day they could all agree on. It was already April, and the birds had started to migrate back from the south. A family of Bush Warblers had settled on the trees just by their apartment, and they started singing at six practically every morning. Even though it was after seven o'clock, the sky was still bright, with only shades of red in the corners as the sky edged into sunset.

Despite the warm weather they'd had in the afternoon, the air was cold and the wind chilly. Shinichi lifted the collar of his jacket up in order to get some refuge as he wandered down the street alone. His cane made a comforting clicking sound on the concrete, and he was glad that spring had finally settled. The winter had not been kind to him. His immune system was working below average since his return from being Edogawa Conan. He lost count how many times Kaito had arrived on his doorsteps in the morning with warm soup – sometimes he wondered how much Kaito actually spied on him from his apartment to be able to know when he sorely needed the warm soup.

He had been forced to visit Haibara a few times because of it, but she could do nothing to help him, they might accidentally mess up the trace of the APTX 4869 and the antidote and do irreversible damage to his entire body in any attempt to boost his immune system. They had discovered in the aftermath of Baisho Akiko's attempt on his life that he had only survived the poison due to some miraculous side-effect from the other poison that was already swimming in his system.

He was unsure whether he should be grateful, to be poisoned by the APTX 4869 in the first place.

Shinichi had accidentally walked into the Detective Boys the second time he visited Haibara, and his heart had clenched with sadness and longing at the sight of them. There had been a lot of issues that he had been more than happy to leave behind after masquerading as a child for two years – befriending the children had not been one of them. He sometimes still missed the easy-going relationship he'd had with them, the childish delight and the unique way they observed the world. They seemed to be doing well enough after Edogawa Conan went 'back' to America however, and he was pleased to see it.

He had never intended to hurt them with his departure. But some things were unavoidable in this case.

He ended his musing by the time he arrived to the bar. He was cold to the bone. His cheeks were flushed and he could almost imagine that his nose could compete with Rudolf the reindeer in terms of how red it was. He passed the body guard after showing his campus and ID card, and ignored the frown from the stranger as he eyed the detective's cane in hesitation before allowing him entrance into the club.

The room inside throbbed with music and the heat soared towards him as if to welcome him. His eyes wandered across the room, trying to pick someone he knew from out the crowd. However, on top of the dim lights, there were far too many bodies mashing against one another to tell anyone apart.

He stood there for a moment with his heart jumping to his throat as paranoia prickled in the back of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. If someone was assassinated here, it would take a while before anyone would notice and the culprit would have time to escape –

Someone grabbed his arm, and for a second, he almost elbowed the person in the chest. Only the familiar voice that followed kept him from reacting rashly.

"There you are," Ran hummed against his ear, her breath ghosting his neck as she leaned forward to make sure that she was heard above the loud noise.

He inhaled sharply as a familiar perfume drifted around him, and his heart fluttered at the intimacy. He relaxed as the tension drained out of his shoulders. One of these days, he needed to stop jumping to the conclusion that anyone approaching him did so with the intent to cause harm. He was no longer hiding from people out to kill him and everyone he cared for if he was ever discovered. It had been nearly two years since the fall of the Black Organisation – the poisoning attempt notwithstanding .Was it not time for him to move on?

Shinichi turned his head to regard her. She had her hair pinned up with an oriental hairpin, a single lock curled around her chin. She wore a modest amount of make-up. The glow on her skin and the soft smile she wore made her, without a doubt, the most beautiful person in the room. If he had looked down, he would have gotten a good view of her chest as her soft-purple blouse had unhinged from her shoulder.

She started to tug on his arm, and he followed her willingly. She led him to a table at the back of the club, and he nodded in greeting as he spotted Sera draping her arms on the edge of the sofa. Ran let go of him and stepped in to sit next to her girlfriend. Sera's fingers brushed against her shoulder in acknowledgement as she sent Shinichi's childhood friend an affectionate smile.

Shinichi slipped into the adjacent seat as he asked:

"Am I the third to arrive?"

Sera shook her head. "Nah, everyone's here. Sonoko is somewhere in the crowd dancing with Makoto and the rest are getting the drinks. And don't worry," she flashed him a grin, "we ordered for you too."

Shinichi did not particularly appreciate the wolfish expression, and he got a foreboding feeling that whatever they had ordered for him, it would most likely be a sweet-tasting cocktail accompanied by a small umbrella. It was his punishment for being late.

He turned his head to address Ran. "How did your exams go?"

She smiled in response. "It went well, I think I aced the practical parts. Sera helped me study for it," there was a flush on her cheek as the couple shared an expression, and Shinichi cleared his throat, not remotely interesting in gaining any more information on the subject, and regretted asking in the first place.

Considering Ran was studying to become a medical doctor and her practical exam had involved anatomy – he could pretty much deduce what actions were involved in those... studies. He ignored the painful hammering of his chest at that thought. Ran and Sera had been dating for over four months, however his heart would not listen to reason. He was only setting himself up for more heartache pinning after her.

He was kept from spiralling into a gloom line of thinking by the arrival of Kaito. There had been a marginally attempt to flatten his hair, and Shinichi could see the residue from the hair gel glittering in the artificial light overhead. He wore a white shirt that glowed in the ultraviolet light, and a large grin stretched across his face as he arrived by the table. One hand was clutching two bottles of beer – one of which he passed to Sera – the other a drink in a cocktail glass. It had a bright-green colour, and bits of something suspicious bobbed within the liquid.

Kaito's grin widened as Shinichi paled at the sight. He offered it towards the detective and Shinichi accepted it with a defeated sigh.

"We need to stop this tradition –"

"Not happening~," the magician hummed gleefully and he slid into the seat next to Shinichi.

"Agreed," Sera commented as she took a sip of her beer. "Last time, Kuroba-kun was stuck with a mug of that awfully strawberry cocktail. He went easy on you, just giving you a glass."

Shinichi eyed them carefully, his eyes clearly conveying how insane he thought his friends were. Their tradition of buying the strangest cocktail on the menu for the last arrival was an insane idea, but as long as they got their pleasure from it, he would not complain too much. He took a hesitant sip of the liquid. A tart taste of apples, Medori Melon Liqueur, gin and chili spread across his palate.

He shrugged a second later, it could be worse, and Kaito hummed as he accepted the noncommittal verdict. Aoko arrived at the table and handed Ran her drink and sat next to Kaito.

Ran smiled a 'thank you' at her before holding up her drink towards the middle of the table. "For finishing mid-term exams!"

Everyone raised their drinks in response and tipped their glasses together with a resonating 'chime' as they clank against each other.

After Shinichi had managed to finish the cocktail and after a few drinks in, the girls and Kaito went dancing. He opted to stay to keep an eye on their drinks as the rest went to the floor. The club had somehow been filled with even more people, and he lost track of them within few seconds as they disappeared. The music throbbed in his ear, though he was thankful that they had chosen a seat at the back of the club so the noise was not deafening.

His mind started to wander as his eyes observed the dancing crowd. He could easily pick up the body languages of individuals as they rocked their hips and rubbed against each other in the mimic of the ritual performed by mating rabbits. Forcing his eyes away he reached for his beer to take a long sip. Sweat had gathered around the collar of his shirt from the warmth within the club, and he reached up to pop open the first few buttons.

"Hello there gorgeous," purred a voice, and the detective's attention snapped in the direction of it in surprise as he had not noticed anyone approaching. The sight that met him was that of a dark-haired man in his mid-twenties. His eyes were almost black in the dim light, and there was glitter on his cheeks which was made to glow in several colours in the ultraviolet light. His lips were quirked upwards in a flirting smile and his cheeks flushed from inebriation.

Despite the clear signs of intoxicating, he held himself in a manner that suggested he was well used to being under the influence of alcohol as he moved with deliberate movements that made the muscles underneath his shirt visible. It was meant to be an alluring picture, and Shinichi would agree on an observation that the man was attractive from a pure aesthetic perspective.

"Mind if I sit?" he continued without waiting for response and slid into a seat without an affirmation from the detective. The man's eyes were heavy as they gazed on Shinichi, and he twitched slightly in nervousness as a reaction – wondering what the stranger could possible want with him.

"I am Sako Tsuruki," he continued with a friendly smile, his eyes still heavy as they slid up and down the detective with an interested expression- Shinichi suddenly realized his position with a jolt of confusion. A crease formed between his brows and his heart palpitated in his chest. "Can I buy you a drink –"

"I'm flattered," Shinichi interjected briskly in order to rectify the situation. "But I'm not interested." There was a clear undertone of not being interested in someone the same gender. His mouth turned a little dry, wondering how Sako had come to the possible conclusion that Shinichi might be gay of all things.

Sako looked confused for a moment and he straightened with a flush on his cheeks as his eyes lowered. "Oh, I'm sorry – I just assumed," he peered at the detective through his eyelashes with confusion swirling in eyes. "I saw you declining dancing with your female friends. In the company of such attractive women it was the only possible –" he trailed off with an embarrassed cough, and his lips quirked upwards again in a hesitant grin. All previous bravo had evaporated, and there was a certain tremble of his shoulders that suggested he was expecting to be scolded for his perversion or punched in the face – Japan in general were not the most supportive culture for homosexuality.

"They are a couple," Shinichi smoothed out with a friendly expression to convey he had no bad feelings over the debacle. He would be a hypocrite not supporting relations of either gender considering Ran was currently dating Sera.

Understanding flashed in Sako's features and he relaxed a moment later when he realized that Shinichi had no intention of being hostile. "I see, I'm terribly sorry for the misunderstanding," he made to stand but stopped after a second to cast a last leering gaze at the detective. "Must have been wistful thinking from my side."

Shinichi could not stop the flush that crept up from his neck from the heated expression and he lowered his eyes as Sako disappeared back into the crowd. He scratched his cheek with a soft sigh, feeling rather discomfited at the whole ordeal. He had never minded homosexuality, but he had always leaned towards women in that regard – or rather a more specific person. He had never contemplated being anything else when there had always been Ran in sight since he reached puberty. There had never been a need to consider his sexuality when he had always been in love with his childhood friend – never looked at another person. Being the attention of anyone's attempt to flirt was mortifying regardless of the gender. But being accidently taken for a homosexual was definitely the first for the detective, and he was slightly thankful that his friends had not been privy to the scenes as he would no doubt be teased.

Shinichi did not get to mull over his thoughts on the subject for long, as a rather lost Hakuba Saguru tumbled out of the crowd and towards him. His usually prestige clothing was ruffled with creases, indicating someone had tried to grab him for a dance.

Shinichi's eyebrows rose in surprise – secretly glad for the distraction and so he pushed all thoughts of his previous encounter from his mind. He had not known Hakuba was coming. He had not had much interaction with the half-Brit since his return from being Edogawa Conan, as Hakuba spent most of his time back in England and his only cooperation with the Japanese Police often consisted of trying to catch international art thieves. Shinichi had met Hakuba only a handful of times when he hung around with Nakamori Aoko and Kaito.

He had wondered a few times what the connection among the three of them was. He waved the detective to catch his attention.

"Hakuba-san, what a pleasant surprise to see you here. Why don't you take a seat?"

The half-Brit blinked in his direction, before recognition spread across his features and he started to smooth out the creases on his attire as he started towards Shinichi. He could clearly see the grateful and relieved expression from Hakuba at discovering a familiar face.

"Good evening, Kudou-san."

"I wasn't aware you were coming," he commented as the half-Brit settled in on the couch adjacent to him.

Hakuba's eyes softened and they darted towards the crowd, presumably to seek his friends from the crowd. "It was not my original intention. However my affair ended earlier than expected and I thought I would come and surprise Aoko."

Shinichi was suddenly startled at the familiarity in which the half-Brit's address the girl, as he had always thought the other detective was adamant at being formal in any occasion.

"I'm sure she'll appreciate it," Shinichi commented with a friendly expression. "You are welcome to wait here till they come back, rather than get swallowed up by the crowd again. You might not escape with your life intact next time."

Hakuba's lips quirked upwards. "I will gladly take you up on that offer."

They did not converse undisturbed for long – unsurprisingly their conversation had quickly turned into a discussion of which Arthur Conan Doyle inspired case they had been involved in was the most cunning – before Aoko appeared out of nowhere and attached herself to the British detective like a clingy octopus. Her eyes lit up with happiness, and her cheeks flushed red, both from pleasure and from the amount of alcohol she had consumed.

"Saguru, you came after all!"

Hakuba's whole demeanour changed, and his eyes brightened with affection. It was an expression he had never thought was possible in the otherwise stoic detective, and for a second Shinichi's stomach churned uncomfortable as he realized Hakuba had a crush on Aoko.

Shinichi glanced in the direction of Kaito who appeared behind them, but to his surprise, the magician did not look remotely dejected at the scene. Instead, he wore a huge smile at the display.

"Come dance with me," Aoko purred as she peered at Hakuba through her eyelashes, and any protest died on the British detective's lips as he nodded.

"I do owe you at least one dance –"

"Or fifteen," Kaito commented with a grin, his eyebrows twitching in glee at the dark expression sent his way. "You have stood the lady up far too many times for anything but."

Aoko did not respond other than to disentangle herself from Hakuba and proceeded to drag him away from his seat with a mischievous expression that looked as evil as Kaito's. The last thing Shinichi heard before they were swallowed up by the dance floor and the throbbing music was:

"I need to show you this dance move Sonoko taught us."

Shinichi shook his head, feeling pity for his fellow detective as he took as sip of his beer. He glanced at Kaito's direction as he slipped into the now unoccupied seat and was surprised to see the magician almost glowing with contentment. If it had been him, he was not sure how he would react seeing his girlfriend so thrilled and happy dancing with another man – god knew he was still caught up with the occasional sting of jealousy over Ran.

Kaito met his gaze questionably, and he sat up with a frown on his lips. "Something wrong? Do you need some air?" his eyes darted in the direction of Shinichi's bottled beer, and the detective's lips twitched at the realization that the magician thought he might be drunk.

It might not be far from the truth, as the alcohol buzzed pleasantly in his mind. He wondered for a second what had been showing on his face. "I'm alright, don't worry. I was just wondering how you are cool with –" he bit his lip a second later to stop himself, as he had no intention of revealing he could tell Hakuba had a crush on Aoko unintentionally. He had no intention of getting involved with the workings of their relationship, and his face suddenly flushed at the embarrassment of his flounder. Keeping his deductions to himself when he drank was not an easy task.

Kaito cocked his head to the side as he regarded the detective. His brows twitched together in puzzlement for a moment as something dark flickered in his eyes. The second passed, and suddenly his face brighten up with glee as laughter bubbled in his throat.

"Aoko and I are not a couple."

Shinichi blinked in surprise, his mouth gaped open in bewilderment. He kept forgetting how perceptive the magician was sometimes – especially at reading people – before the wheels of his mind came to an abrupt stop in utter confusion. Aoko and Kaito were not dating? How was that even possible? Every interaction he had observed between them pointed in the direction of a relationship with deep emotional connection.

His stomach suddenly dropped again, and he realized that for once he had been the one jumping to conclusions – the same blunder Sako had done towards him earlier. He had just assumed they were together, the same way people kept asking if he and Ran had been a couple in the past. He raked a hand through his hair in frustration. He had known them for over half a year. How had he never realized his original deduction was utter bollocks?

"So –"

"Yupp," Kaito replied with a grin, showing far too many teeth in glee from stomping the detective – Shinichi swore the magician got a debauched satisfaction from managing to get something past him. "They have been dating for... give or take two years now."

Shinichi let out a pitiful groan in response. "Bite me – how could I –"

Kaito took pity on him as he patted his back. "To be fair," he started with a sheepish expression. "You are not the first, and we keep a tally of how long it take for people to figure it out."

The detective shot him a dark and unhappy expression. "So you have been leading me on for months with your devious ploy on purpose?"

The magician's smile widened. "Not intentionally, if it makes you feel any better. Didn't really come into a conversation. Ran figured it out months ago."

Shinichi repressed the urge to bury his head into his hands in mortification. "Please don't tell me you have a different girlfriend. I don't think I can keep my title as a detective if that's the case."

Kaito chortled, and affection glowed in his eyes for a second as his smile turned soft. "Nothing could ever take away that title away from you, Meitantei."

The subsequent flush of his cheek had nothing to do with embarrassment or from alcohol, and his heart fluttered against his ribs as his chest was filled with butterflies. A pleasant warmth spread on his insides, and he was suddenly very aware of the weight of Kaito's hand which was still lingering on his shoulder.

"Besides," the magician continued, and his eyes suddenly lowered to conceal his expression. "I'm not interested in girls."

It took the detective a second too long for the words to register, and he froze in response to the revelation. He had learned more about Kaito in the last few minutes then he had done in the last six months since they had been neighbours. He had never realized how adept Kaito was at keeping his secrets. Shinichi looked at him with a frown on his lips.

Precisely how much did he really know about his new friend?

Kaito suddenly withdrew his hand and he inched away from the detective. There was a quiver of hurt in his expression despite his attempt at showing nothing but a stoic face. His shoulders slopped and he could clearly tell that the magician was upset and unhappy about something.

Shinichi blinked, and opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, before he froze on his tracks. Kaito must have misinterpreted the horror on the detective's face earlier, and thought Shinichi had been disgusted at the revelation. He moved forwards to grab Kaito's shoulders.

"Hey," he lowered his voice as he tried to turn his friend's attention towards him again. "I don't care who you like or who you don't, you'll still always be my eccentric and strange neighbour –" Kaito's eyes darted in his direction with hope flickering in his eyes as he slowly turned to face the detective, " – I was obsessing over the fact I hadn't realized it before as a detective. You sure know how to completely boggle my mind, Kaito."

He brushed a finger against Kaito's nose, and the magician's eyes suddenly lit up as though they were an illuminating force on their own. Only a second later did the detective realize it had been the first time he had used his forename.

"Really? You don't –"

"Never," Shinichi interjected. "Anyone who do are morons, and I'll personally hit them all in the head with my cane in a brutal version of whack-a-mole."

The subsequent grateful grin on Kaito's face was worth more than any treasure, and it was not until later that Shinichi understood that the magician had not come forward with his sexuality earlier out of fear of being pushed away in revulsion – it was not unheard of that men were alright with relationship between two girls but against a relation between two males. The detective had a niggling feeling that Kaito's decision of telling him was spurred from his previous encounter with Sako Tsuruki – and his heart fluttered again at the realization that the magician had kept an eye on him in case Shinichi got bored sitting alone. He could not imagine why Kaito could possibly believe Shinichi would mind – it would not change how he regarded the magician, and the detective's heart bled with sympathy and fury at the thought of anyone looking down on his friend for any reason.

"Shinichi?" Kaito had commented later on as they staggered in the direction of home, an arm around each other's shoulder to keep the balance. His breath had come out in white puffs as his breath instantly hit the chill air, and Shinichi's heart had fluttered so strongly at how his name had been spoken with such tenderness, he had been sure Kaito could both feel and hear it.

"You are the best person in the world," Kaito continued, his voice slurry and raspy and he gazed at Shinichi as though he was the most important person in the world. "I love you."

The detective hummed in agreement dutifully as they staggered forward. "Love you too, buddy. Now let's get you home."

Kaito's eyes danced with happiness as he leaned his head against Shinichi's shoulder, letting out a content sigh. Shinichi had never realized how handsome – no – how beautiful the magician was. With flushed cheeks, lit eyes and shadows illuminating the perfectly formed jaw as they passed by the artificial lights above them. His eyes zoomed in on the smudge of a mole underneath the magician's left eye – the concealer washed away from sweat, and he was suddenly swept with the urge to trail his thumb over it in fascination – all the while wondering why Kaito had a habit of hiding it when it just made his features more attractive.

They stumbled a second later and nearly fell into the waterlogged gutter.