Hello my darlings. I really deserve a cookie for this chapter, as I decided to cut the original chapter in two as it was getting too long, as well as something coming up this week that kept me entirely too busy to edit the full chapter. I started with a measly 5.8K long part that I imagined was doable to edit with my little time, and then it somehow ended up at 8.2K without adding in a new scene. Oboy. And here I was slightly worried it would be too short. The truth is, if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been so scrutinizing and detailed as it's easier to read through a gazillion times and add a sentence here and there every time to make it flow a little better. I admit that the last chapter was a bit of a mouthful – and a little too long to keep track off, so I won't be doing anything above 10K per chapter again (hopefully).

Thank you for every review, like, and favourite, you make my day! I hope you are all enjoying my story. Special thanks to Addy01 for being amazing.

Warning for: Suggestive mature content. And clowns.

Wordcount: ca. 8.2K

Published: 07.11.2016

Please enjoy!

...

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon God they made

And the sign flashed out its warning

And the words that it was forming

Disturbed

…

Chapter 5: Words

…

Only the feint light from the moon illuminated the black concrete road which cut through the forest, and the ancient trees loomed above on either side. If there was anything lurking underneath the shadows of the forest, it was too dark to tell. A few rubbles pelted across the concrete and into the underbrush as his shoes came into contact with the loose stones and were the only noise except the echoing of his cane across the space that disturbed the silence.

The road was dry as it had not rained for a few days, which thankfully made Shinichi's journey easier as he wobbled down the street. He was thirty odd minutes away from the first signs of civilisation in either direction. He had been leaning his weight on the cane more and more as his feet ate the distance. The damage muscles on his thigh spasmed painfully with each step, and he clenched his jaw as he tried focusing on anything else but the aching pain.

In another ten or fifteen minutes, he might run out of energy.

What on earth could possibly have lead him to venture into the dark forest on his own? His pants were ripped around the knees as though he had fallen and he had lost his phone some time ago. His navy-blue coat hung loosely from his shoulders where he had popped open the few top buttons. Although he did not have access to a mirror, he was sure his usual immaculate hair might have been laying flatten and flaccidly as a reflection of his exhaustion.

Then, a beam of light cut through the darkness, and Shinichi lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness so as not to become night-blind. He stopped in his tracks, waiting for the car to drive past him lest the vehicle bumped into him by accident as he was not wearing any retro-reflector stickers.

However, the car came to a stop a few meters away – and he vaguely noticed the brand of the vehicle - a few years old white Altima Honda. The window on the driver's side suddenly rolled down, and Shinichi approached the car in curiosity – wondering what the stranger could possibly want with him.

It took him a few seconds before his eyes got used to the bright light and he peered into the open window. He was met with the sight of a man in his forties. There were stress wrinkles between his brows, indicating a couple of decades of working in a pressure-filled environment – possibly a banker. His hair was curling on the side and was receding up his forehead, and there was a distinctive grey within the jet-black hair, suggesting he had been colouring his hair for the last two or three years. The hand on the wheel had a stripe of discolouring on the proximal part of his ring finger – indicating the recent removal of a wedding ring.

He had a frown on his lips as he eyed Shinichi careful, his eyes narrowing on the cane Shinichi was resting his weight on. The detective wondered briefly what a miserable image he cut from the driver's point of view – a clear dysfunctional young man with tattered clothes and exhaustion reading clearly in his pale face, and he pursed his lips briefly with displeasure at the piety he knew would be accumulating underneath the stranger's stoic external features.

"What are you doing out so late, young man?" he had a pleasant voice as he spoke, with clear worry lacing his tone.

"Taking a midnight stroll," the detective replied elusively, his lips quirked upwards in a humourless smile at the ludicrousness of the statement, but he had no intention of relaying the true motive of being out so late to an arbitrary by-passer.

The driver did not look remotely appeased and his eyes never left the stick. "You are a good distance away from the closest town. Why don't you hitch a ride with me –"

"I couldn't possibly," Shinichi interjected, his eyes darting from the man's face to try get a closer inspection of the insides of the car. His heart throbbed in his throat as his shoulders tensed. He kept the paranoia out of his face, but he could still not swallow down the automatic suspicion bubbling in his chest.

The older man frowned, but kept the friendly tone as he finally tore his eyes from the cane and looked the detective into the face. "I insist. I really would sleep better tonight knowing you haven't fallen into a ditch somewhere. Or maybe you want to borrow my phone and call a friend or a family member?"

Shinichi stood still for a full moment, weighing the pros and cons of the suggestion. He loathed getting anyone else involved in his troubles, and he was too far away from Tokyo, and would be an inconvenience to any of his friends that he might consider calling. He tried squashing his pride, and he had gotten better at accepting help when he recognized he could not do something on his own.

The driver waited patiently as Shinichi mulled over his options, and he swallowed. Not everyone he met offering assistance had a devious ploy – and the man seemed friendly enough.

"No, I – thank you, if it wouldn't be too much of a trouble."

The older man's expression softened in relief as he shook his head. "Not at all," he opened the passenger's door as Shinichi stepped around the car. He slipped into the seat and the hum of the vehicle thrummed through them as it started to roll forward.

The warmth of the car seeped into his skin, effectively chasing away the cold – he had not realized how icy he had been before now. There were a couple of ramen boxes scattered in the backseat, and a mug of still-steaming coffee stood in the cup holder. The passenger seat's glove compartment was still open, and he got a glimpse of a name from the driver's license within – Usui Eiji.

"You don't have to take me further then Yokohama," which was the next town at the end of the road, where he had been heading to. "Hopefully, the train to Tokyo still departs at this hour."

Usui's eyes darted in the detective's direction with surprise flickering in his face. "Then you are pretty far from home, what brought you all the way out here?"

Shinichi gave a non-committal shrug in response. "Needed to stretch my legs," his lips twitched upwards at the bad joke. "Sometimes, my skin just itches with the need to leave everything behind for a few hours."

"So no one knows you are out here?"

The detective stared out the window, the landscape disappeared in a blob of shadows behind them. "No," he replied after a few moments with a soft mumble. "I don't suppose anyone do."

Usui did not respond, and the subsequent silence went undisturbed except for the sound of the radio. Shinichi's eyes started to dip as the minutes ticked by and exhaustion settled into his bones. It had been a long day, and the drifting of the soft music and the warmth of the heater did nothing to help him keep alert.

Usui seemed to not mind the silence, and Shinichi's mind drifted to other things. The last few months had gone by so quickly – it was already late-April and in another few weeks the end-term exams would begin. He should start making plans for the holiday soon, lest he got bullied into joining Ran and Sera's plans of touring America and visiting Sera's own family to introduce her girlfriend to them. Even though his heart had slowly started to mend, and it no longer fluttered every time Ran sent a smile in his direction, it was still not a prospect he would enjoy.

He was finally getting over her, and it was a damned well about time too.

Shinichi was jolted awake from his thoughts as the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. He opened his eyes – not realizing before now that they had drifted close. He slowly unfurled from his position, and his leg throbbed in protest at the movement. He peered out of the window, but could not see any lights outside that indicated they had reached civilisation.

They were still in the forest.

He turned towards Usui with a frown, only to freeze as a jolt shivered down his spine at the sight that greeted him.

Usui was holding the muzzle of a revolver in the direction of the detective. All traces of kindness had evaporated, and instead, a predatory hunger and insanity peered out from the brown eyes. "Get out of the car," came the growl, sending another shiver raking down Shinich's spine –this time in fear. The voice had lacked any human emotion whatsoever.

His hand went to the door automatically, his fingertips raked across the door for a few moments, before they finally dipped into the crack of the handle and he pushed the door ajar. As he stepped out, Usui followed the motion smoothly, never letting his gaze off Shinichi.

The detective started to sweat, his fingers itched to grab for his cane. However he was afraid he would be shot if he tried. No matter how much adrenaline was flooding and circulating in his system, Shinichi doubted he would get far if he tried running on his lame leg. He swallowed and held his palms up in the air to show his compliance – if running would be of no use, perhaps talking him down would? He had to at least utilize his every option.

"You don't have to –" he started, but was cut short as Usui grinned.

"But I want to."

Shinichi's eyes darted towards the gun and back to the man's face, who was shivering in anticipation, indicating this was not first time he had picked up a hitchhiker. The mask of the kind, middle-aged banker with receding, grey hair had evaporated and switched out with that of a cold ruthlessness that mimicked a predator with a prey in clear view who knew that he would soon be feasting.

The detective did not have to think twice to know conversing would do him no good. He switched to his third alternative – stalling for time in the hope that someone would drive past. Shinichi licked his lips slowly as something niggled with familiarity in the back of his head. "Tell me, are you the one who's been leaving the thirteen bodies in your wake in the Kanto region the last few months?"

Usui's grin widened and the flashing of teeth made him look almost hungry at the fact that Shinichi recognized him. "My reputation precedes me, I see."

The detective gave a non-committal hum in respond, keeping a stoic exterior in order to keep the tumbling fear at bay. He had gotten into a dangerous predicament; one he was not sure if he could escape in his current condition. Thankfully psychopaths had a weak-spot for compliments. If he'd had time to be reprimanding, he would have scolded himself for getting into this situation – for once more he had committed a grave error in judgement. How could he had been so stupid accepting a ride from a stranger?

"You are clever, I've heard. Changing hunting grounds – being unpredictable."

There was a flicker of pride and enjoyment over the compliment in the killer's face. "Oh aye, I'm no fool. The police will never catch me," he started to step around the car to approach the detective, and his eyes burned with an intense anticipation as he scrutinized the detective. Every step he took was slow and controlled, indicating he had been keeping himself fit and strong for this purpose alone. It was a scare tactic – and one which was definitely working. "If you know so much about me, I'm sure you know what comes next. You are a pretty one, so I'll let you decide; would you like me to take you dead or alive?"

Shinichi pressed himself against the door of the vehicle as a flood of fear raked through him from the hungry gaze. His throat constricted painfully at the mere thought – and not at the prospect of death. He had never minded death, as he was surrounded by it in his every day. Not to mention being in near-death situations far too many times.

No, what Usui was lusting after was something completely different. A cardinal need that had twisted his mind into insanity.

The detective glanced behind him, hoping against everything that he would see the lights of a car in the distance. Usui was kind enough to let him pour over his options in silence – knowing full well that the detective had nowhere to escape if he tried, and the question remained if Shinichi was willing to be submit himself to sexual assault just to live a little longer. Also, getting closer to Usui would give him the chance of overpowering him: Shinichi might have a disadvantage, but he was by no means defenceless.

On the other hand, disgust raked through him at the very thought of the chance he could fail in his attempt to escape.

"What's the verdict then? Take a chance that someone might stumble upon us?"

The subsequent grin made Shinichi's attention snap back to Usui with surprise curling in his chest. The murderer was more observant than Shinichi had originally thought – the kind looking banker was definitely a wolf in sheep clothing if he was so adapt at hiding his true nature. Those were the kind of individuals who were hard to catch as they did not operate with the same moral complex as second-degree murderers – who killed out of anger, revenge, grief, love and so forth.

Shinichi held his stance and thinned his lips in response.

Usui laughed as an expression of glee spread across his face. "Oh, I do like you. Most cower in terror and plead me to not harm them. I would usually just shoot them at this point."

The detective swallowed, but kept his expression carefully neutral.

The culprit seemed to finally lose his patience, as he started to inch forwards. The hand not holding the revolver, reached out to grab Shinichi. The detective swallowed and pressed further into the door, trying to create some space between them. His shoulders tensed and he clenched his left hand, ready to strike out and try grab the gun when the killer got into range.

There was a sudden flash of light in the darkness followed by a 'swish' sound, and immediately Usui recoiled backwards. Eyes darting to the shadows as a ferocious growl escaped his throat and he pointed the gun towards the forest. He made the mistake of turning his attention away from Shinichi, who did not spare a second as he jumped forward to grab the murderer's arm. He pushed his elbow into Usui's stomach, and wrenched the gun away from the killer with a swift and strong flick of his hands –

And instantly pointed it towards Usui as Shinichi stepped back so the man could not launch at him immediately in retaliation. He was granted a miracle – his leg did not shake as adrenaline soared through his system and kept him steady.

"Hands in the air, Usui Eiji. You are under arrest for the murder and rape of seven women and six men," his voice echoed into the night, and his captive froze in his steps where he had started to make a movement towards the detective in order to recapture the gun with brute force. Although the detective was a consultant and not a police officers, and did not actually possess the power to actually arrest him, the murderer was not aware of this fact.

Usui's eyes reflected only the whiteness of his eyes as he sneered in anger. Shinichi did not dare look away in fear that the man would spring at the detective if he did. Instead he called with a hint of aggravation lacing his tone to his midnight companion.

"What took you so long? Next time, someone else can play the bait."

The answering voice sent a shiver of surprise down his spine, as the tone of voice indicated utter confusion as it replied with a stuttering voice – as well as ringing very familiar to his ears. "Yo-you were bait?"

The detective inched his head to the side as his nostrils vibrated in surprise – hoping against everything he had misinterpret a situation for once, keeping one eye on Usui, the other one trying to seek the person from the shadows. He did not have to wait long before a shadow walked into the light from the beams of the car. For a second, his pulse sky-rocket in utter horror as the person revealed themselves to be none other than Kuroba Kaito – and validating his previous deduction with an uncaring force for the well-being of Shinichi's heart which was beating in panic and alarm at the knowledge that the magician had stepped right into something which could have been a perilous situation and gotten them both killed.

Kaito's attire consisted of dark fabric so he would be easier to blend into the background, and he slowly stepped forward with an unmistakable weapon clutched in his hands. His expression was stoic and tight, however Shinichi knew him well enough to see the clear signs of nervousness and fear in the way he held his shoulders.

A glance to the car was proof enough to make Shinichi's deduction a factuality, as the ace of hearts quivered against the metal where it had gotten stuck. There was only one possible explanation to this – Kuroba Kaito was Kaitou KID. He could not stop the strangled sound that escaped his throat in utter bafflement.

Utter relief flooded through him for a fraction of a second at the knowledge that the magician would not have been entirely helpless if Shinichi had not managed to wrench the gun from Usui's hold – at least he would not have been easily taken down. The rapid beating of his heart decreased now that the immediate danger had passed. However, Shinichi was now currently staggered with surprise over the entire situation, as well as indecision.

In the last eight months they had known each other, Kaito had completely floored Shinichi a total of four times – the magic trick, apparently not dating Nakamori Aoko, being gay, and now, having a secret identity as an elusive phantom thief. His thoughts dispersed in a disarray of disconnections. Never in his entire life had anyone managed to make a fool of him so thoroughly more than once. Instead of feeling any anger at the realization that he had been deceived, what bubbled in his throat was something completely different and he swore loudly.

"You got to be kidding me."

Kaito flinched, his eyes darting towards Usai who suddenly looked rather puzzled, before settling back on the detective once more. His lips twitched downwards in something the detective could only call distress, however there was an unmistakable lit in his eyes from knowing that Shinichi was safe and sound and not in mortal danger as he had previously believed. When he finally responded, his tone was low and tight with an unmistakable quiver of hesitation and worry. "It's not what it looks like."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow and scepticism laced his stone as he replied. "And what exactly does it look like?"

The magician stopped in his track towards them, and his lips thinned with a frown with a dark emotion flickering across his features. "Yeah, alright. It's exactly what it looks like. Please let me explain –"

"I'd recommend not doing that right at this moment," Shinichi interjected with an exasperated voice as both their eyes shifted back to regard Usai, who held up his palm in surrender with an amused expression glittering behind dangerous eyes.

"You might as well, this is the best drama show I'll ever have the opportunity to watch."

"Can I deck him?" Kaito asked airily as he looked back to Shinichi for permission, in a way that told him that the magician was trying to light up the gravity of the situation. Despite Usui being compliant for the moment, Shinichi did not dare take his eyes off him for a second, and Kaito was practical enough to agree wholeheartedly – regardless of the fact that the elusive phantom thief had revealed his civilian persona to a detective. Two criminals who both merited an arrest – however Shinichi could not care at the current moment.

The detective contemplated Kaito's request for a few seconds, but he never got the chance to reply as the siren from the police car arrived a moment later. Shinichi cursed underneath his breath as his backup finally arrived. It would definitely be the last time he would ever be manipulated into playing the bait.

…

"Kuroba?"

"Hmh?"

"Why are you here?"

Kaito frowned and turned to face Shinichi properly. They stood on the outskirts of the light flooding the area from the police cars. The red and blue light casted shadows over the magician's face, and made it hard to properly gouge his facial expressions. Usui Eiji had already been removed from the scene, and the forensic team was currently inspecting his car.

"Ran called me –"

Now, it was Shinichi's time to frown in confusion. "What does –" he blinked as he suddenly remembered he had promised to join her and Sera for dinner earlier, and he swore for the third time this evening. How could he have forgotten something that important? He could imagine Ran calling everyone she knew in a desperate attempt of trying to reach him, as broken promises in the past had proven to be caused by a disastrous engagement.

Kaito must have seen in his face when he remembered, and he patted Shinichi on the shoulder in sympathy, glad it was the detective and not him on the wrong end of Ran's chewing out this time.

"How did you find me anyway?" Shinichi frowned in confusion. He was all the way out in Yokohama, after all.

To his surprise, Kaito lowered his eyes as a flush appeared on his cheeks.

He blinked in confusion from the reaction, before starting to knead his shirt in a scrutinizing examination with an angry crease on his forehead as he finally realized there was only one possibly logical explanation to how Kaito had been able to track him down: "You put a locater on me?" he hissed through clenched teeth, and all friendly manner evaporated as his stomach twisted from the surge of strong emotions of fury and betrayal – as well as utter disbelief.

Kaito took a step back, and raised his palms up. "I didn't. I wouldn't."

Shinichi narrowed his eyes, his hands convulsing with the need to hit someone square in the face. He might have a niggling feeling of who the perpetrator was, and he was damned well going to let someone suffer the consequences – he was not a helpless child. "Then who?"

The magician looked away, clear hesitation reading in his features at his reluctance of throwing someone into the wildfire for the sake of his own life. His shoulders were tensed in a way that told the detective Kaito was struggling with a flight and fight reflex, however there was a vulnerability in the creases around his eyes that told him the magician was waiting for Shinichi to abide his time and arrest him at any second – and he had resigned to his faith without struggle.

Shinichi's anger subsided marginally at that. Despite everything, Kaito was still Kaito. Stubbornly faithful to his friends, nothing had really changed now that he knew the magician was in fact Kaitou KID. After the shock and feeling of being taken for a fool subsided, he realized there could never have been a sinister reason for their blossoming friendship. Shinichi was not even a detective on the KID taskforce, and never attended the heist as Kudo Shinichi and so the thief would not be able to use him for inside information. He was a homicide detective after all.

There had never been any tactical advantages in befriending Shinichi for Kaito – especially when he had worked so desperately hard to be a figure of importance in the detective's life. The more Shinichi pondered over the situation, the more he came to realize that they had been sharing pretty similar souls as they had been drawn together. All any of them wanted was a friend who knew what the other had been through. At least, Shinichi had a circle of friends who knew about his time as Edogawa Conan, and his heart suddenly bled at the realization that maybe Kaito may not have anyone to support him.

Without meaning to, his anger had vanished and the adrenaline that had kept him going suddenly left him tired and exhausted to the bone. He ached to have his cane to lean on, now that his leg had started to throb, and he put a hand on Kaito's shoulder and squeezed. To convey that there were no hard feelings – anyone remotely intelligent would realize that telling a group full of self-righteous detectives that you were an international art thief was a terrible idea– and to use Kaito to keep his balance.

As for the reason to why he had ever turned to the persona of Kaitou KID, Shinichi was sure he had a perfectly good explanation and he would be ready to listen once they managed to get some privacy and the magician was ready to tell. Now was neither the time nor the place for it, as they could be approached by one of the police officers at any current moment – only later would he realize that arresting Kaito had never even crossed his mind.

"We are going to have a long talk about this later," he murmured, and Kaito shot him a surprised look as his eyes lit up with hope and he nodded in agreement – clearly understanding that the detective had no intention of outing him, and the tension finally dissolved from his shoulder as a quick flicker of attentive fondness flashed across his eyes too fast for Shinichi to read.

…

Later somehow did not happen until five days later as they suddenly got far too busy to have a full afternoon and evening open to hold the conversation. In fact, Shinichi dragged himself to bed tired to the bone every night, as he had been flooded with homework and police reports after finally capturing the Kanto serial killer the police had been chasing for over eight months.

He was suddenly awoken from his slumber by a sound that did not belong in his apartment. His ears prickled as he tried locating it again, but all he heard was the humming from the kitchen, and the ticking of a clock from his study room. He sat up slowly, holding his breath for a few moments, wondering if he was being paranoid.

He glanced to the side to eye the alarm clock. It blinked 6. 45 pm at him, and it would normally be an odd time for him to be asleep, had he not been up for the last thirty-eight hours and had fallen to bed the moment he got home from a case. He raked a hand through his hair and sighed. Now that he was awake, he might as well get up.

He threw the blanket to the side, and eased himself out of bed by using the night stand for balance. He plucked the cane from where it hung from the hook next to the bed. He wobbled forwards as he worked the stiffness from his limbs, and he had a headache brewing behind his forehead and painful spasms in his thigh.

Shinichi walked out of the bedroom and made a beeline to the kitchen. He only heard the creak of the floorboards behind him a second too late, before there was a cloth smelling unmistakably of chloroform covering his mouth and nose, and a strong arm around his waist to keep him from sliding to the floor at the inevitable outcome. He barely had the time to utter a surprised groan as he was pressed against a hard chest. The assailant's arm around his waist trapped his arms effectively against his body, and Shinichi's cane slipped from his grip as it slacked when the numbness flooded through his system before he had any chance to struggle and fight back.

His last thought before he succumbed to darkness was 'the culprit is definitely male.'

The first thing he heard as he returned to consciousness was the droning of a speeding car. His head bumped against the window, and the vibrations made his nose itch – not in the trunk. His mouth felt dry and cotton-like from the substance used to knock him out, and if he concentrated, he could feel the soft fabric of a blind fold on him. There was no way to quickly deduce how long he had been out – however he imagined it could not be more than 20-30 minutes as the doze of chloroform had not been that strong as indicated by the smell. Keeping his breathing even, he opened his eyes trying to peer out – maybe he might be able to see something if the cloth was see-through enough… However, he could see nothing but darkness.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," a familiar voice hummed from the direction of the driver's seat, and Shinichi sat up in surprise.

With a disgruntled noise, he reached up to remove the blindfold, ready to chew the magician out for scaring him. What the hell was Kaito thinking, kidnapping him?

"Please keep it on," his voice was softer this time, filled with a hope that Shinichi would obey his request, however there was an undertone of I'm not going to argue if you don't.

It made the detective freeze in surprise, and his heart fluttered as a subsequent reaction in surprise. "Why?" he managed to muster after a moment, completely baffled and confused by the situation and meaning both 'why did you decide it was a good idea to knock me out' and 'why keep wearing the blindfold'.

The only reply from the magician's side was a riddled: "Humour me."

So Shinichi did as he was told. He was not sure why he did, but he felt that whatever had merit an abduction from his own apartment must be important. That, or Kaito knew from the get-go that if he had asked, Shinichi would say no. Either option made his stomach churn with a foreboding feeling. The car drive continued in silence for a few more moments, other than the American pop song playing from the radio.

The detective licked his lips, feeling rather out of place not knowing where he was or where they were heading. Having started the journey out of commission, he had no starting point to work with. However, his ears still prickled automatically, trying to pick up any recognisable sounds from outside in the hope for a clue.

Kaito must have come to the conclusion that the detective would not be an entirely willing captive, and so he spoke to keep Shinichi from cheating.

"My father was the original Kaitou KID."

Shinichi turned his head towards Kaito in surprise and curiosity, as he had not expected that to be the start of a conversation. All interest in figuring out their mysterious destination vanished from his mind, and he sat up to listen more closely. He remembered Aoko telling him Kaito's father had died while he was young –

"I took up the mantle in order to investigate the truth behind his death," Kaito's words were low, however there were no quiver in his tone and he spoke with a clear voice. "There was a criminal organization looking for a gem – Pandora."

The detective listen to his tale carefully, his heart beat with the magician's words in reverence as he continued. Pandora was apparently a gem who bestowed immortality to its wearer when the Hailey Comet appeared in the sky. The gem was hidden within another and glowed red in the light of the full moon.

The entire story felt unreal, like something out of a fairy-tale or a cheap manga. He did not question it, as Kaito's word rang with the truth, without any deceit. And frankly, it was far too implausible to be fiction. This explained so much about the magician and Kaitou KID's actions, and Shinichi was flattered that Kaito had chosen to tell him. There were no longer any secrets between them – well, mostly, since Shinichi had not imparted with the full version of what happened to him, but that was a story for another time.

He licked his lips, the curiosity burning within him as he finally voiced the question, all the while having a tightness to his chest with the knowledge that Kaito had done all this practically alone without allies, while he'd had more than he could count to rely on – regardless of any of them actually knowing the truth of who he was, he had always had most of the police and FBI to trust. "Did you find it?"

The vocal response was a few second late, unnaturally so, indicating that Kaito had originally nodded his head as he forgot that the detective's vision was obscured by a blindfold.

"I did, a year and a half ago. I destroyed it," he continued before Shinichi could ask, and continued the story telling how Suzuki Jirokichi had been the one discovering it in a four-thousand-year-old previously undiscovered tomb in Mesopotamia on one of his crazy menopause adventures. That was how Snake and the organization he worked for had not gotten their hands on it yet. And it was only by pure luck that Kaito had been the one to get his grabby fingers on it first.

"I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw it," the magician's voice was low and filled with awe as he described the jewel, "I had expected it to be just another failure. But there, within the Moonlit Princess was the red glow of a second gem. It was nothing like the crimson red I had imagined it would be, instead it reflected the fire of a red sun."

He had not destroyed Pandora immediately, rather used her as bait to lure Snake and the organisation into a trap. It suddenly prickled with familiarity in the back of the detective's mind – there had been something about a fall of a second organisation in the weeks after his first stay in the hospital, after the fall of the Black Organisation. He had not paid it much attention as the CIA and FBI had been preoccupied hunting down the rest of the members of the BO, and they had assumed the second group fell, weaken after the connections between the two was cut.

There was a silence in the car for a long moment after Kaito finished his tale, as the detective needed a little while to soak up the new information, and the magician was too far gone reminiscing the past.

"Why didn't you arrest me? Earlier I mean, before you learnt the truth behind my reason for picking up the mantle of Kaitou KID."

Shinichi glanced in the direction of Kaito, although he could not see his facial expression, he could tell the magician's eyes were glued to the traffic in an attempt to hide the nervous but curious expression reflected in his tone of voice.

"Because I know you," he responded a mere moment later, letting his head fell back towards the seat as all tension drained from his shoulders he had noticed he had been carrying for the last few days in anticipation and worry – there had always been that one niggling doubt that maybe, just maybe, he could not approve of Kaito's motivations. His mind flashed back towards all those months ago at the party when they had briefly discussed the topic of what reasons lay underneath Kaitou KID's drive. He wondered for a moment if Kaito had tried to hint to him then. "I'd like to think myself a good judge of character, Kuroba. Jumping to conclusions on this matter would be entirely unfair to either of us."

He could hear the ruffling of clothing as Kaito shifted in his seat, and when he spoke his tone of voice with a lingering emotion of fond affection. "Thank you."

Shinichi's heart fluttered in his chest, and he felt a warmth spread within unbiddenly for a reason he could not phantom. Of course he would thread carefully when it came to judging the actions of someone he considered a dear friend. He was no fool – he would not break up relations easy and most likely based on fallacy without getting the full discloser. Kaito had owed him that much at least.

"No need. I'm the one who should be thanking you: you saved my life," his lips quirked upwards as he continued, "again. I think I'm obligated to do as much at this point."

"We really should stop making this become a habit," Kaito shot in, there was a lightness to his tone, indicating that he too had started to relax as the seconds ticked by and Shinichi did not seem inclined to throw out any accusations of 'why didn't you tell me before?' or something akin to how Kaito was a lying bastard for not disclosing this secret earlier. He sounded almost surprised at how the detective was soaking in the information and the revelation so calmly – and the detective felt marginally hurt how Kaito kept anticipating him to push him away at any current moment. Regardless of the fact that he had done so while he was hospitalized, and guilt started to gnaw in his stomach as he pushed the downward spiralling of his thoughts firmly away. Now was not the time nor place for melancholy.

"Don't count on it," he grinned in response instead, and they shared a chuckle that filled the car with amusement that surprisingly did not feel forced from the detective. There was something about Kaito that somehow put him in an automatic better mood and kept him from mulling over the murky angles of human nature and the world, as well from his own dark thoughts. Shinichi did have a tendency to overthink and overanalyse every prospect of his life and interactions with other people. It was the unbidden consequences of being a homicidal detective whose sole purpose and job was to bring to light the ugliness of humanity.

Knowing the two of them – they would definitely land in some sort of trouble again sooner or later. Shinichi did have an uncanny ability of getting into perilous situations, and this time he knew Kaito could handle himself without difficulty. He would lie if he said it did not lift a weight from his shoulder. The guilt of unintentionally bring danger to the magician had still been lingering in the back of his mind for months – and that it would be his fault if something ever happened to Kaito.

"Where are you taking me?" Shinichi asked eventually, his lips dry and restlessness itching in his body from being seated too long.

"We are almost there," was the only cryptic response, and the detective sighed, resigning to the fact that he would only find out when they finally reached their destination. Kaito must have taken pity on him as he continued with what sounded like a teasing grin on his face.

"Don't worry, we are soon there."

"If I got a penny every time someone told me that, I'd be rich," Shinichi grumbled in response, but did not ask any further. Instead, he listened to the noise from the outside of the car, and Kaito did nothing to prevent him for trying to guess this time. As they continued on their journey, he started to pick up the sound of music in the distance. It was a rather distinctive song. If he remembered correctly –

Frowning he sat and he turned his head to scowl in the direction of the magician, not caring that he could not see the facial expression, and so let the disbelief lace his words.

"You aren't seriously taking me to –"

"Yupp," Kaito interjected with an entirely too cheerful tone that made the detective want to swat him. There was a certain delight in his voice that indicated he was impressed that Shinichi had figured it out, and his heart started to flutter from the unspoken praise.

"Can I take off the blindfold now?" he asked instead, since keeping it a mystery was no longer necessary now that he had figured it out. When the magician made an affirmative hum, Shinichi ripped it off his face. For a moment, the light was blinding, but it quickly disappeared as he stared out the window with a sinking feeling in the pit his stomach. Figuring it out was a different thing to actually spotting it with his own eyes.

For some odd reason, Kaito had kidnapped him and brought him…

To the circus.

The multi-coloured tents cut through the darkness as light illuminated from every one of them. There was a merry-go-around with mythological creatures to the immediate right, and behind the tent loomed a large Ferris Wheel. The feeling of utter bafflement followed Shinichi as the car finally came to a stop and they exited the vehicle. The place was crawling with people of every age, and the smell of popcorn, hotdogs and cotton candy tickled his nose. The ground was dusty and every few meters there was a candy wrapper on the floor.

It was not before they entered the place and Kaito won him a blue teddy bears from one of the booths that he finally dared to ask: "Why the hell did you bring me here?" he held the bear oddly in his arm as though it was a vicious creature trying to take a bit off him, and his eyes darted back and forwards in bewilderment and he could hear the sound of an elephant's trumpet in the distance.

Kaito did not respond immediately, instead he took the detective by his elbow and gently herded him towards the closest cart with glow sticks and other odd artefacts you could wear that glowed in every shades of the rainbow. He declined wearing one, and Kaito only shrugged before putting on a braid with springy hearts that glowed red. The blinking red lights cast shadows across the magician's features and his eyes seemed to both glow and shimmer with contentment. It somehow looked both ridiculous and slightly adorable on him.

"Kuroba," he tried again to no avail, and he soon had to balance a teddy bear and a stick with pink and blue cotton candy with one hand. The magician did not look remotely dejected at his strict tone, and looked almost radiant with happiness as he gently led Shinichi from one attraction to the other as though he was just a lifeless doll in his hands that he wanted to show the enjoyment of the world to. They spent about ten minutes entertaining some kids with his magic tricks, and Shinichi could not find himself to feel angry at the magician any longer when the children followed his every movement with an awestruck expression and wonderment glittering in their eyes.

In the eight months that they had known each other, he had never seen Kaito so peaceful, as if a huge burden had lifted from his shoulders. It only took him a few more moments longer to realize there had. He had finally opened up and shared his secrets with Shinichi. The detective had always known there were something Kaito had been hiding under the buoyant and eccentric surface – however he had never prodded the issue after deducing that, knowing it could not be anything malicious, as everyone were allowed to keep certain secrets for themselves. The gods knew Shinichi had enough secrets lurking on his own, some which he would never disclose.

The magician looked relaxed now in a way Shinichi had never seen him before, and made a smile twitch on his lips in gratitude that for once he could be the one reassuring Kaito that whatever had happened in the past – the detective accepted it wholeheartedly. The exchange of trust meant the world to him.

There were no more secrets between them, and Shinichi felt the last of the tension that had been in his shoulders finally dissipate, as well as the murky mood that had brewed while he had been left with his own thought in the car. It had unbiddenly melted away, like dew on a window when the morning sun appeared – and only in hindsight did he consider the ludicrous of the comparison.

The exchange of trust and secrets was a huge relief for the detective also – he no longer had to hide his past that involved being Edogawa Conan, as Kaitou KID had somehow figured out his true identity. They would have to talk about that one day, as he had been curious how Kaito had managed to deduce that ridiculous fact – what sane person could possibly think someone could de-age? However, that was a tale for another day, for now he was more than comfortable to leave it be as he enjoyed his rather sudden and odd visit to the circus.

He stopped struggling after that and went along with Kaito willingly as they finally went in the direction of the large tent - a performance was to start soon. The crowd got too tensely occupied at that point, and Kaito pilfered the teddy bear from Shinichi and took his hand lest they lost each other in the crowd.

It was a comforting warmth, one of companionship and the knowledge they neither was alone as they struggled against the stream. Shinichi's heart started to fluttering again, this time as a warmth spread across his chest in an unbidden affection. If it assembled the way his heart used to flutter around Ran a few months ago, he did not make a mental remark on it.

They finally found their seats, and their hands were still interlocked for a lingering moment before they retreated from each other. Kaito bumped his shoulder against Shinichi, and peered at him from underneath his eyelashes with a soft and tender emotion swimming in his eyes – it made the detective's mouth dry.

"This is why I took you to the circus."

Shinichi blinked slightly in response, and Kaito must have seen the confused expression as his lips curled up in a smile that lacked any of the characteristic humour or buoyancy, rather displayed only his fondness over the detective.

"Sometimes, we all need to take a breather. You more than any deserve it, working yourself to the bone to make up for everyone you believed you failed by arriving a minute too late to a crime scene." His lips quirked upwards in affection as he spoke, and Shinichi could not take his gaze off him – he was slightly disappointed over the fact that Kaito had once more concealed the mole underneath his left eye. "You cannot do everything, Shinichi, but you are amazing in the way you always try. You deserve only the best, and you really should stop overanalysing everything. It's not healthy. Besides, I don't think I've ever seen you smile like that."

Shinichi had not realized he had been smiling, and suddenly his cheeks started to ache, indicating just then how long it had been plastered across his face. His heart never stopped fluttering from both the magician's words and from the intense eyes, and when the show started, it took them a few moments to rip their gazes away from each other.

Shinichi was marginally surprised over how much he actually enjoyed the circus and the show. It had never been his kind of scene, but with the magician's warmth by his side and his soft murmur in his ears as he commented on an observation with a witty tongue – the detective admitted to be minuscule glad for the unprompted kidnapping as he would never have accepted if approached with an invitation. Although he would never admit to it, lest Kaito got into the habit of kidnapping him as a regular occurrence.

At one point the blue teddy bear appeared back into the detective's lap once more, and he did not relinquish his grip on the toy all the way until he returned to his apartment. It smelled of cotton candy and the carnival, of liquorice and sulphur from when the magician had borrowed it for one of his magic tricks to the captivated audience before the show, and a scent that was purely Kaito.

…

A/N: Okay, I lied about the clowns. But I'm sure they were in the vicinity.