A.N: I was going to just ditch this chapter since I looked at it and it's really a filler, but then again, I did write it, so yeah, here it is.
Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK
Illusions of the Sun
6: Standing Still
"Have fun!" Shinichi called, waving.
Chikage and Kaito waved back before setting off down the street towards the bus stop. The two of them were headed for the opera being performed at one of the city's larger theaters. It was a show Chikage had always wanted to see and the theater had been selling tickets at a discount as part of a promotion. They'd asked if he wanted to go with them but he'd declined. Kaito and his mother deserved to have some time alone together. That, and there was something Shinichi couldn't ignore.
They were going to have an uninvited guest and he had to set up a few, ah, welcoming devices. He'd have to borrow some of Kaito's supplies, but he knew the magician wouldn't mind.
He had only just finished setting everything up when he glimpsed a shadow outside the backyard door. Ducking quickly down behind the kitchen counter, he peeked around the corner.
The first feature of the intruder that Shinichi saw was the huge, bristling mustache. It dominated what felt like at least a third of the man's face and he couldn't stop himself from staring (it was only by biting his tongue that he managed not to laugh out loud). Beneath the baseball hat pulled low over weasel-like eyes the rest of the man was fairly unmemorable.
Drawing back fully behind the shield of the kitchen counter, Shinichi crawled around the corner before pausing again to listen. There was a long moment of silence before he heard a series of strange, scraping noises. Eventually the window over the kitchen sink creaked open. There followed the sound of the intruder carefully climbing inside—
The intruder let out an involuntary yell of surprise as his foot slipped on the inner edge of the counter by the sink where Shinichi had carefully applied oil that morning. There was a thump and a crash as he tumbled off the counter and landed painfully on the floor. Under the cover of the noise, Shinichi hurried up the stairs.
They didn't have much in the way of valuables in the house (or anywhere else for that matter). What little they did have that a burglar might consider worth stealing, he had already hidden away. In their place, Shinichi had left the guy a few…gifts, courtesy of Kaito's stock (which he would have to remember to run down to the store and replace).
X
Kaito had never been to an opera before. So he'd been looking forward to seeing what an opera would be like. Although what he really wanted to see was that excited glimmer in his mother's eyes as they filed inside to find their seats. It had been so long since they had just been able to go out and enjoy themselves as a family. They had had lunch at a small Italian restaurant before he'd spent a few hours giving his mother a tour of the city. And now they were here.
It kind of made him wish… But there wasn't any point in thinking about the what ifs.
"Kaito?"
Pulling his thoughts back to the present, he turned to meet his mother's curious gaze. "What is it?"
She studied his face for a long moment and he had to wonder how much of his thoughts she could guess. He could see the flicker of sadness in her gaze, but there was something else too. Something warm and bright.
"Thank you," she said softly.
And he really didn't know what he was supposed to say to that, because somewhere deep down he still felt like he should be apologizing. For not getting her out sooner and for having caused her so much worry. But in her smile he could see that none of that really mattered. Not anymore.
"Better look forward," he said finally, his own grin softening into a smile. "The show's about to begin."
X
Shinichi had to admit, the intruder was persistent. He'd expected the man to leave after he'd set off all seven traps downstairs and found nothing. But instead the guy was coming up the stairs in what sounded like a determined huff. Maybe the three bumps on the head and the plaster coat had only made him mad?
Well, if he wanted to come upstairs, it was his own fault for not taking the hint.
Slipping into his and Kaito's room, he carefully closed the door and ran a check over the wiring. Satisfied, he stepped back towards the door and wobbled as his vision twisted. Gritting his teeth, he dropped quickly to the ground and turned so that he could lean against the door.
He could not be taken by a vision right now!
His fists clenched at his sides as he gritted his teeth, fighting to focus on the solidity of the floor beneath him and the door against his back. His fingernails dug into his palms but the darkness around the edges of his vision continued to creep in. Everything was beginning to melt and fade. Cursing silently, he raised a hand to his mouth and bit down hard enough to draw blood and stifle the cry that had almost given him away. The pain in his hand pushed the wavering edges back and he shifted quickly so that he could place his eye against the crick between the door and its frame.
Almost as though on cue, he saw the dark silhouette of the intruder passing his position. Reaching out quickly, he tugged on the wire beside him.
That was when something massive, black, and hairy fell from the ceiling and right on top of the intruder. Parts of it were cold and slimy, other parts flapped loose, and the whole thing smelled of fur. It squealed. The man let out a yell as his nerve finally snapped.
Shinichi watched the man run from the house as though he had hell hounds on his trail with a satisfied smile. Now he just had to get everything back in order and make a run to the store before Kaito got home.
It never crossed his mind that there was such a thing as police.
X
"So what did you want for dinner?" Kaito inquired as he and his mother emerged from the opera house into the cooling, evening air. Around them the rest of the audience ebbed and flowed, their quiet chattering melding together into an indistinguishable hum.
"Anything is fine," Chikage replied, glancing up at the deepening blue of the sky. For an instant there, in the first moment of being outside again after the few hours spent in the dark performance hall, everything felt so surreal.
"How about sushi then?" Kaito suggested, steering them both through the dispersing crowd. "There's a sushi house not too far from here. I don't know how it would compare to back home, but…"
"Sushi sounds wonderful."
They were waiting for a table when a vaguely familiar voice called to them in surprise.
"Kaito?"
Glancing around, the magician spotted a girl whose dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. "Oh, hello. Kazuha, right?"
The girl nodded, smiling, before her gaze flickered to Chikage.
"This is my mom," Kaito said smoothly. "Mom, this is Toyama Kazuha."
"It's very nice to meet you," Kazuha said, bowing slightly to the older woman.
"Likewise," Chikage replied. "Are you here with your family then?"
"Mine and Heiji's actually," Kazuha explained. "I guess it's kind of a family tradition. My dad and Heiji's dad have known each other for a really long time and they work together a lot, so we all get together to eat dinner at least once every few weeks. The food here is amazing so we come here a lot."
"Can we ask you for recommendations then?" the older woman asked, gesturing at one of the menus she and Kaito had been perusing while they waited.
Kazuha's eyes lit up. "Of course." She cast a quick glance across the restaurant before picking up the menu. "They shouldn't miss me for a few more minutes. Let's see… Personally, I've always really liked the…"
X
"We're home!" Kaito called out as he and his mother entered the house. There was no response and all the lights were off.
"Hush, you should keep your voice down," Chikage admonished, moving to hang her coat in the closet. "It's late. Shinichi could already be asleep. In fact we should be going to bed ourselves."
"I guess," the magician said a touch doubtfully.
His mother smiled and wished him good night before retiring to her room. He watched her go then made his own way to his and Shinichi's room. It too was dark but for the glimmer of the moon's light. Apparently Shinichi had forgotten to close the curtains.
Shinichi himself was curled up on top of the covers. Even from across the room Kaito could see that he was indeed asleep. And that in itself was a bit odd. The oracle must have been extremely tired to have fallen asleep before Kaito got back. And obviously he hadn't intended to fall asleep if the book lying on the floor by the bed was any indication. Shinichi would never leave a book on the floor, especially not one of his beloved mystery novels. And there was the additional fact that he wasn't under the covers. But why would he be tired? He should have been at home the whole day.
Padding silently to the bed, Kaito frowned as his sharp eyes caught a glimpse of something on the oracle's hand. Carefully, he reached over and tugged Shinichi's hand out from where it had been half curled and tucked under the pillow. There was one of those large, square bandages wrapped over the thumb-side of his palm, but they didn't cover the crescent shaped marks left behind by overly tightly clenched fists. He didn't have to check to have a fair idea of what was under the band-aid. He stared at the marks for a long moment before releasing it and watching as it was absently tucked back under the pillow by its sleeping owner.
He sat on the edge of the bed for a long moment, just watching Shinichi sleep.
It was ironic, he reflected, the things that even magic couldn't change. They almost always seemed to be the things you wanted most.
Getting up, he shifted Shinichi under the covers, careful not to wake him. That done, he went to brush and change his clothes before returning. Gathering the sleeping oracle to him, he closed his eyes.
There were a lot of things he couldn't change, but there were also things that he could. They just had to take things one step at a time.
TBC
A.N: The next chapter will be more chapter-like, promise. ^.^ Hopefully it'll be up some time later this week. See you then!