Chapter 7: Interruptions #1
Kaito had just pulled out his backpack from seemingly nowhere when Conan returned to the room, having changed to casual clothes and carrying a backpack with him. He smiled at the pre-teen, previous embarrassment compartmentalized by Poker Face for the moment. He really did appreciate how Conan preferred wearing more casual clothes compared to the formal suit wear he had seen Shinichi wear in some newspaper clippings.
Wearing denim jeans, and the KID part of his brain immediately took notice of the familiar ball-belt and powered-sneakers, an opened checkered polo over a loose white shirt, Conan was the epitome of boyish youth. The glasses he wore merely emphasized the look, instead of the expected nerdy look the oversized spectacles brought to mind. How his tantei-kun managed to pull that off, he only had the boy's naturally good genes to blame.
Conan gestured towards the backpack in the magician's hands, slightly amused. "I think this marks the first time I've actually seen you with your tools, Kaitou."
Kaito grinned, only the knowledge that Conan was referring to the Kaitou of Kaitou KID allowing his heart to remain calm. (Or is he? Dammit, I hate feeling like a detective.) "Oh, but this is for Kurosaki Ken, cousin." Rolling his eyes, Conan slung his pack over his shoulder. "Well, anyway, have you figured out where to go?"
Kaito jumped to his feet, hand itching to ruffle the mini-detective's hair, self-preservation stopping him from actually doing so. "I might have heard of a carnival just near Beika. It seems that they have a mystery theme going on, are you interested? We can take the train and get there in just a few minutes. After that," Kaito flung his arms outwards, ever the showsman, "We'll go where the winds will take us!"
A soft smile graced Conan's lips. He was still his parent's son after all, and he knew the allure of travelling as much as he knew his wayward parents. He simply needed stability as well, whereas his parents were content to hop from one continent to another constantly. Though, Ran was still a bigger part of his decision to stay rather than come with his parents.
Seeing the smile made Kaiot content, happy that one of his numerous backup plans had worked. As KID going to new places were always tempered with the need to scout for escape routes, and enjoying the scenery was brief, only a few seconds at the most.
"Then let's go! The world awaits!" Kaito bounded towards the door, only to snatch his hand back when it opened, and three people entered.
"Conan-kun! Let's play!"
Kaito had to immediately slam his Poker Face back on, bringing Kurosaki Ken to the surface. (Right, Conan's cousin from America. Graduate student, majored in Physics. Fun-loving, mischievous. Here with Conan for the weekend.)
Meanwhile, Conan stepped forward to confront the intruders, giving Kaito time to fully immerse into Ken. "You guys! Why are you here? And aren't we too old to play?" came Conan's exasperated reply. Ayumi giggled, hands behind her back as she said. "Ai-chan told me to check on you, saying that you'd be 'up to no good' if you were left alone." Conan pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, muttering, "What the heck Haibara? That demon spawn."
Apparently, he hadn't muttered low enough, as Mitsuhiko gasped in affront, taking offence for the missing person of the Detective Boys group.
"Who are you?" The rude question was directed to Kaito—Ken—by Genta, who was pointing a finger at him accusingly.
"Yo! I'm Kurosaki Ken, you can call me Ken-nii-chan!" Tilting his head towards Conan, he confirmed. "That's the right suffix, I hope?"
Conan tugged at his ear in irritation, having been forced to listen to Mitsuhiko's aggressive defense of Haibara's character. "Yeah, don't worry Ken-nii," Kaito was only mildy surprised to find Conan was able to adjust to his character change easily, "These are my classmates; Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko."
"Oi Conan!" Genta yelled. "You're not doing our introduction right!"
"What?" Mitsuhiko spluttered, turning red in embarrassment. "We're doing that? No way!" Ayumi pouted. "Aw, why not? We're the Detective Boys and proud of it!"
Ken smiled, putting one hand on Conan's shoulder. "The Detective Boys? Ah, I've heard about you guys! COna has shared some stories about you before."
"He had?" Ayumi's cheeks flushed pink. (Kaito snickered inwardly at Conan's embarrassed suffering face. So Ojou-san still has that crush on him huh? And he calls me Casanova.)
Mitsuhiko frowned at the obvious crush the girl has for Conan, slight jealousy tainting his voice as he asked, "He did? Who are you to Conan-kun then?"
(What a loaded question. Kaito internally mused the many ways he could answer as Ken introduced himself cheerfully. Thief to his detective? Ally to his cause? Friends bonded over similar fates? Lover-)
Kaito had to struggle to keep Ken on his face as his brain screeched to a halt. Nope. No brain. Not going there. He was pretty sure he didn't like Tantei-kun like that. Nope.
He was relieved to focus on the question Ayumi asked him. "So where are you gonna take Conan-kun for the weekend?" He leaned down slightly, smile not showing the strain of his thoughts as he pushed back Kaito and brought back Ken, "Well, I just wanted to spend some time with my favorite cousin, you know? So we're probably just gonna go around touring some places that we'd both like. We were actually about to go to a carnival, and we'd probably stay at some hotel for the night."
The three pre-teens were suitably awed by Conan's cousin who looked like a foreigner, and was rich enough to spend money on a one-night stay for a hotel. Ken preened at the attention, standing back up to his full height. Mitsuhiko asked, "That's amazing! Are you going to go back to America after the weekend then?" He pointed to the backpack that Ken was carrying. "You can probably only fit a few days' clothes in there, so you musn't be staying long in Japan?"
Ken chuckled at the observation. They were friends with Conan alright. "Eh?" Ayumi questioned. "You're only staying for two days? But it's our summer vacation you know! Don't you want to spend some more time with Conan-kun?" With her hands on her hips, Ayumi directed a disappointed stare at him. Just a few more years and he was sure that the girl would be able to bring men down on their knees. As it was, he could only shrug and say, "Unfortunately so. That's why I'm not letting him stay inside the house for the rest of my stay."
Genta pushed Conan on his shoulder, "That's right! You gotta drag him out! Make sure you don't go inside a bookstore either!"
"That's right!" Ayumi clapped her hands in glee. "Can we come with you guys to the carnival? We can give you tips on how to handle him then!"
Ken smiled at Conan's reply of, "How to handle? Haibara's been brainwashing you too much!", but inwardly, Kaito frowned. While he did appreciate the fact that Conan's friends cared for him so much, the point of this whole weekend was to allow Conan to breathe for a while. Being around his pre-teen friends would only force Conan to keep his act up.
Thankfully, Mitsuhiko shook his head. "If Conan-kun's relative is only here for a limited time, we should let them bond together on their own, Ayumi-chan." "Che!" Genta frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, "Conan always gets the best adventures!"
Conan waved his hand in denial. "Maa, it's alright isn't it? You guys can just schedule a camping trip or something with Hakase and Haibara when they get back to make up for it."
"Really?" The three pounced on the promise immediately. "You can't get out of this one, okay?" Turning, Genta dragged Mitsuhiko out the door. "Come on then! We should go to somewhere we haven't gone to yet! I wanna eat something new!" "That's the only reason you're ever excited aren't you?"
Ayumi turned to follow the two boys, before bowing at Ken and smiled. "Goodbye then, Conan's Ken-nii-san!" Before Kaito could understand why his heart was thumping in glee at being Conan's, the girl had clasped said boy's hands in her own, a move that Kaito had used on the boy just a few minutes earlier. "We'll see you then okay? Have fun!"
As the door closed on the blushing girl, Conan mumbled under his breath. "Thank God she didn't kiss me on the cheek this time."
Kaito twitched. Hah?!
