A/N: Mist here~ Hello all! Thank you so much for sticking with this story all this time, it is great reading your lovely reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as all the rest~
Thanks to the lovely LadyShadow26 and BloodiedCoreofHope for all their help with this chapter! I enjoy working with them so much. *^-^*
Also, please make sure to check out our Pokemon crossover fic for Detective Conan and, well, Pokemon! Its in the crossover section and on LadyS' profile! Its called "Its Not Always Black and White".
Well, that's all! Please enjoy the chapter~
AN2: LadyS bringing you another chapter written almost entirely by the lovely Mist :) We had some struggles with this one as it's a bit of transitional chapter moving into a brand new arc for this story that I won't spoil just yet.
Just know that you can't have Detective Conan without a bit of...excitement. ;)
As always standard disclaimer we do not own these characters. With of course the exception of our dear Draven who is quickly becoming our favorite character XD All else belong to Gosho. Please support his official work!
As Mist said please enjoy!~
~^.V.^~
Conan was busying himself with trying to shove various miscellaneous necessities into the pockets of several clothes while Kaito, on the other hand, was slowly trying to persuade himself to read his father's journal. He had spent the past hour just staring at the cover, occasionally putting his finger under it to lift it up, then taking it away with a dejected, nervous look on his face.
Conan couldn't read his thoughts at the moment. Though, he had tried out of curiosity on a couple of occasions. He could still sense Kaito's feelings, and, from that he gathered, that Kaito was unsure. This journal could potentially change his perception of his father, and the world he currently knew.
Kaito had laid out all the items Conan needed to pack beforehand on his work table, naming where something Conan thought they might need at some point was, if the shrunken detective asked. Conan picked up a lighter from the organised pile, then gave the pair of pants he was filling a careful once over. He performed a thorough search yet again, to see if he could find an empty pocket, but it seemed all of them had been filled to the brim at this point.
"Hey Kaito... Is there another place I can pack things? I think I've filled all the clothes we're taking and the backpacks too." Conan inquired, turning around and walking over to where the magician was sitting.
Kaito took a moment to realise he was being addressed, drawing his eyes off the journal to give Conan a blank look. "Oh... Did you already fill the knapsack pockets?"
"Yeah, I just said that I filled those."
"No, the hidden ones. Did you fill the hidden ones?" Kaito said this as if it were obvious that the backpacks would have hidden pockets, perhaps because everything here had hidden pockets.
Conan gave a sigh in response, shrugging in acceptance. "No… I'll go search for those hidden pockets now."
Lifting one of the two knapsacks off the ground and putting it on the table, Conan began patting the bag down, pulling at places that looked as if they might hold a secret compartment.
It wasn't much longer before Conan finally finished packing everything. He put the knapsack on the ground, satisfied, and turned back to Kaito with a smile. "Alright! I got everything together. You about ready to head out?"
Kaito gave a soft humm, not reacting in any other noticeable way. Conan gave an impatient huff, pulling himself up to sit on the table, looking at Kaito. His gaze grew fond as he watched the careful way Kaito read his father's journal, the rush of emotion and awe flying across his face. Conan noticed he was still on the first page, probably having had read it over and over until every word was ingrained in his mind, much the same as the way that Conan himself would act with a new mystery novel.
Conan just watched him with a curious expression on his face, legs swinging idly from his position on top of the table. They weren't in any rush to leave, after all.
Kaito slowly flipped to the next page, eyes wide as moons. He tilted his head a bit, eyeing the words curiously. Conan blinked, watching with surprise as Kaito's ears and tail started to rapidly twitch. All of a sudden, his ears collapsed in on themselves, vanishing into Kaito's hair. The magician's tail followed, soon disappearing out of sight.
Conan opened his mouth, brow raising in a bit of confusion. "Guess you found something in there to hide your… kitsuneness?"
Kaito jumped, startled at Conan's voice, his ears and tail popping right back out again as he whipped his head towards Conan. He then gave a sheepish laugh, snapping out of his trance, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Heh, yeah… It's a bit hard to keep up though. I'll probably still use basic disguise to hide them for the beginning of our little trip." Kaito closed the journal, standing up and trotting over to Conan.
"Wait here a sec while I go do that."
After putting the journal in his own knapsack, Kaito disappeared into the closet, closing the doors behind him as he went inside. A moment later, he came out wearing a pair of khaki pants, light jacket, hiking boots, and baseball cap. His ears and tail were hidden well out of sight, and he wore a bright, charming smile on his face. "Your turn! There's a pair of similar clothes in there for you. Much better than what you're wearing right now."
Conan crossed his arms huffily, jumping down from the table. "The clothes I'm wearing right now are perfectly fine, thank you."
"No, they're bright yellow and not that safe for where we're going. You'll stand out like a sore thumb in the wilderness."
"Well, I think they're fine. I've been out in the woods in clothes such as these and survived."
"Well, we're going to be going into the mountains. You might at least want something different than shorts on for warmth if nothing else," Kaito pointed out, cocking his eyebrow.
Conan rewarded him with a light glare, but headed into the closet. "Says the guy who dresses up like some sort of over dramatic caped super villain," he muttered, closing the doors behind him. It really was pointless to try and argue with Kaito when he was insistent on something…
"Hey! My Kid outfit is classic, and you know it!" Kaito cried out indignantly, making sure his voice was loud enough that Conan could hear him through the closet doors.
"Sure, you just keep telling yourself that," Conan said, only just loud enough for Kaito to catch with his enhanced hearing.
A moment later, and Conan was out of the closet, wearing the clothes Kaito had set out for him, nearly identical to Kaito's own exempting the color of them. His had shades of blue coloration instead of Kaito's simple monochrome choices. He had went ahead and thrown on the hiking boots as well, tossing his special kick-enhancing shoes to Kaito so he could put them in a pocket somewhere. Conan was officially done with shoving things in hidden compartments.
"Okay! Let's head out, then!" Kaito sang happily, grabbing Conan's hand, and proceeding to tug him out the trap door that led to the outside world. Conan grabbed his knapsack off the floor as he was pulled along, slinging it over his back. He almost collapsed under its weight as he did so, but barely managed to trudge on after Kaito.
~^.V.^~
Hakuba stood at Akako's door, tapping his toe impatiently and gazing at his pocketwatch. He watched the second hand tick at a steady pace, circling calmly and methodically around the face of the clock before the door was opened.
"Akako-san," He greeted coolly, gently tucking his pocketwatch back into the pant pocket of his lovely custom tailored "detective clothes". He had managed to change right after leaving school. One must always be prepared for detective work, from your clothing to the state of your mind and body.
He felt a slight blush grow on his cheeks at the sight of Akako's beauty, but, knowing as he did, that it was only her magic, he forced down the warm, fuzzy feeling that was traitorously growing in his chest.
Akako gazed at him, a slight bit of pride passing through her gaze at noticing the blush on his face. "Hakuba-kun. To what might I owe the... Pleasure?" Her voice was icy and unwelcoming despite the earlier flicker of pride, her gaze boring into Hakuba's very soul.
"May I come in? We could talk more properly inside away from the elements." From all the information Hakuba had gathered about Akako, he imagined she already knew why he was here.
"Ah, but wouldn't it work just as well to talk out here? Obviously, no one's going to pass by." Akako gestured to the empty wasteland that was her yard, a chilling, omniscient smile creeping across her face. Hakuba resisted the urge to tremble, tingles slithering up his spine as if millions of spiders were crawling along his back.
"It looks as though it might rain, and I'd rather avoid standing outside when it comes pounding down." Hakuba replied casually.
Akako looked to the sky, eyes narrowing at the swirling grey clouds covering it, a ripple of thunder sounding in the distance as if on cue.
"I guess there's no choice, then. Come in," Akako's voice was filled with venom at being outmanoeuvred, but she opened the door none the less, leading Hakuba inside.
The blond detective was immediately greeted by the glowing red eyes of a pitch black crow, cawing loudly at him in what seemed to be displeasure. Hakuba tilted his head, taking note of the magic signature coming from the creature- immensely similar to Akako's. This must be her familiar.
"What's this one's name?" Hakuba asked curiously, giving the crow a careful look.
"That's Draven, a very special companion of mine. I'd recommend not approaching him. If you don't want to become minced meat, that is." The crow cawed as if agreeing with Akako's words, though there was some tone of disagreement to them. Hakuba tilted his head a bit, curious about what sort of magic this crow had.
"No dallying, Hakuba-kun, or I will just feed you to Draven." Hakuba started a little, noticing that while he had been studying the crow, Akako had moved on ahead of him in the corridor.
Hakuba drew his eyes off the bird, knowing full well that Akako might not be kidding about feeding him to her familiar. He kicked up his pace a little to follow her, noticing that she was heading up the stairs. The magic signature he had been sensing earlier was coming strongly from there; the owners must have spent a fair amount of time in there.
They soon entered a room that was decorated far more simply than the rest of the household. Hakuba padded over to the couch, where the strongest traces of the magic energy he had sensed came from. Hakuba put his hand toward it, tilting his head. There were two different magic traces, for sure, and while the signatures seemed to be polar opposites, there was something much too similar about the two traces. That led him to the same conclusion he had about Akako and Draven. These two magic signatures had to belong to a familiar and master.
The only question was; was Kuroba the master, or the familiar, and who, or rather what, was he paired up with? What Akako had said in school earlier flashed across his mind, but he chased it away. There was no way that Edogawa child had paired up with KID… Not a detective and a thief. No matter how young said detective was.
"Are you going to actually sit down, or did you come here to stare indulgently at my couch for the rest of your time here?" Akako asked Hakuba impatiently, snapping him from his trance.
He turned to the witch, giving a chilled smile. "I'll sit, thank you."
"So, why are you here?" Akako acted almost as if she were accusing him of something, sitting back calmly in her chair, gazing at Hakuba with hard eyes.
"I have a few questions that need answering," Hakuba answered simply, making himself comfortable on the couch.
"I can't promise I'll give you any answers, and if I do, they may not be ones you're looking for." Draven suddenly fluttered into the room at her words, giving an indignant caw. Akako whispered something to the bird, looking a bit frustrated, to which the bird cocked its head and gave another cry.
"I'm… aware." Hakuba said slowly, making sure the conversation between the familiar and master was done.
"I do have one condition." Akako spoke up, and Hakuba nodded, eyeing her warily. "For every question that you ask, I get to ask one in turn. Understood?"
"I also can't promise that I'll give answers to your questions either, but it's a deal."
Akako indicated with an elegant wave of her hand that he should start.
"What do you know about Kuroba-kun?" Hakuba dived right in, knowing fully well that there was no going back. It was the thing he was most curious about, and he hoped to get at least a semi-straight answer from the teenage witch.
"Quite a bit, actually." Akako said, examining her nails. This was all a game. A game of chance that Hakuba himself had set up; to see who would crack first and give answers to the other in hopes that they would get the response they wanted. It was a shot in the dark, but Hakuba felt he had a chance this way. Otherwise, it would be more like shooting at a non-existent target.
"My turn~," Akako then purred, turning her eyes away from her nails and back towards Hakuba. "What is your involvement with the magical world?"
"Ah, nothing big." Hakuba gave her a knowing stare, noticing that her foot was starting to tap a bit. This was a game of patience, and he knew full well that Akako lacked that when it came to things such as getting ahold of information that she wanted.
"When did Kuroba-kun stop by here?" Hakuba questioned, after a moments pause to let the tension build.
"A couple of days ago, but I'm afraid he may have already left." Perfect! Hakuba had gotten as straight an answer as he could have ever hoped for. Now, time to reward Akako with a straight answer of his own. As straight as he could depending on the question.
"What are your intentions regarding Kuroba-kun?"
"Well…" Hakuba paused. What were his plans once he finally reached Kuroba, and got the answers he wanted? He hadn't exactly thought this far ahead. Akako wouldn't like it if he said he wanted to use this information to put Kuroba behind bars, either. "I want to track him, and quench my own curiosity on this ordeal." Best answer he could come up with. Without promising something that he wouldn't keep, anyway.
"Ah." Akako still held quite a good deal suspicion in her gaze, but she was starting to ease a bit. He was making progress.
"Can you tell me about Kuroba-kun's powers?"
"Well, it involves illusionary magic, which I presume you've already guessed," Akako stated, going back to examining her nails looking bored. "What on your powers?"
"They're fairly basic, but good enough for what I use them for," Hakuba replied vaguely, crossing one of his legs over the other. He noticed Akako twitch in what seemed to be annoyance. He was definitely winning this match, so far.
"What were you talking talking about earlier at school? I believe you mentioned how Edogawa-kun might be teamed up with Kid…?"
Suddenly Akako cackled, and Draven gave a loud disgruntled caw, fluttering its wings unhappily on her shoulder. "He is teamed up with Kid, there is no "might" she was suddenly interrupted by Draven letting out a very annoyed cry, flapping down to her lap. The bird looked into her eyes, then let out a softer noise, the sound resembling a sad kitten's mewl.
"Yes, I know, but who cares if Hakuba knows about that fool?"
Draven made another soft sound, working its feet on Akako's legs.
"No, Kuroba-kun's the only one I'm trying to protect," Akako huffed, glaring at her familiar.
Draven just gave her a concerned look this time, before cawing once disappointedly, and fluttering over to one of the rafters. It looked like he was leaving the decision up to Akako.
"He is probably slowly becoming the closest person to Kid, it's a process, you know," Akako explained vaguely, taking a more relaxed position. "I'm guessing you've already figured out that Kuroba-kun has a magical friend, and who that magic-user is in relationship to him?"
"Yes, indeed I have. Master and familiar?" Their questions were starting to develop into a smooth conversation, Hakuba noted. "So, are you saying that Edogawa child is Kaito's familiar?" Hakuba asked incredulously, raising his brow. He hadn't quite expected that.
"Close, but not quite. Turn your thinking around…" Akako hinted, falling into expectant, smug silence.
Hakuba moved his mouth like a fish, processing this. "Kuroba-kun… is Edogawa-kun's familiar?" This was next to impossible in Hakuba's mind. They were on opposite sides of the law, had a wide age gap, and from what he knew, had very different personalities.
Akako just gave a slightly pleased sounding hum, which Hakuba took as a yes. Well, they say opposites attract? It was a bit hard for him to swallow. It was rare for a human, even a magical one, to become a familiar. Unless, of course, Kaito wasn't exactly human…? Could he actually be a magical creature of some sort? Hakuba gave an inward snort of disbelief at that. Kuroba hadn't even seemed to know he had powers. It was unlikely he was that ignorant.
"Satisfied?" Akako stood, hands falling to her hips. "If so, then would you leave?"
"I… Yeah, sure." Hakuba shrugged. At least he had gotten something. Now he had at least an idea of what to look for and expect when he went to track the duo down.
"Oh, before you go, though..." Hakuba could feel Akakos seductive magic pulling on him again holding him tightly under its alluring grip. "Could you answer my earlier question as to what your involvement with the magical world is?"
Hakuba paused, gazing at her. The look in her eyes sent a chill up his spine. He had a strange feeling that he wouldn't be able to leave at all if he didn't answer this… He did kind of owe it to her. "Alright, I'm a hunter. That good enough for you?"
"Ah, I see. Very well...You may leave now. I will warn you now, though, do not mess with Kuroba-kun. He's mine, hunter. And there is no way in Hell that I'll even think of allowing him to become your prey." With that, Akako snapped her fingers, and Draven flew down from the rafters, transforming mid flight into a large, pitch black wolf. It gave him a sharp look through its bright red eyes, then proceeded to pad forward, out of the room.
Hakuba followed, glancing back at Akako, noticing her go over to a bookshelf that was placed in the room, removing a book from it. It read; "Familiar Magic: Theories, Conclusions, and Falsities".
Hakuba snorted, shaking his head. She was one persistent witch. Alhough when he thought about it, he was a pretty stubborn person himself. It was in the job description, after all.
~^.V.^~
Draven flew back up to Akako, thoughts filled with this Hakuba person. He was an interesting human, and the fact that he was a hunter could prove to be dangerous to his mistress. Therefore, Draven wasn't exactly agreeing with his master's choice to tell him about the two magic-users. He hadn't had much say in it, though. At least he had tried to have his voice heard. Akako was a determined person, and sometimes made choices that not even he, as her familiar, understood.
He shifted to a barn owl as he neared his master, briefly taking in the way his bones shifted underneath his skin. It had never been a painful process, though it was a bit uncomfortable when he had first tried it.
He flapped his wings elegantly, enjoying the feel of the long black feathers that allowed him to swoop silently towards prey and perches alike. He landed on the bookshelf where Akako was still reading that book on familiars, and cocked his head.
"You know if I didn't know any better I'd swear you're trying to replace me, Akako-sama~" He drawled, leaning down towards her. In truth, he really did like Kaito and Shinichi. They were intriguing, and he felt a strange sense of protectiveness towards them. Shinichi for his powerful intellect, and Kaito for the kinship they indirectly shared. They were incredibly inexperienced with magic, but they had great potential.
"That could be," the witch replied absentmindedly, flipping a page in the book. Draven let out a slow hoot of mock indignation, drawing Akako's gaze out of her book.
"You're too cruel." Draven fluttered onto Akako's shoulder, grooming her hair between his beak affectionately.
Akako reached up to stroke his feathers, still distracted by the book. Draven didn't really mind. She often got distracted by other things, and he was just glad that she took time to pay any attention to him. He knew some familiars were just treated as servants by their masters, never to be thought of as anything even resembling a friend. It didn't happen often any more these days, but he knew that there were still some cases of it.
"Draven," Akako said in a commanding voice, closing the book. "I want you to go follow Kuroba-kun and his master. Do what you must to keep them out of Hakuba's grasp… Or anyone else's, for that matter."
Draven nodded, shifting into a peregrine falcon easily. "I was wondering when you would command that. I'll be off, then."
"I trust you to find them before Hakuba does. And, be careful."
"I will do everything in my power to carry out your commands, Akako-sama." Draven flapped his now faster wings, lifting off of Akako's shoulder. He zipped out the door, flying through an open window and into the bright blue sky. It felt so nice to go outside and explore the world. It had been a while since he'd last gotten out from Ekoda.
After taking in the fresh, seasonal air with a breath, Draven made his way to the house he had visited a couple of days ago. He presumed they had left from there, so it would be easier to track their magic traces this way. He might not be as good at it as Hakuba seemed to be, but he could also track them using scent as well, given his enhanced senses provided by his shapeshifting ability.
~^.V.^~
The train thundered along the tracks, making its way to the Nagano stop. They had rode most of the train ride in silence, each taking turns getting a little sleep. They made small talk every now and then, wondering about their destination and giving small ideas as to where they were going to go.
Conan took a glance outside the window, noting the scenery. Japan was truly a beautiful country. He sighed as memories of all his travels came flooding back to him. "This reminds me of all the times I used to travel with my parents when I was little…"
"You are little," Kaito grumbled, still half asleep from a nap he had been taking.
Conan glowered, prodding Kaito's arm in indignation. That little phantom thief… "Hey, I was actually trying to hold a serious conversation."
Kaito blinked his previously closed eyes open, and looked over at Conan. He was slouched in his chair, arms crossed over his stomach. The perfect picture of relaxation.
"Really. You're so insensitive." Conan prodded Kaito again, frown deepening.
"And you're whiny," Kaito retorted playfully, sitting up straight as he began to become more and more awake. He shook his head, and stretched like a dog, as if to rid himself of the tiredness through the vicious movement.
"Humph. Fine, then I won't tell you about my childhood." Conan turned around in his seat with a huff, opening a single eye to peek back at Kaito.
"Alright! I give in! Just tell me about your childhood!" Kaito sounded a bit exasperated, though mostly as if he were playing a game of words with Conan, enjoying it all the while.
"You already ruined the moment. Too bad," Conan said curtly, sticking his tongue out at Kaito. However, he did turn to face Kaito, eyes bright and teasing.
"Aww, come on… I was looking forward to hearing your tales of glory. Who knows they might put me to sleep faster." Kaito gave him a cheeky grin.
Conan huffed and sighed. "Well excuse me...Not all of us can be world famous artists performing impossible stunts in front of hundreds of crazy fangirls." He paused, gauging Kaito's reaction to that. He was rewarded only with more silence, Kaito staring past him.
Conan shuffled uncomfortably. Seemed like he had hit one of Kaito's nerves. Dang it, he had really meant it all in good fun. Well, he had expected the conversation to die down eventually. He just wished it hadn't been so sudden...
"Quite a bit has happened since your heist, hasn't it? It's worn us both out," Conan commented quietly, setting a more serious tone.
"Yeah, that much is true…" Kaito murmured tiredly, letting his eyes droop.
Conan watched as he slumped in his chair once more. He'd just let the conversation drop. Kaito was obviously tired, and it was hard to keep up an exchange when you were half asleep.
~^.V.^~
It wasn't long before the train pulled to a stop, and the doors opened to let passengers in. However, only a couple people made it onto the train before there was a scream.
Conan jumped in his seat, fully expecting someone to have suddenly dropped dead. He had that effect on people.
He quickly hopped out of his chair, going to make his way to the door. However, he skidded to a halt when a small, black peregrine falcon flapped into the train, landing on the side of a chair, turning its head from side to side.
Conan blinked at it. No… It couldn't be, could it?
"Draven?!" Conan then exclaimed in shock, covering his mouth when he noticed he was getting some odd looks from people. "Is that a raven?" He gave a bit of a nervous laugh, watching as people shrugged, easily accepting his change of words. Conan then looked around, trying to find something he could do.
That was when Kaito walked over, having been woken by the scream. He winked at Conan, then gave Draven a look. Suddenly, causing a few people on the train to give a small jump, he yelled out. "ITS A RAVEN! I'm gonna catch it before you can~" He gave Conan a playful shove, then proceeded to run at Draven, who fluttered into the air in shock.
Conan joined in full-heartedly, screaming at poor, confused Draven.
They raced through a few carriages before they found an empty one, causing people to start and give them odd looks as they ran through the carriages, chasing the small "raven". Once they reached it, Kaito quietly called to Draven; "Hurry, before people come in here! Get in my pocket!"
Draven gave him a confused look, then nodded, sensing the urgency of the situation. He quickly shifted into a small field mouse, dropping to the floor. He then scrambled up Kaito's pants, and into his pocket. Just in time, too.
At that moment, a few people from the various carriages came into the empty cart. "Hey, are you two alright?" A tall, blond woman with an American accent questioned, looking at them worriedly.
"Yeah, we're fine. A raven entered our car, so we tried to catch it. It flew out the window, though…" Kaito gave a pout, pointing at the open window across from them, which Conan had gone to open during the confusion.
"Oh, I see." She smiled, backing out of the doorway, relaying what had happened to all the people who had gathered either in awe or worry.
Conan sighed, closing his eyes. "That was a close one…"
Kaito nodded, looking even more exhausted than before, all signs of earlier childish acting gone. "Yep. I say we go give this demon a good talking to."
Soon, they were in the bathroom.
"Draven, what the heck are you doing here? And what in the world were you thinking?!" Conan snapped, earning a glare from the demon familiar.
"I came to help you, on Akako-sama's request and my own will." Draven said as if he were doing them a favor, and causing Conan to glower at him before realizing something. Draven had just spoken, and he had understood the small mouse's words. He stumbled back a step.
"You… can talk?" Conan asked incredulously, brow twitching. Kaito gave him an odd look, and Conan just shook his head, not having the energy to explain anything at the moment.
"I'm speaking my own language, Edogawa child. You can just understand it. It is your magic's doing, obviously," Draven stated smoothly, in a voice that didn't seem to fit his current form in the least. As if realizing this, Draven quickly shifted from a mouse to a small snake, coiling up on the bathroom floor.
"Oh." That was when Conan realized he wasn't speaking any human language he knew of. In fact, every single word he spoke sounded as if he were speaking in Draven's language.
"'Oh' indeed. Now, are we going to move out of this bathroom, or shall we just stay in here the rest of the way to Ishikawa? I presume that's where you're heading."
"Uh, no… I guess not." Conan blinked. Geez, he had been planning to give Draven a stern talking to. Now all he could do was stammer pitiful half-answers,
"Good. Where would you like for me to hide?" Draven slithered towards Conan, red eyes frighteningly seeming to stare into his very soul.
"Would you mind hiding in my pocket?" Conan questioned unsurely, opening it up a little. From Kaito's upset expression, he could guess the magician was only going to give Draven furious words for hours if he let the demon stay with him. It wasn't really Draven's fault… he didn't know any better, right?
"I'd prefer not, but I guess I don't really have much of a choice," the demon purred, causing Conan's anger to bubble up at the sound of his smooth uncaring voice. He quickly pushed it down though. Now was not the time to get angry at Draven. They needed to keep things as calm as possible for now… but once they were in the forest and alone, Draven was never going to hear the end of it!
Conan lifted Draven into his pocket, sighing.
Kaito now just looked confused as to what had happened, all of his rage seemingly burning away into curiosity about what had just happened between Conan and Draven. He didn't ask, though, following Conan as he led the way back to their carriage.
"Well, we're only about ten minutes away from Ishikawa now," Kaito mused as they returned to their seats, a few people giving them curious looks. Kaito smiled and waved at them in response, to which they waved unsurely back, then shrugged, returning to their own business.
"Yeah, we're almost there." Conan smiled. He couldn't help but feel excited. There was something about the prospect of going out into the middle of nowhere, and working on magic that filled him with anticipation. Though, he really would miss home…
He had to wonder what Ran was doing. She must be missing him. Then there was Haibara and the Hakase. They were probably still incredibly suspicious with his earlier lie… he had kind of forgotten to back that up. Suddenly, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He felt as if he had forgotten something. But what?
The image of a certain Osakan detective flashed through his mind. Oh, right. Heiji. He had forgotten about Heiji. Heiji, who he just now remembered saying was coming to visit a week ago. And Conan had forgotten to tell him anything, not even an incredibly terrible lie about why he wasn't in Beika. Oops. Conan shrugged to himself. "Eh it's probably not that big of a deal…"
Kaito gave him an odd look. "What's not that big of a deal?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it." Conan waved Kaito off, giving the most convincing smile he could. Kaito just narrowed his eyes disbelievingly in reply.
They were both distracted from whatever thoughts they were having, however, as the train pulled into the station. A thrill of enthusiasm went up Conan's spine as the train's doors slid open. They were finally here; the Ishikawa prefecture.
~^.V.^~
A/N: That's all for this chapter! Tell me what you thought of it, whether good or bad! Reviews are the best~ :D
AN2: In answer to guests questions on the last chapter: I hope this chapter showed a bit of how Kaito/Shinichi are currently bluffing their way through childhood.
As to your other question:This story takes place some time after current MK canon. So yes Hakuba is more interested in discovering the truth behind Kaito as opposed to actually "hunting/capturing" him. Stay tuned for future updates where we explore more of their tense "friendship/rivalry"
Thanks again to all for reading! Until next chapter ;)~