Chapter Four: Proper Introductions

The next time Kaito awoke, he remembered everything. He remembered the heist, the knife, falling unconscious in his room, and waking up in the hospital to have a short chat with Kudo Shinichi before falling asleep again.

Kaito bolted upright upon remembering that Kudo had been in his hospital room, his eyes snapping to his right. Still-dulled and slightly panicked indigo orbs met intelligent and concerned blue ones, Shinichi instantly standing from his chair and stepping closer to Kaito, his grip on Kaito's right hand tightening.

"Hey, are you okay? Does it hurt? Do you need anything?" He seemed highly worried about the magician, and Kaito had to rack his brain to figure out why. It took a little bit for him to remember Shinichi's last words to him.

"You..." Kaito swallowed and tried again as the words caught in his throat. "You... Don't not like me?" He asked quietly, his shoulders tense. Shinichi could tell that Kaito was preparing himself to face rejection again and frowned.

Shinichi looked down, sadness and shame written all over his face. He slowly positioned himself so that he was sitting on the bed next to Kaito. "I like you," he assured, feeling that it was most important to reassure his Soulmate before going on. "And I don't plan on turning you in to the police, either." He smiled a little. "I know I said something really horrible to you, but, if you'll still have me, I want you to be mine, which you can't be if you're theirs and in a jail cell, so..." He trailed off and looked over at Kaito's bandaged left arm. "How's it feel?"

Kaito glanced over for a moment, quickly pulling his eyes back to Shinichi. "Fine," he said quietly, still too scared to say much or to speak loudly, as if the moment was nothing but an illusion that could be shattered and taken away from him.

Shinichi nodded. "Good." He took a deep breath. "Then, I have something I've gotta say to you."

Kaito nodded stiffly, preparing for the worst.

Shinichi turned to face him more thoroughly before beginning. "My name is Kudo Shinichi. I'm a detective, and I enjoy playing football and the violin. I've been told that I'm exceptionally good at all three things. My favorite book series is the Sherlock Holmes collection and I've read it a hundred and twenty-nine times. I'm not a morning person, so unless I've been up all night, I won't be good for anything before eleven o'clock, but I'll be better if I've had a cup of coffee or three." Kaito looked confused, but Shinichi continued without pause. "I'm a great detective with a very keen mind; I'm intelligent, but sometimes I can be really dense too. Dead bodies sometimes literally fall at my feet, because I seem to be cursed and bodies spring up everywhere I go. It's unlikely that a single date with me will ever go uninterrupted by some murder, kidnapping, bomb threat, or some other tragedy, because my luck is really, really bad in that regard. But it's balanced out by how lucky I am in life, to have such great parents, and friends," Shinichi lifted Kaito's right hand and kissed the back of it softly, making Kaito blush, "and the most magical Soulmate, who gave me the most wonderful Soul Mark."

Shinichi's smile faded a little. "I'm usually overly polite with people when I first meet them, and I warm up to them over time. I have a strong sense of justice, and a tendency to get myself into trouble. For the most part, I used to think really highly of myself. I might even have thought that I was the greatest person alive from time to time, though I always quickly realized that there's probably at least one person out there better than me." Shinichi's smile completely dropped off his face at this point. "And then I met my Soulmate, and I said something really, really horrible to him. I caused him a lot of strife, and pain, and in the end..." Shinichi trailed off and took a rattling breath, his voice coming out in barely more than a whisper. "In the end you almost died because of me, and I've never regretted anything more in my life then saying those words to you. It's unforgivable, I know, and there's nothing I can do to change those words on your arm, but if you'll still have me... You can take as much time as you want to think about it... But if you'll still have me, I promise I'll spend every day for the rest of my life proving to you just how false those words are, and how much I don't mean them."

He looked up to meet Kaito's eyes, his blue orbs glistening ever-so-slightly with tears. "I used to think I was the greatest person in the world, but I'll never, ever think that again. Not just because of what I said, but also because I met you. And I think you're much, much better than me. I've thought the world of you, since the very first time I saw my Soul Mark, and I might not know you very well yet, and there's a lot I need to learn, and there's a million apologies I need to make, but I can feel it, right down to my soul. I love you."

Kaito felt something burn on his left arm, likely the pain medication starting to wear off, but he promptly ignored it. Instead he searched Shinichi's eyes, trying to read everything he could, and Shinichi didn't even attempt to hide his thoughts. Kaito could see that the detective wanted nothing more than to be able to change the words he'd given Kaito, and he could see that Shinichi meant every word he'd said.

Kaito couldn't stop a smile from finding its way onto his face. "I'm... Kuroba Kaito. Magician extraordinaire." He lifted his right hand, pulling it from Shinichi's grasp (which Shinichi looked like he wanted to protest) and produced a single blue rose. Shinichi gaped at it because, what? How? He'd just been holding that hand! He took it with wonder shining in his eyes. "I'm too guarded, and maybe too much of a coward, to spill all of my secrets like the way you just did. Your detective skills will probably make you the only person who can read me, actually. I play everything close to the vest, so it's really okay if you don't know me yet. Even the people who have known me my whole life don't really know me most of the time." His smile didn't fade, but Shinichi thought he could see a glimmer of sadness behind it. "I'll try to tell you what I can though. Starting, I guess, with the fact that I love chocolate ice cream. And chocolate in general, I suppose. And just about anything sweet."

Shinichi laughed a little.

"I own thirty-two doves, so if you ever want to make it work with me, you're going to have to find a way to like birds."

"Not a problem," Shinichi assured. Kaito nodded before continuing.

"I can't ice-skate. I can hang-glide and preform gymnastics on tightropes, I walk up-side-down on my hands almost as efficiently as I can walk upright and, heck, I can skate up the railing of a stairwell on rocket-powered roller-skates, I've done that, but I can't ice-skate to save my life."

Shinichi looked surprised. "Then it's a good thing I have enough ice-skating talent for the both of us. I'd enjoy teaching you, if that's something you're interested in." Kaito smirked and nodded.

"I pull pranks. On everyone. Teachers, the principal at my school, friends, enemies. I have no restraint. It's not that I don't respect authority, I don't think. I just..." He paused. Shinichi, sensing his hesitation, picked his right hand back up and squeezed it.

"It's alright. You don't have to share everything all at once. Some people have more secrets than others, and I'd especially understand if you didn't want to share them with me, after what I've done to you..."

Kaito frowned at that. Because, honestly, this was his Soulmate and he wanted Kaito, despite his initial words. And Kaito couldn't stand that look on Shinichi's face that spoke of guilt and self-loathing, so he mustered up his courage and decided to spill his secrets.

"Pulling pranks on people is an easy way to get them to leave me alone and not look too closely at me." Shinichi's eyes widened. "I'm overly energetic and smiley. All the time. Especially when I'm excited and when I'm depressed, and I don't know if you'll be able to tell the difference or not because nobody has ever tried."

Well that was... Sad. Shinichi frowned, not liking that thought. "You just... Hide all of your feelings behind a smile?"

Kaito averted his gaze. "I've... Never told anyone that, especially not in so many words, but... Yes?"

Shinichi nodded and smiled at him. "Well, thank you for telling me. I want to know what you're thinking and feeling, if you're okay with that."

Kaito blushed and nodded before continuing. "People will get mad at me though. They'll probably get mad at you too, by extension, though I promise to do everything I can to prevent that from happening. I don't want people looking down on you just because you associate with a troublemaker like me."

"Other people don't matter if they're going to look down on you," Shinichi said resolutely. "I'll make sure everyone knows it too."

Kaito smiled. "I've been told I'm insufferable. I hardly sleep, and I don't make a habit of drinking coffee, but I still have boundless energy twenty-four-seven."

"Should be interesting."

"I'm a vegetarian."

Shinichi blinked, surprised. "Wow, really? That's kind of neat, I think. What are your reasons? Or do you not really have any?"

"I always have reasons for everything I do, even if it doesn't seem like it, or if you don't know what those reasons are, or if they don't make sense to you. I always have reasons, and they make sense to me, possibly because I might be a bit insane." Kaito gave him a slightly mad, Cheshire grin as if to prove his point. "As for why I'm a vegetarian: I really just don't like the thought of eating most living things other than plants. I know plants don't feel pain, but I can't say the same for a lot of other animals. Plus meat is just kinda gross. I don't know why people find cooked animal flesh and blood appetizing. And some people eat it raw…. I don't want to judge other people's habits and preferences, but to me personally that's just ew. Anyway…. I've owned birds all my life, so obviously I would never eat a bird. They're all relatives to my doves in my mind. And did you know that pigs are smarter than dogs? I'd feel bad if I ate pork. Lobsters are capable, theoretically, of living forever if they aren't killed by one event or another because they don't suffer from old age and can pretty much keep growing bigger forever if they have enough room and food supply. Who'd want to eat a creature as amazing as that? Octopuses are smart too. They can solve puzzles and open jars and everything, and I always thought it was really cool how they can squeeze through tiny holes because of their lack of vertebra."

Shinichi's eyes were wide as saucers by this point because, wow. Just, wow. Yes, he'd known all of those things, and morally they could give him hang-ups over eating those creatures, but it took a really caring and dedicated person to swear off so many foods based on moral and emotional thought processes such as the ones going through Kaito's mind. Feeling bad about eating animals and actually committing to not eat them were two wildly different things. Was Kaito really that pacifistic? It was…. Kind of amazing.

"How do you get your protein? You're in top physical condition, so I assume you get it one way or another."

"Nuts, for one, are very high in protein. There are a lot of supplements available on the market to help people like myself receive proper dietary nutrients without the consumption of meat. I drink a protein shake every morning for breakfast on the way to school... And eat a banana, but that's beside the point. Plus, there are a couple of exceptions I make when it comes to being a vegetarian, since I'm not avoiding meat for the specific purpose of being able to call myself a vegetarian. I do eat crab and squid."

"Not fish?"

Kaito visibly flinched and Shinichi frowned in concern and confusion. "I'm…. I actually have Ichthyophobia, so, no. I don't eat…. Those things." Kaito stopped and looked at Shinichi, forcing a smile that Shinichi could instantly tell was fake. "You can go on ahead and laugh now."

Shinichi instantly shook his head. "It's quirky, but I'm not gonna laugh at you. There's nothing wrong with that. And, based on what you were saying earlier, I'm sure you have your reasons." Shinichi smiled at him, Kaito easily returning it, this time relaxed and genuine.

"I'm incredibly lucky, so maybe my good luck will cancel out your bad luck on dates." Shinichi snorted. "I mean it. Even when I get into trouble, something always happens just in the nick of time that saves me from getting arrested or killed. One time a sudden storm blew in that wasn't in that night's forecast while I was gliding a thousand feet in the air and within seconds it started hailing. I may be a magical phantom, but even I'm no match for Mother Nature. I didn't have time to look for a place to land or try to change my trajectory before my glider started resembling Swiss Cheese more than cloth." Shinichi looked horrified and Kaito laughed. "Don't worry: I got out without a scratch. I was wet, but not injured. I just so happened to land in a pool on the top floor of the building below me. Lucky, yeah?"

"Not really, no. The fact that a sudden and unpredicted hail storm pulled you out of the sky at all sounds like the opposite of good luck to me."

"Err, well, yes…. You might be right about that…. So maybe murder attempts will still be made but the victims will survive more often?"

"Sure, maybe…." Shinichi still looked concerned, so Kaito pressed on in an attempt to change the subject. What could he say that would effectively distract Shinichi?

"I'm male, if you haven't noticed. That doesn't bother you?" Because Shinichi might have had a knee-jerk rejection response to finding out they were Soulmates for more reasons than just because he was a criminal, right?

Shinichi instantly seemed to move off of the previous topic, latching onto this new one. The detective looked startled. "Does it bother you?"

"Hell no. We're Soulmates, aren't we? So, what's it matter what gender you are? But…. If it bothers you, and if it'd make you feel better or make it easier for you to introduce me to people you know…. If it'd make it easier for you to love me…. I am capable of cross-dressing flawlessly, to the point that no one but us two would even know I'm a guy, so…."

Shinichi looked, once again, horrified, though in a different way from the previous time. "No. That's a horrible thought, so please never think it again." Shinichi said, dead serious. "I don't want you to change yourself or to pretend to be something that you aren't just to try and please me. I don't care what gender you are." With a soft smile gracing his features, Shinichi added: "I'd love you equally as much any which way."

Kaito smiled, relieved. He was starting to think that maybe Shinichi really meant it when he said that he loved him, but there was really only one way to find out.

"…. I'm a criminal." Kaito said, this time without a smile on his face. Shinichi stopped smiling too. "I'm an international criminal. Top-tier. A phantom thief. I know that bothers you."

But Shinichi shook his head. "No. It did bother me. But then I realized that you never actually hurt anyone, and you return what you steal, and after what happened, I can't even think of holding it against you." Shinichi smiled lightly. "And you always have your reasons." Kaito chuckled, but quickly returned to his more serious state.

"About those reasons…." Shinichi was his Soulmate, whom loved him, and who held nothing back. Kaito wanted desperately to share his secrets with his other half, and could only hope that it wouldn't end badly for him. At this point, if Shinichi wanted to have him arrested he could, their Soul Marks being more than enough proof of Kaito's identity, so he had to trust Shinichi anyway. He may as well go all-out, and Shinichi deserved to know what dangers he'd be getting himself into if he pursued their relationship. "I'm not the original Kaitou KID."

"I'd figured as much."

"My dad was the original KID."

"I thought that might be the case too."

"He was murdered."

Shinichi didn't say anything. He... Hadn't known that.

"He was murdered, and the people who killed him are dangerous, and I became the Kaitou KID to draw them out. To get information about them and bring them down. I can't stop until I've completed my goals. It's possible that several nights a month for the next who-knows-how-long I'll be at heists, and when I'm not at heists, it takes a lot of time to plan them and get ready, and to train and hone my skills. And if the people I'm after ever find out my identity they could come after you. I could get caught and end up in jail, but honestly, that's nothing compared to what would happen if They knew who I am. You could be in danger. The people you care about too. They could kill you, anyone, just because they feel like it. They wouldn't hesitate."

Kaito's voice was dead serious, and now Shinichi really was worried. "They'd kill?"

"Have killed," Kaito confirmed.

"People I care about?" Kaito nodded, his expression dark and serious, and Shinichi couldn't help but think that it didn't look right on Kaito's face. "People like you?"

Kaito's brow knitted closer together. "Well, yeah, maybe, I guess. They haven't so-far though, and not for lack of trying." He said this in a slightly joking manner, a smile on his face, but Shinichi did not find it funny.

"They've tried to kill you?!" Kaito shushed him and both of them looked to the door, Shinichi suddenly remembering that they were in a hospital and could be overheard if Shinichi wasn't quiet. Luckily though, no one came to the door or seemed to have heard anything, and it was still just the two of them in the room.

Kaito sighed a little in relief before turning back to Shinichi. "Yeah, of course they have. Tried to kill KID, mind you, not Kuroba Kaito. They seem to be under the impression that I'm my dad and he somehow survived eight years ago. They don't know it's me... I think... It's possible they'll make the connection any day though if any of them stop to wonder about the fact that Kuroba Toichi had a son. If they look into what I've been up to, they'll realize I'm a magician too, and they might figure out who I am. Even without proof, if they just have a feeling that I might be KID, they won't hesitate to kill me or anyone I might have told about them. Like my Soulmate, for example, and the people I care about, and the people my Soulmate cares about, and anyone else they happen to meet along the way."

Shinichi looked angry. He hummed. "You're right. I don't like that. I don't like that at all." His hold on Kaito's hand tightened before suddenly he was moving closer. He pressed his side up next to Kaito's and before Kaito knew it, he was suddenly sitting comfortably in Shinichi's lap, his Soulmate's arms wrapping around his torso in a protective embrace as Shinichi's nose nuzzled the spot where Kaito's neck met his shoulder, sending shivers down Kaito's spine. "Something will definitely have to be done about this. Lucky for you, your Soulmate is an ace detective." Kaito could feel Shinichi's smirk as he brushed his lips against Kaito's skin, making Kaito blush and heat spread where their skin made contact. "I have a lot of connections in the police. Everything will have to be kept really on the down-low, of course, but I'm sure I can do something to help. These people are murderers; they have to be stopped. I'd be honored if you let me help you with it. It might just be the most important case of my life, especially if your life hangs in the balance. What do you say?"

Unable to form words due to the sudden close proximity, Kaito could only nod.

"Good. Anything else?" Shinichi asked.

"I love you too," Kaito said without hesitation. "Right down to my soul."

Shinichi's smile grew wider. "Very good. I don't think I could have taken it if you'd said you didn't want me." His smile faltered. "I'm still really, really sorry about that. I should never have even thought such a thing."

Kaito shrugged. "If you say you don't mean it-"

"I don't."

"-then I believe you. And like you said, you're going to spend the rest of your life proving it, right?"

"Every day of the rest of my life," Shinichi vowed.

"Then I forgive you, as long as you stay with me. I reserve the right to prank you incessantly over it with little to no complaint on your end, but I forgive you."

Shinichi stilled and a smile crept back onto his face. "You're a bit vindictive, aren't you?"

"I've been dressing up as my murdered father's alter-ego for almost a year seeking vengeance on the people who killed him. Of course I'm vindictive."

Shinichi snorted, and Kaito stifled a yawn. "Okay, you're still in the hospital and you lost a lot of blood less than twenty-four hours ago. Maybe it's time you go back to sleep." Shinichi made to move off the bed, but Kaito instantly did a half-turn and pressed his side into Shinichi, holding him in place with his right hand clutching Shinichi's shirt.

"Nooo, Shin-can~! Don't goooo~!" He demanded, even as another yawn overtook him and his eyes drifted closed. Shinichi was slightly surprised by the childish behavior and nickname, but he found it adorable and endearing all the same, so he smiled and settled himself back onto the cot, Kaito resting against his chest.

"Okay, Kaito. I'll stay. As long as you want me I'll stay."

He'd thought Kaito was already asleep, but was proven wrong when Kaito whispered a sleepy reply. "Forever."

Shinichi smiled and nodded.

A/N: I feel like this story is kinda not so good, and I'm just appeasing my own sappy, cliché desires. As a writer I know I'm not supposed to do that, but... Oh well, maybe you guys will still continue to enjoy it anyway? If you are still enjoying it, lemme know! And if not, the next chapter's kinda sappy too, but the ones after that are much better again, so if you can hold on 'till then it'll be fine. ^^;

As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!