Thank you so much for reading! I don't know what else to say right now, I'm just feeling a lot of feels so I'll just let you go on and read the chapter for yourselves.

Warning: Attempted suicide...

KID unconsciously put a hand in front of the boy beside him, partially shielding him from the girl. "Is there anyway we can talk another time? As you can see, I have a guest tonight."

Akako shook her head, looking at him sternly. "It's precisely because of that guest that we must talk now."

"What do you mean?" Conan piped up from behind him, curious about the girl who could glide through the air. KID hadn't wanted to get Conan involved with her if possible, not with her questionable alliances, dangerous games, and lack of concern for those affected by her incantations. Still, she had helped out more than interfered recently, he supposed they could at least hear her out. Especially since she was the kind of person who would pettily use magic as a way to get back at them for ignoring her.

"There's an aura of death surrounding you. A powerful and practically unbreakable curse." She stated, cutting right to the chase.

KID glanced at the earrings, "You mean Death's Harbringers? Their curse is real?"

"No." Akako quirked a brow at him. "The curse I'm referring to is that which surrounds the boy by your side."

"What do you mean?" KID asked. He didn't notice Conan still at her words, or how he was gripping as his shirt collar as if it was choking him. He didn't see as Conan's eyes were widening with dread, or how he was leaning in to hear every word since the curse was first mentioned. Because he didn't notice this, he didn't think much of the sorceress's words.

Akako steeled her gaze, "I noticed it a few months ago, you know." She continued at KID's silence. "There was suddenly a dark shadow attached to you. I didn't think much of it at the time since it would always disappear as soon as it came. This last week, however, has been different." She threw her hand down as if she was personally offended by the change. "At the start of the week, the pure white aura that normally surrounds you had a friend. The dark aura was back. The next day, instead of disappearing, it had gotten bigger. The next day it hadn't gotten bigger, but neither had it shrank. Finally, it calmed down, and dispersed completely."

KID stared at her, thoroughly confused. She lowered her gaze. "You were meeting with him." She was right, but KID still didn't understand what that had to do with any of this. There was no way someone would curse a child. What would be the point? He didn't think that Conan had done anything to offend someone so greatly.

"Maybe I was." Kid responded, "But you don't even see me aside from heists, there's no reason for me to believe you after all the tricks you've pulled."

Akako sneered at his pitiful attempt to deny that she knew his real identity. "Even if I didn't see you at school everyday, just being here right now I can see plenty. The curse that follows the boy is that of never-ending death, for as long as he lives, death shall surround him. You have magic of your own surrounding you. It's fighting his curse as we speak. The two forces are of equal strength, as long as you're around him, his curse is at bay."

KID shook his head, "But that's impossible, I'm not a real magic user."

"Believe what you must, at least the boy seems to believe in my words." Akako said. Once she had addressed Conan, KID realized that he hadn't said anything for some time now. He looked behind him, only to see something that made him wish that he had never brought him here tonight. The small detective was trembling, horror dawning his features. He was petrified. Suddenly KID found himself not doubting her words anymore. The boy had been saying he was tired of all the cases, and when he had first mentioned magic to him, he hadn't really questioned it because of something that had been happening around him. Not only that, but Conan's earlier words about the crazy ones finding him instead of the other way around flashed into his mind.

KID looked back at Akako, no longer denying its existence, "…How do we stop it?"

Akako let out a small breath, demeanor changing from that of a rival to that of a parent seeing that her children were finally ready to listen to reason. "I'm sorry, that I do not know. The curse he is afflicted with is a mixture of black, red and white magic. It's far too strong to be broken by natural cause. The only thing you can do currently, is stay by him. Lest he become a danger to those closest to him. Whether you trust me or not, I really only came here to talk tonight because I was worried for you. I hope you at least acknowledge my warnings."

That wasn't the answer he had wanted to hear. She took off silently into the night, and he crouched down to the boy beside him. Just as he was about to say something, he noticed a splash of blood drip onto the roof below him. He followed it to see Conan biting his lip so tightly that it was bleeding.

"H-hey…" KID said, suddenly on alert, he wiped the blood away with his thumb, not caring about the red stain that would be left behind on the white glove. "Are you okay?" 'Idiot.' He reprimanded himself. Did he look okay? Of course not.

Conan gulped, taking a deep breath. He steeled himself, "I'm fine, KID." KID had never heard such a clearly stated lie in his life.

"I-I can't go home. I can't let anything-If Ran and the others-" Conan started, breath hitching, unable to even finish the sentence. The desolate ring pained KID's ears.

KID put his hand on his shoulder. "For now, we know there's at least one thing that can counter it right? If we stick together nothing should happen." KID didn't really know how to phrase what he had to say next. He was only good at cheering people up with magic tricks, he wasn't prepared for curses. At Conan's blank look, KID realized that he might still think that he has to deal with the curse by himself. "I have a pretty big house, and my mom's always gone anyway, until we get all of this sorted out, you could stay with me. If you want. I mean, it might seem suspicious if you suddenly moved in with me to others, but me getting caught means nothing in comparison to keeping others from getting hurt." Even if he would be hated by Aoko…

Conan's shoulders slouched a bit, and he looked right at KID. "…I'm probably going to have to take you up on that offer." KID smiled, showing him that it was okay.

Conan got out his phone and KID looked curiously at him. "I need to call my parents, they can help."

"Really?" He didn't know what exactly Conan meant by that, how could his parents help in a situation like this? Then again, he knew Conan would have to tell someone that he couldn't go back to his old house right now. Even if it would make more sense to KID if he called the Mouris.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about this, but…" Conan looked up at him apologetically, "I might need more than just your first name."

KID nodded, "And I'm sorry that I had to tell you like this. My full name is Kuroba Kaito, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Conan opened his mouth, looking up him, his eyes widened and KID could see the shine of moisture in his eyes.

Conan turned around, dialing a number. As the phone rang, everything seemed more and more real to him. KID had just told him his identity. That was probably the part of the night that stuck out the most. He was really here, on a roof, after a heist, calling his mom—because what he had previously thought was just his paranoia had been real. He felt sick, and he had to put a hand to his mouth at the sudden nausea he felt. The line clicked.

"Hey mom…?" KID walked away, giving him space and privacy.

"What is it, Shin-chan?" She asked, catching the sadness in his voice. "It's almost midnight in Japan right now, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's, it's just...I…I need you to do something for me…" He gulped, explaining the very basics of the situation to his mom. He sat down on the roof, looking at the sky as he talked to her. It looked to KID like he was desperately trying to not cry. After a few minutes, Conan hung up, and KID went to sit next to him.

"So, how'd it go?" He asked.

Conan snorted, or what should have been a snort, but just sounded like cut off sobs. He sniffed. "I told her that I was going to live with Kuroba Kaito for a while, and that I needed her to come up with an excuse for it. I think she knows you, once she heard your name she was all for it. This should make others less suspicious at least."

KID blinked, he knew of Conan's parents, but he would have definitely remembered meeting them if he had. Maybe she was an old acquaintance of his parents? "She sounds like a great mom."

"...She really is." They could hear police sirens in the distance.

KID offered a hand to him, "Shall we get going then?" Conan nodded, taking it in his own smaller one. KID scooped him up and they flew down a few streets in silence. They landed and KID snapped his fingers, when he did Conan was back to his outfit underneath his costume, and KID was disguised once again as Sonoko. Conan followed him as he weaved quickly through the alleyways. He noticed a familiar car another street down and wasn't even remotely surprised when KID took him straight to it. They got in the back of the car, and Conan noticed that the earlier driver was in it as well.

"Change of plans." KID said as he closed the door. "We're going straight home."

"What?" The man in the front turned. "But Young Master, this is too careless! He might lead the police right to us."

"And he might not." KID responded. "It doesn't matter anyway, since I already told him who I am, let's just go already."

"A-ah…I-I see…" While Conan couldn't exactly say he was relieved when the man started driving, he really was appreciative that he didn't ask any more questions. He knew that KID and his partner probably felt that the silence on the way there was awkward, Conan didn't care. He needed quiet right now.

He leaned his head against the car door. This wasn't exactly how he had planned tonight to go at all. A curse… He didn't know how exactly the curse worked, but…He thought back to the cases he'd stumbled upon. To all of the seemingly impossible murders. To all of the ridiculous motives. The roller coaster decapitation. The karaoke box murder. The Sherlock Holmes fan group murders. Even the more recent ones, like the ice murder of Ryotaro Kashima…would any of them have happened if he hadn't been nearby?

KID looked sadly at the kid beside him. KID knew that Conan had a lot to think about and he didn't look like he was exactly in the mood to talk. He didn't really know what he could say to him right now anyway, so maybe it was a good thing that he didn't want to talk. He wanted to cheer him up by talking about how fun it would be living together, or how they could plan another heist, or how they could eat ice cream at anytime of the day. How he had a great friend who always cooked breakfast for him and would probably be excited to have someone new at the breakfast table. How they could always visit his friends, and how now that they knew about the curse, they could work together to find a permanent solution. He wished he could say anything to get the pained look off of his face, but he was more afraid of saying the wrong thing right now, so he kept silent. He had no idea what was going through his mind right now. Was it that he was going to be missing his old home? Or maybe he felt guilty about the curse? KID really hoped the latter wasn't it, it wasn't his fault he was cursed! Well, probably not. KID didn't know how curses worked. And if it was his fault, KID could still never blame him. Even if the people that had been directly affected would disagree. KID huffed, scratching at his wig in frustration.

As they pulled up to his street, Jii stopped the car and let them out. KID motioned for Conan to follow him down the street, through the shadows. Once they got in his house, he went upstairs, Conan followed him. He turned on his room light and went to the bathroom to change out of his disguise and get ready for bed. When he came out he found Conan looking uninterestedly around the room. As if he knew he should be interested and that he had been really curious before, but as of right now he just didn't care. Kaito frowned.

"I don't have a futon or anything, but you can have the bed." Kaito stated, "We can go buy a futon and other necessities for you tomorrow." Conan looked up at his voice, the disinterest of before disappearing as he laid his eyes on Kaito's undisguised face. He nodded, staring directly at him. Conan seemed kind of out of it, but Kaito still felt a little nervous at the intense look. "W-What is it?"

Conan shook his head, "Thank you."

"No problem…" Kaito smiled lightly, before turning off the room's lights. "If you need anything, just ask okay? I know it was a really sudden move, if you want to visit Mouri-san and get your old stuff back, I wouldn't mind at all."

Conan sat silently on the bed as Kaito got a blanket and pillow and left the room. "Goodnight, Meitantei."

"Ah…" Conan looked up at the sound of the familiar nickname, "Goodnight…"

Kaito woke up to the sound of sniffling. It took him a moment to register just what was making the sound, before memories of last night returned. It was still dark out—it had only been a few hours since he had went to sleep. He got up off of the couch in favor of heading up the stairs, to check in on his new roommate.

When he got near the room, the sniffling quieted, and he knew that Conan had heard him approaching. He knocked on the door lightly, before opening it. Conan was sitting on the bed, wrapped up in blankets. He was trying to stifle his sobs and Kaito's heart clenched at the tragic display before him. He hadn't ever seen Conan like this before. He always seemed so strong willed, indestructible, but it turned out he really was a human underneath after all. Had he even fallen asleep yet? Or had he been so miserable that he had been up since they got here? He walked over to Conan, sitting on the bed next to him, not saying anything. He knew Conan would talk when he was ready.

After a few minutes, Conan did. "…Do you know how many cases I've solved?" Kaito didn't say anything. He had no idea, and knew it was a rhetorical question. "Thousands. I've solved thousands of cases." Kaito stayed silent, honestly unable to tell if he was hyperbolizing or being serious. There was no way an 8 year old could have solved thousands of cases, on the other hand…he didn't doubt Conan's voice right now.

Conan bit his lip, opening the earlier wound. "Do you know how improbable it is to run into just one murder?" He didn't know, and he didn't know how to comfort him right now. He wrapped his hand around Conan's. The least he could do is be here for him, even if it was just to have someone to talk to.

He felt Conan's hand grip his back, tightly. "How many of those were my fault? How many of those would still have happened if I didn't exist?"

Kaito pulls him towards him by the hand, wrapping his other arm around him into a hug, he speaks up for the first time since entering the room. "I'm sorry, I can't answer that." Conan's sniffles turn into a loud sob.

"T-Thousands…" His sobs turn borderline hysterical, all fronts put up caving around him. The thief next to him his only real grip on reality.

"Hey…" Kaito pats his head, "It's not you're fault." He rubs his back, "It's going to be okay." Conan's cries start to quiet, and Kaito feels like he might start crying himself. There was no reason that such an amazing detective deserved such a terrible curse to be placed on him. "It's okay." His hand wiped at the tears falling from Conan's eyes. "You're so strong." "I'm here now." He's never comforted a child like this, but when his dad had died, his mom had done this for him. He hoped his feelings would get through to him. That he was here for him, that he didn't want him to suffer anymore. That he could never blame him. He continues to whisper comforts to him like one would a crying toddler, and pretty soon Conan falls asleep, having run out of tears. Realizing that he's pretty much stuck there, and not really wanting to leave Conan by himself right now anyway, Kaito falls asleep next to him.

The next morning Kaito wakes up, this time remembering everything immediately. The sun's starting to peek through, and Kaito looks to his side noticing that Conan's not there anymore. He has a really bad feeling and quickly goes to search for him. He sees the bathroom light on and knocks on the door. No response. He knocks again. Nothing. 'He's not…he wouldn't…' Kaito opens the door in a panic, only to freeze at the scene in front of him. On a step stool in front of the sink, with a razor at his neck, stood Conan. He was shaking. Conan looks at the door, and in an instant KID grabs Conan's hand, the razor ripping through the skin on his own.

"Don't you dare, what the hell are you doing?!" Kaito yelled.

Conan looked away, "It's all my fault, as long as I'm alive..."

The statement made Kaito want to murder whoever had cursed him. "How could you think it's your fault?! Out of all the people who could have been cursed, it was you. A detective smart enough to catch murders. Because it was you, do you know how many murders you prevented?" Kaito knew his voice was raising, but he didn't care. "Besides, we don't know how the curse works, killing yourself could just make it worse." This was so messed up, his hand tightened over the razor, blood dripping down from it.

Conan caught his eyes, "Well then, just what do you expect me to do?!"

"Akako said that when you're with me that the curse is at bay, we can figure a way out of this together. Until then, I'm here for you, so…please give me the same curtesy. Don't leave me without a word." Conan's grip on the razor falls slack, and Kaito brushes Conan's bangs to the side to see his face better. His eyes were swollen, red and puffy. His lower lip was bruised and cut from his biting. Kaito held him in a one armed hug, which Conan accepted. Kaito stepped away from it after a moment, washing the blade in the sink and putting it out of reach on the top shelf of the mirror cabinet.

"I'm sorry…I…I didn't mean to…I wasn't thinking."

"No." Kaito said flatly. …Had knowledge of the curse really hurt him that much…? He turned to the quiet voice behind him, he wanted to say it was okay, but this time he just couldn't bring himself to do it. What was he expecting him to do? Hide his body for him? Let him 'move in' with him only to mysteriously disappear? Let his friends think that he was still out there, waiting for the day they would get to see him again? Run away from the people who had already been affected by the curse? Had he been planning this since his offer? Did he just agree to move in with him because he didn't think that the famous Kaitou KID would care if he died? Did he really think so little of him? "You weren't."

Conan dropped his gaze to the magician's hand. He had it in a fist, but blood was seeping through, spilling onto the tiled floor. Conan reached into the cabinet to grab some cloth, gauze and peroxide that he had seen earlier. He grabbed Kaito's hand and put it under slowly running water, gently rinsing the majority of the blood off. He splashed the—unfortunately white—cloth with peroxide, dabbing it over Kaito's injury. Kaito watched him, letting him do as he pleased. It stung like mad, but the adrenaline of the earlier situation greatly dulled the pain. Kaito could see him examining all the little card nicks and scars on his hand. Conan pressed down for about a minute or two with the cloth, before removing it and wrapping the wound in gauze. He wrapped it snuggly, and Kaito found himself admiring the quick and precise work.

"It shouldn't need stitches, but it is deep enough that it'd greatly help to have it bandaged for a few days." Conan let go of the hand, having finished wrapping it up.

"You're crazy you know that?" Kaito said, causing Conan to look up at him curiously. Conan had called him insane earlier, but Kaito couldn't help but think that the word fit the child in front of him better. What kind of 8 year old tries to kill themselves in someone else's house? What kind of 8 year old knows how to bandage wounds? "Promise me you won't do anything like this again."

"I…" Conan hesitated, he shouldn't have been so rash today, but if he found out that the only way to stop the curse was for him to die… Then he knew that he would try again in a heartbeat. "I can't promise that."

Kaito sighed, placing his unhurt hand on Conan's head, ruffling his hair affectionately. "I thought you would say that. But you can at least promise to talk to me about it first, right?"

"…" Conan shied away from the contact, feeling unworthy. "Yeah, I promise."

Kaito smiled sadly, taking his hand back, "So what do you want to do today? We can visit your old house and get supplies, or we could play games, maybe eat ice cream, I can introduce you to my friends, I could show you some magic tricks, or we could go get breakfast, or…" Kaito hummed thoughtfully, "Or we could just hang out here. If you're not feeling up to anything, we don't have to do anything. If you want to talk about things, I'd be more than willing to listen as well."

The way Kaito was talking to him calmed him down further. Part of him wanted to tell KID that he didn't need to dote on him, but the other part found the careful attention comforting. If KID was willing to help him so much, he really should thank him by at least trying to look for a better solution. In the meantime…"Breakfast sounds nice, actually. I would do just about anything for a cup of coffee right about now."

"And let me guess, you drink it black, don't you?" Kaito chuckled in amusement, not at all surprised at the detective's confession.

"No." Conan shook his head, "I drink it with lots of cream and sugar."

Kaito smiled widely, "Really, now? That's how I like it too." He got up, motioning for Conan to follow him as he headed to his room. "I still have some of the clothes I wore when I was little, if you want to, you can wear them."

"Okay." Conan nodded, watching as Kaito pulled out a box from the top of his closet. He set it down onto the floor and opened it, picking some of his favorite articles of clothing out for Conan to look through. Conan immediately picked up a black suit with a white tie, casually choosing the most uncomfortable looking outfit. He really did like formal wear, didn't he? Kaito smiled fondly at him. It was one of Kaito's favorite outfits too, but he preferred to wear softer fabrics on a daily basis, especially back then. The suit felt uncomfortable and felt difficult to breathe in when he was younger.

Kaito changed into the new day's clothes in his room while Conan changed in the bathroom. He himself was wearing a casual blue t-shirt and black cargo jeans. He went over to the bathroom cautiously, not making a sound. He trusted his favorite little detective, he really did. But, after what had just happened… it was just so terrifying that he felt like he had to be careful around leaving him alone.

"You know…" Conan said from in the bathroom, opening the door, making Kaito freeze at getting caught. Conan definitely knew why he had snuck over. Kaito was relieved that he didn't seem too bothered about it. "I think that the curse might also have to do with why I can sense your presence."

"Eh?" Kaito blinked, curious. He had always seemed to know when he was around.

Conan clarified. "I mean, if you really do have the ability to put my curse at bay, then that would explain the strange atmosphere shift I always feel when you're nearby."

Kaito looked at him. The suit fit him perfectly, in fact, he wore it much better than Kaito himself did, it was probably the hair. He had also used some makeup to conceal the redness around his eyes, and Kaito wondered where exactly he learned how to do that. "I guess that makes sense. You look good, Tantei-kun."

"Thanks…" Conan scratched his cheek. The thief seemed to be sincere about the compliment, but for some reason Conan couldn't take it seriously. He found himself wishing that he had his old clothing and devices. He felt vulnerable without his glasses, watch and bowtie at this point. He was so used to wearing them after keeping them on for so long. He had been wearing them since just before he turned 7…no 17. He corrected himself. God it had been so long. He looked at Kaito, noticing that he didn't look bad himself. The shirt cut showed off his thin frame, and Conan found himself staring at him curiously. How had he made his arms skinnier earlier? When he had disguised as Sonoko, they were so small! Faces, he understood, outfits—well, that was a given, KID had voices down like a pro, adding weight was simple, but lowering his body mass? That was one thing he couldn't figure out. Maybe now he'd have the chance to ask him one day…

Kaito looked at his own arms curiously, "You don't have to stare you know, plenty of guys shave their arms!"

Conan rose a brow, eyes glistening with amusement, noticing that yes, Kaito's arms were indeed shaved. "Do you shave your legs too?"

"Of course!" Kaito beamed proudly. "Every night! You never know when you might need to wear a skirt in public." Conan put a hand to his mouth at his laugh. He thought that that was a very KID-like concern.

"That's the first time." Kaito put a hand to his chin.

Conan's laughter died and he tilted his head, "For what?"

Kaito smiled, answering him. "The first time you smiled since the heist yesterday. I'm glad."

"Oh…" Conan lowered his gaze, feeling on the spot, but also somewhat warm inside. "I guess it is." Of course KID would notice these things. He had always been very observant. Still, it was nice. He had also always been pretty open when it came to KID, even if he was still keeping his identity a secret. And KID was one of his favorite people to hang out with, even back when all their interactions were him trying to catch him. This living together thing might not be so bad at all. He did wonder how long Kaito—god it felt weird to know his name, would let him stay if they don't find a way to break the curse anytime soon. He knew that he cared about everyone's lives, and would do anything to prevent innocent people from getting hurt. Maybe a few years? Conan hoped that they would find the cure within the next few months. If this became a goal as seemingly impossible as getting his body back, he didn't know what he would do. Surely he couldn't rely on KID that long.

"Ready to go?" Kaito held his hand out for him, "I always eat at my neighbor's house, the only food I actually keep around the house is junk food and pigeon feed. Try not to call me KID while we're in public, I have enough people around me that are suspicious as it is."

Conan nodded, taking his hand, before smirking and saying in a childish voice. "Okay, I understand, KID! Make sure to only call you KID, especially in public, got it."

"Hey…" Kaito sighed, "I was being serious!"

"Yeah, I won't say anything about it." Conan said.

They left the house and Kaito tugged lightly at his hand. "Thanks." Conan stayed silent in response. He had had plenty of close calls between Hattori and his mom himself, he wasn't about to go accidentally spilling anyone else's secrets. He thought back to Subaru, Tooru, and Haibara, yeah, he could keep a secret pretty well. He frowned, thinking back to his friends. What would they all think if they knew that he had been the cause for all the death around them? How would they react…Well, they'd probably think he'd gone crazy. The scientists, agents, detectives, police officers and even the children would probably question him for believing in something like a curse.

They stopped in front of the door and Conan thought that Kaito was going to knock, but instead of knocking he just waltzed in. Conan heard a lock being picked, but he didn't see his hands do anything other than twist the knob, the showoff. "I'm home~!"

"Ah, Kaito!" He heard a voice coming from the direction of the kitchen. He followed as KID took off his shoes and headed towards the sound.

"You're here pretty early, Aoko was just about to go wake you up." The girl said, she sounded like a happy person, Conan could appreciate that in people.

Kaito put his arms behind his head lazily as they arrived at the kitchen. "Well, I had to come early enough so that you would know to make enough food. I brought a friend."

"Huh?" The girl blinked as Conan came into view. He blinked back, momentarily startled.

'R-Ran…? No...' He smiled widely, "My name is Edogawa Conan, it's nice to meet you, miss!"

"A-ah, I'm Aoko Nakamori. It's nice to meet you too, Conan-kun." She bent down to smile at him, before looking up at Kaito. "I didn't know you were friends with the KID Killer, Kaito." Conan repeated the name is his head, 'Nakamori, huh?'

Kaito shrugged, "Apparently we're relatives or something. Starting today, he's going to be living with me."

"Oh. You do kind of look alike, especially with him wearing your old suit and all…" She said thoughtfully before scowling at him, "You better not teach him any bad habits, Kaito! One of you's bad enough! Don't go around teaching him that KID's a hero or something."

"Ah, I would never!" Kaito held a hand to his heart in mock offense, "Besides, he dislikes KID just as much as the next guy! Probably even more, why else would he try to capture him so much? Isn't that right, Conan?" The name felt really weird to say. Maybe he should have gone with 'Edogawa' instead, or added a 'kun' to the end.

Conan nodded eagerly, "Yeah! KID's just a dumb thief who deserves to get caught!" 'Oi, Oi…I'm right here, you brat.' Conan grinned, lifting his arms up and spreading them out, "But Kaito-niichan's one of my favorite people in the whooole world!"

'Huh?' Kaito blushed, surprised. He didn't have to act that far. But… Kaito scratched his cheek happily, the way he had called him 'Kaito-niichan' was really cute. He felt like an adoring older brother right now.

"You think?" Aoko laughed, before elbowing Kaito cheekily, "Looks like you got a new fanboy, huh?"

"Hey! Stop that, Ahoko!" Kaito let out some streamers and appeared behind her, watching as she almost fell forward.

"Bakaito! What would you have done if I fell?!" She glared, puffing out her cheeks angrily.

"Hmmph." Kaito stuck his tongue out. "You would have deserved it."

Conan stared blankly at the scene playing out in front of him, part of his image of KID having been shattered. So maybe he could be a little mean when it came to teasing, everyone was like that. He just seemed so used to this that Conan found himself having to adjust the image in his imagination. KID was just a mask of course. He shouldn't be surprised that there was a person behind it.

"Are you okay, Aoko-neechan?" Conan whined worriedly, "Why are you two fighting? Is it something I did?" Conan looked down pretending to be sad. "I-I'll be good from now on, p-please don't fight."

Kaito was immediately at his side, he noticed Conan jump in surprise. He put a hand on his shoulder, and a hand under his chin, lifting up his face. He knew that Conan was acting, but he had to make sure that he was alright. He was relieved to see that he didn't look that hurt. "It's not your fault." He pulled him into a tight hug, "Nothing's your fault, idiot."

Conan stilled, this guy wasn't going to let him feel down even the slightest bit, was he? He tugged on his sleeves, before wrapping his small arms around Kaito's larger torso. 'I was just acting, idiot…' While he may have been acting moments before, he still felt a weight falling off his shoulders at the concern.

"Kaito…?" Aoko peered down beside them, not used to seeing Kaito show affection so readily. They let go of the embrace and Aoko's eyebrows furrowed together. "Why's he moving in with you again?"

"I'll tell you about it tomorrow, that way I can explain to everyone at once. It's kind of a touchy subject right now." Kaito said, but Conan knew that he was only saying that so that he could make sure that his story matched up with his mom's.

Aoko sighed, putting her hands on her hips, "If you say so…" She started to get out ingredients to cook with. Heating a skillet, she plopped some egg whites in a small bowl and mixed with milk. Conan watched curiously as she cooked, his gaze switching to Kaito as he began idly doing tricks with his cards. They were so at home with each other, it reminded Conan of his days with Ran. Way back when he and Ran would walk home together, teasing each other. She had moved ahead in school a year and Conan wondered if he would be able to move up with her or not…He had missed so many exams… He just missed being able to be with her, like he was back then. Well, it was like that recently with her too, in a sense. But with him as Conan, it had never been the same.

"Are you okay?" Kaito asked after he had stared for a while. Conan was starting to wish that he'd stop worrying about him already. This morning had been…well, he hadn't been thinking. It was over, he was fine now.

"Yeah." Conan sighed, "I'm fine now, really." Kaito hummed back in response, expertly sounding both believing and disbelieving at the same time. Conan looks up as Aoko sets down a cup of coffee…in front of Kaito. He, himself receives a cup of milk.

"Thanks, Aoko-neechan." Conan smiled, hiding his disappointment. No one he knew would give a child coffee, and she was being very considerate.

"Hehe." Aoko grinned at the thanks and set off to continue making breakfast.

Conan looked back at with milk with a sigh, looking longingly at the coffee in front of Kaito. Kaito notices him and laughs, winking at him. Conan quirks an eyebrow, looking at the drinks again, not understanding Kaito's actions. When he looked down he noticed that Kaito's cup now had milk in it, he quickly looked at his own cup, excited. It had coffee! Conan grabbed the cup, sipping it to test the temperature and flavor. It was perfect…! He took a big gulp, satisfying his long sought after dose of morning caffeine. It had been so long, it took all his effort to not just chug it then and there. His lip stung a little bit, the earlier cut still new, but oh, it was so worth it.

He set the cup to the side, forcing himself to savor it instead of chug it. Kaito had his head resting on one hand, thoroughly amused at his antics. Conan blushed, looking away. He looked back at the sound of plates being set down. The plate in front of him had on it an omelet made of egg whites. He may have been young, but he felt that separating the egg yolks out might have been a bit much.

"Geez," Aoko put her hands on her hips looking at Kaito, "just what are you grinning like that for? It's creepy."

Kaito looked up at her, "Oh, I was just thinking about how dumb you—" Kaito stopped suddenly, having been about to say something mean to her, he quickly glanced back at Conan before scratching the back of his head. "—I mean, it's nothing, really."

"Ah!" She glared, "What were you about to say just now?! Stupid, Bakaito! Maybe I'll just eat your omelet for myself."

"You wouldn't want to do that, you'd get fat." Kaito said offhandedly, the rude sarcasm coming naturally and he immediately regretted saying anything.

Aoko was practically seething at this point. "And just what does my weight have to do with this?!"

"Ah, um!" Conan sat up, looking brightly at the two in front of him, interrupting them as best he could while smiling widely. "Thanks for the food!" He clapped his hands together before he started eating his omelet.

Aoko and Kaito turned to look at him and Aoko smiled at his reactions. "It's good isn't it? Just be careful not to burn yourself."

Conan swallowed before answering, "Yeah, it's delicious!"

She blushed, putting a hand to her cheek, "At least someone has some manners around here, you should learn from him, Kaito."

"Hmph, whatever." Kaito put his hands together, muttering an obligatory, "Thanks for the food." Before eating himself. Aoko joined them with her own omelet.

She sighed, "I wish dad would sleep some more instead of chasing after KID so much."

Conan perked an ear at the mention of KID. Kaito frowned, "Well it can't be helped, can it? I mean KID just had a heist last night, not only that but there was a new brat by his side. The old man's probably blowing a casket trying to find them." Conan found the topic of conversation utterly bizarre. It was not dissimilar to his own breakfasts at the Mouris, when Shinichi's name would be casually mentioned. Of course, they didn't really talk about him that often anymore…Since he'd been gone for over a year now.

"Yeah, but he could at least stay long enough to have some breakfast." Aoko complained, "He didn't even get to meet Conan-kun."

"We've already met!" Conan joined in, having all the clues to properly identify her dad, "Inspector Nakamori, right? Kaito-niichan told me that we were going to his house. I met him at some of KID's heists, like the one with Ryoma's duplicated goods!" Kaito blinked at him, knowing for a fact that he never mentioned anything about the house they were going to.

Aoko chuckled, "He's mentioned you before too." She didn't say anything he had said about him though, since he had only ever complained about the little brat playing detective on his turf. Aoko scowled, "Just what does that KID think he's doing anyway, involving a child with his criminal activities! He's despicable."

"But don't you think that KID Jr was really cute? I think he adds points to KID's charm." Kaito said, making Conan feel self-conscious. Cute?

"You would." Aoko huffed, "But when KID jumped off the tower, he screamed! That child was probably traumatized and KID just laughed about it! I know you're a big fan of his, but how can you side with him on this?" Conan choked before hastily taking a drink of coffee to help the omelet go down. So people had noticed him scream earlier, of course it had been displayed on the projector. He felt pathetic…

"Ah, are you okay?" Aoko got a napkin, wiping the side of his cheek, "Don't try to eat it all at once, it's bad for your digestion."

Conan smiled, "'Kay!"

"You really are the cutest! Don't grow up to be like Kaito, okay?" Aoko smiled at him as he nodded, and she crossed her arms. "Honestly, someone who tries to catch bad guys like Conan-kun here is much cuter than someone whose helping them like KID Jr." She frowned. "Even if I do think that KID's just using him."

Kaito and Conan shared a nervous glance at the comparison. "Who do you think KID Jr. is anyway?" Kaito asked cautiously, "I mean, I always thought KID worked by himself."

Aoko shrugged, "Dad thinks that he's probably KID's son, and that he was just waiting until he was old enough before bringing him to a heist. He's looking into all 35-45 year old guys who have a child in elementary school right now."

"Sounds like a wild goose chase if you ask me, there are way too many suspects!" Kaito laughed, "Though that's probably the best he can do."

"Hey, don't insult my dad!" Aoko growled. "Maybe I really should have eaten your omelet." She smirked sadistically, "You know, there's this really big sale on fish today...Maybe I should cook fish tomorrow."

Kaito paled, "Hey, you wouldn't actually do that would you?" He gulped uncomfortably at her unchanged expression, "Alright, alright, I'm sorry, okay? Really!"

Aoko flipped her hair back, "You better be." Conan finished his omelet and was regretfully done with his coffee as well. He looked at his wrist habitually to check the time, only to see the bare skin of his arm.

He looked up, seeing that Kaito was done too. "Hey, Kaito-niichan? Can we go get my stuff? I left all my toys and clothes…"

"Of course." Kaito smiled, getting up. "We should get going, thanks for the food, Aoko."

"Yeah, see you at dinner." She waved. "It was nice meeting you, Conan-kun."

Conan got out of his chair, walking up to Kaito. "It was nice meeting you too, Aoko-neechan, the food was really good!" Aoko smiled brightly, bringing the dishes to the sink to be washed. Kaito and Conan headed out of the house and once they were out of earshot, Kaito turned to Conan.

"Why do you act so childish around other people? I mean, what's the point in hiding your intelligence?" Kaito questioned, curious.

Conan sighed, "Well, it's unusual, isn't it? I'd rather not have people looking into me just because the things I say don't sound like they came from the mouth of an elementary school student. Besides, there are less questions this way, and it's easier for people to overlook me."

"Hmmmmm." Kaito considered his words. "I don't really think Aoko would care." He didn't push the matter. He was just trying to understand the boy beside him, wondering just how hard Conan's life must have been for him to find faking interactions as a useful tool. Then again, he couldn't realty say anything himself, since he also used the tool of pretending.

Okay, so wow, um…I had a lot of trouble with writing this chapter. I hope it wasn't too bad, and that Conan's feelings made sense. Keep in mind that Conan has been greatly affected by all of the cases around him at this point in his life, his actions were rash, but he's even expressed desire for the world to end because he was so tired of the cruelties surrounding him(Chapter 1). Once he found out that he might have been the reason for the cases, well, it tore him up inside. It wasn't his mind that made him consider ending his life, but rather his heart, and the misplaced guilt settling inside of it. The reason he was able to bounce back so fast was because it was more unnatural for him to be thinking about going through something so dark in the first place. I also hope him cheering up at the end made up for the beginning at least a little bit. Conan's someone that I can't really imagine staying down in the dumps for too long, especially when he has some kind of goal in mind.