Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Chapter Rating: Very mild M

Collection Summary: No matter where or what they are, their lives are always entwined. KaiShin stories in fantasy settings.

Chapter Summary: Curious as to why Shinichi has been disappearing into Clover Forest so often by himself, Ran decides to investigate. She finds quite a lot more than she bargained for.

In Dappled Shadows

[Spirit Verse]

Mouri Ran had noticed that her friend, Shinichi, had been slipping away to visit the forest a lot lately. That in itself wouldn't have struck her as strange, however. He had always run off to the forest whenever he could to "get some peace and quiet". The thing that had started to worry her was that she'd noticed he often came back these days with a dazed expression and a limp. He hid it well, but she'd been mothering him for years. Shinichi had never liked admitting that he was hurt or had problems, preferring to deal with them on his own. So she had learned to see the signs when he was concealing something.

If it had happened only once or twice, she would have just thought he'd tripped and twisted his ankle or something while he was in the forest. The dazed look could have been attributed to a strange sight or a new book. But by the fourth time he returned like that, she started to grow suspicious. Shinichi could be reckless, but he wasn't clumsy, and there couldn't be that many strange sights to see even in Clover Forest. Was he hiding some kind of more severe injury that was taking a long time to heal?

The thought nagged at her, and she started watching her friend more carefully.

The first thing she noted was that Shinichi wasn't coming back with cuts or bruises. So he wasn't getting into fights or being bullied.

The second thing she noticed was that, in addition to the dazed look, Shinichi often sported a soft little smile that radiated contentment. On occasion, that smile would be accompanied by a soft blush. If she didn't know better, Ran would have said that he looked like someone in love.

Wait… Could that be it? It would explain his distraction. It might even explain the frequent trips into the forest. He could be going to meet this person in secret.

But why the secrecy? And what about the limp?

Determined to get to the bottom of things, Ran kept an eye on her friend's schedule and, next time he ventured into the forest, she followed.

Clover Forest had never been Ran's favorite place to be. The place was beautiful, yes, but the air in the forest always felt…different. Like there was a power in it—the power of the wild things and a the deep tranquility of ages gone by. Every time she set foot beneath the canopy, she was reminded of those stories of spirits and supernatural creatures that abounded around the forest, and she would shiver.

Today was no different. However, she had a mission to complete, and so she ignored that sense of unease that always plagued her in the forest and kept her attention focused solely on Shinichi.

He was walking well ahead of her, and she kept losing sight of him before she caught up again. She didn't dare get any closer though lest he notice she was there. They had been walking for almost an hour by now, and Ran had yet to see another person. She was just beginning to wonder if she'd been wrong about him meeting up with someone when she realized that, while she'd been thinking, Shinichi had disappeared again.

Annoyed, Ran carefully picked her way forward, scanning the surroundings for any sign of which way her friend might have gone. She did her utmost best not to step on a twig or make any other sound, hoping her ears might give her a hint. But there was nothing. A small note of panic began to stir in her chest. She was lost! She couldn't see Shinichi anymore, and no one knew she was here. If she was lost, she might never make it home again!

She inhaled deeply, ordering herself to calm down. She hadn't made that many turns coming here, so she should still be able to find her way out of the forest. She just had to be careful to keep track of which direction she went in from now on.

Almost half an hour of careful searching later, she was about to give up on finding Shinichi again when she began to pick up a new sound in the natural whispers of the forest.

It was the murmur of voices.

It had to be Shinichi. But there was someone else with him. So…who could it be? She hadn't seen anyone but Shinichi the whole way here. That meant the other person must have arrived via a different route or been here already. And that was strange too because, as far as Ran was aware, Shinichi was the only person who regularly ventured this far into the forest.

Wait… Did that mean this other person might not be from Beika? But there were no human settlements within Clover Forest itself. If this mysterious stranger had come from another town or village, they would have had to travel a very long way to get here. It was more likely that whoever it was had been here already.

But… What kind of person would dare live in Clover Forest? Everyone who knew anything about the forest at all should know better. Unless…unless this person had no choice but to live here? Like a fugitive of some kind?

Ran's eyes narrowed. If only she could hear what they were saying.

Carefully, she inched closer.

Was that a moan she heard? She drew in a sharp breath. Was someone hurt?

Maybe someone had been injured and Shinichi had been coming into the forest to help them because the injury didn't allow them to be moved. That would make sense. Shinichi would help an injured person even if he was a criminal in hiding. Her friend always said that all life should be respected. It would be just like him.

There was more light ahead as the trees thinned, forcing Ran to hang back. She could hear the soft gurgle of a spring and—

"Kai—ah…"

Wait. That was Shinichi's voice. Now that she was closer, she realized that the soft moans had been his as well. She froze.

Then an unfamiliar male voice chuckled. "You're always so tight."

Ran's eyes grew round. Had he just said… Did that mean…

The moaning was getting louder. And it wasn't just moaning anymore. Now it was interspersed with gasps and sharp little cries.

And no, they were not of the pained variety.

Ran's face flushed dark crimson. She no longer had any doubts as to what they were doing.

She would never have believed that Shinichi could make sounds like—like that.

Kai… The name didn't ring a bell. As far as she was aware, there was no one by that name living in the village. That just confirmed her earlier suspicions. Or did it? Could it be a man using a false name? Her theory about it being a fugitive hiding out in the forest was suddenly looking far too likely.

A fugitive who had somehow managed to seduce her friend so that he could use Shinichi to satisfy his own dastardly wants?! Her blood boiled at the thought. The nerve! And poor Shinichi didn't have any experience with relationships and wouldn't know what was normal.

Or maybe she was letting her imagination run away with her. Shinichi wasn't an idiot. While he wasn't exactly good at being social, he wasn't easy to fool either. He should know better than to just get involved with some random stranger. He must have his own reasons for thinking that this Kai person was trustworthy.

But…well, love could impair someone's judgment. She didn't have to wonder if Shinichi was really in love. He wasn't the kind of person who would go around doing those sorts of things with someone he didn't believe he loved. But what about the other guy?

Ran realized with a start and some relief that the—noises had stopped. Well, if she gave them a few minutes to tidy up, maybe she could pretend to wander by. Then she could get a look at this Kai for herself. Her curiosity was eating at her. Well, that and her worry was nibbling at her too.

She had just made up her mind to step out of hiding when her ears caught the murmur of voices. Her foot froze in mid step. That had been Shinichi's voice. What had he said? She'd missed it. But then there was a sharp laugh.

"Now, now," the stranger's voice purred low and dark with intention. "You didn't think we were done, did you?"

There was a gasp and a whimper, and Ran tensed again. What was that maniac doing to her friend over there?! Er, well, okay, that was a rhetorical question, wasn't it? She didn't need a good imagination to figure that much out. Unfortunately, her imagination was pretty decent, and she could picture it all too well. This was unfortunate because she didn't really want to see this—this strange man from who knew where having his wicked way with her best friend. But as a friend, it was her duty not to just stand around, right? Except, well, it didn't sound like Shinichi was being forced into anything. Her face flushed again. No, it sounded like he was enjoying…it. Very much.

Barging in on two consenting adults wasn't really something a friend should do. It would just make things awkward for everyone.

There went her plans for "passing by". She couldn't possibly go out there now.

What really bothered her was that she didn't know who this Kai person was. If it had been one of the other villagers, she'd at least know if he was a good person or not. If she could be sure that he was a good person then she could leave them be, content in the knowledge that her friend's heart was in good hands.

But if it was really, as she was strongly beginning to suspect, a criminal fugitive hiding out in the forest… A relationship like that couldn't possibly end well no matter how sincere the parties involved were. And if the other man was just using Shinichi then the relationship could end up downright deadly.

She had to talk to him. But…later. When they were back in the village and away from prying ears.

Ran nodded to herself and set off back towards the village.

Unbeknownst to her, her departure was being watched by a certain forest guardian whose awareness covered a great deal more than she probably would have ever guessed. Not that she would have thought to imagine that her friend's mysterious lover was a spirit at all. She was far too afraid of the supernatural for that. If it weren't for that, and she had allowed herself to entertain the possibilities, then she might not have had such a hard time figuring out who "Kai" was considering everyone in the village knew his name.

Kaito snickered to himself as the brunette left his forest. The expression on her face—!

Shifting, he gently pulled out of his panting lover. Sitting, he gathered Shinichi onto his lap, a small smirk still playing about his lips.

"What's so funny?" Shinichi asked, eyeing him with a hint of suspicion.

"Oh nothing," Kaito assured him. "Just a lost little bird."

-End of Chapter-