Chapter 2: Aftermath

It was raining outside. The heist went off without a hitch and although he stole two gems, only one was the one he was looking for.

Kaito winced as the bullet was extracted from his shoulder. Jii pushed gauze on the bleeding wound and his waist had already been patched. "The blood bullets are hindering your healing factor, you'll need to take blood soon."

Blood Bullet n. A bullet of condensed blood that is used in the harming and killing of vampires. They were made by vampires for vampires. Once a Blood Bullet touches the skin of a vampire, it will immediately hinder healing and reduce strength. If a Bullet Bullet becomes embedded under the skin, it will begin to poison the vampire and eat away at the flesh therefore should be removed as quickly as possible.

"Thank you Jii-chan," Kaito nodded as the old man finished patching him up. He looked over at the child unconscious in the bed of a guest room. Jii cleaned up the blood and gauze and left his young master alone. Kaito pulled his chair over to the bed and patted Conan's hair. When did this attraction happen?

He remembered when their eyes met, although from far away, during his clock tower heist. He felt it, the rush of emotion one feels when instinct chooses its intended mate. When the disappearance of Kudou Shinichi reached his ears, he wanted to abandon it all and go search for him but then Edogawa Conan showed up.

He remembered the clean scent of the forest surrounding his senses and he thought that maybe this was their first time meeting face to face. He felt like a moth to a flame in being so close and he had never felt like such a prisoner to his desires. His instinct called out to him to claim what was his and his body felt the intense pull from the sweet scent of the virgin blood of his beloved.

He bit his lip and took in the deep scent of the blood that welled up. He couldn't think about it.

He laid his hand on Conan's head and rubbed his hair. "Wake up Tantei-kun."

He watched blue eyes open and he put on a smile as those eyes slowly focused on him. Horror filled Conan's face and he sat up as his sleep-deprived mind tried to make sense of the image in front of him.

Kaito's senses picked up on the reminding scent of blood and clicked his tongue. He hadn't cleaned his face or changed his shirt and he was still covered in blood. He stood up and went into the adjacent bathroom and took a flannel to his face and chest after he removed his shirt and washed off all the blood. There was still blood caked in his hair but that could be dealt with later.

He went back into the room expecting the little detective to be long gone but he was still in the same place on the bed.

"Not going to run away, Tantei-kun?" Kaito questioned as he resumed his seat next to the bed.

Conan was quiet for a long period before he answered, "should I run away? Are you going to chase after me? Kill me?"

Kaito chuckled, "why would I go through the trouble of saving you if I wanted to kill you? Chase after you, I might, but it's likely you wouldn't get far in your state."

"What do you want with me, KID?" Conan questioned, "and why are you still copying my face?"

"So many questions, little detective, which one do I answer first?"

"Where am I?" Shinichi started.

"At my home in Ekoda," Kaito responded.

Conan seemed confused, "why?"

"Would you have liked me to leave you in the warehouse?" Kaito inquired.

Conan went silent and winced as he shifted his arm. Kaito sighed, "try not to move around much. Your arm was pretty beat up and you're weak due to dehydration and blood loss. Here is water and a pain killer. It's strong so you should only need one in your tiny body and hopefully, it won't kill you."

Conan stared at Kaito long and hard before he cast a side glance at the pill and glass of water.

"I'm sorry, it was a joke. I'm sure that if you could survive a poison that shrinks your body, the painkiller will be a piece of cake."

Conan shivered, "...you know?"

"Well," Kaito started, "it would just be terrible if my enemies knew everything about my favorite detective and I did not."

Conan tipped back the pill and water and set the glass down.

"I would suggest you eat a bit as well," Kaito handed over a pack of crackers, "not too much, so you don't get sick, but enough so that you don't get sick. Those painkillers are terrible on an empty stomach and you've been starved for the last few days haven't you?"

"I am not a child, I can take care of myself," Conan snorted as he took the crackers.

Kaito chuckled at his ward's irony, "yes, I suppose you aren't." He stood and winced at his own injury. "Don't do anything stupid like try to leave in the middle of the night. I promise you won't get far."

Kaito got as far as the door before Conan's voice piped up again, still far too mature for the body it was in. "Since you're keeping me captive, what should I call you?"

Kaito smirked as he tossed a magically conjured red rose on the bed at the little detective's feet, "Kuroba Kaito, magician, at your service."

Kaito winced as his arm twinged at a wrong movement of his body. Blood bullets sucked. He inhaled sharply as he willed his wounds to heal faster. He didn't want to siphon blood from any random person and it would be months before his mother returned.

He sighed as he rolled his pencil across his desk dejectedly. He couldn't take blood from his cute not lover back home because he was still injured and his child body wouldn't be able to handle the stress.

"Oi, Bakaito," he cast a side glance to Aoko and sighed again. "What's the matter with you Bakaito? You've sighed more in the last twenty minutes than you have in your entire life."

Kaito stood and leaned on her desk, "Ahouko."

An immediate blush rose to her face as he leaned in close, "w-what?"

A lecherous grin rose to his lips, "pale blue, I see."

A look of confusion crossed her face before the blush came back full force. She lashed out with her fist and he dodged it with laughter. "And just when I was actually worried that something was wrong. Baka Bakaito!"

Kaito cackled as she swung at him with a mop and he flipped over desks to dodge. His classmates just sighed at his antics until he used his bad arm accidentally and went crashing after it gave out on him.

The classroom went completely silent as he laid still on the floor and Kaito winced as his wound opened back up.

"Kaito?" Aoko called as Kaito gripped his arm. He could smell the blood as it soaked through his bandages and he subconsciously reached up to stop the bleeding.

He noticed everyone staring at him in shock and stood up slowly. He laughed awkwardly in the silence, "my hand slipped."

Aoko looked particularly stunned because the great Kuroba Kaito would never make a mistake like that doing a back handspring he'd done a million times before. He felt the blood run slowly down his arm and he hoped it didn't soak through to his uniform.

He retained control over his senses so his eyes wouldn't change and he chuckled again, "I'll go get checked by the nurse."

"Yeah..." Aoko nodded slowly and everyone watched him grab his bag and scurry out of the room.

He decided to run home instead of getting a ride and was at the Kuroba Manor within a few minutes with his speed. He stepped inside and was greeted by a less than surprised Jii at the entrance.

"Bocchama, I would have picked you up," Jii bowed as he wiped his hands on a tea towel.

"It's alright Jii-chan. I was careless and reopened my wounds."

"Yes, come to the kitchen and I will patch them up for you." Jii left him in the genkan and he removed his shoes and began to unbutton his jacket as he made his way to the kitchen.

He was surprised to see his little ward with his back to him at the bar table set up in the kitchen. "Tantei-kun," he greeted and watched as those tiny shoulders jerked in surprise.

"KID," he greeted in response.

"Kaito," the magician reminded, "I can't have you spouting off my identity to people who may come to visit."

"My apologies, Kuroba-san," Conan gave him an infuriating smirk.

"What are you doing down here?" He looked at the sling that covered the boy's arm and thought that he would have to try to heal it more after the detective had gone to sleep.

"I didn't want to stay cooped up in that bed so Jii-chan allowed me to accompany him while he cooked," Conan replied as Kaito sat at the table. Kaito noticed the dark circles under the boy's eyes and the lack of awareness in his usually sharp irises. The pill he took was a strong one and he still should have been out cold.

"If you're wondering why your pill wasn't as long-lasting as you thought, my multiple experiences with Haibara's antidotes have caused my body to be immune to many things at this point." Conan met his eyes and Kaito smirked.

"Ahh, yes, I figured that was the case. I thought you might sleep for longer, at least until I returned home." Kaito crossed his arms.

Conan's gaze flickered to his school uniform before meeting his eyes again, "you're home now, aren't you?"

Jii walked in with the first aid kit and instructed Kaito to remove his school jacket and shirt. Conan looked away from the bare-chested thief and Kaito noticed the faint blush that adjoined his cheeks.

He watched as Jii cleaned the blood from his arm before he pulled the bandage away from the opened wound. It wasn't as bad as it looked but he was definitely feeling the effects of the blood loss. He closed his eyes and thought about the reward of his patience. He was hyperaware of the boy sitting in front of him and didn't think he would be able to resist if he didn't have the training he did.

Jii reapplied the gauze and rewrapped his shoulder. "Finished, Bocchama."

"Thank you, Jii-chan," Kaito said softly.

"I will take your shirt and jacket for washing." Jii took his bloodied clothes and left him in silence with his small ward.

"Meitantei-"

"How long are you planning on keeping me here?" Conan interrupted.

"You've been here only a night and you act as though you've been here for years." Kaito chuckled.

"Ran is probably worried," Conan muttered, and Kaito's face darkened, "I want to at least tell her where I am."

"I've already informed the police that you've been rescued," Kaito shrugged, "but if you must know, it would be best if you stay here until your arm heals. The anticoagulant venom hasn't left your system yet and it still has the possibility of killing you."

"Anticoagulant, huh?" Shinichi lost focus again before he came back, "venom from the knife?"

"Not a knife," Kaito stood and took his ward into his arms carefully avoiding his sling, "that Snake's venom in his claws has anticoagulative properties and entered your bloodstream when he shredded your arm." Conan struggled weakly against his captor and Kaito chuckled at his pathetic attempts to escape. "Relax, I'm only taking you back to the room so you can go back to sleep."

"Put me down," Conan pressed his kid elbow into Kaito's bare chest, "I can walk on my own."

Kaito laughed again as he walked up the stairs, "I know but it's more fun to carry you and watch you struggle." He entered the guest room the little boy was staying in and by the time he laid him down on the bed, he was out cold.

Kaito was careful of his arm as he tucked the little detective under the sheets. He leaned down and pressed his lips against the bandages that kept his arm contained and closed his eyes. It was dangerous for him to be healing while he was slowly losing it to his hunger and although he felt the need to monopolize Conan longer, he couldn't stand to see the boy in pain from such a wound on his arm.

Blood cells and skin cells rejoined and closed the skin over the muscle. Just a little at a time, Kaito thought to himself.

He went to his room and collapsed on the bed. "It's going to be a long night."

Every day, Kaito woke up for school, got dressed, teased his Shin-chan who liked to sleep in for as long as he could, which wasn't surprising since he was constantly on painkillers, went to school, annoyed his classmates, went home, teased his Shin-chan some more, who was staying awake for longer now, ate dinner, waited for his Shin-chan to fall asleep, tucked him in, healed his arm, and went to bed only to wake up and do it all over again. It wasn't intentional for him to ignore his health, and he wasn't thinking about it overall but the ever so aware detective he was taking care of noticed it.

"KID-san," the sudden voice brought Kaito out from his exhaustion-induced daydream and he lifted his head from his chin to look at his ward.

"Meitantei?"

Conan glared at him, eyes narrowed, mouth pursed, "you look like hell, idiot."

Kaito chuckled, "I suppose I haven't taken a look in the mirror to know that."

Conan clicked his tongue, "you fuss at me to take care of myself but you aren't doing the same."

Kaito smiled, "are you worried about me, Tantei-kun?"

"It would just be bothersome if you dropped dead."

Kaito stood up from the table and gave his ward a grin, "I'm fine Tantei-kun, so quit worrying."

He met Jii in the foyer with a bag of blood so delicately stolen from the hospital. He brushed it off and trudged up the stairs, the exhaustion weighing his body down. He ignored the constant burn of his throat and the uncomfortable heat that ravaged his body.

His shoulder injury had yet to heal, he knew, and he should have taken the blood but something akin to betrayal pulled inside of him. He went into his room and sprawled across his bed, sleep coming to him almost immediately.

It was a sound. Heavy breathing, a whimper. Kaito could hear it in his unconscious. He shifted but he could still hear it. His throat was dry as he sat up and rubbed his face. He opened his door and was surprised to see his ward wandering the hall.

"Tantei-kun?"

The boy's body seized up and he turned to look at him. Even in the dark, Kaito could see the tremble of his shoulders and he leaned against the doorframe. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

There was hesitation but finally, Conan responded, "I felt anxious. It...wasn't a good dream..." The detective was embarrassed to admit he had a nightmare at his age but he still couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Ah, a nightmare," Kaito wasn't laughing at him but the thief still thought it was cute, "was it the warehouse?"

Conan nodded hesitantly, and Kaito smiled, "they kept you in the dark all that time, it's alright to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid of the dark," Conan responded with irritation.

What are you afraid of then?"

Another hesitation, "the eyes, they were glowing in the dark," Conan gripped his hair in frustration, "it's all I see when I close my eyes."

Kaito stepped forward and knelt down to the small boy's height, "look at me."

He captured a gaze and he allowed the hunger to seep through his senses. He watched as Shinichi's face contoured into fear and he gripped the boy's good hand as he moved away.

"Tantei-kun, do you fear me?" He didn't receive an answer and he tried again, "have I given you any reason to be afraid of me?"

Finally, Conan shook his head and Kaito grinned and his fangs glimmered in the darkness, "not all vampires are bad."

"You're one of them?" Conan's voice was small and Kaito pulled him into a tight embrace.

He was careful of the boy's arm but even without looking, he knew it was almost completely healed.

"I am one of me, Shin-chin," Conan grunted at the nickname and Kaito chuckled, "but I am not them. I would never hurt you."

"How can I trust you?" Conan muttered and Kaito pulled back to get a good look at the detective's face.

"I'm a thief, can you really trust me at all?" Shinichi frowned at him and Kaito leaned back, and his arms fell away from the detective, "it all depends on how much faith you have in me."

Conan gave a thoughtful look and finally looked back at Kaito, "well, I suppose if I've stayed here this long, I'd have to have some semblance of trust for you."

"As if you could leave anyway," Kaito chuckled with just a hint of possessiveness laced in his voice.

Conan stared into Kaito's eyes, and the swirling violet hypnotized him. "My arm," Conan mumbled, "it's healing faster than humanly possible."

"Oh, you noticed?" Kaito blinked and the trance they were both in dissipated.

"How could I not? It is my arm." Conan looked away and Kaito took some deep breaths.

"I suppose."

"Why are you healing me? However you're doing it." Conan frowned.

Kaito chuckled, "it's merely magic Shin-chan."

"I don't believe that," Conan turned away, "and I'm going back to bed."

"You can always come and sleep with me if you get scared again!" Kaito grinned and Conan spluttered.

"In your dreams, thief!"

Kaito watched the boy run away and he smirked as he went back into his room. It was just another baby step forward.