Maboroshi

Izu Oshima

Ran sighed as she twirled her pen between her fingers. Summer break started tomorrow but she wasn't looking forward to it. Fumiyo-san came to take Conan two weeks ago and she missed him dearly. She didn't even get to say a proper goodbye. She clenched her fist as the tears gathered.

"Why was I never informed that my son had been kidnapped? I am very disappointed!"

She flinched as her pen shattered between her fingers and she let its crumbled remains rain on her desk. She sighed again and stared out the window. Her father hadn't been much help to her, only glad to be rid of the freeloader, and her mother was busy. She tried to call Shinichi a few times but his phone remained disconnected.

"Ran!" Ran glanced at Sonoko who rushed to her breathlessly. "You'll never believe who Nakamichi said he saw wandering around the office!"

Ran and Sonoko rushed through the halls and rounded the corner by the office, and smacked right into their target.

"Oof!"

"Ugh..."

Ran looked up almost starry-eyed at Shinichi who rubbed his chin out of habit.

"Shinichi!" The detective looked up at her and stared as if he was seeing her for the first time. He had the sudden twinge of a headache come on and he struggled to get her name out of his mouth.

"R-Ran," he stuttered and she jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Where have you been?!" She cried and all the pent-up emotions she had been feeling released in a flood, "I've been so worried! Why haven't you picked up your phone?"

Shinichi awkwardly patted her back as she cried into his shoulder and Sonoko just stared at him in disgust. He tried to ignore the looks his peers were giving them and tried to focus on the girl in his arms.

Her hair felt so good under his hands and he unconsciously pulled her closer. He had actually forgotten that she was the main reason he was trying so hard to get his body back. He wouldn't admit that he was happy to have run into her considering he probably wouldn't have sought her out if he hadn't. He also wouldn't admit that his thoughts had been preoccupied by another up until the moment he knocked right into her.

Sonoko finally seemed to get annoyed and she tapped Ran's shoulder, "hey, let's go somewhere else to talk."

Shinichi absolutely refused to go to Poirot's. He wasn't ready to face the Black Organization yet so the chance of running into Tooru Amuro was a risk he wasn't ready to take. So they went to a cafe rather far from the agency and sat down. Ran looked at Shinichi curiously as he requested a table far from the windows when the detective usually liked to look out the windows in case he saw something suspicious.

They settled at their table and Shinichi made Ran sit on the other side next to Sonoko. Her scent was nice and he didn't want to risk her being so close as he still didn't have complete control over his thirst. They stared at each other for a while, trying to figure out what to say next, before Shinichi sighed.

"Just ask—"

"When do you have to leave again Shinichi?" Ran asked and Shinichi was surprised by her forwardness.

"I should be here for a while longer. The case I'm working on hit a roadblock so they sent me home for some time. They may call me back at any time though."

"Who are these people?! Why can't they do this without you?"

Shinichi smiled at her with pity, "I am not allowed to disclose that information."

She sulked and their drinks came. Shinichi savored his coffee as it went down, warm and bitter, and he sighed, trying to ignore the ever-increasing jitters that ravished his body.

"By the way, Kudo-kun, why are you wearing a scarf and hat? It is summertime, you know." Sonoko finally said something and Shinichi had forgotten about the ball cap and casual scarf Kaito fitted him with that morning.

"It's going to look weird but it will keep your skin from burning when you go out." The magician told him with a smile. "I had to wear a hat and scarf for a few days after we mated and my classmates thought I was dying. It was very funny."

"I've been sick recently and this seems to be the only way I don't feel like I'm in the middle of winter despite the heat," Shinichi explained charmingly but the Sonoko still stared at him suspiciously.

"Will you be back at your house? Subaru-san is still there." Ran asked.

"I know, and no. I can't stay stationary for too long, so I'll be going to stay with a friend somewhere."

"Where?" Sonoko challenged and Shinichi got a bit annoyed.

"I am not allowed to disclose that information," Shinichi replied with a tight smile. Speaking of his "friend", he glanced at his watch and stood. "I have to go now. I wasn't supposed to be gone this long."

"Shinichi!" Ran stood also and he smiled at her, "what were you doing at the school?"

"Oh," he scratched the back of his head, the tightness in his chest increasing as the seconds passed, "I was getting some make-up work to do over the break and getting my name back on the attendance roster. I will probably be returning to school when the break is over."

Ran couldn't help the bright smile that came to her face, "really?! You're really going to come back, Shinichi?"

Shinichi nodded. He didn't say any more than that just in case his hope was false but her excitement was enough for him.

Ran gave him a tight hug and he held her longer than he probably should have. He inhaled the scent of her hair and sighed in content. Despite this, the sudden craving he felt didn't reflect her face, but the face of the magician waiting to steal him away for summer break. He swallowed away the urge to run out of the door at the thought.

"I missed you, Shinichi," Ran said softly and her voice brought him back to reality. Reluctantly, he let her go and ran out of the cafe back toward the professor's house.

Kaito was a little irritated. He had spent nearly two weeks implanting himself into Shinichi's daily life and it was working splendidly but he regretted the fact that he could not just wipe the Mouri girl's entire existence from Shinichi's mind. He figured that sending Shinichi to the school on his own would backfire on him, and it did, but he couldn't help that. All that time he spent erasing pieces of memories from Shinichi about her, wasted. His lover's overwhelming emotion toward the girl negated his power so easily and now he was stuck on what to do next.

Shinichi avoided his eyes nervously as he stood in the doorway. Kaito towered over him menacingly as his nose scrunched in displeasure. "Delayed?"

"Ah, yeah. I ran into some friends and went to grab coffee."

Kaito knew, he masked himself and followed his detective lover to make sure he didn't have an absolute breakdown in public. His being close by was probably the only thing that kept Shinichi sane and the detective wasn't mature enough into his instincts to identify his scent yet. The magician allowed Shinichi into the house and he crossed his arms as the detective kicked his shoes off, "I warned you not to go wandering off. You haven't fed in days," the detective flinched and pouted at that, "and you are still like a child when it comes to controlling your thirst."

"I'm not!" Shinichi denied, a bit childishly if Kaito was honest, and the magician gave him an unimpressed look.

"You're not?" The magician cut a line into his wrist allowed the blood to drip down his hand. Immediately, the detective's eyes flashed and he went for the bleeding appendage but Kaito held his bleeding hand out of Shinichi's reach.

"Do you think that if you had the slightest whiff of blood in your vicinity, you would have been able to control yourself?"

A whimper grew in the detective's throat and Kaito sighed, "I cannot keep indulging you, Shinichi. If you want to drink from me, you need to use your fangs to do so."

The detective gripped his sleeve to pull on his arm and Kaito rubbed his thumb across one of the detective's exposed fangs, "what frightens you?"

He sighed and relaxed his arm and Shinichi immediately latched onto his bleeding wrist. Kaito patted his lover's soft hair, "next time, I will not be so kind to you, Shin-chan."

"You say that every time," Kaito turned his head to Haibara who had slipped into the kitchen to make tea, "and yet you still spoil him so much."

"Oujo-chan, you were awfully quiet," Kaito said and Haibara shrugged.

"If you weren't bleeding all over the floor, I may have ignored it but the scent of your blood is very loud," she licked her lips, "I became a bit nosy."

Kaito turned his gaze back to Shinichi who stared at him as he licked the blood from his fingers. An erotic sight to behold and Kaito swallowed as his pants tightened. Shinichi tilted his head, albeit more than innocently, his pink tongue poked out between his lips, a streak of blood on his chin. Kaito smiled and licked the blood from the detective's skin and Shinichi squeezed his eyes shut as the magician kissed his lips gently.

Kaito hadn't made any moves toward him besides the gentle kisses to his lips and it always made Shinichi nervous. The previous seven days had been difficult for the detective as he didn't like being away from Kaito for long periods of time, if at all, not that he wanted to admit it, but after a couple of days of severe panic attacks every time Kaito would leave, finally he broke.

He didn't remember the words that came out of his mouth that day that he clung to Kaito and begged him not to leave but Haibara had an embarrassing recording of the entire thing and blackmailed him with it.

They had attempted a trust test today, and instead of Kaito leaving, Shinichi would go to his school without Kaito and see how badly the anxiety affected him then. He struggled to get out of the house initially but every event after that seemed to be fine, minus the ever-increasing anxiety that consumed him the longer he was away from the house. It was better than it had been.

Kaito was incredibly proud of Shinichi underneath his disdain for his lover being covered in the scent of that girl, "do you feel better?"

Shinichi's lips curled into a pout, a habit he hadn't realized he started, and Kaito kissed him again. "Go and make sure you have everything you need Shin-chan."

Shinichi stared at him as if Kaito had asked him to dance the hula on his head and Kaito chuckled, "do you want me to come with you?"

Shinichi looked away with a blush on his face and ran out the door to his house next door. Kaito chuckled and Haibara snorted from her place in the kitchen. The magician faced her and she looked away. "Ojou-chan, about the thing I asked of you..."

"I will not help you hurt him!" She bared her fangs to him and her face smacked into the counter by the weight of Kaito's power. She gritted her teeth and forced a smirk upon her face, "though it is nice to know you need me for something, I still have a bit longer to live in this cruel world."

Kaito kept the smile on his face, "or I could just devour you now and take your power for myself."

"But you need him on your side," Haibara forced out, "a death like the one you have planned for me will not sit well with him. He is a detective after all."

"If I recall correctly, there is a deadly organization after your life, who's to say they didn't get to you?"

Haibara gave him a side-eye and Kaito raised his hands and she exhaled as she was able to lift her head from the counter, "I'm just kidding Ojou-chan. You're right, you're more useful to me alive, however, eventually, you will yield to me." Kaito stopped himself in the doorway and chuckled, "have a wonderful summer break, Ojou-chan."

Haibara let out a shaky sigh as he closed the front door quietly and she gripped her cup of tea tightly.

Shinichi sighed as he stared out the window. After a teary goodbye from his mother who had stayed around to see him off and a quick note from his father who had run off from his editors again, he lugged his suitcase out of the door and into the car.

"Hey, isn't Ekoda in the opposite direction?" He asked lightly.

Kaito hummed as he continued to look at his phone, "it is. Are you just now realizing it?"

"You're kidnapping me again?" Shinichi looked over at the magician who did not look up at him.

"I am, do you have a problem?"

"Where are we going?" Shinichi asked as he looked back out of the window, "you said we were going to Ekoda."

"Can't you just enjoy the surprise?" Kaito asked and Shinichi snorted.

"No, because if I end up dead, I'd like to know where to tell people to look for my body."

"What makes you think I would let any harm come to you?" Kaito asked as he put his phone down.

"It might be you that would cause me harm," Shinichi accused blandly.

"Meitantei, I'm hurt," Kaito gasped with exaggeration as he pressed a hand to his chest.

Shinichi rolled his eyes and Kaito laughed. "Don't worry, we're going somewhere fun."

"But you're not going to tell me where?"

Shinichi didn't get his answer until they arrived at Haneda Airport. Kaito opened the door for him after they arrived and Shinichi stared at him with an incredulous look, "you think I'm going to get on a plane with you and you won't even tell me where we're going?"

"I could leave you here in Tokyo, but I'm sure you wouldn't like it if I did that," Kaito said as he held his hand out for the detective, smugly making a jab at Shinichi's involuntary separation anxiety. Shinichi grumbled as he took the magician's hand and got out of the car.

Shinichi was pleasantly surprised as men in suits greeted them as they entered the airport and led them through the security checkpoint without delay. He wasn't quite attuned with his senses yet but he could tell that the men around them were vampires.

They had to wait for a short while in a comfortable waiting area before they were led to a private plane. Shinichi felt like hesitating but Kaito gave him a look that made him change his mind.

"You're still not going to tell me where we're going?" Shinichi asked as he buckled his seat belt.

"We're going to the beach," Kaito responded as he put his phone down and closed the window shade.

"The beach? What beach?"

"It's a private beach located somewhere on some island."

"That's helpful," Shinichi frowned.

"We're going to Oshima to attend a party. My mother will be there."

Shinichi seemed to be appeased by that answer and he leaned back on the plush seat of the plane. Jii bowed as he took his seat across the aisle from them and the captain's voice came across the intercom.

Shinichi drowned out the man's voice as he spoke about the weather and flying conditions. Kaito had distracted himself with a juggling trick and Shinichi watched him passively. He still wasn't okay with the fact that he wasn't exactly human anymore but he figured it was better to accept that fact than to waste energy being mad about it. It's not like it could be reversed.

His other issue was Kaito. Haibara vaguely explained the reason for his separation anxiety. Sires and their fledglings, blah blah blah, it was instinct they didn't want to be away from their wanted source of blood, blah blah blah. He hadn't really been paying attention to her when she was explaining it to him but he could discern the rest for himself. The only question was when this stage of his new vampire life would be over and he didn't have the complete desire to be all over Kaito. It took enough self-control already.

"How long will we be in Oshima?" Shinichi couldn't stop himself from asking and Kaito chuckled as he turned to face his detective lover.

"A few days at the least, unless you decide you would like to stay longer."

"Why would I do that?"

Kaito gave him a sly grin, "because when we get there, you may change your mind."

Oshima was undoubtedly beautiful. Shinichi was able to enjoy all of the sensations more due to his heightened senses as he stretched and breathed in the crisp sea air. They crossed through security without any hassle and Shinichi looked at Kaito who had on his usual fake and charming smile for everyone he interacted with.

They were greeted by more men in suits and led to a car. Kaito slid to the other end as he entered and Shinichi knew it was a ploy to test him. He swallowed his feelings and buckled himself in by the door, leaving a space between them. He stared at the window and focused his attention on the scenery outside and tried to calm his racing heart.

"All those men," Shinichi cleared his throat and glanced at Kaito, "do they work for you? Are you rich?"

"If I was, would that matter to you?" Kaito peeked at Shinichi too.

"Of course not!" Shinichi denied hotly, "I was just asking."

"Well, I have built up a decent nest egg from my shows and performances, but as for a silly inheritance, there's a chance I have large sums of old money hiding in multiple places around the world," Kaito chuckled, "my old man was an ass an only left me with a coded message and said I had to earn it. And no, none of those men work for me."

"Then what about the plane and the special treatment at the airport?"

Kaito paused in thought, "let me ask you a question. Do you feel anything different about me?"

Shinichi blushed deeply, "w-w-what do you mean?"

Kaito smiled fondly at his lover's embarrassment, "the man that is driving us, focus on him, how do you feel?"

Shinichi tilted his head in confusion but stared at the man in the driver's seat for a while. He could tell the man was a vampire, just a feeling in the back of his mind that said that they were similar and then he looked back at Kaito. The feeling was completely different. It was like a push in the back of his mind, a nagging that beckoned him to bow his head.

He stared at Kaito wide-eyed, "I feel it." He took a shaky breath, "w-what is this? I-It happened before, at the Professor's house. Except then, it was more pronounced. "

"Your instincts compel you to obey my will," Kaito reached his hand out and touched the detective's face, "right now because I am still trying to control my powers, and because you are a new fledgling, sometimes my presence will make you uncomfortable, sometimes you may be forced to your knees, sometimes you may even do as I wish even if I haven't verbally asked for anything. As if your body wasn't your own."

Shinichi's eyes widened at the thought of not having any self-control, "b-but I don't-"

"Shh," Kaito pressed his finger to Shinichi's lips, "it's okay, don't worry. I will try my hardest not to force you to do anything you don't want to." Kaito sighed, "the men at the airport know I am their king, well the others like us at least, they know. They did it for the attention. They're hoping that they get noticed by me, so they do things that make my life easier so that maybe I will notice them. It's a social game and everyone wants to be up on the highest rung. And sometimes it's not about want, sometimes they have no choice; so they adapt or they bend to my will. We are here to meet my mother, she said she can help me control that."

"Why do I feel like there is some other underlying cause why we're here?" Shinichi asked and of course, Kaito didn't answer him.

They rode for a while without talking and Shinichi tried not to notice how his nerves settled because Kaito held his hand or how it pleased him to hear the magician hum some random little tune.

"Will it ever go away?" Shinichi asked finally, the main worry that nagged his mind, "the compulsion?"

"For them, no. But for you, it could."

"What do you mean?"

"We... are not fully mated yet. But when that happens, it will go away. You won't be able to be charmed by me, because my blood will be your blood, my power will be your power."

"But didn't we," Shinichi glanced at the driver quickly, "already do that?"

"We did. But you have not fulfilled your side of it."

"Me?"

"When I mated with you, I mated with the human you. You were not a vampire so you couldn't take my blood to seal the bond. Now that I've turned you, you are like an unbound book, connected at the pages but not at the spine. In order for our mate bond to be complete, you have to feed from me, on your own." Kaito nudged Shinichi's lips apart and rubbed over the detective's fangs with his thumb, "you must... use your fangs all by yourself and drink from me."

"What happens if we don't? If I don't?" Shinichi inquired sensually, his face flush with arousal. Kaito rubbed the pad of his thumb across Shinichi's tongue and he relished in the breathy moan he received in response. He controlled the urge to ravish the detective despite their company and pulled his hand away. He hid his smile at the detective's obvious discomfort and leaned back. The greater the patience, the greater the reward.

"Your blood has sated my monster, for now, but our roles are reversed. Your body will begin to deteriorate, you will go into starvation and kill every living thing you can get your hands on, and then you will be suffocated by your vampire nature and die if you remember that tidbit of information I shared with you once. Unfortunately, I would join you in that painful death because you and I share blood from our first consummation. And I turned you. We are as together as together can be."

"So we... consummate, again? To save us both?"

"As simply as it can be put."

Shinichi became quiet again and more minutes passed, "when?"

"When you are ready."

Shinichi sighed, "this is all so confusing."

"It is."

"When does the separation anxiety go away?"

Kaito turned Shinichi's face toward him and smiled, "when you learn to accept your situation and accept me as your mate."

"We have arrived, My King." Shinichi's response was cut off by the driver as they pulled up to a rather large-

"Is that a castle?" Shinichi asked incredulously.

"It could be considered as such, but considering where you live, is it really that surprising?"

"This place is ten maybe twelve times the size of my house in Beika."

"Perhaps." Kaito grinned as they came to a stop in front of the large residence.

"Bocchama," Jii greeted as they exited the car, "I'm glad you have arrived safely."

"Of course, Jii-chan. Has my mother arrived yet?" Kaito asked as he took Shinichi's hand and pulled him along.

"The Mistress was here but she ran out on a few errands. She promised to return soon."

"That woman. She just can't sit still to save her life."

Shinichi just followed along with Kaito as they entered the residence. At least fifteen people spoke around them and Kaito seemed to be listening to everything at once and responding accordingly. Shinichi was a fairly decent multitasker but even all the noise was getting to him. There was noise and smells and feelings that he couldn't quite process all at once and he just closed his eyes and let Kaito lead him until his body stopped him.

Blood.

He froze in the middle of the walkway and Kaito froze with him and everyone that crowded them stopped as well. The scent was terrifying. His skin tingled and his heartbeat a little faster as his eyes darted back and forth looking for the source of the scent. His mouth watered and his eyes flashed and everything around him seemed to move in slow motion.

"Breathe, Shin-chan," Kaito's voice cut through every thought in his head, and Kaito held his head and pressed his face to the crook of his neck. "Breathe me in, I'm right here."

Shinichi wrapped his arms around Kaito's back and took in Kaito's scent. It drowned out everything else, the noise, the smells, everything. Kaito lifted Shinichi in his arms and frowned at his entourage, "I have only just arrived. Allow me to get settled with my lover and I will convene with the rest of you later. Jii-chan."

Kaito walked away and Jii stood the in way of the group of vampires wanting his immediate attention. "When my master is ready, he will join the rest of you."

Kaito sighed in relief and held Shinichi tightly. He had been briefed on where his room was and went there first. He cursed himself because although he had been prepared for this, his delicate lover was still new to the instinct and sensation. He entered his room and sat Shinichi on the newly made bed.

"Are you okay, Shin-chan?" Kaito asked as he brushed some hairs from the detective's face.

"The scent of blood," Shinichi looked at him with illuminated eyes full of tears and anguish, "the scent of blood is so overwhelming. M-my hands are shaking, it smells like death here."

Kaito nodded and bit into his wrist, "drink, it will calm you."

Shinichi didn't let a drop fall as he latched onto Kaito's wrist immediately. The magician sighed as he stroked Shinichi's hair lovingly, "as I wonder if you will ever learn, I continue to enable you even though I say I'm going to stop. You have me so smitten with you." Shinichi looked at him with watery eyes and Kaito wiped away those tears, "I'm sorry that I didn't prepare you beforehand, I should have told you what it would be like here."

Shinichi licked his wrist clean and Kaito pressed their lips together. It was their first real kiss since he'd be turned and he didn't fight it or flinch away. He sighed contentedly as Kaito pressed in more and he shivered as their tongues tangled. Kaito could taste his blood on Shinichi's tongue and he made his arousal light up like a firework. Kaito pushed Shinichi back onto the bed and the detective fell into the moment too as he attempted to pull Kaito's shirt off without tearing it to shreds.

Kaito broke their kiss and pressed his face to Shinichi's neck after removing his shirt. Shinichi gasped and shivered delightfully and Kaito pressed down on the appendage that rose to greet him from the front of his detective's pants. He kissed Shinichi's neck and absorbed the moans he received as a treat when he pierced the detective's skin. He fed slowly and savored it and it drove Shinichi crazy if the way the detective clawed at his shirt was any indication.

"K-Kai-pleas-suh," Shinichi gasped and arched his back, and Kaito indulged him and released his dick from the confines of his pants. Shinichi shivered and moaned from the change in temperature as the cold air touched him and Kaito helped him along by stroking him gently. Shinichi writhed under him, moaning and panting, and being an all-around tease to Kaito, and the magician prepared himself to rip the rest of their clothes off and take him again...

"Kuroba-sama!"

But fate had other plans.

The mood dispersed and Shinichi suddenly became shy and aware and Kaito sighed heavily as he dropped his head onto Shinichi's bare shoulder. He licked over Shinichi's shoulder to heal his bite marks and sighed again. "You were saved by the door once again Shin-chan, saved by the door."

Kaito got up and Shinichi stumbled to put his pants back on properly as Kaito partially opened the door to reveal a tiny woman in a pink dress. "You should know that you interrupted something good."

The woman blushed, "many apologies Kuroba-sama, I was told to inform you when your mother returned."

"Well, someone hates me," Kaito rolled his eyes, "tell her I'll be there shortly. I'd love to meet her in the garden for tea."

The woman nodded and ran off as fast as her frilly maid dress would let her. Kaito closed the door and turned back to Shinichi who stared at him from the bed. Kaito approached him and leaned over him to steal another kiss. "The bathroom is through that door, take a shower or sleep, or if you'd like to come to join me just let me know and I'll have someone come get you in a while."

"Y-you're leaving me?" Shinichi asked alarmed and Kaito smiled.

"You did well earlier today, right? Was it too much for one day?"

Shinichi didn't feel like he needed to grace that with an answer and Kaito kissed him again. "Let's try another trust test."

Kaito sipped his tea slowly and listened to the babbling of his mother. He understood she missed him but she wasn't the only one.

"Kaito, are you listening to me?"

"Yes Mom, I'm listening. You realize you're just rambling about the travels I already know about right?"

"Ungrateful brat," Chikage muttered as she sipped her tea. She watched her son turn her head slightly and move his mouth as he brought his teacup back toward his face.

"Kaito." The magician raised his eyes to meet his mother's, just a flick of the iris but it was enough for Chikage.

"You know son, you didn't have to meet with me right now," she smiled, "isn't Shinichi-kun waiting for you?"

Kaito smiled too and brought a finger to his lips, "trust exercises." Chikage watched as Kaito touched his ear and spoke more words quietly but he didn't hide his mouth from her this time.

"I'll be back soon," she saw the words form on his lips. He touched his ear again and held up the tiny earpiece for her to see. "My attention is all yours."

Chikage smiled with irritation, "so you've been having a double conversation this whole time? Have you been listening at all?"

"Actually Mom, there's something I want to discuss with you," Kaito leaned forward in his seat and it piqued Chikage's interest, "it's about Shinichi and he cannot know."

Kaito explained his thoughts to his mother and Chikage leaned back, "you'd put Shinichi's life in danger for the suspension bridge effect?"

"His life wouldn't be in danger, I'd have full control of the situation, but I have to do something. If we don't complete our bond, he's going to go insane and kill everyone here." Kaito clasped his hands together.

"Your bond isn't complete yet? Kaito, what-" Chikage shifted in her seat.

"I know!" Kaito sighed exasperatedly and pressed his hand to his forehead, "Mom, I know. That's why I came to you. Shinichi, he- I sprung this whole life on him without warning. He is such a kind soul and has a kind heart and because of that, he can't feed from me on his own. He is afraid of his own fangs, he is afraid of the blood but he feeds because his body tells him to."

"You've been enabling him?"

"I cut myself and he feeds from me like a child would, if I didn't, he would have gone into starvation a long time ago."

Chikage sighed. "Kaito, I mean," she sighed again, "your plan would work but I don't want you to get hurt and I don't want you to endanger Shinichi-kun. That's Yukiko's son, we promised to take care of him. Your father and I."

"I promised her as well and I will keep that promise, but I can't do that if I don't force Shinichi's hand." Kaito leaned back and stared up at the darkening sky, "I wasted a lot of time so if my calculations are right, I've got four days before Shinichi starts to deteriorate."