Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK
A Curse Marked Fate
8: Bell Tree Springs
Kuroba Kaito pulled his Level Seven license card out of the pristine white envelope it had come in and held it up to the light. The picture of him that had been printed on it was quite a good one, if he did say so himself—which put the lie to Aoko's claim that license pictures never came out right. But more importantly, the seven gold stars gleaming above his name on the right hand side of the card proved that he was now a certified Level Seven Sky Mage.
Conjuring a pen from his desk, he flipped the card over and signed his name on the indicated line before pressing his thumb to the circle next to the signature and channeling a bit of magic into it. The card warmed, then a watermark of a basic Sky magic circle appeared sprawled across the back of the card. With that, his registration was complete.
Grinning, he flicked his wrist, causing the card to vanish in a puff of smoke which hid its stealthy slide down into his sleeve.
"Hey, I wanted a closer look at it," Aoko said from where she was seated on the other couch in the Kuroba living room. She had come over that morning so that they could work on their social studies project together. She'd passed the mailman on her way, so she'd brought the mail in with her. Now she held out her hand to her childhood friend expectantly. "Please?"
Laughing, Kaito pulled his license card out of thin air and passed it to her. "Here."
Aoko examined the card with interest. "Is heavier than our student licenses."
"That's because all the professional level license cards are made of metal," he explained. "The student ones are treated wood. But they all have the same anti-theft and come-back-home spells on them as long as they're properly registered."
"Well, I guess it feels more official too with it being weightier," the girl mused. "But other than that, it seems pretty ordinary."
Kaito rolled his eyes. "It's not like it's the license that's special. It's the people who have them."
Aoko leveled him with a flat look. "Don't go getting a swelled head. You're not the only high school student to pass this year. From what I hear, everyone's still talking about that Makoto guy and how incredible he was."
Kaito snorted. "That Neanderthal was incredible all right. Not even the proctors were expecting someone to solve that task by felling a tree with his bare hands. It seemed to me he forgot he was taking a magic exam."
"Well, at least he solved the problem. And he was able to complete the spells the proctor asked him to do afterward."
Kaito shrugged. He really wasn't all that interested in talking about the other candidates who had or hadn't passed.
For the last week now, he had been making arrangements for the big celebration party meant to encourage the rising mages in the Tokyo area. Though his mother was the one officially in charge of organizing everything, Kaito had offered her his assistance (both because he was a good son and because he had a few personal agenda items that he could only accomplish by taking the reins of certain parts of the celebration. Hey, opportunity was something you had to create). He had met with the Suzukis and acquired the use of one of their new resorts. He was scheduled to go inspect the place in person later this afternoon. His mother wanted a full report on the amenities and available spaces. And Kaito had a certain Suzuki heiress to sound out.
Speaking of Suzuki Sonoko, from what he'd learned about her through his research, it might be helpful to have Aoko with him when he went for his visit. Her presence might help stave off future complications, and it wouldn't hurt that she looked so much like the Suzuki girl's best friend. It would be a great conversation opener and a lead in to possibly learning more about the Mouris.
"Hey Aoko, you've heard of Bell Tree Springs, right?"
The brunette blinked at him over the notes she'd just spread across the table. "I think so. That was the new resort they were building just outside the city, right?"
"That's the one. And they actually just finished it. The Suzukis have agreed to let us use it for that big celebration, but I'm supposed to go look the place over today to be sure it's suitable. I'm planning to head over there once we're done here. Would you like to come with me?"
He was a little surprised when the girl didn't immediately agree. Instead, Aoko bit her lip, glancing up at the clock on the wall.
"Do you know how long it would take?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," he said, studying her face closely. "The commute isn't exactly short. I'm guessing it'll take all afternoon."
"Oh. I can't go then." Aoko sounded honestly regretful. "I guess I'll just have to wait for the actual party. You did say I was invited, right?"
"Of course. Does your dad have today off or something?"
Aoko looked puzzled. "No. Why?"
"I thought you might be having one of your family dinner nights, since you said you couldn't go with me."
"O—oh that. It's not anything to do with Dad. I'm just, uh, busy later."
Kaito didn't miss the way Aoko stuttered. Nor did he miss the blush beginning to blossom in her cheeks. A sudden suspicion kindled in his mind. Indigo eyes narrowed.
"What kind of plans?" he asked.
"I'm just meeting a friend," she hedged. "We're going to watch that police drama you said sounded boring."
"You're not going with Keiko then," he concluded. "She'd be dragging you to that romantic comedy. So who're you going with?"
Aoko fidgeted for a moment longer before apparently deciding that there was no point trying to hide anything from her oldest friend. So she squared her shoulders, cheeks still red, and declared a little too brightly, "I'm going with Hakuba-kun. He asked me if I'd like to go see it with him yesterday, and I said yes."
"You mean that new transfer student that always has his nose in the air?"
Aoko frowned. "He's not like that at all. He's really nice."
Kaito let out a loud snort. "I think your definition of nice needs a little work. He's obviously full of himself."
"Look who's talking," Aoko said flatly.
"And he's always such a stick in the mud in class. Eichirou told me that he had to be Hakuba's lab partner in chem, and the guy made him measure everything out to the fourth decimal point and keep track of all their times to the millisecond."
"It's not a crime to want to be precise," Aoko huffed in defense of her new friend. "Besides, I don't see how that matters one way or the other. We're going to watch a movie later, and that's that. Now are we going to work on this project or not?"
"Fine. Whatever. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Aoko's mouth opened, and Kaito could all but hear the indignant outburst coming, but then she shut her mouth again without uttering a sound. Instead, she handed him a sketch on a torn out piece of binder paper.
"I want to try making this amulet."
Kaito looked the design over. "So a basic warming amulet. Well, it's kind of easy, but it would be useful. I can provide the fire element spells, but the amulet for holding a fire element spell has to be made of metal. Do we have the necessary materials?"
"I found some copper wire in Dad's toolbox that he said I could use. I also brought some glass beads. I read that they're good with fire too."
"Well, let's get started then."
An hour later, the two of them bent their heads over the small, copper amulet that Aoko had molded into a disc. She'd set the four glass beads into it and worked the metal into a clover shape around them so that the beads served as the four leaves. When they leaned in close, they could both see the glimmer of orange sparks inside the glass. When Kaito picked it up, he could feel the warmth emanating from the pendant. It was soothing—not too hot but warm enough to be of use on a chilly day.
He grinned. "For our first try, I'd say this is pretty good. Here. You hang onto it." He handed it over to Aoko, who cradled it on her palm, gasping softly at the wave of warmth that washed over her.
"Wow," she breathed. "It's really working."
"Of course it is. I did provide the spell, didn't I? You're working with a master here."
"You still have a few certificates to go before you can call yourself a master," she retorted, but she was smiling as she did. "How long do you think the spell will last?"
"Not sure," Kaito admitted. "It'll depend on how your containment spell balances with my warming spell."
Aoko frowned. "What if it expires before we turn it in?"
"Then we'll just make it again. Since we already have the base, we'd just have to renew the spells."
"I'll keep an eye on it then," Aoko decided. "I want to know how long it'll last."
"Just don't lose it on your date."
Aoko blushed. "Oh be quiet. Anyway, I'm making shrimp pasta for lunch. Did you want to come over?"
"Nah. Thanks for the offer, but I think I'd better get going. I'll grab a quick bite on the way to the resort."
X
Kaito walked Aoko to her house next door before hopping onto his Sky Cycle and setting off for Bell Tree Springs. He stopped for lunch at a burger joint where they were serving sodas with tiny stars glittering in their bubbling depths. The effect was purely aesthetic, but it was still pretty cool. Then he was off again, soaring through the streets on his near silent wheels.
Though riding his Sky Cycle was every bit as exhilarating as it always was, Kaito's thoughts kept wandering off that near-flight-like sensation and back to Aoko.
He wondered if she was already at the theater. She'd made the wrong decision, in his opinion. You could go see a movie any day. The same could not be said for being given a private tour of a new high-end resort with all sorts of cool new amenities that needed to be tried out before the place could open officially. It was a no brainer as to which was more interesting. Aoko should have come with him and rescheduled her little movie date.
But he supposed everyone in Ekoda High knew by now that the transfer student, Hakuba Saguru, was a stickler about time. So Kaito supposed that Aoko wouldn't want to reschedule in case doing so made a bad impression on her date.
Which brought him back to what he supposed the crux of the problem was.
Aoko had turned him down to go on a date with someone else.
Was he jealous? Maybe he was a little, he supposed. It bothered him, thinking of Aoko turning down his offer to visit Bell Tree Springs together in favor of going to a movie with some twit blond none of them knew very much about. For the longest time, he and Aoko had been all but insuperable. She'd been his neighbor growing up, and he'd gotten used to her just being there.
For a while, he had even contemplated asking her out. He had planned a few different approaches. But, in the end, he hadn't used any of them. And even he wasn't sure why. The moment had simply never felt right.
No. That wasn't it.
If he was totally honest with himself—and he always aimed to be (lying to yourself was always counterproductive), that was just an excuse. The truth was that he'd never really loved Aoko that way. He'd thought for a while that he might—a notion spurred on by the fact that he knew she had had a crush on him for years starting back in their middle school days. But it just hadn't happened.
Aoko was special to him like a sister would be. So it was probably for the best that she was finally moving on from her crush on him.
That didn't mean he was obligated to approve of her choice in potential partners. That Hakuba prat was a stuck-up bore. Aoko deserved better.
But for now, Kaito supposed he would just have to bear with her choice and make sure the twit didn't do anything to hurt Aoko's feelings.
With that problem sorted out, Kaito turned his thoughts to the other friend who had been on his mind a lot of late.
In truth, once he had learned that Shinichi had gone abroad, he had assumed that he would never see Shinichi again. But, after spotting the mini Shinichi-lookalike in the audience at the exams, his curiosity had galvanized him into asking his father about the boy. He had gone to the older Sky Mage intending to ask if he knew whether the Kudos had another son or a close relative who might still be living in Japan, but the conversation hadn't gone the way he had expected.
"Hey, Dad. Do you remember the kid I told you about? The one who moved to Hawaii?"
"Kudo Shinichi," his father had said immediately. "I remember. He's actually moved back to Japan."
Kaito had done a double take at that unexpected piece of news. "Really? When?"
"I haven't heard from the Kudos in a while, but it should have been a few years ago. Yukiko told me that one of her old high school friends knew someone with the magic nullification Curse Mark. So the Kudos decided it would be best for Shinichi to live with them. At least until he learns to understand his curse and its parameters. I hear he's doing well."
Kaito had left that conversation with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was glad to hear that Shinichi was doing well. On the other, he couldn't help but feel annoyed at the lost time and missed opportunities. He knew he had to shoulder part of the blame. After all, he hadn't thought to ask his father about Shinichi sooner, and he hadn't bothered to try looking the younger boy up until he'd done so. But it also meant that Shinichi hadn't come looking for him either. Or at least he hadn't gone back to their park during any of the times Kaito had been there.
Did Shinichi even remember him? Kaito had a difficult time believing that he wouldn't, partly because Shinichi had an excellent memory much like Kaito's own and partly because Kaito was confident that he wasn't the kind of person that anyone could easily forget. Though Kaito had to grudgingly admit that eight years was a pretty long time.
He supposed what irked him most was that he should really have learned all this sooner.
He had run a quick search online after his talk with his father and discovered that Shinichi had actually become quite the accomplished detective in the years since they'd last met. For the most part, he was referred to as an assistant to someone called Mouri Kogoro, but, at least in the last year or so, he had begun to be seen as a true detective in his own right despite his young age.
If Kaito had paid more attention to the news on local homicides, he would have found Shinichi again long before now. But Kaito had always been more interested in the latest developments in magical inventions and research, not to mention the work of the more innovative master mages and mage associations. The magic in entertainment industry too was growing at a rapid pace. Really, almost everything else in the news was more interesting and more relevant to the average person's life than the death of a salary man at the hands of his wife when she'd caught him cheating on her and planning to steal her inheritance to support his mistress's new business venture. Yes, such stories were sad in what they said about society, and it was good that their cases had been closed and the truth brought to light, but beyond serving as a reminder of all of humanity's flaws, such tales rarely stayed on people's minds for more than a day or two before the river of everyday life washed them away.
Provided you weren't personally acquainted with any of the parties involved anyway. But that was a different issue. The point was that if Kaito had paid attention to those little tales of mankind's' constant battle against its own greed and stupidity, he might have noticed years ago that his old friend, Shinichi, had been shining the light on those selfish disruptions to civilized life for a long time now. And, judging from what the reporters all said, Shinichi was very good at what he did.
But of course he would be, Kaito mused. His Shin-chan had been an intelligent and honest child, and Kaito was sure he would have grown up into an intelligent and equally honest teen.
A teen who was living with Mouri Kogoro and his daughter, Mouri Ran.
Kaito wasn't sure how he felt about that or why he thought he should feel something about it. So he shelved that problem for later and focused instead on the task of figuring out how he was going to approach Shinichi.
Because even if Shinichi didn't remember him, Kaito was determined to recapture that fleeting friendship he had thought he had lost oh so many years ago. This time, he wouldn't make the mistake of assuming that they would never see each other again.
His first thought had been to just go to the Mouri Detective Agency and introduce himself. But he'd discarded that idea as both unoriginal and too risky. After all, it sounded like Shinichi and his surrogate family dealt with criminals on a regular basis. The last thing Kaito wanted was for them to mistake him for a conman or some other kind of criminal. And he wanted their first meeting after so many years to be something special. Something fit for, well, for best friends, he supposed. Though some corner of his mind wondered if that was really all he wanted.
In any case, Bell Tree Springs would be their stage. Kaito had decided, and so it would be.
Now he just had to set the ball rolling.
X
Bell Tree Springs was everything that a classy, high-end resort dreamed of being. It was comprised of multiple buildings all furnished with the most cutting edge of facilities as well as lush swaths of flourishing gardens and a manmade lake dotted with water lilies. After seeing the luxuriance of the grounds, Kaito was pleasantly surprised to find that the décor inside the buildings wasn't nearly as opulent as the resort's exterior suggested. The interior decorators had gone for a simple but elegant style with a woodland theme.
The main lobby lay beneath a glittering, glass dome beneath which real trees spread their leafy boughs over a blue and green tiled floor. Since the resort had yet to officially open, the lobby was currently deserted. With the sunlight cascading down through the glass ceiling to filter through the branches in silky streams, the place felt almost ethereal.
Pausing in the very middle of the lobby where a large, circular space housed an equally circular pedestal above which an illusion of the globe floated, Kaito gazed in wonder first at the peek of the glass dome overhead, ringed as it was by the leaves of the trees around this central court, then down at the globe itself. He knew it was an illusion, but that didn't make it any less breathtaking. Clouds swirled in lazy eddies across its green and blue surface. When he leaned closer, he thought he could make out tiny mountain ranges and glittering waves as they raced across illusory seas. Was that a small, white sailboat down there in the waters by the Japanese islands?
"The artist wanted the boat to be to scale, but I told him to make it bigger because we want people to be able to see it easily," a young female voice said from behind him.
Kaito turned to find a rather petit young women shoulder-length hair standing behind him. He recognized Suzuki Sonoko, and he greeted her politely before gesturing to the globe.
"Is the ship to tell visitors where the resort is located?" he asked.
"Sort of. But it's a globe, so we wanted it to be used for globe-y things."
He quirked an eyebrow at that. "Globe-y things?"
"Yep. Like this." Moving to stand beside the little white sailboat. The girl leaned down to it and said, "I want to visit Hawaii. How do I get there?"
Immediately, the illusory ship set sail across the pacific ocean, leaving a tiny, frothing stream in its wake until it reached the Hawaiian islands.
Kaito laughed. "That's cool. It ought to be fun for the kids."
"You got it." The girl beamed and offered Kaito her hand. "My name is Suzuki Sonoko. It's really nice to meet you. I was at your Level Seven certification exams, and I've never seen anyone do anything half as spectacular as what you did with those dragons! And the way you conducted your whole performance just standing there on nothing in mid air! It was really incredible! Everyone's still talking about it."
Kaito returned her smile with one of his own. "Thank you. I spent a lot of time planning that performance. It's encouraging to know that someone enjoyed it so much."
She asked him several questions about how he had prepared for his exams and if he knew anything about the other high school examinees. He answered her patiently until she finally seemed to remember that she was supposed to be giving him a tour.
"Oh I'm so sorry," she exclaimed. "I didn't mean to be carried away. So, is there someplace you wanted to see first?"
"I'll leave that up to you," he replied. "I must say, what I've seen of this place so far has been beautiful. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest."
"How about we start at the main ballrooms then? The garden's right next to them too. The walls can be opened out if the weather is good. It' would be perfect for the main event."
"Sounds good. Lead on then, my lady."
X
"And we even had dinner together!" Sonoko concluded, all but bouncing in her seat. She and Ran were treating themselves to dessert at an ice cream parlor that was having a two for one sale on their specialty Banana Split Sundae. The triple layers of vanilla, banana, and chocolate ice cream topped by whipped cream and a generous amount of fudge sprinkled with chopped almonds was both magnificent to look upon and mouthwateringly delicious, but Sonoko had barely touched hers as she had spent the last several minutes gushing about the time she'd spent showing Kuroba Kaito around the Bell Tree Springs resort.
"The resort's head chef made a whole range of sample dishes for us that he thought we might want to serve at the celebration. We worked out the whole menu. Did you know he speaks French? Apparently his parents met in Paris, so they flew back there for their wedding. Isn't that romantic?" She didn't wait for an answer before motoring on into another rendition of all the other Sky Mage's many virtues.
Ran just nodded and smiled and took another bite of her sundae. She knew that there was no point in her actually saying anything until Sonoko ran out of breath. This was not the first time she had seen her friend behave like this, and she knew it would not be the last. Sonoko found 'the perfect guy' about once every two to four months, give or take. Though, so far, very few of those perfect guys had turned out to be as perfect as she'd hoped. Still, Sonoko wouldn't be Sonoko if she wasn't daydreaming about that ideal someone.
This banana sundae really was scrumptious. It was a shame that Shinichi hadn't come with them, but the police had called Kogoro in to help with a case involving someone who had supposedly drowned in a beach gear store, and Shinichi had insisted on tagging along. Though the police had been rather puzzled and a little perturbed when Kogoro had begun bringing a child to crime scenes, a quick explanation about how the boy was Shinichi's cousin and determined to grow up to be a great detective had quickly warmed them to his presence. Ran supposed they had just become too used to having young people around since Shinichi hadn't been that much older than he currently was when he'd first started helping the police.
Ran played that thought over again in her mind then shook her head. What strange lives they led.
"He knows a lot about amulets too," Sonoko prattled on. "His class at school is studying them right now. I mentioned that you and Shinichi were researching them, and he said he'd be more than happy to discuss any questions you guys might have when you come to the party—oh, yeah, I told him I'd invited you guys."
Ran frowned, a melting spoonful of ice cream halfway to her mouth. "You told him that Shinichi would be going to the party too?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, I already invited you guys. No reason to lie about it."
"That's not what I meant. Think about it. Shinichi can't go right now."
This time, Sonoko finally took note of the emphasis Ran was placing on their friend's name.
"Oh," she gasped. "I completely forgot about that. It was just, I mean, he'd seen your dad in the news, and we got to talking about how you guys see a lot of crime, and Shinichi's name came up, and I just sort of…uh…"
"Forgot?"
"Yeah…" Sonoko laughed a little nervously before her face brightened. "It doesn't matter. We'll just tell him that an unexpected case came up that Shinichi couldn't ignore. So we brought his cousin instead."
Ran sighed. "I guess that'll just have to do. Just try to be more careful in the future. Remember, Shinichi's supposed to be in America with his parents right now."
"Right. Got it. I'll remember next time. Promise."
TBC