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A Curse Marked Fate

28: Taking Shape

"So where will you be going now?" Shinichi asked as Kogoro steered his rental car out of the parking garage near the restaurant where they had met with Matsuhara Anko.

"I'm going to go talk to that old drama club guy Anko-san said her brother still has drinks with," the older detective replied. "He's bound to know more about what kind of relationship Matsuhara and Kurata really had."

Shinichi supposed that that was probably true. It wasn't, however, the information he really wanted right now. "Could you drop me off at Professor Agasa's house on the way?"

"You're not coming?" Kogoro asked, surprised. Quite aside from the fact that his curse pretty much demanded that Shinichi stay close to him more often than not, he'd never known the brat to pass on a case if he could help it.

"There are some things I want to talk to Haibara about," Shinichi explained.

"It is on the way," Kogoro mused and shrugged. "All right then."

Unfortunately for the two cursed detectives, they ran straight into heavy traffic mere minutes after hitting the road, so it wasn't until well into the afternoon that they pulled up outside of Professor Agasa's house. By then, Kogoro was grumbling about the unnecessary detour and the cost of gas, so Shinichi bid the man a hasty farewell and climbed out of the car.

"I'll call Ran if I end up staying late," he promised then shut the car door and ran off before the grouchy elder Mouri could say anything. In his rush, he completely missed the Sky Cycle parked off to the side of the driveway. And so he was understandably shocked when the professor's front door opened to reveal one Kuroba Kaito.

"What are you doing here?" Shinichi exclaimed before he could stop himself.

"Aww, aren't you glad to see me?" the Sky Mage asked, putting on a wounded look that Shinichi knew was a hundred and ten percent fake but which nonetheless made the little detective feel a touch guilty.

"It's not that," he said. "I'm…glad to see you. I thought you were going to be busy for the next two weeks with that project you said you were working on for school." He looked down, suddenly embarrassed by just how much he really had wanted to see Kaito again and not wanting the magician to see it in his face.

Kaito smiled fondly down at his little friend's bowed head. "Actually, I brought my project over so I could get a few pointers from your professor friend. Then Haibara-san told me you were on your way, so I thought I'd wait and see if I could be of any assistance."

"Wait, Haibara told you I was coming?" Shinichi asked.

"Yep."

"But…I didn't call or anything. How did she know?"

"She said she could sense her curse—the one that's keeping you a child—drawing near. It seems the Bearer of a Mark is aware—to a limited degree—of the amulets based on her powers. Or rather of the power itself, I guess, since you don't have the amulet. It seems, in some ways, the power is still connected to her."

"That…could be useful to know," the detective murmured, filing the information away in his mental library of facts and theories.

"So what brings you here?" Kaito prodded. "Or were you just passing by?"

"I came to see Haibara."

"I see." Indigo eyes sharpened. "Well come on then. She's down in her lab."

X

Seated in the swivel chair before her desk in a child-sized lab coat with her arms folded and eyes serious, the girl now known as Haibara Ai looked every inch the scientist despite her youthful features. It was easy to see the woman she really was behind that veil of lost years. She listened in silence as Shinichi outlined his thoughts.

"A woman using a Curse Mark amulet to steal someone else's husband," she murmured once he had finished, brows furrowed. "I suppose it is possible. The concept does seem to ring a bell. Let me think…"

"Well, I recall hearing about a blessing that made people feel more inclined to be kind to the bearer," Kaito said slowly. "But I think it was because the blessing put the bearers and the people around them in a good mood all the time, and happy people are generally more inclined to be nice. It's not love, but, if you take a blessing like that and amp up its effects…?" He cast a questioning look at Haibara.

The little girl was already shaking her head though. "An amulet using a blessing like that would affect everyone around it, including the user. And that would be assuming you could use the full power of the blessing, which is currently an impossibility. As I said, the Curse Mark amulets are, at best, a weaker version of the original magic. At worst, they are corrupted versions like the healing amulet that kills."

"I was thinking about it on my way here," Shinichi put in. "And I remembered I'd read somewhere about the existence of Curse Marks that can actually manipulate chance and fate."

"Like the Gambler's Mark!" Kaito exclaimed, straightening abruptly in his seat. "I remember it granted its bearer the ability to realize unlikely possibilities like rolling sixes a hundred times in a row. It was just that every time they influenced events, a second equally unlikely event that the bearer had absolutely no control over would also take place involving the same people, places or things. The Curse Mark got its name because that's an insanely risky gamble to take on anything important to you."

Shinichi looked dubious. "I can't imagine anyone in their right minds wanting to use a power like that."

Kaito snorted. "You gotta be crazy already to want to use a spell to snare a partner."

Shinichi opened his mouth then shut it again. The Sky Mage had a point. "But the tradeoff event occurs involving the same people, right? So the unlikely event of Matsuhara suddenly leaving his wife for a woman he never liked could potentially be that he dies of a heart attack tomorrow despite being perfectly healthy. It's so unpredictable that I can't see it appealing to anyone ."

"Unless what she's after is his money and not him," Kaito countered. "He does happen to be the head of a very successful family business."

The little detective winced. That was a singularly unpleasant picture, but, unfortunately, one he could see all too well. Greed, he had found over his years as a detective, was the root of many of the world's worst crimes, be it greed for wealth, power, fame, or even attention. Hell, they were only here with Haibara at all because the Foundation was greedy for time and vitality beyond what nature had allotted them.

"Still," he mused aloud. "She would have been gambling with her own life too since she'd count as a relevant party."

Kaito shrugged. "It's just a theory. It's the only Mark I can think of off the top of my head that fits the bill though."

"I would consider it a possibility," Haibara agreed, drawing both boys' attentions. "The Gambler's Mark is not one the Choice Foundation would be interested in for themselves." Her lips twisted into a sardonic smile. "They value themselves and what they have too much to risk it on such an unpredictable power. However, I can see them exploiting it for gain."

"You mean they might sell it to someone without telling them the details?" Shinichi asked.

The little girl nodded. "But there are other possibilities, such as the Mark of Entwined Fates."

"I thought that one was a myth," Shinichi said, surprised.

"It gave rise to many myths such as those about souls destined to be lovers," Haibara agreed. "A couple came into the Foundation four years ago with that Mark—or rather Marks. That particular Curse Mark comes in pairs. It appears identical both in design, placement and orientation on both bearers. It grants its bearers a semi-empathic bond and a predisposition to understand and appreciate one another. It does not force people to pair up like some stories claim, but it is true that their Marks draw them together. Some end up like close siblings or best friends. They are always aware of one another's presence and state of mind. And," the girl's voice grew abruptly solemn. "They always share a fate in death. I know of five reliably documented cases of pairs of people bearing this Mark. In every case, after one of the two dies, the other will perish as well within the week in a manner similar to that of his or her, for lack of a better word, other half. For instance, in one case, the man fell into a river and drowned. Two days later, his soul partner drowned in her bathtub. In another case, a woman was run over by a cart. Her soul partner crashed the carriage she was driving less than an hour later. Every documented case on those with Entwined Fates end with a similar story."

"My friend Aoko likes to read novels about people Marked to be together," Kaito said wryly. "Wonder if she'd still think it was all roses and kittens if she knew what the real deal is."

Haibara shrugged. "How these people die is of no concern to us."

"Whoa, callous much?"

The girl glared at the Sky Mage. "What I meant was that discussing old stories, true or not, does not change our current circumstances. The fact of the matter is that I know the Choice Foundation had access to both halves of a pair bearing the Curse of Entwined Fates. And, since I also know that those two are still alive and well, it is entirely possible that they have created amulets encapsulating this Curse Mark's power to bring two people together. With such amulets, well. It is easy to imagine that, faced with a sudden onslaught of feelings and a sense of connection to Kurata Sumiko, Matsuhara might come to believe he truly was with the wrong woman all these years. And if this change of heart of his is the result of magical intervention then this is perhaps an opening. Of course, all of this is baseless speculation unless you can find a concrete connection between Kurata Sumiko and the Foundation."

"I know," Shinichi replied. "I'm going to look into it. I just wanted to check with you first about whether it was a possibility worth exploring."

Haibara nodded. "I understand. I will see what I can find as well. And, if you have any other questions, I will do my best to answer them."

"Thank you."

The little girl blinked then let out a quiet laugh. "I should be the one thanking you. If you had not agreed to help me, I…" She cut herself off and looked away.

Not wanting to embarrass the girl by drawing attention to her emotional moment, Shinichi hurried on. "I was thinking this could be the way in to stopping them. If we can find evidence that they helped Kurata Sumiko coerce Matsuhara into marrying her then the police would have a solid reason to begin investigating them."

"That's true," Kaito mused. "It's not as compelling as if we could actually connect them to any deaths, but it would give the authorities a reason to question their research. Although we're going to have to think carefully about who we broach the issue with and how once we have something," he added. "If they get spooked and end up destroying their research records and related evidence, there'd be no case."

"They would not sacrifice their research unless they had absolutely no choice, but he has a point," Haibara said, having regained her composure. "Do what you must, but proceed with caution."

A soft knock at the door had all three of their heads turning. A moment later, Professor Agasa poked his head into the room.

"The curry's ready," he announced with a cheerful smile. "I made plenty. Would you two like to join us for dinner?"

"Sure," Kaito replied. "Shinichi?"

"All right. Just let me call Ran."

Dinner was a surprisingly lively affair. Kaito had a wealth of funny stories to share, but he was also skilled at getting the rest of them to talk. He seemed particularly interested in Professor Agasa's tales about Shinichi's childhood years. By the time Shinichi remembered to look at the clock, it was already dark out.

"I can take you home," Kaito offered as they slipped into their shoes at the door.

"Thanks, but that's all right. I was thinking I'd just stay at my parents' house. It's right next door. The professor's just getting the key for me."

The Sky Mage quirked an eyebrow at him in surprise. "Didn't you need to get back to Mouri-san?"

"Well, I was with him all morning and most of the afternoon, so I should be fine for the night. I just have to make sure to go straight home tomorrow morning. It'll be Sunday, so Uncle will definitely be home for Okino Yoko's morning show."

"I see." Kaito hesitated, shifting his weight to his other foot. "I remember your parents are in America, right?"

"They are."

"So you're going to be all alone in that big house next door."

Shinichi shrugged. He supposed it sounded rather unsafe for someone his apparent age, but it would also be kind of nice to spend a little time in his old home. He missed the library. "It's just one night."

"Can I stay over too?" Kaito blurted out then grinned lopsidedly when Shinichi blinked at him. "It's pretty late to be driving all the way back to Ekoda. Besides, if I stay, I can take you home tomorrow morning. It'll save you time, not having to wait for the bus."

"Oh, uh, I—I wouldn't mind, if you really want to," Shinichi stammered. Feeling himself beginning to blush, he turned away quickly to re-check that his shoelaces were properly tied. He had never had friends sleep over before. Nor had he ever slept over at a friend's. Sonoko would probably say that that was all kinds of sad, but, considering his peculiar childhood and the subsequent manifestation of his curse, it was only to be expected. So to suddenly have someone actually ask if they could sleep over was, well…kind of nice.

TBC