Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

A Curse Marked Fate

41: Intersect

Kaito had known exactly where he was going to start his search from the moment that his father had told Inspector Megure that the group who had attacked him and Aya and tried to burn down Clover Institute had been searching specifically for his research on magic nullification. Like any other lab or research center, Clover Institute had their fair share of competitors. Competitors who would stoop to committing crimes, however, would be more likely to attempt to steal the Institute's data and plans than to destroy them. After all, when all was said and done, the research was what mattered. The ideas and the information that might transform those ideas from mere dreams into reality.

Destroying such data spoke to Kaito not of competitors but of fear. Whoever had attempted to murder his father that night had come to kill a project. A project that was striving to give mankind a way to neutralize magic when they saw the need.

That meant they had to be people who feared what that sort of invention might do—how it could affect their lives and livelihoods.

It was as those thoughts had run through his head at the hospital and later that night on the futon in Shinichi's room that he remembered those men in black suits who had attended that last Clover Institute presentation that he had brought Shinichi to. Those men had not been shy at all about voicing their disapproval of Toichi's magic nullification projects. So first, Kaito was going to find out who they were and, by extension, who they might have been speaking for.

Though the Institute's monthly progress presentations were technically open to the public, the space was limited, so prospective visitors had to register beforehand in order to attend. Kaito had completed Shinichi's registration for him so as not to have to trouble his oft stressed friend with the rather trivial issue. The Institute kept that registration information on file, and it was those records that Kaito had copied.

"The information isn't exactly complete," he told Shinichi as they sat together in Professor Agasa's home lab before the machine that the professor used for the majority of his research. "Most of the fields on the registration form are optional. But you do need to show your ID when you're going in unless you're with a member of the Institute."

"There were a lot of people at that presentation though," Shinichi pointed out.

"Yeah, but you forget, I go to those presentations nearly every month. And I'm pretty sure that was the first time I saw those particular black suits. That means we can start by eliminating anyone who shows up regularly on the registration list."

Kaito's fingers began flying over the keys, pulling up spreadsheets and setting the computer to comparing them according to the list of criteria he had spent the night thinking up. It began spitting out names and other attached information almost right away, and the Sky Mage opened an internet window to begin running preliminary searches. As the names began to pile up, Shinichi turned to Kaito's laptop and began running some searches of his own, jotting notes in the case notebook he always kept with him as he went. The two of them worked in relative silence broken only by the soft whir of the machines, the tapping of keys, and the scratching of a pen on paper.

It was only when Ai popped her head into the lab to inform them that the professor was almost done making lunch that they realized they had been at work for nearly two hours.

Shinichi set his notebook and pen down on the table, shook out his stiffening wrists, and sat back in his seat with a sigh. Next to him, Kaito stood and stretched both arms up like he was trying to touch the ceiling. Then he let his arms drop and turned to Shinichi.

"I'd say we're well overdue for a break," he announced. "Let's eat. Then we can compare notes."

They stepped out of the lab to the sound of the rice cooker singing, announcing that the rice was done. At the stove, the professor lifted the lid off a bubbling pot and gave its contents a stir before pronouncing it ready as well. Shinichi moved to set the table as Kaito offered to help the professor carry the rather hefty and extremely hot pot of curry to the table.

Soon, the boys and the two scientists were all seated and served. The first few minutes of the meal passed in a contented silence as everyone dug into their food. The warm glow of the sunlight pouring in through the house's many large windows and the comfort born of sharing a meal with friends settled over them in a honey-tinted stillness. Wrapped in this tranquil ambience, Shinichi thought, the events of the night before suddenly felt eons away—almost like a slice from another life entirely.

But alas, such illusions could not last. But perhaps it was their ephemeral nature that made them all the more worth cherishing.

Afterward, they helped the professor and Ai clear the table before returning to the lab to discuss their findings.

"These are some of my suspects. Although I don't mean that in the sense that I think they were the ones personally responsible for the fires. They're just people I don't know much about who work for or with people who might not appreciate Dad's research."

Shinichi gazed at the wall of photographs on the computer screen. More were popping up every minute or two.

"That's…a lot of suspects."

Kaito snorted. "Do tell. You're the expert investigator here. Any suggestions on how we should start narrowing down our list?"

Shinichi's hand rose to his chin as he thought. "Generally, you need to look at motive, means and opportunity. In this case, I think the means would be a good place to start. First, there's how they set the fire. Toichi-san said his assailants used amulet bombs. And we saw for ourselves that they were extremely powerful. They couldn't have been easy to make."

"So we should consider who might have either the skills to create such bombs or the resources to purchase them," said Kaito.

Shinichi nodded. "We also know that they got into the Institute without triggering any of the building's alarms. That means they knew enough about the security system to come prepared to circumvent it."

Kaito's gaze went flat. "That, or someone let them in."

The little detective winced. "Or that…"

Kaito was silent for a long moment before he shook his head as though he could physically cast off the unpleasant thought. "We'll cross that bridge if we come to it. Let's start with the amulets."

"I ran a quick search on explosive amulets earlier," Shinichi admitted. "They're often used for small-scale demolition work, but it looks like people prefer to hire high level mages for anything big because it's safer and more effective. You can't control the power or range of an amulet bomb. It's all predetermined. But a mage can make adjustments to suit the work and stop the spell if it looks like it might go out of control."

"What that means though," Kaito mused. "Is that a Sky Mage with demolition expertise would probably have the skill to create a bomb like the ones that were used at the Institute."

Shinichi nodded. "There's actually a special license for demolition mages. I checked the city's professional mage registry. There are only about twelve of them here in Tokyo. And only three are Sky Mages."

"That's a nice small number. Let's take a look at them." Kaito pulled up yet another internet search. "Who's first?"

"Noramaki Yui."

"Let's see." Kaito's fingers danced across the keys. A moment later, they were looking at the home page of a small construction company owned and run by Noramaki Yui.

"They build luxury homes," Kaito reported, skimming through their various information pages and pausing to admire the numerous photos of lovely family homes. "They buy rundown places and empty lots, demolish everything then build from the ground up. Yui herself has a degree in architectural design in addition to being a licensed demolition mage. Her sister's an Earth Mage who studied landscaping, and their financial manager also has a degree in interior design. Together, they form the three-man team that's going to build you your dream home—or so their advertisement says," Kaito concluded then chuckled. "They sound cool. And I don't see anything on their site about using or providing amulets. Though we could also send them an email asking if we could commission some and see what they say."

"It wouldn't hurt," Shinichi agreed. Like Kaito, he felt that this first candidate probably wasn't the source of those terrifying, overpowered explosives, but it never hurt to make sure.

"Why don't you look up the next guy while I write this email?"

"You probably shouldn't use your own name."

"Of course not. I'm going to be the proud new owner of a rundown dump of a property looking to completely demolish said property so that I can rebuild it from the ground up.."

"I…guess that's not completely inconceivable," Shinichi said a touch dubiously.

The Sky Mage snickered. "I'll make it work."

Their remaining candidates were, Shinichi thought as he perused the information that his searches had brought up, only marginally more promising. One was apparently quite a famous fireworks manufacturer who, as far as Shinichi could tell, only had the demolition license because of a short stint helping out his brother's construction company. The other was a special effects expert with glowing reviews from multiple studios and performing arts groups.

"Any luck?" Kaito asked.

"Depends," the little detective murmured, frowning. "The fireworks maker sells amulets, but that's for his fireworks only. And those are marketed as visual art. They don't burn at all. He occasionally does some work for his brother's construction company, but I only know that because he's listed there as one of their expert consultants. He doesn't really do that sort of work otherwise."

"So he might make a super explosive amulet if his brother asked, but not otherwise."

"That's what I'd guess. Though maybe not even then. He's apparently pretty well known for being super strict about safety and kind of a stickler about details all around. Most people love his work, but working with him is an entirely different issue. He always wants to know everything about every step of a project, and he always has to be there for the first showing."

"So he's a micromanager."

"Very much so. And, well, I get the feeling that if he was going to make an amulet bomb to destroy a building, he'd have gotten all its specs beforehand and made sure that the bombs could do the job."

"In other words, the Institute wouldn't still be standing," Kaito supplied. "So he probably didn't make them."

"That would be my guess, yes."

"Well, I'd say that's a good thing all considered. What about the other guy?"

"I think he's a bit more likely. He definitely has the skills, and he's done commission work for various explosive special effects—some of which have been used to turn the demolishing of old buildings into spectacles for local entertainment. So he might not think twice about providing high power amulet explosives. But I would expect him to demand to know where and when the amulets would be used as well."

"And you don't think he would have made them if he knew what they'd be used for?"

"Well, why would he? He's apparently a huge deal in his field. He doesn't need to cut shady side deals with shady people to make a good living."

"Maybe the transaction involved something more personal," Kaito suggested. "Or maybe they lied about what the amulets would be used for. A mismatch in information might explain why those amulets, powerful though they were, weren't able to actually accomplish what we think our assailants wanted to accomplish and burn the whole building down."

"I take it you think we should look at him more deeply?" Shinichi asked.

Kaito's grin was just this side of manic. There was an edge to it that made Shinichi uneasy, so he tried not to think about it.

They were in the midst of watching several online videos that had captured the special effects mage's many spectacular works when Kaito suddenly jerked upright in his seat, eyes zeroing in on the stage on screen.

"It's her!"

Shinichi, who had been watching a different video—one of an outdoor demolition of a rundown apartment building, turned to Kaito's screen and followed his pointing finger to the woman racing across it.

She was a fleeting silhouette wreathed in sparks and flame as what appeared to be the ruins of a great city crumbled around her. Despite the dazzling visual effects, they could both make out just enough of her features to recognize her.

"That's Kurata," Kaito said again, eyes never leaving the actress. "They've worked together."

"Well, they're at the top of fields that naturally intersect," Shinichi said cautiously. "It could be a coincidence."

Kaito shot him a look that fairly shouted 'Are you kidding?', but then his breath left him in a huff. "Okay, you're right. It might not mean anything. But you gotta admit, it doesn't feel like a coincidence."

"No, it doesn't," Shinichi admitted. It felt as though every new snag and shadow they came upon was pointing them towards the Foundation. "But it's also kind of a leap."

"Maybe, maybe not. One easy way to find out." Kaito stood up and strode across the lab as a curious Shinichi watched. He pulled open the door separating the lab from the rest of the house and hollered, "Haibara-san! Can we talk to you for a moment?"

A few minutes later, a frowning Haibara walked into the lab and folded her arms before leveling them each with a stare that made them feel as though she was the only adult in the room.

"Well?" she prompted. "What did you want to know?"

"Would the Choice Foundation react badly to the idea of someone creating curse nullification amulets?" Kaito asked, getting straight to the point.

Haibara didn't even stop to think. "Of course. They want to use Curse magic to build themselves an eternal empire. They'd naturally object to the invention of something that might render their schemes impossible."

"Okay. In that case, do you recognize any of these names?"

Moving to one side, Kaito gestured for Ai to take a look at the charts of names he had accrued from his examination of the guest list from the day Toichi had given his presentation on nullification magic.

It took Haibara less than five minutes to point to one near the middle of the chart.

"He's one of the Foundation's."

Kaito's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"

"I am."

"What is it?" Shinichi asked, having caught the odd note in Kaito's voice.

The Sky Mage's eyes were narrowed, though what he was looking at was a question only he could answer. "I only put him on the list because I've never met him."

"But you know him?"

"I know of him," Kaito corrected. "He's engaged to one of the Institute's top researchers. She registered him for the event."

"Oh."

There was a heavy and very significant silence.

"He is a journalist," Haibara said into the silence. "The Foundation likes journalists. They can get into a lot of places that other people can't and, under the right circumstances, be told things that wouldn't usually be shared."

"Would they try to burn down the institution conducting the research though?" Shinichi wondered. "It seems a bit rash."

Haibara frowned, considering. "It does seem an unusually risky move to make at this time."

Shinichi's eyes narrowed. "At what time then do you think they'd take such a risk?"

The girl shrugged. "If they were about to make a major move of some sort. As for what kind of move, I don't know. I wasn't privy to their overall schemes. All I did was curse research, and even then, I mostly studied my own and other semi-medical Curse Marks."

"Well that's the opposite of comforting," Kaito noted wryly. His smile fell away an instant later though as he turned to stare unseeing at the computer screen. "You know, now that I think about it, it was pretty sudden."

The comment earned him a pair of blank looks.

"What was?" asked Shinichi.

"This journalist guy. The engagement. Ryuzaki-san's been with the Institute for years. She's always been the 'my work is my life' sort. She never indicated she was seeing anyone or even that she'd want to. So everyone was really surprised when she introduced this guy." He gestured at the screen for emphasis. "She was single for all eleven years she's been with Clover Institute, then boom. She's engaged to be married without ever once having mentioned that she'd started dating. The whole thing was just—sudden."

Shinichi considered pointing out that some people preferred to keep their private lives private, but he thought he knew where Kaito was going with this.

"As sudden as Kurata and Matsuhara-san?" he suggested quietly.

Indigo eyes flashed. "Very much that sudden, yes."

Shinichi frowned. "I'm not saying you couldn't be right. But this, er, change occurred before your father's presentation, right? And before he tried contacting the Foundation?"

"Ryuzaki-san announced her engagement a few weeks before the presentation," Kaito confirmed.

"But that would mean that, if she's had a spell cast on her, it wasn't because of your dad's work."

Kaito opened his mouth then closed it again before letting out a frustrated breath. "Fine, you have a point. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. I suppose mad scientists or whatever can have normal lives outside their work too."

Haibara looked amused. "Most do, I'm sure. But you may still be right that there is more than coincidence here. Tell me, what is this Ryuzaki woman's field of study?"

"She works on a lot of our projects," Kaito replied, thinking. "Both she and dad have done a great deal of research into the combining of Sky and Earth magic. She was instrumental in getting the Vision Books working. Her work with perception and stimuli is what enabled the Vision Book journeys to seem to take more time than they do. She also helped develop that stasis canister Dad used to protect himself and Aya."

"Then there is your answer," said the little scientist. "The potential that magic has to influence time is of great interest to the Foundation."

"So they might have approached Ryuzaki-san for her work," Shinichi said. "And stumbled across the archmage's research by accident."

Kaito grimaced. "I'm liking these people less and less by the minute. I mean seriously, who uses love spells of all things to forcibly recruit allies?"

"It does seem particularly…" Shinichi paused, trying to find an appropriate word that wasn't overly dramatic like dastardly and failing miserably. Eventually, he gave up and just said, "Evil."

Kaito snorted then started to laugh.

Blushing, Shinichi huffed and turned away from the madly chortling Sky Mage to find Haibara watching him with a calm, unreadable gaze that nevertheless seemed to pierce right through him.

"What do you plan to do now?" she asked.

"I think," he said slowly. "It might be time to pay them a visit."

TBC

A.N: Just a quick heads up. I will be gone for the next few weeks. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you when I get back. Have a great week!