Disclaimer: We don't own DCMK

Caught on Camera

Photograph: Early Creations

Kaito and Shinichi both spent a long moment examining the next photo in equal confusion. It was a rather blurry image, taken of what looked vaguely like two children and an adult falling onto a sandy beach as something blindingly bright flew past them. The combination of the nighttime backdrop, the splotch of too-bright light, and motion rendered the thing almost indecipherable. And was that someone's thumb in the corner?

"Oh," Kaito said finally as realization dawned, "that was from the first time I made fireworks! Do you remember, Shin-chan?"

"It's kind of hard to forget," Shinichi replied a wry smile making its way onto his face…

. . . . . . . . .

"Are you sure about this?" Shinichi asked a bit nervously, eyeing his best friend as the other boy started to empty his backpack out onto the sand. It was New Year's Eve and their parents had decided to have dinner at this beautiful new seaside restaurant (luckily, they were open). The two of them had snuck away from the rest of their family members after dinner and found a deserted stretch of sandy beach because Kaito had said he had a surprise. Shinichi didn't think it was a good idea for two elementary school aged children to be running around the unfamiliar area without their parents this late at night, but nevertheless, here they were. And he was pretty sure those were homemade fireworks Kaito was piling by their feet.

"Come on, I know I did them right. I read all of Tou-san's books and everything. Now come help me light them. I wanna set the big one off first."

Shinichi crouched down beside the young magician and gaped at the thing now being rolled around on the sand as Kaito searched for the spot where the fuse was attached. This one firework was as big as all the other ones combined. It kind of made Shinichi think of a very colorful bomb. "Um, Kai, are you sure this is safe?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, it just…looks dangerous…?"

Kaito laughed. "You worry too much. Here goes!"

"Wait!" Shinichi dove for the pile of smaller fireworks and scooped them quickly back into the discarded backpack. Then he carried the whole pack some distance up the beach. Setting them down at what he decided was a safe distance, he ran back to where Kaito was waiting impatiently. "Okay."

Grinning, Kaito produced a lighter he'd snitched from his father's supplies and lit the firework. Then the two boys ran to where the backpack sat to watch.

The fuse fizzed and hissed as it shrank, pulling the flame closer and closer to the firework itself before the firelight disappeared altogether. The boys stuffed their fingers into their ears and watched in anticipation.

One second passed, then two, then ten, but still nothing happened.

"Aw, it didn't work," Kaito complained as he dropped his hands from his ears and started to trudge back towards the firework. "I'm sure I did it right. Maybe I should have used their ratios after all…" In a fit of irritation, he kicked the firework lightly with his foot. It toppled over and lay like a dead animal in the sand.

Making a face, Kaito turned away from it. "Let's try the others. I tested some of the ones just like them earlier so I know they'll work."

Noticing the way his friend's enthusiasm had greatly diminished after the failure to set off the first firework, Shinichi fished a couple of the smaller ones out of the backpack and held them out with an encouraging smile. "We don't need that one anyway. I'm sure these will be great."

Kaito cheered up immediately and bounded over, brandishing the lighter. "You're right. Hand 'em over. Oh, good choice, this one's really cool!"

They had just finished setting up the smaller fireworks when Shinichi heard something hiss. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah." Kaito glanced around, puzzled. "What—"

He was cut off as, with a splutter and a crack, the dead firework they hadn't cleaned up yet blasted itself across the sandy beach right at them. He dropped the lighter, grabbed Shinichi's hand, and took off. With the waves lapping at their left and a ridge of rocks to their right, all they could do was run forward as the firework chased them down the beach.

"Look out!" Shinichi exclaimed as a cluster of human figures loomed up out of the night ahead of them.

The figures, who turned out to be their parents, scattered like bowling pins. Toichi snagged the boys by the backs of their jackets and hauled them out of the way as well just in time for them all to watch the rogue firework ricochet off a boulder and go barreling out across the rolling waves.

"I see you two have been having fun," the older magician remarked, glancing down at the boys with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure I know what I did wrong," Kaito said a bit sheepishly.

"That's good. Always learn from your mistakes," Toichi agreed, ruffling the boy's hair. Then he bent down and lowered his voice to a whisper so only Kaito and Shinichi could hear as a conspiratorial light ignited in his eyes. "Don't worry, I have more than enough in the car for the both of you to practice all night."

. . . . . . . . .

…And he hadn't been kidding. Once they had gone back to fetch the neglected lighter and the rest of Kaito's fireworks, Toichi had vanished and reappeared with what looked like a whole shop's New Year's stock of fireworks in tow. But they had still tried the rest of Kaito's first, and even though they weren't quite as impressive as Toichi's, they had still been Shinichi's favorite for the proud grin they placed on his best friend's face.

TBC

A.N: I wanted to get at least one more of these up before the end of the year, so here it is. For some reason all the other ones I'm working on for this are currently stuck. Ah well… I wish you all a happy New Year!