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Caught on Camera

Photograph: Drastic Measures

"You guys do realize that this picture is proof that you stood by and watched a crime in progress," Shinichi said dryly, shooting his parents baleful looks…

. . . . . . . . .

Being ambushed the moment he stepped into his bedroom to drop off his schoolbag was not a new experience for Shinichi. Which, he would admit, said a lot about his life and the people in it. Sometimes he wondered if he should be worried about his own mental health. Surely it wasn't a good thing to be so accustomed to such happenings…?

Today, however, was a little different.

First of all, there had been no greeting. His assailant had crept up on him in complete and utter silence. This, at least, meant he had a pretty good idea of who it was before he saw the person's face.

What he still didn't understand was how he'd ended up with his wrists, knees, and ankles tied together. Scratch that. He knew how, he just didn't know why. Being thrown over Kaito's shoulder like a sack of flour didn't improve the situation one bit.

"Kaito, put me down!"

"No can do, Shin-chan. We're on a tight schedule and it'd take way too long to get where we're going if you had to hop your way there."

"Then untie me and let me walk!"

His protests fell on deaf ears as, humming, Kaito picked up the bag of Shinichi's belongings he'd packed earlier with his free hand. Then he headed out of the room and down the stairs. On the way, they passed by the living room, where Yukiko was currently seated on the couch, flipping through magazines.

"Mom! I'm being kidnapped!"

The woman looked up from her magazine, blinked, and beamed. "Oh, well, have fun!"

"Aren't you going to help me?"

"Kaito-kun, do try to make sure he isn't late for school on Monday."

"Monday?!" Shinichi squawked, but he was ignored.

"Don't worry, I give you my word, he won't miss school."

"Kaito!"

"Perfect. See you on Monday then."

"Mom!"

Shinichi felt he should be at least a little shocked at his mother's complete lack of concern or apparent desire to help him in any way, but somehow he wasn't. And that, he thought glumly, really did say a lot about his life.

They had reached the entrance hall when they met Kudo Yuusaku. Shinichi perked up a bit before he saw what his father had in his hands.

The writer smirked and held up the camera. "Just hold still. This will only take a second."

Click.

"Dad!"

"There." His gaze turned to Kaito. "So did you need anything?"

"Nope. I've got everything I need."

"Good, good. Have a safe trip then."

"Dad!"

The door shut behind them. And that was how Kudo Shinichi was abducted that Friday afternoon.

Shinichi had no idea what the neighbors who might have seen Kaito carrying him away thought of the whole thing, but it seemed that, if there had been any spectators, none of them had deemed it necessary to call the police. Then again, most of them would know exactly who Kaito was. The Kurobas visited the area often enough that their antics were almost as famous in Shinichi's neighborhood as they were in Ekoda.

So they reached the bus stop unhindered. Now Shinichi was sitting, still bound hand and foot, on the bus stop bench. Kaito himself hadn't sat down. He had opted to stand beside the bench, juggling an assortment of items that the detective couldn't help but notice included Shinichi's own cell phone.

"You can't expect me to go on the bus like this," he pointed out, hoping to make Kaito see sense before he was exposed to whoever was on the next bus in this mortifying predicament.

Kaito didn't even slow his juggling. "You'll be fine."

"What if someone calls the police? Even you have to admit this looks illegal."

"I'll deal with it."

"Can you please just untie me?"

"Nope."

"I promise I won't run away." Although he was seriously starting to wonder if that was exactly what he should be doing. He was pleading now, but he didn't care. He really, really did not want to be carried onto a bus. He wanted even less to be carried off it wherever it was Kaito was taking him.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked finally when Kaito only laughed.

"I'm taking you on vacation." The way he said it made it clear that Shinichi's opinion was not required.

Okay. Well, Shinichi had kind of guessed something of the sort from what his parents had said as they were leaving. And it wasn't exactly abnormal for Kaito—or anyone else from their families for that matter—to drag him off on a whim. What he still didn't understand was why the magician had felt the need to literally carry him off. "Couldn't you have just asked?"

"I could have."

"…But you didn't because…?"

The grin Kaito flashed at him then made him feel like a rabbit under the gaze of a hawk. "Because this way I can make sure nothing interferes with my plans."

"…" His statement sparked a memory in the detective's mind. "Is this about last week?" he asked a bit tentatively.

"What makes you say that?"

Shinichi lowered his head. He still felt guilty about that. He hadn't meant to miss their date. It was just that the police had called him, and he'd lost track of time. When he finally remembered that he was supposed to be meeting Kaito, it had already been four hours past time—and his phone battery had been dead.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the magician. "I'm sorry."

Kaito didn't answer immediately. Instead he split his juggling balls so that his two hands were now each managing its own circle of juggling balls. The two spinning circles crisscrossed and balls hopped from one circle to the other and back, creating an almost hypnotic effect. When he finally did speak, his voice had become serious. "That wasn't even the first time. And do you know what the worst part is? The worst part," he went on without waiting for an answer, "is not knowing if you're still safe. I don't ever want to get a call out of the blue telling me you've been shot again or worse." The juggling balls vanished and suddenly Kaito was standing directly in front of him. His hands gripped Shinichi's shoulders firmly as he stared down into the younger boy's wide, blue eyes. "I want to protect you, Shinichi. I want you to be safe. I know I can't always be there to watch over you, but I will always come if you need me. You know that, right?"

Stunned and temporarily unable to speak, Shinichi nodded. His heart rate had picked up and he knew he was blushing.

Kaito nodded back but didn't let go. "But I can't do that if you don't tell me what's going on. I know there's no timetable for cases, and that's okay. Schedules never were my thing anyway. But the least you could do is give me a call. Understand?"

Shinichi nodded again.

Now, finally, Kaito smiled. "Good. Because I'll lock you up if I have to."

"Did you really have to add that?"

"Just making myself clear." Relinquishing his hold on Shinichi, the magician pulled a deck of cards from the collar of the detective's shirt and started shuffling. "Oh look, there's our bus. Ready?"

Shinichi blanched. "No. You still have to untie me."

"Hmm. Maybe when we get there."

"Kaito…"

"Consider it a warning for your recent behavior. Never ignore a Kuroba."

. . . . . . . . .

…"You can't really call it a crime," said Yuusaku with that know-it-all smile that Shinichi always found vaguely annoying. "We knew you were safe, where you were going, and when you would be back. If the trip was a little unconventional, well, nothing illegal about unconventional."

Shinichi considered smacking himself on the forehead, but he decided it wasn't worth it.

TBC