Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

A Curse Marked Fate

9: Lost and Found

"Remarkable! Truly remarkable," Professor Agasa Hiroshi said for the umpteenth time that day as he looked from Shinichi to Shiho and back again. The two faux children were seated in his living room, sharing what was now their third pot of tea. The first two pots had come and gone as his guests explained their situation and the reason for their visit. "And you say this can be reversed?"

Shiho took a sip from her tea before answering. "Not for me. But I think I might be able to reverse it for Kudo-kun here if I spend some time studying the problem. From what I've been able to discern, the spell used on him is still trying to complete its work, but it is being blocked by a combination of his blessing and Mouri Kogoro's curse. It's just a matter of cleansing his body of the spell. The problem is how to do it safely."

The old man looked thoughtful. "I see. Well, that's good to know. But Shinichi, I heard you went to America. When did you get back?"

"Oh, well, actually, that was just a cover story," Shinichi admitted, smiling sheepishly. "We didn't think it was a good idea to let too many people know that there was magic out there that could make someone younger."

"Probably for the best," the professor agreed. "And you came to me because you would like to use my lab equipment?"

Shinichi nodded. "That too. But we were also hoping you might have something to help Miyano-san hide from the Choice Foundation. Since she grew up with them, they probably have several members who could find her using tracking spells. Those can't find her when she spends a lot of time around Ran's dad, but she can't conduct her research around him."

"Ah, I see." Agasa beamed. "You're in luck. Wait here." Rising from the couch, the portly old man hurried off into the next room. They could hear a lot of banging and scraping punctuated by the occasional yelp of surprise. There was even a small explosion followed by a hastily shouted reassurance that nothing was amiss.

Shiho quirked an eyebrow at Shinichi. "I must admit, when you said you knew an inventor, I was picturing someone more organized."

Shinichi winced as something in the next room crashed. "He's always been a little absentminded, but he does make a lot of stuff. Most of it is more for entertainment than anything else, but he does occasionally make something more practical. Anyway, he's a good person."

"I'm taking your word on that," the girl said quietly. "If it turns out you're wrong…"

"I'm not," he said firmly.

Before either of them could say more, Agasa returned. There was a smudge of what looked suspiciously like soot on the side of his nose, but he was grinning broadly. Coming to a stop before them, he squared his shoulders, cleared his throat, then whipped out something small and silvery.

"Tada!" he exclaimed. "I call this the Give Me Privacy Bracelet. As long as you're wearing it, you can't be found using a tracking spell that is aimed specifically at you."

Shiho blinked and tilted her head to one side. "So…you can be found with a tracking spell not aimed at you?"

"Basically, if someone is trying to find you using their knowledge of you or something you own, they wouldn't be able to find you. But if you fall off a cliff and someone uses a general detection spell that searches for humans then they will be able to find you."

Now the girl looked interested. She accepted the bracelet from the professor and turned it over in her fingers. "Interesting. And you're sure it works?"

"One hundred percent," the man said proudly then paused. "Well, maybe ninety three percent. There may be some issues if the person using the tracking spell is really close by—like if they're standing in the same house as you."

"It'll do for now." Shiho clasped the bracelet around her wrist.

"Thanks, Professor," Shinichi said. "Could we also get the spare key to the manor? I was thinking Shiho could stay there and come over to use the lab when you have time."

"She could stay here if she doesn't mind," Agasa offered. "I have plenty of room, and it would be more convenient."

Shinichi looked to Shiho, who, he thought, seemed mildly stunned. She recovered quickly though and nodded.

"If," she stared then paused to recollect herself. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I think that may be a better option. I was thinking that a child my current age suddenly moving into a big house alone might draw attention."

The next half hour was spent with Agasa showing his new houseguest around and working out the details of her stay. She would need a new name, naturally, and a back-story to go with her new life. She would also have to enroll in school, but that could come a little later.

Then they reached the downstairs lab, which was littered with half-completed inventions and questionably complete prototypes, and suddenly both the little girl and the old man were wrapped deep in discussions of the latest developments in magical gadgets. Only one in every three words they said made any sense to Shinichi, and he thought with some amusement that bringing Shiho here really had been the right move to make.

X

"Where have you been?!"

Sonoko's irate screech nearly deafened Shinichi as he opened the door to the Mouri Detective Agency. The actual contents of her question had yet to finish registering through the ringing in his ears before he was seized by the back of his collar and bodily hauled into the apartment. The next thing he knew, he was tumbling through the open door of his bedroom.

"Hurry up and change," Sonoko ordered. "The car will be here any minute." Instructions delivered, she yanked the door shut, leaving Shinichi sitting dazed on the floor. Through the now closed door, he could hear Ran doing her utmost best to calm her petit friend down.

Giving himself a shake, Shinichi picked himself up off the floor and immediately spotted the child-sized suit laid out on his bed. Figuring that that was what he was supposed to be changing into, he hastened to do just that. Once he'd finished, however, he grabbed his backpack, emptied it of school books, and carefully placed A Curse Marked History inside. He felt a pang of loss as he zipped the backpack, but he squashed the feeling with a firm reminder that promises were meant to be kept—especially when they were made to a friend.

"What is that?" Sonoko demanded, zeroing in on his backpack the moment he emerged from his room. "This is a party, not a school trip."

"I'm just bringing a book," he replied

Sonoko's face twisted in mixed incredulity and exasperation. "A book? You're bringing a book? Are you trying to insult our hosts?"

"That's not—"

"The car's here!" Ran called from where she'd been watching for said car by the window. "Dad! Come on!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Kogoro grumbled, stumbling out of the bathroom as he straightened out his tie.

Sonoko glanced at the Mouris then spun about and snatched her purse from where it had been sitting on the couch. "Okay fine, bring your book and let's go. I don't want to be late."

Soon, they were piling into one of the Suzuki family's cars, where they were greeted by her older sister and the woman's fiancé. The two girls were to be the representatives for their family at this function, and they were dressed accordingly. Though Shinichi knew that Sonoko was secretly hoping to impress Kaito. The thought made him feel a little strange, but he couldn't put his finger on what exactly the strange feeling was or why it was there, so he ignored it. His own nerves were bad enough already. Right now, he felt like he truly understood what people meant when they talked about having butterflies in their stomachs for the first time in his life.

He was about to meet Kaito again for the first time in nearly a decade.

And Shinichi was going to have to lie to him… He couldn't allow Kaito to find out who he was and get tangled in his messed up life.

His small hands clenched into fists on his knees so tight that the knuckles turned white. It was the only way he could stop his hands from shaking. He wasn't sure if he could do this. Though his mother had frequently professed her desire for him to follow in her footsteps, Shinichi had always been a lousy actor. Lying just didn't come naturally to him.

But…he had to try.

His first sight of Bell Tree Springs temporarily swept away all of Shinichi's worries. The car had turned onto what appeared to be an open road that ran beneath an arched gate cloaked in climbing vines. Beyond the gate lay what could only be described as a woodland park.

The car dropped them off in front of the resort's main building where a steady stream of guests was already flowing through the doors.

"First we have to check in," Sonoko announced as she led them into the lobby and past a beautiful illusion of a globe complete with swirling clouds and rippling, sapphire oceans. At the front desk, she showed them her ID and was immediately given key cards to a pair of suites.

"Are we staying the night?" Ran asked, confused. Sonoko hadn't told any of them about overnight plans.

"That's right," her friend said cheerfully. Though not everyone will. Some people are choosing to go home then come back during the day for the actual events."

"Events?" Kogoro echoed, brows furrowing. "I thought this was a party."

"It's a celebration!" Sonoko corrected him. "Tonight's formal banquet and the party afterward are only the first event. There's going to be an expo tomorrow and the day after for all the latest magical inventions and stuff that's open to people outside of today's guest list who registered beforehand. I figured you guys wouldn't want to miss that either, so I signed you up."

"But we didn't pack anything," Ran protested.

Sonoko waved away her concerns. "Come on. It's just two nights. And we stock everything you could possibly need here on resort grounds. Just relax and have fun."

Left with no other choice, the Mouris and their small, cursed charge accepted key cards from the petit girl then followed her towards the banquet hall. It wasn't that any of them were upset at the idea of attending a magical inventions expo, Shinichi thought with a mixture of amusement, exasperation and resignation that he often associated with Sonoko. It was just that some warning would have been appreciated, especially since they might have had other plans. At least it was a long weekend.

The banquet hall was a scene right out of a fairytale. Globes of magical light hovered all around the room, casting a soft, magical glow over the tables and twinkling like stars in the glass and silverware alike. Each table was dressed in a pristine, white tablecloth with vines embroidered along the edges. Matching green napkins folded into fancy leaves accompanied silverware with a similarly leaf-themed design. An enormous fireplace at one end of the hall danced with magical flames that produced no smoke and only a gentle heat. Over it all, the ceiling was completely invisible, hidden by the illusion of a night sky filled with stars.

A flock of hummingbirds descended from above as they entered the banquet hall. Each tiny avian came to a midair stop in front of a different guest and chirruped until that guest followed it to their assigned seats. Some of the children present tried to catch the birds only to find that their hands passed right through the illusions. Kogoro's hummingbird flickered before abruptly starting to fly in tight circles over his head. Several people pointed and giggled. Grumbling about stupid birds, Kogoro stuffed his hands into his pockets and trailed after his daughter and her friends.

Sonoko's party was led to Table B, while her sister and her fiancé were led to Table A. They were among the first to arrive, so the rest of the seats at their respective tables had yet to be filled. The instant they took their seats, their hummingbirds darted back upward to vanish into the false sky.

"Those hummingbirds were really cute," Ran commented, turning to Sonoko. "Are they part of the banquet hall's design? Or were they just for this event?"

"They were actually Kuroba-kun's idea," Sonoko admitted. "But he said he wouldn't mind helping us make it a permanent feature we can activate for events like this one. I think Dad's going to take him up on the offer."

"He should. They're fun, and they fit the theme."

"They're more annoying than fun, if you ask me," her father muttered, swatting ineffectually at the hummingbird still circling his head. It had not departed with its brethren and was showing no signs of doing so any time soon. Its body flickered in and out of sight like the image on a faulty television screen.

There was a laugh from behind them. "Here. Let me."

A hand reached over to snap its fingers at the hummingbird. It exploded in a shower of sparks, and the aforementioned hand jerked back.

"Whoa! Sorry about that. I can usually dispel illusions without them going bang."

Shinichi froze as they others all turned in their seats. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sonoko's face light up.

"Kuroba-kun! It's so nice to see you again."

TBC