Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Heroes and Villains: Blue Moon Island

[Superpower Verse]

Part 13

Saying that they were going to go hunt for island legends was easy, but deciding which legends to seek was somewhat less so. Even if they assumed that every tale in the book was really out there to be found, not every legend was one that could be sought out. Nor did they all provide sufficient clues that could be used to make the attempt.

After a great deal of browsing and some considerable debate, however, they had settled on two stories to try and validate on the following day.

The first of those stories, known as "The Voices of Owl Rock", was why they were currently sitting on a small bus, bumping and swaying up a winding, uneven road before the sun had even peeked over the horizon. Leaning against Kaito's shoulder, Shinichi mumbled something incoherent that was probably another complaint about the horribly early hour. Kaito only smiled and tightened the arm he had around Shinichi's waist, pulling the detective more snugly against his side.

The bus finally came to a halt, and Kaito nudged his partner. "We're here."

Shinichi grumbled another unhappy and indecipherable something but didn't object when Kaito bodily lifted him from his seat. Half leading, half carrying his half asleep detective, Kaito thanked the driver and disembarked.

They had been the only passengers on the bus and were therefore also the only people now on this narrow, unremarkable trail.

"You're going to have to open your eyes, Shin-chan. This trail isn't very well kept. It could be dangerous," Kaito chided, poking Shinichi in the side until the detective finally surrendered and did as he was told.

"Why did we have to pick this place again?" Shinichi mumbled through a yawn.

"Because it's one of the only legends that identified a place by name as well as giving us a definite time that we could put on our schedule," Kaito replied, sounding far too chipper for the unwholesome hour.

Shinichi glared at him for the principle of the thing. "You realize this is probably just going to be one of those wind blowing through rock formation things."

Kaito shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Just in case though, you remember the guidelines?"

Shinichi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We have to be at Owl Rock before the sun rises, and, whatever we hear, we have to make sure that we don't utter a sound."

"In particular, it's important not to answer any questions lest the ghosts whose voices you hear gain a purchase on your soul and carry you away with them into the realm of the dead," Kaito went on, reiterating the warnings they had read in the book of legends. "Basically, just don't talk to anyone and don't make sounds."

"It just figured we'd have to choose one of the creepy ones to look into," Shinichi huffed. They rounded a bend in the trail then and came upon a small, rocky plateau that fell away in sheer cliffs down to a rocky shore and frothing waves on one side. The other side was guarded by equally sheer cliffs rising nearly thrice the humans' height. In the middle of the plateau was a single large boulder jutting out of the otherwise flatter ground. Upon closer inspection, the boulder could be said to have the shape of an owl.

The two boys walked around it a few times, examining its general, owlish shape. It had no real details though. It hadn't been carved. It simply appeared to have naturally eroded into an owlish form.

Examination complete, they glanced up the tall, rocky cliffs, noting that they did indeed seem riddled with cracks and holes—perfect instruments for a playful wind to blow.

As they had agreed not to speak while they were hear, they communicated via gestures and looks. After some contemplation, they opted to seat themselves on the cliffs overlooking the sea and to simply listen from there as they waited for the sunrise and the voices that were said to speak up from the lands of the dead just before that time.

To be honest, Shinichi had no idea what he was expecting—or if he was even expecting anything. Sitting there on the cool, rough stone next to Kaito with his magician's strong, reassuring arm wrapped around him, he was ready to hear the whistles and hoots of wind flutes in the rocks.

He could feel the wind rising even as they waited for the sun to rise, and somewhere in the distance, he did indeed hear a hoot. Opening his eyes then, he focused and listened, and gradually, the whistle and swish of the breeze and the crashing of the waves below seemed to meld together. They wove in and out of his awareness, perhaps of his dreams as his mind too seemed caught between wakefulness and sleep.

And there it was.

A word.

"Whoooooo."

He froze as a chill ran up his spine.

He heard it again.

"Whooooo are youuuuu…"

He didn't turn, but he nudged Kaito with his elbow. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Kaito too had straightened, eyes fixed straight ahead.

"And what do we have here? A little seeker of unwanted truths," it said, and Shinichi thought with a shock of horror that he recognized that voice. "A bright-eyed little boy who still believes there's such a thing as justice in the world. What a laugh."

And it laughed, suiting sound to words. The laughter howled around them, giving teeth to the rising wind.

Then, just as abruptly, the wind subsided, and a new voice whispered.

"Why?" it asked, and Shinichi knew this voice too. From the way Kaito tensed, he knew that Kaito recognized it too. "Why didn't you come sooner? If you had come sooner, we wouldn't have died."

Way Village, Shinichi thought. That terrible incident still haunted his nightmares to this day.

As though in response to his distress, more Way Village voices chimed in. Some repeated snippets of conversations he remembered, others mourned or cried out pleas and accusations.

The rising chorus of voices tangled with each other, tumbling together into an incoherent wail that had the hairs on the backs of their necks standing on end.

Kaito got abruptly to his feet, pulling Shinichi up along with him. They pivoted as one towards the mouth of the trail that had brought them to Owl Rock but froze in unison as they both saw that said rock was no longer the vaguely avian shape they had seen upon arriving. Sometime while they had had their backs to it, the stone had become an owl in truth—enormous and dark with a bone white face and eyes the color of hot coals.

Shinichi's breath caught in his throat. Kaito's face went perfectly still as his Poker Face slammed down hard, concealing all thought and emotion. Neither of them moved. Neither of them breathed.

The owl's head rotated clockwise until its face was upside down, those glowing eyes never leaving their faces. Then its face righted itself, and its beak opened.

"Who do you seek, little travelers?" he asked, mantling its wings. "Come. They are waiting."

Its wings unfurled, massive and black.

They ran.

Together, hands grasping tight to one another like they were hanging onto a lifeline, the two boys dashed past the owl, just barely avoiding touching the tips of one of its outstretched wings. Then they were plunging back down the path they had climbed less than half an hour ago. They didn't stop until they came back out onto the dirt road where the bus had dropped them off. There, they finally slowed and dared to look back.

Behind them, nothing stirred. Even the wind had stopped.

The first rays of the sunrise shot across the sky, and suddenly it felt as though a weight had lifted from their shoulders.

A new breeze began to blow, but this one was light and crisp with the tang of salt and spray.

Shinichi inhaled sharply then let his breath out in a slow, measured sigh.

"That…" he started then stopped.

"We shouldn't have picked this one," Kaito said grimly. "I should have realized it would be a bad idea. Sorry."

Shinichi shook his head. "It's not your fault. I should have realized too." After all, he was the detective—one who had worked numerous homicide cases. If he had stopped to really think about it at all, he should have seen that going somewhere where you were supposed to be able to hear the restless dead would be just asking for trouble.

"We didn't think it through," he murmured. "I guess, even after everything else, I didn't really think we'd find anything."

Kaito grimaced. "Yeah…"

They fell into an uncomfortable silence as their thoughts traveled back up the trail to Owl Rock.

Shinichi realized with a start that he was shivering. He told himself it was because the air up here at this time of day with the wind and all was fairly chilly, but he suspected he was lying to himself.

He let out a startled 'eep' when Kaito abruptly pulled him into a tight embrace. It was only then that he noticed that Kaito was trembling too. Shinichi hugged him back, burying his face in Kaito's shoulder and just focusing on the feel of Kaito's warm, solid presence.

They were here. They were together. The ghosts of voices from long ago had no power over them.

"I don't believe we were actually hearing the people of Way Village," Kaito said later after they had managed to find their way into a cozy little café and curled up together in a booth with huge mugs of hot chocolate. "When we left, they were ready to go. I don't think any of them held grudges."

Shinichi nodded slowly, gaze fixed on the marshmallows bobbing in his mug. "I've always thought so too. I think whatever's up there drew all that from our memories."

"Something sentient?" Kaito asked.

Shinichi shook his head, though it was less a denial and more simple confusion. "I don't know. It…felt a little like the ship, to be honest. There was a presence, and it reacted to us, but there was…an emptiness behind it too. I can't explain it."

Kaito hummed lightly in thought, taking a long swig of his chocolate. "Do we still want to check out the second story? Or would you say we've gathered enough proof that this book isn't just a book of legends?"

Shinichi stared at the book Kaito had brought with them and set on the table before them now like it was a viper that might bite at any moment.

"I don't know," he said eventually. "I think I'm convinced, but part of me wants to keep looking and find one or two that aren't real."

"Assuming there are some."

"How could they possibly all be real though? A few old tales being real could almost be expected, but, statistically speaking, all of them? That's just…inconceivable."

Kaito snorted. "Let's just finish our chocolate first and let what just happened sink in before we make any more decisions."

Shinichi agreed wholeheartedly.

They decided to order breakfast scones to go with their chocolate. Halfway through their meal, Shinichi's phone pinged, announcing that he had received a new text message.

He withdrew his phone and found that the message was from Marna.

"She sent us the diving class roster," he announced. "It's just a list of names though. No details."

Kaito leaned over to read the names over his shoulder. Shinichi automatically tilted his phone screen to give the magician better access.

Kaito made an interested noise in the back of his throat. "What do you know."

"What?" asked Shinichi, reviewing the list himself. Then he stopped and stared.

"You see it," Kaito stated more than asked.

"I do," Shinichi said slowly. Reaching out, he picked up the book of island legends and pulled it closer.

There on the list of diving class students was the name "Alvita Monroe".

And there beneath the title Blue Moon Island Legends where the author's byline was printed was also the name "Alvita Monroe".

"Well," Shinichi said, still staring at the matching names. "I know who I'd like to talk to next."

Kaito's lips curled into a smile that had absolutely no humor in it. "Me too."

-To Be Continued-