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

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi


Lure

Chapter 31 - Stolen

Someone was watching him. He had been too deep in his conversation with Arata to be sure when the watcher had begun his or her observations, but the feeling was growing more intense by the moment, and it was making Shinichi uneasy. It didn't feel like a malicious gaze exactly, but the fact that he couldn't figure out where it was coming from was extremely unnerving.

"What's wrong?" Arata asked when Shinichi craned his neck around for the sixth time to peer under the scarecrow's outstretched arms at the masked men and women twirling past out on the dance floor.

"It's nothing," Shinichi said hastily and hoped he was telling the truth. It was probably just another of Sonoko's curious guests. But whoever they were, they knew how to stay out of sight. And considering the crowds had been thinning for some time now, that was no easy feat.

His uneasiness grew, and he found himself scanning the ballroom for Ran and the others. He spotted Kogoro first. The older detective was talking animatedly with several other guests, a half full glass of wine in one hand. He was clearly drunk, but that was nothing new. Ran, Aoko, and Hakuba were in another corner where there were several toadstool chairs and tables for people who were taking a break from dancing. They too were speaking with other guests. Sonoko joined them just as Shinichi spotted them, dropping onto a chair next to Ran and waving one of the waiters over with a glass of some orange colored beverage topped with white cream and a black umbrella.

Everything appeared to be normal.

"Kudo-san?"

Starting guiltily, Shinichi turned back to his new friend. "Sorry. I think I'm a little tired. I should probably be heading home."

"It is getting pretty late," the author agreed. "I should probably be going too. You came with Mouri Kogoro, right?"

"I did."

"Would you like a ride home? The Mouris seem like they may still be here for a while." Arata nodded to where Ran was still deep in animated conversation with Sonoko, Aoko, and the others.

Shinichi smiled. "Thank you for the offer, but I should wait for them in case they need me to drive."

"Ah, that's true. Well, I guess I'll be taking my leave first then." Arata rose from the bench but didn't leave. Instead, he shifted his weight to his other foot. "It really was an honor to get to talk with you tonight."

"I enjoyed talking to you too," Shinichi said honestly. "Good luck with your writing."

"Thanks. Though, speaking of writing, there are some scenarios I've been considering that it would be nice to get a real detective's opinion on. I understand if you don't have time, but, well, I was just wondering if you would mind if I called you sometime to discuss them…"

Shinichi blinked, surprised, but he saw no reason to refuse.

That prickling sensation of being watched followed Shinichi as he bid Arata farewell then went to speak with Ran. He had to fight not to keep turning around to look for the source lest he look like a crazy person. He didn't need any more attention after the spectacle Sonoko had made out of his arrival. He was more sure now than ever that the source of the gaze was not just a curious passerby. But what the source wanted was still a mystery—one that he needed to solve in a hurry if he wanted to have any peace. But he had to make sure that the others didn't get caught in the crossfire. Not that he was expecting anything dangerous. It was just better to be careful, especially considering his track record.

He arrived by Ran's group just as Hakuba escorted Aoko onto the dance floor. The band had switched to slower songs with the festivities winding down, and almost all the guests still on the dance floor were couples holding each other close. Sonoko kept sneaking envious glances at those happy couples before muttering darkly to herself about wayward boyfriends who were far too obsessed with proving themselves. But every time she was done muttering, she would touch the charm bracelet dangling around her wrist. Shinichi didn't have to ask to be able to guess who that bracelet had been a gift from.

"Oh hey Shinichi," Ran said, spotting him. "Do you want to join us?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you would mind if I went to wait for you guys on the car," he said. "I think I need to close my eyes for a few minutes."

Ran looked concerned. "If you're tired, we can just go home. I'll go get Dad."

"You don't have to leave on his account," Sonoko butted in, frowning. "Your dad's in no shape to drive anyway. Why don't you guys just stay the night? I'll have the front desk get you two rooms."

"We can't impose on you like that," Ran protested, embarrassed, but her friend waved her away.

"You won't be imposing. I'm staying here tonight too. I thought we could watch some scary movies." She smirked when Ran went pale. "Nothing too scary, obviously. Come on," she cajoled when the brunette continued to hesitate. "It's been ages since we've been able to just hang out and have a sleepover. We can invite Aoko too. Make it a girls' night. It'll be fun."

Ran wavered. "Shinichi? Would that be all right with you?"

He shrugged. "I don't mind."

"Well, all right then."

Sonoko beamed. "Wait here a moment." She hopped to her feet and bustled off. She was back a mere five minutes later with a handful of hotel keycards.

"Here." She shoved one into Shinichi's hands. "I'll expect a review."

Shinichi tucked the keycard into his pocket, bid the group a good night, and turned his steps towards the ballroom exit. Though his senses remained on full alert all the way, he was still caught by surprise when someone grabbed him from behind, a hand clamping over his mouth to muffle his instinctive yelp.

"Now, now, Tantei-kun, we don't want to make a scene," an all too familiar voice murmured into his ear.

"Mmph?" Shinichi gasped, startled.

His captor chuckled. "I think a change of venue is in order."

That was all the warning Shinichi had before his vision filled with orange smoke that made his entire world go soft and fuzzy around the edges.

His last thought before everything faded was that this sort of thing really should be more surprising.

-0-

When Shinichi woke up, it was to a spacious and elegantly decorated room that he had never seen before but which he guessed was in the same hotel where the Halloween party had been held. The color theme and style matched what he had seen behind the festive decorations in the lobby. His guess was confirmed when the cloaked man sitting at the writing desk with Shinichi's book open in his hands spoke up.

"Suzuki-san sure was generous. She's letting you stay for free overnight in one of their honeymoon suites."

"She's expecting a review," Shinichi mumbled, still a little woozy. Then his brain caught up with his ears. A honeymoon suite? He felt a blush begin to rise in his face, and he hastened to think about something other than the fact that he was alone in a honeymoon suite of all places with Kaito. "What are you doing here? I thought you said you wouldn't be coming."

"I said I couldn't get here in time for the party if I came via ordinary means."

"As in you could make it via more KID-ish means?" Shinichi guessed as he levered himself up and shuffled over to sit on the edge of the king-sized bed. A look at the bedside clock revealed that he hadn't been unconscious for more than ten minutes or so.

"That's right," Kaito agreed in a neutral tone that made Shinichi frown. The magician shut the book he'd been perusing with a snap and set it on the desk. Then he stood up and started to pace. Shinichi quirked an eyebrow at the fedora perched at a jaunty angle on his partner's head and the gleam of a silver sword hilt at his side. It looked like a real sword. Knowing Kaito, it probably was.

"I flew all the way here as fast as the wind could carry me so that I could spend some time with you," Kaito was saying. "And here you are, chatting away without a care in the world with some random guy for ages and ages."

"You could have just come over and said hi," Shinichi pointed out. But Kaito didn't appear to be listening as he motored on.

"And you let him get you a refill just like that. What if he'd put something in the coffee?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous. Why would he do that?"

"It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to drug you," the thief pointed out.

"Like you just did?" Shinichi asked dryly.

Kaito stopped in his pacing and turned to face him, arms folded. "Hey, at least you know I wouldn't hurt you. You can't say the same for Mr. Owl Face. You can't deny that more than half the people you meet are either killers or connected to killers in some way. For all you know, this guy could have been some nut planning to kidnap and murder you so he could write about it."

Shinichi laughed. "Now you're just being paranoid."

"Am I?" It was Kaito's turn to use the dry voice. "I know for a fact you've seen cases like that. You told me a few of them yourself."

Shinichi winced. "Well, yeah, but I'm pretty sure Arata-san's not a criminal."

"How can you be sure? You've only known him a few hours. And you never even saw his face."

Shinichi refrained from pointing out that he hadn't seen Kaito's face either until very recently. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I? That means he didn't try to drug or poison me."

"But you gave him your number."

Shinichi paused and rearranged his thoughts. He had assumed that Kaito was being paranoid, but it was starting to sound like the magician might just be jealous. He wasn't sure if he should be flattered or exasperated. He ended up somewhere in between.

"He just asked if I'd like to get together and talk some more sometime since he has some ideas he'd like a real detective's opinion on," he explained patiently. "And I said yes. He's just a new friend, Kai."

"He's interested in you though."

"You're imagining things," Shinichi insisted. "Besides," he added, voice softening. "It wouldn't matter if he was interested." Rising carefully to his sock-clad feet, he padded up to Kaito and leaned up to press a soft kiss to Kaito's lips as his cheeks flushed pink. "I love you."

His efforts were rewarded when Kaito's indigo eyes softened and the tension left his shoulders. Sighing, the magician gathered Shinichi into a warm embrace.

"I love you too," he said quietly. "It's just…hard. I suppose all this waiting is getting to me."

"Me too," Shinichi admitted, closing his eyes as he rested his head against Kaito's shoulder. "But that's all right."

"It is?" Kaito's query puffed soft and warm over the shell of his ear, making Shinichi shiver.

"It is," Shinichi confirmed, snuggling closer to his thief's solid warmth and delighting in the way Kaito held him closer. He always felt safe in Kaito's arms, thief or not. Maybe he shouldn't, but he did. "It would be nice if we didn't have to worry about getting caught, but…I'm happy too. With the way things are. I was thinking about it last night, and it's kind of a miracle that we even made it this far. After everything we've been through, a little waiting is just, well, a little waiting. It's not like it really matters what the rest of the world thinks anyway."

He trailed off, beginning to blush under Kaito's startled stare. "What?"

The magician laughed and kissed him. "I hadn't really thought about it that way, but you're right. And I'm glad you're happy. But I still think you owe me."

Shinichi's brows furrowed. "For what?"

"For ignoring me to talk to Owl Face for so long. I don't like being ignored."

Shinichi snorted. That was an understatement if he'd ever heard one. "Really? I couldn't tell."

He let out a squeak of surprise as he was suddenly spun around and lowered into a dip with Kaito grinning down at him, indigo eyes gleaming in the shadow of his hat.

"Then now that we have an understanding, we have preparations to make."

"Preparations?" Shinichi eyed the magician's grin with great trepidation. "What preparations?"

"For the grand finale," Kaito replied, grin broadening. "We're going to give all your friends downstairs a show they'll never forget."


-To be Continued-