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

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi


Lure

Chapter 33 - Ripple

By Monday, it seemed that half the population of their university had heard of the ghosts who had graced Suzuki Sonoko's Halloween party with their eerie presence. The girl herself was fanning the flames, sharing increasingly elaborate tales of that already dramatic night and the tragedy supposedly responsible for the ghosts. By noon, there were six different renditions of the story floating around campus and a lot of regret from everyone who either hadn't attended the party or had left early.

"The university party was fun too, but it sounds like it wasn't anything nearly that cool," more than one of Shinichi's classmates had lamented before asking him to tell his side of the story only to be disappointed when he told them that he'd left the party before the ghosts showed up.

What did people find so fascinating about ghosts anyway? It wasn't even as though most of these people really believed that there had been ghosts—or at least Shinichi was pretty sure they didn't. Yet they seemed to delight in the pretense that all the stories were or could be true. But maybe it was that whole thing about wanting to believe in something out of the ordinary again. Although that argument didn't strike Shinichi as convincing either. It wasn't like with a magician's magic where the thing out of the ordinary was some spectacular feat of supernatural abilities. Ghosts were supposed to be unhappy spirits. So even if you did believe deep down that they existed, shouldn't you prefer that a sighting of one be false? It was rather macabre to hope to see the embodiment of someone's regrets.

Or maybe he was just over thinking things again. It was just hard not to think about it when everyone around him was gossiping about the aforementioned ghosts with such rampant enthusiasm.

Fortunately, in Shinichi's opinion if no one else's, there had been no clear videos taken. There had actually been at least two guests who had attempted to film it, but they had started too late into the performance to catch much, and the lighting and flickering blue flames had distorted things, so all they had managed to film were shaky blurs and flashes of blue light.

Instead, one of the students in the fine art department had painted a life-sized rendering of a moment from that spectral dance. She had started painting it the instant she got home from the party that night and only just finished it that morning. The enormous canvas was now on display in one of the art department's many workshop rooms. There was already a long line forming of students who wanted to get a good look at it.

Ran had been dragged to see it by an excited Sonoko, and she in turn had commandeered Shinichi because she didn't really want to go see a painting of the 'ghosts' without some moral support.

Shinichi had to admit, the painting was incredible. It had captured not only their likeness and the eerie magic of the performance but that sense of motion from their dance as well. Looking at it had made him feel a strange mixture of nostalgia and embarrassed wonder. Maybe it was only because he knew exactly who the two purported phantoms were, but he thought he could make out hints of both their features in the painting, and that was more than a little worrying.

Still, it was undeniably a beautiful painting.

Though more amazing than the artwork was the speed with which it had been created. How had the artist gotten the paint to dry that fast?

"Oh hey, it says here that she's selling prints," Sonoko observed, reading the paper tacked up next to the painting. "I think I'll order one."

Shinichi had to fight to keep his expression neutral. There was just something about the idea of Sonoko buying a picture of him and Kaito that was rather… He wasn't even sure what the right words would be. Ironic? Horrifying? Mortifying? Or maybe just funny.

He silently vowed that she would never, ever find out that he had been anywhere near the ballroom that night.

Later, sitting alone in one of the campus cafes with a textbook and a mug of coffee on the table before him, Shinichi looked at the picture he'd taken of the artist's web info and wondered why he'd taken it. Shaking his head, he set his phone aside and returned to his reading.

Ran and Sonoko had left him to his own devices right after lunch. Sonoko had a lecture to get to, and Ran, who had joined the university karate team, had gone to practice. Shinichi had no more classes for the rest of the day, and the police hadn't called him, so he was rewarding himself with a relaxing afternoon of coffee and reading. Once he was done with the chapters he needed to go over for class, he could move on to the two novels in his bag.

He was two chapters into his first novel when someone approached his table.

"Hey there. Mind if I join you?"

Startled, he looked up and blinked. The young man standing by his table was a classmate of his that he had worked with on a report just last week. But the eyes looking out of that face were definitely not the eyes of said classmate.

"Kai?"

The magician raised a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, but he winked. "So? Can I sit?"

Shinichi hid a smile in his mug. "Go ahead."

Kaito flopped into the seat opposite him right away and waved at a passing waitress. He ordered a roast beef sandwich that came with an apple, a coffee, a chocolate chip cookie, and a slice of chocolate cake.

"I missed lunch," he said by way of explanation when the waiter left.

"Did something happen?" Shinichi asked, concerned.

The magician just laughed. "Nah, nothing like that. I was just finishing up some lab work for my chemistry class. I have some errands to run later, so I wanted to get the lab work out of the way. Running back and forth would waste too much time."

Shinichi shook his head in bemused wonder. "With everything you do, when do you ever find time to sleep?"

Kaito laughed. "Let's just say I have excellent time management skills and a knack for multitasking. Though I'll admit it helps that I never needed much sleep."

"I'll say."

The water arrived with Kaito's food. The magician took an enormous bite out of his sandwich and made a noise of approval. Half the sandwich was gone practically before Shinichi had even had time to register that the thief was eating. He couldn't help but stare. Was Kaito even chewing?

"You shouldn't eat so fast. You'll choke."

His warning fell uselessly onto Kaito's empty plate.

The magician took a long swig of his own coffee then grinned at Shinichi's flabbergasted look. "You were saying?"

The detective could only shake his head. "Never mind."

Both the apple and the cookie vanished nearly as fast as the sandwich. It wasn't until he started into his cake that Kaito slowed, savoring each bite with an expression of bliss that made Shinichi wonder if he should be trying a slice of that cake too. He'd never tried any of the bakery's dessert items, but clearly their chocolate cake at least was a winner.

They spent a pleasant half hour just being normal university students, having a late working lunch over homework as they chatted about the little things and their upcoming plans as the holiday season was about to begin.

But alas, all things must come to an end, and it was time for Kaito to take his leave.

"Will you be heading home after your errands?" Shinichi asked, meaning his own home. It was a subtle invitation that Kaito didn't miss. The soft smile he gave Shinichi made the detective feel warm and almost giddy in a way he would have found embarrassing if he wasn't so busy feeling happy.

"I would if I could, but I'll be running late today. I still have a lot of shopping to get done. I only hit half my usual hotspots yesterday, so I gotta hustle or all the best bargains are going to be gone."

"I…have no idea what you're talking about."

Laughing, Kaito rose, stretched, then reached over and ruffled Shinichi's hair in a way that the student he was masquerading as never would have. "You'd know if you just took a moment to think about it. I mean, an artist's tools don't grow on trees, you know. Well, most of the time anyway. Oh, and by the way," he added as an afterthought. "I saw an incredible painting earlier today. I bought a print. It'll go nicely with my trophies from the other night."

Shinichi made a face at that, not at all surprised. "Sonoko's buying one too."

"She does have good taste in some things."

"Is that your round about way of praising yourself?"

Kaito laughed. "I'll let you decide that one for yourself. Anyway, much as I'd like to stay, I really do have to get going."

They bid each other farewell, and Shinichi watched the magician go before ordering another coffee.

A mere fifteen minutes after Kaito's departure, one of the café's other patrons let out a gasping, choking sound and toppled to the ground. Shinichi was out of his seat and kneeling next to the body in an instant, both his book and his latest cup of coffee sitting forgotten at his table. It was time to get back to work.

-0-

In another part of the city, Kaito, now back behind his own face, exited yet another shopping center with a satisfied grin. There was no time quite like the sales right after Halloween for a prankster to stock up on supplies. Of course, he would be breaking a lot of the stuff he'd bought down for parts and raw materials, but he was still saving himself a lot of trouble. And every now and then he'd run across a costume or prop that was actually high quality or exceptionally well-designed for a bargain price. Those were the best.

It was all rather a lot like treasure hunting, he mused. It was time-consuming, but the gems in the rubble made it all worthwhile.

He'd been quite lucky this year and found more than a handful of said gems amidst the heaps upon heaps of discounted decorations and costumes (including an ensemble or two that he just knew would fit his little detective perfectly). He had just one store left to hit.

It was one of his favorites, and it sold costumes and decorations all year round. Situated next to a performance hall, the shop was enormous and had been supplying Kaito with props and inspiration ever since he'd first walked through its doors while he was still in high school.

"Oh hey there, Kuroba-san," the girl working the counter said when she spotted him. "Browsing for costumes for your drama club again? Or is it for your shows this time?"

"A little bit of both," he replied.

"There are some pretty cool pieces in the sales section I think you might want to take a look at."

"Got it. I have some things to trade in too. I was thinking I'd bring them by tomorrow morning before opening hours, if the boss is available."

"Of course. I'll let Sis know you're coming. Be prepared though. She was at your last show with her fiancé, and she's still not done gushing about it."

"I am truly honored. I know how hard the boss is to impress."

The girl snorted. "Most of the time. But you know she loves everything you do. Oh yeah, by the way, some friends of mine are also huge fans. They didn't believe me when I said I'd known you since before you got famous. I was wondering if you'd let me take a picture with you so I can prove it."

Kaito laughed. "No problem. I know how important it is to have hard evidence."

"Then how about an autograph too?"

"Trade you for that hat with the feather in it over there?"

"Deal."


-To be Continued-