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

Lure

Chapter 11 - Making a Point

This was, Shinichi decided, most definitely going to be his least favorite KID heist of all time. And he was pretty sure he wouldn't be the only one with that opinion by the time the night was over. He still wasn't sure why he was here at all. It wasn't like he had any reason to go along with the task force's latest harebrained plan. It wasn't like they'd ever done anything for him. In the past, he'd spent most of his heist attendance time being yelled at by Nakamori-keibu as the man demanded that he stay out of their way. And yet now that they suddenly thought they needed him, he was expected to just be here? Shinichi wasn't sure what they thought about it all, but from his point of view it wasn't very fair.

Yet here he was anyway. Perhaps it was out of a morbid sense of curiosity to see what Kaito was going to do to the task force for daring to come up with a plan like this. The thief had been doing a lot of research and planning in the short time leading up to this heist. All of that work, however, would go to waste if the officers didn't know why it had been done, and that meant Shinichi had to be there so that the task force could execute its plan. Well, serve them right, whatever happened.

Approaching the entrance to the gallery, he wondered which unfortunate officer had been drafted into being his escort.

They had wanted to get Ran to play the part to begin with since she was the only girl his age that he had much of a personal history with—well, her and Sonoko, but the latter was an avid KID fan and therefore not a viable option. They had, however, run into multiple problems with that idea. The first problem was that Ran was one of the few people Shinichi knew who seemed to think he should be dating the thief—but the police didn't know that. From their perspective, the first roadblock was the fact that pretty much everyone who knew the two knew by now that they weren't a couple and had no interest in being one anymore. True, when they'd been younger, everyone had expected them to become an item one day (probably because Ran was the only close friend Shinichi had had, even if they had no interests in common). But then Shinichi had disappeared then come back, and things had never been the same after that. They'd both grown up. The point of the matter was that KID was the kind of thief who did his homework, and that meant he would know that even if Shinichi and Ran showed up to the show together, they were friends and nothing else.

The task force had debated over this problem for quite some time before deciding that it was worth a try anyway. After all, people's minds changed, right? Everyone knew that. So they had asked Ran anyway, and that was when they ran into their next problem. She'd given them all a really strange look and said no. When they persisted, she'd cracked her knuckles and repeated her answer. At that point, they wisely decided to retreat and find a different candidate.

To Shinichi's horrified amazement, they had turned to Hakuba next (perhaps because they were around the same age?). Fortunately, the blond seemed to feel the same way about that idea as Shinichi himself did.

Hakuba, while he had agreed that Umizawa's plan had merit, had had enough of a sense of self preservation to refuse any but the most minor of roles in the actual execution of the plan.

That had left the police in a bit of a bind. There wasn't any time left, and they were rapidly running out of candidates.

That was when they'd discussed it a bit more and decided that whether or not Shinichi could logically pretend to have an interest in his opposite number for the night was not important. They just needed someone to make a move on the young detective in order to galvanize the thief into doing something to defend his claim. Therefore, all they needed was an officer who was good at acting. When Shinichi had learned of this revelation of theirs, he'd seriously considered banging his head against the wall. There was no way this could end well.

"Good evening," the officers guarding the gallery entrance greeted him as he approached. One of them muttered an apology before yanking hard on the side of his face (if only they knew how pointless that particular precaution was in his case). Satisfied that he wasn't wearing a mask, they waved him inside. None of them really expected KID to show up to heists these days disguised as Shinichi though. Not since they had realized that the thief was using his heists in order to get close to Shinichi. The thief couldn't meet Shinichi at a heist if he had to prevent the detective from coming so that he could use him as a disguise.

The entire gallery had been rented by the foundation holding the exhibit. They had decided to take the opportunity being offered by the fact that KID was targeting one of their jewels to sell loads of tickets to the magician thief's many, many fans. The police had objected of course, seeing as this meant packing the place with visitors, which made it easier for the thief to get in and out, but, since the gallery was a private one, they eventually had to bend to the foundation's wishes.

The place was so full of people that Shinichi couldn't take a step without bumping shoulders with someone. Knowing what he did about the task force's plans, he found himself eyeing everyone who passed him with trepidation. If he was lucky, which he generally wasn't, they wouldn't have been able to find an officer with the requisite acting skills in time.

He took his time making his way around the exhibit—not that it was possible to move quickly through this dense, unyielding crowd. The many pieces of jewelry on other related masterpieces glittered and sparkled from every display. They were beautiful, that was for sure, but he still had to wonder why people got so hyped up about them. When you really got down to it, they were basically just rocks and bits of metal. He understood treasuring them for the memories they might be associated with, but that was a different matter altogether.

Coming to a stop in front of a display case showing off a set of bejeweled goblets. Each goblet had been sculpted to resemble a different flower. They were masterfully crafted, beautifully adorned, and probably worth a fortune each. If anyone ever bought one, they would probably sit in a display case where they could be admired and never, ever used.

"Pretty incredible, aren't they?"

He glanced around to find a man he didn't recognize standing by his left shoulder. He was probably in his mid twenties. The stranger was on the heavyset side but tall enough not to look it. A dark tan suggested long hours under the sun. He stood like a soldier, straight and steady. Seeing nothing suspicious, Shinichi returned his attention to the goblets.

"They are," he agreed as he did so. It would be rude to ignore the man.

"Hey, I was wondering, are you that detective? Kudo Shinichi, I mean."

"…Yes, I am."

"I knew it! I've been reading about you for years. I've always wanted to meet you."

"Oh." Shinichi smiled a bit awkwardly. He never knew quite what to say to people like this.

"I always wanted to ask, so where were you those three years? You know, when everyone thought you'd been killed."

Well that was blunt. Shinichi tried not to twitch. "I was working on a few things. I would prefer not to talk about it."

"Oh, right." The man nodded sagely like he'd understood something. "Hey, do you see those jewels on that chrysanthemum goblet?"

Shinichi looked obligingly at the indicated piece. It had several blue sapphires worked into the silver. "There are certainly a lot of them."

"The color of those sapphires is just like the color of your eyes."

Shinichi shot the man a weird look. Had he really just said that? "Uh…thanks…?" He noticed with a certain degree of discomfort that the man was standing quite close. Although it could just be because the exhibition hall was packed to the bursting point… Everyone was pretty close. He edged away as best he could.

"Do you have any plans after the show? If you're free, there's this wonderful Italian restaurant not far from here. They serve some excellent wines."

Shinichi stared at him. This man didn't seem to be acting. Trying not to freak out, Shinichi edged away from him again.

"I, uh, sorry, but I need to—to go to the restroom!" That said, he turned and bolted, deciding he didn't care if it was rude or not.

In his haste to put as much distance between himself and the weirdo as possible, he almost ran headlong into a waiter. Tall glasses of assorted fruit drinks rattled, teetering on the edge of falling.

"Whoa there!" The waiter fought to steady his tray of drinks and prevent their collective demise.

"I'm sorry!" Shinichi scrambled to help him, catching one glass just as it began to plummet to the floor. "Sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."

The waiter laughed. "It's okay. No harm done. Did you want anything to drink?"

Shinichi blinked, glancing down at the cup still in his hand. "Oh, uh, I still have coffee, but thanks." He placed the glass back on the tray with a sheepish smile.

"No problem."

He watched the waiter leave before raising his almost forgotten mug to his lips. There wasn't much left in it, but he didn't think he'd be able to fight his way back to the refreshment table before the heist began. Well, that and the man he'd just run away from was also back in that direction. He shivered involuntarily. Yeah, no way he was going back that way anytime soon.

Finding himself a spot beside a display of rings, he leaned against the wall and tried to pretend that he wasn't there. He heaved another sigh, wishing his mug would magically refill itself. He was really beginning to regret coming. Curse his curiosity.

-0-

Hakuba Saguru had arrived at the exhibition that evening with mixed feelings. While it was true that he felt that the task force's latest scheme had merit, he couldn't help but feel mildly sorry for his fellow detective. Being the love interest of an internationally wanted criminal had to be taxing—especially when the criminal in question was as crazy and shameless as Kaitou KID. He could only imagine the horrors Shinichi might have gone through because of the whole situation. Of course, that was only if his fellow detective wasn't secretly involved with the thief.

The blond still wasn't sure what he thought about that possibility. On the one hand, Kudo Shinichi was a great detective. Hakuba had worked with him on numerous cases by now and come to greatly admire his skill and dedication. On the other hand, he had noticed a certain…unconventionality to the other's behavior. There were things that detectives who wanted to be able to work with the law could and couldn't do. As keepers of law, they had to work within it, otherwise it would lose all its integrity. Those who sought to enforce the law could not and should not be held above it. Kudo, however, occasionally bent laws in order to catch the criminals who crossed his path. It was never anything serious, such as taking a quick look around someone's private space without a warrant, but still… Procedure existed for a reason, and there were times when doing such things, though useful in proving a criminal's connections to a crime, often complicated the legal process afterward. Of course, the criminals Shinichi tended to deal with were murderers, and Hakuba agreed that such people should not be shown mercy, but he still felt that his fellow detective's little infractions were an unhealthy habit that needed to be broken.

Such habits may lead perfectly good detectives to possibly overlook the flaws of certain criminals, for example. They could open him to being swayed into believing that some crimes were acceptable in lieu of other things such as personal feelings. But of course this was all just speculation.

If given a choice, Hakuba didn't really want to suspect Shinichi of fraternizing with KID. He liked Shinichi, and it would be a terrible waste for such a gifted detective to fall under the power of a devious criminal even if it was a non-violent one like KID. Non-violent was not at all the same thing as harmless.

Preferences, however, had no place in the eyes of the law.

If only he had a better grasp on Shinichi's own thoughts on the issue. As far as Hakuba could tell, Shinichi seemed to have been oblivious to KID's romantic advances towards him until the police had pointed it out to him. Then again, that didn't mean much really. Finding out hadn't changed the other detective's behavior at heists as far as Hakuba could tell. Shinichi had always taken the thief's antics far more graciously than most of the officers and other members of law enforcement who'd been forced to endure them. Could that be considered evidence that he was fond of the thief? Or did it just mean that he didn't find the thief's pranks to be offensive? Surely no one could enjoy that kind of attention. Right? Yeah, definitely. He decided to ignore the fact that half the female population of Japan—and the rest of the world, come to think of it—thought that KID was irresistibly charming.

Hakuba continued to mull over the possibilities as he sipped at his ice tea and watched Shinichi making his way around the exhibit. He examined everyone who passed by the blue-eyed detective. Had KID arrived yet? Most likely. The police were pinching everyone's faces as they usually did, but they all knew that the chances of catching the thief out that way were slim to none. So which one of these faces was KID wearing tonight…

Was it just him, or was that man a little too interested in getting into Kudo's personal space? Was it KID? None of the police were reacting though. Had they noticed? It was almost impossible to find anyone in this crowd if you took your eyes off them for even a second. Or was this whoever they'd recruited for the plan? Hakuba didn't actually know who was supposed to be playing the, uh, key role. Frowning, he decided to make his way over for a closer look.

Before he reached the pair, however, Shinichi had already bolted. The other detective left so fast that Hakuba lost track of him in the crowd.

Cursing, he turned to scan the room. Where had Shinichi gone? Damn. Why couldn't the exhibition owners listen for once and keep the general populace outside of the heist building? But no, they wanted the publicity.

The lights suddenly flashed brilliant white before going out. Hakuba's hands flew up to his eyes, though they were far too late to be of any use. Lights danced across his field of vison. Because of this, it took him a moment to realize that the real lights too were flickering back to life. They were dimmer than they had been everywhere but at the front of the exhibition hall.

KID was standing on the main dais at the heart of the glow where the most expensive and elaborate pieces had been on display—had been because the star of the show was now missing—but very few people were paying attention to that fact. Most of the audience was much more interested in the fact that KID was not alone. He had a certain detective cradled in his arms. Said detective was apparently unconscious. A familiar cowlick told Hakuba exactly who it was, not that he had had any doubts. The only really surprising thing about the scene for him was that Shinichi was still wearing his own clothes and not another provocative costume.

"KID!" Nakamori bellowed and lunged for the thief.

KID didn't even bat an eye. Instead, he tapped a foot. The gesture caused a sudden spray of liquid to cascade from the ceiling. It started in a ring around the dais then swept outward like an expanding curtain. It looked and felt like heavy rain, but it was most definitely not water. It coated everything and everyone it touched with a clear layer that hardened rapidly with an almost audible crackle into a crystalline shell. In a mere handful of confused moments, the entire exhibit ful of people had been transformed into a diorama of frozen people who glimmered like glass statues.

Nakamori had been caught in a running position, one foot on the ground and the other raised for the next step. Others too found themselves captured in mid motion.

"What is this stuff?" and assorted variations thereof echoed through the building as people tried and failed to break free of their strange, crystalline prisons.

"Now then," KID said, his voice somehow clear despite the hubbub filling the exhibit. He must have planted speakers beforehand. His words caused the noise to die down. "Welcome. I do apologize for the minor inconvenience, but I assure you that there is no need to panic. Your shells will soften in four hours, and you'll be free to go. However, in the meantime, there are a few things that we need to discuss."

"Damn it, KID, let us go right now!" Nakamori-keibu roared, face livid with the effort of trying to move. "And release Kudo-kun!"

The thief actually laughed. "I don't think so. I thought I made this quite clear already," he continued, voice light. Despite that, his eyes were hard like chips of ice, and there was a distinctly dangerous edge to his grin. "But apparently there were some among you who didn't get the message. So here it is again."

Then, in front of everyone in the packed exhibition hall, he kissed the sleeping Shinichi on the lips. Shocked silence fell over the crowd. Then the thief raised his head and smirked at the myriad of gaping faces.

"This one is mine. I've never kept any of your jewels, but I do hope you remember that I could always change my mind. So unless you want to have to explain to the owners of all my lovely future targets why they won't be seeing their gems again, I would suggest you keep your hands off mine. Besides," he added in a much more cheerful tone that did not put anyone at ease in the slightest. "It isn't very sporting of you police to subject a poor, innocent civilian to your, I must say, unimaginatively tasteless attempts at ingenuity. Now some of you may feel that you are justified. So I've decided to provide you with a little extra incentive. To see a sample of the fate that awaits those who don't follow my rules, do see Exhibit A."

A spotlight blinked to life. Under its stark radiance, a figure swung like a pendulum, making muffled noises of complaint. The man had been hogtied and hung up by the feet. He too was covered in the strange, clear shell, though a mask had been put over his nose and mouth to prevent the liquid from going up—down?—his nose and suffocating him. His hair was a blinding, neon green, and all his clothes had been turned inside out. What could be seen of his face appeared a bit green. He also appeared to be trying and failing to wiggle (they found later that his clothes had been filled with itching powder). Hakuba felt queasy just looking at him. It took him a moment to realize that the man in question was officer Umizawa. Somehow, he wasn't surprised.

By the time everyone got over the sight of the poor man swinging at the end of his rope and turned back towards the thief, KID had already disappeared. He had, however, left Shinichi sleeping with the velvet cushion that had formerly supported the heist target tucked under his head as a pillow.

-0-

When Shinichi got home that night to find Kaito waiting for him in the front hall, he crossed his arms and glared at the thief. "You drugged me!"

"I had to do it," Kaito explained, unperturbed. "If you'd been able, you'd have had to struggle for the look of the thing, and that would have made the whole thing a lot more complicated than it had to be."

"I could figure out that much on my own, thanks," Shinichi grumbled. "What I want to know is what you actually did. No one would tell me anything. If the police are going to start giving me strange looks because you did something weird to me, I have a right to know."

"I didn't do anything to you while you were out," Kaito protested before his expression slid into a leer and he leaned in to murmur into Shinichi's ear. "It's much more fun to do things to you while you're awake."

Shinichi blushed and smacked him upside the head. "You are not laying a finger on me until you tell me exactly what happened while I was unconscious!"

Kaito heaved an overdramatic sigh. "But that's going to take forever."

"You realize you're not helping your case."

"Can we at least talk over hot chocolate?"

Shinichi considered this for a moment then relented. "Fine. But don't leave anything out!"

-TBC-

Notes: I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but at least now I can move on with the task force more or less out of the way. The next part of this story will revolve around how they get their civilian identities officially introduced. I hope you're enjoying and thanks for reading/reviewing. Until next time! ^_^