Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

A.N: Sorry this is a bit late. I'm currently very busy…

A Curse Marked Fate

11: About Promises

Embarrassing as it was to be carried around like he was a child, Shinichi found himself relaxing in Kaito's arms. Being held by the magician was, well, kind of nice. He'd always felt safe and comfortable around Kaito, and it seemed that the intervening years hadn't changed that. Which, in some ways, made very little sense. After all, people changed. It was a fact of life.

But maybe, just for now, he could allow himself to pretend that they were still the people they had been all those years ago: carefree and unfettered by such vast and unfathomable concepts as fate with their whole lives lying ahead of them. Just for tonight.

"Um, so where are we going?" he asked. The sounds of the party had receded into a faint, indistinct murmur, and they were now making their way through the resort grounds guided only by the magical light that Kaito had summoned to float above their heads.

Kaito chuckled. "You'll just have to wait and see. Don't worry. We're almost there."

Since Shinichi really hadn't expected a straight answer (Kaito had never been big on straight answers), he wasn't all that disappointed. That didn't mean he wasn't concerned. He couldn't help but notice the lack of any other lights. All around them, trees and bushes loomed, their shadows melding with those of the buildings and occasional art installations to form bizarre and monstrous shapes in the dark.

"Are we allowed out here?" he asked.

"Just relax."

Shinichi wondered if he should translate that answer as a no. At least he was pretty sure Sonoko had said that all the construction at the resort had already been completed, so they shouldn't have to worry about unstable structures or anything of that ilk.

"We're here!" Kaito declared, starting up a flight of stairs that spiraled around the trunk of what appeared to be an extremely gigantic tree. Up and up they climbed until they reached a wooden platform cradled amidst a massive sprawl of branches. There was a row of what appeared to be small carts or large baskets lined up along the far edge of the platform. As they drew nearer, Shinichi saw that they had seats inside them—four to a cart. They had looked a little like baskets from afar because their outsides were patterned to resemble woven reeds, and each had a wooden 'handle' affixed to it like you might see on a rickshaw, only this contraption had some sort of odd rope contraption attached to it. That thought had Shinichi looking down to see that the baskets had wheels. Those wheels, in turn, were resting on a set of rails that lay along the tree's spreading branches.

"Is this some kind of ride?" he wondered aloud.

"You could call it that." Leaning over, Kaito put Shinichi down on one of the front seats in the first cart, deftly clipping his seatbelt for him. The gesture made Shinichi blush and try to swat his hands away so that he could do it himself. Having expected Kaito to climb in next to him, he was puzzled when the Sky Mage walked back to the middle of the platform and tilted his head back.

"Yo there! Can we get a ride?" he shouted up into the darkness under the canopy.

"Who are you talking—" Shinichi started to ask, but he was cut off as a squirrel the size of a pony came scurrying down through the branches. It leapt down to the platform with a thudding of heavy paws then trotted over to stand next to Kaito. There, it sat back on its haunches and tilted its head expectantly to one side.

"Over here." Kaito jogged back to the carts and hopped into the seat next to Shinichi. The squirrel darted past him and slipped into what Shinichi now realized was the harness at the front of their cart. It stood up and shook itself to test that all the straps were properly fitted before turning to chatter inquiringly at them.

"We'll take the full night tour," Kaito told it.

Instantly, the squirrel was down on all four furry paws and racing through the branches, towing their little cart behind it on the rails.

Wind rushed past them, sweeping Shinichi's bangs from his face and making Kaito's already messy hair even messier. As the squirrel bounded up through the branches, the cart too rose higher and higher. In moments, they had burst out of the deep green embrace of that first enormous tree. With a wash of leaves below them, the sky overhead was no longer veiled, and they were racing along beneath the star-dusted heavens and a moon that was only just beginning to wane. It tipped the leaves of the trees below in silver. And as the wind of their passing sent shivers through that lustrous canopy, that light rippled and danced as though across the crests of waves at sea.

"It's amazing," Shinichi gasped, though his words were whipped back down his throat by the wind before they could get very far. He barely noticed. All his attention was on the feeling of flying through this wild yet tranquil night.

Kaito heard him though, and his laughter rang out bright and joyous across the verdant sea. "Hang on. It's about to get better."

On cue, the sea of leaves parted, and lights blossomed below.

There was the ballroom, overflowing with light and color, with its occupants spilling out through the open walls into the courtyard outside to whirl and laugh as the music played. They were flowers skipping on the wind. Off to one side, the waters of a fountain shimmered from the blue flames burning beneath its surface as great, graceful spouts poured forth beneath a crystal castle.

But the party was only one of the wondrous sights they were treated to as the squirrel ran on along the high, arching rails that were all but invisible to the people below.

They saw the resort's rooftop garden and circled the sparkling, glass dome over the main lobby. They gazed in wonder at the field of iridescent blossoms cultivated to form the resort's logo and at the flock of butterflies that swept out of nowhere to flutter alongside them until they just as abruptly dispersed. They saw a cluster of tree houses and skimmed low over a lake beneath which Shinichi could have sworn he saw koi fish as long as a grown man was tall swimming in graceful, never-ending circles. Then they passed by a manmade climbing wall and a series of basketball and tennis courts and were treated to the sight of a gazebo in a bamboo grove in which a large panda sat next to several drums of different sizes.

Every slight was a marvel in its own right, and Shinichi silently applauded the artists and architects who had put it all together. This place was everything a luxury resort should hope to be a then some.

"Can we stop at the Clover Patch?" Kaito called out to their squirrel.

It chattered what must have been an affirmative because it turned suddenly onto a branching set of rails, bushy tail held high. This time, their journey led them downward and eventually to a stop next to a small cottage in the middle of a field of clovers. The cottage itself was also clover shaped when viewed from above.

"This is one of the suites available," Kaito announced, stepping out of the cart and lifting Shinichi out after him. "But it's also an attraction. There is always one four-leafed clover somewhere in this clover patch. If you find it, you get to trade it in for your choice of their grand prizes. A new four-leaf clover won't appear until after the previous one's been found and traded in."

"These are real clovers though," Shinichi observed, reaching down to rub a leaf between two of his fingers. "They're alive."

"Yep. It really is pretty cool what they've managed to do here. They must have a whole team of really skilled Earth Mages on their design and construction team."

Shinichi had to agree, though he wasn't sure what kind of person would have the spare time or energy required to partake in attractions like this clover hunting game. Frankly, even imagining trying to find the one four-leaf clover among the hundreds of thousands in this clover patch was exhausting.

A large, furry brown paw patted Kaito on the shoulder, and the magician turned. When the squirrel saw that it had his attention, it squeaked and waved a paw at the cart.

"Ah. Thanks. We're really grateful for your help. We won't be needing the cart anymore though, so you can take it back."

The squirrel nodded, slid back into its harness, and vanished an instant later in a rattling of wheels.

Kaito turned back to Shinichi. "So did you want to try and find the clover? Or shall we move on?"

"I'd rather not spend all night here."

"Onward it is then. Let's see…" The magician glanced around at the surrounding trees then struck off towards their right. "It's this way."

Shinichi had to jog to keep up with Kaito's much longer strides until the older boy slowed down to match his pace.

"We should be there in just a few minutes," he said, leading them along a winding trail. "It's the coolest place in the resort. You're going to love it."

Shinichi pictured an enormous library with large windows surrounded by flourishing wildlife and filled with towering shelves packed with books and comfortably plushy armchairs. It was a beautiful dream, but he let the image go with a wistful sigh. Wherever Kaito was taking him, it probably wasn't a library. Kaito might be an avid reader of all things magic and adventure, but sitting still for long periods had never been his strong suit. For him, libraries were places you visited to collect reading material which you hastily ferried off to somewhere more comfortable and less restrictive to enjoy.

A soft, pink petal landed on the tip of Shinichi's nose, tickling him out of his thoughts. He sneezed, and a flurry of more petals spun away from him in a cheerful swirl. Confused, he looked up then around to find that he and Kaito were now walking down a path walled on both sides by cherry blossom trees in full bloom. Pink petals were falling like a gentle, slow-motion rain everywhere he looked. The trees must have been enchanted because neither the blossoms nor the falling petals ever seemed to thin.

"Beautiful, right?" Kaito's amused query drew his attention back to the taller teen. "Welcome to the Sakura Hall of Games."

Shinichi blinked. "Games?"

"Yep. Here." Grabbing Shinichi's hand, Kaito tugged him off the road and between to cherry blossom trees where the constant fall of flower petals temporarily obscured their vision. When they could see again, however, they were standing in the center of a cherry blossom grove. And in the middle of the grove stood a giant flower bulb. Next to that bulb sat another of the resort's special squirrels, though this one was normal in size.

"Would you two like to play the game?" it squeaked when it saw them, making Shinichi jump.

"It talks!"

"Of course I talk," the squirrel replied, sounding amused. "I am the game master. All the games in the Sakura Hall are under my jurisdiction. I know all the rules and all the prizes. There are no prizes right now, but the games are all available. So, do you want to play a game?"

"We would," Kaito said before Shinichi could respond. "Can we start with this game here?" He pointed at the flower bulb.

"Indeed you can. But first, show me your token."

With a flick of his wrist, Kaito produced a large, elaborately carved wooden disc featuring a leaping stag.

"Everyone signed up for tomorrow's conference will get one of these," he told Shinichi as he did so. "Suzuki-san was kind enough to give me mine early."

The Game Master took the token, examined it, then nodded and handed it back.

"Good. Then let us get started." It trotted over to the massive flower bulb, reached under the leaves at its base, and pulled out a pair of what appeared to be wooden pistols. He handed one each to Kaito and Shinichi before moving to stand next to the flower bulb.

"Little boy, your color is white. Kuroba-san, your color is blue. Try not to shoot any that are not your color. You'll have your points reduced if you do."

"Wait, shoot what?" Shinichi started to ask, but the squirrel had already turned around and whacked the flower bulb with its tail. The bulb instantly bloomed, releasing a swarm of butterflies.

"You have five minutes!" the squirrel declared, disappearing into the cherry blossom trees.

Shinichi looked down at the wooden pistol in his hands. It contained no ammunition and really didn't look like it should be able to shoot anything. But next to him, Kaito had already raised his pistol and pulled the trigger twice.

Two tiny balls of light whizzed out of the wooden barrel. An instant later, two blue butterflies burst in showers of azure sparks that soared up above the swarm to form the number 2.

"Come on Co-chan," the magician said, grinning down at Shinichi even as he nailed three more butterflies in quick succession. "If you just keep standing there, you're going to lose without scoring even one point."

Deciding to shelve his curiosity about all the magic at work until later, Shinichi braced his feet and aimed.

In the end, Kaito won the shooting contest, but only by a margin of three butterflies.

"You know, you're pretty good at this for someone your age," he told Shinichi as he reached down to ruffle the boy's hair. "How about another game?"

They spent the next hour moving from grove to grove, finding a different game in each one that the squirrel Game Master would explain then activate for them. Well, the little animal called it explaining, but Shinichi felt that its explanations often left much to be desired. It didn't matter for games like the shooting contest, which were intuitive enough, but there were others that had both Kaito and him scratching their heads. Putting their heads together to figure out exactly what was going on, however, turned out at times to be more entertaining than the games themselves. And they shared more than a few good laughs over some of their blunders.

"We should be heading back," Kaito declared eventually. "Wouldn't want Ran-san to worry about you."

"All right," Shinichi agreed, feeling rather more reluctant than he cared to admit. He'd had fun. And he was grateful that Kaito had taken the time to bring him, a child he'd only just met, here even though there were a lot more much more interesting people back at the party that he could have been spending time with.

Which reminded him, he might not get another opportunity like this one. He rubbed at the strap of the backpack that Kaito had returned to him earlier.

"Excuse me, Kaito-niisan?"

"What is it?" Kaito asked, studying the curtains of cherry blossoms as he tried to determine which way they needed to go. He made a note to recommend that the resort add some road signs inside the Hall of Games.

"Um, there's something I'm supposed to give you."

"Give me?" Kaito raised an eyebrow. He turned his full attention back to the child in time to see him unzip his backpack.

"Shinichi-niichan wanted me to give this book back to you," he said, lifting the large tome carefully from his pack and holding it out with both hands. "He said to tell you that he read the whole thing several times, and that it's been a great help all these years. He never meant to keep it for so long though. He's really sorry about that."

Kaito took the proffered book and turned it over in his hands, a small smile of recognition tugging at his lips. "I see he's taken good care of it. That's good. This was the first copy of this book ever printed, you know."

Shinichi blinked, startled. He hadn't known. He blinked again when Kaito handed the book back to him.

His confusion must have shown because Kaito laughed.

"I'm not taking it."

"But why? You just said this copy is special."

"True, but there are two reasons I'm not going to take it. One, I always intended for Shin-chan to keep this book. And two, because, if he really wants to give it back to me, he has to do it in person. It's the least he can do. Now why don't you pack that back up so we can get going? We wouldn't want your neechan thinking I'd kidnapped you."

TBC

A.N: The next few weeks are going to be very hectic for me, so the next chapter will very likely be late. But it will definitely be up by the end of the month. Anyhow! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you later. Take care!