Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK
A Curse Marked Fate
59: Bridges Between
Kaito tapped lightly on the open notebook on the guestroom desk before him as he thought. The pages were already covered with a mess of diagrams, notes and calculations, but he had made frustratingly minimal progress.
Indigo eyes slid over to the corner of the table where a certain little book sat closed. Kaito could definitely say with pride that he had done good work on the little pocket library, but their recent adventures had revealed to him that, around Shinichi and his eventful life, a proper sanctuary needed more than the amenities Kaito had originally planned. While he hoped that the library wouldn't be needed as a hideout again anytime soon, he still wanted to upgrade it just in case. Ideally, he wanted to install a shower and add a bedroom. A kitchen might be good too, but, failing that, a bigger pantry and perhaps a refrigerator and microwave would do.
Some of those would be easy enough to put in, but, if he wanted to include all of the upgrades he envisioned, he would first have to expand the available space, and that was where he was running into a problem.
To put the issue simply, the size of the 'world' inside a Vision Book typically had to be determined at the very start of the project. It was an integral part of the magic's infrastructure. But Kaito didn't want to have to take the book apart and rebuild it. Nor did he want to start from scratch and make an entirely new book. Maybe it was sentimental, but he wanted to keep this particular book as intact as possible because of the memories it now held for both him and Shinichi. It was theirs now in ways that ran deeper than words, and he wanted to preserve that.
Kaito turned in his seat, gaze moving to rest on the small figure slumbering peacefully on the guestroom bed. Sometime in his sleep, Shinichi had curled up on his side facing Kaito, one hand tucked up under his pillow and breaths soft and even.
He looked truly childlike this way, Kaito thought, expression relaxed and open a way it rarely was when Shinichi was awake. The sight made Kaito smile even as something in his heart ached. How much of a childhood had Shinichi really had? He supposed he'd never know, but he suspected that the answer would be precious little.
But he had done—continued to do—the best he could with what he thought he had to live a life he could be proud of. It was humbling, Kaito mused, reaching out to sweep Shinichi's bangs out of his eyes. The Sky Mage's gaze lingered on Shinichi's delicate features, soft and angelic in sleep, and he felt his heart swell with warmth and something else he couldn't quite name.
It was only because someone chose that moment to knock lightly at the door that Kaito realized he'd leaned down and was now mere centimeters from Shinichi's sleeping face. He froze, half in alarm at what he'd almost done and half in concern that a sudden movement might wake Shinichi up. Then the knocking came again and he eased himself back until he was sitting upright on the desk chair again.
It was only then that he resumed breathing.
"Can I come in?" a soft voice asked through the door.
"Go ahead," he answered just as softly. "But Shin-chan's still sleeping."
The door opened and Ran came in. She was carrying a large tray upon which she had arranged several pudding cups and three large slices of chocolate cake.
Kaito's eyes lit up. "I hope some of those are for me."
Ran smiled. "One each. I was hoping Shinichi would be up by now," she added, expression shifting to one of concern as she cast a look at the still figure on the bed.
"I take it you're joining us then?" Kaito asked, rising to help her settle the tray on the currently empty trolley.
"That was the plan." Ran looked over at Shinichi again then sighed.
Seeing her indecision, Kaito grabbed the folding chair that had been leaning against the wall and set it by the trolley. Then he rolled his own desk chair over and sat.
"Keep me company then. No point letting these lovely treats go to waste."
Ran hesitated a moment longer then visibly made up her mind and sat.
"Pudding or cake?" Kaito asked.
"I think I'll have the cake."
Kaito obliged and handed her one of the plates of cake along with a fork. He procured the same for himself, and the next few minutes passed in silence.
It was Ran who eventually broke it.
"I…wanted to thank you," she said.
Kaito, who had just popped an enormous chunk of cake into his mouth, made a questioning noise as he quirked an eyebrow at her.
Ran fought the urge to giggle at the rather silly picture he presented. Abruptly, the tension left her, and her smile became much more open.
"You've been looking out for him," she explained, nodding to Shinichi. "And I think you've been a good influence."
Kaito swallowed his cake so he could chortle at her comment. "I do believe you're the first person who's ever called me a good influence. Most people say I'm quite the opposite."
"Well, I can't say that I don't have concerns about how capable you two have already proven you can be together at finding trouble," the brunette said dryly. "But I know Shinichi. He would have gone into the Foundation looking for clues sooner or later. I also know it would have been a lot more dangerous and a lot less likely to succeed if you hadn't been there with him. I don't like that you're enabling his leaps into dangerous places, but I know you care about him. And I'm sure you'll do what you can to make sure you both come back to us safe. So…well, what I mean is, I understand you two are going to find more trouble before this is over, but I'm glad that he'll have you to rely on. I…always told him he could come to me if he needed anything, but he never does." Her expression grew a little sad then. "I've never really been able to do much for him."
"You're wrong about that," Kaito told her, indigo eyes serious. "You've been there for him, stuck to him even when you were afraid or faced with the fears of others. That means a lot to him."
Ran blinked then smiled. "Thank you. I…think I needed to hear that. Things have just been so crazy lately. I don't know what to expect anymore, and it scares me. Then I think about how all this started and how Shinichi wouldn't even be here anymore if it weren't for his blessing, and…" She shook her head. "I guess what I want to say is that I'm glad that you're here for him. He needs someone he can share his thoughts with. Someone he's comfortable trusting who also knows when to force him to take a step back and rest or rethink. He's never had that. I've tried, but, well… I think part of him still feels like he's imposing on Dad and me. Like he owes it to us to need as little from us as possible."
Kaito winced, not at all sure what to say to that—or to any of what she'd said, for that matter. On the one hand, he was glad that she approved of him. But on the other hand, her apparent belief that he was here purely out of a desire to help Shinichi made him feel a teeny tiny bit uncomfortable. He knew his intentions weren't quite that pure. Yes, he wanted to help Shinichi, but he had other reasons too. The Foundation had hurt his father and his friends. He wasn't going to let them get away with that.
Saying so, however, probably wouldn't reassure her.
Addressing her other comment about Shinichi's innate desire to keep people out of his problems as much as possible didn't sound like a conversation Kaito felt like having either. Not right now with Shinichi still recuperating in the bed right there beside them.
Thoughts of Shinichi brought Kaito's gaze back to his dear friend's sleeping face again, only this time two slivers of brilliant blue peered back.
A smile broke out across Kaito's face as he scooted his chair right up to the side of the bed. "Hey there, Shin-chan. You're awake just in time. Your Ran-neesan's brought us all some awesome treats."
Hopeful blue eyes blinked slowly. "Coffee?"
"Nope. Chocolate cake and pudding!"
Shinichi wilted. "Oh."
Kaito laughed. "Cheer up. It's good cake."
The detective grumbled something incoherent but accepted the plate that Ran offered to him as Kaito rearranged his pillows so that he could sit leaning against them.
"How are you feeling?" Ran asked.
"Better…?" Shinichi ventured.
Ran frowned. "You don't sound very sure."
"I am," he said again with more conviction before hastily changing the subject. "Kaito said Shiho-san wanted to talk to me. Could you let her know I'm ready?"
Ran pursed her lips, clearly not convinced by his claims of improvement, but she relented and gathered up hers and Kaito's empty dishes. "I'll get her then."
Shinichi sagged back into his pillows the moment Ran was gone. Kaito raised an eyebrow at that but chose not to comment.
"Try the cake," he said instead. "It's good."
Shinichi blinked down at the dessert in front of him as though he'd forgotten it was there. At the sight of it, however, his mouth immediately began to water. Not sure whether to be annoyed or laugh, he picked up his fork and dug in.
He closed his eyes as the first bite of chocolate cake all but melted on his tongue, all rich and creamy with just the right balance of bitter and sweet.
Beside him, Kaito chuckled. "I told you it was good."
"It might be the best chocolate cake I've ever had," the detective admitted, taking another bite and allowing himself a moment to simply savor it before swallowing. "But I've kind of been getting that feeling about everything I've eaten since getting back here. I think it's a side effect of the magic. It's making everything seem extra tasty—probably to make sure I keep feeding it."
Kaito made a face at him. "Just put the analysis on the back burner and enjoy it while you can, I say."
"He has a point," a familiar female voice intoned from the doorway, heralding Ai's arrival. She was looking over several charts on a clipboard. Combined with her white lab coat and stethoscope, she was looking very much like a doctor today—or at least like a child playing at being a doctor.
She finished perusing her charts then tucked the clipboard under her arm and shut the door. That done, she took a moment to scrutinize Shinichi before she spoke.
"First, I thought you might like to know that the data you retrieved should be salvageable. The device has fully dried out, and it appears undamaged. I plan to begin extracting everything later today."
Shinichi swapped startled and embarrassed looks with Kaito. In truth, with everything that had been going on, they'd both forgotten about the data they had originally set out to acquire.
"I…guess that's good then," the detective said a bit awkwardly. "I'm sorry we didn't think to leave it in the library where it wouldn't have gotten wet."
The little girl shrugged. "You have other things you should be concerned with for the time being. Speaking of which, I have determined that the magic operating on you is working in stages. Until it is finished, you will likely alternate between periods of growth and rest. The former, I am afraid, will likely be unpleasant. You are in a rest period right now. During these, you can expect to be tired and hungry—as you have no doubt noticed."
"And then some," Shinichi grumbled.
Ai looked mildly amused. "Consider it a good thing. It means you're on your way to a full recovery. Although it also brings me to the main issue I wished to discuss with you."
Both boys straightened at that.
Shinichi braced himself then asked, "What is it?"
"You need to make a decision regarding Mouri Kogoro," she replied. In quick, blunt terms, she outlined his choices, none of which sounded terribly attractive.
"I'm…not sure what would be better," he admitted when she had finished, brows furrowed. "I mean, I'd rather get it over with as quickly as possible so we have more time to plan and prepare for the expo. But that would mean exposing all of us to whatever my curse might end up causing. Depending on how bad it gets and what it does, it could end up putting us all in a worse situation or causing unnecessary complications."
Kaito frowned at him, his usual, laid back cheer absent from his face. "This isn't about the case. It's about your health and nothing else. Got that?"
Shinichi blinked, opened his mouth then shut it again, looking lost and just a little flustered.
"Besides," Kaito added as an afterthought. "We've always got the poker cards. They seemed to be working."
Shinichi groaned.
Ai raised her eyebrows. "Pardon?"
X
"This is torture," Shinichi groaned, fighting the urge to smack himself with his handful of poker cards. He might have gone through with it despite the uselessness of the gesture if he wasn't feeling ill and weak as a newborn kitten.
"No, it's science," Kaito corrected him, waving the notebook he'd just been writing observations in for emphasis before tossing said book back onto the desk and retrieving his own cards. "Cheer up. If we prove this works—and I think we're doing pretty well on that front, it'll be a huge step forward for Curse Mark research. Not to mention it could give you your freedom."
"If I had to pick between spending time with Uncle and wasting time playing the world's most boring card games on a daily basis, I'd pick Uncle," Shinichi replied dryly. "No contest. At least I can do useful, interesting things of my choosing while hanging around with him."
Kaito waved dismissively. "We can cross that bridge when we come to it."
"You have to be just as bored as I am," Shinichi pointed out.
"It's for a good cause," Kaito said chivalrously before he grinned, indigo eyes twinkling with mischief and warmth. "Besides, I'm never bored when I'm with you."
Whatever Shinichi had been about to say went forgotten as he turned a becoming shade of pink and ducked his head.
"You're cute when you're flustered," Kaito cheerfully informed him, which only made Shinichi's blush darken. "Though that reminds me, we'll need to get you more appropriate clothes soon. You really do seem to be getting taller at an unnatural rate—"
"Not nearly fast enough," Shinichi grumbled.
"—Those kiddy pajamas aren't going to fit you much longer."
"Well, my parents' house does happen to be right next door. I'll ask the professor to get something for me."
"Actually, he just left for a conference," Kaito said. "He said he wouldn't be back until after dinner. But I can hop over there now and give you a break from these cards if you tell me what you'd like me to grab. I saw where Agasa keeps your keys."
Somehow that didn't surprise Shinichi one bit. But he was desperate for a reprieve from the cards, so he wrote down a list of items he'd like from the Kudo Manor and where to find them for Kaito and tried not to let the fact that even writing wore him out depress him too much. It was world's better than the pain he'd experienced getting shrunk, and Ai had curtly informed him that that could have been an option. She wasn't sure it still might not be once the process really revved up. As it was, he knew there was no point wishing that he could go get his stuff himself since the only way he was making it next door was if Kaito carried him.
And while he kind of sort of hadn't minded those times that Kaito had done just that, he wasn't about to ask for it.
"I'll snag you something to munch on from the kitchen before I go," Kaito said as he folded up Shinichi's list and tucked it into his jacket pocket. "I found some awesome chocolate bars at the grocer's earlier. I'll bring you a few of those and a couple sandwiches."
"Could I get one of those apple milks if we still have any?" Shinichi asked. He'd been forbidden coffee and any other substances that would interfere with his sleep cycle, but he had found at least a few interesting beverages that might tide him over in the meantime.
"We should. I'll check."
Full of energy as always, Kaito bounded to his feet and vanished out into the house proper. Shinichi watched him go, eyes following the thread of metallic crimson that flashed for the briefest of moments over the mage's shoulder as he exited the door.
He was seeing more and more of those invisible threads now. At first, he had thought they were hallucinations brought on by stress or being half asleep, but he was seeing them now while his mind was clear, and he wasn't sure what to make of them.
He knew that he was the only one who saw them. He also knew that they weren't always visible. They came and went at will, but every time they did, they gave him this feeling… Like a connection was being made—or perhaps that one had already been made.
They were intangible, but he had touched one, and it had spoken to him—not in words but in impressions.
What did it all mean?
TBC
A.N: Just a heads up that I'm about to get really busy. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!