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

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Chapter Rating: M

Warnings: Graphic content

Collection Summary: No matter where or what they are, their lives are always entwined. KaiShin stories in fantasy settings.

Chapter Summary: Sent to work at the magician's castle as the representative from his village, Shinichi finds his life taking a turn for the crazy. But it's a good crazy for the most part.

Note: This one isn't as full as the others. I'll get around to filling out the world and stuff later on.

The Magician's Servant

[Castle Verse]

The magician's castle stood tall and proud overlooking the towns and villages that dotted the lands around it. The place was the ancestral home of the Kurobas, a family of powerful magicians who had watched over this particular stretch of countryside for as far back as anyone could remember. With no king or lord of their own, these towns and villages had come to rely on the castle and its masters to protect them from neighboring peoples who might otherwise have tried to conquer them.

Therefore, it had become tradition for a few people from each town and village to be chosen every generation and sent to the castle to serve the family. It was considered an honor, though it wasn't an honor everyone wanted, since those who went were required to spend long months at the castle, sometimes going an entire year or more without ever once seeing their families.

Others, like Kudo Shinichi, didn't really mind the idea of moving away from home. His parents had left to travel the world several years ago, so he didn't have any family to miss. Although he had the feeling that he'd been nominated to go to the castle because he'd called the village headman an idiot in front of half the villagers. Of course, he'd been right that time. It was that idiot of a headman's fault for ignoring the warnings and not making the proper preparations when he should have, which had left the village completely defenseless when the river had flooded and washed away half the crops and a little girl to boot. Fortunately, the girl's mother was the village swimming teacher, and she'd been able to rescue her daughter before she drowned. The thing was that being right hadn't made the headman any less angry at him.

Anyhow, that was beside the point. The real point was that Shinichi was actually kind of glad when he was informed he would be going to the castle. Even if he didn't have a choice about it. He'd always seen the distant shape of the castle against the sky and wondered what exactly was inside. Now, he would have the chance to find out.

At the same time, he was a little nervous. He would be leaving behind everything that had made up who he had been for the first seventeen years of his life.

The day he left, he got up in the wee hours before the dawn and just spent a while walking around the entirety of the village, seeing all the places and people he'd grown up with. Then, with the knowledge that he would never forget any of them, he'd set off for the castle.

-0-

The first thing he learned in his new life was that everyone who lived in the castle had to expect frequent and bizarre pranks. It took him a whole week to discover that the butler's apprentice was actually blond because he spent the first three days of Shinichi's stay with green locks and the four after that sporting a hideous, neon pink shade. Changing hair colors were, however, the least of it. There were exploding ornaments and rains of slimy substances that ranged from mud to pudding to chocolate and whipped cream. There were curtains that grabbed you if you got too close and doors that swung open or shut without warning to smack you on the backside. Your entire wardrobe could change just from walking down the length of one hallway. The list went on.

It seemed the master of the house had a very active sense of humor.

Shinichi didn't meet the magician himself until the second week of his stay. He did, however, meet several people who'd come from other settlements, and from them he began to learn more about the lands around the castle. There was Hakuba Saguru, the butler's apprentice, who knew more about the lands beyond their own than anyone Shinichi had ever met in his own village because he'd traveled to them many times with his family when he was younger. Shinichi spent many long hours engaged in interesting conversations with the blond, learning as much as he could about those far away places. Usually, however, their conversations were interrupted by the loud and usually good-natured chef's assistant, Hattori Heiji, who seemed to feel the strange need to disagree with everything that came out of Hakuba's mouth. The two could bicker for hours, but Shinichi could tell that they were actually good friends. The two girls who often hung out with them—Toyama Kazuha, the housekeeper's assistant, and Mouri Ran, another chef's assistant—told him about one time when the two had been in an accident on their way back from visiting their respective hometowns. Hakuba had broken his leg and the two had been lost in the forest.

"Heiji half carried him all the way back here," Kazuha recalled, smiling. "They looked totally beat up, and I heard they'd never have found their way if it hadn't been for Saguru, but they managed it. Of course the day after they were arguing again in the infirmary, but that's just the way they are."

"Oh, by the way, the Master wants to see you now," Ran added. "He's in his workroom. Do you remember the way?"

Shinichi nodded and stood, then hesitated. "Um, so…do you have any advice?"

"For meeting Master Kaito?"

He nodded.

Ran laughed. "Don't worry too much about it. Just be yourself."

Shinichi spent the entire long walk through the castle to the workroom preparing himself for whatever might be coming. Despite that, he was still caught completely off guard when he walked into the workroom in response to the "Come in" to see a young man only a little older than himself standing inside the open jaws of a massive, spike-crowned reptilian head. The dragon—for that was the only thing it could possibly be—had lowered its head through what should have been the roof. It didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that there was a human standing on its tongue. It only waited patiently as strange lights flashed about the magician's hands. One bejeweled eye blinked curiously at Shinichi where he stood gaping in the doorway.

"There!" Kaito exclaimed in triumph before he stepped back out of the dragon's mouth. "Rest for at least a week. If you're still having problems flaming after that, come back to see me again."

"Thank you," the dragon said in a smooth voice that was obviously female before she lifted her head out of the room. Moments later, the air was filled with the sound of flapping wings. For an instant, Shinichi saw the silhouette of the dragon against the sky. Then she was gone. Much later, he would find out that the dragon, Aoko, was a friend of the Kuroba family who watched over their western borders for them.

Kaito watched her go then gestured towards the open ceiling. The sky vanished to be replaced by a normal, white ceiling.

"Well, that took a little longer than I'd anticipated," the magician remarked to no one in particular before turning to grin at Shinichi. "So, you're Shinichi, right?"

Shinichi blinked then nodded mutely.

"My name is Kuroba Kaito. Although I suppose you probably know that already. I called you here today so that I could give you your assignment."

"My assignment?"

"That's right. Or did you want to run errands for everyone else for the rest of your career?"

Shinichi wrinkled his nose. "I'd much rather not."

That got him a laugh. "Thought so. Anyhow, I hear you like to read. And, as fate would have it, I am in need of a new librarian. The archives have been a mess since my last one retired. It's going to be your job to organize and catalogue everything. If anyone needs a book, it will be your job to find it for them—and your job to make sure they return it. Everything in the library will be your responsibility. That also includes cleaning, repairing damages, and so forth. Any questions?"

"I—no, not really," Shinichi stammered. If anything, he felt a little like he'd won a prize. "So when do I start?"

"Eager, are we?" Kaito flashed him a knowing grin as Shinichi blushed. "You should start right away. I want an evaluation of the current condition of the place on my desk by the end of the day. Try to keep it short though. I hate paperwork."

He left that first meeting with Kuroba Kaito with the impression that the magician was a good-natured if eccentric and possibly slightly insane person.

As time passed, he discovered that the magician was also fun to talk to. He was very dedicated to his work despite his misleadingly careless attitude. There was an extremely sharp mind behind those unreadable, indigo eyes that Shinichi found himself being drawn to.

Kaito seemed to have taken a special liking to him too. He would often send for Shinichi just so they could sit and talk for a while about everything and anything that came to their minds. He sometimes asked for Shinichi's opinions on the things he was working on or issues that were going on in the lands. Sometimes, when the night sky was particularly clear, he would take Shinichi up to the castle's observation tower and they would watch the stars together.

"You know, I used to go stargazing on the hills with my dad before he died. He used to tell me that every star in the sky is another world."

"Are they?"

"To be honest, I don't know. But it's fun to think so."

"I suppose. But it seems like it would be more interesting if it was possible to find out."

A laugh. "Well, maybe one day we will."

In the blink of an eye, an entire year had already gone by, and Shinichi realized that the castle had truly become home.

"Shinichi."

"Yes?"

"I need to ask you something."

"Okay."

"It's very important."

"…Yes?"

"Are you happy here?"

He blinked at Kaito's earnest, searching gaze for a long moment then burst out laughing. The magician's eyebrows rose. That…was not the reaction he had been hoping for. On the other hand, it wasn't the one he'd been worried about either.

Finally catching his breath, Shinichi turned to smile up at the waiting magician. "Yes, I am."

-0-

He had been feeling strange lately. His stomach fluttered every time Kaito smiled at him, and his knees turned mysteriously to jelly every time Kaito drew close. He found himself blushing for no reason whenever the magician's hand brushed against his own or when he lay an arm over Shinichi's shoulders. And then his heart would start to race.

He didn't understand it.

"Shinichi? Shinichi, are you listening to me?"

"What? Oh, I—s—sorry. What did you say?"

An eyebrow rose. "Are you feeling alright?"

He flushed. "Yes, yes I am. I'm sorry, I just got a bit distracted."

"I see. In that case, I need you to come with me to that meeting with the Mer Town officials tomorrow. They're a bunch of old goats with no sense of humor. Your job will be to remind me that I'm not supposed to turn them all into frogs or something."

"…You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all. Imagining doing just that is the only way I can get myself through these meetings sometimes. Like I said, they're a bunch of old goats. Hmm, that's what I should really turn them into. Goats. Anyway, be ready to leave right after breakfast."

Then the day came when Kaito kissed him and suddenly everything made sense.

So this was love… Who knew?

"You look like someone's just told you the answer to the meaning of life. Care to share?"

"It's nothing really. It's just—this feeling. I finally understand…"

Kaito still looked baffled—that wasn't much of an explanation—but he supposed he could go without an answer as long as Shinichi continued to smile like that. "Dance with me?"

The first time they shared a bed was a night he would never forget. Lying there together in the dark with only the moon beyond the window as witness… The feeling of completion—of being one with the one he'd come to love…

He slept in Kaito's quarters almost as often—possibly even more so—than he did in his own after that. Kaito had suggested he just move all his stuff in, but Shinichi was still thinking about it. The servant girls teased him relentlessly about it all, but it seemed everyone in the castle had been expecting it to happen sooner or later and were glad that it finally had. Indeed, most of them were surprised that it hadn't been sooner.

"It was so obvious!" Hattori snickered. "I think you two were the last ta figure it out. It was hilarious! Everyone was placin' bets on how long it'd take fer the two o' ya ta finally get a clue."

Shinichi blushed. "You guys were betting on us?!"

It was the happiest he'd ever been in his life.

But, like all things, it had to come to an end.

-0-

Kaito had been away for almost three weeks. It was a very important trip to the lands beyond his domain—something about a meeting with other magicians. When he returned, he didn't say a word to anyone. Instead, he stalked right past the people who had gathered to greet him, face an impassive mask, and hadn't responded even to Shinichi's concerned inquiry as to what had happened.

He had spent the entire afternoon in the practice hall firing off fireballs and lightning bolts at the targets. No one had dared to disturb him. But Shinichi had waited outside, listening to the crashes and bangs and worrying about what might have caused the normally good-natured Kaito to act like this.

When the magician finally emerged from the practice hall, he greeted Shinichi with only a short nod and a forced smile that was not like him at all before returning to his own chambers. He didn't come down for dinner, and when the cook sent Ran up to ask him if he wanted anything brought up to him she came back with the news that he'd declared he was not to be disturbed by anyone. Hearing that, Shinichi had frowned. Kaito had often reprimanded him for being so caught up in work or just reading that he forgot to eat. Skipping meals himself was just not a Kaito thing to do—especially not when the day's dessert was a chocolate cream pie made especially to celebrate his return. Something really must be bothering him. The question of what it was kept Shinichi up all night, but he found no answers in the blank ceiling over his bed.

Kaito changed after that. He spent almost all of his time locked up in either his study or his workroom—barring the times he went back to wrecking targets in the practice hall. Servants were sent scurrying through the archives and Shinichi had his hands full hunting through volumes for long lists of titles that the magician had demanded to see.

It seemed to Shinichi that he was looking for something. But what it might be, he had no idea. He hadn't even spoken to Kaito beyond brief exchanges of instructions and "Yes, right away"s. There were moments when he was turning away to head back to the library when he thought that he saw Kaito start to reach out—when he would swear there were words teetering on the edge of the magician's tongue—but the moment always passes. At night, Shinichi found himself looking out his bedroom window at the stars they used to watch together, and his heart ached with something he could only describe as loneliness.

There had been that one night though when he hadn't been able to sleep and so had wandered down to the kitchens for a drink. On the way, he'd spotted Kaito standing alone in the hall in front of the portrait of his late father, Kuroba Toichi. The expression on his face had been… Shinichi couldn't quite describe it, but he knew that he would remember it for the rest of his life. Anguish, sorrow, longing, anger, despair…

How could anyone be right there yet so far away?

-0-

He had to try to do something. He couldn't stand this—this separation anymore. Couldn't stand knowing that there was something wrong and all he could do was watch from the sidelines while Kaito struggled with whatever ghosts were haunting him.

Mind made up, he closed up the library and headed for Kaito's study.

Before he reached the door however, he heard a distinctive thud like someone had just hurled a book into the wall and a loud curse.

"How the hell am I supposed to find it?!" Kaito's muffled voice seeped through the walls.

Shinichi hesitated. Under normal circumstances, he would be rather annoyed at the magician for abusing his books like that, but these weren't ordinary circumstances. He'd never heard Kaito sounding so frustrated. It bothered him. He wished there was something he could do. But until Kaito decided he wanted to share whatever it was that was on his mind, all Shinichi could do was be there.

Well, that and look through all the books and records Kaito had been asking for to try and piece together for himself what the magician was up to. But he hadn't told anyone about that. Not that he'd made much headway. Kaito had been reading about everything from ancient cities and warlords to pottery, and try as he might, Shinichi couldn't find any connections. Well, other than that everything was old. Not helpful.

There was another thud from inside the room and he winced. Raising a hand, he knocked on the study door.

The noises inside paused before Kaito answered. "Come in."

Opening the door, Shinichi couldn't help but stare at the sight before him. There were books and paper everywhere. They were scattered across the desk and all over the floors in haphazard heaps. Some of the books were closed, others lay open, still more looked strangely battered as though they had been tossed around a little too much. And Kaito sat at the desk where the mess centered with one hand buried in his wild hair and a dark look in his eyes that made Shinichi feel uneasy. Maybe it had been a mistake barging in here on a whim, but he couldn't turn back now.

"Um," he began, suddenly not entirely sure what he should say. Telling Kaito that he shouldn't be so rough with the books didn't seem like a good place to start. Disentangling his fingers from his hair, Kaito sat back and studied him, his expression smoothing into something unreadable. "I came to see if there was anything I could do."

The magician didn't answer immediately. Then the corners of his mouth quirked slightly in a strange approximation of his usual grin that left Shinichi feeling even more uneasy. "Now that you mention it, there is."

"Yes?"

"Come in and lock the door."

Surprise rippled through Shinichi as he felt magic take hold of his body, causing it to do as it had been told without waiting for instruction from him. That voice was one of the abilities that had made the Kurobas so famous—and feared. It was referred to jokingly at times as a silver tongue, but it was quite a lot more than that. It was magic.

Shinichi wasn't afraid though, just a little surprised. Kaito didn't use that voice with him very often, but this wasn't the first time either. The first had been when he had asked about it out of curiosity and wound up getting a personal demonstration. Two times after that it had been to save his life when something he was helping Kaito with went wrong. The magician had also on occasion employed the power in his pranks, but Kaito wasn't looking like he was in a very playful mood right now. Shinichi only wondered about it for a moment though. It wasn't hard to figure out that Kaito had been frustrated and in need of a distraction. And when Shinichi had walked in, he had inadvertently volunteered to be that distraction.

"You know, I feel like I haven't seen you in quite a while," Kaito mused. "Would you please strip for me?"

Shinichi's hands immediately moved to obey. Soon he was standing in the middle of the study, blushing, his body bared to prowling eyes. The magician's gaze raked down his body in a way that made every nerve in him tingle despite the fact that Kaito had seen him naked countless times before already.

"Are you going to explain yourself?" he huffed, crossing his arms.

Kaito stood abruptly. Walking around the desk, he stalked towards Shinichi and came to a stop right in front of him, so close that the other could feel his breath against his face.

Strong fingers grasped Shinichi's chin, tilting his face up. An instant later a hot mouth descended on his own. The kiss was hard and demanding and Shinichi found himself clutching desperately at the front of Kaito's shirt. He was gasping for breath when the magician pulled back and stepped around behind him.

Arms encircled him from behind, holding him close as hands roamed his chest and abdomen, pinching and rubbing in just the right places to force small, gasping moans from Shinichi's mouth. Teeth scraped and bit at his neck as his head fell back onto Kaito's shoulder. Shinichi's eyes fluttered shut. The situation might be a bit odd, but he had to admit he was enjoying it. He had missed Kaito's touch. He'd come for answers, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to just indulge a little.

The hands traveled lower and suddenly Kaito was holding them both up because Shinichi's legs had given way. Wrapping one arm around the smaller man's waist to keep him secured against him, Kaito continued to pump Shinichi with the other. Shinichi's own hands clutched at the arm holding him up.

His entire body had tensed on the verge of coming when the hands left him abruptly. Instead, he was spun around and swept up into another breathtaking kiss. This time he wrapped his arms around Kaito's neck and pressed himself closer to the heat emanating from the taller man's body. It felt a little strange since Kaito was still fully clothed, but when he'd reached to help take them off he'd been ordered not to.

Two hands slid down his back and groped him roughly. He let out a muffled yelp and jerked forward and up onto his toes. The yelp morphed into a moan as the motion caused him to rub up against Kaito. The feeling of rough fabric against sensitive skin made him mewl.

In the silence of the study, every sound that he made seemed obscenely loud.

Then there were two fingers digging into his entrance, sinking deeper as he dropped from his tiptoes back to his heels. His hips responded instinctively to the thrusting fingers and he found himself grinding against Kaito's clothed erection one moment and pushing back onto those fingers the next.

Once again, he was teetering on the edge when Kaito abruptly pulled his fingers out and released him. He stumbled a step before he was able to catch himself, legs trembling slightly under his own weight.

"K—Kai—"

"Hush."

Shinichi fell silent. He fidgeted, missing the warmth already as Kaito stepped back from him and discard his own pants in a few quick gestures before sitting down at his desk chair again. He could guess what was coming and it made his pulse quicken in excitement.

"Come here."

He obeyed all too willingly. Now he was standing directly in front of the magician's chair and he could see quite clearly the evidence of the man's desire.

"You must be tired of standing. Why not have a seat?"

Flush deepening, Shinichi climbed onto the chair on his knees, straddling Kaito's lap. He could sense the stiff cock under him, waiting, and his insides squirmed in nervous anticipation. The magician's hands on his hips helped guide him as he lowered himself, impaling himself slowly on Kaito's hard member. Once he was fully seated, he stopped moving, eyes closed and breaths coming in shallow pants as his mind focused entirely on the feeling of being filled. It was thick and hard and it pulsated inside him.

He had missed this closeness.

Kaito's hands were sliding along the undersides of his thighs, lifting his legs and hooking them over the arms of the chair, keeping them spread wide and robbing Shinichi of any leverage of his own as his hips canted and Kaito's erection sank deeper into him, making him whimper. Then those hands were back on his hips in an iron grip. That was all the warning he got before he was being lifted and brought back down again, driving that stiff rod deep inside him. Over and over, Kaito plowed into him in a hard, unrelenting rhythm that made his back arch as a scream tore from his throat. His throat and tongue wouldn't form words, but that didn't stop the cries of pleasure from continuing to spill from him at every deep thrust.

It was as though his entire being had become nothing but sensation. He couldn't think—was barely aware of anything but those hands and that hardness impaling him.

This time when every muscle in his body clenched and all that heat and tension that had been building in him released itself in one long rush, the sensation was so intense that Shinichi's thoughts blanked out for a moment even as Kaito got in one last thrust and came inside him.

When he came to he was still on Kaito's lap, though they were no longer so intimately entwined. There were arms wrapped loosely around him as a gentle hand stroked the curve of his spine.

It seemed Kaito had noticed his return to awareness as the hand paused in its soothing petting and he asked, "Are you alright?"

"M'fine," Shinichi murmured back. He fought back a yawn, burying his face into the magician's shoulder. It felt as though Kaito had cleaned them up, he observed absently. It was one of the perks of being a magician's partner. "Does this mean you're ready to talk to me?"

A quiet laugh rumbled through the chest he was leaning against. "I guess so…" The mirth faded away as quickly as it had come. "Do you remember when I told you about my father?"

"I remember," Shinichi replied softly, thinking back. "He died in an accident while trying to help contain a magical explosion."

Kaito's arms tightened around him for a moment before they relaxed again. "Yes, well. Last month when I went to that meeting, I found out something interesting."

"Interesting?"

"It turns out it wasn't an accident."

Shinichi stiffened, sitting up straighter to look at Kaito's face. "You mean…"

"Somebody planned that explosion, and they planned for my father to be there. I was contacted last month by a man who used to work for him. Jii told me that whoever was behind that so-called accident wanted to get rid of my dad because he believed dad was on the verge of finding something he, she, or they wanted. They didn't like the idea that he might get to it first."

"So they killed him…" Suddenly he could understand why Kaito had been so angry lately. It was one thing to lose someone important to you to an accident. It was entirely different to lose them to a murderer.

Leaning forward, he wrapped his arms around the magician's neck in a silent attempt to offer comfort. "Is that what you're trying to find now?"

"Yeah. I figured if they wanted it so bad that they would kill for it, then it can't be anything that they should have. The problem is that I have no idea if my dad really was on its trail or not. If he was, he didn't leave any notes about it in any of the places I've looked so far. All I know at this point is that it's some kind of artifact called Pandora."

"But if you start looking for this thing, won't they start coming after you too?"

Kaito's voice was dark with malice as he replied, "They can try."

The answer made Shinichi's stomach twist itself into anxious knots, but for now he would keep his silence. He didn't want to upset Kaito any more than he already was. There was time to try and reason with him later.

"Just promise me you'll be careful," he whispered into the ear beside his face as he stared across at the window behind Kaito's chair.

"Don't worry. I will. I don't intend to lose this game. And I promise I won't leave you behind."

Shinichi let out a short laugh. "That's good to know." He wondered if Kaito knew how serious he was.

"Now enough of this gloom and doom stuff. Why don't you go wait for me in my quarters?" Kaito suggested, fingers taking a moment to stroke gently through soft, black hair. Shinichi was pleased to note that the magician seemed to be back to his usual, cheerful self. "I'll send an order down to the kitchens and have them bring us some food. We'll have dinner together."

"I could head down to the kitchen first," Shinichi offered as he slid off Kaito's lap. "If you call down to them now, they should be ready by the time I get there, and I could bring the food up with me."

"No. Just leave that to the kitchen help. You just wait for me in my rooms while I clean up."

"Oh, all right. If you're sure." He moved to pick up his clothes but they had vanished. He frowned.

"Kaito, where are my clothes?"

The magician gave him an innocent look. "What clothes?"

"The ones I came in."

Kaito made a show of looking around the room. "Huh, you're right. They're gone. I wonder where they went?" There was a wicked gleam in those indigo eyes now. "I guess you'll just have to run."

Shinichi stared at him. He could tell from the expression on Kaito's face that he wouldn't be changing his tune no matter what. And so, blushing furiously, he left, feeling those eyes on him all the way until he was out of sight. So dinner wasn't the only thing they'd be having. He had to admit that he was kind of looking forward to it, but that didn't stop him from feeling horribly self conscious tiptoeing as fast as humanly possible through the castle halls to Kaito's private quarters in his birthday suit. It was a good thing that said quarters were pretty close to the study, and the other servants had been avoiding the area all day in lieu of Kaito's mood.

Unfortunately, Shinichi couldn't say for sure that there wouldn't be more such moods in the near future, but at least he knew that he would be there to help in whatever way he could if there were.

But first, he was going to send word down to the kitchen and tell them to make fish for dinner. Just because he was glad that Kaito was feeling better didn't mean he was going to let the magician get away with making him sneak through the halls in the nude. That jerk needed to get a new sense of humor. The one he had was obviously broken.

-End of Chapter-