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

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Chapter Rating: T

Warnings: None

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

Chapter Summary: Shinichi is the new detective at the magical crimes division, and Kaito is the demon he's made a contract with to help him on his cases. Their successes are drawing a lot of attention—perhaps too much.

Note: This is set pretty much right after the previous Demon Verse chapters.

A Demon's Jealousy

[Demon Verse]

Part 1

Shinichi's many successes since he'd joined the police's magical crimes department had garnered him a great amount of attention. More and more often reporters and journalists were calling in for interviews or popping up unexpectedly to try and get a comment or photo. Shinichi had freaked out when he'd stepped out of his house one morning to find two journalists waiting on his doorstep—at six in the morning. Never a morning person, having rapid and slightly intrusive questions fired at him only made it worse.

Truth be told, he had mixed feelings about his growing reputation. He was proud of his work and happy to be recognized for it, but he hated being pestered by people who didn't seem to understand the value of privacy. He might not have been quite as annoyed if they just wanted to ask about the case, but no, they had to ask about all kinds of unrelated things. He really didn't see why they thought it was appropriate to ask him what his favorite food was or if he was dating anyone. His personal life was personal and absolutely none of their business.

But the worst part was how much time even telling them to go away took up! It was all time he could be spending doing useful things like looking for evidence and interviewing witnesses in the latest case. Nowadays there were times when even seeing a journalist made him want to scream and kick something.

"You really should have expected this, you know."

Groaning, Shinichi lifted his head from where he had laid it on his office desk after hearing that he had another press interview later that day and gave Kaito a baleful look. "You are not helping."

The demon grinned down at him, completely unrepentant. "Perhaps not, but it's true. Although, if you would like, I think I could persuade them to leave you alone."

Shinichi paled and shook his head quickly. While he was sure that Kaito could do exactly as he said, he had no desire to be responsible for what would no doubt be the traumatizing of all those reporters who were really only doing their jobs.

"We have some new transfers coming into the department today too," Hattori said, apparently deciding that it was time to change the subject. "A guy and a girl, I think. Can't remember their names."

"New transfers?" Shinichi blinked in surprise. "From where?"

Hattori waved a hand dismissively. "Some other city. They're both new to the magical crimes department though. I think one's from fraud, and the other's from homicide."

"This should be interesting," Kaito mused. "There haven't been any new faces around here since we joined."

"Yep. And two at once at that. We're gettin' popular 'cause of Kudo here."

"Very funny Hattori," Shinichi grumbled. Honestly, why was he surrounded by people who liked to tease him?

Wrapped up in his own thoughts, Shinichi didn't notice the way a pair of indigo eyes had narrowed.

-0-

The two new recruits appeared to be the same age as Hattori and himself. The one on the right was a young man with dirty blond hair and brown eyes. His uniform was immaculate. Every fold was crisp and not a wrinkle could be seen anywhere. His stance mirrored his outfit—ramrod straight with shoulders back and head up high. The young man standing beside him had somewhat more boyish features beneath a mop of dark brown hair. His eyes were bright and inquisitive. Though not sloppy, his clothes didn't have the same fresh-off-the-press aura of his fellow newcomer.

"It's nice ta meet ya," Hattori said by way of greeting. "My name is Hattori Heiji, and this here is Kudo Shinichi. You two are the new transfers, right?"

"We are," the blond replied. "My name is Hakuba Saguru."

"Great. It kinda looks like the info we got is gonna have ta be updated though. It said one of ya would be a woman."

The second transfer grinned. "That would be me actually."

Hattori's jaw dropped. "Ya mean yer a girl?!"

"That's right." The female officer laughed. "The name's Sera Masumi. And don't worry. I get that a lot."

Seeing that Hattori was still gaping like he'd dislocated his jaw, Shinichi cleared his throat. "Since we're all the same age, Inspector Megure has asked Hattori and me to show you guys around and help you familiarize yourselves with the magical crimes division. Have either of you ever had any contact with magic?"

"One of the early cases dealing with that curse seller you guys caught. Of course that was when the issue was still being handled by the homicide division. Gave us a real run around, I'll tell you, since we couldn't find a murder weapon and the main suspect had a rock hard alibi. He was so smug about it too. You could just see that he was so sure we couldn't pin anything on him that he didn't care if we knew he was behind it or not. It was frustrating as hell."

"As for me, I have come across several cases where some spell work was involved, for instance in the creation of forgeries," the blond stated. "I have also encountered a few cases where magic was used to entice or trick victims into doing things they would otherwise not have done such as signing unfavorable contracts or turning over important information."

"Yeah, that kind of thing is pretty common unfortunately," said Hattori, having finally recovered from his shock over the revelation that Sera was indeed female. "Not all our work is related ta crime though. We also gotta deal with anything hazardous ta the public that could be magical even if it ain't manmade. Like that infestation o' man-eating plants ya may have read about. Sometimes it just turns out ta be weird and not magic at all, but weird is still our department. Come ta think of it, I guess we get loaded with just about everythin' that the other departments think is odd."

"Wait, so what kinds of things have you dealt with that haven't been magic?" Sera asked.

"Well, last month we got called in because this lady said she was bein' haunted by her late husband's ghost. She kept hearin' his voice, but there was never anyone there. Sometimes she saw him walkin' through the garden or reflected in her mirrors. Once, she even saw 'im walk down her house's main hallway and right through his old study door at the other end. It was totally freaking her out."

"Sounds supernatural to me."

"That's why she asked for us," Shinichi agreed. "But it was actually a conman trying to scare her into either leaving her house or selling it cheap."

"I read about that case," Hakuba commented. "That same conman was responsible for several other scams."

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask, am I seeing things or is there a guy who kinda looks like Kudo's evil twin standing behind him?"

Shinichi blinked. "Huh? Oh—er, no, this is Kaito," he said quickly. He had gotten so used to Kaito that he had completely forgotten that they had some similar features. He'd stopped seeing the similarities long ago, seeing instead all the little differences that made Kaito who he was. "We're not related."

"Kuroba Kaito," the demon introduced himself. "I'm Shinichi's partner."

"Should you not be in uniform?" Hakuba asked, a disapproving furrow appearing in his brows as he took in the demon's casual attire.

Hattori coughed. "That would be 'cause he ain't on the force. He's the demon Kudo works with."

"Wait. You're a demon?" Sera asked in surprise.

Kaito draped himself over Shinichi's back, arms wrapped loosely around the detective's shoulders, and grinned at the new transfers. "Guilty as charged~."

The young woman looked him over. "Wow," she marveled after a moment. "If you guys hadn't said anything, I would never have guessed that you weren't a hundred percent human."

Kaito beamed. "Why thank you. I always pay close attention to the details."

"It's often pretty hard to tell demons apart from the life forms on our plain of existence," Shinichi explained. "When they're here, they take on physical forms that work pretty much the same way ours do—when they choose to be human anyway. Some demons like to stand out though, and they might add or change things like grow some horns, add wings, or otherwise modify their appearances to be abnormal. I met a demon once who favored the form of a man with a wolf's head, claws, and eagle wings."

"Sounds weird."

"It was pretty unusual," he agreed.

"Then there are also some demons who don't have all that great a grasp of what you humans look like," Kaito cut in. "A lot of the ones who don't visit this plain regularly think humans all basically look the same."

Sera laughed. "I guess that makes sense. I never thought of it that way though. So does that mean they might also show up looking like everyday animals?"

Hattori nodded. "That's right. Though most o' the ones we've had trouble with have been human."

"Why's that?"

The dark-skinned man blinked then scratched his head. "I dunno. I never thought about it. Maybe it's 'cause it's easier ta cause trouble when they're masquerading as human. Very few people would take a talking animal seriously. And even if they did, it'd attract too much attention, so you'd get noticed fast by the authorities."

The young woman nodded in understanding before turning back to Kaito. "So I guess that means you can look like anyone."

"Yep." And suddenly there were two Hattori Heijis instead of one. The second Heiji stayed just long enough to wink before he was Kaito again. "But we each have shapes we prefer too. Some of us are quite famous, you know."

Hakuba cleared his throat, breaking his silence for the first time since the topic had turned to demons. "I was under the impression that demons could not exist on our plain without being summoned, and that they could not stay for prolonged periods of time."

"That's true for most demons," Shinichi explained. "But there are a handful, like Kaito, who can come and go on their own. As for the length of time they can stay, there are a lot of factors that play into determining that from the power of the demon to the strength of the wizard they are contracted with. How well they can utilize and conserve magical power also plays a part. Even the geography can change things. There are some locations that are just closer to their plain, making it easier for them to either travel back and forth or stay here."

Sera laughed. "That's pretty cool. So, Kuroba was it? So what do you do around here then?"

"This and that." Kaito waved a hand airily.

"Kaito knows a lot about history, magic, and lore," Shinichi said. "There've been a lot of cases that we wouldn't have been able to solve so quickly if we hadn't had his help."

The blond officer's expression did not clear. "You mean you trust it?"

It was Shinichi's turn to frown. "Kaito's not an it."

"Here, here!"

"And what does he," Hakuba pronounced the pronoun with a distinctly derisive slur, "demand for his aid?"

Hattori shrugged. "Can't say for Kudo, but the rest o' us just have ta keep the station well stocked with hot chocolate."

The blond looked dubious. "Hot chocolate."

"Yeah."

"…"

"You two!" Megure called across the room at that moment, cutting off any further debate. "Come see me in my office! I have some things for you."

"Yes, Sir!" both transfers chorused.

But before he left to follow Sera into the inspector's office, Hakuba gave Shinichi a long, hard look. "You should never trust a demon. They do not care for anyone but themselves. If they do a good deed, it is only because they want something in return."

The two detectives and one demon watched as Hakuba and Sera disappeared behind a closing door.

Kaito stuck his tongue out after them. "Now there's an unpleasant piece of work if ever I saw one. I like the girl though. She has a healthy curiosity and no predisposition to judge."

"That's always a plus," Hattori agreed. "It ain't easy not ta make assumptions though."

"Excuse me, Kaito? Could you come take a look at this for us? Takagi and I found it in that raid last week but no one seems to have any idea what it is."

"Sure. Come on Shinichi, it seems our dear colleagues are in need of our expertise!"

Kaito bounded after Officer Satou. Shinichi made to follow him at a much more sedate pace, but Hattori caught his arm before he could take two steps, pulling him back.

"Wait a moment."

Distracted blue eyes turned to look up at his dark-skinned friend. "What is it?"

He was answered with a frown. "You okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yer upset. I can tell. It was what the new guy said, wasn't it?"

Shinichi opened his mouth to deny it but stopped when Heiji raised an eyebrow. Instead, he sighed, looking away.

"It's just… Kaito isn't like that."

Hattori looked at him quizzically before shrugging. "Yeah, I know. But you gotta understand that a lot of demons are. It really ain't all that strange that most people don't trust 'em. The truth is, when demons wanna get serious about something, there's nothin' we humans can do about it. It's not easy ta admit it, but they've just got more power. O' course a lot of 'em can't make it ta this plain of existence without a human wizard's help, but that only makes the ones that can that much more dangerous."

"I know that they're not harmless, and they don't think the way humans do, but that's not the same as untrustworthy. They're all different just like we are. Individuals deserve to be evaluated for their own actions and not those of their brethren. I would have thought that an officer of the law should know at least that much."

Hattori stayed silent, letting his friend get it out of his system. When it seemed Shinichi was done, he reached out and placed a reassuring hand on the blue-eyed detective's shoulder. "Yer right. People ain't all that clear thinkin' though. But give it time. They'll come around. The rest of us did."

"…Thanks Hattori."

"No prob. Now let's go see what Satou was fussin' about."

-0-

"Do we really have to work with that sour puss?"

Shinichi sighed. It had been a long day made longer by the fact that he and Hattori had been assigned to work with the new transfers. That in itself wasn't what had been tiring though. It had been the tension. And Kaito had not made it easier.

"You should tell Megure we'd like a change," the demon continued, folding his arms behind his head, the picture of a man without a concern in the world.

Shinichi heaved yet another sigh. "You might be able to choose who you want to work with all the time, but I kind of have to do what my superiors tell me to."

"Well that's a bummer."

"…Do tell."

"We could always go somewhere else."

"No we can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I live here, obviously. You, on the other hand, can go anywhere you like. I…won't mind if you want to take off for a bit." By the end of his response, the detective's tone had grown much softer, almost anxious. "This arrangement is only for their adjustment period. Once they're settled in, things should go back to normal."

Indigo eyes softened. "Don't be silly. A few unpleasant humans don't bother me. Besides, the only place I want to be is right beside you."

"O—oh." Shinichi blushed, gaze fixed steadfastly on the path ahead. Kaito said such things to him all the time, but he couldn't help but redden even now, embarrassment and happiness making his insides flutter. They continued on in silence for the next few minutes.

"Kaito?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering, why do you look a little bit like me?"

Kaito blinked then laughed. "I've been using this shape since long before I met you," he replied. Even for the first time, he added to himself. "I guess it's just fate."

And, he added to himself, a steely glint appearing in his eyes, he would not allow anyone to come between them. Ever.

-0-

The trouble started almost immediately the following morning. The magical crimes division being what it was, they had a special room at the station that had been carefully designed and built to be able to serve as a training room for spell casting. It was in this room that the five of them now stood. They had all been caught by surprise when informed at the station door upon their arrival that their day would mostly be spent here. The new transfers were surprised because it seemed neither of them had realized that working in the magical crimes division meant that they had to know some basic magic of their own.

"What if we can't use magic?" Sera asked. "Does that mean we'll be kicked out?"

"Everyone can use magic if they learn how to," Shinichi explained. "It's just that it's easier for some people than others. And you don't have to be a master. It's just safer for you—and the people around you—if you can cast certain basic spells."

"What kinds of basic spells?" Hakuba inquired.

"Stunning, lightin' a fire, calling light, shielding—that sort o' thing," Hattori replied, counting off on his fingers. "Ya may also wanna brush up on yer demonology on yer own time."

The blond stiffened, eyebrows drawing together. "Are you saying that we are going to have to learn to summon those creatures?"

"Ha! Like you could," Kaito scoffed from where he was leaning against the training room wall.

Hattori cleared his throat hastily. "No. That's not part o' the job description. And summoning is one o' the magical talents ya have ta be born with. That's why not everyone who can use magic is referred to as a wizard. But we do meet a lot o' demons in this line o' work, so being familiar with how it works and what's normal is a bit of a must."

"I see. I suppose that is reasonable."

"Ya know, we've been doing this for ages. We know what we're talkin' about," the dark-skinned officer snapped, starting to get a bit annoyed himself. He'd never been the most patient of people, but he'd spent a lot of time last night and this morning counseling himself that he had to be calm. For Shinichi's sake if nothing else. His friend didn't need to deal with Heiji's own temper on top of the animosity between Kuroba and the new guy. He was just glad that Sera seemed to be taking everything in stride, though he did find himself wondering what she was thinking behind that curious grin. He had the feeling that she wasn't as open as she seemed. Not in a suspicious, need to be watched way. Just a "she probably knows more than she's letting on" way.

"Why don't we get started?" Shinichi said into the stilted silence that had fallen after Hattori's outburst. "So neither of you have any experience with using magic?"

"I've bought a few charms now and then," Sera offered after a moment's thought. "Like the kind you hang with your clothes to keep the moths away and the kind that help keep a room warm or cool. They tend to have to be replaced after a few months, but they're pretty useful around the house."

"They are, aren't they?" Hattori agreed, laughing. "Those kinds o' charms are premade though. Ya don't have ta actually cast the spell yerself, so the user ain't actually using magic."

"Ah, I see. That makes sense. Guess that would make it too easy, eh?"

"Definitely. Woulda been nice though. Ya have no idea how many times I burned myself learnin' ta cast a proper fireball spell."

The girl whistled. "Whoa, that sounds kind of dangerous."

"It certainly is for everyone he practices with," Kaito snickered. "He owes everyone in the division at least two pairs of eyebrows by now."

"Hey! That's not true!"

"Hmmm, I guess you're right. It's got to be three pairs after what happened last week at the paint factory."'

Sera leaned forward, interested. "What happened at the paint factory?"

"Well~, we were all—"

"We're not talkin' about the paint factory!" Hattori cut in before Kaito could say any more. His face was beet red—not an easy color for him to achieve considering his dark complexion. "It's got nothin' ta do with them so they don't have ta know!"

"But they will have to work with you in the future," the demon pointed out, tone innocently reasonable. "And that means—"

"Okay that's enough you two," Shinichi interrupted. He could only imagine the kind of impression they were making on their new colleagues. Honestly, there were times when dealing with Kaito and Heiji at the same time made him feel like a single mother dealing with two argumentative kids.

Did he really just think that? He could sense the headache coming already.

"Since both of you are new to this, I think we should start with summoning light," he continued, turning back to their bemused audience of two. "It's a useful spell and arguably one of the easiest to learn. Most beginning magic users start there."

"What do you mean by arguably?" Hakuba asked.

"Well, the light spell itself is easy, but learning to adjust the intensity can actually be a bit complicated. You guys won't have to worry about that yet though. The important thing is to take it one step at a time."

"Is it going to blow up in our faces if we get it wrong?" asked Sera.

"No. Most spells just fizzle out if you get them wrong. Only a few really volatile spells will actually explode."

"Does he make a habit of using such volatile magic then?" Hakuba nodded in Hattori's direction.

Kaito began sniggering again as Hattori spluttered.

Shinichi coughed lightly. "Hattori's a bit of an exception. His spells are above averagely powerful."

Sera tapped her chin, giving Hattori a look over. "That's good, right?"

"Well…" Shinichi hesitated. "It's not a bad thing, but…"

"He means my control stinks," Hattori grumbled with a grimace. "So I can only cast more basic spells."

"To be a true master of the magical arts, you need to master the ability to adjust and control your magical energy," Kaito elaborated. "Having a lot of raw power but no control still means you can only use simple spells. On the other hand, a highly skilled magic user can accomplish a lot with very little energy. Of course, ideally, you'd have both."

Shinichi cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention back to himself. "Now I'm going to describe how to summon a light while I show you. Then it'll be your turn."

Twenty minutes later, one amused demon watched as the four humans in the room staggered around with their hands over their eyes after Sera Masumi's first successful light spell went off like a flash bomb. It looked like this was going to be more fun than he had first thought.

-0-

"If you want fast, good, and affordable, this is the place ta go," Hattori announced. The five of them had decided to take a break from training to get lunch. Now they were seated around one of the tables in the restaurant two blocks from the station. "They're also open twenty four seven. Kazuha and I come here sometimes when we find ourselves out late."

"Kazuha? Who's that?" asked Sera.

"She's his girlfriend," Kaito answered before Hattori could. "Apparently they've been joined at the hip since they were little."

Hattori spluttered, going red. "We have not!"

"So does she work for the police too?"

"No, but you'll probably see a lot of her," Shinichi said. "She works at the Charm Emporium. It's the largest charm dealer in this district. Most of the officers in our department get their protective charms from there."

"Is it mandatory that we use charms?" asked Hakuba.

"It's not mandatory, but it is recommended that you keep at least a few on hand," Shinichi replied, preemptively stepping on Kaito's foot. "It's an added layer of protection that there just isn't any reason not to use."

"I understand that. But there are thousands of types of charms. How do you choose which to carry?"

"That's something yer gonna have ta feel out for yerself," Hattori replied. "But if ya head down ta the shop and have a chat with one of their staff. They help us find what we need all the time. I swear they can figure out what'll fit ya before you do! And once ya get real familiar with the abilities and limits o' charms, they can even make ones custom to yer needs, made especially ta work with you."

Sera leaned forward in her seat. "Customized charms? Does that mean you can ask them to just make one that does what you want?"

Shinichi shook his head. "Not exactly. It's more like…tailoring a shirt to fit you specifically instead of having a standard size. A customized charm will be a little stronger than the average because it's tuned to you and your needs specifically."

"Take Hattori here for example." Kaito waved a hand at the dark-skinned detective like he was introducing a museum exhibit. "He carries a flexible shielding charm made by Miss Kazuha crafted around memorabilia from their childhood together. It draws additional strength from those shared memories and emotions. It's saved his life on multiple occasions~."

Hattori's blush returned. "Oi, lay off on the teasin' would ya?" he grumbled. "I mean, you and Kudo are the ones who go everywhere together."

"Hey, there's nothing to be ashamed of," the demon drawled, smirking. "Such strong bonds should be celebrated, wouldn't you say?"

Sera laughed. But her fellow transfer's eyes widened. He looked from Shinichi to Kaito and back again.

Then the blond's face contorted in disgust. "You mean you two—but it's not even human!"

"Well actually," Kaito drawled, "technically speaking, while I am in this form, I am physically human. I just don't have what you call DNA."

There was an awkward silence.

Sera coughed lightly. "So this menus got a zillion things on it. What would you recommend?

It was as they were leaving the restaurant to head back to the station that Hakuba pulled Shinichi aside. "I have been following your work for some time now, and I respect the work you have done. As such, I have to tell you. It would be wise to be more cautious in your dealings with demons. I understand that you have been working with that demon for a long time, but to his kind, human lives are of little consequence. If you look through the history books, the past is littered with examples of the catastrophes that demons have brought about. Work with them if you must, but we cannot and should not rely on them."

Shinichi was silent for a moment before he spoke. "You're entitled to your opinion, as I am entitled to mine."

-0-

"What did that Hakuba guy say to you earlier?"

Shinichi's brows furrowed as he looked up from the book he'd been reading. He was sitting on Kaito's lap, so he couldn't see the demon's face. Instead, he stared at the television screen across the room. "He wanted to warn me."

"Oh?"

"I wonder if he's had a bad experience with demons before. He's convinced that demons can't be relied on."

Kaito snorted, arms tightening their hold around Shinichi's waist. "That bastard needs to be taught a lesson."

"Please don't. You'd just be proving him right."

Kaito heaved an overdramatic sigh. "Fine. But if he ever bothers you, just let me know and I'll make sure he learns his place."

"You really shouldn't do things like that for me—or anyone, for that matter."

"I would conquer the world for you in a heartbeat if you wanted it."

Shinichi frowned. "I'm not sure if you're being sweet or creepy."

Kaito laughed softly, nuzzling his face into the crook of Shinichi's neck. "Doesn't matter. It's true."

Shinichi thought vaguely that he might prefer that it wasn't.

-To Be Continued-