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: Shinichi has been visiting the forest by his village since he was a child. Unbeknownst to him, he has caught the eye of the guardian spirit that lives there.

Note: I'm still working on the next demon verse chapter, so I thought I'd put this up first. This is what happens when I read too much mythology…

That Forest Dream

[Spirit Verse]

Part 1

The first time he saw Shinichi, the boy had been six. He'd wandered into the forest carrying a book almost as big as he was clutched against his chest.

Surprised to see such a young child walking alone and unprotected through his forest, Kaito had taken it upon himself to keep a watchful eye over the boy. He had made sure that the more dangerous of the wild beasts of his realm didn't find the boy. Unaware of his self-appointed guardian, Shinichi had found himself a comfortable spot by the river under the shade of the trees. There, he read until the sun dropped low in the sky. Then, with a reluctant sigh, he had bookmarked his page, rose, and headed back to the village.

From that day on, Shinichi often returned, always with a book, and always alone.

-0-

"Back again, Little One?" he inquired, walking silent and unseen beside the boy as he wandered along one of the deer trails headed for the river. Naturally, the boy didn't answer. It had been two years since Shinichi's first visit. Now eight, he hadn't grown much at all. Over the months, however, the boy had grown more daring, venturing deeper into the forest and staying longer than it was probably wise for a child his age to do.

"You're lucky this is my forest, you know," the spirit remarked as the child picked out a spot on a flat rock that jutted out over the bank of the river. It was one of the boy's favorite places to read whenever he came early. Later, as the day grew warmer, he would move into the shade, usually finding a comfortable tree to lean against. "It's dangerous for someone so young to spend so much time wandering alone where no one would hear a cry for help."

His warning went unheeded. He was accustomed to that though. There were humans who were more attuned to the spirit world, but they were rare, and even among them, those who could communicate directly with his kind were scarce. It had been centuries since he'd last seen such a human.

The sound of a soft sigh and a heavy book thumping shut drew his attention back to his little charge. Shinichi had stood up and started to talk to the air. Kaito smiled to himself. Recently, Shinichi had started to play these games. It seemed he had a particular fondness for mysteries, and lately he'd started pretending that he was a detective and acting out his own little crime-solving adventures. It was through these little one-man skits that Kaito had learned Shinichi's name.

The boy was no master actor, but he was certainly enthusiastic about his role. It was cute, but also just a little bit sad.

"Don't you have anyone to play with, Little One?" he mused, watching as the boy pretended to scour the bushes for some important clue or other that would prove that the duke was the one who'd run off with the royal family's heirloom ring.

"So you see, your Majesty, he's been fooling all of us all along," Shinichi concluded.

Hopping up, Kaito stood in front of him. "Very impressive, Detective Shinichi. Thanks to your efforts, my daughter's wedding can proceed as planned. You have my deepest gratitude. Rest assured, you will be well rewarded." With that, he flicked his fingers, shaping the sunlight into a butterfly and sending it to flutter around Shinichi's head.

The boy's brilliant, blue eyes widened in surprised wonder, and he gazed at the luminous critter with his mouth slightly open until it dissolved in a shower of golden sparks.

Kaito grinned, delighted by the boy's amazement. He could see the curiosity coming to life in the boy's eyes. Soon, Shinichi was scrambling up and down the bank, examining everything in search of an explanation for what he had seen.

Much later, as the sun began to set and the boy reluctantly began the long trek back to town, Kaito could hear him murmuring to himself.

"Was I just imagining things? Maybe it was just a trick of the light." The thoughtful frown stayed on that young face the entire way back out of the forest.

-0-

After that, Kaito started to join in the boy's games more often. It was fun even if Shinichi didn't know he was there. And he loved performing small tricks like the sunlight butterfly for the boy. That look of awe was adorable, and the determined gleam that appeared in those sapphire blue eyes when Shinichi set about trying to unravel the mystery of the magic made him grin.

Still, he had to wonder why Shinichi always came to his forest to play his make believe games of detective. Surely it would be much more entertaining for him if he were to play these games with the other village children. So why didn't he?

The spirit got his answer one afternoon when the boy came stumbling into his forest with scraped knees and an assortment of cuts and bruises.

"What happened?" Kaito demanded, hovering over the child. He noted with mixed exasperation and fondness that, despite his disheveled state, Shinichi still had a book with him. The book had a few smears of dirt across its covers though, suggesting that it too had suffered through whatever ordeal Shinichi had encountered.

The boy's expression remained set as he trudged through the forest, following the familiar route to the riverbank. As usual, he found a comfortable spot by the water and sat down to read. However, the book sat open in his lap on the same page for almost a whole fifteen minutes. Then the book was shut and Shinichi began to rub at the dirt stains on its covers with the hem of his shirt. He worked in silence, cleaning the grime away as best he could. Kaito sat beside him, using just a little bit of magic to help get the dirt to come away more easily.

When the book had been mostly cleaned up but for a few last stubborn smudges, Shinichi carefully set it down beside him and leaned back against the tree behind him. Gradually, blue eyes fluttered closed and muscles that had been tense all day relaxed.

Kaito watched Shinichi doze off with a faint frown of his own. He hated seeing Shinichi like this. It wasn't just the physical injuries—those, though unsightly, were mostly superficial. None of them were severe enough to cause the boy any harm as long as they were kept clean (which Kaito had seen to with a quick protective charm). What really bothered him was the look in Shinichi's eyes and the fact that he hadn't smiled once since arriving. True, the boy didn't smile easily, but usually he was much more relaxed when Kaito saw him. There was also the fact that he hadn't read his book at all. He must truly be feeling out of sorts if he couldn't even distract himself by reading.

Even now, fast asleep, his brows were wrinkled and the corners of his lips turned down.

Indigo eyes grew thoughtful. Humans drew closer to the spirit world when they slept. So maybe…

Reaching out, he placed a hand on the boy's head and concentrated.

Shinichi was sitting on the top step of a wooden porch. The sky overhead was an overcast gray. He had a book on his lap, but its pages were blank. The boy, however, didn't notice. His gaze was fixed instead on a spot in the distance, looking at something only he could see.

Though he wasn't looking—was doing his best not to look—he could still hear them. They were laughing and talking. He couldn't make out the words, but they all sounded so excited.

His hands clenched on the book he was holding. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly.

"Why don't you join them?"

He started, looking around. There was someone sitting on the steps beside him. He couldn't make out the person's face, but the presence was familiar. He relaxed and looked away again.

"It's okay. I'd rather read."

"Really? It doesn't look that way to me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the eight-year-old huffed before his shoulders sagged just a little. "It doesn't matter anyway. They don't want me around."

"Oh? Did you do something to make them mad?"

"Of course not! It's not my fault they were wrong," he said sullenly. "I'm not going to lie just to make them feel better."

"I see." The person beside him seemed to consider this. "But maybe you could be more tactful?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," he snapped.

"I suppose you're right. Would you like to explain?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Ah. Well, if you ever change your mind, I'll be here."

Sitting back, Kaito studied Shinichi's face as the boy's sleepy blue eyes blinked groggily open. He still didn't know exactly what had happened, but he could make a few educated guesses. His little Shinichi was a very intelligent child, but also very blunt. It was a combination that could easily alienate others.

Now that he was looking, he could easily see the loneliness tucked behind that stubborn mask of indifference, and it called to something in his own ancient soul. Time wasn't as important or overbearing to beings like himself who lived alongside of it rather than in its power, but even so, it had been a long, long time since he had enjoyed the company of another intellectual mind. While many of the animals in his care were smart, they couldn't exactly carry on a good conversation. Mostly they just wanted to talk about food.

It was then that he realized that, while all this time he had thought that he was keeping Shinichi company, in truth, Shinichi was keeping him company as well.

"You can come here any time," he told the boy, ruffling his soft, black hair with a gentle breeze. "No matter what happens out there or what anyone else says, you will always be welcome here. You aren't alone."

-0-

Shinichi was ten when a group of poachers from a neighboring town decided to go hunting in Clover Forest despite the warnings of the villagers. They had heard of the forest's many rare animals and plants, and they were looking to make a fortune from selling them. They made their first attempt before even setting foot past the forest fringe as one of them let loose an arrow at one of the spirit doves that had been returning from a trip into the village. The arrow grazed the bird's wing and sent it careening into the trees. Heavy footsteps pounded after it, but to the poachers' disappointment they did not find the bird in the bushes as they had expected. They did find the arrow coated with its sleeping draft, but nothing more.

While he cared for and looked after all the animals in his domain, Kaito had always had a soft spot for the birds. The spirit doves in particular were among his most trusted and adored assistants. They were more intelligent than the average avian and had a little magic of their own due to their connection to the spirit world.

He heard the injured dove's distress rippling through the forest. He was not pleased.

The poachers were amazed when their nets and other traps suddenly rose like they were being picked up by invisible hands and mauled them. Their screams, however, went unheard even as they were heaved skyward and left to dangle like laundry from the branches of a particularly tall tree. Standing at the foot of the tree, Kaito directed the invisible spirit vines he had summoned for the occasion to secure the knots holding the wiggling, yelling poachers in place. It wasn't until the following morning that the men were found by the villagers.

"It was a ghost!" one man insisted even as he was being untied. "This damned place is haunted!"

"We did warn you not to anger the forest," Satou, one of the village officials, informed them without much pity. "This is a sacred place. Any hunting must be done strictly according to the ancestral codes."

"That's ridiculous!" another of the men exclaimed in indignation. "It's got to be some kind of trick! You people are just trying to scare everyone else away so you'll be the only ones with access to the resources in this forest!"

"Don't blame us just because you had an accident," Shiratori, the head of the village's wealthiest family, scoffed. "Spirits may not exist, but rules are still rules. Those who break them can hardly complain when they are punished."

Standing off to the side and watching the proceedings, Kaito rolled his eyes. Honestly, some humans these days wouldn't recognize the supernatural if it bit them on the nose. It was no wonder fewer and fewer of them could sense the spirit world. They were blocking themselves off from it.

Soon, the villagers were taking the men out of the forest.

"And don't come back!" Kaito called after them. "Next time, I won't be so merciful."

The problem was that, even though he'd gotten rid of the poachers, he still hadn't found the injured spirit dove. He'd asked all the other doves to help search and felt along the network of spirit vines, but still there was nothing. Either the bird had been taken out of the forest, or it had already died. Neither option was good.

It didn't improve the spirit's mood any that Shinichi stopped visiting the forest for almost two weeks. It was probably to be expected though. After what had happened to the poachers, it was only natural that the adults would want to keep the children from playing in the forest for a while. Just in case it wasn't divine punishment that had gotten to the poachers after all but some unfriendly people hiding out in the wilderness.

Left with nothing to distract himself with, Kaito could only stew. He came up with a few dozen different plots for dealing with the next batch of unwanted visitors and tried not to wonder when Shinichi would return.

It was in the morning almost exactly two weeks from the poacher incident that he sensed Shinichi's presence again. He immediately transported himself to the edge of the forest, grinning in delight at the familiar sight of those pretty blue eyes and that funny little cowlick. Today, however, the boy hadn't brought a book. Instead, he was carrying a small, white bird nestled comfortably on a nest of rags in a wicker basket. Kaito laughed out loud, and the wind in the trees laughed with him.

"And here I was worrying for nothing."

Shinichi started, head jerking up and around. He stood perfectly still for a long moment, holding his breath and listening hard. But eventually he shook his head and started walking. He carried the dove in its basket all the way to his favorite stretch of riverbank before carefully lifting it from its nest.

"Here you go," he told it, petting it gently on the head with two fingers. "I'm sure your friends are waiting for you."

The bird cooed happily, fluttering its wings and hopping onto the boy's shoulder. There, it rubbed its head against his cheek before spreading its wings and soaring away into the trees. Shinichi watched it go with a soft smile on his face, the empty basket sitting on the ground at his feet.

Kaito ruffled the boy's hair, still grinning broadly. "Thank you."

Again, Shinichi started and looked around. It was, the spirit thought, almost as though the boy had heard him. Was it possible?

The thought lingered in Kaito's mind as the seasons continued to change. There were times when he was almost sure that Shinichi had noticed his presence—maybe even seen him. If that was the case then it seemed that Shinichi had been harboring an affinity for the spirit world all along. The discovery thrilled Kaito. It had to be fate that had brought Shinichi to him.

-0-

Shinichi was twelve the first and only time he brought someone with him to visit the forest. It was a girl with brown hair who looked to be about the same age as he was. Kaito watched the two make their way to the river with mixed feelings. He was glad to see that Shinichi had apparently made a friend, but at the same time he felt strangely irritated.

His time with Shinichi was special. He didn't want to share it with this stranger. He hoped she wouldn't be back.

"See, Ran?" Shinichi was saying to the girl with the air of someone who had just proved a point. "I told you I knew the way."

"Okay then, but that doesn't mean it's safe to keep coming here by yourself," the girl, Ran, retorted, placing her hands on her hips like a mother scolding her child. "I don't understand why you keep coming here. That's why everyone else thinks you're strange."

"I don't care what they think," he shot back just as stubbornly.

Ran sighed, turning to look around at the sun streaming through the trees and the river gurgling between its banks. Her posture relaxed a little as she admitted, "It is kind of nice here. Still, don't you find it a bit… I don't know, creepy?"

Blue eyes blinked at her in confusion. "Why would it be creepy?"

"Don't you remember what happened to those poachers a few years ago? And they say a lot of weird things happen to people who wander too far into this forest. I've even heard that there are g—ghosts here." The girl stuttered over the word "ghost", paling exponentially at her own suggestion.

Shinichi just snorted. "That's ridiculous. There aren't any ghosts here."

"But how do you know for sure?" Ran persisted.

"Well if there are ghosts, I've never met any. Although," he added as an afterthought, hand rising to his chin. "I guess I have seen a few odd things here and there."

The girl shrieked in what Kaito thought was a rather overblown reaction and demanded to go back to the village.

Before they left, however, Kaito caught Shinichi whispering under his breath, "If there are ghosts here though, I think they're good ones."

All of Kaito's earlier irritation vanished in an instant.

-0-

It was a beautiful morning in early spring when Shinichi spoke those words that changed everything.

"I guess I better make the most of this while I can," he mused to himself. "I won't be able to come as often once I start working at the bookstore."

Kaito felt his entire being go cold.

Shinichi…wouldn't be coming anymore?

No, no, he corrected himself quickly. Shinichi had said he might not be coming as often. Apparently he'd been hired by the village bookstore (it just figured that Shinichi would want to work at the bookstore). That didn't mean he wouldn't be coming back at all.

But… But what if… What if, one day, he really did—

"You can't!" he declared, but of course Shinichi didn't answer. Growling low in his throat, Kaito began to pace. Oblivious to his sudden anguish, Shinichi opened his book and started to read.

Kaito spun around and stood still, staring hard at the boy seated by the river. The boy had grown so much since that first time the spirit had laid eyes on him. It had been ten whole years. Ten years that had been more memorable for Kaito than the hundred that had come before them. All because of Shinichi.

He wouldn't—no, couldn't—just let Shinichi go. The boy (well, young man now) was too important to him. He had come to care for Shinichi more than he could recall ever caring for another. Seeing Shinichi smile made his own heart warm. He couldn't stand the idea of not seeing that smile again or hearing that rare but wonderful laugh. He wanted Shinichi to continue visiting his forest for years to come.

But that wasn't right either. He wanted more than that. He wanted to be able to talk to Shinichi and hear the boy answer him. He wanted to be able to hold Shinichi and show him all the other wonders of the world that no human had seen in centuries.

He wanted Shinichi to be his forever and always, there by his side to the end of time.

And, with Shinichi's growing awareness of the spirit world, Kaito knew it was possible.

He would have to wait until the boy had come of age. in the meantime he had to get everything ready.

-0-

The seasons passed, and Kaito continued to lay his plans and watch over the boy he had come to love.

It was a warm day in summer that he finally set his plans in motion. Shinichi had recently turned eighteen, and there would be a full moon this night. It was the time of magic and spirits. The time when the boundary between worlds blurred and faded.

Perfect.

-0-

Ever since he had started working at the village bookstore, Shinichi had had to limit his jaunts into the forest to those days that he had off. Inhaling deeply, he let his breath out slowly and smiled. Being here always made him feel more relaxed. Picking his way through the forest to the river, he emerged onto the riverbank and made his way to his favorite rock.

By now, he knew this place like the back of his hand. It was both a comfort and a wonder to think that it had barely changed at all in all the years that he had spent visiting it. He was just about to settle down for a nice few hours of quality reading when he would swear he felt something catch at his ankle.

Shinichi let out a cry that was quickly cut off as he landed in the river with a splash. Resurfacing, he floundered around until he got his feet under him, glad that this stretch of the river was shallow enough that he could stand. He spat out a mouthful of water and began slogging his way back up onto the shore.

"Of all the times to trip!" he grumbled, beginning to try and wring the water from his clothes. Considering he was still wearing them, it didn't work so well. Biting his lip, he cast a surreptitious look around. As expected, he was alone.

Well, there was nothing for it.

A few minutes later, he had laid his clothes out to dry. Now he was sitting on his favorite of the wide, flat river rocks without a stitch on. It was embarrassing, but embarrassed was better than sick. Besides, no one else ever came this far into the forest. No one but the birds and beasts were going to see him, and they wouldn't care.

Unfortunately, his book had also gotten wet and needed to be dried. Left with nothing to do but wait, he was just glad that the weather was so warm.

The spirit smiled. Step one of his plan had gone perfectly. Next, he called to the wind. It came to him, light and warm and playful. But this was no ordinary breeze today. It carried within it a dusting of lazy, summer sunshine and the whisper of a lullaby.

-0-

Blue eyes opened to a sky full of stars and a world lit by the soft, silver light of the moon. Shinichi blinked slowly before sitting up.

He felt strange. His body seemed strangely light, and the edges of the world were all soft and surreal. All around him the shadows of the night shifted and danced. And it was also strange because it wasn't really dark at all. He had never realized how full of color the night could be. Deep blues and purples, greens and browns—all of it lined and laced with pearl and silver.

He found himself walking before he'd consciously decided to do so. He drank in the tranquil beauty of this ethereal night as he wandered deeper into the forest, drawn onward by the sheer wonder of the forest's transformation. It was like magic.

Although he supposed he was probably dreaming. This tranquility and the light, muddled quality of his own awareness all pointed towards this being a dream.

Before him, the trees parted, and he stopped, breath catching in his throat. Before him lay a meadow he had never seen before. It was carpeted in pearl white wildflowers. Their petals seemed to be glowing with a light all their own. It was breathtaking, like a scene from another world.

Shinichi didn't know how long he stood there gazing across that sea of flowers. All he knew was that moonlight had never looked so bright. In fact, he could almost see the moonbeams.

Or maybe he really could. The air itself was shimmering, growing brighter and brighter with each passing breath. And it appeared to be taking on a distinctly humanoid shape.

He wondered if he was supposed to be nervous, but all he could feel was wonder.

That figure of moonlight solidified. He could see now that it was a man. It was a young man around his own age, maybe a year or so older, it was hard to say because though his features were youthful his eyes were old. The color of those eyes caught his attention. They were an unusual indigo shade made all the deeper by the ancient eternity that seemed to look out from behind them.

He felt as though he'd seen them before, but where?

The man smiled then and beckoned with his hand.

Shinichi found his body moving of its own accord once more. His feet carried him forward, their steps slow but sure. In an age that was no time at all, he was standing directly in front of the man.

"Shinichi. I've been waiting for you."

He wondered vaguely how the stranger knew his name, but then again, this was a dream, so he supposed there didn't have to be a reason.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Call me Kaito," the man replied with a soft smile.

Kaito? Shinichi thought through the odd fog in his head. Wasn't that the name of the spirit they said watched over the forest?

"You said you were waiting for me?"

The man took the one step that closed the distance between them completely and wrapped his arms loosely around Shinichi's waist. "For many years."

Blue eyes blinked in mild confusion both at the words and the gesture. He found though that he was strangely comfortable in this man's embrace. Why was this so familiar? "…Years? But why?"

"I wanted to say hello," the spirit murmured before leaning in and catching Shinichi's lips in a gentle kiss.

Shinichi gasped in surprise, giving Kaito the opportunity to deepen the contact.

Some part of Shinichi's mind thought he should be afraid, but he wasn't. It was the strange, surreal atmosphere. He was moving in a dream where his own body and even his thoughts weren't entirely under his own control. Those parts of him knew without reason or doubt that this was only right. Far from being frightened, he found himself slipping his arms up and around the other's neck and returning the kiss.

He felt…like he knew this man. He couldn't explain it. It was like he was an old and dear friend: one who had walked beside him, watching over him, supporting him, protecting him… And that voice. It called to some memory tucked away deep inside him that he couldn't quite place. He had heard it before, somewhere…

Even this embrace was familiar. Kaito's arms holding him firmly against the other's warm, solid body…

This certainly was a realistic dream, he thought a bit fuzzily.

Warm hands caressed his bare back. His skin grew warm beneath their touch, and he shivered (he had forgotten his state of undress until now (how had that happened?), but it was too late to do anything about it even if his mind wasn't too caught up in the moment to want to. Strange though, normally he would be feeling mortified). Unconsciously, he pressed even closer to the spirit as his eyes fluttered shut. A contented sigh escaped his lips.

What was this feeling?

Kaito pressed his cheek against Shinichi's soft, black hair. He had wanted this for so long. Yet he was still unprepared for the sheer joy of finally being able to speak with and touch Shinichi—to have the other meet his gaze and answer his words. He could honestly say that he had not felt this happy in ages.

Turning his head, he brushed his lips across the shell of Shinichi's ear. His hands drifted over smooth skin, delighting in the warmth and reassuring himself that Shinichi really was here with him.

Shinichi melted under the caresses. Those dexterous hands were wandering over his body as though endeavoring to trace every inch of him. They trailed up the side of his neck then down the curve of his spine. Sparks danced in their wake. They paused to massage his shoulder blades before flattening, palms flush against his skin, to slide down his sides. He had to swallow a giggle at the tickling sensation. He turned his face into the crook of the spirit's neck to stifle the sound. He thought a little giddily that Kaito smelled like summer. The caresses moved gradually south until both hands slid all the way down to kneed his rear.

He gasped and blushed. Oh, so this was that kind of dream. He hadn't had one of those since those awkward adolescent days, and he'd certainly never had one like this. Those dreams had been vague and more like washed out echoes of undefined sensations. They had been little more than passing annoyances that he never thought about once he'd woken up.

This was nothing like those dreams. This dream was so vivid that he could almost believe it was real.

Kaito moved to catch Shinichi's lips in another kiss, this one much more heated than the last. He could feel that slender body tremble beneath his touch and he smiled.

He could tell the moment he had laid hands on Shinichi that the boy was still an innocent in the ways of passion. The discovery pleased him. He would be Shinichi's first (and only, if all went as planned).

All the pieces of his plan were falling neatly into place.

One kiss became two then more, evolving into a whole string of passionate kisses that left Shinichi breathless as they pulled each other even closer. Shinichi realized with a start that the body pressed against him was just as bare as his own (but he was sure Kaito had been dressed a moment ago). The realization was enough of a shock to cut through the heated haze that had descended over his mind. Turning bright red, he broke away from the kiss.

"I—I don't…" He didn't know what he was doing—didn't understand why Kaito seemed so familiar when he didn't think he'd ever met him before. He didn't understand the way he was feeling or why he felt so attracted to this man. He didn't understand why he wasn't pulling away.

Sensing the confusion and turmoil in his quarry, Kaito brushed a chaste kiss across Shinichi's cheek before leaning into his ear. "It's okay," he murmured, feeling Shinichi shudder against him. "I'm not here to hurt you. You know that, don't you?"

And he did. But how?

Deciding it was time to move things along, Kaito picked Shinichi up without warning. The boy squeaked in surprise. He wrapped his arms around Kaito's neck instinctively. The next thing he knew, he was being laid down on a white cloth spread over the grass that he hadn't noticed earlier. The fabric beneath him was soft as flower petals and cool as morning dew against his skin. It was a sharp contrast to the hot, solid body above him.

Nudging the disoriented Shinichi's legs apart, Kaito settled down between them, leaned over, and caught Shinichi's lips in another kiss. He couldn't get enough of the taste of those petal soft lips. He was faced with a sudden dilemma. He didn't want to break the kiss, but also wanted to taste more—everything.

A soft moan vibrated in the air, though who it came from was unclear. Shinichi's arms had found their way up to wrap loosely around Kaito's shoulders. When their lips finally parted, Shinichi couldn't stop a disappointed sigh. The night was, however, only beginning.

Kaito ran his tongue along the line of Shinichi's jaw, pleased when the boy tilted his head back to expose more of his neck. He trailed kisses down the curve of Shinichi's neck—licking, nibbling, and sucking like a man sampling a feast. He stopped to leave a livid love bite on the boy's shoulder before gliding over to nibble his collarbone, drinking in the delightful little noises that were slipping from Shinichi's lips like startled butterflies. As his mouth continued its little adventure, his hands decided to start one of their own a little further down. They slid over warm things and slightly bony hips, mapping out every dip and curve. He could feel Shinichi shudder at the touches.

Then one of his hands slid inward to warp firmly around Shinichi's growing arousal. The boy jolted in surprise, gasping as the hand began to stroke. Him. At the same time, the hot mouth that had been lavishing attention on his neck and chest found one of his nipples. He moaned.

Kaito's lips curled in a predatory grin, indigo eyes darkening. He circled the sensitive little nub with his tongue before taking it between his teeth. Shinichi let out a delightful little squeak that dissolved into a whimper as his fingers tangled themselves in wild, dark hair.

Shinichi thought vaguely that maybe he should be pushing Kaito off of him, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to do so. Then again, this was a dream. Maybe…maybe he should just enjoy it. He blushed a little at his own thoughts. But the sensations running through his body were just too intoxicating.

That was when something slick touched his entrance.

He gasped, blue eyes flying open. His gaze met indigo and he froze. He couldn't look away from the glowing figure looming over him. Kaito had lifted his head from Shinichi's chest when he felt the boy tense. Now his indigo eyes held Shinichi in place. There was a message in those eyes, he thought, a message whose meaning was just out of his reach.

Kaito took the opportunity while the other was distracted to insert a finger into Shinichi's entrance. The boy squeaked, the adorable blush splashed across his cheeks darkening by several shades. A second finger joined the first almost immediately, and they began to thrust in and out, quick and sure. Shinichi mewled, hands scrabbling at the soft cloth beneath him. The fingers sliding into him were slick with some kind of salve to help ease the penetration (he wondered briefly where it had come from), but it didn't make the sensation any less strange. Strange, but not…entirely unpleasant.

With each thrust, the fingers pushed in a little further. Then they were pressing against a certain spot, sending a jolt of pleasure straight up his spine and out of his mouth as a loud cry.

Pleased by his young lover's responsiveness, Kaito continued to tease that spot as he worked to prepare Shinichi's virgin hole for his own immanent invasion.

To distract both himself and his lover, he ducked his head down to take Shinichi into his mouth. He smirked around his mouthful as gasped and arched under him. Teeth scraped over sensitive skin.

Shinichi's hands flew up to cover his mouth as he saw stars.

His thoughts blanked.

Kaito drew back, licking his lips. What a delightful flavor. The taste of Shinichi on his lips was only served to excite him even more. The way his blue-eyed lover clenched around his fingers was the last straw.

Still floating in a buzzing haze of pleasure and want, it was a moment before Shinichi's awareness registered that the fingers had withdrawn. He didn't have long to contemplate the loss however as something else was touching him there. Blue eyes widened and his blush returned full force. He might have tried to pull away, but he couldn't move. He felt as though all the energy in his body had left with his release. He couldn't even tense. All he could do was whimper as that hot, pulsing rod pushed its way slowly but inexorably past his entrance then deeper and deeper inside of him. But even though it hurt, he could feel his own body growing aroused again in response to the invasion. Then the invader brushed that spot that those fingers had been playing with earlier and he let out an involuntary moan of pleasure, hips jerking in a wordless plea for more.

Kaito didn't stop until he was fully sheathed in his lover's tight, virgin heat. Then he stilled, savoring the sensation of having Shinichi wrapped so delightfully, perfectly tight around his throbbing length. Oh how long had he waited for this?

Leaning over, he pulled Shinichi's hands away from where they were trying to stifle those arousing noises and pinned them to the ground. Then he brushed a gentle kiss over Shinichi's soft lips. Blue eyes fluttered, apparently struggling to stay open. Catching and holding their gaze once more, Kaito pulled slowly out of his lover before thrusting just as slowly back in, making sure that Shinichi felt every inch of his desire. The blue-eyed boy's lips parted in an involuntary moan. Pleased, Kaito repeated the action, setting a slow, controlled rhythm. Each pull and thrust was long and deep.

Shinichi's moans grew louder. He couldn't help it. The pain was still there, but it was gradually being replaced by pleasure. He found himself responding.

As Shinichi began to move with him, meeting his thrusts and arching his body in order to take Kaito in just a little bit deeper, Kaito picked up the pace. His own control was crumbling away faster and faster in the face of his own burning want.

The way Shinichi's slender body writhed when caught up in the intense pleasure of their union was every bit as beautiful as Kaito had imagined it would be. It made his own wild, ancient spirit burn. Lifting those pale hips, he pounded into Shinichi, eager to hear more of those delicious cries and see more of those unrestrained expressions.

Shinichi felt as though his entire being was being consumed by the hot, heavy rhythm of their coupling. When Kaito released his wrists, he threw his arms around the man. Blunt nails raked down his lover's back as his own back arched. Intense waves of pleasure pulsed through his body to escape from his mouth as wanton cries for more. Everything else melted away. All that mattered was the heat and the beat, the powerful body driving relentlessly into his very core and the tension building inside him like a volcano about to erupt.

Then the rhythm reached a crescendo and he screamed as he came. Far more intense than before, the sensations wracking his body were like an all consuming flame.

With Shinichi's walls spasming around him and that erotic cry ringing in his ears, Kaito couldn't contain himself any longer. Pushing himself all the way into his lover once more with one last, hard thrust, he released some of his own power along with his seed, infusing himself into the heated body beneath him.

Shinichi gasped, shuddering. A warm, tingling sensation swept through him, racing along his nerves and going all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes, leaving him feeling oddly light and more than a little dizzy.

"You're mine now," Kaito's voice whispered in his ear as he drifted into the arms of sleep.

-0-

Blue eyes opened slowly to a clear, bright morning.

He was back on the riverbank, he thought groggily. Had that…been a dream? Slowly, he sat up then winced.

His limbs felt heavy and the muscles in his lower back ached. Certain…other places were sore as well. Some of it he could explain away as having been caused by hours sleeping on the hard, uneven rock. But that could only account for so much.

Turning, he stared across the river, thinking back over his dreams from the previous night.

Could…could it have been real?

Raising a hand, he touched his lips, remembering the feeling of those other lips on his. He remembered the warmth and the passion. A hot blush crept up his cheeks.

Had he really…? But it wasn't possible. He couldn't really have met a spirit. And he most certainly couldn't have—been intimate with one. For one, spirits weren't supposed to be tangible. Of course he'd heard people say before that the time of the full moon was a time when the human and spirit worlds converged, but that was just an old superstition. It was something some parents told their kids to keep them indoors at night, saying that people who wandered out at the wrong times could accidentally cross over and never find their way back. It wasn't real.

Except… something inside him just knew that it had been more than a dream. How much more, he couldn't really say, but…

Shaking his head, he hurried to gather up his clothes and put them back on. He could think about what had or hadn't happened later. Right now he had to hurry back to the village before the bookstore opened or his boss was going to be annoyed.

-0-

Invisible eyes watched as Shinichi picked his way back to the village, making sure the boy got home safely.

A smile flickered in the dappled shadows. Phase one had gone exactly as he had hoped. Now, only time would tell.

"Until next time then, Shinichi."

-To Be Continued-

Note: Next up, Shinichi looks for answers.