Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.
Pairing: KaitoxShinichi
Chapter Rating: T
Collection Summary: No matter where or what they are, their lives are always entwined. KaiShin stories in fantasy settings.
Chapter Summary: Their investigation into the death of Kuroba Toichi lands Shinichi and Kaito in the middle of a city-wide battle.
Cloak and Dagger
[Castle Verse]
Part 3
"The first thing we need to do is to leave this inn without getting caught."
"Do you think they followed you back?"
"I doubt it. But even if they didn't, it won't be hard for them to figure out where we are. This is one of the more reputable inns in the city. And they know what we look like. All they'd have to do is ask around. Though they'll probably try to be discreet about it."
"What if we left before the storm subsides? If we plan the route beforehand, we should be able to travel even with the low visibility. And we'd be hard to track."
Kaito's eyes narrowed in thought. "I suppose that could work, but one wrong turn and we'd be in real trouble. That, and if I were in their shoes, I'd already be watching the inn doors. And anyone leaving in weather like this would look suspicious."
Kaito had a point, Shinichi thought, hand rising to his chin. "But that means we have no choice but to wait out the storm. Then we can leave the inn in disguise."
"Yes, and no," Kaito said slowly. "We should start the disguises now. That way, they'll have more credibility when we leave."
"I think guests that appear out of nowhere would strike anyone as suspicious."
"Ah, but you're forgetting that this is one of the busiest inns in this city. That means they're always overflowing with customers. I doubt the staff could clearly remember every one of them. And don't forget, these storms are commonplace around here. I'll bet they're used to having lots of strangers coming in to take shelter every time one of these storms rolls in."
"All right. So what are you planning?"
-0-
The first half of the plan, the part focused around getting them out from under the watchful eyes of their pursuers, began with the appearance of a somewhat nondescript, ginger-haired man with small spectacles and a slim mustache. He didn't stand out much. He simply appeared in the common room every now and then for a hot meal. More often than not, he would order an extra portion to, according to him, take up to his old grandfather. At other times, he would join the other guests for a game of cards or dice. His grandfather was never seen. However, seeing as the old man was not in very good health, this was not particularly surprising to anyone.
And as Kaito ensconced himself in the inn's daily activities, Shinichi studied all the newspapers and magazines available to him in order to learn everything he could about the city's current affairs. He couldn't leave their room, but he'd always liked reading a lot more than socializing anyway. He was more than happy to leave the idle chitchatting to Kaito.
The storm raged on for almost three entire weeks. Shinichi wouldn't have been surprised if the whole city had washed away. Still, it was a relaxing time in its own way.
It would have been better if the weather didn't make the whole atmosphere so gloomy. It was like it was night time twenty four –seven. The sun was nothing but a distant memory. They ended up lighting up batches of candles every now and then in addition to the lamps. The biggest relief from the storm, however, turned out to be that giant bath tub. Shinichi found himself thinking that maybe it would be nice to have one of their own installed back at the castle. There was certainly something to be said for a hot soak in a spacious pool, especially with the icy rain pounding relentlessly at the windows all day and night. Shinichi had never felt the need for sunlight so acutely as he did those few weeks. There was, however, nothing to be done for it.
Sighing, he leaned his head against Kaito's shoulder, eyelids fluttering against the drowsiness brought on by the hot water and warm, humid air. It was like having your own private hot spring, he thought a bit dreamily. That being said, they should probably be getting out soon. But he was just too comfortable to move.
"I'm glad you're here with me, you know," Kaito said suddenly, breaking the peaceful silence. "I'd be bored out of my mind if I was stuck here by myself."
Shinichi arched an eyebrow, though he didn't bother to open his eyes or move from his comfortable position resting against Kaito's side. "What, so now I exist to entertain you, do I?"
Kaito chuckled. "Well, I am your master. But that's not what I meant." Using the arm he had wrapped around Shinichi's waist, he pulled his beloved onto his lap, tucking Shinichi's head under his chin. "I don't know if I ever told you this, but I never feel restless when I'm around you. When I first found out that Dad was murdered, I was furious. I couldn't think of anything but getting back at them. You were the one who helped me find my way back from that. Thank you. I don't know what kinds of things I might have done if I'd continued down that path. Probably nothing I'd be proud of."
Shinichi blushed as butterflies flitted about in his stomach. He personally believed that Kaito would have been able to choose the right path on his own given time, but it still meant a lot to hear the magician say such things. "You don't have to thank me," he said softly. "I… I want to stay with you. And I'll gladly do whatever I can to help you."
A small smile tugged at the corners of the magician's lips. He buried his nose in Shinichi's soft, somewhat damp hair. Whatever happened, he vowed to himself that he would make sure they made it through together.
-0-
When the storm finally ended and the sun peeped out across the city for the first time in what felt like years, the ginger-haired man with the mustache was seen escorting his elderly grandfather out of the inn. The old man was almost bent double and shuffled along at a pace little better than a snail's. His left foot dragged a little too. No one gave them a second thought, though a few did wave and call out farewells.
Still in their disguises, Kaito and Shinichi had taken a carriage all the way to the next town. There, they slipped into a crowded tavern and out through its back door. In the darkness behind the building, Kaito altered their disguises.
"That's not much of a disguise," Shinichi said a bit anxiously as he examined Kaito's appearance. The magician had disguised his hair and eye color, and his hair was neater, but he could still see Kaito behind the changes.
"I know it isn't great," Kaito replied, setting to work on Shinichi. "But I need this disguise."
"Isn't it about time you tell me what you're planning?"
"In due time."
Shinichi sighed. A few minutes later, he was spluttering.
"Kaito! What's the meaning of this?"
The magician's shark grin was a white slash in the darkness. "Simple. You're going to be my fiancé. You followed me to the city, and we are now trying to get on our proverbial feet. You are an intelligent young woman with a good education. But you were born with a severe stutter that has led you to prefer silence. Your name is Shina."
"…So if that's who I am, who are you?" Shinichi asked dryly.
"I, my dear, am your devoted lover and future husband for whom you were willing to leave your home and family. We met seven years ago when my family moved into the town where you lived. Our first meeting was under an apple tree when an apple I was picking fell on your head just as you were settling down to read—"
"Seriously? That's how you want us to have met? You hitting me on the head with an apple?"
"Well, why not?"
"…"
"Anyhow, we got to being friends after that. We both wanted to go out and see the world. I was able to venture out both on my own and with others several times as I helped my father with his business as a tinker. Now that we're old enough though, we intend to strike out on our own to seek our fortune. But first we need to make some money. And that's why we came to the city. We heard that this was a place of many opportunities as well as a hub of information. Aside from funds, we'll need to learn all we can about the world if we want to go traveling around it."
"I guess at least the story makes sense…"
Kaito looked affronted. "Of course it makes sense. Remember who you're talking to. A disguise without a reasonably believable back story would be pretty useless for our purposes."
Shinichi fingered a lock of his new wig then smoothed a hand over the dress. He supposed he would just have to believe that Kaito knew what he was doing.
-0-
"You say you would like a job?" Oyumi Toto asked in surprise as he looked over the young man and woman seated before him. He remembered this young man from that night a few weeks ago when the guy had sought refuge from the storm in the Oyumi household. He was a bright, cheerful fellow with a good head on his shoulders. His manner was polite and sincere but lively. Oyumi Toto nodded to himself. "We do currently have a few openings. Business has been booming. Tell me, do you know anything about how to determine the quality of a product?"
"Well, my old man was a tinker by trade, so I know a few things about working metal. He always told me I had a good eye for craftsmanship as well."
"I see, I see." The merchant looked thoughtful. "That could be just what we need right now, actually. Fortune is smiling upon us, it seems. You see, my people and I trade in a great variety of merchandise. We handle everything from furniture and art to textiles and raw materials. In order to make things work, we need a variety of experts who can correctly determine the value of the things we trade in. We have separate teams for buying and selling each of the types of merchandise we carry. As it happens, several of our metalwork specialists retired recently. We will have to assess your knowledge, but, if all goes well, I would be more than happy to give you one of those positions."
"Thank you very much," Kaito said sincerely. "When can I start?"
"The head of my metalwork division should be here shortly to give me a report. If you have no other plans for today, I will introduce you after our meeting. If you pass his test then I see no reason why you can't get started right away."
"That would be perfect," Kaito assured him with a broad smile. "In the meantime, do you know where my lady and I might be able to find some decent lodgings? We've been staying in an inn, but it's a little too expensive for us to stay in long term."
"Ah, I understand. As it turns out, there is an apartment complex not far from here. The rooms are small, but it is well maintained, and the rent is reasonable. Many of my employees lodge there. You can go take a look. If it is not to your liking then I will recommend somewhere else."
-0-
"well, here we are," Kaito declared, sweeping his arms out to either side in a grandiose gesture. "Our new home."
Shinichi looked around the small apartment. It consisted of two rooms. Both were small, but it was clean. He was pleasantly surprised by the presence of a hearth. The floor was bare wood. A small bathroom opened off of the bedroom. There was no furniture.
"We're going to have to see about getting a bed and a table to start with," he said, thinking aloud.
Kaito hummed in agreement. He was pacing around the room, carefully erecting safety spells. "I can charm the windows to show you in your disguise to anyone who might look in from outside, but you'll have to make sure to put the disguise on if the windows are actually open. It goes without saying you'll need to be in disguise whenever you go outside, but that also applies to any time you might open the door. Even if it's just to receive a delivery or something."
"I'll remember."
"All right then. Let's go shopping."
"I'll make a list of the things we need."
-0-
The address they had been given for the destination of their delivery turned out to belong to a large and rather intimidating building situated on the fringe of one of the city's largest business districts. From the outside, it was rather difficult to discern what kind of establishment it was. Shinichi had thought at first that it was some kind of financial establishment like a bank or a money lender. But when he'd asked one of the passersby, he'd been told that the place seemed to deal with real estate, though the source of his information hadn't been all too sure about the details or even what the place was called. Pretending to be browsing the dresses in the shop across the street, Shinichi kept a close eye on the small handful of people who went in and out of the nondescript building.
Everyone who came and went was very well dressed, he noted. Not only that, but they all carried themselves like they knew they were important. None of them ever came or left with packages that he could see. Then he chanced to overhear two of the suited visitors talking as they left the building. Their discussion had been about a large plot of land and their plans for building upon it. Yet another visitor had left muttering something about remodeling costs and current rental prices. So it really was some kind of real estate agency.
But why would a real estate agency want the king's ring?
"Miss, I think this one would look lovely on you."
Startled, Shinichi turned to find one of the dress shop's assistants holding a white dress out to him. The young man blushed when he saw Shinichi's blank look.
He coughed lightly. "I'm sorry if I startled you. It's just that you've been examining our selection for so long that I thought you might need a little help." Now, he smiled. It was a warm and very encouraging smile. He held the dress out again. "If you'd like to try it on, we do have dressing rooms in the back."
"O—oh, uh, thank you," Shinichi stammered, blushing as well. Since he couldn't say he was only there to spy on the establishment on the other side of the street and not wanting to come across as unnatural, Shinichi accepted the proffered dress. "Um, c—can you show me?"
"To the dressing rooms?"
Shinichi nodded.
"It would be my pleasure. They're right this way."
Fifteen minutes later, Shinichi left the dress shop with the white dress in a bag. He hadn't planned to buy the thing. On the other hand, his disguise could use a few extra changes of clothes. It would be unnatural to wear the same two sets of clothes every day.
"Please come again!" the shop assistant who had helped him called out as he left. Was it just Shinichi, or did his tone sound rather hopeful? How strange. Dismissing the thought as inconsequential, Shinichi scanned the neighboring buildings.
He didn't want to leave the area yet. He wanted to observe the real estate agency a little longer. But he couldn't continue to hang out in the dress shop—at least not for the rest of today. It would look strange and draw unwanted attention. So where could he stay that wouldn't take notice of a young woman hanging around for a while without company?
A coffee shop of some kind would have been ideal, but the only coffee shop on the street was at the corner of the block. It was much too far away to be a good place to watch from. The shop directly to the dress shop's right was a noodle shop, but they had yet to open their doors for dinner time. On the dress shop's other side was a shoe shop. Shinichi eyed it for a long moment then turned away. While you could spend a great deal of time trying on shoes, he would likely run into the same problem he had at the dress shop. That left the gambling house planted right next to his target building and the art gallery on its other side. The gambling house had no windows and wasn't suitable for a young lady alone anyway. Not to mention Shinichi had never approved of such places anyway. The art gallery, on the other hand, was promising. No one would fault you for standing in one place to admire a piece of art for a long time. And the place did have windows.
Art gallery it was then.
It was because he had to walk right past the target building's door to reach the art gallery that he saw the tiny letters engraved on an equally tiny placard next to the building's main door. It said "Chojin and Associates". He noted down the name and proceeded into the gallery. He felt like he'd seen that name somewhere before…
-0-
Shinichi stopped by the noodle shop to order some food to go before heading back home. The moment he got there, he pulled out the most recent newspapers they had and began leafing through their pages, searching. He found what he was looking for in the adds section of the paper from five days ago. He read it over carefully then grinned to himself. This was perfect. He'd just found their way in.
"Well you look happy," a voice remarked from right behind him. "Care to share the good news?"
Shinichi jumped. Jerking his head around, he glared at the grinning magician behind him. "Stop sneaking up on me already. And weren't you supposed to be negotiating a deal right now? Don't tell me you forgot."
"Of course not," Kaito said with an indignant snort. "I never forget anything. It just so happens that I got the owners of that foundry to agree to our deal in half the predicted time." He smirked. "Stand in awe at my awesome negotiation skills."
"Blue eyes narrowed slightly. "You didn't use your magic to make them agree, did you?"
"Pfft. I know better than to do that. No point giving my identity away for a little thing like a trading deal."
"That's good then." Shinichi glanced back down at the newspaper in his hands. He considered it for a moment before turning to show it to Kaito. "This is the place."
Kaito took the paper and read over the add Shinichi had pointed out. "Chojin and Associates. A real estate agency. That's interesting. What would a real estate agency want with a ring for magical protection?"
"I'm not sure. I didn't manage to actually see any of the people who actually work there. Yet. But, as you can see from that add there, they're looking to hire a new accountant right now. If the position hasn't been filled yet then I may be able to get in this way."
"You mean you're going to apply for this accounting position," Kaito said slowly. "And then go work for these people?"
"I could have sworn that that was what I just said."
"No."
"What?"
"I said no, you're not going."
Shinichi frowned. "Why? This is the perfect opportunity. It would be stupid to just let it slip by us. And you can't go. Even if your disguise wasn't too much like yourself, you've already got a busy job that you can't shirk if we want to keep up appearances. Besides, I'm good with things like book keeping."
"I'm not doubting your skills. I won't allow you to go spend your days in confined spaces with no windows with such shady people."
Shinichi's lips thinned. "That's ridiculous. First of all, you don't know for sure if these people are actually dangerous or not. For all we know, they could be another unwitting relay point. And secondly, you promised you wouldn't leave me out of things anymore. That means I'm part of this now, and I will do what I can to help."
"You also promised me that you would stay safe."
Shinichi's expression softened. "I'll be careful. It's not like I'm going to fight anyone. I'm just going to gather information."
Kaito made a dissatisfied face, but he could see that his beloved wasn't going to change his mind. He briefly toyed with the idea of using his magic to force Shinichi to stay, but he dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. Shinichi would never forgive him if he did, and Kaito didn't want to risk Shinichi's trust in him like that.
"If you insist on doing this then wait one day before you go in for the application."
"But that increases the chance that someone else will get the position first."
"Wait a day or don't go at all. I'm serious. I'll need about a day to create suitable protective charms for you."
"Oh." Shinichi looked down. It wasn't like he wanted to make Kaito worry. He knew first hand how terrible it was to be worried for the safety of someone you cared for. But he had to do this. "Okay then."
-0-
"Is something bothering you? You've been a bit quiet all morning."
Kaito looked up from where he'd been sorting through a crate full of silverware to smile at the girl helping him with the cataloguing. "I'm sorry if I seem a bit distracted today. It's just that my Shina's going in for a job interview today. I'm a little worried about how she'll do." He was hoping Shinichi didn't get the position, but that would be a strange thing to say.
"Oh, I see," the girl said with a light laugh. "You two are so sweet. Anyway, where's she interviewing at?"
"It's some real estate place called Chojin and Associates. They're looking for an accountant."
There was a clatter as the pen his assistant had been writing with bounced across the floor. She scrambled to retrieve it. Pen in hand, she returned to the small work table with the open ledgers she'd been writing in. She didn't resume her work though. Instead, she turned to give Kaito an anxious look, face pale.
"Are you sure it was Chojin and Associates?"
"That is what the add said," he agreed. He found himself tensing. That reaction had not been normal. "Why?"
"O—oh, uh, it's probably nothing." The girl laughed. The sound was a little too high to be natural.
Kaito stepped around the row of boxes he'd been sorting the silverware into and placed his hands lightly on the girl's shoulders. Catching her gaze, he stared deep into her eyes. "Please, Mina, tell me. I need to know."
The girl hesitated a moment before letting her breath out in a soft sigh. "Really though, it shouldn't be anything to worry about. It's just that Lord Chojin—he's the owner of Chojin and Associates—is notorious around these parts for being a hard man. He's never come out on the losing end of a business deal. He's strict with his employees, but he's also said to be fair to the ones who work well. You just have to follow his rules and don't ask questions. But there was a spot of trouble about three months ago." Pulling away from him, Mina moved to lean against the table. "That was when it was discovered that his accountant had been embezzling money. Two nights later, the man was found dead. He was stabbed through the heart. It was never proved, but most people in the city think that Lord Chojin had him killed. And it isn't the first time people who've angered him have met with bad accidents or untimely ends. It's all rumor though," she added hastily, seeing the expression on Kaito's face. "Like I said, for the most part, people say he's just a very serious, no-nonsense kind of guy who's strict with everyone."
"I see." Kaito returned to the crates, frowning. Part of him wanted to head over to the company right now and drag Shinichi home, but that would be over reacting. If anyone could work diligently and honorably twenty four seven, it was his Shinichi. "Thank you for telling me."
Shinichi shouldn't have any problems with a strict working environment. Although the boy did have a stubborn streak a mile wide and a tendency to be rather blunt, especially when he disapproved of something. He was the kind of person who would stick to his morals even in the face of harsh consequences. If his new boss was just strict, there wouldn't be a problem. But if the man was doing anything underhanded in his business…
Shinichi wasn't stupid though. He knew that the people he was going to be working with could be criminals. He should know better than to go talking back to them.
He would know better just so long as he didn't get too caught up in his thoughts.
Kaito cursed under his breath. He had to finish up his work for the day quickly. Once he had all this stuff sorted, he still had to deliver it to the proper venues. Once that was done though, he would have some free time. He could go check on Shinichi then.
It was as he was leaving the restaurant where he'd made his last delivery that he saw them.
Slipping into the shadows between the buildings, he watched as two grim-faced men in heavy cloaks walked by. He'd always had a good memory for faces, and he recognized these men as being among those who had attacked him and Shinichi all those weeks ago. Damn.
He debated with himself for a minute, but he couldn't pass up this opportunity. He would just have to trust that Shinichi was okay for now. Casting a quick illusion spell over himself, he moved to follow the two cloaked men.
-To Be Continued-