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

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Lure

Chapter 17 – Contemplations of a Best Friend

Nakamori Aoko drummed her fingers on the table. She was the only person sitting at the table. This even though it was already fifteen minutes after the time that they had agreed they would meet this morning for breakfast. Her father, she knew, had run into a retired police officer he knew when they'd gotten out of their room that morning. Naturally, it was only polite to say hello and catch up a bit on old times. Therefore, it was no surprise that her father had yet to make it to the table. Aoko had gone ahead because she was expecting her boyfriend and a certain childhood friend to be meeting her there. Neither of them had been there.

Now, Kaito being late she could understand. True, he was usually pretty punctual, but he also wasn't above skipping out on an appointment when he found something else he was interested in.

Saguru, on the other hand, took a lot of pride in being on time. So where was he? If he was late because he'd run into a case, he would have called or texted her. Was he in trouble? Ah! She hated waiting.

"Aoko! I'm so sorry I'm late."

"What took you so long?" the inspector's daughter demanded, looking around to see Hakuba Saguru hurrying to the table. She frowned when he pulled out a chair and slumped into it. All her irritation instantly turned to concern. "Are you okay? You don't look very well."

"I am only a little groggy," he assured her, pinching the bridge of his nose. To be honest, his head felt heavy and muzzy. It felt almost like… He frowned. "I am afraid that I may have been drugged."

Aoko gaped. "What? Why?"

"Perhaps to make certain that I would sleep soundly."

"Are you suggesting that Kaito drugged you?" Aoko frowned. "He doesn't have any reason to do that."

"Unless, of course, he has not actually been returning to the room at night."

Aoko sighed. "I know that Kaito likes to play pranks and bend the rules—"

Hakuba snorted at the drastic understatement.

"—but don't you think you might be being just a little too suspicious towards him? I know you still think he's KID, but it's been years, and there's never been any real proof. Have you ever thought that you might be preventing yourself from finding the real culprit because you can't admit you might be wrong about Kaito?"

Hakuba paused in surprise. "I… It isn't that I do not consider other suspects…" He hesitated again. That wasn't entirely true. It had been years since he'd seriously considered other suspects for KID. After all, he was sure that it was Kuroba. When you were sure, there was no reason to consider other possibilities. But that wasn't right at all, was it? It was sloppy to ignore other options. It was just that he was still sure… "What I meant was, I do consider other options, but, though I am sorry to have to tell you this, the probability that Kuroba is KID is too high to be dismissed. Ture, the evidence so far is all circumstantial, but even circumstantial evidence is evidence of a sort."

"What about the fact that we've both been standing right beside Kaito during KID heists before?" Aoko countered, surprising the blond again. Over the years, Aoko had developed a tendency to brush off this topic. She rarely ever pursued the issue past her initial defense of Kuroba's (questionable) character. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

"KID has at least one accomplice, maybe more," he replied because it was true. "With his skills, it would be easy for him to arrange for a stand in."

"But even if that's true, what reason could Kaito possibly have for going out and stealing things?"

"He does appear to derive an unholy pleasure from causing mass mayhem and tormenting others with abject humiliation."

Aoko supposed she couldn't in good conscience disagree with that, but she did feel that the blond detective's wording may be a tad little bit too strong. "He doesn't have to steal things to do that though. It's not like he holds back on pranking people in his everyday life."

Hakuba grimaced. That was true too, though boy did he wish it wasn't. The lives of all Ekoda residents would be a lot less stressful if it were. On the other hand… "If, as I suspect, his father was the first Kaitou KID, perhaps he is simply following in the man's footsteps."

"That's not much of a reason. Besides, Toichi-san was a hugely famous magician. Why would he have wanted to waste time being a thief? I knew him. He was very nice and a good friend of Dad's."

"Well, it could still be someone he admired."

"How can you be so sure that there was a first Kaitou KID?"

"If it were the same man, he would have to be in his late forties to fifties by now at the least. There is simply no way that a man of that age, no matter how fit, would be able to perform the athletic feats KID pulls."

Aoko sighed, looking down as she fiddled with her water glass. "Why does it…matter so much?"

He frowned slightly. "I am not sure what you mean. Why does what matter?"

"Making Kaito out to be KID."

"It isn't about making anyone out to be anything. It's about uncovering a criminal." It wasn't like he was trying to frame anyone. The Kaitou KID was a criminal. Criminals had to be arrested. The law didn't—and shouldn't—make exceptions.

Aoko swallowed another sigh. She could see that he really believed what he was saying, and, technically, that dogged dedication was one of the things she liked about him. But she couldn't help but feel sometimes that he could learn to be a little more flexible. She really was worried that he was going to hold himself back by being too insistent on proving particular conclusions. The problem was that that was something he was going to have to get over on his own. It had just been bothering her lately because he'd started accusing Kaito of kidnapping people. Stealing was one thing. It was bad, but kidnapping was another thing entirely. Kidnapping was only a step away from murder. And no matter how much of a troublemaker Kaito was, Aoko would never believe that he would go that far. He was a prankster, but he wouldn't go out of his way to hurt people.

Was there any way she could help clear Kaito's name once and for all?

"A hem."

Both Hakuba and Aoko jumped in their seats. They turned to find a waiter standing by their table. The man's eye was twitching.

"May I please take your oders?" he asked in the manner of someone who had already said the same thing many times.

When Kaito arrived a few minutes later, it was to find both the detective and the inspector's daughter looking pale and rather shaken.

"What happened to you two?" he asked, dropping into an empty seat. "You look like you've both seen ghosts."

Aoko glanced around as though expecting something terrible to be lurking behind her then shoved her menu at him. "You better pick what you want quickly. Trust me, you don't want to keep that waiter waiting."

"Ooookay. I'll remember that."

It wasn't until all their food had arrived that the atmosphere at their table relaxed.

"What were you up to last night?" Hakuba asked, turning to Kaito with narrowed eyes.

The magician rolled his eyes. "I was sleeping, duh."

"You were not in the room when I got there."

"That would be because I got back after you started snoring."

"Why were you out so late?"

"Jeez, Mom, just because I didn't have dinner with you lot doesn't mean I didn't need to eat."

"But—"

Aoko cleared her throat loudly. "There's going to be a paddleboat race later. Why don't we all go together?"

"A boat race?" Kaito repeated, interest piqued. "That sounds like it could be fun. Are there any prizes if you win?"

"Yeah. The first three teams to finish the race will get a free, full course meal. They'll get to choose from any of the resort's three specialties: salmon, black cod, or sea bass."

Kaito's interest died a horrible death. "That's not a prize, that's a punishment."

Aoko huffed. "That's a mean thing to say, you know. Full course meals are expensive!"

"So, if I win, do you think they'd let me have my prize in cash instead?"

"I seriously doubt it."

"Oh well. Have fun at the race then. I'll pass."

"But Ran said her famly's going to be there too. I think you should meet her. I'm sure you'll like her."

"I don't have to join the boating to meet her," Kaito pointed out. "I'll head over to the lake with you when we're done here and say hi."

Aoko brightened. "Great."

This was perfect, she thought. If this worked out the way she hoped, it could clear Kaito's name for good. She just had to keep her fingers crossed.

-0-

Nakamori Ginzo joined up with them shortly before they finished their breakfast. He ordered a sandwich to go, and the four of them headed to the shores of the lake where the resort's boats were docked. There was already a small crowd milling about the area, chatting and laughing as they waited for the race. A table had been set up off to the side where teams could register. Kaito and Nakamori-keibu found a spot on one of the benches situated along the shore as Aoko and Hakuba went to register for the race.

When they got back, they had Aoko's lookalike with them. The girl looked a bit frazzled, but she managed to put on a smile when she greeted Nakamori-keibu and Kaito.

"So you're the magician that Aoko keeps telling me about," she'd said as she looked him up and down, smiling. "My name is Mouri Ran. I've been to two of your shows with a friend of mine. They're really amazing! It's very nice to meet you."

Kaito waved away her enthusiasm with a smug grin. "Thanks." He flicked his wrist. A yellow rose popped into existence, and he handed it to her. "It's encouraging to hear that someone appreciates my work."

"Don't let that modest act fool you," Aoko said from beside Ran. "He's about as far from modest as it's possible to get. He just likes to pretend that he's a gentleman."

Kaito put on a mock wounded expression. "My dear Aoko, what have I ever done to you to make you think so poorly of me?"

"I'm just telling her the truth." The inspector's daughter turned to Ran again, face earnest. "He kind of lies a lot, and his sense of humor is kind of warped—

"What?" Kaito spluttered in indignation. "My sense of humor is not warped! Just because I have a sense of humor and the rest of you don't doesn't mean mine is warped."

"—but he's a good person and a reliable friend."

By now, Ran was laughing. Aoko looked at Kaito. The magician shrugged.

"I can see you two know each other very well," Ran said finally when her laughter had died down.

"By the way, where's Kudo-san?" Hakuba asked.

Ran grimaced. "Well, he was going to come, but one of the resort guests was just sent to the hospital because she's suffering from a severe allergic reaction. Shinichi said it was a deliberate attack. He called the local police and is working with them now."

"I see. Perhaps I should go lend them my assistance."

Aoko grabbed his arm before he could take two steps. "You can't. The boat race is going to start soon. I'm sure Kudo-kun can handle it."

"She's right," Ran agreed. "He told me he already had it mostly figured out. He was just going to look for the evidence. There's no reason for more people to miss out on the race."

"Are you participating?" asked Aoko.

"I can't. Shinichi's not here, and my parents kind of stormed off this morning. So I don't have anyone to partner with. It's too bad because I was hoping… Ah, never mind."

Aoko beamed. "Then you and Kaito can team up."

"Oh, I guess if he's okay with it…"

"Of course he's okay with it, right Kaito? You wouldn't abandon a girl in distress, would you?"

Kaito sighed. "If you put it that way, how could I refuse?"

"Perfect. You better go sign up quick. Registration closes in ten minutes."

And that was how Kuroba Kaito and Mouri Ran ended up winning the boat race. Hey, one was a karate champion and the other was the Kaitou KID. Between the two of them, they had enough athletic prowess for multiple normal people. Was it any surprise that they won?

When they received their prizes—a ticket each for a free, full course meal at the resort's best restaurant—Kaito turned and handed his to Ran.

"Here, you can have this. You were hoping to give them to your parents, right?"

Ran blushed. "I was, but… I mean, are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure."

Ran accepted the envelope, returning his grin with a smile of her own. "Thank you."

Standing just barely within earshot, Aoko let out a stifled squeal. Her plan was developing beautifuly!

Hakuba gave his girlfriend a strange look. What in the world…?

-TBC-