#anyways i love aoko and shinichi interactions give me more

[hayaku14]

a little ‘kaishin just started dating’ thing where...

kaito and shinichi are both attempting and failing to hold each other’s hands the whole day. they’re walking on the way to kaito’s house and kaito is about to reach out again to try finally holding shinichi’s hand but then out of nowhere, aoko calls after them, walks up in between, and grabs kaito’s outstretched hand and tells him something.

shinichi eyezooms to their hands, a little jealous and a little defeated cos he’s been trying to do that all day, and couldn’t stop himself when he says, “you guys are really close huh,” under his breath. kaito realizes he’s holding aoko’s hand and slightly panics but aoko doesn't let go and is like oh! lightbulb moment, and teasingly says, “kudou-kun, are you jealous?”

“w-what? no i’m not...” and aoko is like, “here, you can hold my hand too so it’s fair!” and she offers her other hand as shinichi stares at it for a second then decides to take her hand while kaito beside them is like wait what? WAIT is this really happening??! and he’s slightly jealous and he wants to say something but shinichi is like, ”oh you have calluses in your hand, do you do martial arts or-”

“mop, actually,” aoko says with a mischievous grin which gets shinichi all curious, “mop?” meanwhile kaito in his mind is like WAIT WAIT WHAT WAIT BUT I WANTED TO HOLD HIS HAND FIRST

aoko notices this and goes, “awww kaito, are you jealous too?” as she pulls shinichi closer by his hand with the smuggest face ever. kaito glares and pouts and huffs a defeated little, “shut up bakaoko.” shinichi lets out a soft chuckle and offers his hand with a fond smile because he’s been wanting to do this all day. kaito smiles at him, a little shy and red, and reaches out to hold his hand.

now the three of them are all holding hands in circle and kaito’s feigning annoyance to mask his embarrassment and to stop himself from making a stupid dopey smile that he knows aoko will tease him for later.

“okay now what? we can’t even walk like this!” and aoko’s like “it’s fine, bakaito! stop ruining the moment!” as shinichi laughs beside them.

meanwhile, hakuba, who was on his way to aoko’s house to see her, caught up with them and is seeing this happen from a few meters away. he squints in disbelief and is like what the hell is happening there with a caption that says he is aoko’s boyfriend LOL

hakuba walks up to the three and he’s like, “do i even want to know what’s going on?” aoko beams and raises her and kaito’s joined hands to wave at him excitedly.

“saguru-kun! come here and hold my hand too!” hakuba looks at kaito and shinichi with a brow raised and he immediately goes in between aoko and shinichi and kaito’s like, “hey! no holding my shinichi!!!”

“I much prefer holding kudou’s hand than yours, thank you very much,” hakuba says as shinichi chuckles. aoko playfully sulks and goes, “you prefer kudou-kun?” and kaito jumps in and goes, “OH MY GOD HAKUBA I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WOULD BETRAY AOKO LIKE THIS YOU MONSTER!!”

shinichi is still snickering when hakuba decides to play their game and takes shinichi’s hand from aoko. “well, he does have nice hands.”

shinichi bursts into laughter when both kaito and aoko go bug-eyed.

[pemebi]

seeing ur akako and shinichi au makes me so happy, cuz I so much WISH they interacted more (knowing that it'll never happen, the same way I wish kaito and ai interacted more lol) thinking about akako reminded me how she can never cry or she'll lose her magic as a witch, I honestly wished that was explored more orz

I have so many feelings about Akako, like, the whole "Magic and demons are real" thing... like, that's... that's a big thing? I know Kaito manga have similar vibes to Ranma 1/2 and similar stuff, comedy with some action, if is funny is added, no biggie, but now that Kaito and Conan stories are super intertwined I feel like I can't ignore Akako.

She exists, She can predict stuff, and she has *MAGICAL POWERS* that could kill if she wanted, but prefers to be loved (Even if it is an artificial love) She aggressively likes Kaito, and acts all evil but in the end, she helps him, She doesn't like Aoko but plays silly pranks on her (Well, at least in one chapter where she teaches Aoko a silly spell) and that needs to feel loved by everyone, I find that super sad, like, she needs to use a spell because she doesn't believe anyone can love as she is, or maybe it is just a silly gag and I'm reading too much

Idk, most stories and fanfics use her to move the story to a more fantastic setting (I like that too!) but I find her as a person to be interesting, like a Character in the wrong story, misplaced but wanting to fit anyway, even if is via force. Like someone who wants to be super cool but in reality, is not

I wanted to make a cool doodle but I guess I'm a bit ded, hahaha

I'm sorry Akako, I decided to give you ShinichiPhobia because it is funny.

But I promise Shinichi is a cutie

[nemuri-no-kid]

It's me, the fic request anon... I hope this doesn't sound rude, but are you going to answer it? It's completely fine if you don't!! I'm just super curious and I keep checking your profile but it never shows!! :) (Sorry I'm being pushy it's been a few weeks now...)

Wait, who’s rude here again? It’s rather me who’s seemingly ignored you. But it wasn’t like that, I swear! But I guess you’d prefer to see an actual answer (finally) instead of excuses, so here you go! (You have some incredible timing though, like I’d post it today anyway - the joy of having cold) I apparently can’t make a simple list and it got ridiculously long, so I’m putting it under Read more. Does tagging people even work under Read more btw? If not then well, I suppose I failed a bit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway. You’re probably already aware of this, but I feel I should point out that Kaito is my dearest boy, and therefore pretty much everything what I’m going to mention here is more or less about him. Contrary to appearances it won’t be only KaiShin, but I admit there’s a lot of that. Also, you won’t find here too many long stories, as I rarely read fics with more than 50k words unless I’d started them before they got so long. I mean, I do have quite a few saved and waiting to be read and I’m sure they’re all amazing, but at the end of the day I usually prefer sleeping than night-reading and yeah. Ok, let’s start:

So, did someone say KaiShin? Because you know, Shinichi is my second dearest boy, and when both of my boys are happy together it’s just the best thing. One of first writers who shown and are keep showing me the joy of reading about these two is @rachello344. Many of Rachel’s fics are only prompts, so they are pretty short and that’s a real shame, but they’re still worth reading! I think my favourite stories are these two and honestly I could read them over and over again - asexual Kaito is good, the fake-but-not-really marriage of these two dorks was the best thing and please write more self-indulgent stuff

@lunarscaped (Luna Darkside)’s oneshots steadily get longer and longer but I definitely don’t mind~ Some of the most memorable to me are Penumbra (a.k.a. only Shinichi could write a romance by accident), Darling, So It Goes (undercover mission and more of oblivious Shinichi) and Ease (just. asfadsfgdga) but really, they’re all good

House of Cards is a beautiful story of Kaito taking care of Shin-chan the Dove written by V. Shalyr (how Ai managed to make that pill will forever remain a mystery though); my other faves are With Each Season (it’s beautifull too), Paper Trail (funny short piece in which Kaito is too good at being bad, somebody stop him), Countdown to Forever (good old taking BO down together) and On Wings of White (aww, these two)

Alaena F. Dragonstar’s Win Some, Lose Some and Shadow of a Smile followed by Echo of a Laugh are all good examples of A+ writing. Boys, it will be fine, you have each other. Check the profile for more good stuff~

All ToukoTai’s fics are good, but Life In Technicolor is good, and then there is this Flower shop AU KaiShin Give A Little which includes Shinichi convincing Kaito to become Kid, and if isn’t that ironic

This Little Thing I Have by teawithmochi is a really nice piece - Conan overthinks his situation, but what are annoying phantom thieves for?

solomonara’s Getting Off Track - did I say something about overthinking? This is real overthinking, boys, come on

Almost Magical by ObsidianAbyss got me by this one scene in the class - Shinichi, if you’re trying to deny you and Kid have a thing, you’re doing it wrong

I love the dialogues in dokidokidk’s The Guy Next Door, they will never be not funny for me, plus it’s a nice idea of AU

Good Soulmate AU KaiShin is not bad, and aceoftwos’s Apple Blossoms is good. Also there are locard’s exchange principle series for even more of these two

Beautiful Carvings written by RavenShira is another really nice Soulmate AU. Misunderstandings are strong in this one - lesson: multiple identities don’t help in finding your soulmate

No Ghosts Need Apply by Cursed Detective is a really nice supernatural story, and Shinichi and Kaito are always a big plus for me, obviously. Kaito is sort of dead - the title may suggest as much - but such trivial detail won’t stop him, haha. And then there is a really nice (Not) Supernatural story. It’s ongoing, Shinichi is not a vampire and honestly, I love this and I need more

purple_mangosteen’s Clair de Lune series mean more KaiShin goodness, and also I’m a sucker for Conan and Kid texting each other

joisbishmyoga - I loved Rolling Snake Eyes for a good application of Kidnichi. Will Conan ever stop being so reckless though? I don’t think so. Pluralverse is about minds of three teenage detectives somehow ending up in Kid’s head, and it’s tight in there. It’s interesting, it’s good, read it. Twist the Knife is really intense and the writing is amazing, but it may not be to everyone’s taste, as rape and trauma happen and well

@kawaiibeyotch (kaitothegreat) writes mainly AoKai fics and they’re wonderful, I simply adore Aoko in these. Some nice examples are Live Life in full Bloom and Hello Incognito - these two are good AUs and have I already mentioned Aoko? There are also few HeiKazu stories which I’ve yet to read but I’m sure they’re worth trying, too

Slip and Fall, Obligation, Pride Goeth Before, Philanthropy, Heavy Silences, Never Here, Never Far and Shades of Grey by blinkblink form sort of a series and I wouldn’t make a better summary to any of them than the author, but it’s Kid and the Kid task force dealing with some actual dangers and criminals, there is action and mystery, and it’s really good written and you totally should read it

Nerves of Steel by Ellen Brand is another must read - Robo-Kaito makes a comeback and things get serious

A Perfect Act, No Little Plans, Both Dark and Deep and Forgiveness and Reunion by Candyland - a set starting from sort of cornering Kid by the police and presenting him an offer he couldn’t refuse followed by good action

@backtodc‘s piece about the Kid task force being actually competent when it comes to other crimes is both funny and brilliant, try it

The Cranes by Acier Glace is just so sweet? No pairings here, it’s just Kid making lots of paper cranes to make you believe in magic and did I say it’s sweet? Because it is

miladyFeather wrote the ridiculous The Adventures of Kudou Shinichi, Fast Food Worker which is ridiculous and I have no regrets sharing this one, even if it’s ridiculous

Now a surprise, as Love-Love Daisakusen by neonquincy1217 is Makoko/Sonoko! Where’s the catch? Well, remember Doito Katsuki? *wink*

When I think of quality SaguKai, I think of @5160763 (OrphanText). There is good KaiShin, too, but both examples I’m putting here happen to be SaguKai, so. Anyway. The way Kaito and Saguru are written, I simply love it. And How we begin is so good? Also, In the language of the birds. I read it while it was being put on Tumblr in small fragments and boy, every new fragment was making me so happy

The Hattori-Kudo Files is a set of few cases solved by Heiji and Conan (who could’ve thought that?), written by MeridianGrimm - I believe the last one isn’t finished, but the others are really interesting! And then there are some nice SaguShin and SaguKai fics, too~

I picked five of Mikauzoran’s fics for different reasons but again, I recommend trying all others as well: The Fifth Detective (Kaito’s reasoning is funny and brilliant, he needs a hug though), The Pit: A Romance and Quietly Starving (SaguKai, these dorks), Healing Heartbreak for the Holidays (SaguKaiShin? That’s even more dorks), and Coming to Terms (KaiRan - usually I prefer it platonic but this one really got me, also interactions with Conan? It was a pleasure to read)

Dressed to Impress by Lisa Telramor is a really nicely written SaguKai oneshot, for all your SaguKai needs

Addy01’s When the travel bug bites is a sweet story about Shinichi travelling the world to find his way in life again and befriending some magician thieves along the way. You made me reread it and I don’t regret anything

In case of Operation: Gift Wrap by Boogum I’ll just copy the author’s summary as it’s explanatory enough: ‘Sera Masumi was used to being mistaken for a boy. She was not used to being mistaken for Kaitou Kid.’

Critique written by Eliryn is a short but really nice piece. “Looks just like the real thing, doesn’t it?”

AngelicSentinel’s the suffering of fools was already amazing as a oneshot, so when more chapters appeared one day I was overjoyed. It’s KaiShin and it’s good. Also, the author is one of the only two (look below) which I trust enough to blindly read their ShinRan fics. Like, I have nothing against ShinRan, and I kind of ship it while being in Canon Mode, but I don’t go and read fics about them at all, so this is quite an achievement. Read their other pieces, too, they’re really worth reading!

Cost of Freedom by @mintchocolateleaves? OMG, Cost of Freedom. Read Cost of Freedom. I love both the plot and the characterizations, it’s amazing, read it. It’s ongoing and you’ll suffer because of that, but read it. And while suffering, try other ongoing fics: The Innocence Game, Law Unto Themselves and various oneshots. Like, I can blindly recommend each and every fic Mint wrote, even ShinRan. Cost of Freedom though

Next, Taliya - I recommend all present and future fics. My faves are Without Fanfare (my heart though), Search and Recovery and Recompense (the kind of Kidnichi enactment I approve and aftermath), A Word of Caution (Ai and Kaito as the main characters? Yes, please) and TMPD Antics (it’s simply hilarious)

lucathia’s 4-6-4-9 is a oneshot about Conan getting disturbing encrypted message and trying to find the sender. Oh, and there was some murder, too

A Snowy Meeting (followed by ongoing Hidden Friendship) by angelwingsonline puts Kaito in DC movies, starting from Quarter of Silence, and lets him befriend and exchange messages with Conan. I love this concept

Ichthyophobia’s Mirror Mirror and Two-faced, Half-faced are really funny - the former has really nice interactions between Shinichi, Kaito and the bad guy, while the latter… Let’s say that Kid fixing Subaru’s face is my aesthetic. And then there is Shaking Hands about Kaito not being really able to do magic anymore but getting help and somehow overcoming it and it’s beautiful. And again, check other fics too~

I liked the idea of Shinichi with grapheme synesthesia working in forensics in Number the Stars by The Sand Assassin. Then there are sweet KaiShin fics: Kaitou the Snowman (Akako, stop) and Dakimakura (it’s just a shirt Conan, you’re making Kid sad)

Yannami’s A Criminal’s Fiasco is a good example of why taking Kaito hostage is a bad idea. Poor criminals

@kkrazy256 (kakashikrazy256) likes making Kaito suffer. A lot. In all possible ways. And I really mean that. If that’s your thing, then check it out. And if it is not, there are the mild ones I like coming back to: Early Snow (this was literally my first fic in this fandom, I’m sentimental ok - also Shinichi and Kaito, come on), Mr Barista (Mystery Train aftermath starring Bourbon and Kid) and Sympathy From the Devil (or how could OVA 10 end if the bad guys weren’t so dramatically bad at being bad). As for the rest, you were warned, haha

In Elirius’s Put on a Smile and Take me Apart Kaito definitely doesn’t cope well with his situation. Somebody help him *sobs*

Hostage situation and platonic KidRan anyone? In that case, Irreplaceable by LostInTheDreams is the thing you need. As for other stories, I can only vouch for these with Kaito, but my boy is suffering a lot. Again

Unfair by Frozen-Infinity, but only if you want your heart to break, my boy is dying and this is unfair

StoryWriter369’s Broken Record makes my heart ache every time because immortal Kaito is not what should ever happen, but I’m doing this to myself from time to time anyway *sobs more*

Hebiaczek’s The fox and hounds is an ongoing story and to be honest I’m not up to date, but what I’ve read was a really amazing writing, and exactly the kind of plot I like the best. Because. The plot.

I loved Externalities by 873.25 and I hope Internalities will be continued. Characters are written so well, and both concepts are really intriguing. Try it and you won’t regret it

And last but definitely not least: kittebasu’s A Study in Scarlette - it’s a must-read. There is a good plot, there is Kaishin and it’s truly amazing, and did I say something at the beginning about not reading long fics? So this one is very long and I still read it, so it really does say somehing

I 100% missed at least few people and I’m totally going to regret it later, but let’s say I’m finished. See you in few weeks Anon, haha

[darkspace7]

Mutualism

"Two lonely souls in an empty room strike up a conversation to reminisce about the days gone by and eventually come to an understanding." [Part 2 of "Elpis"]

Words: 5,700+

Rating: T

A/N: This piece is a continuance set in the same verse as my prior fic "What Lay Within" of which is set in an alternate bad-end future ten years post canon and explores the dynamic between Shinichi Kudo and his teenaged apprentice Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya as the two attempt to navigate their lives after the fall of the Black Organization.

Contains some mentions of past/implied character death, (established) Hakuba/Aoko and Ayumi/Genta going on in the background, and our boys just generally having a bad time.

I dedicate this fic to my old laptop computer who managed to carry both me and my writing along for the greater half of eight years before it finally beeped it's last boop. My old friend, what with your cracked screen, half-broken spacebar, and semi-functioning usb ports will never be forgotten.

Detective Conan/Magic Kaito (c) Gosho Aoyama

The chatter of the crowded reception hall faded to the background as the teen shifted his awareness inward. 'Alright, I recall them mentioning they would be around here somewhere...' He stared out at the sea of unfamiliar faces that swam in and out of his vision from his little bubble amongst the crowd. 'So where...'

"Mitsuhiko-kun!"

His head swiveled to face the direction from where the call emanated and not a moment later he caught sight of the beaming pair that had flagged him over. With a smile he wove his way through the throng of well-dressed bodies to reach the massive spanse of window. "Forgive me if I made you two wait for too long but I kind of ran into a bit of trouble attempting to locate you through well-" He gestured out to the sprawl before them, "-all this. But I must say, the view from this spot is rather exquisite." The teen gave an appreciative glance to the manicured garden that lay just beyond the panes of glass.

"Oh don't trouble yourself too much about it. The fact that you were even able to come at all is what really matters. Isn't that right Genta?" A somewhat pointed look was leveled at the larger teen who nodded in response.

"Yeah. Took your sweet damn time too. Thought you'd never get your ass over here." The snorted comment made around a forkful of cake earned a sharp retort from his partner.

"And whose fault would that be? If a certain somebody had stayed over where he had promised to wait instead of getting distracted by some slices of raspberry-lemon cake then maybe he wouldn't have had to come looking for us."

Another bite disappeared into his maw as he shrugged, "They were gonna run out if I didn't 'Yumi. Totally worth it if you ask me." He gestured to the stocky teen with his utensil. "'Sides not like he cares, right?"

Ayumi's response to this was nothing more than an utterly flat look aimed at the teen. "Genta-"

Having sensed the ominous turn in the conversation, the freckled teen cut off the soon to be diatribe with a shake of the head. "No, no! Don't worry, like Kojima-kun said, it isn't that big of a deal. Really." Mitsuhiko tacked on at the sight of her dubious stare. "Anyway..." Quickly, he sought to drag the conversation's flow into somewhat different waters with the hope that it would distract his friend from her ire with the crass teen.

"I've been meaning to ask, are you entirely certain it is alright for me to be here with you guys?" A touch of hesitance flavoured his tone as he cast a slightly nervous glance around the room. "I mean it isn't as if I received an official invitation after all."

"Dude, chill. Back when we were still bringing stuff in I went and asked Aoko-san if my girlfriend could tag along and she seemed cool with it then so she probably wouldn't mind if another gatecrasher got tossed in the mix." The rotund teenager shrugged, "And if anyone does say anything –not that they're gonna– we could always just vouch for you." He made to spear another bit of confectionery with his fork only to have it return sans cake. At the noticeable lack of dessert on his plate he pulled a face and went on, "Besides don't you know the groom or whatever?"

"Huh? What? O-Of course!" He shook his head slightly, flustered. "Ah well...sort of? Not exactly, I know of him but I don't know him. N-Not to say I don't want to know him someday because I do. Very much." The teen froze a beat before heavily palming his heated face with a grimace, "Wait, no, that sounds…urgh." He held up a hand, "Just…give me a second."

One slow breath in –hold it– then release. Alright then, let's try this again. "Most of the information I've gathered concerning Hakuba-san is from prior case files as well as a few accounts of those who actually have had a chance to work with him. But I, myself, have never had any interactions with the man, yet. Does…Does that make any sense? So not necessarily a no but more of a… kind of?" He finished lamely, dark eyes drifting to the carpet as a dusting of red tinted his cheeks. How embarrassing.

(Though perhaps it was a good thing that, having long been party to his somewhat spastic displays, neither teen so much as batted an eyelash at this behaviour and simply moved on with a nonchalant half-shrug and a muttered "close enough".)

"Say Genta..." The girl turned to her partner, presumably to ask him a question or something of that nature before suddenly; she stopped and narrowed her eyes, head tilting to the side ever just so.

"…What?" He shied away a bit, somewhat startled (and mildly unnerved) by the set of blues now focused so intently upon him.

"Ah…You have a little bit of something…Hold on, let me get it for you." She began to rifle through her bag in complete disregard to the other's protests.

Previous embarrassment willfully forgotten in favour of this new bit of intrigue, the long familiar urge to just sit back and watch how things unfolded welled forth unbidden. And he allowed it; having settled back against the glass to tune in for the latest episode of his favourite show.

"Hey h-hold on just a minute! Ugh, here we go again." The teen groaned in mock exasperation, "Just because there's an itty-bitty mess every now and again doesn't make it so you have to go all forensics on us 'Yumi. Seriously, there's really no need to go digging through that thing." He said as he eyed the handbag with the same level of wariness as one would give a particularly vicious wild animal that was keyed to go off if one even dared to breathe wrong in their general direction. Which, knowing some of Ayumi's more experimental trinkets... wasn't an incorrect assumption.

"Oh, you sure about that?" She drawled, having finally located and tugged free her handkerchief (an older pastel number that seemed to have been worn soft from use) from where it had lay and went to work. "I mean, what with how you're always such a huge mess around those sweet treats." A teasing lilt played at painted lips as she tapped the solitary remnant of his sugary dessert. "Dear."

"Come on." He sputtered. A vibrant streak of red lit up tanned features as he seemed steadfastly determined to look anywhere but young woman before him. "That's just unfair." Genta grumbled with a slight whine.

"All's fair in love and war Genta, all's fair." She hummed a bit. And then frowned, "Oh for the love of...would you just hold still?" Her cheeks puffed out a bit in a pout. Tenderly, she swiped the cloth against the spot in order to collect that errant crumb. "Honestly, putting up such a fuss over a tiny piece of frosting. And...There!" She smiled triumphantly. "All gone." With a giggle she leaned up and pressed a quick peck to the tanned cheek. "Now was that so bad?" She stepped back and watched as he sputtered then proceeded to flush an even deeper shade of red.

Mitsuhiko ducked his head and turned away, valiantly attempting to fend away the smile that had threatened to form. It was always nice to see his two closest friends happy together and genuinely just enjoying the company of one another. But even so, he could not help as the smallest twinge of something settled deep within his heart. That feeling –despite its briefness– had successfully run its course, sapping away at the happiness until it was nothing but a ghost of its former self. Quickly, he fought to stave off any inkling of this from bleeding into his features lest anyone catch sight and ask him what was wrong. After all, no one wanted to be that guy at a wedding.

Exhaling slowly, he allowed himself to fall back into that familiar detached calm that had served him well in his tenure as detective. A practised eye trailed over the forms of his friends, absorbing the information present and storing it in the back of his mind for a later date. 'It's almost second nature by now,' he mused, 'to look upon something and be able to piece together a functioning narrative from every seemingly inconsequential bit and bobble scattered about.'

Even now he couldn't help but observe. Small things, such as how Ayumi's outfit appeared to be some sort of variant of a halter-neck tulle dress that meshed quite well with the black bejeweled clip pinning back her hair, or how the tiny price tag that clung stubbornly to that bag of untold horrors marked it as being from that small family-owned boutique that was less than fifteen minutes away from their current location, or even the fact that Genta had somehow managed to sneak in those fashionable sunset toned sneakers along with formal outfit that that his partner had no doubt coerced him into wearing; all of this and more was crystal clear to his inquisitive gaze.

...As was the fact that the young couple had apparently become so enamored with one another they seemed to have forgotten his presence entirely. Great. 'Nothing like seeing your two best friends making out with one another to further cement your status as the awkward third-wheel...And, yep. They're still going at it. Well, this is uncomfortable...' The youth let his attention drift out towards the reception hall in the hopes of finding something –anything– to distract himself. And not a second later it appeared as though he managed to find it in the familiar form of something –or rather– someone.

'Huh? Isn't that...Sensei?'

And indeed it was. The great detective had stationed himself between a set of secondary entryways and looked to be about as comfortable with everything in the crowded room as Mitsuhiko himself felt at the moment. He took note on how the other's gaze remained fixated upon something off in the distance, although as for what exactly was unclear. What was clear, however, was how the elder man seemed –for lack of a better word– distracted. No, not distracted. Troubled. But why?

Carefully, the teen traced the line of sight to its end which appeared to be a small table ensconced away in semi-private niche toward the front of the room that was now populated by both the new bride and groom. The man, who he knew to be Habuka-san smiled brightly at the woman in white (who could only be none other than Miss Aoko) as they carried on what appeared to be a rather engaging conversation. Every now and again a mustachioed man (presumably the father of the bride) would interject and earn a smile or a round of laughter from the table's other residents.

'Maybe something to do with them perhaps?' The brunette contemplated this as they carried on for a bit. Curiosity peaked when he saw the older man get up from the table after exchanging a few more words with the groom then a reassuring smile aimed at the pair as he took his leave, presumably to take care of something.

'Could something have happened?' He wondered, before quickly dismissing the notion. Neither party appeared to be overly concerned judging by the gentle looks of love the newlyweds sent one another and the genuine laughter of their peers so it was unlikely that there was something out of the ordinary there. 'So something else then?'

Confused, he turned back again just in time to catch sight of the bride as she put her hand to her mouth to muffle a snort, the gentle movement shifting the veil away from her luminous face and...oh.

Oh.

It was as though the air had been knocked from his lungs as a pool of something ice cold sat heavily in his stomach. Dark eyes quickly shifted back to their original target and he hissed through his teeth when flicker of something pained and familiar and unspeakably private flitted through those darkened blue eyes. And then just like that he was gone, having slipped back through the door without a trace.

And then suddenly, Mitsuhiko was moving.

He wove through scores of guests, transfixed on the spot where he had seen the other disappear. So focused to the point was he that it almost brought about a collision with another partygoer which only a quick-timed twist did he narrowly manage to avoid. "Sorry!" He tossed back as he caught a fleeting glimpse of dark hair and surprised garnet eyes. All of which were quickly dismissed and allowed to slip to the back of his mind.

(And while normally he would not be so rude as to do a thing like straight up crash into people and speed off without so much as a by-your-leave his civilities had, for the moment, been set aside in favour of more pressing matters. He would, however, in time find himself recalling this fateful moment and the cascading series of events that were to follow. But that was another story for different time and different place.)

Having reached the entry he stopped in his tracks. The lobby was, for the most part, empty. Understandable seeing as the majority of guests present were either inside enjoying the festivities or traipsing about the garden. This vacancy should have made it relatively easy to spot the wayward detective but as it stood he couldn't see hide nor hair of the man. The teen glanced about a moment before he lit upon a group of bridesmaids chatting off to the side. Perhaps they could provide some manner of clue to Sensei's whereabouts?

"Ah excuse me." The group's chatter petered out as they turned to regard his approach. "Sorry to interrupt but by chance have any of you happened to see a man come through here just now?" Exchanging a glance, they shook their heads.

"Sorry. We just came from the restroom where we were fixing our makeup. So even if there had been someone we couldn't tell." One of them spoke, a small frown on her face.

"Ah wait!" Another piped in. "But wasn't Momoi waiting for us out here though?" She and the others turned to the bespectacled woman expectantly. "Right?"

"Aah w-well..." She stuttered, feeling somewhat awkward about suddenly being thrust into the spotlight. "Um actually...I think there was a guy that came out through that door right there. Just a few minutes before you did."

"Did you see where he went?"

She thought for a second then nodded. "Mhm. I think I saw him headed towards the stairs."

"Thank you." Mitsuhiko tipped his head appreciatively before setting off once again. 'Wait for me Shinichi-san.'

                                                     (DCMK)

While the teen could not exactly be called unfit (thanks to many an hour spent idly pitching baseballs around after school) the run up had still managed to knock the wind from him so he leaned back against the doorway and took a moment to catch his breath. As it slowly steadied he allowed his gaze to wander.

Like its sibling below, the room with which he was now faced had been built to a mirrored scale with an identical colour scheme and general overall design, but it was there where their similarities came to an end. For while the former had been grandiose and richly festooned for momentous occasions –such as the one currently being held– this place carried itself with a somewhat more muted and almost lounge-like air. To the teenaged detective it was almost as if someone had pulled back the curtain on a set that had been half-built so there was nothing else, save for the empty stage in which they now stood.

Which made sense, he supposed, seeing as this room wasn't actually supposed to be in use right now. Although, if the shadowy figure parked firmly over by the bank of glass or even his own presence were any indication this little bit was to be ignored, if only or the moment.

'Though if this is to be the stage would that make us the actors, then?' He mused. 'Shame I haven't a clue as to my lines.'

"Took you long enough."

"You knew." It wasn't so much of a question but rather a flat statement. Wryly shaking his head, he pushed up and away from the doorframe and made his way over to the man's side. He smiled, "I should have figured. So what was it that tipped you off? The reflection in the window-" A tip of the head toward the glass and the faint twinkling of city lights beyond it. "Or was it the echoes in the stairwell?" He hadn't exactly been quiet.

"Neither." He shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets. "At the reception hall I felt you watching me from across the room. You weren't exactly being subtle." He gave him a dry look.

Ah, that was right he had almost forgotten. The man had always seemed to be able to sense whenever he was under the object of scrutiny without fail. And while it made sense, all things considered, for the other to posses such a trait, that did not make it any less eerie.

"Ah, sorry." He flushed slightly. "I just didn't expect to see you here. To be honest, if it weren't for those two I wouldn't even be here myself."

"I considered it, seeing as I wasn't able to make it on time for the wedding." At Mitsuhiko's inquiring glance he elaborated, "Case at the station platform. Guy was stabbed in the back and had it made to look like robbery gone wrong, killer turned out to be the guy's flatmate who was pissed at him for sleeping with his lover behind his back."

"Ah."

"Yeah." He sighed, "But even after all of that I thought I might as well go ahead to drop off their gift as opposed to spending any more hours on the train. Besides, I had already traveled all this way and I figured I owed that to them at least. Wasn't like this night was going to get any worse right?" A snort of derision escaped him and he let his gaze fall to the side. "Honestly, I might have been better off staying at home." And although the other couldn't see it, he could hear it the softening of his tone.

Mitsuhiko shuffled awkwardly on the balls of his feet, unsure as to what he could possibly contribute without the high probability it backfiring spectacularly. Thankfully he was spared of chance when the other startled him from his reverie with a bout of nasty coughs. "Hey, are you okay?"

"H-Hold..." Shinichi wheezed out between sputters. "G-Give... me a-" He held up a hand, grimaced, and tried again."...Yeah...I'm fine..." Once the fit had subsided for the most part he managed a wan smile. "I'm fine." He repeated, stronger this time. "...Hah...Sorry I've just been a bit under the weather, nothing serious mind you but just a bit of holdover from before. It's been making me kind of irritable lately. Don't worry about it."

The teen's expression showed exactly what he thought about that little statement. As a fellow detective -no- as his friend there was no way he was going to let him play this off. Any of it. "Are you really though?"

"Huh? Yeah like I said it's nothing, probably just another cold-"

"That's not what I was talking about." The other zeroed on him with that razor focus, a touch miffed at being cut off. The scene from earlier flickered in his mind's eye and yet again he found himself faced with those haunted blues. He shook his head to rid himself of the image. "Back there, in the reception hall..." Though he began slowly –hesitant– his voice gradually gained traction as he went, "You had this look about you. As if... As if you had seen a ghost or something right before you just straight up and bolted. That doesn't exactly scream 'everything's alright' now does it?" Dark brows knitted together in concern as he finally lifted his head to meet the other's stare head on. "Shinichi-san, can you tell me what's wrong?"

Shinichi regarded him for a number, that knife-like gaze which made a score of weaker men crumble bored into the very fabric of his being; sorting through his thoughts and actions until nothing but the truth remained. Yet where suspicion and mistrust were expected there was only the honest worry of a kid who wished to know if he was alright. "Unbelievable..." He muttered.

With a resigned air he scrubbed a hand over his weary features. The lines of tension in the teen's frame and quiet set of his jaw was not unfamiliar sight for the older man and he knew then and there that the other simply wasn't going to drop it until he had come to an answer. It was a trait that he found both honourable and vexing in equal measure and ultimately what caused him to sigh.

"It's just-" The words seemed hard-pressed to leave his lips, as if it physically pained him to do so and for a moment Mitsuhiko felt a twinge of regret. Perhaps it would've been better if he just had let sleeping detectives lie but before he could voice this the elder had managed to work through the knot and spoke, "Just...when I saw the two of them together –saw her– I just...I couldn't help it. I didn't think that..." He stopped, a noise of frustration left his lips as a hand raked through once tidy hair. "She looked just like she did back then. Before..."

Mitsuhiko winced. "...I'm sorry." And he truly meant it. "How long would it have been now?" He asked softly.

"Two years this May."

"It isn't easy is it?" Taking the silence as a note to continue he went on. "Dealing with the ache and sorrow and all those other things that you don't even have a name for yet can't help feeling; of every little thing reminding you about them to the point it becomes downright maddening..." Fists clenched at his side, little crescent moons dug into the soft flesh of his palms. "O-Or even just the knowledge that you will simply never be able to see them again." Dimmed eyes sat upon the horizon as the rueful ghost of a smile flit into place. "The whole lot of it just...sucks."

"B-But." He swallowed. (When had his throat become so dry?) "But then...you find that no matter how terrible it all gets and how unfair everything seems the world just... marches on." No, seriously, what the hell was he even saying at this point? He just kept going off the top of his head but for some inexplicable reason he just...couldn't seem to stop. So he didn't.

"All the days and months and years just keep on ticking by and then all that s-stuff starts to get covered up by other stuff and then you s-start to n-notice that-" And there came the crash. Dark eyes clamped shut as he stalled with an inaudible hiss.

('Easy now Mitsuhiko, easy. One slow breath in –hold it– then release...There isn't anyone else here right now. It's okay. You're okay. Breath, just breathe.')

So he did. One right after another, over and over again; just breathing. And the impossibly tight coil that had progressively wove itself around his airway seemed to constrict for moment before it suddenly reversed and the tension that had laced his frame had little by little begun to bleed away with every passing breath.

"Y-You notice..." He began again once he had sufficiently calmed, "That while that pain and sadness isn't exactly gone and probably never will be it..." The teen let out a shaky chuckle as he reopened his eyes, "It doesn't hurt as much as it did before. You know?"

A light of comprehension dawned in Shinichi's eyes and a look of pitied understanding ghosted briefly across his features. "Ah...that's right. Your mother, didn't she...?"

Mitsuhiko nodded with a vague noise of confirmation. It had been over a decade prior, yet he thought back to that time he could recall it with the utmost clarity. Back to that damned phone call and whirlwind flight that followed, to when his father had finalized the decision to pack up and head overseas with him and his sister in tow without so much as a by-your-leave, of finally learning why: that his mother had been caught in a accident when visiting extended family abroad and that the doctor's prognosis was grim. The months of waiting and waiting and hoping that she would get better and be able to come back home with them. How one day she just simply...wasn't there anymore. And how everything just sort of...went completely downhill after that.

He had been only a child at the time but that didn't mean that he didn't remember. And he said as much.

"...Back when we first moved those two would call me all hours of the day, you know?" He shifted, folding his arms across his chest. "And you want to hear something? They liked to talk about you guys all the time."

"That so?" The other perked up, seemingly intrigued by this admission.

"Mnh always used to sound so happy over the phone when they did too. Spouting things like 'Shinichi-niichan came over today while we were at the Professor's and how cool it was that he showed us how to solve this locked-room trick' and ' you know how Ran-neechan knows karate and stuff? Well I asked her to show me some of her moves and we wound up totally flipping this one creep...' That sort of thing." A fond smile graced his lips. "I must've cost my dad a fortune in international calls."

"Oh! Don't even get me started about when Kojima-kun started with his cooking lessons." He groaned in faux-anguish. "All he messaged me for months were pictures of the food and stuff that he tried to make." He shook his head.

"I remember that." The elder detective chuckled reminiscently. "He honestly was quite terrible. Eel should have never been prepared that way..." He intoned with a faint shudder. Although the teen really had came a long way since then the fact that whenever the boy went to cook something the only things that ever seemed to come out right were pastries and sweets continued to baffle him to this day.

"Yeah. But you know back then...being able to listen to their stories, to hear about how you, Ran-neesan, Haibara-san, and everybody else were doing...It was nice. It helped...quite a bit, actually." A short beat. "Even if you guys did get in way too much trouble. Really, the amount of cases the Shonen Tantei had back then simply by just hanging around you bordered on the realms of ludicrous-"

"Oi."

"-and while I'll admit that I don't put much stock in superstition I can sort of see where that whole 'shinigami' rumour circulating around Division One came from and honestly if it weren't for that 'curse' I don't suppose any of us would have learned proper crime scene etiquette." He continued to mutter. "Or how to handle a dead body for that matter."

The teen glanced up to find an indescribably flat look aimed his way. That lasted a few seconds before a more contemplative one slid into its place and once more he was faced with the detective's unnerving stare. "So you really were the one who went through my stuff." He stated apropos of nothing.

Mitsuhiko started. Because –seriously– what the hell? Apparently this reaction was confirmation enough because the other just shrugged with a disarming nonchalance that had alarm bells going off immediately in the teen's mind.

"I mean-" He casually went on, "-seeing as if an outside source had ever decided to attempt to enter my study without my knowledge I would know and that two out of the three people that currently do have access to my home would have the neither the inclination nor opportunity to do so and since the time frame seemed to sync up it only serves to further paint you as the culprit..." He shrugged once more with that faux indifference. "Plus you just pretty much gave yourself away."

And oh wow was he upset wasn't he? The taught lines of tension that faintly coursed through his frame, belying the calm air he put upon himself. The teen could almost feel the other's silent accusation at the perceived betrayal and damn if that didn't sting. Well it wasn't as if he hadn't seen this coming. After all, it had only been a matter of time before the hammer fell and he had brought it down upon himself with that thrice-damned curiosity of his so by rights he was going to have to own up to this mess. (And if he had to drop down to his hands and knees to grovel for the other's forgiveness then so be it.)

"I'm so sorry. I was just trying to pick things up a bit when you got sick that one time but one of the files got knocked to the floor. I really wasn't trying to snoop but..."

"But you're a detective and curiosity got the better of you." He suddenly sounded so tired it made Mitsuhiko want to cringe and shrivel up inside himself just a bit.

"I'm sorry." He repeated faintly, feeling absolutely awful about the whole deal. Short of massive head trauma, there was nothing he could do that would be able to take back what he had seen in there and the knowledge that came with it and they both knew it. And it was with this thought weighing heavily on their minds they fell into an uneasy silence.

"..."

"..."

"...So."

Mitsuhiko shifted slightly. "So?"

"You probably have...questions, right?"

"...I'd be lying if I said that I didn't." The admission seemed to make the man sink a bit but it wasn't unexpected. "But!" He ploughed on ahead, "You know? I'm not going to ask." This seemed to draw Shinichi up short as he shot him a sharp glance.

"...Why?"

'Why indeed.' No, he knew why. It was because...

"Because..." His arms dropped down to hang at his side. "Because even though you may be my mentor you are first and foremost my friend Shinichi-san." And between friends there must be at least some measure of trust or else the relationship will crumble. Even he knew that. "You have your own very good reasons for not wanting to talk about any of that. And I'm not going to force you to. But-" Dark eyes met startled blues. "-just so you know, if you ever do need to talk to someone, well...don't forget that there are others willing to shoulder those burdens along with you okay?" They held one another's gaze, each party searching for something unspoken in the other and after a moment it seemed that they found it.

"...Thanks, Mitsuhiko-kun." A tentative smile.

"Don't mention it. I won't." Lips quirked up in a shy but earnest grin. "I mean, what kind of detective would I be if I didn't know how to keep an open mind and at least a modicum of plausible deniability?"

"A pretty damn terrible one. That's for sure."

"...You know," Mitsuhiko started, drawing the man's attention back once again. "I heard they just opened up a new branch of that café we liked. This one's supposed to have extended hours and a bunch of new location-specific desserts on their secret menu. So...You don't think they'll mind a few particularly well-dressed patrons, do you? What do you say?"

Truce?

"I say we better hurry before those two lovebirds finally notice you're missing." He cracked a mischievous smirk back, "Besides, it's your turn to pay this time."

Truce.

[nebulousneko]

A semi-incoherent MK rant because I’m having Feelings™

Tbh if Gosho is too busy to juggle both DC and MK that’s cool, I get it, but BOY what I wouldn’t give for Magic Kaito to have 900+ chapters worth of content.

I’d love to see 900+ of Kaito’s over the top, flashy, reality-bending heists that always still come back to him managing to pull off outrageous feats of illusion as a magician. I’d love to see more flashbacks of Toichi teaching him the tricks of the trade, his reaction the first time Chikage told him both her history and Toichi’s. I wish we could have seen what everything was like right after Toichi’s death, how Kaito and Chikage reacted, how Kaito has coped or just adapted to be the way that he is now. I wish we knew anything about Aoko’s/Akako’s/Hakuba’s families outside of Ginzo. 

There is literally so much that could be done just around Akako (who I’ll gush about because I’m biased towards her.) I want to know about how she became the heir to the line of red magic, I want to know more about the witches and other types of magic in this world in general. Jii knew that real magic existed and seemed to indicate (if I remember correctly) that Toichi and he both knew that it existed, so did Toichi also have a run in with other witches? I want to know more about Akako’s family, if she has any, if they’re still alive, if they were “witch hunted” and that comes around to what her deepest fear was (according to the Spider ep.) I want to see more of her growing and training and using her magic in different ways, maturing and honing her skills as someone who’s inheriting a line of ancient magic would be! I’d also love to know more about her interests outside of magic and “Kaito will be mine,” although the numerous ways she’s come to his aid when he faces danger is an aspect I absolutely adore. I want to know more about the magician vs witches feud, more in general about the magical side of Magic Kaito since.....you know.

I want to know equally about Hakuba and his family, what made him want to become a detective, it would be cool to see him butting heads with Conan at more Kid heists (although I digress I’d like to see more focus on Hakuba as Kaito’s main detective rival than Conan considering that’s what Hakuba was written for.) I want to see more Hakuba vs Kid shenanigans at his heists, but also more subtle instances of Hakuba helping Kid escape (which we have gotten on more than one occasion which is a direction I really like.) I want to know more about the other cases Hakuba’s solved, we don’t know much about his case past other than “he’s great, he’s pretentious, and he doesn’t get along with Shinichi and Heiji because his demeanor has pissed them both off although they have worked successful together (except one time they did it was Kaito anyway).) I’d also like to know more about his other interests and see him grow into a kind of confidant and friend for Kaito, an interesting contrast to the fact that Kaito and Conan, while they do help each other out every now and then, I don’t think have the potential to be as close as Kaito and Hakuba (because Conan isn’t supposed to be a staple of Kaito’s series anyway.) It would be really nice for Kaito to have a friend he can go to (once they both get over their rivalry that I would see as becoming more of a game for them as they start to actually value each other’s skills etc) and hang out with and complain about life stuff with, someone who has his back and likewise Kaito could do the same for Hakuba.

I’d love to see more of Kaito’s organization! Give me more Spider please he’s awful but such a cool villain to me!!! Give me more Kaito’s org villain shenanigans, give me Kaito catching them in the middle of bad shit instead of them riding his coattails and so he has to dive in preemptively to save innocent people. Give me more of Kaito coming into increasingly dangerous situations with them, needing to do more teamwork with Akako and Hakuba to get out of it (and probably protect Aoko in the process) honestly this type of teamwork is my SHIT. Tell me more about Pandora, where it’s legend originated, Toichi was originally looking for it too, there’s so much flashback material there to work with! Did Toichi actually manage to find it, did he die before he could leave proper clues for Kaito, or did he actually leave proper clues but they haven’t revealed themselves yet? Why did he prepare for Kaito to become the next Kid, is he really dead (because tbh I’m still skeptical about this.)

Give me some more goofy vacation eps and the Magic Kaito crew hanging out, give me Kaito confiding to Akako and Hakuba every now and then about all the shit he’s been through, about how he just needs a hug, and for shipping’s sake let him be more vulnerable with Aoko every now and then. She’s known him for so long and she is a consistent aid and confidant in his life, I know they’re still dancing around their embarrassing crush feelings for each other but something endearing centering around something other than teasing the fact that Kaito is Kid to her would be great.

Give me more Aoko employing those great detective skills she’s probably picked up from her dad. More Aoko bonding (not in a demeaning or superficial/rival way) with Akako and Hakuba. I know that we’ve already seen small snippets of this kind of interaction but think of all we could have if we had 900+ chapters of MK!

This list/rant is getting kind of long but there really is an endless litany of the things I wish we could have gotten out of Magic Kaito had it been the main series instead of DC, all of which has nothing to do with the DC plotline or what it brings to MK. I love Kaito, his world, his relationship dynamics, his story, his villains, everything! There are so many wonderful building blocks that could be expanded into such a fantastic and nuanced story, and the fact that this universe is essentially stuck playing second fiddle to DetCo and is considered inferior in comparison or just as a little extra to provide some more challenge for Conan (to some people) is just such a damn waste and is disheartening. :/

I love Magic Kaito with all my heart and soul and maybe one day I’ll be able to answer some of these questions for myself through fanfiction, but man.....thinking of all the potential here just makes me love the series even more, for everything it offers, everything it could be, and everything it does still deliver, no matter how meager it is, it will always be dear to me.