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The soccer field of lush grass shaded towards artificial blue in a flattened, wide strip across the center line, marked in stark white field paint. Two figures stood across from each other on the blue matting; one in form-fitting, albeit padded, white garments and a steel mesh helmet, the other in dark leather armor and hakama. Both were armed, a wire-thin foil and slatted bamboo sword respectively, and held the blunted weapons with the grace of masters.
Not that they were holding their weapons in a similar style at all. The fencer in white stood sideways, foil held one-handed at arm's length, parallel with the ground. The dark swordsman faced front, both hands with a firm grip on his sword's hilt, the wooden blade pointing upward at a sharp angle.
Shin'ichi knew the pair as a blaze of color, and so could pick out the golden brown hiding behind steel mesh, the glint of green behind a laquered faceplate, the fierce glee burning in both sets of eyes.
"Begin!" an unfamiliar, slightly mechanical voice ordered.
Heiji yelled, lunging forward, sword raised over his head. Saguru darted in for the hit, the foil's point scoring a thin line of laquer off the armor's breastplate as Heiji clonked him smartly over the head.
Saguru landed facefirst on the blue grass.
Sprawled across Shin'ichi's lap, Kaito snickered. "Popcorn?" he offered, plucking a bag from a tree branch overhead.
"No thanks," Conan answered.
Kaito shrugged, absently eating bright orange crackers from the bag, eyes on the duelists. This time, Saguru neatly dodged the initial swing, the blunted tip of his rapier tapping into the vulnerable point under Heiji's facemask.
Yawning, Shin'ichi leaned back on their blanket, and wondered how long it would take Kaito to realize his popcorn was fish-shaped.
As Hakuba's rapier jammed in Heiji's shinai, Conan stared up at the twilight-stained sky, wisped with sun-gold clouds.
-0-0-0
The next morning, Kaito yawned behind his hand as he waited for class to start, and seriously considered the merits of borrowing the desk for a catnap. Man, what had him so tired today? He didn't usually get this sleepy unless the heist ran late... and he hadn't been on a heist since last week anyway. What had his tenants been doing...?
Didn't do nothin', Heiji grumbled. S'not our fault. Slept weird.
As did I, Hakuba said. I have yet to determine if my dreams were restful or disturbing.
Man, I don't wanna know... but was she hot?
Pardon..? Wait. Nevermind. It was not that type of dream. Hakuba's voice dropped to a mutter. Fortunately for the relative sanity of all concerned.
Kaito let his lips quirk in a grin that his tenants would feel. If Conan was awake...
He is insensible to the world, Hakuba assured him. I do believe noncorporeal existance is detrimental to his circadian rhythm.
Couldn't imagine why, Kaito thought back sardonically, gaze lifting to automatically track his classmates. Aoko was rummaging through the broom closet, Keiko-chan was eyeing his unread paper, Akako had just walked in and stopped short in the doorway...
Uhoh. That was not one of her friendlier looks. Granted, her friendly looks tended more towards 'kitty's found a brand new bird on the menu', and there'd been that absolutely terrifying glee after she'd met Ai-kun... but this expression...
That was the 'nightlight' look, the one that promised Tantei lamps for her garden.
She crossed the room as if nothing had happened, leaning over Kaito's desk with an evil, painfully false smirk hovering over her lips. "Been having good dreams lately, Kuroba-kun?"
- buttery orange popcorn under a twilight sky -
"Not any moreso than usual..." Kaito replied warily.
"No? Not a bit more... populated than before?"
- the swords jammed, blank bewilderment in green-and-gold eyes as they tried to shake the blades loose -
Kaito grinned. "Sorry, Akako-san! Can't imagine what you're talking about."
Her eyes narrowed back into the nightlight look. "So. Boys. Just so you know? You've moved the deadline up. Accidental dreamwalking is really, really not good for getting you all separated again. And you did want to be separate again, didn't you?"
"Er... what? Yes?"
"Let me spell it out for you, poppet. Four colors, four souls. One color, one soul. And your colors. Are bleeding. Together. You do see where I'm going with this?"
Kaito's stomach churned, gold and green going a paler shade in his mind.
"I see you do. Ai-kun's. Six o'clock." And with that, she tossed her hair back over one shoulder and headed off to her desk.
Gold.
I think... she means deadline literally.
Kaito didn't move from his desk for the rest of the day.