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Everything hurts. From his head all the way down to his toes, there wasn’t a spot that didn’t ache in some way, shape or form. Shinichi couldn’t even open his eyes because of the splitting headache raging behind them. He was somewhere soft and warm and he heard someone breathing nearby so he was likely at Kaito’s.
What did they do that would cause the pain though? Did he lose a sparring match? No, that doesn’t make sense, Kaito would never inflict this level of pain, his Kaa-san maybe. She was notoriously less gentle and left Shinichi in various states of ouch. If it wasn’t a sparring match then what else could have happened? It hurt to even breathe.
Shinichi sighed, maybe more like whining, before forcing his eyes to open. He needed to be sure he was safe. What he didn’t expect to see was an IV in his arm. Hospital? Shinichi really had to be a mess if he was in a hospital. After looking a bit more around the room, he saw Kaito hunched over on the bed and then looked at the room. He was clearly at Kaito’s house, so then why did he have an IV?
Shinichi huffed somewhat annoyed before forcing himself to sit up, he needed to see what had happened to him but before he even managed to get his back fully off the bed, Kaito was pinning him down, looking panicked. That was not a good sign. “Don’t you dare move! I’ll get Kaa-san and Tou-san, we need to look you over and make sure everything is okay.” Kaito was word vomiting, meaning he was nervous or scared, possibly both based on the expression he had on and the deep bags under his eyes.
Shinichi nodded, regretting the movement as he relaxed into the bed, Kaito poofed from the room. Definitely scared. It wasn’t long before all the Kuroba’s were crowded around him on the bed and Chikage pulled the blankets back, checking Shinichi’s temperature and the bandage that seemed to be wrapped around his head. She then looked over his chest which was bandaged as well, feeling the skin with her cool hands felt nice on the heated skin. Just what happened ?
Shinichi glanced at Kaito for answers but he was rocking on his heels, looking anywhere that wasn’t Shinichi. What happened to get him so ruffled? The last time Shinichi saw Kaito this unnerved, he almost died of a stab wound in the chest. Kaito was there and he was the sole reason Shinichi lived, putting pressure on the wound until help arrived. Kaito was a mess the whole time, Shinichi vaguely remembered waking in the hospital to Kaito getting a talk down from his mother for not keeping a level head. The family’s poker face was a terrible idea, repressing emotions couldn’t be healthy and there was no way Kaito was going to hurt himself like that. Not if Shinichi had anything to say about that.
“Well Shin-chan, how do you feel?” Chikage asked gently, resting a hand against the side of his face. Shinichi reluctantly tore his eyes away from Kaito.
“I have… been… better…” Shinichi muttered, his voice sounded off, too high pitched. Chikage gave him a concerned look. “I hurt everywhere but my throat doesn’t hurt enough for the voice change, what happened?”
“You don’t remember?” Kaito sounded broken, so either this happened with Kaito, or Kaito was hoping for an explanation.
“N-no?” Shinichi looked at him confused.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Toichi asked gently, he was at the foot of the bed and just far enough that looking at him craned his neck uncomfortably.
“Um… I remember getting a call from Ran,” Kaito snorted, Shinichi thought that was rude but continued anyway, “She was calling to make sure I was moving. I was still sleeping and got an earful for that.” Shinichi eyed everyone in the room, they looked like they were waiting for more.
“That’s it?” Kaito questioned, he was really eager to know more, meaning that he wasn’t present for this.
Shinichi tried to sit up, but Chikage stopped. “You should refrain from moving.” Shinichi tried again anyway. It might have hurt, but it couldn’t be that bad.
“Shinichi, please stop moving,” Kaito was next to him now, a pleading look on his face. He looked scared or maybe worried, probably both.
“Fine… fine… what are you not telling me, what do you expect me to remember?”
Kaito looked away, staring at his parents with a lost expression. Toichi sighed, “Stay calm, and let us finish before you say or do anything.” So it was bad news. Was he missing a limb? Disfigured somehow? Shinichi nodded, not without fear, though. Toichi looked to Kaito, handing him the preverbal torch.
Kaito took a deep breath before meeting Shinichi’s gaze, “You remember that you were supposed to come over yesterday, right?”
“Yeah, I got into an argument with Ran about going to the park yesterday because of that. She wore me down over a couple of days before I agreed. I figured a few hours there and then I’d still have time to make it to your place.”
“Well, you never showed, calling your phone went straight to voicemail and you weren’t home.” Kaito breathed, he was clearly trying to psych himself up, “I got pissed when I found out you had plans to go to Tropical Land yesterday, ran out of your house, ready to chew you a new ass but instead, I stumbled across a crime scene and your jacket was there…”
“Jacket… The one you gave me because Ran liked it on me?” Kaito nodded, “Okay…”
“There was tons of blood and your jacket was covered. I saw Mouri-keibu there, investigating, and asked if he had seen you. He hadn’t but he called Mouri-san and his call went straight to voicemail as well. He said he’d call if he heard anything and that was that. I noticed just as I was leaving that there was a trail of blood leading away from the crime scene that either they were ignoring or hadn’t noticed. I am not sure which but either way I decided to follow it because if you had lost that much blood, I knew you would need help sooner than later. What I didn’t expect was to find you stashed in a metal barrel several streets over…”
“How did I fit in one of those?” Shinichi was lost, unless he had been bent in such a way that would not be compatible with life, there was no way he was shoved into a metal barrel.
“You… Um…” Kaito lost all steam and looked nervous now. He took a deep breath and sighed, “You shrank to the size of a six-year-old.”
Shinichi stared unblinking for a moment before he started laughing. It was painful, but that was likely the worst joke Kaito had ever sprung on him: “There is no way that I shrank to a six-year-old. That is not possible.” Kaito’s look didn’t change as the laughing fit subsided. Kaito wasn’t kidding… But… But that wasn’t possible. “Kaito, that isn’t possible, so cut it out.”
“Shinichi, I’d love to be joking, but I am not. Trust me, I am taking this about as well as you.” Kaito muttered softly. His expression was honest enough, and Shinichi knew Kaito well enough to know when he was lying. So then… What was he supposed to do about this?
Shinichi looked at everyone in the room before looking back to the hands that now that he really thought about it, seemed too small. “I… I can’t have shrunk. It’s not possible.”
Chikage ran a hand gently through Shinichi’s hair, clearly trying to comfort him, “Well, we will figure this out and get you back to normal. Don’t worry, alright? Toichi and I already have a few sources to look into.”
Shinichi’s eyes snapped up to her, “You’re kidding.”
“No, Shin-chan, we know some interesting people.” Chikage smiled. Though I do hate to have to say it, you can’t leave the house until we figure out why you became so tiny.”
“B-but school!” Shinichi couldn’t just miss school for an indefinite amount of time.
“I could always swing through as you and give them some BS story about your parents pulling you from school to go aboard.” Kaito shrugged, “Then you could just do classes online. You barely need to go to school because you are so far ahead of everyone.”
Shinichi nodded, “I mean… that would work, but I don’t like it.”
“I know, but…” Kaito muttered.
“Well, we can talk it over with Yukiko-chan and Yusaku-kun when they get here,” Chikage smiled.
Both Shinichi and Kaito flinched, “What?!”
“Oh boys, really,” Chikage exasperated, “You two act like Yukiko-chan is the devil.”
“Yes,” They growled in tandem.
Chikage chuckled, “Well, you will have to deal with her regardless of how you two feel.” Chikage stood up, glancing at her son before grabbing Toichi’s hand. “Get some sleep, boys.” With that, Kaito and Shinichi were alone, staring at the door with differing forms of dread.
“We are screwed,” Shinichi muttered.
“Mostly you. Your Kaa-san is gonna lose her mind when she sees you.” Kaito snickered, looking back at Shinichi with a pitying expression. “If they are already on their way back, then there is no hiding your chibi form.”
“Thanks, asshole,” Shinichi growled, rolling over onto his side, ignoring the pain.
“You really should refrain from moving. We had to do a lot to patch you up.”
“Oh, other than giving me an IV?” Shinichi glanced over his shoulder.
“Y-yeah…” Kaito shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at his feet.
“How badly did your Kaa-san yell at you?”
“She hasn’t yet, but I’m sure it’s coming, she already showed her disapproval at me being freaked out.”
“I really hate that poker face.”
“It works well, though.”
“For what? Giving you emotional issues? Learning to suppress your emotions can’t be healthy for one's own mental well-being. The last thing I want is to see you lose control of yourself because you pushed too hard or too far while burying everything. It’s not fair to expect you to act like nothing's wrong when there clearly is,” Shinichi glared at Kaito. He shrunk in on himself.
“I know, I understand your fears, and I have expressed them to Kaa-san, but her reason for pushing it is… well complicated.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s always the excuse, but no one will tell me the reason. It’s all smoke and mirrors with your parents. I mean, I know they mean well, but they don’t seem to see the harm that comes from what they are pushing on you.”
“They didn’t push it!”
“Really? So, you really wanted to take those self defense classes? You wanted to take acrobatics? Ballet? How about the other odd stuff?” Shinichi hissed, and Kaito refused to meet his eyes.
“You can’t say that it hasn’t helped out before.” That was a weak argument, and Kaito’s expression said he knew as well. “Besides, she never forced me to do things I couldn’t do.”
“No, instead, your parents forbid you from performing magic tricks outside your house or mine. You can’t show the world how good at it you are. How is that fair? You have said time and again you want to be like your father, but you can’t do that if you don’t start making a name for yourself.” Kaito hunched his shoulders. He looked defeated now. Shinichi knew it was a sore point for him. “Look, I’m not picking on you, but sometimes I wonder if your parents really know what’s best for you versus what they want for you.”
“I…” Kaito deflated, walking over to the bed and face-planting into the mattress, “I can’t say I have an argument for that.” He turned to look towards Shinichi, not that Shinichi could really see him well. “So… change of topic, please don’t move too much for a day or so, maybe longer.”
“Why?”
“You had eight stab wounds, three gunshots, and a deep gash on your head, and I don’t want any of that opening. Oh, and your hand is going to be stiff for a while, too. Someone decided to grind it into the dirt with the heel of their shoe.”
“Eight… stab wounds?” Shinichi wasn’t sure what stunned him more, the fact he was stabbed that mant times or the fact that he wasn’t in the hospital . “A-are they like glued shut or something?” Because the idea of them being correctly treated was too outrageous.
“Glued?” Kaito seemed offended, “No! I stitched them up myself, thank you! When we change the bandages, I’ll show you my work.”
“Kaito, why on earth do you know how to stitch up a stab wound?” Shinichi wasn’t sure if he should be angry or not.
Kaito shifted on the bed, moving to lie next to Shinichi so they could talk face to face. He pulled his blanket over them as he settled on the bed. He then met Shinichi’s eyes, “I… I learned after you got stabbed last year.”
Shinichi instantly felt the anger melt away, and guilt took its place. Kaito was always doing crazy things to keep him safe, and that wasn’t fair either. “I’m sorry…”
Kaito chuckled, “For what?”
“Making you worry enough actually to learn that.”
“Don’t worry about it. I like you the way you are, dumb choices, bad luck and all,” Kaito smiled, shifting closer to pull Shinichi into a hug. Kaito only got clingy like this after Shinichi did something stupid. Kaito was probably still trying to convince himself that Shinichi was fine, small or not. Shinichi normally would gripe about Kaito’s behavior, but he didn’t have the energy for it. Kaito deserved this. He would chew him out later about home-done operations.
“I don’t understand why you or Ran put up with me,” Shinichi sighed.
“I can’t speak for Mouri-san-”
“Ran.”
“Mouri-san.”
“You guys have known each other long enough to be on a first-name basis. I’m sure Ran wouldn’t mind.”
“Oh, no, she does. We had this talk, and it was mutually agreed that neither of us really want to be that close.”
“Why don’t you get along?” Shinichi pulled back, yawning, and looked Kaito in the eyes.
“There are a lot of reasons. I can’t speak for her reasons, but as for mine. I don’t like how she treats you and your dreams. I mean, sure, her father ruined her family, but that doesn’t mean that you will suffer the same fate. So, to constantly compare you to him is rude. Plus, Mouri-keibu is a very good detective. You have said as much, so the fact that she views her father that way is just plain disrespectful. I don’t like it. I don’t want to be around it. Oh! And I refuse to let her know I do magic. She would probably find some fault with it.”
Shinichi gave Kaito a disapproving look, “I think that last reason is silly, but as for the rest, I guess I can understand why that would get you upset.”
“Not only does she bash your dream job, she tries to control what you do in your free time,” Kaito continued, clearly ignoring Shinichi’s argument. “I mean, is it so bad to spend a day inside reading? No, no, it’s not. You don’t need to spend every free moment of yours being social. If you don’t take time to yourself, how will you recharge.”
“You seldom take personal days,” Shinichi muttered.
“Yes, true, but Aoko is far better company, and we do things we both enjoy, and it’s always a ball when you join us. Aoko really likes having you around.”
“She does not!” Shinichi chuckled, “She makes fun of me for being a death magnet.”
“Yes, but Aoko is totally teasing cause she has never said that you were not invited.” Kaito grinned. “Besides, privately, she only speaks well of you. She thinks you will make a great detective.”
Shinichi blushed before hiding his face behind the blankets. Kaito took this moment to pull Shinichi close to his chest again, his hand running through his hair. “Anyway, let’s sleep. I’m exhausted, and sleep is the best thing you can do right now.”
“Fine, fine,” Shinichi sighed into Kaito’s chest. He was tired, but he wasn’t sure he could sleep in Kaito’s arms like this, though asking Kaito to release him seemed wrong at the moment. Kaito was clearly seeking comfort himself, and Shinichi couldn’t deny him that. Shinichi just snuggled down, making the best of his position, and was pleasantly surprised when his eyes started to drift close. Listening to the steady beating of Kaito’s heart was acting like a lullaby for him, and soon Shinichi was out cold.
---
Morning came, and Shinichi instantly wished it hadn’t. He was in so much pain. He moaned loudly as he shifted on the bed. It seemed he was still in Kaito’s arms. Kaito shifted with him, “Shin…ichi?” He yawned, “Something wrong?”
“Everything hurts,” Shinichi muttered back. Kaito uncurled from around him, and the movement was not pleasant as he moved Shinichi onto his back.
“You have spiked a fever, too. The pain meds must have worn off. I’ll get Kaa-san, and she can give you another dose.” Kaito crawled off the bed before bolting from the room. Chikage appeared shortly after with Kaito hot on her heels.
“Shin-chan, I’m going to check your bandages and set up another IV for the pain medicine, as well as some more antibiotics.”
“Do I want to know why you have IV meds?” Shinichi raised an eyebrow.
“We will explain all that once your parents get here.”
“So they are in on whatever is going on here.” That was a statement, and Shinichi saw Kaito wince, so he was in on it, too. Just what has he been kept out of? He might get some answers out of Kaito, but not likely. For all that he likes to try and rebel in his own ways, there are some rules that his parents have set down that Kaito doesn’t seem to have an interest in trying to fight. It seemed odd, but Kaito had to have his reasons, that or it was just something drilled into his head long enough that he stopped fighting it, like with the poker face.
“Sweetheart, don’t be mad.”
“I’m more disappointed than mad at the moment, but that will likely change once you tell me what is going on,” Shinichi stated flatly.
“Fair enough, Kaito is going to take you to the bathroom. Once you are done, we will look over your injuries and see if we can get you some fitting clothes. We might have some of Kaito’s old clothes somewhere.” Shinichi nodded before he groaned as Kaito scooped him up into his arms. Shinichi didn’t know he was naked, but now he did, and he felt his face heat up.
He glared at Kaito, who looked at him sheepishly back but otherwise didn’t say anything till they were locked in the bathroom. “Do you need help? I’d refrain from using your injured hand.”
“I can’t move it right now, so there is that, but I think I can manage,” Shinichi growled. The more significant issue was he was shorter than the toilet, so how was he… Oh, Kaito just plopped him down on top. He was small enough for that to work. He glanced at Kaito, “Can you leave me alone for a moment?”
“Nervous bladder?” Kaito’s lame attempt at lightening the mood.
“No, I’d like to be alone to think,” Shinichi stated flatly.
“O-oh…” Kaito wilted at that before exiting the room. Clearly, Kaito felt guilty, and Shinichi, at this point, was just rubbing in his displeasure with everything at the moment. Shinichi sat there for a long while, his bladder long since emptied as he just thought. Why keep all the secrets? Did they believe that Shinichi couldn’t keep a secret? Why involve Kaito, who was the same age? Why force him to fit a mold that he didn’t want to? And most importantly, why did his parents know?
Just what was so important to keep him out of? What if Shinichi could help? He was intelligent and great at puzzle-solving, so why? Shinichi scratched at his scalp with his good hand, messing the already messy hair before he sighed. Thinking in circles wasn’t going to get him answers, so reluctantly, he decided to focus on the now and deal with that later, maybe after trying to pry some information out of Kaito.
“Kai,” Shinichi called the door opening almost instantly.
“You good?” Kaito looked more nervous than before, and Shinichi almost felt guilty for that. Knowing his parents, Kaito likely didn’t really have a choice but to follow orders. Taking it out on him wasn’t the fairest move. Shinichi sighed and nodded. Kaito exhaled and deflated a bit before scooping Shinichi up again and whisking him back to the guest room. Once back on the bed, Chikage began undoing his bandages, and Shinichi sucked in a breath. It was no wonder he hurt so badly. With all the wounds on him, he was amazed that Kaito wasn’t panicking harder. Shinichi looked at Kaito, who was pointedly looking everywhere but at him at the moment.
Kaito didn’t want to see Shinichi so beaten; that wasn’t surprising, plus he probably saw what Shinichi looked like before getting treated. Shinichi sighed before hissing as Chikage pressed lightly on one rather sore bruise. She hummed before looking at Kaito: “Come here, sweetie. What do you make of this?”
Kaito winced before coming over and running his hand over Shinichi’s side before looking at Shinichi apologetically, “This is going to hurt rather bad, but I need to make sure, okay?” Shinichi nodded, but that didn’t prepare him for the pain that flooded him as Kaito’s fingers dug deeper into the already sore tissue. Shinichi yelped and moved away, glaring at Kaito, who looked like he had been slapped. “S-sorry…” He muttered. He backed away, hands in his pockets again, staring at the floor. “And yeah, I’d say they're broken…”
Broken? Oh, he has broken ribs, that’s not good… “Alright, well, Shinichi, you know that means we are going to have to limit your movement more. So bed rest is all you get for the future.” Chikage murmured softly. Shinichi nodded, already dreading the pain to come. “Kaito, get the supplies, please.”
“Kay,” He muttered before leaving the room. Kaito looked so down. Shinichi didn’t like it, Kaito was supposed to be vibrant and full of energy, not this muted excuse he was now. Shinichi could see the talking he was going to get from his mother. It wasn’t going to be a pleasant one either. Kaito was letting all his emotions show, and although Shinichi was grateful for it, Chikage was likely fuming inside right now. She didn’t need Kaito to confirm his broken ribs. She did that just to see how he was going to handle yet another injury, and the answer should have been clear. Kaito wasn’t going to take it well. It was cruel and unnecessary, but Shinichi held his tongue. This was not an argument he could win.
Kaito came back with fresh bandages, and Chikage set to wrapping them around Shinichi, “Now, regardless of how much it hurts, make sure to breathe like normal, okay?” Shinichi nodded before hissing as the bandage was pulled snuggly. Once she finished, Chikage moved to undo the bandage on his thigh. Shinichi wasn’t expecting there to be such a giant gash there. Well, it was neatly stitched closed, but still. Kaito clearly had been practicing a lot to get them to be so even. He glanced up at Kaito, who was still not looking in his direction.
The rest of the exam went well, or as well as to be expected. Everything seemed to be healing, no signs of infection yet, so that was a plus. Shinichi was re-bandaged and, with Kaito’s help, clothed in something that was a few sizes too big but better than nothing. Kaito still hadn’t spoken, and that worried Shinichi. It was never a good thing to see Kaito so quiet. “I’ll leave you boys alone for a few, Kaito. I’ll call when breakfast is ready.” With the IV hooked back up and Shinichi tucked back into bed, Kaito flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling silently.
“Kai?” Shinichi called gently. He got a grunt in response. “Kaito.”
“What?” Kaito’s voice was almost too soft to hear.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Whatever I did to end up like this, it’s clearly bothering you.”
“Yes… no… I mean,” Kaito muttered before rolling over to his stomach and staring out the window. “I don’t like seeing you hurt, and the fact that you are hurt this badly and I wasn’t there to try and keep it from happening is what’s bothering me the most.”
“Kaito, you can’t be there every time I get hurt.”
“I know that, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less when I see you like this, stabbed and beaten… You don’t deserve it. You only try to help people, you have never harmed another soul, and hell, you have even saved a few murders, so what did you do to deserve this?” Kaito buried his head in his arms and just breathed for a bit. Shinichi wanted to do something to ease the pain, but he didn’t know what.
“I wonder if Mouri-keibu made any headway,” Kaito muttered eventually.
“Huh?”
“On your murder scene.”
“M-murder scene?”
“Yeah, I know I called it a crime scene, but given the amount of blood, murder scene fits the mood better. Anyway, Mouri-keibu was there, so I was wondering if I could call him and see if he made any headway.”
“You’d be better off calling Megure-keibu. He likes you.” Shinichi chuckled, getting a glare from Kaito.
“I have done nothing to make Mouri-keibu not like me!”
“But he doesn’t. I think you are too high-energy for him.”
Kaito glared for a moment before wilting into the bed again, “Can I have Megure-keibu’s number then?”
“Sure.”
---
After breakfast, Shinichi was propped up on a pillow mountain while Kaito sat close by on the bed, phone in hand. He dialed the number swiftly before putting it on speaker. Shinichi couldn’t speak, but at least he could listen. The call connected after a few rings, “Moshi Moshi, Megure here.”
“Hi Megure-keibu,” Kaito replied.
“Oh! Kaito-kun, how are you doing?”
“I’m okay. I was wondering if you have heard from Shinichi.”
“No, I haven’t heard from Shinichi-kun. Is something wrong?”
“Mouri-keibu didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“Shinichi has been missing since yesterday. I was meeting him at my place, and he never showed up. I can’t get a hold of him, so I was hoping you had,” Kaito muttered.
“I see,” Megure muttered back. I’ll have everyone watch out for him. Have you been to his house?”
“Yeah, I swung by yesterday, but he wasn’t home. His calendar said he was going to Tropical Land with Mouri-san, but I don’t know if he ever made it. I asked Mouri-keibu, but he hadn’t heard from her either.”
“Mouri-kun reported Ran-kun missing this morning. She never made it home yesterday… So they both went missing.”
“If I had to guess, they were either on their way to the park or home,” Kaito sighed.
“Did you get anything back from the crime scene that Mouri-keibu was at last night? Shinichi’s jacket was at the scene.”
Megure-keibu made a frustrated sound before sighing, “I shouldn’t be telling you, but since Shinichi-kun is missing as well, the blood came back as Ran-kun’s. On top of her being reported missing, we are looking into a kidnapping case for her.”
“Wait… Shinichi’s jacket was covered in Mouri-san’s blood?” Kaito's tone of disbelief was palpable.
“Yes, that’s what the lab said.”
“I don’t… it can’t…” Kaito looked at Shinichi. Even without saying anything, Shinichi knew where his thoughts were going. If something wasn't done, Shinichi would be blamed for Ran’s disappearance.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think he did anything, but until we have proof…” Megure-keibu sighed. Would you mind coming to the station and filing a missing person report?”
“Yeah… I can. I’ll be there sometime this afternoon.” Kaito hung up the phone and stared at it for a long while before speaking. “It’s not possible for all that blood to be hers.”
“No, not based on the injuries I have,” Shinichi nodded.
“Why would he lie?”
“Why would the lab lie?” Shinichi countered. He didn’t believe Megure-keibu was lying, but the lab report could have been falsified.
“Okay, who would do that?” Kaito gave Shinichi a look that said he wasn’t buying it.
“I don’t know. Without being able to look into it myself, I have no way of knowing.” Shinichi sighed, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling, “Just what is going on?”
“I don’t know. I’ll see about getting answers.” Kaito sighed as he closed the phone and flopped back onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. “This sucks.”
“Agreed.”