I’ve been compiling more of Call of the Raven, aka Epic Conan Fanfic that kaitomagic and I have been working on for the past… geez, 3 years now? And came across this fun scene with Kaito and Sonoko. Clover said it was okay to post, so here it is, raw and unedited and without much context!
Just know that Kaito is disguised as Shinichi and is trying to leave the hospital after visiting Ran, Heiji, and Hakuba for reasons. Detective Serial Killer reasons. Aaand… Sonoko has decided that it’s time she has a little talk with Shinichi.
Kaito is written by Clover (kaitomagic) and Sonoko by me! Leave happy comments so we’ll post more! :3
Night Staff (from Volume 4 of Call of the Raven)
…
From Kaito’s perspective standing outside, the hallway was much too long for the thief’s taste. He stared down it for a while from the opposite side of the door to Hakuba’s temporary room like a particularly hydrophobic cat might a river just after a rainstorm.
Asking for painkillers would be too much of a hassle, now… he’d need papers and doctor’s recommends and possibly another checkup… none of which he could currently afford to be delayed by. A wheel chair just seemed excessive and out of the question, even if he could have found access to one… it’d draw too much attention. Plus he’d feel like a wimp. He could still walk on his leg, after all… it just wasn’t the nicest sounding idea.
After several minutes of skilled, pokerfaced traipsing, he reached the elevator and stepped inside. The exit was just a few floors down and then with any luck it’d be smooth, uninterrupted sailing until he reached home.
Alas, poor impostor, for fate had chosen another card. While the elevator was empty and no other lights flashed on the panel, signalling a clear and easy escape, the sound of clicking heels came in a flurry from the outside. Sonoko hadn’t been far away, and had just managed to catch a passing glance at Kaito before he ducked into the elevator. So she ran.
There were few things that could get the teenager to run in heels – sales and escaping from criminals being a couple of the rare exceptions – but this… this injustice… was at the top of her list. And even though the elevator doors had begun to close before she was within seeing distance, the fury that boiled up inside of her drove her in unnatural speed.
“KUUUUUUUUDO-KUUUUUN!”
Her battle cry, filled with righteous anger, rang through as she came to a skidding halt, thrusting her purse forward to catch the doors at the last moment. Then her arm, sideways, as she forced her way in, brows furrowed, breathless and panting.
“You are NOT getting away THIS time, you bastard!”
The sound of the banshee’s screeching had the hair on the back of Kaito’s neck standing on end and sent his finger to work frantically and repeatedly pushing the ‘close doors’ buttons on the elevator control pad, eyes wide, nerves on edge and adrenaline pumping.
Who knew one angry woman could startle him so badly?
She was coming through the doors.
He backed up a bit, watching her with an expression one might place with a party who had just been accused of something for which they were very guilty– but little known to Ms.Suzuki, the expression was for an entirely different reason than what she might have suspected.
“Sonoko, I…” He started, taking another step back.
So much for a quiet getaway.
The doors closed behind Sonoko as she stood, hands curled into fists, catching her breath with heavy panting through clenched teeth. Still, despite the rage and her harried approach, she was every bit as beautiful and put together as she always was. The young woman, having composed herself somewhat, wasted no further time in closing the distance between them, heels clicking as she stalked forward. This was no time to care about personal bubbles. Sonoko Suzuki had wrongs to be righted!
“Kudo-kun,” she began, voice tense with anger. “Where in the HELL do you think you’re going? Ran-chan is in a hospital bed not thirty feet from here and you’re LEAVING? She just woke up! She talked to me! And she NEEDS you and you’re LEAVING? Eri-san said that you had to go, but that was HOURS ago and yet you’re still here? Just /now/ leaving? And SUPPOSEDLY coming back?! Well I’ve heard THAT one before, and you ought to know that I see RIGHT THROUGH your lies. Why the hell do you think it’s okay for you to just come and go as you please?! She was STABBED! Why do you have to be such a cold-hearted bastard?!”
Oh hell.
He knew he shouldn’t have allowed himself to stay around for this long. He had to hand it to Sonoko though- she had a way of making a guy feel like the lowest scum of the earth even when he really wasn’t guilty of specific stated accusations. If he really were Shinichi… well… he didn’t know what he’d do. Probably feel awful.
If it were possible to do so without trying to get past Sonoko or opening the roof of a moving elevator, the disguised thief would have fled… but he had already retreated as far back as was otherwise possible within the confines of the small moving room. He could feel a section of the metal bar circumferencing the mirrored walls pressing against his back.
“I… was…”
He hadn’t prepared himself for this.
“You. Were. What?” Sonoko asked, punctuating each word with an incredulous and accusatory force. She took another step closer, eyes narrowing to thin slits, a look of disgust crossing her features. “Leaving her, right? Save the girl, but leave her before she has a chance to talk to you. Just gotta do the bare minimum to keep her at bay, right? Stringing her along by the thinnest thread you can manage. Never stopping to wonder if she worries about you, if she struggles for you. You haven’t seen the way she cries sometimes, when she doesn’t think anyone is looking. All while she puts on a good face and makes excuse after excuse for you, all while you won’t even SEE HER. Won’t even let her know how YOU feel. Because you’ve got no skin in the game, right? She’s put it all on the line for you, so why should you?”
The teenage girl laughed, rolling her eyes as she put her hands on her hips. “Well, Kudo-san, I’ve had enough. Now that I’ve got you cornered, I’m not letting you go. You’re going to come right back with me to her room to wait for her, and then you two can have a niiiice looong chat. And if you DARE think that you’re going to escape, then I’ll tear you apart.”
She tossed her head, shaking out her hair as she suddenly gave a wicked grin. “Understood?”
Oh, it was understood… just not agreed upon. Shinichi was already with Ran and Kaito was not going back to that room.
He supposed he couldn’t just kiss her for the surprise factor and vanish though, either… as Shinichi, the thief was certain that it would incriminate far more than it would help. He might even get attacked, judging by Sonoko’s demeanor and steadily growing levels of feminine intimidation.
What would the real thing say in this situation? More lies and avoidance? Kaito sort of felt bad for him… after all… what other choice did he have?
As for Kaito, he decided on truth.
…with a twist.
“No skin? How many times do you think I’ve risked my life for her? I could have easily died myself getting her out of there, and even knowing that I would do it again for however many times it takes. Don’t tell me I’m not risking anything, because you have no idea what it was like in there. What it has been like with this case I’m on. There are reasons for what I do. I’m not completely heartless.”
He stood up to her, voice calm and logical but with convincing tiredness and concern in his eyes- before he sighed, seeming to tether himself a bit.
“…I took a nap, Sonoko. I’ve been awake since she vanished, looking for her. I’m exhausted. And I really don’t want to put her through this right now.”
Reel her in, then deliver the sympathy card.
…And hope it works
Sonoko watched the detective with a stern gaze, letting him talk. Her expression stayed the same, though the heat left slowly as ‘Shinichi’ went on. Whether or not Kudo’s excuses were valid, she had to give him credit for standing up to her. He addressed her concerns, met her eye to eye, and didn’t back down. In the end, she relaxed her position, one hand still on her hip while the other went for her purse, and she smiled.
“Kudo-kun.” She laughed and shook her head, dismissively. But by the softening of her expression, it seemed that the male teenager was out of the danger zone. “Fine. A nap is good. You do look tired. And your suit’s wrinkled. And you could probably use a shower.”
She missed seeing him like this. Although he’d always been Ran’s friend, she’d cared about him, too. Even when he was moody and uncooperative and unwilling to even do the slightest bit of nonsense in the name of fun. She continued her thoughts out loud. “Here you are, acting so adult and responsible. Like you’re some great detective. It’s not fair that you’ve grown up so fast, leaving us behind. And…. Ran-chan really does miss you. I think she spends more time looking at your empty desk than she does paying attention in class.”
Behind her, the elevator doors chimed and opened. Sonoko swung a fist at the panel without looking, closing the doors again. Apparently, she wasn’t finished.
“When are you coming back?”
More personal stuff. Meant for Shinichi, not him. He hadn’t intended on intruding this much.
“I’m not sure yet… to be honest, things are really tricky and I don’t see it letting up very soon.” He took a light breath, rubbing a temple. He was, quite truthfully, relieved to have her mostly off his back now- but he still had to keep up the act until he could get out of there. On to more sentiments.
“Believe me, I miss her, too. Is she… doing okay, other than worrying about me?”
He really was concerned… but his emotional sanity was stretched a little thin and it was affecting his creativity. He didn’t know the girl nearly as well as Shinichi did, so he had to balance showing concern while avoiding more specific questions or statements. Holes in knowledge could blow his cover.
Sonoko tilted her head, regarding the other teenager with an amused grin. “You’ve really got it bad for her, don’t you?” she asked, then shook her head as she thought better of it. “Never mind; save that for her. She… She’s doing all right, though she does worry constantly. And she never knows just where she stands with you. I don’t think I would have had the patience to wait for you this long.”
She sighed and her expression further softened, a look of fond concern gracing her features. “She loves you. She can’t say it out loud, but I know she does. And all while I was visiting her, just now, she had that sort of far-off look in her eyes that she gets when she’s thinking about you.” She lifted her head to look ‘Shinichi’ in the eyes, then shrugged, stepping passively out of the way of the elevator doors, as if granting him permission to leave.
“Thank you for saving her, Kudo-kun… I was so… so scared…” Sonoko brought up a hand to wipe emerging tears from her eyes, smile quivering with the emotion that overwhelmed her. “I thought I’d never see her again… and then with her surgery complication… Ohmygod. I… I… thank…” She had to stop to try to calm herself, running both hands over her eyes, blushing in embarrassment. “Th-thank you.”
It was quite a different – but still dramatic – display from earlier.
Kaito hesitated. What would Shinichi do?
Down day, pretty girl crying in front of him…
Whatever it was in Kaito that had a will to resist certain things wasn’t strong enough to help him with this right now.
He took a step forward, resting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Aww, come on Sonoko… she’ll be all right now…”
What else should he do? Nothing else he could fathom seemed appropriate. It was best to… comfort a little, then leave when possible. Sigh. How many more complications were going to conspire to keep him here? His emotions were drained. He needed more rest.
Sonoko sniffed, lowering her hands to look up at ‘Shinichi,’ blinking her eyes in surprise at the gesture. She swallowed against the sob that rose in her throat, and drew her fingers under each eye to wipe away the tears. “You’d better be right, Kudo-kun,” she said, voice choked with emotion. “She’s my best friend, too, you know. And I don’t know what I’d do if I lost her.”
The female teenager wiped her eyes frantically again, smearing makeup on her cheeks, which she then wiped away. She had become quite talented at doing damage control without a compact mirror. But that didn’t stop the tears from falling, stronger and faster.
“She’d better be okay…”
Damn. Why did she have to go and do that? He couldn’t help it.
Okay, well, maybe he could have if he had tried harder, but Sonoko really was a pretty girl and he didn’t like seeing anyone cry.
Especially not pretty girls.
He hugged her. Loose, but close… in an attempt at supposedly innocent comfort.
“She will. Ran’s strong… she’ll pull through, no doubt.”
Sonoko leaned against the detective’s chest, burying her face there, eyes closed. It did help. He was warm, strong, and smelled nice. He felt comforting. And Sonoko liked it.
Which is what gave her pause.
She blinked. Then lifted her head to look up at the young man who held her. She blinked again, eyes going wide.
“You’re not… Shinichi…” Sonoko’s words came out quiet, confused, startled. Then she furrowed her brows and stepped back, pushing against Kaito’s chest with her palms. “YOU ARE NOT SHINICHI.”
Although there was an increase in volume, Sonoko had managed to not raise her voice enough to attract the attention of others- yet. But that may have been because she was readying her purse for the attack. “Just WHO ARE YOU, imposter?! Answer me now or I’ll show you just what these high heels can do!”
Oh shit.
Think fast, Kaito…
“S-Sonoko, what?” The disguised teen faltered and backed up a step, adrenaline kicking in again from the woman’s sheer ability to intimidate. “Of course I’m Shinichi! Who else would I be? Hey, keep it down.. don’t…”
Sh… shhhhs–sh!!
If he was caught here, he’d likely be brought in for questioning and- Kaito panicked. He did the irrational thing and reverted to the KID method, using one of his underhanded tactics he usually saved for similar hopelessly cornered occasions, moving his arms around the girl and pressing his lips to hers, firm and passionate- but not overpowering. He wanted to throw her off guard, not scare her to death.
He didn’t even know how he was supposed to actually escape after that… and in the back of his mind, the more sensible part of Kaito Kuroba realized that this move very well could have just sealed his doom at the mercy of Sonoko Suzuki.
If the panic and the frantic hushing hadn’t confirmed her suspicions, the kiss certainly did. Sonoko blinked, mouth covered, and stared up at the young man’s face, into his eyes, flicker of understanding crossing her expression. It all made sense. Well, not all of it, certainly not that. But larger pieces. The girl, startled, put the puzzle pieces together while her tense muscles relaxed and the purse fell from her hand to the floor, scattering the contents on the elevator floor.
She’d heard about him impersonating Shinichi before. That was why he was so confident. Why he had held her. And why he was then kissing her, warm and wonderful, hot enough to bring a rosy blush to her cheeks. This was none other than Kaitou KID, the illustrious thief who expertly stole every priceless gem and woman’s heart that he desired. She hadn’t believed Ran when she’d told her about this little aspect of Kaitou’s career before, the part of playing the Detective, but it made so much sense. What more perfect disguise could there be?
Besides that, their faces were so similar. Their build, too, with slight differences. But his eyes… His eyes were different than that cold, foolish Kudo-kun’s. Kaitou’s had that hint of violet. That sweet, daring quality that separated them. A man of mystery. Refined dignity. Nothing at all like coarse and boring bookworm Shinichi.
No, certainly nothing like Shinichi. Not with this kiss.
But did that mean that Kaitou was after Ran again? But, no, Kaitou was leaving. So why…?
Did it matter? She swooned.
Finally, Sonoko pushed back from Kaitou, demure and coy, breathless. “Kaitou… Kid-sama,” she whispered, then looked at his eyes again. “Why… are you pretending to be…?”
The teen stayed on alert, preparing for action in the event that she pulled mace on his face or something similarly unpleasant. That hadn’t gone how he had planned.
Mostly because he knew he couldn’t limp fast enough to escape her and any potentially riled hospital security right now so the second half of that ‘kissing tag’ shenanigan he had just pulled couldn’t even be completed. Yeah. Kissing her had not been a well thought out move.
But he was in it, now… and worse, she had guessed who he really was. Only more damage than good could be done by trying to shrug it off now. …Why was that happening so much recently?
He must be slipping. And that… wasn’t good.
“It’s a long story,” He began, voice near a whisper- trying to buy himself a few seconds while he decided how much he could get away with not telling her. His voice evened out to the more smooth tones of the Phantom Thief with his next words as he watched her eyes hesitantly. “One that I’m afraid I’m not entirely at liberty to tell, Miss Suzuki. But I can say that I mean you no harm as well as apologize for my forwardness just now. I would rather not draw too much attention.”
The young lady stayed quiet and still, eyes locked on Kaitou’s as she worked on figuring him out. And enjoyed lingering in his arms. Makoto- he would forgive her for this, she was certain. If she ever breathed word of it, that is. It would be difficult to explain. Besides, she thought, the heat in her cheeks making her want to return that kiss, what was it that I heard? That ‘a secret makes a woman woman’? Miss Jodie said it once, she thought…
Sonoko found herself nodding to his smooth tones and attention. It was difficult to resist agreeing with anything and everything that he had to say.
But then… then, wait. She had to be strong for Ran. To not give in.
She set her jaw and looked up at Kaitou, suspicious and vigilant. He wasn’t just going to waltz out of this one, even if he was holding her like a dance partner!
“In any other circumstance,” Sonoko began, voice calm and quiet, barely above the intimate whisper they’d attained. “I would let you go without question, KID-sama… but for Ran-chan, I must insist… why are you pretending? Where’s Kudo-kun? Why isn’t he here… with Ran?”
Her eyes sparkled with fresh tears- though whether they were sincere or part of an act was anyone’s guess.
The thief studied Sonoko’s face, eyes searching, hesitancy clear in his momentary silence. He didn’t want to blow Shinichi’s cover… even if he was a jerk. But she needed to stop prying.
“…He’s in a bad situation. He’s gotten himself tied up in a complicated case and he’s playing against dangerous opposition- people who wouldn’t leave him alone even if he tried to back out now. He knows too much. He’s staying low for her safety. And, for yours, I recommend not looking any further into this. And that’s not a threat from me. Despite being on the other end of the law, I would not associate with who he’s going against.”
He kept the bold heiress in his arms, but loosened his grip to give her space so she could pull away more easily if she chose to. The close contact seemed to be having a positive effect on him not getting attacked and he wanted to maintain that mentality.
“He has been here, just not openly. Watching her, making sure she’s safe. He hasn’t abandoned her… he just can’t let her know that yet. As for me…” He began, smiling a small amount, though his eyes were still serious- smooth tones still constant and steady. “I’m a thief, not a killer- and to me, allowing someone to die when I could have prevented it may as well be the same as if I had pulled the trigger myself. I saw an opportunity to prevent death and I took it. No one should know this, though, just as he normally refrains from appearing in news coverage these days. Can I trust you to keep it between us, Miss Suzuki?”
Close by? Not showing himself? Sonoko tilted her head, her own eyes searching for meaning in Kaitou’s face. Though she didn’t pull away, she resisted the urge to touch her lips to his again. This was difficult. Far more than it should have been. But she stayed strong. Kaitou KID alone with her in an elevator. KID, who had just kissed her with more passion than she’d ever felt before. KID, who looked and sounded almost identical to Shinichi Kudo.
Furtively, she glanced up at the corners of the elevator cabin. Could there be cameras?
“Perhaps,” she said softly. “In return for a favor.”
It seemed that she had decided to trust KID-sama for the time being. Using one of her hands to push back some of his hair, relishing in its smooth texture, she leaned in close to whisper in his ear.
“…I want a moonlit kiss from you, Kid-sama… at your next heist.”
A kiss?
That would be easy enough. Enjoyable, even, judging by how this one went. Not that he’d like to make a habit out of this, particularly, but one or two would certainly hurt less than whatever she had been searching her purse for moments ago.
He smirked a little, though his expression was still soft.
“I believe that I can work that in. Deal.”
…After he worked in a couple days of vegging on the couch and tolerating school to recover from this whole complicated ordeal.
“Perfect.” Sonoko looked pleased with this arrangement. She doubted that Makoto could fault her for it, not with how she’d been so up front about everything. Right? No one had to know about any of this. She was a talented actress in her own right, despite what others thought of her. The others would never know what transpired here. There were hundreds of cover stories she could use. And with her knack of overreacting, it would ring true and authentic, just as with any performance.
She waited in Kaitou’s arms just a moment longer, studying his eyes while her lips slowly curved into a smirk.
And then… “Ehh?” She made a sound of surprise and pushed away from Kaitou, blushing and indignant. “Kudo-kun! How dare you be so forward.” Sonoko glanced down at the ground as her foot made contact with the spilled contents of her purse. “You insensitive jerk! Pick those up right now!” She pointed at the lipstick, wallet, keys, and other objects underfoot.
The fury in her expression was inconsistent with the mirth in her eyes. Or maybe it was perfectly in sync… perhaps she loved to play wicked.
He blinked. Eh? Oh.
“Baaaro, how am I being forward? I just asked how Ran was doing. And I’m not your butler. You dropped it, you pick it up.”
He had his voice back into Shinichi’s tones in a flash as well as that indignant, dry look. The type of long-suffering expression one might develop when they were almost constantly surrounded by nagging beings of lesser intelligence. He thought that was a pretty accurate portrayal of the detective… he had certainly treated him similarly.
…Okay. So maybe he was feeling a bit hurt and bitter and that was factoring itself into how long he had been acting like the other teen without a real break- but he was fairly certain that the performance outside would fool anyone who had dealt with Kudo Shinichi in the past.
He forced himself to give her a subtle wink; no use being completely jerk-faced when she already knew what he really was anyway. Besides… how many guys got to flirt this shamelessly with the classy Suzuki Sonoko with zero fear of rejection?
Sonoko responded in kind with a wink of her own, then glared, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “What, you expect ME to pick them up?” she asked, folding her arms over her chest in a huff. “I’m in a skirt! A SHORT skirt. What are you, a pervert?!” The look of anger turned to fury as she stepped back, slamming her fist on the door open button of the elevator panel. “Get OUT!” She yelled, thrusting a finger toward the opening door.
“Baka Shinichi! I’m not bowing to you, so just leave!”
At last. An escape path. The amount of relief that flooded him at the thought of actually making it out of there seemed unfathomable… but he knew that with this delay, he may still have to dodge the press. Maybe if he re-fixed his hair to not look so much like either of theirs…
For now, he acted nonchalant, eying the girl dryly with a rather pungent ‘as-if’ showing with the quirk in his brow. “Fine, fine. But you’re the one who stopped me when I was already trying to leave, you know.” The faux detective stated dully, looking mildly irritated as he stepped out of the elevator and onto the first floor.
It seemed as though this might leave off on a rather sour note, no matter how fake… but then he added something as the doors closed, entire expression flickering as he sent her a coy smirk.
“Forgive the question, miss Suzuki, but why wear a short skirt if you’re not inviting people to look?”
If he had timed it right, he’d be in the clear milliseconds after he observed the look on her face.
Sonoko only had time to blink, eyes wide, color flushing her face before the elevator doors closed again. It was only moments after she was left alone that Sonoko was able to recover from the jaw-dropped moment, taking a few seconds to calm down before she knelt to clean up the belongings in her purse, very conscious of the fact that her skirt was, in fact, a brazen invitation.
Thank goodness she was now alone.
…But did that mean that Kaitou KID had looked?
The teenager all but swooned again as she stood up after, adjusting her skirt and top, touching her cheek where the blush burned. He’d kissed her. And would do so again – at the next heist. That would certainly fill her nights with wonderful dreams for the next few weeks. But… something wasn’t right. There were still questions to be answered, even though Sonoko felt that she could push them from her mind in favor of excitement.
Where was Kudo-kun, really?
