Chapter Text
“Do you believe in fate, Meitantei?” KID asks, face turned towards the moon as he speaks.
“...I do,” Shinichi answers slowly. KID's face is unreadable in the moonlight. An unfamiliar feeling flutters in his chest. Unfamiliar, because Shinichi knows with absolute certainty it wasn’t his own.
…Do you?
-1 year ago-
The Shinmanaka museum is as drab as Shinichi remembers - fitting for his mood, as he follows behind Mouri Kogoro up the stairs, struggling to keep up with his much shorter legs. Ran walks at a leisurely pace behind him, Sonoko beside her, excited chatter filling the stairwell. Shinichi doesn't register any of it, Haibara's words from their last conversation replaying like a broken record in his head.
“It’s been over three years, Kudou-kun,” she says, as she rapidly scans the results of her latest lab test. “Everything we’ve tried so far hasn’t been able to permanently reverse the effects of the apotoxin.”
Haibara shows him the lab results. Shinichi doesn't understand a lot of the squiggly lines and dots, but he can read that his blood levels and organ functions are regular. Haibara explains the gist of it: “Your cells are just too normal. If there was an anomaly, I could try to cure you by removing it, but there's nothing. Your body is truly just that of a seven year old's.”
Shinichi tenses, knowing what her next words will be and hating to hear them anyway.
”I’m not telling you that it’s hopeless, but you should consider the possibility that an antidote may never be found.” Her shrewd eyes are gentle with pity when she meets his. “I’m sorry to say this, Kudou-kun, but you might want to think about getting used to your new life instead as Edogawa Conan.”
Even knowing what was coming doesn’t help him feel any less like he’s been sucker punched in the chest. “You mean - you’re giving up?” Shinichi asks, hating how his voice comes out tremulous. He wishes he could feel anger, but all that he can come up with is crushing despair. “That’s it?”
”Of course not.” Haibara says immediately. “I’m not going to stop trying until the day I die. But, you and I both know that they won’t stop hunting Kudou Shinichi, either. Masks can be heavy, Kudou-kun. You’ve been trying to be both Shinichi and Conan at the same time for so long. Is it worth risking your life, and the lives of the people you love, just to keep your identity as Kudou Shinichi?”
You don’t - You don’t understand, is what Shinichi had wanted to say. But that wouldn’t be fair to Haibara, who has had her parents and sister killed for this drug, who’d taken it herself and ended up just like him, and was only alive now because of her new identity as Haibara Ai. Kudou Shinichi at least still had his family, had friends and Ran, and he can’t just disappear because he promised them he would return someday.
In the end, he could only nod numbly, and take his leave. Because Haibara was right, as well - masks were heavy, and he’s not sure how long he can keep up being Kudou Shinichi when his body was so clearly not.
That was yesterday, so when Sonoko came with news the next day of a Kaitou KID heist at a museum her grandfather owned and invited the Mouris, Shinichi was quick to ask to be allowed along.
KID heists were the one place he still felt like himself. A crossing of minds and wit, rather than bodies. Strangely, the thief never seemed to mind that he was essentially competing with a child, meeting him quip-for-quip with the same level of enthusiasm Shinichi does.
Maybe the guy was just lonely? Shinichi scoffs at the thought the moment it comes to him, wondering why he was suddenly feeling sorry for the phantom thief. But it was true that Shinichi usually observed him to be operating alone, and now he wonders whether the Kaitou KID ever had anyone helping him or if he’s been on his own this entire time.
While on that train of thought, his ears catch a thread of Sonoko and Ran's conversation. “Wouldn't it be romantic if Kaitou KID turned out to be my soulmate?” Sonoko sighs, a hand placed dramatically on her chest. “I swear, I can feel his emotions. We've met several times already, so it would make sense.”
Shinichi fights not to roll his eyes. The existence of soulmates has been a hotly debated concept for decades - people have reported being able to “sense” each others’ emotions after becoming acquainted with each other, only for the phenomenon to disappear when they become closer and, in many cases, form a relationship. It’s been reported commonly enough that majority of the world has accepted it to be true.
In Shinichi’s opinion? It’s complete nonsense. A Mandela effect of people forming new friendships or budding romances who claim they can feel emotions not their own, when in fact they were just overwhelmed by the novelty of it all. Shinichi doesn't consider himself a cynic, unlike his role model Holmes - it's just that soulmates have never been scientifically proven to exist, and Shinichi only believes in facts.
Ran laughs, a sweet, delicate sound. She’s always had a beautiful laugh. “If Kaitou KID really is your soulmate, you’ll be the envy of all the KID fangirls out there. They’re always talking about how romantic of a partner he'll be.”
“I just know he is.” Sonoko says dreamily. The heiress has always been a little ditzy, but she becomes downright delusional at KID heists - whether an effect of the heist itself or Sonoko's natural proclivity, Shinichi has yet to determine. “He’s not just romantic, but a true gentleman as well. He’s the perfect catch, Ran!” Shinichi couldn’t quite hold back a derisive snort this time. Hah, like hell this guy was a gentleman, when he'd so blatantly groped Ran’s ass that one time.
It seems that Ran remembers that exact same incident, her expression wincing as she looks around for a change of topic, and catches sight of Shinichi watching them. “Were you listening in on our conversation, Conan-kun? Do you believe in soulmates too?”
”What would a brat like him know about romance anyway,” Sonoko mutters. Ran quickly nudges her quiet with an elbow.
Shinichi gives Sonoko his most deadpan look before he answers. “A-re-re? I’m only seven, Ran-neechan, I don’t know much about soulmates. But I guess I would prefer to see evidence before I believe that they’re real.”
“Told you so.” Sonoko mutters again, and Shinichi sticks his tongue out at her in return. Childish, but worth it to see the vein twitch in her forehead.
Ran quickly catches Sonoko’s arm before the heiress does something silly like starting a fight with a seven year old. “You’re so alike to Shinichi,” she tells him, smiling softly. “He always says that he doesn’t believe in soulmates because there isn’t any scientific proof of them. He’ll probably think I’m silly, but sometimes I feel - I truly believe he’s my soulmate. I think I feel his emotions, here -“ She touches just below her neck, “- and that’s what reassures me that he’s still alive somewhere.”
That’s what he’s always admired about her - Ran's optimistic, and brave, and Shinichi hates the fact that he’s hurting her the most by being stuck in his current situation. It’s just the worry you’re feeling, he wishes he could tell her. Soulmates aren't real. And, he cares for Ran more than anything - whether they were preternaturally linked or not was irrelevant.
Everyone jumps when a loud bang! echoes around the room, and they turn to find Inspector Nakamori deliberately setting off a trap the police are testing to catch Kaitou KID. It's a mess of complicated wires and netting, but Shinichi can see the mechanisms attached to the sides of the room and to the base of the jewel case, well-hidden but still visible, and there's no doubt KID would too. A magician of KID's calibre would never fall for something like this. Still, it was a fairly complex trap by police standards, a testament to Inspector Nakamori's 20 years of experience with hunting down the world's most elusive thief.
Shinichi's eyes narrow as he focuses his attention on the inspector in question, noticing the greying at his temples and crow's feet around his eyes. 20 years…
If Kaitou KID was the same man from all those years ago, then he would be at the very least in his mid thirties to fourties. But - that wasn’t right. From all the interactions Shinichi’s had with the thief so far - his build, agility and movements all pointed to someone far younger, possibly close in age to Shinichi himself.
Anyone in their right mind would sooner believe that it was a different man masquerading as Kaitou KID rather than that he had found some way to make himself age backwards. Anyone else but Shinichi, that is. Given that Shinichi himself knows of a drug that can physically de-age a person, and the fact that there had been reports of shooters at KID’s previous heists -
Maybe, just maybe, the thief might know something.
For the first time since he spoke to Haibara, Shinichi feels a sliver of hope curl in his chest, lightening him from the inside. It’s enough to make him smile a little, and finds himself genuinely excited for what new challenges the thief will pose tonight.
Strange. Shinichi has always been a pessimist; he knows this better than anyone else. He’s still inside the same drab old museum, still as Conan instead of Shinichi, and all things considered, Kaitou KID may not even be a lead at all. But a spark of optimism alights in him nonetheless, and he feels far better than he has in months.
KID heists do make people weird.
As expected, Inspector Nakamori’s trap does absolutely nothing to prevent Kaitou KID from stealing the jewel. The gem that they had out in the booby-trapped display case was a dud, for obvious reasons, but by the time KID had stolen the dud and taken off just before the shaking museum curator had approached them to tell them that the real gem was gone from its state-of-the-art secured safe, Shinichi had taken off running.
“Oi! Brat!” Kogoro shouts after him, but he's stopped by Nakamori's men - they’ve sealed off all the exits before the heist started, and only let Shinichi through because there's no way even Kaitou KID could disguise himself as a child half his own size. The policemen start pinching everyone's faces, convinced that Kaitou KID is still disguised among them, but Shinichi knows better.
He doesn't go upstairs - it's way too obvious, and the museum building isn't tall enough to ride a hanglider off from. Instead he heads for the nearest tall building and, after eyeing the staircase entrance and deciding that no, he's not attempting to climb up 52 flights of stairs, takes the elevator instead.
The elevator music is loud and annoyingly upbeat as it climbs slowly up to the highest floor. Shinichi drums his fingers impatiently against his thigh as he waits, watching the red numbers tick up. 41… 42… 43…
The elevator arrives at level 52 with a cheery ding, but the doors don't open. Perplexed, Shinichi runs his fingers along the door opening until he finds a tiny mechanism in between the doors, likely containing extremely strong magnets to hold them together. Another of KID's traps, no doubt. There's no way for Shinichi to pry it off, which means he has to find some other way to get the doors to open.
He scans around the elevator, zeroing in quickly on the way the numbers on the electronic number pad are flashing. He cautiously presses a button, and a note plays instead of the usual beep. Pressing the other buttons plays all different notes, like keys on a piano. A music riddle?
The gem KID stole was called the Swan Song, named for a ballerina who died shortly after her fiancè gifted the gem to her. “If it's ballet, it has to be Swan Lake, right…?” Shinichi mutters, keying in the opening notes to the Tchaikovsky melody.
But - the doors don't open after he punches the enter key. The number pad goes dark for a second before it starts flashing bright red again, “INCORRECT!” in obnoxious capital letters appearing across the screen.
“What -” Shinichi glances around in confusion again, until he suddenly realises; the annoying elevator music that had been playing on his way up was looping, the same few notes over and over. He's got to be joking…
The elevator doors open with another cheerful sounding ding after Shinichi plays the music on the keypad, much to his consternation. “At least I wasn’t required to sing it.” Shinichi mutters as he steps out. Otherwise, he might have been trapped in there forever.
Kaitou KID is still perched on the edge of the roof when he arrives, holding the gem up to the moonlight. Shinichi pauses to watch for a moment, entranced; the light passing through the gem - a sapphire - throws patterns of shining blue across the thief’s face, reflecting off the monocle and catching the sharp profile of his nose and jaw. He paints a melancholy picture like this, and Shinichi feels a strange sadness sweep through him. Nothing happens with the gem, and Shinichi sees KID release a barely audible sigh before he pockets it again.
”Not what you’re looking for?” Shinichi says.
KID doesn’t look startled when he turns to face him, which either meant that he knew Shinichi was there all along, or was hiding his surprise extremely well. His smile is loose and easy, but Shinichi can’t shake the lingering sadness from earlier. “Who said I was looking for something?”
“You always return the gems you steal. So far, you’ve only targeted gems that have a long or complicated history, barring the few heists where you targeted items that weren’t precious jewels.” Like the Ekoda clock tower, which Shinichi had learnt afterwards that it was about to be sold and moved, until KID’s heist saved the tower. “You obviously aren’t stealing the gems for their monetary value, so the only conclusion is that you’re looking for something related to these gems.”
KID’s grin widens, but there’s something a little more sharp in his smile this time. “Very astute, tantei-kun. If you’ve surmised that much, I assume you have your guesses as to what I’m looking for?”
“You… don’t know what type of gem it is.” Shinichi starts slowly. He watches KID carefully as he speaks, but the thief betrays no emotion in his face or body language. “But you know that it is a gem that has existed for some time. And that it possibly… reacts to moonlight?”
“Bingo. Got it in one, tantei-kun.” KID’s tone is dry, almost flat, despite the smile that he’s still wearing. A shiver runs down Shinichi’s spine involuntarily.
”What does the gem do? Why are you looking for it?” And maybe I can help, Shinichi wants to add. If it was somehow related to the Black Organisation, and if it was something Shinichi could use against them… But in his current body, Shinichi may be more of a hindrance than a help instead.
KID laughs. “Now you’re starting to ask the right questions. Would you believe me if I told you that it was a gem said to cry tears of immortality when it’s exposed to moonlight?”
Shinichi stares at him, semi-disbelieving, but KID’s expression is completely serious. “You really mean - Immortality? I thought such a thing would be nothing more than a myth?” But the gears are turning in Shinichi’s head even as he speaks - if this gem was real, if it was the Black Organisation’s goal, it would make sense that Haibara’s experiments were meant to replicate it, why KID was targeted by their snipers at every heist.
“Ah ah ah, but in every myth lies a basis of truth, and I’ve been convinced that it does indeed exist.” KID regards him with a tilt of his head. “And, if I’m right, it may help you with your little problem as well, Kudo-san.”
The use of his real name has Shinichi reeling back, not expecting to hear it from KID’s lips, even though he was aware that KID already knew his secret. And for KID to imply that it may be the key to getting his original body back, when he had all but given up hope just yesterday… It sends a pulse of overwhelming relief through him, so strong that Shinichi doubles over, desperately gulping in air as his breath catches in his throat.
The foreboding aura around KID disappears instantly as his eyes widen and he strides across the rooftop, quickly sinking to his knees as he places one gloved hand on Shinichi’s back. “Woah! Hey, Kudo, are you okay?”
Before he can answer, something else catches his eye and Shinichi looks up, only to see a glint of metal from the roof opposite theirs. The red dot of a sniper’s rifle is suddenly trained on KID’s back - and any breath he had left is used on his cry of “Watch out!” as he throws his entire body weight against KID, knocking the thief away right as the sniper fires.
Pain tears through his side in a blinding instant, searing and intense. His last conscious thought is “damn it, not this again” before everything goes dark.