Title: Saving the Phantom Thief

By: EsTeLweNadia

Summary: Shinichi did something truly unexpected to save Kaitou Kid from a very difficult predicament.

Rating: Hurt/Comfort/Angst/Friendship/Family

Disclaimer: Anyone and anything that you recognize from Detective Conan, is/are from Detective Conan. Again, this is based off Relative Truth by Becky Tailweaver, in which Kaito and Shinichi are cousins.

Author's Note: I have always wanted to see Shinichi as the Kaitou KID! ^^ And two of them at the same time, side by side!

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

Please read and enjoy!

Conan woke up with a start, heart pounding, fuzzy mind whirling with confusion at the overwhelming sense of foreboding that wrapped around his soul like an iron steel trap. And how his head hurt. Lying still on his bed for a long moment until the throbbing pain eased somewhat, he then laboriously hauled himself out and shuffled tiredly to the living room.

He had came over to Kaito's place to spend the weekend, intending to launch himself deeper into the world of phantom thieves with the help of one very helpful and willing Phantom Thief, Kaito himself. Conan thought that this would be an ideal move as an apology to Kaito, because he had been so snappish lately, and poor Kaito was getting the brunt of his temper. And he was right. Kaito's face lit up like the sun as he proudly showed the mini-Tantei the various gadgets, even demonstrated them as he explained in detail. And Conan even managed to glimpse the huge grin the magician was sporting whenever he thought Conan couldn't see. Somehow, that grin chased away the remaining shadows hidden in the recesses of his heart.

But he hadn't count on his cold to worsen and get in the way. Kaito and his Mom bullied him to a bed and played nursemaid to him ever since. And he was too dazed from his relentless sneezes and annoying coughs to refuse, anyway. So here he was, still stuck in Kaito's house.

The excited voice of a news reporter made him raise his head cautiously. Conan caught a glimpse of white on the television screen and suddenly recalled that KID was having a heist. Tonight. And Conan couldn't make it because of his friggin' cold. Pulling himself begrudgingly from his morbid thoughts, he shifted his attention back to the television. When he saw KID fleeing from the police, his Poker Face slipping just a little bit to show his rapidly growing panic, Conan's foggy mind immediately sharpened with horror, which he knew matched the expression on Obasan's face as she stood stock-still watching the news.

Oh no, he thought, this is bad. VERY bad! Something must have gone wrong. I have to help him, but how?

But he already knew how. There was only one way to help KID. And like it or not, he had to do it.

"Obasan!" He half-shouted, "Do you have a bottle of Baijiu with you?"

Fumiyo stirred and faced her nephew with a strange look. "Yes, Shin-chan. It is in one of the cabinets in the kitchen. You will be able to see it as soon as you enter. Why do you need it?" There was a frown on her face.

Conan didn't answer. He bolted to the kitchen and retrieved the Chinese liquor. It may be an unpleasant temporary antidote, Conan thought, hurrying up to what Kaito had fondly called the "Phantom Thief's Lair", but it is necessary. Dammit, Kaito, hang on! I'm coming!

He slammed the door, locked it securely behind him and immediately gulped down the Baijiu. He closed his eyes, willing the extreme pain to come, willing the transformation to begin. Fifteen minutes had passed before he felt the spasms; white-hot bolts of agony seared through his heart. In his weakened state from the severe cold he was having, he almost succumbed to unconsciousness from the pain of the transformation, but he held on until the change was complete. Taking deep shuddering breaths, Conan, now Shinichi, carefully shoved himself to his feet, gritting his teeth against the dizzying pain. Enough time had been wasted. He threw open KID's wardrobe and picked out one of the pristine white tuxedos, a white cape, blue inner shirt and a red tie. To complete the outfit, he put on KID's monocle and was about to put on the tall white hat adorned with blue ribbon when he remembered something.

Everyone will know that I'm Kudo Shinichi in KID's disguise, Shinichi thought, pausing a moment to think. My hair! He brightened up, running his hand roughly through his hair until it became somewhat as unruly as Kaito's, then put the hat on. He slipped his feet into a pair of glossy white boots and was about to leave the room when he caught his reflection in the tall mirror. Kaitou KID the Phantom Thief stared back at him.

Perfect, Shinichi smiled to himself, satisfied. Now for the interesting gadgets. He scanned the various devices for awhile, contemplating. Suddenly he was eternally grateful that Kaito had done his little Phantom Thief tour beforehand. In the end he took some of the flash and smoke bombs and several other items that might be useful in distracting the police and saving his cousin. Once done, he raced downstairs and almost collided into his aunt.

"Shin-chan?" She whispered, both in awe and shock. She reached up a slender hand to touch Shinichi's face. His skin was feverish and clammy, so she wasn't dreaming. One moment ago, he had been a small boy downed with terrible cold. Now he was who he really was; a tall, handsome and confident teenager, disguising exactly like the Phantom Thief. Like her son. Just how he managed to return to his normal form again in just a short time?

"Don't worry, Obasan, I'll rescue Kaito," Shinichi assured her breathlessly. "There's no way I'm gonna let him get arrested. Not like this. Not when we still haven't manage to recover Pandora and defeat Snake."

"Shin-chan…" she murmured. In a short span of time, Kaito and Shinichi had been so close, they weren't cousins anymore… they had become brothers. As close as Toichi and Yuusaku-kun had ever been.

Before Shinichi could dash out of the house, Jii-san blocked his way, jangling a bunch of keys and a huge black cloak. "Wait, Shinichi-sama, let me take you there. No one must see another KID running through the streets."

Shinichi grinned sheepishly. Why hadn't he thought of that? "Yeah, I guess you are right."

As they turned to leave, Shinichi gave Kaito's mum wink and a thumbs-up, wordlessly conveying the message that everything would be fine, while hoping deep in his heart that it would really turn out fine. Kudo Shinichi doesn't make empty promises. He would see to it. Definitely.

Hurry, he urged the old man silently as they cruised down the highway as if they owned it. There's isn't much time.

And he wasn't just referring to his cousin's situation.

I'm dead, Kaito thought, panicking splendidly within. I'm so, so dead!

There was no chance of escape. The police were closing in, trapping him and leaving him nowhere to run. It would only be a matter of time before he was well and truly trapped. From the grinning faces of the policemen, especially Nakamori-keibu, he knew that his reign of stealing precious gems would be over soon. VERY soon.

All because he was unusually off tonight. Worrying about Shinichi back at home who just didn't seem to get any better. And the reappearance of Snake tonight didn't help matters. That bastard had been shooting at him ever since KID had arrived, forcing him to adjust his plans in accordance to the shootings. No one gets hurt, that was KID's number one golden rule. No, that's not it. The MOST important rule is that KID mustn't get caught. Ever.

It seemed that his own rules were about to be broken, though. Snake wasn't relenting, and neither was the police. KID was officially doomed tonight.

That was, until they heard a sudden, deafening explosion. All heads whipped up and around at the direction of the noise. Even Kaito's eyes widened considerably at the thick, billowing smoke that swept swiftly across the area. Somehow, he knew that smoke from anywhere! Heart easing at the sudden hope of being rescued, Kaito took the chance to escape to higher grounds while the police were busy hacking and coughing and swearing at the smoke. From there, he could see his savior, and his Poker Face slipped away completely to reveal his shock.

Because, standing directly opposite from him, two roofs away, was another Kaitou KID.

And that KID flashed him a mocking grin. A grin that Kaito knew all too well.

Shinichi, it's him! Kaito wanted to collapse bonelessly in relief to see his cousin perching so arrogantly just a few feet away from him, exactly like he usually did. But why? How?

Shinichi sailed over the gap with relative ease. He looked at Kaito with a mixture of grimness and disbelief, as if he wanted to scold and mock him at the same time. Kaito supposed he deserved it. All of it.

"Save the questions for later," the detective-now-turned-KID hissed. "We've got to get away from here, fast."

Before they could, however, the smoke began to clear and it didn't take long for the police to realize where Kaitou KID was, and they were in for a real, nasty surprise.

"Souna bakana!" Nakamori-keibu shrieked. "There're two of them!"

"It's show time," Shinichi murmured.

"But…" Kaito wanted to protest, but Shinichi was already shaking his head.

"There's no time", he said, sounding slightly out of breath. Kaito scrutinized his cousin and noted with alarm that Shinichi was sweating profusely, and that he looked pale and feverish. Then Kaito realized that Shinichi was still suffering from his flu, and it seemed to have deteriorated with each passing minute. The show must continue. Shinichi had bought him some time, now it was up to him to take charge of his deck again.

"Ne, Nakamori-keibu," Kaito said pleasantly, turning to look at the livid inspector. "Surely you must know of this; to arrest me you will have to catch me first." He threw in a wink and an arrogant smirk for additional measure.

"Get them!" Nakamori-keibu yelled. "Both of them!"

Using that as a cue, they started running, matching each other stride for stride. Since Shinichi wasn't feeling well, Kaito was able to keep up with the detective. But he was worried for the other teen. That mini-woman, Ai Haibara had told him that Shinichi shouldn't exert himself to vigorous activities during the first hour after the transformation. Is he really going to be okay?

Kaito spared a worried glance at Shinichi, who seemed to be in pain although his stride never slowed.

"We will separate from here," Shinichi told him in between shallow gasps for breath. "That will divide the force and their attention. It'll be easier to shake them off and lose them."

Kaito hesitated, liking the idea of separating even less, but knew that it was the only way. "But are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine!" Shinichi grated. "Now go!"

Kaito spared Shinichi the briefest of glances, then nodded. Shinichi had this kind of stubbornness and determination set on his jaw, glinting in his eyes. It comforted him somehow, that Shinichi had donned on that costume without a second thought to save his hide. The least he could do was to follow Shinichi's plan. He would escape, then come back for Shinichi.

I won't let you down, Kaito promised. I won't leave you behind. Wait for me, Shinichi.

With that, he turned to another direction and continued running.

Shinichi ran, his white cape billowing behind him. Pain accompanied his every step and he could feel himself weakening. It wouldn't be long before he reverted back to Edogawa Conan.

This must end soon! Shinichi thought as he swerved around a tight corner, nearly colliding with Nakamori-keibu. Startled he managed to step away from the equally startled officer. He had no time to congratulate himself on his finely-honed reflexes, though, because he caught sight of something glinting in the distance. A barrel of a gun. A sniper. The one who had been shooting at KID. Snake.

Shit, Shinichi cursed profoundly under his breath. Automatically he reached for Nakamori's jacket lapels, for the gun concealed within. "I'll borrow this for awhile."

He ignored Nakamori's indignant, furious protests. His world, his scope of vision, his focus, for a moment, was narrowed down to his target of the borrowed gun; Snake. His aim was steady, his stance was confident. So far KID had been on defensive mode; constantly dodging the bullets and disappearing into the shadows like a phantom he was. Now it was time to retaliate.

Shinichi pulled the trigger several times, shifting his aim slightly with every shot and watching coldly as the bullets hit Snake. Snake had been wounded and bloody and that the weapon had fallen off his grip to clatter on the ground below. Satisfied, Shinichi returned the gun back to Nakamori, who was watching him with gaping astonishment.

"Thank you," Shinichi said sweetly, "Now the one who has been shooting at me is injured and has lost his weapon. He is now fleeing the scene as we speak, but that is alright. If you act fast, you will be able to retrieve the weapon and some blood samples. Then you are able to identify him and make an arrest the soonest you can. I know you hate me, but I am also very sure that you don't wish for me to be killed."

"KID! You…!" Nakamori started to curse, only to be cut off by the false KID.

"Snake," Shinichi said grimly. "Here's a tip, Nakamori-keibu. Next time I stage a heist, direct two teams of police. One, to catch me, and the other, to catch the sniper. That way you can kill two birds with one stone, yes?"

Shinichi tipped his hat slightly at the baffled inspector whose face was twisted purple with fury. "I'm sorry to say that this show ends tonight. But we will meet again, under the same moonlight in a different night. Thank you for your time."

Shinichi smashed a flash bomb in front of Nakamori-keibu. In the midst of the blinding light, Shinichi whirled around and made his escape while the confusion was still ongoing.

Once he had gotten far away from the hectic scene, once he had confirmed that he was in a safe distance from the chaos, that no one had been following him, Shinichi leaned against an abandoned building in exhaustion, catching his breath.

Thank goodness it ended well, Shinichi thought with a small, triumphant smile. Now I just need to find a way to find a way to get back home without being seen…

His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill, insistent ringing of his cellphone. He fumbled for it and answered it on the third ring. "Moshi moshi?"

"Shinichi, where are you?" He winced when Kaito half-shouted at him from the other end of the line.

Shinichi blinked. Suddenly he had trouble concentrating and catching his breath. "Kaito… where are you?"

"I had shaken them off completely and now no longer KID," Kaito explained. "Now I am on my way to get you. Where are you?"

Shinichi glanced around wearily. "I don't know. I think I'm behind an abandoned building nearby."

But Kaito knew where it was. Where Shinichi was. "Hang on, Shinichi, I'm coming!"

Shinichi huffed a small laugh. "Relax. It's not like I'm in trouble or …."

A jagged bolt of white-hot pain that seared into his very being caught him completely off guard. Shinichi cried out as he clutched at his chest, gripping tightly at the lapels of KID's clothes in a desperate attempt to alleviate the pain. When another spasm shuddered through him – the intensity of its pain doubled this time- he slid to the ground, unable to find the strength to remain standing.

Dammit! He cursed, gasping in agony. Not now, not here, not when I'm still like this…

Before unconsciousness engulfed his awareness, he thought he heard someone screaming his name. Then he dropped like a stone into the waiting darkness.

Kaito heard Shinichi's scream of pain from his cellphone, and knew instantly what had happened.

"Come on, Jii-san, hurry!" Kaito shouted. "Hurry!"

Even before Jii could completely stop the car, Kaito jumped out of the vehicle and dashed towards the slumping white-cloaked figure he could see in the distance.

Shinichi was curling in absolute agony, shrinking into Edogawa Conan right in front of his eyes. Kaito was terrified. This was the first time he witnessed Shinichi reverting to Conan; he didn't expect the transformation to be so painful. It pained him to watch, but there was nothing else he could do except to scoop his unconscious and still shrinking cousin into his trembling arms, together with KID's attire. Through the bundle of now-too-big clothes, Kaito could feel heat emanating from the small figure.

Shit, Kaito thought, alarmed. He's burning up!

"Jii-san, please hurry!" He urged the old man. "Shinichi's having a high fever!"

In response, once again, Jii sped away, bringing his two charges safely home.

Kaito sat beside his Mom, numb. Shinichi had just saved him from the cops, from being arrested and he had put on KID's attire even though he had clearly stated how much he hated the idea of donning on the thief's costume.

"Shin-chan became KID without hesitating," Mom said quietly. "As soon as he saw you in the news fleeing from the police, he asked for a bottle of Baijiu and went upstairs. Half an hour later, when he came down, he looked so much like KID, I thought I was dreaming. I didn't know how he did it, but he did it to save you, Kai-chan."

Kaito nodded slowly. "I was surprised myself. I didn't expect him to rescue me at all. I didn't expect him to rescue him that way, in that condition."

"Ever since he knew that you two are cousins, he cares deeply for you," Mom smiled softly. "He always acts like he doesn't care, but he does. He is willing to take any risk to make sure that you are safe, not caring what condition he is in or about his own safety. As much as I am worried about his apparent lack of self-preservation, I am glad to see that he does it for his loved ones. For you."

Kaito managed a smile. "Yeah. I know that."

He stood up, uncomfortable at what he would call a chick-flick moment. "I'm going to check on him."

"Alright, Kai-chan," Mom nodded. "But don't disturb him too much. He needs a lot of rest."

Kaito understood that perfectly. Shinichi had gone through so much that night. A very bad cold, turned into Shinichi, became KID, then back as Conan, and then back with a terrible cold and fever. All of these to save KID from the police's clutches. From Snake's murderous intent. Kaito sat vigil by his cousin's bedside, watching him sleep. Thank goodness the pain and the fever had left him; now he was sleeping peacefully and was well on the road to recovery.

He watched as his small (physically) cousin began to stir. He didn't move for a long moment, probably working his sluggish brain to remember. As soon as he did, his eyes snapped open, and then he suddenly bolted upright, exclaiming a horrified, "Oh no, Kaito!"

"It's okay, Shinichi," Kaito said softly. "I'm right here. We're safe. We are back in my house. The police didn't get us."

Shinichi, now Conan, blinked, then sank gratefully back against his pillows. "Thank goodness… I thought that I've failed you. I…."

"Shh," Kaito gently hushed him. "Don't worry. It's all over now. Everything will be alright."

"Yeah, it will be," Conan agreed, sounding all awake now. And very much relieved. Kaito pretty much echoed that feeling. "And trust me; your next heists will be twice as fun."

Kaito frowned at Conan, startled at the sudden mischievous glint in the sharp, clear gaze. "Whatever you mean, Shinichi?"

A sly wink. "I've injured Snake, and the police will be conducting an investigation on him by the bloodstains and weapon left at the scene."

"WHAT?" Kaito was pretty sure the sky had fallen. He reached to feel Conan's forehead for any lingering traces of fever. "What are you talking about? Are you feeling alright?"

Conan swatted his hand away in annoyance. "I'm perfectly fine, Kaito, and I am not kidding. I ran into Nakamori-keibu, somehow managed to borrow his gun to shoot at Snake. I even told Nakamori-keibu to use deploy two teams for your next heists, one to concentrate on you, the other on Snake should he make another appearance."

Kaito stared at him, his mouth unashamedly hanging open in speechless shock as he tried to digest the information. "You are a hell of marksman, do you know that," he finally said.

"I had plenty of practice in Hawaii," Conan said smugly, without a hint of modesty. It lasted for a moment though because he suddenly frowned, looking at Kaito with that intense gaze of his. "By the way, you owe me an explanation. How on Earth do you manage to royally screw up your heist last night?"

Kaito sweatdropped. "Erm, I was off, okay? I was worried sick about you being sick. Very sick."

"Barou,"Conan's frown deepened. "It was only a cold, and I wasn't dying. And I being sick or dying had never stopped you before. Never stopped KID before."

When Kaito glared at Conan, it was his turn to sweatdrop. "Depending on the circumstances, it will. And even if it won't, I will falter. KID doesn't like it very much when his critics are not in a healthy condition. Especially when one of his critics happens to be his ONLY cousin."

"But KID was supposed to born from the moon and all that," Conan countered smoothly. "You should know more than anyone how very important it is to keep your Poker Face. No matter what happens."

"I know that, alright?" Kaito almost growled in annoyance. The little tantei had the cheek to tell him about Poker Faces! Time to switch the subject. "Oh, and that reminds me. How are you able to turn back to your true self in such a short notice anyway?"

Conan blinked for a moment. "Oh. I happened to have a very bad cold. And there happened to be a bottle of Baijiu in your house. So…" He looked meaningfully at Kaito, willing the other teen to make a conclusion himself.

"So, a severe cold plus Baijiu equals to Kudo Shinichi?" Obviously Kaito didn't disappoint.

"Equals to a sick, shivery, weakened Shinichi, to be exact," Conan corrected him. "I had to deal with the severe cold even after I became my true self. And it wasn't exactly pleasant. It still surprised me that I was able to do the things I did in that weakened condition."

"You never cease to amaze me, Shinichi."

"The feeling's mutual," came the light-hearted reply.

Silence enveloped the room for couple of heartbeats.

"Oh, and before I forget," Kaito said, his eyes twinkling merrily. "I just realized something."

"And what's that?"

"You must be able to make it to my heists, or I will postpone them until you are able to," Kaito finished brightly. "That way, I have someone to watch my back. And even if Snake doesn't appear, you can try to catch me."

Conan smiled. "Good idea. Yeah, I can do that." He was interrupted by an abrupt yawn. "I will also probe the police into letting me know of their findings on Snake's weapon, and possibly, his identity. We can even visit the scene. Who knows that we might be able to find something the police had missed?"

"Sure, sure… but first, you must concentrate on recovering," Kaito chided, pulling the blanket up to Conan's chin. "Go to sleep."

Conan's eyes slipped close. Just before he drifted to sleep, he heard Kaito murmur, "Shinichi, thank you for saving KID. For saving me."

One of those blue eyes cracked open to regard Kaito coolly. "Your gratitude isn't necessary. You had saved my life countless times before. It is only right that I repay the favor." A moment of pause. "Besides…"

Kaito waited. Watched as those eyes slipped closed again. "We're family."

Yeah…. Kaito agreed, fondly gazing down at his slumbering cousin. That is a good enough explanation.

We're family.

-The End-

Yay! Another fic done! And it is another Kaito/Shinichi! Seriously, I can't get enough of both of them. Thank you so much for liking, reviewing and putting my previous fics on alerts. They are what keep me going. YOU keep me going. Hence, I am lining one more fic for you. Not surprisingly, it is also Kaito/Shinichi centered. And the title is… *drumrolls*

"SAVING THE DETECTIVE."

And one more hint; it is another missing scene in a movie. Hopefully after getting that out of my system I am able to resume my Gift of Love, Chapter 3.

So stay tuned! I hope that I will not disappoint.

Thank you for your continuous support! I appreciate it very, very much.