Into the Spider's Web

Spider sat, out of costume, across from a woman whose vengeance he would never wish on another human. Considering his own murderous intent for most he came across, that spoke volumes about the person in front of him.

He sipped from the wine glass he held, the blood red liquid smooth and aged to his liking. "So, I'm back in Japan. Was there something you wanted from me?"

"Yes," the woman spoke, her hands at her side. She touched neither her drink nor any of the food set in front of the both of them. "But it is delicate. You're the only one I can trust with it. Your little stalker though has me worried."

Spider shrugged, not at all afraid of the half-British detective that had taken a liking to him. The boy was harder to get rid of then a leech but did little damage for his presence. "You want me to get rid of him first? I can do that."

"On your own time, and please, don't advertise your presence just yet. I'd hate for them to go looking for you before you get to your real target."

Spider finished off his wine and stood, a smile on his face. "Of course."

…

Saguru was meticulous when it came to most everything. His desk was neatly ordered, as was he bed as he arose out of it and fixed the covers. His bookbag had already been filled with what he would need as he, once more, joined in the Japanese education system. It had been a while since he'd been back, having been in Spain for the last month, and felt maybe his presence here could do some good.

Kaitou Kid, or Kuroba Kaito, if the other teen would ever admit to it, was one criminal he didn't mind losing to. He didn't like it, but he didn't mind it. Chasing Spider as he had been before Kid's arrival was far more difficult and he found himself only once being close enough to the man before he killed to prevent it – and that had been here, and he'd saved the thief.

He was happy he had done that, having done research on the criminal before that day had come. It eased some of the guilt at the lives that he couldn't save.

Right now he had other things to think about though and he fixed his uniform, making sure it was straight, before closing up the house. Baaya had a house key if she left and he never liked leaving the place open, even if one of them were there. He'd had a run in with a man when he was child at his father's place before, and he did not care to repeat it.

Saguru wasn't a fool, by any means, and he couldn't fail to notice when his walk to school did not go as it normally did. There were few to no people out when most young children would be led to school themselves and housewives would be out shopping. He kept a lookout, finding a few other things off.

He stopped, picked up a rock, and threw it into a nearby fountain. It rippled as it should, so nature was still in check. It was simply too quiet and deserted to be to anything other than unnatural. His phone was next and he took it out, finding it unable to connect to the internet. He was in Tokyo. There was no way he wasn't getting a signal.

Stopping and sighing, Saguru closed his eyes. He had a few options to work with. Either there was some small-scale disaster going on that he hadn't heard about that was messing with electronic signals and kept most people indoors, or his senses were being messed with. This wouldn't be the first time in either case, though he highly doubted the first. He always read the paper and checked his phone for any late breaking news before school and there had been no mention of an earthquake or similar phenomenon that would cause this kind of reaction.

As of yet, he had unfortunately been unable to resist when he fell under a spell like this, if he was right. The best thing to do would be to sit still until things started making sense, no matter the origin.

So that was just what he did, taking a seat on the edge of the fountain and placing his bookbag down as he closed his eyes. Sight was the easiest thing to manipulate, though if he was already being toyed with, his other senses were free rein too.

There was noise and, at one point, screaming. He felt a hand on his shoulder, asking him something, but Saguru did his best to drown it all out. "Please, leave me be. I'm not feeling well."

It was a good enough response, be it a real person he was speaking to or not. He was let go of and he went back to his internal silence, trying to think on other things. Most of his mind went to books, replaying some of his favorite parts.

He didn't know how much longer it was before he opened his eyes, finding himself exactly where he had been. His hearing still seemed to be off, as the footsteps of people he hadn't seen before were not before him, going about their day. Saguru looked around, knowing he wouldn't see the man if was indeed the one behind this strange attack. That was not how their game had worked, though he couldn't trust Spider to play by the rules Kid seemed to keep to. After all, one was a murderer.

Standing, Saguru made the decision to go home. He could not be sure what was going on and the best thing to do was wait this out. Walking into a trap was just foolish.

Of course, the second he opened the door to his house he blinked and found himself staring at the faces of his classmates, clearly having opened the door to the classroom. Saguru put a hand to his head, internally swearing to himself and now not sure where he really was.

Clearly he was late, so he'd play along. If this was class, fine. If he was home and talking to no one, at least Baaya would know how to break him out of the trance. He'd never been under such a long-term hypnosis before, and he hadn't been sure it was even possible.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized, still unsure if he was even talking to anyone. Saguru went over and took his seat, once more closing his eyes and mumbling he didn't feel well in case he was spoken to while he tried, once more, to control his own senses.

Instead of gaining a bit of his control back like he had at the fountain, Saguru opened his eyes to find that he had moved, was out of breath, and had a classmate pulling on his arm.

As he came to, any resistance he had previously been putting up was gone and he was moved back. He had apparently been on his knees and now found himself sitting on the cold tile floor of the classroom with several other students around him, one stepping between him and… and Kuroba Kaito, who had been laying on the floor, half sitting up now as he wiped at a lip that seemed to be bleeding. Saguru didn't miss the other bruises on the teen and looked at his hand, finding blood there.

His eyes widened. Had he… had he just attacked him out of nowhere? His eyes hadn't been open. Could Spider so thoroughly control him as to make him do that? It didn't seem possible. And why would he? Spider didn't know Kuroba-kun, only he did.

"Hakuba-kun, what the hell?" Kaito spat, sitting up.

"I…" Saguru didn't know what he had done, let alone how to explain himself. He closed his eyes tight, trying to figure out if this was even real. Could someone control someone to that extent? It didn't seem possible. So was this all an illusion?

"Hey." Saguru heard snapping and opened his eyes, Kuroba-kun in front of him and looking like he had lost that fight they'd apparently been having. "That was not normal. Are you okay?"

"No," Saguru answered honestly. He didn't know what was going on and was half afraid this wasn't even real. Of everything, he liked to be able to trust himself, and Spider had a horrible way of taking that from him. "Did I hurt you?"

His classmate shrugged. "A little I guess. Come with me to the bathroom. It looks like I gave you a nose bleed in return."

"Ah, you should both really go to the office. I don't know what's going on between you but you-"

"It's alright, sensei. It was a misunderstanding." Kuroba-kun turned towards their teacher and Saguru wasn't sure what kind of expression he gave her but it was enough to have her smile and take a step back.

"Okay then. Just be careful and no more fighting."

Kuroba nodded and got to his feet, offering a hand to him that he hadn't expected. Saguru took it, wondering what his unconscious self could possibly have done.

His hand wasn't let go until they were in the bathroom and Saguru suddenly found himself with a face full of water. He blinked his eyes, wiping them and looking at Kuroba, who was standing at one of the sinks and running the water. The teen's blue eyes stared back at him, one slightly blackened. He looked more worried than angry.

"Are you okay? You just kind of got out of your seat and got me from behind. Your eyes didn't look right, but you look better now."

Saguru took in and let out a deep breath. He shook his head. While not an admittance, not many would have thrown water at him in response to odd behavior. "Better, I hope. This morning has been all mixed up. I'm sorry. I hadn't meant to attack you. If something strange happens again, please stop me."

Kuroba nodded, getting a towel and handing it to him. "You'd better stop that nose bleed or you're going to ruin your uniform."

Saguru hadn't even noticed it, though Kuroba-kun had mentioned it twice now. He put a towel up to his nose, finding some blood mixed in and diluted with the water that had hit him. He kept it there, hoping it would stop soon and he wouldn't need to walk around with tissues up his nose.

He pinched it closed, looking over at the teen as he washed himself up as well. What reason would Spider have to have him turn on him unless he knew more about Kuroba than Saguru was comfortable with. If that was the case though, he highly doubted starting a school fight with him would be the best way he'd go about 'removing' him.

Kuroba sighed and washed his hands after he cleaned himself up as best he could. "Now everyone's going to wonder what happened between us. You're the one who started it, so you get to make up a reason. Don't you dare blame me either. I have a bad enough reputation with the girls."

"I am sorry. I'm not sure I apologized to you. I was not myself."

"Duh. Maybe I should bring a water bottle with me or something. You made it seem like it might happen again and I don't feel like letting you get another sucker punch in."

"If you do not mind me sitting by Aoko-kun, we can switch seats."

Saguru had to smile at the look on Kuroba-kun's face when he said that. They were in the middle of the classroom whereas his own seat was two rows behind theirs. It would keep him in front of Kuroba, but it would also be putting him next to Aoko-kun, who he openly thought was a nice girl and attractive in her own way.

"Just stay where you are. And before we go back, explain to me what's going on."

Saguru shrugged. "Honestly, I do not know. Things have not added up since I left my house this morning. When I tried to return, I found myself here."

"Hm. I didn't notice anything but I'll keep my eye out. You just keep your hands to yourself."

"I had not been planning otherwise. I would very much like to be home instead of here and risk anything further, but I doubt that we will be allowed to skip class, as I get the feeling I would not be able to make it home on my own."

Kuroba sighed, going for the door. "At least make it back to class on your own. I'm not holding your hand again."

Saguru smiled, a slight laugh in his throat. "I do not think either of us want that, though thank you, for your help."

"It wasn't you," Kuroba said with an even tone, waiting for him to catch the door before walking further. "So there's nothing to thank me for."

Saguru threw the towel away and hoped his nose would not bleed more as he followed his classmate back to… whatever class they had just been in. He could understand why him apologizing would not count if he was not in control of his actions, but his thanking him for stopping him was still valid, and he was not taking it back.

Once back in class, Saguru was afraid to close his eyes again. He wasn't sure if that had allowed more of his mind to fall under the man's spell or if it was something else, but he wasn't going to risk it. Everything seemed normal for a long while, and he started to relax. Kuroba-kun was watching him, which he appreciated more than it annoyed him on any other given day. The magician showing up at his side after their last class did take him by surprise. Aoko was there as well.

"We can all walk home together. It's your first day back in a while, and we apparently need to 'clear the air' between us." Kuroba rolled his eyes as he said the last part. Saguru wondered if it was Aoko's doing and not the magician's to advise they walk together. He smiled and stood, getting his belongings together.

"As long as you do not mind that my house is much farther than both of yours and you will need to walk back the way you come."

Kaito shrugged and Aoko-kun smiled behind him.

"We don't mind. Besides, I've never seen your house."

That was right, she hadn't. Saguru didn't typically invite friends over, because he didn't have time for it. Most of the time, after school, he was working on cases. It was the drawback of attending school and having a job.

"Forgive me. I never thought of that. You're free to see my house, if you like." Saguru didn't mind the company and it seemed Aoko-kun truly was interested instead of using it as an excuse to simply pass time. Kuroba didn't look as excited and he had to wonder how much of his house his classmate had already seen.

They walked back together, Saguru not minding that it took a while to reach his place, though the other two would likely want snacks and tea before heading back to their own homes. They were most of the way there when Saguru noticed that he could not hear the two of them talking as well as he had before. He stopped, looking around immediately, before his hearing decided to faze out for a few seconds before returning.

The other two had stopped and Kuroba was looking at him seriously. Saguru stared back, seeing him only a few moments before he seemed to teleport, the magician tugging at his clothes. In just a few seconds his classmate came away with a small speaker that had been near his collar.

"I knew I heard something just then." Kuroba-kun showed it off, spinning it between two fingers. "I'd watch what's on my clothes from now on if I were you. You okay, or do I need to throw you in the river?"

Saguru took the speaker, looking it over. He hadn't heard a thing, but he was sure that there were noises out there that could impair someone, maybe enough to make them not even notice the noise to begin with. It would surely make hypnotizing them simpler. "I'm fine, I think."

Kuroba's eyes narrowed. "You don't look that fine."

"It's my hearing." Saguru knew trying to clean out his ears was pointless. Whatever the noise was, it had already messed with his senses. How in the world was Spider able to do this in broad daylight without anyone noticing? He felt very tired all of a sudden and had to put a hand to his forehead while he took a few breaths. "Unless something else affects me, I'm pretty sure he can't do anything with sound alone."

Saguru hadn't noticed how very candid he was being with Kuroba, and Aoko-kun likely had no idea what he was talking about, but he wasn't sure he cared. He had needed the help and Kuroba had already helped him. If something else like that happened, he'd like someone there who understood what was going on.

"You can't keep your eyes closed the whole way back and I'm not sure what to look for. Maybe we should just stop until you're better."

"What's wrong?" Saguru heard Aoko-kun ask as he nodded and sat down on the side of the road, ignoring the sound of cars going past. He rested his head against the building behind him, finding it comforting. Whatever the two whispered to each other was lost to him.

He had the sudden realization when he opened his eyes that he should never have closed them. He had forgotten his insight from earlier.

He really wished he hadn't.

Saguru knew the difference from where he had been resting against the wall to his new position on the sidewalk, staring up at the sky and near a car that was parked. He blinked, water falling into his eyes and he had to wipe it away.

There was panting nearby and Saguru got up a bit, Kuroba-kun on a knee in front of him and looking out of breath. There was a new cut somewhere on his head that was dripping blood over one of his eyes, though the eye itself didn't seem hurt as he blinked the blood out of it.

"Hakuba-kun?"

Oh no. What had happened? All he had done was close his eyes. Kuroba had removed the speaker. How could he have been manipulated further? How? There was nothing – no light or sound or anything that he noticed.

"Thank Kami." Kuroba's shoulders slumped a bit and he stood up. Saguru didn't miss the scrapes of dirt on his sleeves and pants that hadn't been there before. He also heard sobbing and looked passed the magician, seeing Aoko against the wall, curled in on herself. Her eyes widened a moment before she winced back when he looked at her. He didn't blame her. This was the second time today that he must have attacked Kuroba, and for no reason.

"What happened?" Saguru asked, not sure if he wanted to stand up. At least laying down, if something happened again before he could control it, Kuroba would have the upper hand on him.

Kuroba let out a breath, calmer now than it had been, but his eyes were sad. "I'm sorry, I can't help you."

Saguru blinked a few times, not sure what he was talking about. He could understand Kuroba not wanting to get attacked again, but there seemed to be something else to the words that wasn't just self preservation.

Saguru nodded. "I'm sorry." He stood, trying to clean off his own clothes that looked as bad as Kuroba's did. He had a few cuts on his hands that he hadn't had before, and his cheekbone hurt, but it wasn't as if he could fault the magician for fighting back. "I hadn't meant for this to happen again. I had thought it could be prevented if something did."

"It's not that." Kuroba looked back at Aoko-kun, moving just slightly so that he was between the two of them. "You didn't go after me this time."

Saguru's eyes widened a moment before he tried to look at Aoko-kun. "I'm so sorry, Aoko-kun. I had not meant…" Had not meant to what? Go crazy on her and suddenly attack her? What had he done? She was still crying and looked scared of him. What… He wasn't sure he wanted to know what he had done this time. He had a whole new understanding to Kuroba-kun bowing out. "I didn't think that would happen. I'm sorry. I'll find my own way back."

He made sure not to walk anywhere near Aoko-kun, Kuroba-kun moving with him in any case to be the first person he'd be faced with if he turned back. Saguru did not, not wanting to see her tears once more.

Once he was far enough away from them he started running. All he wanted to do was be back home. Baaya would be able to safely watch him… or lock him in a room until this was over. He did not want to risk hurting her. He couldn't. He'd find some way to keep the world safe from himself.

Home, he shut the door, locking it. He was so happy to be back and did not want to leave ever again. He wasn't sure if Spider had done anything to his house while he was gone, and the man likely had, if he was planning on messing with him some more.

Why? Why mess with him? Why make him attack his friends? Spider was a killer. He didn't do stuff like this unless it was dealing with money and he had to keep his target alive. Saguru had money, but it was his mother and father's. There was no way the man would go through the trouble of using him to try and get it.

None of this made sense, now that he thought about it. He knew Spider was back in Japan, was setting up a show here, though to the North, but he was someone like Kid. Spider only showed up at night. He used his tricks to kill, not to torment. On top of which, Saguru himself was not injured.

Was he secluding him from his friends? But why?

Saguru couldn't help a cry of pain as he fell to a knee, his other screaming in pain that had followed the quiet bark of a gun. He winced, his eyes half closed as he looked down to see his leg bleeding.

There was a man in his house, dressed in black with a baseball cap on and short, black hair, that matched his dark eyes of a similar color. "Wow, that was easy. You even locked the door for me."

Saguru had never seen him before but he would never forget him. He tried to stand, getting shot in the other leg and crying out again as he was forced to stay on his knees, hurting both wounds, while his hand on the ground kept him steady. "What do you want?"

"What everyone wants. Money. You're the easiest I've ever had." The man walked over to him, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him forward. Saguru yelped, trying not to move his legs and using his own hands to try and get the man off of him. He got hit in the head by the gun he was holding in his other hand for his efforts.

"Sit still or the next one will be a bullet."

Would this man really kill him, in his own house? He had security cameras. Baaya was staying here, as was his father. There was no way the man could hope to get away clean when both figured out he was not here after school ended. He was sure his blood on the front walkway would help as well.

That was assuming he didn't murder him quickly and gave his rescuers no chance to act. He wasn't sure if he was grateful or not that Aoko-kun and Kuroba had been scared off. At least one hostage was better than three, though his classmate likely could get out of this situation better than he could.

Being dragged when he could not walk was painful. He wanted to black out, unsure where the wounds had hit and if he was bleeding out as they moved. He found himself led to his own bedroom, a rope hanging from what appeared to be holes drilled into the ceiling.

"Don't worry, I wasn't hired to kill you unless I wanted to." The man threw him onto the floor, pulling the rope down and using one end to tie up his wrist before doing his arms as well so he would not be able to escape.

Saguru didn't feel like causing himself more pain by standing as the man stood on his desk chair and once more connected the rope through the ceiling, pulling him up to his feet that way and both of them finding it difficult. The rope would chaff and require too much strength to lift him while Saguru could not stand on his own.

Pulling him to his feet while the man got down seemed to be the solution and Saguru winced, forced to stand as best he could when the rope did not lift him off the ground or allow him to kneel. It was tied and the man got down, grinning, walking out of his room as if he hadn't been there.

"Your cameras are all not working and I've been told you won't remember me after today. If for some reason you do and tell the police, have fun seeing me again."

The door clicked closed and Saguru had to wonder what he was talking about. He shifted, trying to find a position that wasn't agonizingly painful to either his arms or his legs. He found none, breathing in tight breaths and hoping that someone came home soon.

He didn't miss when his bedroom lights clicked out or the fact that there was a dark clothed figure in the room with him.

"Having fun?" Saguru almost snarled. He wasn't nearly that inelegant, but he was in pain and he'd had a long day.

There was a smile on the shadowed face. "Yes, yes I am. You taught me a lot about yourself today. Have fun with the knowledge that I just might let you down and make some of this real. We'll see how bored I get." There was a snap and any vision Saguru had was gone.

He woke, blinking his eyes at the too bright white lights of a hospital. He looked around, seeing Kuroba and Aoko-kun near his bed. He tried to sit up but Aoko put a hand on his shoulder.

"Rest. The police said they found you passed out and that you were bleeding pretty badly. You should wait until you're better."

"I'm sorry," Saguru said, happy that Aoko-kun was here and that she must have forgiven him. Seeing a friend in the hospital did that to him as well, even if he was angry. It was hard to miss the dark marks that were around her throat though and he stared at them. Aoko pulled back a bit, trying to hide them with her hair.

"Kaito said that it wasn't your fault. Don't worry. I'm not mad. Just, don't look. It's weird."

Saguru couldn't help looking as he sat up fully though. He had strangled her? No wonder she was so scared. He didn't know why that thought didn't bother him so much though. With no thoughts coming to him other than that, he reached out and grabbed her shirt, pulling her towards him on and onto the bed. He heard her yelp in surprised and Kuroba shift, his eyes wide. "Hey, what are you-"

Saguru didn't know what he was doing, only that he found her throat easily with his hands, was hearing her gasp as she tried to breath. He pressed harder, not wanting her to get away. Kuroba-kun was on him, trying to get him off, but his classmate wasn't as strong as him. Saguru knew that he wouldn't be able to succeed.

Then the magician started hitting though and Saguru got angry. He let Aoko go before he could stop her breathing, hearing her taking in small gasps as she fell off the bed and onto the floor.

"What the hell!" Kuroba yelled at him and Saguru turned to the magician, not sure how he should feel about that. He was angry that the magician had been hitting him though and grabbed him instead. Kuroba-kun really should stop putting himself between him and Aoko-kun. It just might be the death of him.

Sitting in bed was no way to fight someone and Saguru slid over the side. His legs didn't want to support much of his weight when he stood, but it was enough to let him punch the magician back for the ones he'd been giving him. As long as he didn't let him go, Kuroba was not going to win with his speed.

"Stop. Hakuba-kun, wake up!" Kuroba wasn't even trying to fight him, just blocking him from hitting him. Saguru figured, if they were on the ground and he couldn't do that, and Saguru didn't have to use his legs at all, it would be better. It was just too easy to throw Kuroba-kun to the side, get on top of him, and use one arm to stop any of that 'blocking'.

He wasn't sure why he wanted to hit Kuroba-kun so much, but some part of him felt accomplished at doing it. There was blood on his fist and all over the magician's face before Kuroba spoke again, so quiet Saguru almost couldn't hear. "Please, stop. Wake up."

Something clicked. Saguru's eyes widened and he stopped, looking down at the magician. His legs started hurting again, as if he'd forgotten about the pain. He'd definitely broken Kuroba-kun's nose and it looked like he couldn't open his eyes all the way either. After blinking the blood away, his classmate tried to turn back to him, clearly in pain and scared.

Saguru got up. It hurt but he got up, using the bed. Aoko-kun was there, on the floor still, and scooted as far away from him as she could. He didn't look back at her, taking a quick and scared breaths himself.

"I… I'm sorry. I don't know…"

"Hakuba-kun." Kuroba-kun tried to sit up, wiping blood out of his eyes and some from his moth and nose. His words came out quiet and somewhat nasally. "There isn't anything in here or on you. I checked to be sure. I didn't want Aoko hurt again."

Saguru looked around as if the man himself were here somewhere, manipulating him. But if Kuroba had checked, he had no reason to doubt him. Saguru noticed his hands had started to shake and he sat down partially on the bed. He closed his eyes, "Get away. Please. I don't know what's going on."

He opened his eyes again to find himself in class, everyone staring at him. He blinked a few times, Kuroba and Aoko-kun being some of those that were looking at him. What?

He rubbed his eyes and heard Kuroba laugh. "Falling asleep in class? Wish I could get away with that."

Saguru frowned. Was all of that… a dream? Had he fallen asleep in class? He had made sure not to close his eyes after though. He couldn't have fallen asleep.

He couldn't have, he realized. He'd seen Kuroba's face when he'd turned towards him just then. There wasn't a mark on him. So… was his fight with him all a dream too? Or did none of that ever happen?

Saguru shook his head, a hand resting against it as his arm rested on the desk. This was crazy. What was going on? Was this Spider or… was he losing it?

He blinked and once more, the scene was different. It was night for one, and he was standing. He hadn't even noticed the transition. Kuroba was in front of him, Aoko in turn behind him, though on the ground and with a suspicious red stain on her chest.

Saguru looked around, trying to take in where they were. It looked like the field behind the school, though he had never been here at night. The wind blew some dust in his eyes and Saguru had to blink it out of them, Kuroba's stance changing. It was then that he noticed that his classmate was wielding a small knife. The hilt of it was covered in blood, as were some spots on his hand. It was as if he'd used it on himself, several stab wounds dotting his clothes, not the black uniform for the day that would have hid the stains but something far more casual.

"Hakuba-kun?" his classmate's voice asked in frightened tones.

Saguru noticed that, while Kuroba's eyes were on his own now, they had been lower a second before. He looked down, a knife similar to Kuroba's in his own hand. He dropped it in shock, seeing it covered in blood. He didn't miss the cut on his arm either, or several that were stained with his on blood on his shirt. He felt the pain of the injuries he didn't remember getting.

"What's going on?" Kuroba asked, searching his eyes. Saguru was taken aback, seeing tears in them even if they didn't fall. He'd never known the magician to cry. "Why did you kill Aoko?"

Had he? Saguru wasn't sure anymore. Nothing was making sense. All he knew was that he wasn't himself, and whatever was really happening and whatever wasn't, he wasn't the one in control.

He was certainly the one feeling the repercussions though.

Saguru felt a few tears fill his own eyes and not fall. He didn't know if this was real and he hoped for all their sakes that it wasn't. He didn't want the other one to be real either. "Help me, please." He could ask nothing else, even if this was a fake Kuroba made up by his own mind.

"I'm trying, but you keep hurting me." Kuroba shook his head and took a few steps back. "Stay away from me!"

Saguru was to tired and confused and in pain for all of this. He closed his eyes again, finding himself once more somewhere he hadn't been before. It was night time once more, though the scenery was not the same. He was in the city, the other two, like the other times he had woken (or whatever he was calling this sudden change), window shopping and laughing about something they saw. Saguru didn't want to see what he'd do this time. He ran.

Running didn't help. The next time he blinked he was somewhere else, doing something increasingly horrible to his friends. At times, his father or the task force were a part of the carnage he created. Sometimes it was other classmates, sometimes strangers. Saguru stopped caring after a while, treating them all like dreams. Some might not be, he knew that, but he couldn't control them and he slowly felt himself slipping away.

The second time he woke up in the hospital was strange. None of the other ones had been the same before. Aoko-kun and Kaito were there, just like before, only Aoko-kun didn't have any dark marks around her neck. Saguru blinked at them a few times, wondering what it would be this time.

"Hakuba-kun," Aoko spoke with a relived smile, just like before. "You're awake. You must have been dreaming. You kept tossing and turning."

"You okay?" Kuroba peeked over her shoulder, changing the previous dialogue slightly. "Sorry. We didn't know anything was wrong until you didn't come to school the next day. Seems your dad worked late and didn't come home and your housekeeper was told not to come back. You're lucky. If we hadn't stopped by, the doctors say you might have died."

"Please," Saguru spoke quietly. He closed his eyes, not sure if he wanted to see something else, but he was tired of seeing all of this. "Go away."

Saguru couldn't see what they did, but the scene didn't change and there was some quiet talking. A while later, someone was tapping on his arm. Saguru reluctantly put it down, his only partial defense against the images. Aoko-kun was gone and Kuroba was staring at him with worry. "Hey, you don't look so good. The police said your injuries were pretty bad, but nothing else. What happened?"

This wasn't the first Kuroba that had sounded so real, and Saguru was tired of putting his faith into false images. He felt his eyes tear up and covered them with his hand again. "I said go away."

Kuroba shifted, Saguru heard it. So far this seemed more real than the others, if only for the fact that the scene didn't keep changing. "I can't do that. You look pretty messed up, in the head I mean."

Maybe he was. He relaxed slightly, wanting to believe that all of this was real, but knowing it would be just as cruel a trick if it weren't. In any case, his mind had been screwed with for too long. He couldn't be sure what was real and what was not. That… and what could be real. He knew how he could be used now, and he wasn't going to let that happen if he could help it. "And what if I hurt you?"

Saguru heard a noise and opened his eyes again, moving his hand. He saw a water bottle in Kuroba's hand. "I thought about that already, remember? You can't hurt me as long as I can knock you out of it."

Saguru swallowed and started at it. He wanted him to get him now, just so he could be sure this was real, but he wasn't sure if imaginary water would work like real water if it was true. In any case, the magician couldn't be everywhere, and Saguru didn't want any of what he saw to come to pass – whether it had or not already.

"Come on, don't look so scared. I said I'd help you, and I will. I just wish we'd stayed at your place longer so that guy couldn't have shot you all up."

Saguru frowned. They'd been at his house? He didn't remember that. He remembered passing out, but then he'd… he'd attacked Kuroba and Aoko. They'd never made it to his place.

"Jeez, I get it. He messed with your head some more, didn't he? I didn't notice and the police didn't say they'd seen anyone at your place. This is real. Whatever you saw, it was an illusion. The guy is good at that and you know it."

Saguru nodded. He did know that. He knew so much more now too, based on the fact that Kuroba still had the bruises from school, if not from anything else that he'd seen that apparently had not come to pass. "I've killed you, a few times now. I don't want that to happen, or to hurt Aoko-kun when you're not looking. Please, just stay away from me." It was the best he could do. He didn't know where Spider was and what he could make him do.

"I don't die that easily, and I can tell Aoko to go home." Kuroba shifted where he was standing. "That's pretty horrible. I guess I'd be put off if I just saw myself kill you a bunch of times. You're not really going to do it though. I think he has to be really close at some point for that to happen. I can probably get some help too, to fight it."

Saguru was tired. If he has slept while under those illusions, it wasn't any real sleep and it did him no good. "If you can help, I'd appreciate it. I really don't want to see myself killing anyone anymore."

"I'll be back then. I wish I could get someone here to watch you but my mom's out of town and Aoko or my friend would probably be no better off than you if he gets them. Try to get some sleep."

Saguru nodded. He wanted it, badly, but he knew that he could be controlled in his sleep. He'd learned one or two things about hypnotism, even if what Spider did was on a whole other level. With his guard down and unconscious, it would be even easier for him.

He woke up some time later to Kuroba, feeling something be clipped on the upper part of his ear. He felt a similar weight on the other.

"That should help. He can't mess with you with sight alone, and any sound he tries to use will get filtered into normal noise now. Don't ask how it works. I tried to and I got yelled at. I was reassured a few times that it's foolproof though. You're you again, and he can't have you." Kuroba grinning was normally a bad thing but Saguru found himself smiling along with him this time.

"Earrings?"

"That I had no say over. You look so pretty now though." Kuroba chuckled and Saguru had to shake his head, though his smile didn't falter.

"Thank you." He wasn't sure if they'd really work, but it was better than any ideas he'd had, and Kuroba had a knack for unique gadgets. "This isn't an illusion to begin with though, right?"

Kuroba dumped the water bottle on him. "Waterproof too."

Saguru sputtered, having to sit up when some of the water went up his nose. "Was that necessary?"

Kuroba grinned further. "Yes."

…

Saguru learned while he was in the hospital that one of the politicians for global awareness had been in town recently, vying for a wildlife park in an unincorporated area of Nagano, and had been killed. Suicide, it seemed, though Saguru had his doubts about that. The man had no reason to commit suicide, and he'd made sure to look into it while he was bedridden, getting both Aoko-kun and Kuroba to do the research he could not do on the computer as a way of helping him get well.

Spider had killed people on occasion that way, likely without the people even knowing they were walking off the edge of a building and not down the street.

Was all of that meant to keep him away? Spider went to so much trouble just to mess with him and still, he had not killed him. He didn't know why. If he was that afraid of him that he sidelined him, why not have him kill himself without knowing it too?

There were too many questions and Saguru took a long time getting used to having Kuroba and Aoko-kun around him. Every now and then he would see the all-too-real images of their deaths and it hurt him, somewhere deep inside, that he could feel their deaths as if they were real.

In a few weeks he was able to walk normally and go to school once more. Though he was questioned and laughed at on occasion, he never took off the earrings.

If there was one thing he was taking away from this experience, it was the fact that Spider was a very, very, dangerous man. And he needed to be stopped. If Spider thought he was giving up on that, he would find himself extremely disappointed.