Summary: His return to being Kudou Shinichi was not everything he had hoped for, not with Ran moving on, a limp and a shattered soul as he struggles with the return to normalcy. And then there's the neighbour with a soft smile slowly battering down his walls. Kaishin / Shinkai

This story originally started as a one-shot. That was a bust, as a week and a half has gone since I started and the story has already reached 40K. I have decided that 40K ++ might be a tiny bit too long for a one-shot, and it will be easier to edit and keep track of everything posting it bit by bit. There are five chapters planned (and I just started on the last one) of roughly 8K each. Please be patient as I load it up as it needs to go through a thorough editing job. I will be posting once, maybe twice, a week.

The idea of the story pretty much came from the fact that I can see into to the apartment of my neighbour from my bed room window (I swear there is only like 5-6 meters across the street) and I might or might not have seen her naked and accidently watched her sleep with the blinders up and the light still on at 4 am, and I have only been living here for a month. Hahaha. I am such a creep (and I don't have the guts to say hello). What was supposed to be crack when I voiced the idea to a friend, turned into something completely different.

Special thanks to Addy01 for reading through the text and editing the worst parts, and for Johnny for being a miserable sod for not having the word 'constructive criticism' in his vocabulary. Thanks for all the support. Also thanks to the local BarBarista for supplying me with as much Blondies as I need (a drink consisting of mocca, white chocolate, cinnamon and chili).

…

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence

Disturbed

...

Chapter 1: Within

...

Kudou Shinichi leaned against the hood of the car. His eyes drifted across the open space surrounding the student apartment complex he would be living in for the next few months.

The architects had gone for a simple yet elegant English garden – meticulously kept shrubbery, emerald green Lolium perenne grass and a yellow pathway through the garden to the main entrance with flowers beds on either side – which at the moment was empty as the September chill had long since withered the buds. A fountain of something that resembled a mixture between a baby and a crocodile stood proudly in the middle, and a couple of students sat beneath the shadows by the water laughing at someone's expense.

The housing complex consisted of three separate buildings. They were all built from the same red-bricked stone, however each had different coloured bricks stripped across the middle in order to easily differentiate among them. One had a hideous neon-orange colour, another had a deep, emerald green, and Shinichi's own residence had a purple-blue shade. It had been the least detestable choice.

He glanced up in the direction of the aforementioned apartment he was to live in. It stood proudly in the west corner, with most of the windows facing outwards and into the forest – meaning he would mostly be able to keep his privacy. However, only one of his windows faced towards the garden and the closest complex. Checking it out earlier, he had discovered to his dismay that he had been able to peer into the only apartment facing his. He would have to be careful not to set up his investigation-boards in that location lest his neighbour accidently saw pictures from grisly murder scenes.

"You don't have to do this, Shin-chan," his mother spoke, though her tone was amicable and light, there was undercurrent of concern. He straightened and turned in her direction as she exited the building. Her hair was tied up in a taut pony-tail, making her long, blond hair almost jumped, as if like an excited rabbit with every step she took. She had a smudge of paint on her chin and wore a white painting-suit even though they had not been redecorating.

He shook his head in response, not able to phantom why Yukiko was wearing such clothing unsuited for the occasion – they were only moving his things into this new apartment. When previously asked, she had simply stated that she looked cute like that, and he had refused to follow the line of questions any further.

"I don't need to, but I want to."

A frown etched itself on her forehead, and Shinichi felt a tingle of guilt for making his parents concerned. Very few times in his life had he seen his parents worried over him, and he was afraid they had gotten to the habit of doing so ever since the whole Edogawa Conan affair. It had been fourteen months since the fall of the Black Organization, nine months since Haibara had whipped up an antidote and he had finally been able to return to his life.

However, neither of the victories had come without a price.

Before Yukiko could respond, the door opened again and a tall, dark skinned, young man exited. Dark hair was hidden beneath a familiar SAX-cap, the shadow dancing across the familiar face. Hattori Heiji's features had become sharper in the last 3 and a half years as he grew completely out of puberty. There were still the buoyancy shining in his sea-green eyes, however with a more sombre and maturity lurking within. There was a large silver scar stretching from the jaw till a few millimetres from his nose.

"How many boxes are left?"

Shinichi turned to glance back to the open trunk of the car. If his memory served correct –

"Just one, I'll get it," he picked up the cane resting peacefully against his left leg and stood. He had only taken a few steps before Heiji moved forwards. Shinichi frowned at the gesture. Then realizing the Osakan's intention. Gritting his teeth, Shinichi increased his speed, ignoring the trembling from his leg as he reached the vehicle first – he had been closer to the car. He leaned over to scoop the box of kitchen equipment into his arms, and straightened to turn away with his price –

But the motion was cut short as strong hands grabbed the container, with the intention to pilfer it from his hold. Refusing to yield, Shinichi tightened his grip as he attempted to hug the box against his chest tightly. There was a few seconds of tug and war as the two detectives glared determinately at each other over the package – neither refusing to give up.

The bottom suddenly burst open and the equipment cluttered to the ground as gravity claimed them with an unyielding force, effectively breaking the brewing tension in the air between the two detectives. The subsequent chaos spread across the pavement. A soft curse escaped Heiji, though whether it was in surprise or aggravation over the situation was unknown, before he dropped to the floor to gather the items.

With a sight, Shinichi placed the box down on the floor. He rested the cane against the car and motioned to crouch down, but came to a short as Heiji finally spoke.

"Don't you dare, I ain't picking you up again."

The detective froze, a flash of pain flickered across his face and he tightened his lips in a mixture of guilt and hurt. The Osakan must have seen it, as in the next moment he stood swiftly to grab Shinichi's arm.

"I didn't mean it like that," Hattori spoke softly, remorse reading clearly in his sea-green eyes. "You are not superman, Kudou. You are allowed to take breaks. I saw how your leg trembled after the third trip, so don't dare deny it."

Shinichi lowered his eyes at the concern in his face. He felt a lump accumulating in the back of his throat at the realization that the Osakan detective had spotted it. "So you were putting me on time out earlier."

"Damn sure I did," came the immediate, rushed response, and Shinichi could suddenly not contain the upwards twitching of his lips.

He adored his friends and family, but they had gotten annoyingly protective of him as of late. Sure he had been shot, kidnapped, tortured to an inch of his life and ingested the Apotoxin 4869. But he had survived it relatively intact. He even endured the months of side effects from the antidote that return him to his body.

John Watson had survived with a dysfunctional limb and a cane, and so damned well would he.

"While you princesses are having a tea party, let the true hero of this tale save you," Yukiko cut in with a mischievous grin as she was suddenly holding the fully packed box – with all the kitchen equipment miraculously packed in place – and turned to walk back into the building.

Heiji and Shinichi glanced after her in surprise, neither had noticed her picking up the equipment while they had been having their testosterone scowling championship.

"Remind me to never be on her bad side," the Osakan detective commented drily as they watched the women battling against the door.

Shinichi could do nothing but nod in response. He loved his parents, truly, and they had tried being there for him the past few months. However, he could tell they were itching to travel again; to see the world and to be constantly on the move once more. He could not begrudge them it, and had wanted them out so he could take control over his own time.

Leaving the Kudou House had been the only solution he could think of in order to get his point cross.

He turned to face Heiji and patted him on the shoulder with a wry smile. "Lunch is on me today, it's the least I could do."

The Osakan brightened at the prospect of food, and even before the words have left Shinichi's lips, Hattori had already started to sum up the different resturants they had watched on their way to the apartment.

Shinichi let the hum of his friend wash over him as he gazed around the garden anew. Hopefully he would grow to like it here.

…

The first few weeks went by in a blur of settling into the apartment, signing and attending classes, reassuring Ran he was perfectly fine living on the third floor without an elevator and listening to whatever drama had befallen on Sonoko as they met at the library café at least once a week. It was the ease and flow of a life he had imagined he would have had, had he never been Edogawa Conan.

When he was not studying, he was busy helping the police at the crime scenes as a paid consultant. He barely spent any time in his studio aside from sleeping and the occasional meals. He was not even remotely surprised at the number of times his neighbours knocked on his door to ask if it was alright if they could host a party next door, lest the loud music would prompt him to call the police. They never asked him to join them though, and he did not care to do so either. Shinichi barely knew their names.

It was not before two and a half weeks after moving in that he discovered the apartment opposite to his was occupied. From the few glimpses of the inhabitant, he managed to string together a few details. He was about the same age as the detective with dark messy hair, indigo eyes and mostly lived on a diet mainly consisting of instant ramen. On his kitchen table stood several tiny models of airplanes and aircrafts, and Shinichi had seen the man assemble a few first hand.

Though the space between them was too far for Shinichi to see with clarity, he had managed to recognize a few of the more impressive pieces – like the Cessna 172 and a Ryan NYP 'Spirit of St. Luis'. It was an oddly comforting sight to know his peers were not all obsessed with social media, computer games and so forth.

They had never met face to face – and Shinichi felt rather guilty for spying, however unintentionally, at his neighbour. He had only caught glimpses as he exited the building, where the neighbour sat laughing with a few friends by the fountain, an arm lazily placed around a woman who vaguely reminded Shinichi of Ran – he assumed she was his girlfriend and made no other note of the situation.

…

The snow had already settled for the winter despite it only being early November. It had snowed all day, the whiteness falling around them resembling a snow globe. In a few more days, he predicted that the weather would clear up and the snow would wash away from the rain.

Despite it being only around 9 pm, Shinichi felt exhausted and cold to the bones. The buses from the police station had been delayed for nearly an hour and he had been stranded with a sick business man that sneezed every odd minute. He regretted not accepting the offer of being driven home by Takagi. It was eight by the time he got to the grocer and had not bothered waiting for a second bus as he cut through the park to his apartment.

The bags of grocery made balancing across the ice covered roads a perilous journey, especially when he was already having difficulties keeping himself stable. A few times his cane almost slipped on the ice, and only his quick reactions after years of playing football kept him standing.

His breath came out in a puff of white in the cold air. All he wanted was to go home and read the latest addition of Detective Samonji over a warm bowl of miso soup. However, he got so distracted with the fantasy of his warm apartment and the looming form of the building meeting him in the distance in order to ignore the ache of his left leg, that he failed to see a white spherical form tumbling in his direction until it was a second too late.

He managed to duck just in time, but as his right foot stepped back in order to regain his balance, it suddenly slipped underneath him as the ice was too dicey. There was a second of surprise, before his weak foot collapsed and he went tumbling into the snow-filled gutter on his right. Pain shot through him where he had twisted his hand beneath the ground and the cane. His thigh throbbed in pain.

He clenched his teeth to swallow the pained gasp threatening to escape his lips. He could already feel snow melting where it had managed to sneak in under his clothes. A shiver of cold raked through him as he sat up.

The sound of snow crunching warned him of someone's approach. There was the sound of quick breaths followed by another before a clearly masculine voice cut through the otherwise silent night.

"Shit. I didn't see you there, I'm really terribly sorry. Blame Ahoko for dodging."

Shinichi looked up to glance in the direction of his supposed attacker, and was surprised to see the somewhat familiar face of his neighbour. Chocolate brown hair hiding underneath a blue cap, indigo eyes brimming with guilt, and red, flushed cheeks from the cold. There was a flicker of surprise in his face as he spotted the now-snowy form of the detective, and he hurried forwards to help him up.

"Here – let me just –"

Shinichi did not have time to dodge the arms, and honestly he appreciated the abrupt but steady and warm hands as he was once more standing upright on the pavement.

"Don't worry about it," he said swiftly, his left hand stroking his thigh to lessen the throbbing pain. He felt it shake marginally underneath him, and he prayed the foot would be able to hold his weight until he was out from the cold.

"You are the one who started with the snowballs, Kaito. So it's your fault," groused another voice as the owner approached them. The detective glanced in the direction of the newcomer. She wore a yellow winter-cap and a thick dark green winter-coat. She had a frown stretched on her lips and sent Shinichi a guilty expression – clearly communicating that she did not blame Kaito whole-heartedly for this predicament.

"It's fine," he continued to reassure the duo who wore the mirroring features of guilt and concern. The detective looked down in the direction of his scattered grocery, and there was an indention in the snow where he deduced his cane had sunken into. With an inwardly sight, he crouched down slowly in order to reach for the bag, his teeth clenching as his leg pulsated painfully in disapproval.

There was a blurry movement in the corner of his eyes as Kaito started to gather the dropped items. He flashed Shinichi a smile as their eyes met and Shinichi nodded his thanks as the man dropped the groceries back into the bag.

There was a crouching of snow behind them as Aoko strode forward to help. "I'm Nakamori Aoko, and this is Kuroba Kaito," she chattered amicable with another mock frown of a smile in the direction of her boyfriend.

Shinichi realized she was the woman he had seen next to Kaito at numerous occasions. It was nice finally having names to go with the faces, rather than continue calling them the neighbour and the girlfriend mentally in his head.

"I am –"

"Kudou Shinichi," Kaito replied for him, his face a mixture of awe and a certain unnameable emotion lurking underneath. "I've seen you around. It's finally nice to be formally introduced," he continued with a friendly quirk of his lips.

Aoko threw him a surprised look. "You know him? I don't remember –" she suddenly froze, her eyes widening in surprise as she glanced in Shinichi's direction once more with a scrutinizing expression. "You are the –"

"Aoko," Kaito suddenly hissed in her direction, and the detective would have thought his cheeks flushed darkly had they not already been outside in the cold.

Shinichi lowered his gaze, but not before he saw the guilt – this time for a totally different reason – flashing across Aoko's face, and his stomach clenched in discontent. He did not have to guess twice as to how the sentence would have finished. He had heard the whispers and felt the stares as he wobbled down the street. He was not ashamed of his dysfunctional limb – he had given it up to save the ones he loved, but he could still understand the weariness and the pity that he saw mirrored on people's faces.

He grabbed the remainder of his purchases and stood swiftly, ignoring the protesting left leg in a bout of stubbornness. "I hope you have a nice evening," he managed to say through clenched teeth in what he hoped was a neutral tone before turning away from the couple. He only realized too late that he had forgotten about his cane as he started walking, and only his pride got him through each step without wobbling.

"Wait!" Kaito called after him, and the crouching of snow was his only warning before a hand grabbed his arm.

He started to flinch away and shot the other man a dark expression, he opened his mouth to tell him not so kindly to release him, but Kaito must have read his intention as he let go, as though he had been seared.

Regret burned in his eyes as he handed Shinichi his forgotten cane with a grim expression. There was a flicker of concern in his eyes that made the detective's stomach clench with discontent again.

There was nothing he disliked more than strangers pitying and feeling sorry for him. He was doing just fine. He accepted the offered cane rather forcefully, as unintentional anger filled his chest. Most days he could ignore the looks in his direction, but he'd had enough for today. He was tired, cold, hungry and plain exhausted – it was all gnawing on his patience.

"Kudou –"

"Don't," he gritted out. "I don't want to hear it."

As he turned around, there was a crestfallen look on Kaito's face and hands fluttered nervously in the soft but cold winter breeze as though he yearned to reach out towards Shinichi.

The detective ignored it and continued to walk away briskly with frustration churning in his stomach. Whatever Kaito had intended to say, he did not wish to hear it. They were strangers and so they had neither reason nor right to feel sorry for the detective.

Later that evening after he finally came home, he felt a burning gaze from one of the windows and he vowed to buy curtains the next day in order to preserve his personal space.

…

The bell chimed above his head as he stepped through the door, the sudden noise making him flinch and he leaned his weight heavily on his cane. He loosened the red scarf around his neck and he squinted across the room, trying to locate his friends from the crowd. The walls of the café were painted in a mixture of pink and baby blue with a caricature of a hare with a rather comical hat sipping on a large teacup drawn on the wall.

He ignored the illogical painting as he saw Ran waving to him from her locale, and made his way towards her. Around a table by the corner sat Sonoko, Ran and Sera. He quirked his lips upwards and he nodded in acknowledgment to their greetings before slipping onto the offered seat, his walking stick resting against the armchair.

Inwardly, his stomach dropped at the realization that this would be another 'girl's day out' with a lot of gossip and resigned to it without complaint.

"Hey, Shinichi," Ran leaned over her armchair to press her chin against his in greeting. The scent of crisp peony, osmanthus and amber washed over him. The 2002 Lanvin Éclat d'Arpège, his mind supplied a second later. A popular perfume amongst the Japanese female population for its sweet fragrance without being appalling to everyone else. Typical of Ran to choose something that would not offend.

"It's been a while, I'm glad you came."

An eyebrow twitched upwards. "It's only been a week since last time."

She pursed her lips as she straightened in her chair to shoot him a disapproving look. "A whole week is longer than it should be to see my best friend."

"Hey," Sonoko looked up from where she was stirring a cup of tea with a yellow flower design, a frown stretched across her forehead. "I thought I was your best friend."

Shinichi glanced between them warily, and on her corner of the table Sera was grinning in amusement. Ran's lip quivered for a second in indecision, her eyes darted between the two in hesitation, not wanting to step on anyone's toes.

"Don't worry," Sera decided to take pity on them. "You are perfectly capable of having more than one best friend, right Kudou-kun?"

The female detective's smile was almost blindingly in the direction of Shinichi, and he suddenly got the foreboding feeling he owned Sera a favour.

Ran looked relieved, and Sonoko only scoffed in response.

"Whatever, let's move on to the next order of business," she continued, all the typical chatter of 'how have you been doing' and so forth already finished between the three long before he had arrived, and he was secretly pleased to be running late for once.

"What are we going to do for Sera-chan's birthday party next month?"

Sera flushed at being the centre of attention, and she scratched her cheek as her eyes glued to the ceiling. "You don't have to –"

"Of course we do," Ran interjected, her eyes brimming with excitement and affection as she watched her friend. "It's something we always do to everyone we know. Birthdays are something that should be celebrate."

Shinichi let the voices wash over him as they continued their discussion – they neither needed nor desired his contribution. Instead, his eyes gazed over the coffee menu before eventually his eyes slid towards the exit to observe any suspicious characters.

Bad habits die hard and all that.

He had been correct in his assumption that the snow would melt away as it had done so only three days later. He had not seen Kaito and Aoko again, except for a few glances in the courtyard and from within the apartment. He had ended up not buying any curtains, feeling rather foolish the next day from his ill-mannered reaction to the whole ordeal.

Getting pity from strangers was never an ideal situation and was a blow to his pride, however he just had to get used to and live with it. He wanted to apologise, however he'd had neither the time nor opportunity to do so and the idea had fallen to the back on his mind as the days continued on.

He discovered something new about his neighbour only yesterday, when there had suddenly been a large 'boom' followed by the howling of fire alarms from the adjacent building. Shinichi had woken abruptly from where he had been slumbering on his coach in half panic and hurried to the window to take stock of the damage.

Only to come to a shock when there was no destruction or fire except for smoke fuming out from a familiar apartment. On further inspection, he realized the loud noise came from that direction, and his stomach had clenched in worry as he fished up his phone from his pocket. It was then that the situation truly settled in, and he discovered the true source of the 'boom'. A purple goo covered every available space within the studio, and when he squinted, he noticed a figure moving within.

He had been worried at first, but when the form did nothing more sinister than opening the window to let the smoke out, he relaxed, glad that no one had been hurt in the massive-gloop explosion.

He only learned the morning after from the gossip of someone he stepped past in the hallway, that Kuroba Kaito had miscalculated a project for his engineering module. Apparently he had been trying to combine his love for magic and theatrics for the assignment.

Shinichi shook his head slightly at the entire ridicule situation. Kuroba Kaito was certainly one eccentric duck.

He was stirred from his thoughts as Ran elbowed him in the side. He blinked, and turned in her direction with a mock frown and a complaint on his lips, but came to an abrupt stop at the concerned expression on her face. Her eyes darted to the table and back up at him in a subtle hint and curiosity mixed with the worry.

He followed her gaze and it only took him a second to realize what had brought forth the sudden fretfulness from Ran. A large mug of coffee had been placed in front of him without him noticing – bless Ran for ordering for him before he arrived.

Shinichi wrapped his hands around the porcelain, feeling the warmth biting into his fingers tips and he mouthed a 'thank you' in her direction with a fluttering heart at the subsequent warm smile he got in return. Ever since they had been little, everyone had assumed they would be a couple and get married one day. An idea they had both been led to believe was an obvious choice.

Perhaps that would still be the case if he had never been Edogawa Conan. In Shinichi's absence, Ran had fallen out of love with him and had developed feelings for someone else. His heart still took that one extra jump whenever they were close, ten over years of feelings did not just dissolve overnight. They went out for a few weeks after he came back – but he could tell Ran's heart had not been in it, and he did not know whether she had gone into the relationship out of pity or simply because it had been expected of her.

The breakup had been mutual as Shinichi had no desire to stand in the way of who Ran truly wanted to be with. He would do anything in the world to keep her happy and content.

He could see how much Ran loved someone else in the way she gazed at Sera as the female detective spoke – all flashing smiles and arms waving as she painted a vivid picture of her story. Sera would be great for Ran, if only he could tell if she reciprocated his childhood friend's feelings. However, for now, Ran was resigned to dream from afar, just as he was.

"Hey Shinichi?"

He snapped out of his thoughts to glance in the direction of Sonoko. "Hmh?" he responded absentminded as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Aren't you living at the Kyanpasu campus?"

He nodded in response, but could not vocal his affirmation before Sonoko turned to regard Sera with a giddy expression.

"Isn't that where – that – erh – you know –"

Sera stared at her in amusement for only a moment, before clarifying the Suzuki heiress's incoherence to the rest. "Nakamori Aoko is in my study group, and her –"

"You know her?" Shinichi blurted out in surprise, now that he was thinking it through, the name sounded familiar.

She blinked at him for only a moment, before a gurgling what resembled a mixture between laughter and coughing escaped her lips. Incredulity flashed in her eyes, and Shinichi got the distinct feeling he was missing out on something important.

Ran came to his rescue as she elbowed him again, an amused twist to her lips as she explained. "Aoko is Nakamori Ginzo's daughter, we met her at a heist a while back."

Sonoko frowned, her eyes darting between the three as though some secret was being hidden from her – and with due cause. "But Shinichi just came back. He's never been to a KID heist."

Ran flushed, her eyes lowered at the accidental slip, and they darted in the direction of Shinichi a moment later with an apologetic look. He did not have the heart to chid her, instead he reached out and pressed his fingers into her neck as they shared a soft expression to assure her he forgave her.

In the corner of his eyes, he noticed Sera looking away, and a quirk twitched on his lips.

"Yeah, I know – I meant you, me and Sera," Ran hurried to correct, picking up a biscuit in order to fill her mouth lest she put her foot in her mouth once more. Sonoko was the only person among their group who knew Edogawa Conan had been Shinichi. Sera had stumbled over the truth on her own – she was a known detective for a reason.

The conversation drifted over to a different, safer topic as Sera had deliberately changed it, He settled back more comfortable into his seat and enjoyed the drifting of chatter that waved through him as he sipped on his coffee again. In the background, a popular k-pop music floated through the café from hidden loudspeakers.

…

It had been a cold day; the kind of cold where you could smell the snow in the air. He had only bothered with a scarf when he left his apartment that morning, and regretted not bringing mittens. The snow started to fall as the friends continued chatting for another hour. Sonoko seemed displeased by the display, but nevertheless started planning a skiing trip during the holiday in a few weeks. There had been an awkward moment as the heiress had turned to Shinichi.

He had only waved his hand as told them he would be too busy with cases before she could invite him. His stomach clenched at the realization that a sport he had enjoyed so profoundly in the past, would never be the same in his new state. Last year, he had been far too preoccupied to even consider extreme sport – and football was notwithstanding.

They packed up not a long while after that, and the detective was grateful as the lull of normalcy – though comfortable, was starting to feel draining. He walked to the train station with his friends, however they eventually drifted away to catch their own routes. He waved goodbye to Ran the last, and she gave him a hug and forced a promise to behave and not to do anything foolish till their next meeting.

Deep down he imagined she would never stop being worried about him and cease being the older sibling she had been to him for over two years. He did not fault her for it, the entire spectacle had been difficult for them both.

The train was crowded with students, business men and tourists. The movement of people were in a constant push and pull as people entered and exited the cart. Every available spot was occupied by one person too many. Shinichi ended up having to stand, clutching his free hand around a yellow metal pole in case he lost his balance as someone brushed against his back. A shiver ran down his spine unpleasantly and he had to take controlled breaths to subdue the paranoid tendencies swimming in his head.

In front of him, a school girl of maybe sixteen or seventeen peered at him from her seat. She had mousy brown hair and wore far too much mascara for his taste. Her clothes, though in the normal European-styled naval uniform popular in Japanese high schools, lay snug around her chest and her skirt was two inches too short. She had a badge on her vest, however he could not read it from his position.

There was a certain glint in her eye that told the detective that she was nothing but bad news. A fact that became reality a second later, as she edged closer to him so only the edge of her rear still occupied her chair.

"Do you want my seat?" she murmured, however the high-pitched tone still reached his locale audibly.

He only shook his head faintly, his eyes glued to the reflection of the window; the background was pitch-black due to the underground tunnels. He could clearly tell she had only offered to give up the seat in order to strike up a conversation.

"How did you hurt your leg?" she tried again, and this time he could hear the hint of interest in her tone. Not in his story, but rather in whatever she found attractive with his stoic demeanour. "War?" she continued when it was clear he had no intention of responding.

His lips quirked upwards involuntarily, and he quickly stifled the reaction as he met her gaze. "Something like that," he responded after a second, hoping she would recognize his disinterest and leave him be.

She must have, as she said nothing further, however her eyes never left his form as the murmur of the crowd were the only audible thing in the small train-carriage.

Suddenly, Shinichi felt something brush against his clothing, and for a second he thought the man behind him had simply bumped into him. Nothing else stirred in the room, and it took him only a millisecond longer before he reached out to grasp the withdrawing arm.

The hand froze, and Shinichi only got a glimpse of a surprised, male teenager, before a foot collided with his weak left-leg, sending a piercing spike through it. He would have wobbled over had he not grasping at the pickpocket. The school girl let out a string of swear words as her plan had failed to loosen his grip on her companion.

He yanked the thief's arm forward, and he had no choice but to stumble from the momentum, allowing Shinichi to push the arm up against the teen's back to keep him immobilized. The low groan escaping the felon's throat made the detective's lips quirk upwards. They had believed a handicapped person would be an easy victim – he would prove them wrong.

The school girl crouched on her seat, a foot pushing upwards to kick Shinichi in the face. Had he not been used to dodging Ran's temperaments, he would not have recognized the tell-tale signs of the tension in her feet. Before the kick could connect with his face, he used his stick to parry the motion, pushing her limb down with the curved handle on his cane.

Her breath came out in sharp wheezes as her eyes glowed with surprise and horror. Her mouth gaped open with a stuttering, "Wh-who ar-are you?" Though her body was rigid with a flight or fight response, she seemed unwilling to move as his gaze petrified her to the seat.

Adrenaline flooded through Shinichi's system, making his fingertips tingle and aching with the desire to move. The crowd around him had subconsciously given him enough space to move around, and he could hear the whispers of awe and the flashes from mobile phones as someone took pictures of the scene.

There was a sudden warm presence behind him, and in his state of mind he almost shot around to floor the intruder with his cane. Before that could happen, a familiar voice spoke practically into his ear with a carefully neutral tone lest he spooked the detective.

"Need any help? Not that you need it, but I got some rope you can use."

Shinichi turned his head in the direction of the voice to meet a pair of intense indigo eyes. Kuroba Kaito's lips twitched upwards in a friendly smile as he offered a bundle of multi-coloured scarfs that could be used to tie someone down temporarily.

The fight drained out of Shinichi at the sight, and his breathing returned to normal as he nodded in thanks. Before he had any chance to accept them or loosened his grip on the pickpocket, Kaito had already moved around and start tying up thief's arms with quick, practiced fingers.

They both made the mistake of taking their attention off the girl in the school uniform, as she sneered before kicking Shinichi in the chest. He deflated, but managed to grab a hold of her foot. The sudden motion sent him staggering backwards and his leg trembled in protest – and to his horror, it collapsed a second later.

He would have dragged the girl to the floor with him, had Kaito not grabbed him around the waist and shoulder. There was a sharp exhale next to his ear that sent a surprised shiver down his spine – but rather than the paranoia of someone intending to harm him, Shinchi, surprisingly relaxed. Kaito's chest was warm against his back and the odd embrace felt somewhat comforting.

"Are you alright?" breathed the man as he steadied Shinichi, the words coming in warm puffs of breaths that made the hair on the back of the detective's neck tingle.

All he could do was to nod, his vocal cords fail to function at that moment. He was still clutching the girl's foot, and she had slid down the seat as a result from the abrupt movements. The fright had subsided in her eyes, and she just looked angry as she glowered at them.

"Who the fuck are you?" she groused out, her eyes flickering around in order to find a way to escape. However, the tension in her clenched jaw indicated that her resolve had subsided and with her accomplice neutralized, she had accepted the concluding capture now that there were two against one.

"This is Kudou Shinichi," Kaito replied as he finally withdrew his arm as he decided Shinichi was steady enough to stand on his own. "A war hero," his eyes danced with mirth as his eyes darted towards the detective, a playful smile flickering in the corner of his mouth.

He thinned his lips, but did not correct the assumption.

The last of the fight drained out of the girl and she muttered "Typical," as though she had only simply made a tactical error on who to victimize.

Shinichi felt as though he should be angrier at the knowledge he had been picked merely out of the assumption that he was a dysfunctional individual and therefore, an easy mark. Instead, he felt drained and just a tiny bit satisfied over the fact he had been able to prove them wrong. The teens would not make the same mistake again after this.

By the time the train stopped at the next station, he had received many a pat on the shoulder and a chorus of 'well done'. He felt slightly queasy at the knowledge they mostly cheered him on so due to his disability, however could not bring himself to be any gloomier at the revelation, especially when Kuroba Kaito was an ever present comfort by his side as they escorted the pickpocketing criminals out of the train.

They easily flagged down a police officer who prowled the station as he had just gotten off his shift. The rest of it went smoothly and instead of hitching a ride to the station, Shinichi promised to come by the next day to file a report as he was recognized.

It was not before they were back on the train forty-eight minutes later that he remembered to voice his gratitude.

"Thanks a lot, truly. If you hadn't been there, they would have gotten away."

Kaito looked at him in surprise where he stood over the detective – he had opted to let Shinichi have the seat. Normally he would have complained, but he was drained from the long day and his leg was still throbbing where the girl's foot had connected. The pain was more pronounced now that the rush of adrenaline had subsided. He had been stroking the sore spot absentmindedly for the last half an hour, and he ached with the need take a Vicodin to subdue the pain to a more moderate and tolerable level.

It would have to wait till he reached home as he did not have a habit of bringing the small capsules with him lest he be tempting to pop them like candy. Sherlock Holmes might have been using recreational drugs from time to time, but Shinichi had no intention of becoming dependent on painkillers and having his skills impaired.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You had the situation perfectly under control It was rather awesome watching the gullible kids tumble against a force of nature such as yourself," Kaito responded with a grin, reverence flashing in his eyes.

Shinichi was stuck with the urge to both roll and lower his eyes at the embroidered compliment. He just managed not to snort in disbelief as he replied, "Nevertheless, thank you Kuroba."

Kaito's eyes softened in response and he only gave a tip of his head in acknowledgement.

"Do you have a habit of carrying items that can be used to tie people up?" He asked, wanting the conversation to continue, and it had been something he had been wondering for a while. There had been far more multi-coloured scarves than any sane person could have any use for.

To his surprise, Kaito flushed a deep crimson which had nothing to do with the cold weather. His lips quirked upwards in a sharp grin, and it only took Shinichi a moment longer to realize his mistake.

"On second thought, don't answer that," he mumbled out, hoping the flashing lights from the wagon hid the blush that threatened to creep up from his neck.

"If you want to really know, I use them in my magic tricks. I always keep trinkets with me in case an opportunistic situation shows up, I never pass them by," came the reply as he took pity on the detective, his eyes glittering with mischief.

Shinichi looked at him in surprise, he had never considered that his neighbour was a magician. But now that it had been pointed out to him, the tell-tale signs of Kaito's rough but dexterous fingers could have been accumulated from years of either building something or from performing magic tricks were obvious. There was a noticeable black stain on Kaito's collar indicating he had been tinkering with something not long ago.

Not really knowing what to respond to that, he aired the second question that he had also been wondering about. "So that explosion in your –"

The magician did not look remotely embarrassed as a grin stretched across his lips. "Just a slight calibration mistake. It's prone to happen."

Shinichi lifted an eyebrow, not sure if he was teasing or being serious. "Huh-uh. And that happens all the time I presume?"

Kaito only shrugged. "No success without some failures in the progress. Wouldn't be fun without it otherwise."

The detective shook his head, unsure whether he was amused by the whole conversation. For some reason, he got a sense of déjà vu. Two crazy inventors as his neighbours? What were the chances for that to happen?

They got off when the train arrived at their station. Immediately, the biting winter air stung their nostrils. The snow had not stopped falling. The streets had not been cleared yet, and so their steps were mingled with the countless others that had taken the same route.

Slowly, as they made their way to their campus, Shinichi found himself leaning more and more weight on his cane as exhaustion settled in his physique.

"Have you gotten your apartment cleaned?"

Kaito's breath came out in puffs of white. He lifted his collar to fend of the cold, and a few snowflakes were stuck on his eyelashes as he glanced in the direction of the detective with a buoyant grin. "Of course, I don't use materials that'll stain anything. Everything is washable with the right products."

Shinichi eyed him warily, almost afraid to voice his questions "And what exactly concoction would remove your purple gloop?"

The magician cocked his head, observing the detective with a thoughtful expression for a moment, before a challenge flashed in his eyes. "Why don't you try guessing?"

Shinichi frowned, his lips thinned as he scrutinized the man carefully. Kaito might act like a clown, but from what he had seen, he was certainly a crafty and, possibly, a certifiable genius. The detective had not had many chances to observe the magician, however his chest fluttered at the silent dare.

He grabbed Kaito's arm to stop his advancement, and the magician turned to face him with surprised but pleased expression as he stopped in his tracks. The street lamp underneath basked them in artificial light, giving Shinichi the chance to peer closer.

Kaito had noticeable bags underneath his eyes, a clear indication of a habit of sleepless night. His nose had a chink as though it had been broken once or twice and mostly left to its imperfection. There were dimples forming on his chins as he was disposed to smiling. The tip of his left ear was chipped as though someone had grazed it with a knife or a bullet.

Shinichi let his hand trail down Kaito's arm, and the magician stilled underneath his fingertips. The detective turned Kaito's palm and lifted it to his face. There was a purplish-black substance underneath his nails and Shinichi took a closer sniff. It smelled like liquorice.

He dropped the hand a second later, took a step back and declared. "Orange juice ad maple syrup."

Kaito blinked in surprise, his lips parted in shock as he glanced at his palm and then back to the detective. "How did you –"

Shinichi's lips quirked upwards and continued walking, leaving the magician to follow in his footsteps. "By observing," he replied simply. He had noticed a distinctive yellowness between the folder of Kaito's ear where he had tried to scrub himself clean.

The magician stepped forward to keep up with Shinichi's pace, his eyes shining with awe. "That was awesome. Remind me to show you one of my magic tricks later so we can be even."

He could not stop the grin from stretching his lips this time. "Think you can fool my senses, Kuroba?" he replied with a teasing tone.

Kaito hummed in reply, mischief dancing in his eyes. "I'll certainly give it a try."

The walk to campus felt shorter than usual, and sooner than he would have liked, they arrived to Shinichi's building. He protested at being followed to the door, but Kaito insisted, regardless of the fact that he only lived across the yard.

"Hey, Kuroba," Shinichi called after him as the magician turned to leave after bidding adieu. Kaito turned to face him once more with a curious gaze. "About the other day, I'm sorry –"

"Don't worry about it," Kaito cut in, waving a hand as if to deflect the apology. "You have nothing to apologies for, I should have seen where I was aiming," he frowned, regret clear in his tone. "I'm really sorry –"

Shinichi could not supress the urge to roll his eyes. They were just going in circles, "You didn't actually hit me with it."

That made the magician still as he blinked owlishly. "I didn't?" His eyes flickered down to the cane for a second, and Shinichi's stomach clenched suddenly. So far that Kaito had ignored its presence and he had felt as though nothing was amiss between them.

He lowered his eyes, the previously gleefulness washed away like snow in a heavy rain cloud. When the silence vibrated painfully over them as Shinichi did not know how to respond, Kaito twitched in restlessness. He opened his mouth once, presumable to apologies again, however stopped as something unreadable mixed with pain flashed across his face.

"Well – Goodnight, Kudou."

The moment the magician turned away, Shinichi felt a stinging throb in his heart – he had once more ruined the atmosphere. It seemed like a habit around Kaito. Deciding to rectify the situation, he crouched down on the ground – ignoring the ache from his leg as he did so. He scooped up a handful of snow.

The snowball hit Kaito square in the back, who froze in surprise as he turned to face the detective again, his mouth hanging open, flabbergasted.

"Now we are even," Shinichi's grin did not feel forced as he spoke.

There was another moment of stunned silence, as the magician had clearly not expected a retaliation as a rebuke. A look of pleasant surprise and glee flickered across his eyes before a large smile stretched across his lips.

"Seems fair to me."

The detective felt rather foolish as they grinned to each other as though they had reverted back to childhood – or in Shinichi's case, his third take. The air was clearer between them as they parted ways for real this time. He did not realize that his leg had stopped throbbing, and instead only ached marginally at the exhaustion. He also could not remember the last time he had grinned like this, and he felt lighter than he had been in a long time.

When Shinichi glanced out the window later that evening, Kaito waved at him rather eccentrically from his apartment. It made him shake his head again and a smile blossomed unnoticed on the detective's lips.

...

TBC