-All Hallow's Eve-

Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.

Warning: KaiShin relationship. AU-ish.

A/N: Less Shinichi, more Kaito. Also, more story and less fluff (and a lot of background stuff).

07: Drinks on Me

It was not often that Kaito took up the mantle of a 'detective' as that was a title reserved for someone far more capable and with more knowledge in the area than his own. However, when said person was the target of some unscrupulous being, Kaito would willingly put down his white suit for a while and take up the deerstalker and magnifying glass. Which was why he had chosen to make a visit to the bar in question, the bar with the rumoured request for vampire 'parts', with a particular interest in blue-eyed vampires.

Kaito nursed his non-alcoholic drink by the bar counter, keeping a close ear to the surrounding conversations. The bar was quite packed for the night, with varying magical inhabitants but mostly of the human kind. He made certain to make himself as less confronting, which also means not restraining his Incubi hormones. It had led to quite a few turning bodies the moment he entered the bar as well as the continual stares at his back, or backside as those eyes had a tendency to stray. He instructed the bartender not to serve him alcohol, which included him giving out a rather generous tip. The bartender looked as though Kaito had hung the moon for him and promptly handed over a glass of soda.

Thankfully, none of the patrons dared to approach Kaito so at least he was left in peace. Despite wanting to feed from such a wide selection, Kaito held his instincts down. Instead, the bartender had approached with a wide grin and a glass in his hands. Kaito merely quirked an eyebrow upwards in question.

"Courtesy of several ladies at the back." The bartender gestured at a small table of three women, dressed in slinky dresses each with a glass of cocktail in front. They waved slowly in a beckoning manner. Kaito smiled back in kind and waved back. His smile must have done something as they swooned and sighed with adoring eyes. Though bothersome, Kaito let them continue staring at his back instead of walking over to entertain them. But if the night wore on him too much, he might just take a snack out of those three women.

"I won't be drinking any of these courtesy drinks though you're more than welcome to make a buck from it." Kaito suggested, letting the cold drink sit in front of him but not touching it. "You can accept their order, take their money, but pour me a glass of water or something non-alcoholic instead."

The bartender smiled in amusement. Kaito would bet he would laugh if he was not on the job.

"People come here to drink yet you're only here to nurse a drink. I should be more concerned at what you're planning to do but you are bringing in more orders." He shrugged before bowing out to service another table at the back. Kaito returned to his drink-nursing, as the bartender so nicely pointed out, and eavesdropping.

The night so far had turned out really boring, he did catch snatches of conversation that would be of interest to a detective, all of which he would be relaying back to Shinichi at another time, but none of the conversation pertain to what he really wanted to know. Any other person would have called in quits by now but Kaito is nothing but patient. He could wait all night if he needed, several if it turns out to be the case. When the bartender returned, this time it was a shot glass filled with a clear liquid. Kaito tipped the bartender with another bill, slipping it conspicuously when the glass was placed in front of Kaito. The bartender tipped his head in thanks and left Kaito alone for another extended period of time.

When the customer thinned out to something more manageable by the single bartender in this small bar, he came over to lean on the counter with the intention to start up conversation with Kaito.

"So, should I be worrying about police officers storming my bar?" He asked with crossed hands.

"Is that what you think I am? An undercover cop?" Though he looked like his vampiric detective, he doubted he exerted the same air as Shinichi.

"Either that or a potential killer. No one sits at a bar and barely finishes half their drink." Both pairs of eyes looked at the glass in Kaito's hands, as well as taking in the five shot glasses and the tall colourful cocktail in front of him. "However, you don't really seem the type. So, are you here on a hunt then? Perhaps for something exotic?"

Kaito merely quirked his brows up again, hoping his silence can coax more words out of the bartender. This trick always worked for his vampiric detective so he hoped it worked for him as well. Thankfully, the bartender was in a fun mood and indulged in Kaito.

"We can sometimes get a lot of foot traffic, though there's not really that many hourly hotels around here so you'll probably have to head out a couple of blocks to get your fix. But I'm more than happy to lend you a back room if you need it, if you know what I mean." He flashed a conspiratorial smile and nodded to a doorway towards the back. "It doesn't have much, a couch, a table, and several lockers, as well as a small bathroom for staff but it should fit your purposes."

"You don't seem that alarmed…" Kaito was ready to bolt, just in case the bartender means any harm, "and you seemed to know what I am."

"I'm not blind you know. I might be a bit less human than the average Joe around here." He nodded to the customers, "and a bit less magical as well."

"So you're a Mix then." Kaito suspected as much. The bartender did not smell entirely human after all. "And yet, you don't resent me for being what I am."

Their world, the non-human world, was a harsh one. On the surface, the different species seems to be getting along but under the friendliness lies hatred. The whole 'Vampire mess', as Kaito likes to dub it, is a prime example. Generally, all those beings who require another form of sustenance from a live source are frowned upon and those that can potentially leave permanent damage, or worst kill, through their feeding are especially feared. Whilst Incubus and Succubus has not received much bad rap or suffered from mass hunting, they were still looked down on as a lower species despite the amount of power that they wield. However, his own kind rarely make themselves known to others unless they were the intended victims, in which case the memories would have been erased after the feeding anyways so it would not matter.

"You were created as a result from loving contact between two beings, I can hardly fault you for being born."

"You're a wise man then." Kaito lifted his original glass up to tip at the bartender. "But it still doesn't justify how you can tolerate my being here."

"That's because I don't feel threatened by you, and you have brought in much profit for the night." The bartender lifted an empty glass in gesture and clinked onto Kaito's glass. "I wouldn't mind you visiting more often. Though hopefully not too soon."

"Is there a reason why?" Curiosity, and patience, seems to have paid off. The bartender waved Kaito to lean in closer.

"There's something happening around here. It's hunting season you might say." He leaned in further, weary of potential eavesdropper. "Someone has placed a large sum out for some...choice ingredients."

"Am I to assume that I, or my heritage, may bring me potential danger because I might be a target?"

"Not your type, no." He shook his head as he stepped back slightly. "Though I won't doubt it wouldn't be long until your type is on the list as well."

"How did you come by this information? And why are you telling me?" Suspicion crept into Kaito, no one does anything without some form of payment. Especially those of magical heritage, as demonstrated by a particular Red Mage. He remembered being told that those with magic in their blood, or aura as is the case with magical humans, rarely does things without some form of agreement on payment and service. Subtly, he let his Charm, a particular brand of Incubi magic to lure their victims to agreement, seep out and directed it towards the bartender.

"Let's just say I hear a lot of things as a bartender." He shrugged off Kaito's intentional use of his charm like it was dust or lint. Kaito was surprised as he only know one person so far, outside of his family and his species, to have the ability to shrug it off like it was nothing. That particular person just happens to be his mate and a vampire. "Plus I am hoping that I can get a word to a friend through this…"

Kaito did his best to mimic his detective as he leveled a stare at the bartender. There were tense moments of silence but finally, the bartender succumbed to Kaito's new interrogation technique.

"Someone left a job opportunity at the bar a month or so ago. I was unfortunately detained that night and my employee took the request. Now, it's sitting in my bar like an unwanted infestation and no matter what I do, I just couldn't get rid of it." He deliberately looked at a dark corner of the bar counter within reach of the sitting customer at the furthest seat on the counter. Just below the various decorative shelves of liquor sat a strange looking stone holding down pieces of parchment. "I wanted to blame it on my employee for taking the tip for the service, which resulted in my current predicament. But we live off tips from our customer so I can't blame him…"

"Then maybe I can help if you can tell me a bit more?" Kaito offered, even though he could not really undo whatever their contract was.

"You mean about whatever agreement my employee had with the client? That I don't know much about. What I do know is that the parchment contains a series of ingredient materials, from a particular species, and all those who took up on the job are bound by magic not to reveal the details. Since I'm the owner of the bar, I have access to the parchment and can read it without repercussions."

"Which would likely include you telling others about this as well I presume?" While the magic lacing the parchment had restricted those who view it, since the parchment now belongs to the bar and the bartender is its owner, it was a way to bypass the punishment for magic violation. Kaito smirked at this revelation, it seems there are loopholes in this after all.

"Yes, and I would very much like to warn a good friend to stay safe even if no one would suspect him of being a mythical being."

The term 'mythical being' was rarely used nowadays. Mages, especially those from old families, liked to be politically correct and use the term to describe those with magical powers but not of human origin as mythical beings whereas 'magical beings' were referred to those from human origins. 'Mixed beings', while seemingly rare because of the very few inter-species joining, is actually a common occurrence. Species like to satiate themselves with those from other species, sometimes resulting in an offspring that the other party did not know about. Unfortunately, because they were never recognised as mates, the mother often leaves these children in mage-run orphanages who would then grow up like humans. Their magical characteristics were often restrained, most of the time being told it was for their own good, and sometimes sealed if it was a dangerous trait. Regardless, these children then grow up, have normal families and sometimes manage to find their significant other in people with similar backgrounds which results in offsprings that are even more mixed in heritage but extremely diluted in magical powers.

"Is this friend your mate?" Truly curiosity knows no bound.

He held up a hand and waved negatively, "my fiance would kill me if that were the case. No, he's someone I met a while ago, helped clear up some of our family's inheritance issues. It was...quite a messy affair you can say." The bartender was reluctant to reveal anymore and fell into a short silence before continuing, "but he's a great person with a great heart despite everyone thinking his kind as a monster."

Kaito did not know why but the more he hears about this apparent friend, the more it feels like it was a description of Shinichi.

"This friend of yours, is he a detective?" Kaito ventured to ask, wanting confirmation.

"Ah, I've said too much haven't I? I promised him not to say anything yet here I am, yammering on about him." He scratched his cheeks embarrassingly, averting eye contact with Kaito.

"I take it as a yes then." Kaito smiled softly, taking a sip from his glass, "if that's the case, I might know who this friend is and I'll be more than happy to pass along you message."

His eyes widened in surprise, mouth opening slightly as though attempting to speak out but instead gave a relieved sigh. "You don't know how much that relieves me. Tell you what, the drinks are on the house tonight. You're likely here for a reason and if you're also friends with him, then you're my friend as well."

With the night drawing to a close, Kaito decided it was high time he left. The bartender merely waved off the payment for drinks, stating that "you'll be doing me a favour by passing on the message."

Kaito only shook his head, "it's not nearly enough but how about this, I'll help you out of this predicament." Kaito let out a grin, a patented KID grin complete with teeth and all. "I'll make sure you won't be bothered by potential hunters again."

The returning smile from the bartender looked to be one of indulgence, as though he did not believe Kaito's words.

Outside, the night air was beginning to warm, hinting at the coming of dawn. Light was still far out of reach and the streetlamps were still very much alight. There was still enough time for him to grab a quick snack before needing to head back home to change into his school uniform.

'Or I could just ditch school altogether today…' Kaito pondered as he wandered around the streets, 'I bet the teachers would be ecstatic to not have me there today. Though Aoko would be a pain afterwards...Nothing a mop chase couldn't fix though.' Kaito hummed a random tune as he walked, keeping an eye out just in cast.

-TBC-