Unfortunate Circumstances or Unpredictable Opportunities?

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaitou or any of its characters. If I did, Shinichi and Kaitou would have gotten together long before this fanfic.

"Well, it looks like you finally got your chance, Tantei-kun." This was said by none other than the famous Kaitou Kid. He was in an abandoned warehouse, sitting in a corner, propped up by boxes, and breathing quite heavily. Blood was dripping from his left shoulder, staining his pure white suit a dark crimson color. Conan Edogawa, aka Shinichi Kudo, had found the elusive thief in this position not two minutes afore. Sighing, the miniature detective walked over and stared ripping up both of Kaitou's sleeves causing Kaitou to grunt out, "What are you doing?"

"Saving your life," Conan replied and quickly went to work. His little hands unbuttoned the top part of the suit and pushed it off the larger male's body. He had nothing with him to clean the wound but using a pocketknife was able to take out the bullet. That part done, Conan tied the shredded shirt sleeves together into make-shift bandages and started wrapping them around Kaitou's wound. During this entire process, both of them had been grateful for the cover of darkness. For both Kaitou and Conan had very dark blushes staining their cheeks.

"Why, Tantei-kun?" the injured thief inquired.

"Idiot," Conan said with a smirk his rival could not see. "There's no point in capturing you if you're not alive to escape and challenge me again."

"So you have that much faith in my skills, eh?" The smug remark sounded much more strained than it should have, and that worried the small genius. Thankful his parents were currently in the country, Conan dialed his mother's cell phone and prayed she would answer.

"Moshi Moshi!" came the voice of one Yukiko Kudo. "What do you need Shin-chan?"

"For you to pick me up," Conan's voice was weak with worry. "I'm at the Yokohama Warehouse. Get here as quickly as possible."

A few hours later, Kaitou Kuroba had actual bandages instead of ripped up sleeves and a thoroughly cleaned wound. He was propped up on pillows in Shinichi's bed. Kaitou felt very uncomfortable because Conan now knew his real identity. After all, it wasn't a realistic thought to hope the detective could be fooled into thinking that this wasn't his real face.

"So, Kuroba," the voice that startled the thief was none other than Yusaku Kudo's. "I see you took up your father's work. Who would've thought the rivalry would be passed down a generation?" Kaitou merely shrugged not in the mood to talk. For some reason, the only person he felt like seeing was the miniature detective. But at the same time, he didn't want to see him at all.

"Anyway," Yusaku said, snapping back into reality. "Since my son has saved your life, I would like you to one day return the favor." Now this statement accomplished what Yusaku had set out to do, he had Kaitou's complete attention due to the fact that the last statement had thoroughly shocked the teenaged thief. "I know what my son is doing, and I won't pretend it's not dangerous. However, I do know that the people who made him small come from the same organization as the people who murdered your father. So you see, there is something in it for you to keep an eye on him."

"I would've done it anyway," Kaitou said looking down. "I don't like to watch anyone die. So, of course I would protect him. Also, I've come to see him as a friend and rival more than the annoyance I once did. That little detective somehow managed to break down my walls, and all he's done is foil my plans."

"Well, I suppose that's okay," Yusaku commented in a thoughtful voice. "Just don't do anything inappropriate for his age." With a half-smirk, half-smile, the mystery novelist left a very confused phantom thief alone in Shinichi's room.

Back at the Mouri's home, Conan was lying awake worried about the thief he had just saved. The brown-haired boy had tried calling Ran to tell her he'd be staying at Agasa's house, but the girl wouldn't have it. She even went so far as to go down to the professor's home to drag the elementary school boy back to her home. So, there he was, wide-awake in the middle of the night, unable to calm down.

Conan just couldn't get the image out of his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the thief drenched in blood. Horrified at the state Kaitou had been in, Conan would be eternally grateful that he'd been the one to find Kid. He was also grateful for the inaccurate aim of the shooters. Had the bullet been half a foot lower, Kaitou would've had a hole in his heart quite literally.

The longer he thought about it, the more the detective wasn't able to stop the increasing anguish and dread that was taking hold of his little body. As quietly as he could, Conan got up and tiptoed to the door. He would've preferred normal clothes, but a jacket over his pajamas would have to do for the moment.

As he walked through the night, no one crossed his path, and Conan couldn't figure out whether or not he was glad for the silence. He now had time to ponder something he'd been trying to avoid. Conan cared much more for the phantom thief than his head told him he should. True, all those heists had been more about outsmarting Kid than capturing him. It'd been a nice change for someone to look at him as a rival rather than an annoying little brat. Had they met under different circumstances, Conan was sure they could've been friends.

However, none of that explained the insane, panicked feeling that was still coursing through his veins. It was a most foreign feeling in his body, and Conan did not like that one bit. His thoughts stopped wondering at the same time his feet did, and the miniature detective found himself at the gate of the Kudo house. All too easily, he slipped through the bars and ran across the garden. The front door was unlocked, and behind it, his mother was waiting for him.

"Shin-chan, you bad boy," Yukiko started playfully. "Making your own mother lie to your girlfriend." Scowling, Conan ignored her comment and headed toward the room where he knew Kaitou would be. Very vaguely, his mind noted that he had not been as embarrassed as he should have at the word girlfriend.

"Couldn't stay away, eh, Tantei-kun?" Kaitou's voice sounded less strained easing Conan's worry just a bit. The detective moved over to his old bed and climbed onto it, situating himself close to Kaitou's stomach. It was a fairly large bed, so both occupants had plenty of room.

"I was worried about you," Conan said. "I mean, you were never been injured on a heist before tonight."

"Someone forgetting about a certain soccer ball?" Kaitou replied with a slight chuckle. "Anyway, it was bound to happen sooner or later. So, when are you going to turn me in?"

"I'm not," Conan answered taking the thief by surprise. "Normally, I would have taken you straight to the police station, but I no longer have the desire to see you arrested. Anyway, my dad knew your dad was Kaitou Kid, and he didn't turn him in. Why not continue the tradition?" Kaitou smiled and pulled the unsuspecting detective into his arms. The small boy was somewhat confused but, nevertheless, returned the hug.

In the morning, Ran woke up and saw that Conan was gone. After searching everywhere and finding no note, the panicked teenager was ready to call the police until she noticed the flashing light on the answering machine.

"Hello Ran, it's Yukiko, Shinichi's mom. Last night, one of Shinichi's close friends got injured, and Conan's the one who found him. The poor kid just couldn't stop worrying, so I picked him up and brought him over here. Anyway, I'll bring Conan home once he has settled down. Bye."

Ran's anger turned to worry, and she raced outside heading straight for the Kudo house. Of course, the girl had ulterior motives. If Shinichi's friend was hurt, Shinichi might be there as well. She was tired of waiting for him to come home, so she would find him herself.

Once at her destination, Ran entered the house and headed for a certain detective's room. Yukiko and Yusaku had already left for the day, so no one was there to interrupt her path. When she burst through the door, Ran saw an injured teenager propped up by pillows on the bed and a small brown-haired boy curled up with a pillow right next to him.

"Shinichi?!" Ran Mouri was very confused and her volume had adjusted as such. Shinichi wasn't supposed to be hurt; he was supposed to be worried about someone else who was.

"Shh," 'Shinichi" said holding a finger to his lips while motioning to Conan who was, surprisingly enough, still asleep. "You'll wake up Tantei-kun. Also, I'm not your friend Shinichi Kudo. I'm Kaitou Kuroba, son of the famous Toichi Kuroba." Even with her muddled thoughts, as Ran stared at the injured teen, she was able to see some differences. His hair was messier, the eyes were a slightly different shade of blue, and the facial features weren't exactly the same. While Shinichi had a serious, formal air about him, Kaitou seemed more relaxed, more playful, not so uptight.

"So," Ran asked feeling more than a little stupid. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, I just got shot in the shoulder," Kaitou smirked as Ran gasped in horror. "It was just the normal story of some idiot playing with a gun he didn't know how to use. Conan found me, called Yukiko, and they brought me here."

"Why didn't Conan call the hospital or tell me the truth?" the karate captain was feeling hurt at Conan's inability to trust her.

"I don't like hospitals," the thief answered trying to not smirk at the obvious lie he was about to tell. "And I don't like having a lot of attention, so I told him not to tell anyone. Anyway, lay off the kid will you? He saved my life, then stayed up until four in the morning to make sure I was okay."

"Well, I guess so," Ran said turning to leave. "Just promise to make him come home after you're all healed." After a reassuring grin from Kaitou, the girl ran off to go to school.

Three months later, Kaitou Kid had been out and about again, but not on his usual heists. No, he was keeping his promise to a certain mystery novelist. Although from afar, the famous thief was watching and following Conan around as he solved murders and chased after the Black Organization.

At times, it could be quite entertaining. Whenever Kogoro was put to sleep by the tranquilizer dart, Conan earned a chuckle from Kaitou. However, it was inevitably frustrating to watch his more hidden exploits. Conan had come very close to knocking on Death's door six times already. Finally, the thief couldn't stand to watch any longer, and he "kidnapped" the miniature detective. Then, he took Conan to an old deserted amusement park.

"What's your problem?" the boy was squirming in Kaitou's arms trying to escape. Although the predicament, Conan wasn't shouting but growling through gritted teeth. "Let go of me. You've been following me around for months, and now, you've kidnapped me! I almost wish I'd turned you in when I had the chance."

"Temper, temper Tantei-kun," Kaitou Kid tisked waving his finger. After all, it only took one arm to hold the boy. "I'm here to help you. After all, a few more feet and you would have been discovered. Anyway, you are going to need my help in what you have been endeavoring to do for the past year." Conan growled again but stopped struggling all the same.

"So what's your big plan?" the small detective grumbled.

"Think really hard about what I'm about to ask," Kaitou said seriously. "The FBI has been trying to track them down but are unable to. You have Rena Mizunashi an inside source, but she hasn't been very helpful. Think back and remember every single encounter you've ever had with the Black Organization. What is the most important information you know? And who, if anyone, is high in rank but still willing to help you?"

"Vermouth, aka Chris Vineyard," Conan said slowly, hesitantly after being silent for five long minutes. "She may be the only one willing to help us, but I don't know how to contact her, so we'll need Rena Mizunashi for that."

"Anything else?" Kaitou said. "What's the one most important piece of information you know about the organization?"

"Seven Children," he said, both startling and confusing the elder male. "The melody to the Black Organization's boss's phone number is Seven Children." Nodding in understanding, a thoughtful look crossed the phantom thief's face. They may just be able to pull this off after all.

A few days later, Conan met with Rena outside the knowledge of the FBI. Truth be told, their plan would work much better if fewer people were involved. That automatically meant keeping it a secret from people such as Jodie-sensei and Shuichi Akai. Although reluctant, Rena had agreed to take part. She would be putting her life on the line, but Toichi Kuroba had not been the only father killed because of the Black Organization. It was time to put the plan into action. The first step was to contact Vermouth. With little difficulty but at great risk of being discovered, Rena called her on her cell phone.

"Hello," Chris said with a smug tone. "I had a feeling you'd be calling me. Don't worry; I've made it a point to be alone. What does our Silver Bullet-kun have in mind?"

The second step was much more dangerous. Conan, against Ai's advice, had finally decided to open Pandora's Box. On a pay phone far away from any place he was closely associated with, Conan, using Shinichi's voice, called the number of Seven Children. The instant he heard the receiver's voice, Conan started what might lead to disaster.

"I'm the one who you couldn't kill with APTX4689. I know who and where you are. You won't have to wait long, but you should be watching. I'm coming for you."

Without waiting for an answer, Conan hung up the phone and ran to the Kuroba household as fast as his little legs could take him. Using Chris Vineyard as both bait and an informant, they gained access to the Black Organization's main base of operations just over a fortnight later. It was there that the organization was brought to its knees and utterly obliterated. Unfortunately, that was also the first night that Kaitou had to take a life to save the one most important to him. Had Kaitou's card not pierced the boss's heart, a knife would have stopped the beating of Conan's.

It took the better part of a month to bring Kaitou out of his deeply rooted depression, but the little detective had never given up. The thief's expressionless face and soulless eyes tugged painfully on Conan's heart. Just as everyone else was going to concede to such an irreparable scar, the small brown-haired boy managed to get the smallest of smiles out of Kaitou, and from then on, the two began building a bond that nothing would be able to break.

Six weeks later, Ai had, with the help of a sample of the APTX4689, finally managed to make a permanent cure. So, she was back to her normal eighteen-year-old self. Unfortunately, something went awry in Shinichi's body, and he was stuck as a fourteen-year-old. This was something that had caused many conflicting emotions among his friends.

Kaitou and Heiji were constantly amused. Ran was pissed because of two reasons. The first was the obvious- that Shinichi had never told her he was Conan. The second- her would be boyfriend was back at the age of a second year in middle school. Yukiko and Yusaku were just glad to have their son back. Kogoro really didn't care. And everyone else had been too confused to have any kind of real opinion on the matter. Whenever Shinichi started sulking, Ai reminded him how much worse it could have been, and that would take care of the problem.

"Kid," Shinichi growled at the thief now four years his elder, because it was the fifth time that week Kaitou had come over for no other reason than to tease the detective about his age.

"Uh, uh, uh, that's Kaitou-senpai," Kuroba said with a half-smile, half-smirk on his face. His tone was more playful than anything else, and it was quite obvious that he derived much pleasure from "playing" with his new "toy". "Manner, manners Tantei-kun. What would you poor mother say?"

"Shut up," Shinichi growled again. His face was quite red for more reasons than just anger. "I should have turned you in when I had the chance."

"No one would believe you now Tantei-kun," Kaitou replied as his smirk widened. "Thanks in part to you, I haven't gone on any heists for the better part of seven months. Who would believe I'm the famous Kaitou Kid?"

"Why do I even put up with you?" Shinichi grumbled while trying to leave the former thief behind in his room. However, Kaitou would not let him leave. He wrapped his hand around Shinichi's wrist and pulled the younger teen into his lap.

"The answer to your question," Kaitou spoke into Shinichi's ear, making said boy shiver. "Is because you love me." Without waiting for a response, Kaitou pulled the fourteen-year-old into a passionate kiss. Shinichi's blush darkened as he returned the kiss and pulled Kaitou closer to him by clenching parts of his shirt and yanking him down. Kaitou smiled into the kiss, and they broke apart a few minutes later. "I'm right, aren't I Tantei-kun?"

"Shut up, Kaitou," Shinichi said looking down, but his tone wasn't angry. It was more affectionate than one might think impossible from the serious detective.

Outside in the hallway, Ran and Sonoko were listening through the door to Shinichi's room. Ran didn't mid so much, because she could tell that he was happy. So, Shinichi being in love with someone else wasn't the end of the world. However, Sonoko was bawling that her beloved Kaitou Kid was gay. She'd never get over it, but that's a different story.

A/N: Please review. Anyway… YAY!! I'm done!! I've wanted to write a Kaitou x Shinichi / Conan fanfic forever. It took me forever to think up the plotline. I know the part about taking down the Black Org. was kind of crappy, but my friend, Julie, said I should elaborate on that part to make the story better. If you liked that part, be thankful to her, because formerly it was about a paragraph long (a very short paragraph mind you). Well, I hoped you liked the fic, and if you read this whole author's note, thank you.