More Than A Gemstone (Kaishin)

Credo In Te

...Credo in te...

Shinichi jerked, sat up straight, ripped out of his slumber. Goodness gracious was he happy he had woken up. His body was covered in cold sweat, and the detective could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins.
"A nightmare...?" he mumbled, touching his bandage as gentle as ever.

And yet, there was nothing amiss. No sound he hadn't recognized, no scent that didn't belong- only the soft noise of a gentle breeze brushing past his window and the comforting smell of old mahagoni that filled his room.
There was no reason to be on the edge, and it surprised Shinichi quite a deal that he couldn't remember his nightmare. Usually, that had always been the case.

"I need some water..." he muttered and shimmied out of his comfortable sheets, grabbing his trusty cane and making his way down from his bedroom to the kitchen.
And I need to calm down... his mind helpfully added.

The soft sting of pain was getting quite noticable again yet Shinichi refrained from taking another painkiller. It felt like he had become too used to them, anyway...
"Siri, what time is it?" he asked into the void while sipping on his glass of water, promptly receiving an answer from his trusty phone.
"It is exactly 3:45am."

The sleuth inwardly sighed. He hated getting woken up like this, from something so absolutely unnecessary.

After emptying his glass, Shinichi marched back towards his bedroom, feeling along with way with his trusty cane by his side. It wasn't long until he felt the warmth of cushioned blankets wrapping back around him and he started to drift back to sleep...

...Credo in te...

Shinichi sat up straight, panting, holding his head. He could feel his heart beating in his throat; not even the familiar noises of his house could calm him down at this point, and he had no idea why.
"Again?!" he spat, whirling around to his phone.
"Siri, what time is it?!"
"It is exactly 4:17."
With a groan of displeasure, the sleuth fell back into his sheets. He hadn't slept that long. How come he had been woken up again? Taking a deep breath, Shinichi listened to his surroundings for a brief moment. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

It was hard to calm his raging heart at this point and yet, somehow, Shinichi finally managed it after practising his breathing exercises. It did take a bit longer and yet, finally, he was able to fall back into a slumber...

...Credo in te...

Shinichi laid within his bed, a stiff as a board, sweating profusely. Was it the infection getting worse that gave him nightmares? No, it couldn't be, there hadn't been any change of status since it had happened. And yet, there he was, once again woken up by god knew what.
The sleuth grabbed his shirt above his heart, feeling his pulse rampaging. Something was at the back of his mind, something nagging that he couldn't quite grasp, yet it seemed of such importance he had no idea why it wasn't coming to him.

Within the silence of his house, Shinichi found himself suffocating by the sheer pressure it seemed to fill him with.

...Credo in te...

There was a voice at the back of his mind, countless whispers that filled the void around him, and a voice as clear as a bell struck him like lightning once again. Finally, he had heard it. Shinichi's eyes grew wide, he sat up straight, thoughts racing a million miles per second.
"KID... I am going to catch you... and if it's the last thing I'll do...!"
The sleuth wrestled off the covers and hurriedly grabbed his jacket with keys and phone inside before running out of the house, leaving the door wide open for anyone to enter or leave as they pleased.

Instead, a figure emerged from the depths of the house, smiling to themselves. It was an amused grin this fellow had, eyes lasting upon a blind detective hurriedly racing down the street to god knew where. A voice as sweet and clear as a bell, quietly spoke from the doorframe before the shadow disappeared into the night.

"That's right, detective... I believe in you... Credo in te..."

***

Kaito stared at his tablet with eyes as wide as plates. What exactly happened?! Kudo Shinichi was missing, it was the headline of today's front page of the local news.

Signs of forced entry... Disappeared without a trace... Front door left open...

Kaito could feel his thoughts racing. What happened to Shinichi? Wasn't he smart enough to stay safe on his own?
"Of course not..." Kaito angrily spoke to himself. That detective followed trouble and trouble followed him.
Kaito sighed, looking at the empty seat next to him that had been occupied by Pandora a few days ago. He had to find him, he could look as well for Kudo.

Only an hour later, Kaito was quietly walking along Ekoda, knowing Pandora couldn't have made it into the big city by himself. As he knew that guy, he hid himself somewhere quiet. Birds chirped along his path, voices everywhere and the sweet rays of summer had lifted Kaito's mood quite a bit. Walking was mostly a pain in the ass but it was manageable and that was all that counted for the magician.
Kaito let his eyes wander, drinking in his surroundings with glee. It wouldn't be too difficult to spot a foreigner in the sea of people around him, Hakuba stood out like a sore thumb, too.

And yet, it surprised him to the core not to find Pandora, but the confused shadow of a very familiar detective collapsed behind a storefront. Indigos grew wide, Kaito let out a whisper of shock.
"Meitantei...?!"
Said one lifted his head almost immediately and jumped to his feet, letting out a breath that Kaito couldn't mistake for anything different than pure and utter relief.
"KID...!" Shinichi hissed, a smile on his lips. Gone was the attitude, gone was the sarcasm. Kaito was stunned by how genuinely happy he seemed to have him there- that was when he realized he had just stumbled over him in his civilian persona.

"Y-yeah," he coughed awkwardly, eying the sleuth from head to toe.
"What on earth are you doing here, Meitantei? Without your cane, all by yourself?"
Shinichi paused and slowly lowered his head, lifting a hand to hold it.
"I... I don't know. I woke up just... feeling untouchable, and my first thought was to go find you to catch you. My gut feeling brought me here... even tho I have not quite a clue where 'here' is... and suddenly the feeling was gone and I ended up here, by myself, no idea where I am or how to get back home."
Shinichi paused, then stretched out his hand to Kaito in a hesitant manner.
"I... normally don't ask criminals this. Would you be as kind to escort me home?"

Kaito could feel his cheeks heat up just the slightest bit. A blindfolded helpless Shinichi Kudo was asking for his assistance, in such a genuine voice it brought a swirl of warmth to his stomach.
"O-of course..." he croaked awkwardly, and took Shinichi's hand to rest it on his shoulder.
"Hold onto my shoulder, I'll take you back.
A small smile stole itself onto the sleuth's face.

"...thank you, KID."