Reassurance to the Doubts [SaguKai]

Chapter 2

Kaito looked at Saguru from his spot just a little further away from the crime scene exactly three days after Saguru's mental breakdown in school. He and Aoko had decided to bring Saguru with them for a friendly outing. But of course, Kaito's luck doesn't always work on the British detective as they found themselves in the middle of a crime scene yet again.

"The culprit is..." Saguru said with a touch of confidence. "Furaka-san. Your alibi, despite being strong, still lacks in a few aspects. You stated that you knew your fiancé's deathly allergy. So, how could you not notice her breath hitched as she struggled to breathe while you were right in front of her? You purposely let her die just like that and the reason being is-" Saguru let down his Poker Face to show a sad smile. "-that you couldn't stand being with her anymore."

Saguru spoke softly to the crying man on the floor. "If you... really hated the way she belittled you, in public or in private, you could have just picked yourself up and left. Continue your life as she did hers. No matter how much her behaviour disgusts you, taking someone's life is not the way to avoid her. Now that you killed her, her death is on you. And it will forever be that way. Once this event gets to you, you will be thinking about her more and more as you live the rest of your life in regret."

As the murderer was being taken away to custody, Kaito watched as Saguru let out a deep breath before straightening up to smile at the officers.

How fake could that smile be, Hakuba? Kaito thought silently.

"Blondie," called a very familiar someone, who smirked amusedly as he leaned against the wall, dark skin with an Osakan accent. "Ah," Saguru grinned genuinely, eyes gleaming with mirth. "Hot-blooded-san is here." Hattori Heiji sputtered at the nickname. "Oi! I am not a hot-blooded, you ahou!" Heiji huffed as he approached the British detective.

"Oi Hattori, we have to- Hakuba-kun?" Shinichi came towards the two detectives with a lopsided smile. "How odd to see you wearing a jacket, shirt and jeans. Normally you would be wearing your Holmes' attire." Saguru glared at him playfully, making Shinichi laugh cheerfully. "What are you doing here in Tokyo? Hattori and I are actually on our way to the mall to accompany the girls." Shinichi grimaced before adding, "They are making me pay for it all because I ditched them the other day for a crime scene."

Saguru choked on his saliva as he laughed. "Are you on the verge of bankruptcy, Kudo-kun?" Shinichi pouted childishly. "No, my money is practically endless in my bank account. Kaa-san and otou-san's allowance for me, the amount of money my clients paid me for solving the crimes, and the amount of money the TMPD gave me for my assistance."

Saguru whistled, looking quite impressed. "Okay, hotshot teenage billionaire. I think that it is necessary for you to take your leave now before they think you ditched them again. And no need to flunk to my face that you are literally a teenage billionaire." Heiji perked up as he looked up from his phone. "Come with us, Hakuba! Kudo can buy ya somethin' too!" he grinned at his best friend, making the blue-eyed male blanched.

The blond flushed slightly before looking towards him and Aoko, who had been standing quietly nearby them. "I am actually out with them..." he trailed off. "Then the two of ya can come too! The more the merrier!" Heiji beckoned those two closer.

"I'm Kuroba Kaito. This is Nakamori Aoko, my childhood friend. We're both Hakuba's classmates in school," he grinned at Shinichi and winked.

Shinichi snorted. "I already know you, Kaito. Kaa-san won't shut up about you," he faked a woman's voice in mocking. "Look at Kai-chan, Shin-chan! He's so handsome and all grown up! You two should date each other!" the eldest male deadpanned. "As if she forgot the fact that I was already dating someone that time." Kaito burst out laughing, holding his stomach. "Your mom loves me, Shin-chan! She adores me!"

"Too much to be healthy. You two does share a few traits together, dramatic, childish, and absolutely annoying," Shinichi grumbled. "How does Kudo-kun knows Kaito? Aoko never heard Kaito mentioning that he's friends with Kudo Shinichi before," Aoko said.

Shinichi and Kaito shared a secretive smile before walking, puzzling the three others greatly. "His father was my mother's sensei. Occhan and otou-san were friendly rivals. Kaa-san and Chikage-chan are best friends. I actually met Kaito one time when I was little. He kept calling me Shin-chan even when I told him not to just so that he could annoy me. He suggested that I be him while he- me, to trick our parents and they couldn't tell which one is which until-" Shinichi haltered before smirking smugly. "Otou-san mentioned Sherlock Holmes and I got excited, forgetting that I was supposed to still be Kaito."

"We stopped meeting each other because my parents went traveling and his mom did the same thing. We met again, however,  a few days ago because kaa-san was having a party for her successful movie, Once Upon A Nightmare," Shinichi explained.

"Shinichi!" an Aoko look-alike came towards them with an angry look, Mouri Ran. "You were going to ditch us again, didn't you?!"

"I wasn't! We just stumbled across Hakuba-kun and his friends." Shinichi huffed in annoyance as the kids, Shounen Tantei-dan laughed at him. "Haha! Shinichi-oniichan got scolded!" Genta said, teasingly. "See if I ever buy you anything," he held his head high as he walked off further from them. "Use your own money!" The three kids gasped and rushed to follow him, whining. Ran, Sonoko, Kazuha, Heiji, and Aoko followed them slowly from behind, leaving Kaito and Saguru walking behind them.

"Are you okay?" Kaito asked the oddly quiet male. "I am fine," Saguru crossed his arms to his chest as he walked off, looking around anywhere but Kaito. The brown-haired male sighed before reaching his hand out to tug Saguru's arm, stopping them both from walking. "I know you're not okay, Hakuba. Ever since that day, you've been acting really weird."

"Why do you care?" Saguru mumbled as he looked at his shoes. "How would I know that you are not just playing with me? I know you took the paper with the things I wrote down the other day in school while I was having an anxiety attack. Answer those questions for me."

"I like you because you're different, Hakuba. Because you're you. Do I really need a reason to like you? Do I really need a reason to be your boyfriend? Did I need a reason to be your friend? Do I, Hakuba?" Saguru shook his head hesitantly, feeling his heart hammering against his ribcage. "Do you really need a reason to love me back?" Kaito asked, standing close to him. "Saguru?" he murmured his name into his ears. The blond shook his head again, a little firmer. "No," he croaked out, tears dwelling in his eyes. He was a little unsure what the tears were for but he couldn't stop it before it trailed down his pink cheeks.

"I love you, Saguru. I'm in love with you. It might be too early to say it to you but I need you to know that I do," Kaito said.