When Pandora bleeds... (Shinkai)

Good Morning

"How long will it take for them to wake up again?"
Akako had split Pandora and placed a half onto each KID and Shinichi, allowing the blood to do its work. Lucky enough for them, this night was about to be a full moon... exactly the time Pandora would begin to bleed, then worsen the more time passed.
"As soon as Pandora infected them again, it won't be more than a few hours. Hopefully there will be enough time... Kuroba-kun and Kudo-kun have already slept a good while."

Haibara breathed out a soft sigh of relief, muscles untensing. There was hope. Not only had Akako freaked her out quite a lot with her sudden visit and especially the new information she had given her upon Pandora, the shock of possibly loosing her friend a second time was still gnawing deep at her bones. She wasn't ready to just give up again, throw out the chance of Shinichi finally being normal- as normal as an immortal being could be.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Haibara carefully offered, and didn't even bother to stifle that amused smile when Akako finally showed some sort of real human emotion on her face, in form of utter surprise.
"You're inviting me for tea?"
"Why not? You seem to know a lot about Pandora, Kuroba-kun and their history. I'm sure a comfortable tea time would easen both of us a bit up."
Akako's lips curled up into an equally pleased smile, less sharp than it had been before.
"Lead the way."

"So, how did you know who Kuroba Shinobu is?"
Akako sipped at her green tea with a thoughtful expression, she hadn't quite settled down in this stranger's home but was less tensed than before. After all, now everything was in the clear and Kuroba's life had been saved.
"I know many things unknown for the common eye. Kudo Shinichi and Edogawa Conan are one and the same... the black emperor against the white knight... Lucifer had warned me countless times if a heist was going to be a too close call. I used to warn Kuroba myself... though he rarely took it to heart, did it off as simple nonsense... A wonder he hasn't died yet."
Haibara watched how a small displeased wrinkle appeared on Akako's forehead, immediately smoothed out as the witch gathered herself again.
"Lucifer also let me know about the current condition of Kuroba-kun and Kudo Shinichi-kun... It was clear Pandora was able to heal Kudo-kun just as good of his predicament. And suddenly a person with close to no background shows up again, a few months after Edogawa Conan's death, looking exactly like an aged version of him? It was obvious."

A low chuckle passed her lips while Akako allowed herself another sip, her host mulling over what she had heard.
"Lucifer... so... you're a witch. That's... quite crazy to believe."
"Crazier than a poison which deages people? Crazier than a gem that grants immortality?"
Haibara opened her mouth to argue but had to admit, Akako was right. A weak smile hushed over her lips, eyes glancing back at the file she had neatly spread out across the table for Akako to correct here and there a bit of the data.
Her company, while she was an excentric person, was fairly enjoyable to her. A calm woman she was, intelligent and capable to teach Haibara things beyond her own beliefs. She had just met a witch, after all.
Haibara smiled once again, hiding it behind her cup of tea. This required further investigation. Perhaps she was able to help her own studies far more than any scientist would have been able to.

***

Sapphire eyes sluggishly fluttered open, darkness greeting him. For a moment, he laid there, before his heartbeat started to quicken. A dream? Had it been a simple dream? And he was still inside the coffin, trapped, unable to move nor breathe, air, I need air-

"Meitantei...?" a voice asked quietly next to him and hands found their way around Shinichi's back, softly pressing him against a welcome source of heat. Absolutely different from the cold coffin. He... he was trapped, yes, but in warm arms of someone. Slowly, his view shifted from the insides of a dark coffin to concerned indigos staring right at him, trying to make out a sign that Shinichi was back.
The second thing Shinichi noticed was the soft noise of wind a few meters away, a gentle breeze brushing against glass, early birds outside announcing a soon to be dawn, and he smelled a scent that was strange, foreign, and still so familiar it felt like home.

"KID..." Shinichi wheezed out, rapid breath slowing down the more seconds passed. Kaito didn't let go, kept pressing Shinichi gently against his warm body, even if the sleuth could feel how tensed he was, how much he disliked the contact-
"Let go... I'm fine... It's okay..." Shinichi assured him and immediately, these warm arms slinked away from him, leaving behind a cold void. Sapphire eyes widened, and within a second Shinichi had a tight arm wrapped around the retired phantom, pulling him close, not wanting to let go. He needed the warmth, needed the security, needed the comfort-
"You're not fine," Kaito breathed gently out, slowly shifting until Shinichi was able to rest his head on his chest, calmly listening to his heartbeat. Kaito knew that was what had calmed him down whenever he had had visions of Shinichi's experience, a rythmic noise close by.

As much as he wanted to pry Shinichi's hands off of him, Kaito knew better than to do that. One panic attack was far more than he would have wanted to see on his favorite detective. It was almost laughable to him.
Judging by the room, he was still inside Japan, and had taken over a single bedroom of Haibara Ai. A guest bedroom, he was able to deduce. Kaito felt much more awake than he had been just a few hours ago, but Shinichi seemed still sluggish and unconcentrated.
As much as he was tensed, he couldn't risk Shinichi freaking out again next to him. Perhaps...

Kaito leaned over, hand searching for the light switch, before he flipped it on. For a moment he had to shield his eyes because of the bright light, earning a groan of displeasure from his companion, but as soon as Kaito was able to catch a look at Shinichi, he knew the light was much appreciated.
Slowly and awkwardly, Shinichi inched away, his mind finally beginning to progress properly what was going on. The first thing he did, much to Kaito's surprise, was stare at none other than Kaito himself.
"KID, your body... it's red. I-it wasn't red before when we sealed Pandora."