Sorry it took so long. I promise this story will be updated every week from now on as long as you enjoy it. Sorry to all those amazing people who asked me over and over when this will be updated, I had some personal scores to settle with this story but now I am done and you can have it completely. Love you all and please continue to love my story.

Chapter twenty-one

Desire, love and passion

Some time later, after Heiji had taken a bath and robbed Shinichi's fridge, a full and sleepy tantei lay in his bed, reminiscing about the day.

He still couldn't believe what had happened in that bar. All of a sudden, he looked at women with whole different eyes. Heck, they could turn to furies in no time.

'I am really glad Kazuha was not there. I would probably die from embarrassment.' He took a moment to think about this before he corrected his own thoughts. 'Although she'd probably had enjoyed the show way more than I did…' He sighed long and deep.

'If she were here I'd at least have company. Somebody to cuddle to… but it's not like I miss her or something…' A long, pensive pause followed.

'Jeez, who am I kidding, of course I miss her. I miss her terribly.' Heiji turned to the other side on the bed.

'I wonder what she is doing right now…'

I'm only happy when I'm with you
I only feel good when I'm talking to you
And I'm a mess when you don't call me
Call me at night
Where did you go
Where did you go
And did you think of me

At the same time in Osaka, a very awake girl was sitting on her bed, staring at her cell-phone. She sighed for the tenth time the last few minutes and took her phone in her hand, determined to dial the number, her finger ready.

But it did not move. Hesitantly, she put the phone down again.

'I can't call him. What will he think of me? Damn, and I miss him so much…I wonder what he is doing right now. And if he even thinks of me.'

Deciding to just find out, she quickly dialed the number and pressed the green button before she had a chance to talk herself out of it. To her shock, a voice told her that the person she was calling was not available at the present time. She very hastily hung up again.

What she did not know was that Heiji on the other end of the line had just at this moment decided to call her as well, to see how she was.

It only happens rarely, very rarely, but it happens that when two people call each other at the same time, the line is occupied and they can not reach each other even though both want to.

Defeated, Heiji quickly placed his cell phone on the night-stand and hit his head against the pillow. He looked at it for a few minutes and sighed out. Turning, he tried to get some sleep and it was late at nigh when he finally fall asleep, wishing desperately that Kazuha were there to cuddle with him.

In Osaka, Kazuha lay in her own bed, staring in frustration at her cell phone. Her courage had left her and she didn't dare to try again to call him. She laid the phone next to her pillow and stared at it after cuddling deeper in her sheets. Suddenly she felt a strong wave of sadness course through her. She was missing him more and more every time he left her and she could only hope for his well being and his soon return.

It's hard to breathe and my heart's sinking
I'm slipping fast and I'm reaching for you
It's gonna hurt cause I have been there before
Can't take much more
Can't take another night without you beside me

It was already late and as sleep was slowly taking her to dreamland, her last thoughts swirled around Heiji and how she wished he was here to take her in his strong arms and secure her a tight and comfortable sleep like only he could.

*~*~*~*

It was late night. Kazuha was lying in her bed, the room was silent and dark and only the light that came through her window was illuminating it. She couldn't sleep and watched the curtains dance in the night's breeze that was coming inside her room, lying in her bed motionless.

As a shadow appeared on her window, Kazuha was not scared. She wasn't even scared as a dark, tall man entered her room through the open window and soundlessly walked over to her bed. They looked at each other deeply before he sat down on the edge of the bed, taking her hand in his and kissing it affectionate. They stared deeply into one anothers' eyes for some time.

Kazuha felt a smile appear on her lips as this person slid closer towards her on the bed, still holding her hand which he now used to pull her up to a sitting position. As he pulled his right knee up to the bed so he could turn his whole body to her, she noticed that he wasn't wearing shoes.

For some reason she was wearing her usual rubber band to hold her hair up in a pony-tail. His free hand reached up to correct this mistake and his expression made clear that he was not at all bothered by this task but that he liked it. Tossing it away, he stroked her hair for a long moment, playing with it gently as it run through his fingers. A soft smile, that she returned, was playing across his face, giving him a lovable appearance.

As he hugged her to his firm body, she sighed contently at the familiar closeness. The intruder held her close and bent down to kiss her passionately without a word passing between them. She kissed him back with equal passion, feeling the need for more course through her just as it was spurring him on.

One of Heiji's hands slipped under her satin pyjama-top, pressing her hot body even tighter against him while he deepened the kiss even more. To his delight, he realized that she was wearing no bra underneath and this fact was stoking his desire even more.

Their kiss deepened again, Kazuha moaning inside his mouth as he slipped his own tongue inside to draws hers out to play. The kiss grew hotter and Heiji more impatient. As his hands travelled down to the hem of her top, he pulled away from her lips for a moment to pull it over her head before tossing it in a corner, forgetting the garment the moment it left his fingers. Looking at her half-clad form, he grinned at the beautiful picture that she presented. Had he ever mentioned how much he loved her breasts or how perfect they were in his eyes?

Moving his gaze up after a moment to stare into her eyes, he saw her lids were heavy with lust and that she was obviously just as willing to continue this as he was. There's no need to mention how happy this fact made our tantei.

He dove in for another kiss to which she immediately responded, opening her lips to him and letting him sweep her away to another world. Heiji kissed her and pressed her closer to his body until he felt her hand slowly push him backwards. He looked confused at Kazuha and saw the smug grin on her face as she made quick work of his shirt, tossing it after her last garment.

Their lips crushed back together in the familiar, passionate dance and after having enjoyed the feeling of her naked skin on his, Heiji sat up slowly, never breaking their contact, and leaned forward so that he could lay her softly back on the bed and on her back.

While he was kneeling above her, looking down at her gorgeous body, a faint lullaby could be heard in the background. After Heiji removed her pyjama-bottom and she lay there in front of him in all her almost completely naked glory, he started debating with himself where to start his meal.

Deciding it didn't matter, he dove for it and slowly kissed her neck. Kazuha arched against him, tilting her head to the side. Heiji grinned against her skin, his big hands caressing it all over as his kisses seemed to burn her where ever they lingered. It seemed like he wanted to find all the secrets she may have kept hidden from him. Like he longed to caress her all over, to introduce himself to every inch of her body so it would never forget that she was his and his alone.

The thought alone of somebody else touching her was driving him crazy and Heiji sucked on her cleavage a little harder than planned. He smiled as he heard Kazuha moan out and grab his head. With every passing moment and with every caress of his lips and his tongue there gathered something inside of her. Something that was so huge it was almost hurting but at the same time was feeling so divine she wouldn't even dream of stopping him.

Heiji was letting all his affection for her flow in every kiss, every touch he graced her body with and from her reaction he saw that she could feel it. She gently stroked his head as he rubbed with his cheek against her belly. God, it was unbelievable how he loved this woman. Slowly trailing his kisses upwards over her chest, he enjoyed her soft moans, knowing exactly where she was the most sensitive and what she liked the most.

He was fully concentrating on making her feel good while at the same time enjoying himself. She was whispering his name and Heiji smiled. He loved the little sounds that she made when she was lost in pleasure, and he continued with tender caresses and loving attention from his lips to heighten her arousal, meaning to drive her out of her mind.

Long ago he had felt his own arousal come to life, knowing that she was doing this to him, as usual but slowly he felt it become more intense than he could stand. He knew he had to increase the pace a little if he didn't want this wondrous experience between them to be over before it had really started.

It was as if she knew exactly what he was thinking and she gently pushed him back to a sitting position, her hands stroking over his chest. They took their time and Heiji only sat there, fascinated into motionlessness. Smiling at her new power, Kazuha's hands soon moved down to work at his belt, unbuckling it in no time. She looked back up in his eyes, her expression robbing him of his breath for a moment. But he soon came back to life and helped her remove his pants.

She tossed them away carelessly to join their other clothes, then turned to smile at him as his hands were already wandering over her hardly clothed body. She melted against his hands and his lips as they sought out hers for another kiss, her own hands caressing over his revealed skin.

As he pushed with his hands against an especially delicate spot, Kazuha broke the kiss, throwing her head back and gasping. Heiji only grinned against her and lifted his head to kiss her throat again. At first she didn't even notice that he had rolled them both and that she was underneath him again. Giving her another, deep kiss, he smiled as he felt her impatient hands start removing his last piece of clothing.

After aiding her, he brought his hands back up underneath her back to hold her body close against his. Leaning down to kiss her tenderly again, she returned the intimate embrace, gasped once loudly and started responding to the dance of pure love and affection that drove them both out of their minds and to new highs. Hands were roaming over bodies and kisses were revealing secrets that only they knew about each other, striving for completion and perfection over and over again.

I want to review my kisses
On every inch of your body
I want to reveal my secrets
That only you should know
I feel all this pain inside of me
That only your lips can make better
I wanna review my kisses
So you won't forget that you are mine

---

The uncomfortable and awkward silence and coldness that had lay between them the past days returned unpleasantly to Aoko and Kaito. Neither knew what to say, at the same time knowing that something had to be said.

"What were you doing there, anyway?" She asked him, not meaning to tease.

Kaito immediately blushed as he remembered what had happened in that bar and he was awash with pure embarrassment, even more at the fact that Aoko had watched.

"What were YOU doing there?" He spat, trying to get rid of his own feelings of embarrassment, which were unusual for him, and replace it with the usual and well-known fighting.

Aoko was dumbfound and blinking in confusion. Her hands were already shaking and she clutched the hem of her skirt to keep from hitting him. "I asked first."

"Oh? Are we trying to cover our kinky side?"

"Excuse me?" Aoko sprung up, taking a fighting position. "It wasn't me who was dancing on that counter half-naked, driving all the women crazy!" she screamed.

Kaito grinned arrogantly. "What can I do if I look that good?"

"You did not look any good. And you yourself provoked what happened, with all your prancing up and down the counter, half-naked. This is all your fault."

"Oi, Aoko, are you jealous?" He grinned knowingly at her.

"BAKA!" She screamed at him, now completely enraged. "Why would I be jealous over YOU?!?"

"There are plenty of reasons. Just look at you and then look at me, isn't it obvious that…" He stopped himself as he noticed something. Something that he didn't like at all.

To his indescribable horror, Aoko started crying. At first, only a few tears popped out of her eyes and he clearly recognized them as tears of anger. But then, more and more tears started to follow and running down her face until she was sobbing in the earnest, covering her face in her hands and turning away from him.

Kaito started panicking. This was one of the only things in the world that he could not stand. See Aoko cry. He could take a dozen of police men and even more, steal the greatest treasures of the planet, accomplish the most impossible acts with his magic. But when he saw Aoko cry, the ever-witty, undaunted young man turned to a helpless, little child who wanted nothing more than to cry with her. Guilt always played an important role as well, because most of the times that he saw Aoko cry, it was his fault. Like now. She was crying because of him. Again.

Couldn't he do anything right? First, he messes up in the mountains and now this… He was such a hero… His head hung down but he knew he had to do something to help her.

"I am sorry, you don't look that bad," he quickly told her to save the situation, but she only shook her head, not able to stop her tears. He could tell this had not been the part that had upset her this much.

"Aoko?" He approached her with an outstretched hand but didn't dare touching her so it sank back before it could touch her back.

"Aoko…" He tried again, gathering his courage little by little as her sobs wouldn't cease. This time, a shy hand carefully touched her back. Her body immediately tensed but she did not move away.

"Why are you crying?"

She sniffed, cleaning her eyes quickly with the back of her hand. At this moment she decided that she didn't care about anything anymore. 'Might as well tell him and get it over with. It doesn't matter anyway.'

"It's just that…Are all our conversations going to be like this from now on? Screaming at each other as the only form of communication? Because I can't stand it," she quietly spoke, still not turning to look at him.

"Aoko…?"

Don't wanna care more than you do
Don't wanna be the one who's out in the rain
Don't wanna get that call where you sound so cold
So far away, So far away
Like the distant roll of thunder

"I'm sorry. It's just… I guess I never thought I'd give my first kiss to somebody who didn't care at all and who hates me afterwards for it." A couple of tears run down her face.

"Who said I didn't care?" He asked her quietly, looking with his flaming head in direction of the ground, almost in shame.

"Oh please." She turned to face Kaito. "You've been avoiding me ever since! You didn't respond to any attempt to talk to you that I've started and you are being even ruder than before. I see you care a lot." Bitter sarcasm burned hotly in her throat and was ringing clearly in her voice. She had looked at him while speaking but after finishing had turned her head away again, not being able to look in his eyes.

"It was not because I didn't care. In the contrary…" He spoke softly, his words almost getting lost in the big room.

"What?" She whispered confused as she looked at him again.

Kaito had decided that he didn't care anymore. If this was hurting Aoko that much, he'd just tell her what he was thinking. Afterwards, he still had time to leave her in peace.

"I could never hate you, Aoko. And I care too much for you to let you force yourself to be nice to me after what I have done."

"W-what you have done?" she asked him with shaky voice and teary eyes, not believing what he had just said.

"Y-you know, the k-k-kiss I forced on you…" He looked ashamed away. "It's like I took that kiss from you by force and you didn't have a say in it."

For a second he wondered why he was being so honest. It was not like him at all to open and show his cards to his opponent or lower his poker-face, let alone bare his own feelings.

'Must be the freedom of the night again.' He thought and waited a second. 'Bad, bad night.' He scolded half-heartedly.

"What are you talking about?" She asked and cleaned with the back of her hand over her eyes to restore the clear view. "It was me who kissed you. Wait, you thought…?"

Slowly, she understood. This whole thing had been nothing but a huge problem of communication. A misunderstanding.

"I thought you felt obligated to talk to me even though you didn't really want to and I was mad at myself, not at you. That's probably why I reacted so harshly. I'm sorry and I understand if you don't ever want to talk to me again and…"

To his renewed horror, he saw her start crying again and his insides clutched together painfully, his self-hatred having reached its climax.

"Would you stop crying?" He screamed at her and out of nowhere appeared in his right hand a tissue with a quiet "plop" and a mini-cloud of white smoke. "I can't stand it, you know that." He told her softly, walked the last feet to her and cleaned her tears away.

She watched him and waited till he was finished, struggling with herself to not start crying again, although this tears were not tears of sadness, oh no.

"Ok, I guess I better go and try not to come too close to you again and I really-" That's exactly how far he got before he was knocked over and landed on the ground. Even if he had expected something like this to happen, he would have thought that Aoko hitting him with something would have this result and not Aoko flying forcefully into his arms.

Completely confused, he looked down at her, blushing, and would have almost screamed out again as he saw droplets of clear liquid leave her eyes again. But he caught himself in time because he had noticed her bright smile. How did that fit? Crying and smiling? Had she gone completely mad?

He was still stiff and didn't dare move a single muscle as Aoko refused to get off him; instead she clung to his shirt tightly (actually it must have been one of Nakamori's shirts since his had been torn into a thousand pieces at the bar). Kaito was really confused, wondering , what the heck was going on here? Did he miss something?

"Oh Kaito." Aoko sniffed against him and rubbed her cheek against his chest. Almost distraught, he decided that this was a bad time to tell her that she was drenching his, or rather her father's, shirt.

"A-Aoko, please, what's going on?" he dared to ask her after she wouldn't budge from her position on top of him for another three whole minutes.

"Idiot." She whispered.

"W-what?" His head shot up as he pulled back a little to look down at her.

"IDIOT!" She screamed at him, the smile still present that was now freaking him out even more, just like the fire in her eyes.

"WHAT?"

"You are so stupid." She smiled at him. Kaito only gaped her, having lost his ability to form a proper sentence.

Aoko's eyes softened as she laid a hand on his cheek and Kaito felt his heart stop beating for a second. "Just like I am stupid." He blinked lost at her, the deep need for explanation clearly written all over his face. Aoko smiled softly. "All this time, I've been thinking that I forced the kiss on you and that's why you hate me now. Do you understand?"

He shook his head.

"You are always so bright, why are you at a loss of words now?" She teased him, giggling.

'This woman is freaking me out.' was the only thought that was running up and down Kaito's mind at this moment while he still was staring at her, puzzled and with open mouth.

"I thought you didn't like the kiss. I thought I went too far. I thought you hated me. The truth is, I loved it and it was the best thing I have ever experienced."

His face started flaming as he slowly understood what she was playing at.

"You…you mean, you…? Youuu?"

Aoko stroked with the hand that was still at his face over his cheek affectionately, her eyes telling him everything that he needed to know and so much more than he had never expected. In the blink of an eye, he had his arms around her body and was hugging her tightly to him, burying his face in her hair.

He held her very tightly, afraid that this might be a dream and in the next second she'd just combust into a cloud of smoke, like a rose that he could appear effortlessly. But she only smiled at him and slowly returned the hug, one of her hands stroking his hair reassuringly, somehow knowing that he was needing this reassurance more than anything. No matter how strong Kaito wanted to appear to the outer world, she knew that when it came to emotions he was a lost child.

And Aoko intended to help him out of this uncertainty. Kaito tightened his grip on her and they spent the next minutes on the floor, with Aoko sitting on his lap and both entangled in a passionate embrace.

Kaito couldn't remember the last time that he felt this at peace with himself and everything else. It was like a very big weight was removed from his chest, one that he didn't know he was carrying unless she took it away, and the relief that flooded him was almost unbearable for a moment. But the feeling of her warm weight against him and her hand that was still stroking his head soon made him forget everything negative.

At some point, he pulled back a little to look at her, his face just as happy as her own expression. "You're right. I can't believe that we've been this stupid."

Aoko nodded and moved forward to hug him around the neck. "Oh Kaito. You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do this."

"If it's as long as I've had this urge, then I think I have a pretty good picture," he told her softly and hugged her back, moving them both to sit on the couch where he settled her on his lap and went to stroking her back tenderly.

"I never knew you could be this sweet." She smiled, leaning against him.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me yet." He had said this without thinking about it, the sarcasm behind this one sentence luckily remaining concealed to her.

She looked deeply in his eyes, seeing his words more as a challenge than anything else. "I can't wait. But…is everything all right between us now?"

Kaito smiled at her and gently kissed the top of her head. "Yeah."

"Well then…c-can you… kiss me again?" She blushed furiously at her own words.

"God, yes!" He exclaimed loudly and lunged forward to catch her lips. His own strong impulse surprised himself and he quickly pulled back, already starting to apologize.

"I am sorry, this was too fast and I didn't mean-"

But Aoko only smiled at him and took hold of his face then pulled him back towards her, catching his lips in a slow and sweet kiss and effectively shutting him up. Kaito immediately relaxed against her and wound his arms slowly around her body while she sighed and hugged him around the neck.

The kiss was endlessly gentle and robbed both the unexperienced young adults of their breaths so that they had to pull away only a minute later.

"This is it." Aoko quietly whispered, looking with shining eyes and flustered face at him.

"What?" He asked quietly.

"How I wanted my first real kiss to be like."

Kaito smiled and bend towards her to kiss her again softly. "I know exactly what you mean," he told her quietly after pulling back and resting his forehead against hers.

His free hand was stroking her hair tenderly and Aoko smiled even brighter at him, having never felt better in her whole life.

"It's funny," Kaito spoke soon. "Here you were, thinking I hated you but you have no idea what you make me feel."

"How do I make you feel?"

"There are no words to describe it and even if there were, you know I am no good with words anyway. I've simply never felt better in my whole life."

She smiled, having just thought the same. "Just like me. We are funny, aren't we?"

"In our own way." He agreed, nodding.

"No more self-doubts. Promise?" She asked.

"Promise."

Aoko smiled satisfied and hugged him again, feeling freer than she had felt in a long time.

"I've wanted to do this for so long," she admitted again, looking away from him as her head lay on his shoulder.

"Oh really?" Kaito was amused. "I'd never have guessed." He was completely serious.

"But I did, too."

If not at the last time he had saved her life, this was the moment Kaito was one hundred percent certain that he loved Aoko more than anything else on this planet. And with what had happened the past minutes, he felt a slight hope inside his chest that she might feel the same way about him.

Should he tell her? Was it the right time?

He was scared. Scared of rejection, scared that it would be too much. To be honest, he already felt like his head was spinning. And he was still so new to this whole affection-showing thing. So, maybe it was better to take it a step slower.

Kaito smiled as he felt her kiss his cheek on the side her head had been resting against. He was certain that Aoko had a lot of love to give. She was always closing herself in her shell but deep inside she wanted affection like everybody did.

'Oh Aoko.'

He cupped her right cheek in a hand and bend to whisper in her left ear. "You mean so much to me."

'Almost as good. Well, it's a beginning.'

"So do you." She whispered back and his heart jumped in joy.

He kissed her cheek, the side of her face, her ear, and Aoko gasped, holding his head close. Kaito took this as a good sign and suddenly, all the emotions that were cursing through him combined with the numerous lonely years made him feel a strong wave of affection towards this girl tearing through him. The air between and around them grew hotter and the need for more increased with every passing second.

Never would one of them have thought that being together like this could feel this brilliant. He pulled back to lock eyes again and saw that she was feeling the same. Her lips were redder than usual and slightly parted. A distracted and flushed expression was clearly to be seen on her face. That made Kaito proud because he knew he was responsible for it.

With one hand he stroked her face and pushed her hair back, earning a beautiful smile from the girl of his dreams. Her hand came up to lay on his, trapping it between her hand and cheek while her other wound around his neck, pulling him closer. Licking her lips absentmindedly and sharing a last, questioning look with him, she pulled him forward even more and leaned towards Kaito the last inch, catching his lips in a breathtaking kiss that had her skin tingling all over for several minutes.

How could he, with one simple kiss, cause her heart to race and make her insides toss and turn wilder than any great party could hope for? Out of nowhere, a new thought crossed her mind and she slowly pulled away.

"Where did you learn that?" she whispered, panting hard but staying so close to his lips that he was able to feel her breath play across his chin.

Kaito smiled. Aoko wouldn't be Aoko if she wasn't a little jealous. Stroking again over her hair, still smiling, he gently shook his head, signaling that he had never tried this with another woman.

Understanding immediately, she felt relief wash through her and a wave of euphoria almost forced her to storm back in his arms and kiss him again. Kaito smiled in the kiss. Oh how she loved his smile, and wound his arms around her, rubbing over her back in big circles.

This is how they spend the next hour, cuddling and kissing on the couch. Aoko lay on him exhausted from the day, her head spinning with the great amount of endorphins that her body had released. She was completely content and happy and felt like she could fall asleep any moment.

"Aoko?" His soft voice asked her but she didn't move.

"Hm?"

"When's your father coming home?" Kaito blushed involuntarily. "I mean, he won't be pleased to see us like this and…" He felt stupid saying those things and as embarrassment took the better of him, Kaito decided it was due time to shut up.

Aoko chuckled against him and turned her head to look at the boy she was laying on. "He's very busy with this Kid case; I don't think he'll come home tonight."

At the mention of Kid, Kaito felt a light stinging in the area of his heart but the guilt was quickly replaced, suppressed, by the rest of her sentence.

"All alone tonight?" He asked, blinking. She nodded, now blushing herself.

Some time passed where neither said a word or moved a muscle, only looked at the other before he broke the silence that had been loaded with tension. "Perhaps I should…you know, go home. If your father found me, I'd be sure to die a slow, painful death."

Aoko giggled at that and she answered him in a way that he'd never have expected. "I don't think so."

"What??"

"I can't let you go out there, alone. There may be still some of those furies from earlier, waiting to kidnap you and do a whole lot of indecent things to you."

Kaito blinked at her surprised. "Aoko??" She blushed and looked away, laying her head back on the spot on his chest that seemed to be made for her to lie on.

"To tell the truth, after today and this horrible week, I'd really like you to stay here tonight…"

It was an understatement to say that Kaito was simply stunned at her silent but honest request. After the first shock had vanished, he felt guilt nagging on him for causing her to experience this bad week. Then he felt happy that she wanted to have him close to her.

"You mean, like in the mountains?"

She nodded. One side of Kaito's lips curved upwards. "Okay."

Aoko turned to look at him. "You'll stay?"

"If that's your wish."

"Yeah." She went back to hugging him. He returned the hug and she yawned a minute later.

Kaito grinned and sat up slowly. "Kaito?"

He said nothing but took her in his arms and walked over to her room where he sat her down on her bed. She smiled thankfully at him.

"I'll go to the bathroom to get dressed and you can…you know, make yourself comfortable. Here are some things from my Dad." She blushed and quickly disappeared with her clothes in one hand.

Out of nowhere, Kaito was feeling more than hot. He stripped down to his boxers, then looked at the things Aoko had given him. They were a light green shirt and sweatpants that reached to his knees. He shrugged and put them on, then sat on her bed and looked around the room as if it was the first time that he'd seen it.

He couldn't believe what had happened the past hour. His life had changed so much, and for the better, and it was all thanks to-

His thought came to an abrupt end as Aoko slowly pushed the door to her room open and entered before closing it behind her.

With her hands crossed at her back, she stood in front of him shyly, one leg behind the other. He could only stare at the innocent beauty that she presented in her puffy, white and baby-pink gown with cream-white ruffles on the collar and arm-sleeves. A few minutes ago, to Aoko this had been a nice idea but now, standing in front of Kaito, she felt stupid.

Only his slight grin and hand that he slowly stretched out in her direction reassured her a little, and she slowly moved towards him, reaching for it with her own hand, which then entangled with it. His head was tilted upwards and she was looking down, right at it as she came to a halt between his spread legs.

When he was looking at her like this was the only time that Aoko felt beautiful and desirable, his past insults that told the opposite long forgotten. One of her hands lay on his cheek as his free hand wound around her waist and pulled her gently down to sit on his left leg.

She followed his lead, sitting down and never breaking eye contact. He had had an awesome expression on his face since the moment she had entered the room and it caused her to smile at him. Her hands on his cheek went to tracing the contours of his lips. Lips that could be cruel when insulting but so soft when kissing, as she had recently found out. She couldn't help herself as she leaned forward and caught those lips in a gentle kiss that soon gained force.

Kaito sat up, turned, rolled her over and lay her down on her bed, always resuming the lips lock, the hand that was not interlocked with hers roaming the sides of her body.

'Didn't you want to take it slower?' A nagging voice in his brain annoyed him. He chose to ignore it cruelly.

As Aoko pulled her head back in order to breathe, panting heavily, Kaito used the interruption and new angle to trail his burning kisses down her chin and throat, then back over the side of her face to her ear.

She could hear a light "puff" noise and looked down and was greeted by the sight of a rose that he held out for her.

"Kaito?"

"For you. I guess I have never really told you how beautiful you are." He stroked the rose over her forehead and down her face slowly.

Aoko felt like crying. Kaito had never been this sweet or affectionate to her and now that he was, voluntarily, it was simply overwhelming.

"Are you serious?" She couldn't help but whisper.

"Yeah, absolutely. Just look at you."

One second later he had a girl all over him that was passionately kissing the air out of poor Kaito as if she was trying to devour him through his mouth. She'd always believed him to be gorgeous but after the show tonight, she was more certain than ever. Deepening the kiss, Aoko's hand caressed the back of his head, holding him close. Wanting to be on top, she rolled over and suddenly, a loud noise tore through the room.

Shocked, Aoko looked down her bed, one hand covering her mouth. "Oh my god, I am so sorry. Are you all right? And your wrist? Kaito? Say something."

Kaito was rubbing his back and groaned out softly. "What are you trying to do, kill me?

Aoko chuckled. "As if it were so easy. You know that the evil always lives on." She chuckled even more as she saw his annoyed, grim gaze.

She held one hand out for him to take it and Kaito took it slowly, inwardly smiling at the proof that Aoko was still Aoko. The same Aoko that he knew, loved and adored.

She glided further to the middle of the bed, creating space for him. Kaito lay next to her and an instant later she was sprawled next to him, pressing to his side. She took one of his hands in hers and examined the bandage there. "Does it hurt?" She stroked it with one hand, holding it in the other.

"Suddenly, not at all." He bent and kissed her neck softly.

She blushed lightly and looked at their hands. "I am glad…but K-Kaito, I-I…I don't know if I am…ready to…to…for…" She stopped herself and turned to hide her head in the crook of his neck and shoulder, feeling embarrassed to the limits, knowing her head must be red as a ripe tomato.

Kaito smiled tenderly as he understood what she was talking about. He put one finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Stupid, are you afraid I would do anything to harm you? Or anything that you don't want?"

She stared in his sincere eyes and knew that he was right. No matter how often he insulted her, he was always there to protect her when it came down to it, with no regard to his own safety. She trusted him more than anybody else and she was not about to change that. After all, this was her Kaito she was talking about.

"You're right, sorry." She admitted and cuddled deeper in his embrace.

He tightened his grip on her, trying to give her some security. In reality, he had no idea how save she was feeling when wrapped in his arms like this. To Aoko, this was the safest place.

A strong feeling of safety, warmth and affection was swimming through her body, warming her insides even more. He took her hand and placed a slow kiss on the back of it. Aoko giggled and watched him fascinated as he moved his kisses to her palm, each finger, her wrist, then up her arm over the strap of her night-gown to her neck, seeking for any secret she might kept hidden on her skin, wanting to show her his affection.

She moaned very softly as he kissed over her neck up to her chin, then around her lips, her nose, her cheeks, her whole face before lingering on her lips longer than anywhere else with feather-light touches. The feelings that were coursing through them both were too good to be true and unlike anything either had ever experienced.

She stroked his ever-messy hair lovingly, moved over his scalp and down his neck while Kaito kept kissing every patch of skin that he could reach.

I want to review my kisses
On every inch of your body
I want to reveal my secrets
That only you should know
I feel all this pain inside of me
That only your lips can make better
I wanna review my kisses
So you won't forget that you are mine

His lips on her skin were balsam for Aoko's soul. It more than made up for the years of having to live without it and for this week that she would most gladly forget. Except for this moment, of course.

Nibbling softly at her neck and stroking her hair back, Kaito knew he could spend the whole night right here, doing right this and need nothing else. Make her understand, even more, how much she meant to him and that he would love to have her all to himself, for ever. Casting a glimpse on the clock Aoko had next to her bed, he discovered that it was already way past midnight.

He sighed inwardly and stole another kiss from her lips, as thieves were supposed to do-an amused voice inside him told him, then pulled back to look at her.

"Sweetheart?"

Aoko found her voice gone for a moment. Never had he called her by…a name other than her own that was not an insult. Her heart started, if this was even possible, beating even stronger.

"Yes?"

"It's late…we should sleep. Probably…" Saying those words sounded strange to him. In his head they had made so much more sense and sounded way more reasonable than now that he was looking at her big eyes.

Aoko smiled and sat up, Kaito would have almost protested loudly, to take the blanket that she pulled over their bodies. She settled comfortably half on top of him, one leg on his, one arm over his chest and her head on his arm, then exhaled a long breath. Even for a blind person it was clear that this young woman had seldom been happier than at this moment.

She turned her head for a moment to press a long kiss on his lips. "Good night."

"Sweet dreams." He grinned back and settled his head comfortably on hers after she had put it back on him, one of his hands stroking over her back in slow motions.

He could have sworn he heard her murmur a: "Couldn't be sweeter than reality" and smiled at that, kissing the crown of her head a last time. His eyes closed and a sigh escaped his lips.

'I love you.' was swirring through their minds, both wanting to tell the other but neither daring. But it was not grave for they had their whole lives ahead of them, certainly together because neither of them believed that their meeting so many years ago, in front of that old clock, had been a coincidence.

'Maybe a sign of affection from fate…'

Nobody knew, and nobody cared anymore. All that mattered at this moment, was the present and the future, now, that they had finally, truly found each other.

---

"Where we were? I think you mentioned something about a reward." Ran grinned at Shinichi.

"I did, didn't I?" He kneeled above her and grinning dove in for another kiss.

"You know what?" Ran asked after pushing him back a little.

"What?" He looked curiously at her then startled as she pushed him off her and on the couch. She was towering above him and grinning down. Having his shirt tattered did have its benefits. She pushed its last reminders off him and stroked with her hands over his chest and arms, smiling to herself.

"You know, that show earlier, seeing you on that counter, dancing to the music, swinging your body…it was so much of a turn-on." She bent down and kissed over his chest slowly.

"Oh really? And you weren't jealous at all?" He grinned at her, knowing exactly that she could be really jealous at times.

Her nails scratched on his stomach and her expression was strict all of a sudden. "Just because those brainless, hormone-driven furies were drooling over my future husband?" The scratching got harder and Shinichi almost winced in pain. "No at all."

"Raaan…" He said, meaning to say 'Please don't spear me'.

She grinned at Shinichi and leaned down to kiss the red marks that she had left and moved up to his ear, whispering seductively. "Besides, all they can do is dream about it. I, on the other hand, can take you home with me." She nibbled on his ear-lobe.

"Oohh, I see." His arms came up to hold her loosely around the waist. "And what are you planning on doing, now that you got me home?"

Ran grinned evilly, then bent to whisper something in his ear. Shinichi's eyes slowly grew big, then huge. As she pulled back to grin at him he stared at her open mouthed. "Are you serious?"

"Watch me." Ran whispered seductively and pinned his arms down to the couch. She sat further up on his lap and started kissing his chin, then neck, then down his throat with moist lips.

Shinichi was panting hard by now, finding it incredibly hard to remember the process of inhaling and exhaling. Hey, it was far more difficult than it looked and required a lot of coordination, not to mention an iron will.

Her touches were leaving burning trails along his skin and Ran was enjoying his shudders and squirms, feeling powerful, that she was able to make him like this. He gasped out her name and put a hand on her head as she tenderly bit his shoulder. She smiled against his skin and brought a hand up to stroke across his chest. It was slowly gliding along an imaginary path in all directions.

For undefined reasons, Ran liked doing this a whole lot; lay her head on his warm body and watch her hands trail across his skin. She wondered if it had anything to do with his long disappearance, but reasons really didn't matter at the moment as she felt the affection she was feeling for him soar through her stronger than anything else.

All that mattered was that he was here with her and that they were together. She kissed along his chest, going lower to kiss all over his stomach while grinning at the twitching muscles beneath her lips. Her fingertips were preparing and teasing and her following lips were increasing the need while never being really satisfying.

"Ran…" Shinichi moaned her name, tugging at her head gently.

She sat on him again, wound her arms around his head, and dove in for a deep kiss. She knew that this slow pace was killing him, but it was too much fun to stop. And she needed to make her point and clear out that he was hers. Only thinking about those women back there who had tried to get in his pants made her wish she was allowed to use her karate on civilians. It also enflamed a strong feeling of jealousy that lead to her wanting to prove who he belonged to, now and forever.

But as the kiss grew even more passionate, she felt her own desire urging her on, to hurry up. His arms came up around her back, pressing her closely to him and Ran slid even closer, if that was even possible. Smiling as she felt the evidence of how much he wanted her pressed between them, Ran pulled back from the kiss to catch her breath and watched him pant. She then lay on him, her chest purposefully pressing against his and dove one hand down to stroke him gently. He gasped loudly.

"Ran!"

It was almost a yelp and Ran was smiling contently against him. He looked scandaled at her as she decided to stand up and leave him there. Honestly, if you stole chocolate from a kid, it would look at you just as shocked and whine just as heart-meltingly. However, fortunately for the tantei, he could soon stop complaining as she took his hand and dragged him after her.

Arriving in her room, she turned him and pushed him down on her bed. A gentle hand on his chest made him lay down. He shivered as her hands then gently caressed a path from his shoulders down to the top of his pants. She didn't waste any time in getting rid of them along with his underwear what made Shinichi grin as he assisted her. It only proved that she was lost in desire as much as he was.

Standing back up, Ran slowly swayed her hips and started dancing with slow and deliberate moves that had Shinichi grinning, but he was definitely enjoying the show. She turned another time, looking at him sexily and then started to slowly pull her shirt over her head. Shaking her hair a bit, she tossed it around a little. She was nearing him with a predatorial look that she had on all this time and turned to sit down between his spread legs, presenting him her back. Her hair she was holding to her front, making clear what she wanted from him.

Shinichi immediately sprang to life and he sat up to touch her back. While kissing her neck from behind, his fingers made quick work of her bra which he then tossed somewhere. His hands were stroking up and down her arms and over her back, slowly working their way to her front, and while Ran was enjoying this immensely, she did manage to stand up and move away from him what earned herself a disappointed pout .

Smiling, she quickly turned around to continue her slow dance. Her skirt was next, obviously, and she put special emphasis on her hips that she shook slowly before lowering her zipper and letting the garment fall to the floor. She stepped out of it and let him look at her from top to toe.

Shinichi's eyes bulged as he noticed that she was not wearing anything else. He had not counted with this. 'But when did she…? I was sure she was wearing some earlier…?'

Then it struck him. As he had gone to answer his phone, he had left her for a moment. She must have taken her panties off then. Mean woman.

"You planned this out, didn't you?"

Ran lowered her head to his level and looked at him with a grin. "Are you complaining?"

His hands grabbing her, and pulling her down on top of him was the only answer that he gave her. Ran smiled into the passionate kiss that he felt compelled to give her. His body was urging him on, and so was hers. The fact that her hot body was pressing on his own, skin to skin, was not helping him hold his horses one bit. Neither was the desire with which she was kissing him. He stroked her head and her back with his hands and pulled away from her mouth to gain some air. "R-Ran…" He panted and she understood immediately.

She kneeled next to his body, indicating for him to move further up the bed. He followed her orders obediently, honestly, had she told him to run down the street in a chicken suit right now, he'd have done it as well, and watched her fascinated as she crawled up to and over him.

Holding his arms down with her own, she smiled at him and leaned down to kiss him. This being-in-control thing was increasing her desire and judging by his pants and shivers it was clear that he couldn't take much more either. Ran decided that it was enough torturing and enough playing. She carefully sat down on him all the way, her chest high in the air, her fingers laced through his and both groaned out in passion and completion at the contact.

It's a cave in the darkness
And I'm lost inside you
Don't go

I want to review my kisses
On every inch of your body
I want to reveal my secrets
That only you should know
I feel like a childless mother
Longing to hold her baby
If I could review my kisses
Then you won't forget that you are mine

Later that night, Shinichi was holding Ran close to his body, one arm around her body securely while the other was stroking over her warm flesh.

"I loved the show," He admitted, still kissing her neck and shoulder.

"Sometime, you have to give me my own Shinichi-as-tabledancer show." She smiled at him.

"Whatever you want," he whispered, kissing her on her lips gently. And it was true. At this moment, she could ask anything from him and he would gladly do it. A dangerous state, as he figured, but not too bad since this was his Ran and he trusted her.

She smiled contently as he kissed her all over her face, her closed eyes and smile were betraying the state of bliss that she was in right now. One lazy arm stroked through his hair as she held him close. How she loved these tender moments late at night that made her feel absolutely loved and satisfied from the inside and that only he could give her.

Pulling his head back a little, she used the position to stare in his eyes deeply. Leaning up, she planted a sweet and long kiss on his lips before pulling back. Shinichi smiled, feeling his heart throb painfully fast for this beautiful being in his arms. He took a hand and tenderly stroked her face. "Ran?" he whispered, plunging his face in her hair so that his lips were close to her ear, causing her to shiver.

"Hm?" She asked, gently massaging the back of his neck.

"I love you."

Her eyes opened, surprised. A second later she pulled his head from its hiding and made him look at her. He returned her gaze with a tender look that showed his deep affection for her and that made her heart sing and made her want to scream "aawwwww" all over the place. A beautiful smile appeared on her face as she dove forward to kiss him again.

"I love you, too."

He returned the smile and stole another kiss from her lips as they cuddled against each other and slowly fell asleep, as content and happy as they could be.