Takes place right after Movie 14.

I own nothing.

"Kaito, your face is red."

"…I know." Kaito had been really hoping that it wasn't that noticeable.

"Well, do you have a rash?" Aoko's look of concern was hastily replaced with one of disgust as another possibility dawned on her. "It's not contagious, is it?"

"No! …I mean, not really. You might not want to touch my face, anyway. Or my hands." The magician held up his gloved hands meekly.

"Geez, Kaito. Were you experimenting with itching powder or something?"

Kaito hesitated. That'll work. "Uh, yeah, sure."

"'Sure'?" Aoko repeated incredulously. "You don't know?"

"'Yes.' I meant 'yes.'"

"Whatever. You're weird."

Kaito gaped in mock indignation. "Weird? Me? You—" he cut off his response abruptly as his eyes wandered to the classroom door. "H-Hakuba! What're you doing here?"

The blonde detective strolled to the previously-vacated seat directly before Kaito (it had only taken him a week or two of class to discover exactly why that seat had never been filled). "Good to see you too, Kuroba-kun, Nakamori-chan." Hakuba politely nodded to the girl on Kaito's right.

Aoko gave a small, friendly smile. "Hi, Hakuba-kun. Not that we aren't glad you're back—" she subtly glared at the boy to her left "—but I thought you were supposed to be in England for awhile."

"I was. But there was a case here that I wanted to look into some more."

"Kaitou Kid?" Kaito asked hopefully, relishing the chance to once again upstage the arrogant detective.

"Not this time," Hakuba said evasively. "But, uh…Kuroba-kun? Do you have a rash?"

"No," Kaito growled defensively. "I was, uh, experimenting with itching powder and…well…" Kaito pointed at his forehead, grimacing. "I think I accidentally got it on my hands, and then I rubbed my forehead."

Hakuba raised an eyebrow. "You were playing with itching powder and you weren't wearing gloves?"

"Yes, I was," Kaito corrected, bristling at Hakuba's implication. "I guess I just wasn't careful taking them off. That's probably how it got on my hands, from the gloves."

"Uh huh," Hakuba grunted dubiously, reaching into his bag and retrieving a rolled-up newspaper.

"Hey." Before the detective could react, Kaito, recognizing the photo on the front page, snatched it from his grasp. "Isn't this that airship?" He scowled at the foreign lettering. "'Japanese Bioterrorist Scare a Hoax; Zeppelin Never Contaminated'? In a British newspaper?" Kaito glanced up. "It made national news?"

"Bioterrorist attacks are kind of a big deal, Kaito," Aoko said sarcastically. She frowned, staring down at her hands clasped in her lap. "Thank goodness, though. That it was fake."

Hakuba nodded. "Your father was on there, right, Nakamori-chan?"

Aoko's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Because of stupid Kid. You're lucky you were in England; I've never been so scared for Otou-san."

"Very," Hakuba agreed. "It would seem that I missed a lot."

"You don't know the half of it," Kaito muttered, scratching absentmindedly at his forehead. "Stupid brat." I know this was that midget's fault, somehow…I'd bet anything he rubbed some of that lacquer stuff on Lady Sky so it would get on my gloves…I just wonder when he got the chance….

"Stupid what?" Hakuba arched an eyebrow. Then, a bit harsher: "Did you just say 'stupid brat'?"

"N-No!" Kaito quickly held of his hands defensively. "I said…uh, stupid bat! There's a bat infestation in our house!"

"Really? How come I didn't know that?" Aoko pouted, looking slightly hurt.

"Uh…didn't want you to worry?" Kaito responded feebly. "So, uh, anyway, we're going to gym next, right?"

"Yep," Aoko grinned brightly, her mood considerably lighter. "Dodgeball."

"Kaitooo!" Let me in!" Aoko begged. Upon arriving at the gymnasium, the students learned that instead of playing normal dodgeball, they would be playing the American version. The most noticeable difference was the larger amount of balls. The much larger amount of balls. Kaito—upon realizing that getting hit with said balls was quite uncomfortable, it was much harder to dodge when multiple people were targeting you (he was beginning to reconsider his policy on pranking), and Hakuba had a very good arm—decided to construct his own fort of defense out of the pile of rubber mats stacked in the corner of the gym.

Aoko had also quickly realized the unpleasantness of getting a rubber ball to the face, but was reduced to begging Kaito to share the fort, as he hadn't left a single mat untouched in his quest for protection. However, Kaito, in a not totally unjustified paranoia, refused to allow his childhood friend inside his fort.

Aoko started in surprise as a ball thrown by Hakuba slammed against the rubber side of the Fort and the boy inside let out a small squeak.

"Kaito! Let me in!"

"No way! You just want to sabotage me!"

"Fine, then," Aoko growled, a mop materializing in her grasp, seemingly out of thin air. She raised her weapon of choice over her head, and then brought it slamming down into the roof of Kaito's fort. As the structure crumpled, Aoko raised an eyebrow in confusion, letting her mop dangle by her side: Kaito had disappeared.

Hakuba, having witnessed the exchange, crossed enemy lines and strode toward the remains of the fort—not that anyone cared, as long as he was doing so to defeat Kuroba. "Where did he go?"

"I don't—" Aoko was cut off as Hakuba held up a hand and put a finger to his lips.

"…Do you hear that?"

Aoko cocked her head to the side, listening. "It…sounds like…scratching?" By this time, the entire gym was dead silent, and the sound of nails on skin was clearly audible. Hakuba carefully approached the bleachers and poked his head around the corner to check behind them. He drew back grinning in triumph, and gestured at Aoko to come closer.

She brought her mop.

Kaito decided right then and there that he was going to have his revenge on Edogawa Conan if it was the last thing he ever did. This was so much worse than trying to kiss his girlfriend.

For anyone who was wondering, according to Wikipedia, Japanese dodgeball is rather different from American (.org/wiki/Dodgeball#Japanese_Dodgeball).

And inspired in part by Saitaina R. Moricia's Healing Touch…at least the part about how Conan takes his vengeance. But anyway, it's a really terrific fic, so if you like Kaito/Hakuba, read it (warning, rated M…you can probably guess why).

So, yeah. Please review!