Title: Shadows in Shadows
By: Dragon-sama
Summary: The Kuroba twins stumble upon a secret of their father's. Now they face dark assassins, sneaky detectives, and forbidden feelings. What should a pair of teenage boys do except party?
Warnings: I am going to make this KaiShin, because damnit, it still amuses me! But now I get to play with angsty!incest issues too! So if that's not your thing, back button is right up top! (Besides, they're not actually brothers anyway)

Fish don't applaud…

Chapter 03: Hide and Seek

It was a bright new day, and the sun shone merrily down on two small, dark-haired figures huddled in important debate.

"Shin-chan~! Please?"

Shinichi frowned petulantly at the whining plea from his brother, who was giving him an appropriately pitiful look to accompany the entreaty.

"But we both always lose! Why do you like it so much anyway?" he countered, crossing his arms and pouting at Kaito. That usually worked when he wanted things to go his way, but Kaito didn't seem to be taking the bait this time.

"We both always win too, if you think about it that way," Kaito wheedled logically, or as logic applied by a six-year-old. Shinichi's frown wavered in the face of such persuasive reasoning, and Kaito pushed his advantage. "And why not? It's not like we have anything else to do right now."

"Well…I guess so, but only if I get to be it!" Shinichi caved, eyes beginning to sparkle with the challenge. He hadn't actually been against playing hide-and-seek, but liked making his brother win him over. Kaito grinned, glomping on Shinichi and ruffling his hair.

"You always like being it!" he crowed, letting Shinichi wriggle out of his grip.

"And you always like being sought, Kai-kun!" Shinichi countered, sticking his tongue out.

"That makes us a good team, right?" Kaito grinned unrepentantly. "Now, start counting and don't peek!"

"You don't need to tell me," Shinichi whined, shoving Kaito away. "Go hide! One…two…three~," he began, only closing his eyes when Kaito dashed off excitedly.

It was a familiar game, introduced to them one day by Toichi in a bid to keep the energetic pair busy. To his regret, it morphed into a city-wide game the boys played on every occasion. With such an extensive playing field to hide in, they learned to rely on their instincts when trying to find the other. More often than not it ended with the seeker unable to find the one hiding, but slowly but surely they were getting better and better at searching each other out. It often took Toichi to find and drag the single-minded pair back from their game, as the man was a genius in finding all the places the resourceful duo liked to choose.

Kaito fought his giggles as he raced along the neighborhood streets, looking around for a good place to hide. While he could stick with a more traditional hiding spot (there were a myriad of such places; bushes, walls to hide behind, trees to climb), he wanted to find something so unusual even their father wouldn't be able to find him.

The sound of Shinichi's voice fell away behind him, and he began scanning his surroundings in earnest. The rules for their game were simple; they had two minutes to find a hiding spot, they could never hide in the same place twice, and they weren't allowed to switch hiding spots once they'd chosen. Occasionally, they would get so distracted trying to find the perfect hiding spot that they never chose one, which tended to make the game dissolve into a session of tag

Kaito knew his two minutes were almost up, but he still hadn't found the perfect spot. He wanted this game to last. Not only would Shinichi be forced to admit defeat, but his dad as well! Kaito lost himself in a daydream of the man bowing his head, proclaiming Kaito the best hider ever.

"READY OR NOT~!"

The sound of his brother's voice echoing across the streets startled Kaito out of his thoughts, and his eyes went wide in distress. He still hadn't found a hiding spot! And the rules of their game said he had to choose one now, but there was nothing good around.

Casting a quick, desperate glance around the street he was on, Kaito was about to dive behind a house's gate and hide amongst the potted plants there, when he saw an odd wooden grate. He trotted closer, all the while keeping an ear out for his brother, and as he got closer he saw the wood overlaid some sort of pool of water. Hidden from casual sight by an overhanging trellis, there was a spot big enough for a person to climb in, and with a final glance over his shoulder, Kaito was decided.

While he wasn't up for getting wet, he could easily hold himself on the underside of the wooden grate, the boards just far enough apart to wedge his shoes and arms in without having them visible from above. And if he did fall in the water, he was an excellent swimmer if he said so himself, and the water was close enough to the grate to be easily grab-able. Besides, this was perfect! Not even his father would think to look for him here!

Grinning to himself, Kaito stuck his head down the hole, double checking that the boards would indeed hold his weight. Carefully pulling himself under, he grimaced. While wedging his arms and legs would prevent him from losing his grip due to weakness, it wasn't going to be very comfortable, and he'd be here a while if his hiding spot was as good as he thought it was.

Shrugging philosophically, he grabbed another board, pushing with his feet as he crawled along, now completely upside down under the grate. Below him, there was an odd gulping sound that came from the dark, churning waters.

Blinking, Kaito relaxed his arms a bit so he could lean closer to the water in the gloom. What was that? He thought he saw the patch of light glisten off something smooth and black as it breached the water, but it was gone before he could identify it. Leaning down a bit further, Kaito peered into the dark waters.

A fish head abruptly emerged to gulp at him, causing the boy to yelp and lose his grip. Kaito fell with a shriek, the shock of the cold water paralyzing him as it closed over his head. Slick bodies roiled over and around him, and he could feel them sliding and pressing as he finally started struggling for the surface, unable to move, to swim, and his lungs were burning for air that would not come.

The water was over crowded with hundreds of black fish, all swarming around the boy in their desperate search for food. Their thick bodies got in the way of Kaito's flailing limbs, impeding his attempts to stay afloat.

Gasping and choking, Kaito managed to get his head above the water, inhaling water as well in his frenzy. He spluttered, feeling slimy mouths closing in futile search against his skin and around his fingers as the fish mobbing around him.

He made a desperate grab for the grating above, but it was just barely too high, and he couldn't get enough lift with the wriggling creatures thick around his legs and body. They slid against him, some even managing to get under his loose clothes to struggle and flop against the panicked boy's chest and legs.

It was too much, and Kaito's vision was filed with the gaping mouths and bugging eyes as he was pulled under again, mind shrieking in terror and panic.

'Shinichi!'

***

"Shinichi! Kaito!" Toichi called, sighing when there was no sight of the mischievous duo.

Always off playing their games, but the thought made Toichi grin a bit. That pair would be absolutely unmanageable in a few years. His gem of a wife would argue that they were already a handful, which was true, but they had yet to beat their old man when it came to mischief. They were good kids, so he wasn't terribly worried at the type of mischief they'd get into.

Well, since it was their current favorite game, and since he'd just heard Shinichi's voice echoing the battle cry of hide-and-seek, Toichi felt confident that by strolling down the street and around the corner he'd find…yes, there was the dark hair of one of his sons, craning this way and that as he searched.

"Shinichi, I know you heard me," Toichi admonished, grinning as the small shoulders hunched guiltily. Big blue eyes turned up to him.

"Aw…but Dad, we just started! I haven't even got to look for Kaito yet!" came the petulant complaint.

Toichi tried to put a stern expression on his face, but really, unless he was employing his Poker Face, he found it near impossible not to smile around his family. The boys still didn't know that they weren't blood brothers, and frankly, Toichi was happy to keep it that way. Their safety aside, the boys loved each other too much for him to even think of driving a wedge between them. While there was still a hint of sorrow, Toichi was too proud of both of them to let that color any of his interactions with the pair.

"Don't give me that look, Shinichi," he said, ruffling the boy's hair and chuckling at the slight grimace.

No matter how often he messed it up, or failed to comb it, his hair just would not stay as messy as Kaito's. Unfortunately for him, his family was only too happy to 'help' him out in his endeavor to match his brother in every way.

"Let's go dig your brother up from whatever hole he's…Shinichi?" Toichi trailed off, because the oddest look just passed across the boy's face.

The boy's blue eyes (one of the few differences between the pair) had glazed over for a second, and now they focused on his father's face, panic overtaking the childish features.

"K-Kaito!" Shinichi choked out, one hand reaching for his throat as if he couldn't quite breathe. "Kaito! Kaito!!" The last cry came out as a shriek, and he turned on his heel, stumbling as he tried to sprint away. His breaths were coming out in hysterical pants, and he couldn't seem to get his feet under him properly.

Toichi didn't waste time asking questions or looking confused. He took off in long strides after the boy, scooping the frantic child up.

"Which way Shinichi?"

A small hand pointed desperately, and Toichi let his feet fly as fast as they'd ever done. While his mind raced with questions, he didn't dare distract himself even long enough to think them until he had his other son safe in his arms. Sometimes, he knew, you had to follow you heart over your head.

"There! Dad, there!" Shinichi cried, pointing and kicking to get free. Toichi let the boy slide out of his grip, taking in the wooden grate in a glance, and knowing what had happened. Shinichi dashed ahead of him, and he had to reach out quickly to snag the boy's shirt and pull him away, not having time to be gentle about it.

In a few long strides, he used his momentum and set himself securely as he kicked, snapping quite a few of the boards cleanly in half. Ignoring the spike of pain racing up his leg, Toichi hooked his other leg around a remaining board to secure himself and leaned over, thrusting his hands beneath the dark, churning waters. Disregarding the slippery bodies of the black koi, he felt rough cloth and pulled.

Gasping and crying, Kaito came free of the water, clutching at Toichi as he screamed and choked. Toichi flipped himself upright, hands already running a soothing pattern along the boy's back, and trying very hard not to let panic grasp him at this late date. His heart was racing faster than it had on any heist, but there was no thrill to this scare.

Shinichi had barely waited for Toichi to stop moving before he was crying and clutching at his brother, and it was all Toichi could do to check to make sure that Kaito was okay, could breathe, wasn't hurt anywhere, with Shinichi plastered against him. Kaito was still screaming hysterically with every breath, and Toichi cursed violently in his head. He needed…

"Toichi! Toichi, what—Kaito?! Shinichi! Oh my boys!"

There had never been a sound more melodious than his wife's voice just them, Toichi decided. Nyoko was running toward the trio, eyes wide but full of determination.

"Toichi, give Kaito to me. There now, love. Kaito, shhh, it's okay," she soothed, gently prying clammy fingers from Toichi's shirt. Shinichi was hiccupping, still unwilling to let go of his brother, but with his mother's gentle coaxing, he was soon shivering quietly in his father's embrace, staring wide-eyed and pale-faced at his brother's shaking form.

Kaito's hysterics had tapered off as he realized he was out of the horrible water with its slimy denizens, but he wouldn't stop crying, even with his mother's comforting words echoing in his ears. Nyoko locked eyes with Toichi, nodding her head back down the street and silently conveying to him that it would be a good idea to retreat back to their house. Now. Unfortunately, they had gathered a small audience, including the red-faced owner of the house the fish pool belonged to.

"Shinichi, I need you to get your brother and your mother home safely, can you do that?" Toichi murmured in the boy's ear, hating to leave them alone but knowing he had some quick talking to do.

Shinichi's tearful gaze did nothing to alleviate that feeling, but he waited patiently for an answer. He wouldn't abandon his family if they needed him. But Shinichi was nodding hesitantly, sliding over to Nyoko without a word as she stood up cradling Kaito to her.

Toichi watched his wife and children make their way down the street, Nyoko pausing to exchange reassurances with a few neighbors that had been attracted by the unusual noise, until they rounded the corner. Only then did he turn, masking a grimace of pain as his leg twinged again, back to the annoyed homeowner.

He honestly should have known better than to tempt fate. His children, no matter what age, would always get into more trouble than they could handle, he feared. He'd just have to make sure he was always there to bail them out.

***

Shinichi was silent, except for his shuddering, hiccupping breaths, as he walked beside his mother. Even now, he barely took his eyes off Kaito's form, where his brother had buried his face in Nyoko's shoulder.

He didn't know how he'd known Kaito was in trouble; all he'd felt was the terrible sensation of being unable to breathe, and an all-consuming panic had washed over him. He'd barely been able to move, but he should have known it was silly to worry. Their father had been there, and he always made things better.

But…even though their father had saved Kaito, Kaito was still scared, still crying, and Shinichi didn't know what to do. Nothing like this had happened before, and Kaito crying was making him want to cry too. Their father had asked him to be strong, but it was so hard…

For just a moment, red-rimmed, indigo eyes caught his own, as Kaito briefly lifted his head to glance around for Shinichi. Seeing his brother near, he buried his face back in his mother's shoulder, but the motion had been enough to reassure Shinichi. While Kaito was too shaken to be there for him, Shinichi had to be there for Kaito, and their father would make sure they all were safe.

Nodding to himself, Shinichi wiped his eyes, scampering forward to march determinedly in front of his mother the rest of the way home. He missed her fond, sad smile, too busy making sure no gaping black pools suddenly sprung in front of their path.

The trio made it home with no further excitement, and Nyoko busied herself getting Kaito out of his sopping clothes, coaxing the silent boy into a set of pajamas. Shinichi hovered nearby, trying to help but generally getting in the way, until she also got him into his sleep wear.

Kaito still had tears streaming down his face, and Nyoko was just about despairing how to get him to stop, when Kaito reached out and pulled Shinichi to him. Shinichi was just as happy to be held as his brother was to hold him, so Nyoko let them be as she tucked them in to bed.

"M'srry."

Nyoko blinked at the slurred voice, before realizing that Kaito had spoken at last. Smoothing his hair down, she felt a pang in her heart at the miserable look on the boy's face.

"Oh Kaito, it was a mistake," she soothed. "We're not angry. We're glad you're okay, love."

"Will…will Dad get in trouble?" Kaito asked hoarsely, and Shinichi also turned worried eyes on their mother. It hadn't occurred to him that their father would get in trouble.

"I imagine Kaneko-san will be annoyed at the damage, and you're not to play near his house anymore," she added sternly, "But it's nothing that can't be fixed. Kaito, you were very lucky, you know that?"

"I didn't mean to!" he protested, sitting up in his distress. She laid a hand on his head, soothing him again. "I didn't, but I slipped, and I didn't know there was, was, things in the water," he finished softly, tightening his hold on Shinichi.

"We won't do it again, Mom. Promise!" Shinichi piped up, looking determined to shoulder some of the blame for his brother.

"I don't doubt that," Toichi said from the doorway, grinning tiredly at Shinichi's bright smile of welcome, and Kaito's guilty down-cast of eyes. "But what about next time you try a trick that goes wrong? It's no longer a show when people get hurt, my lads."

"I'm s-sorry," Kaito repeated, beginning to cry again at the gentle reprimand. "Sorry, sorry."

Toichi joined his wife on the edge of the bed, pausing to give her a grateful hug before turning back to his sons.

"I don't need you to be sorry Kaito," he said, and both boys looked up in surprise. "What I need is for you to learn your limits." He paused, noting with some amusement the defiant look that passed across their faces.

"Learn your limits," he repeated, "And then learn how to overcome them. A magician needs to know everything they can and can't do, or the magic goes away." The boys were listening enraptured now. "Think about it; if you had been prepared for the mishap, Kaito, what would you have done differently?"

Kaito's face scrunched in a frown of concentration, before he hesitantly answered, "I'd…have made sure even if I did slip, I was still tied somehow so I wouldn't have fallen in."

"A very good thought. But again, what if the rope had failed, or the wood had broken? You must think, think of every possibility, and be prepared for anything," Toichi said emphatically. Two sets of wide eyes nodded in confirmation at him, and he gave a slightly deprecating sigh. "But now, I think we've all had about as much excitement as we can stand. You two get some sleep, and we'll wake you later for dinner."

He leaned over to wrap the two in a hug, thankful again that today hadn't turned into a tragedy.

The two elder Kurobas left the room quietly, the boys already slipping into sleep as the stress caught up with their young bodies. Toichi wrapped Nyoko into a tight hug, pointedly ignoring her amused huff.

"I…have never been more scared," he admitted into her hair, and she ran comforting hands up his back.

"I find that very surprising, my darling Phantom," she murmured. He shook his head ruefully, pulling back.

"What, not even I am allowed to be frightened?" he joked softly, capturing her hand and lifting it to his lips. "But if not for you, I fear you would have had three crying boys to baby tonight."

She grinned, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips.

"I always know when you need me, didn't you know that?" she said against his mouth. He frowned at the reminder, and she pulled back to give him a questioning look.

"Shinichi…knew Kaito was in trouble," he said slowly, still trying to wrap his mind around the concept. "There was no way, but he did."

"That's because loving this family comes with a little magic of its own," Nyoko said, causing him to give her a skeptical look. She laughed at him. "Oh Toichi, how can you call yourself a magician if you can't let yourself believe?"

He tilted his head back as he breathed deeply, and when he released the breath, he was grinning as well.

"Ah, you're right, as always, my precious gem," he murmured, pulling his wife down the hall to get some rest of their own. She had probably noticed his slight limp, but he could happily deal with being doctored right now.

End Chapter

A/N: *coughs pitifully* Sick as I am, I was determined to finish this. Um….yeah. *coughs guiltily this time* Kaito's hiding spot is based off of my step-mom's family's old house in Japan (yes, truly). They kept fish in it, it was dark, the wooden grate was there, but no, I was never stupid enough to try this. Otherwise, I might have indeed have had ichthyophobia like Kaito, no?

A/N2: So, as Koorii has been tossing around, there are some lovely hidden extras floating around for the KaiShin fan. There is the Mirror Complex forum, here on ff(dot)net, as well as the C2. Come discuss the stories! Throw out some reqs! Gabble about our favorite DC duo!

And for those of you who have a livejournal, there are some extra treats there as well! There is our KaiShin community of Mirror Complex (my but aren't we original!) at http://community(dot)livejournal(dot)com/mirrorcomplex/, with some things you just won't find on ff(dot)net! Lemons, doujinshi, previews, and spoilers abound!

Finally, to those who like to stalk *coughs* I mean, enjoy learning more about the authors, you can of course come look at our individual livejournals as well. For most of us, they're just one more place to dump a whole lot of KaiShin stuff. :D