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[There are loud crashing noises coming from one of the rooms, followed by the sound of shattering glass and a few more ominous thumps. It goes silent again for a few moments, before the door is flung open and someone flies out of the room, skidding across the wooden floors of the hallway and colliding painfully with the opposite wall.

It's another Kaito, though clearly not one of the more normal ones. He's dressed in a dull green jumpsuit indicative of prison garb, and a light-gray, metal collar with a bar-code adorning the front is looped around his neck. His appearance isn't helped by the dark red blood stains that spatter his clothing and smear across his cheek. Nor does is it helped by the light trail of blood that now streaks across the floor where he slid, and the droplets that now line the wall where he landed.

He's breathing heavily as he lifts a hand to wipe his mouth, and he freezes mid-motion. His gaze darts frantically around the hallway, and despite his seemingly serious injuries, he's on his feet within seconds, taking a defensive stance and glancing frantically at his surroundings]

The hell--

Comments

[know_no_evil]

Okay. Use the oxygen if you feel like you're going to pass out again. I'll be right back.

[And Conan hurriedly slips out the door, noting the room number before running for the dining room]

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[Kaito remains sprawled out on the bed, mask sill pressed firmly over his mouth with one hand while the other clutches tightly at his hair. He can feel the blood not only on his fingers, but clumping into his locks as well, and he closes his eyes in irritation at the sensation.

He's been hurt like this before, but he's well aware he had surpassed his limits far beyond his normal capacity. And all to save Aoko...

Aoko.

Dimensional nexus or not, it felt so... wrong to just leave Aoko in the hands of the director and his mad scientists. He doesn't want to think about what might have happened to him if he had continued fighting in his weakened condition, so he distracts himself by focusing on his next plan of action. Getting out of... wherever he is and back to Aoko is his first priority.

And like hell he's going to let an inter-dimensional nexus stop him.]

[believe_in_legend]

[Meanwhile, his blood is exactly what draws a new visitor -- there's a copious amount of it smeared on the wall and floor, after all, and Aoko's never been the kind of person capable of ignoring such a thing. She's also not as incautious as some of her counterparts, for that matter, and she makes sure her gun is loose in its holster with her finger on the safety as she first carefully checks the empty infirmary, and then the bedroom across the hall from it, slowly pushing the door open just enough to see inside.

She certainly isn't expecting the sight that meets her eyes. She's seen Kaito injured before, but never... never like this. Never missing as much blood as she's seen in the hallway. It makes her skin pale and her stomach clench, and she steps in the room without even thinking about what she's doing, her voice high and uncharacteristically scared]

K-Kaito?!

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[He doesn't hear her enter, far too focused on dispelling the dizziness that clouds his mind, so her high-pitched voice make him literally jump form the bed, scrambling into a sitting position as the oxygen mask drops from his face.

He blinks at the woman in front of him, eyes wide as he takes her in. Familiar... yet not. Older, dressed differently, and is that a weapon at her waist...? The kid had explained thoroughly how this mansion worked, so chances were... she wasn't his Aoko. Not the one he was trying to rescue, anyway.

Even so, the familiarity of her face is enough to send a wave of relief coursing through him.]

A-aoko--

[He can only stammer her name before another wave of dizziness overtakes him, and he grabs his head with a groan and doubles over into his lap. He will have to make sure he never uses up this much blood ever again]

[believe_in_legend]

[She's at his side in an instant, helping him lie down again and fumbling for the mask to put it back in place. An oxygen mask, and water, and he's dressed in hardly anything but bandages -- someone's been taking care of him, then, someone who knows what they're doing. It takes the edge off her fear, but isn't nearly enough to dispel it entirely]

You idiot, just what did you think you were doing?!

[Not that she really expects a response, and her worried eyes are fixed on his face and the ill expression there. Water on the table... fluids are good for blood loss, but it's easy to throw up if you've lost too much; she remembers that much from her first-aid lessons with Chikage-san. So her fingers find his jaw, gently turning his head to one side so that he won't choke if what he drank comes up again. She feels sick herself, and those selfsame fingers are shaking slightly against his skin]

How long have you been like this? Do you feel sick? Cold?

[she pauses between questions to give him a chance to answer with gestures or nods]

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[Her fingers on his cheek take him by surprise, but he willingly moves his head in the direction she indicates as the wave of nausea passes without incident. He's grateful that she replaced his oxygen mask too, though he lifts a hand to press it more firmly against his mouth once she does so. His eyes slip shut, and he evens his breathing]

... 'm fine. [he pauses to take a deep breath] I've been worse. Jus' anemic, that's all...

[believe_in_legend]

[She places her own hand on the mask so that he doesn't have to hold it, pulling the straps into place]

You aren't fine, baka. This isn't anemia, it's shock.

[Her voice keeps trying to shake, but she makes an effort to control it, her hands slipping down to take his once the mask is secure. His skin is cool to the touch, and her next order of business is attempting to get the blankets out from under him and put them over him instead. And it would help to elevate his feet too, wouldn't it? To make the blood stay closer to his heart. She grabs the spare pillow to help with that]

Is anything broken?

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'S not shock. [his words are muffled by the mask, a sharp irritated edge that is usually only reserved for arguments with Aoko lacing them as he speaks, and dimly he recognizes that... it very well could be shock. He's dizzy and lightheaded and though he hasn't passed out yet, he feels like he could any second now. He's not cold, but he is nauseous and he recognizes that he needs to rest]

Some kid... went to go get food. [and orange juice. something with vitamin C in it to replenish his blood supply. If he could lay back and rest, then surely his body would be able to produce plenty of blood for him to recover... he hoped.

He moves when Aoko prompts him too, allowing her to do whatever she feels is necessary to help him]

[believe_in_legend]

[Her only response to that tone is an irritated huff, and she quickly props his feet up and gets the blankets tucked around him, careful of his injuries the whole time. Once that's finished, she sits down on the bed next to him. Her face is drawn and anxious, but there's a determination in the set of her spine that implies that she's willing to sit here until he fully recovers, no matter how many days that might take]

What kid? Edogawa-kun?

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[he leans back, tugging onto the blankets tightly and wrapping them around him as his eyes slip shut yet again. He's aware of her taking a seat next to him, and he opens one eye to watch her as he takes a few breaths and prepares himself to answer her question]

Y-yeah. [a pause] ... met him?

[believe_in_legend]

Only here.

[folds her hands tightly in her lap, unable to think of anything else to do with them]

We don't know him back home.

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[He paused again. Inhale... exhale... slowly, no deep breaths. He needed to keep his breathing even, normal...]

Don't know him back home either. Who's he?

Okay and now I'm going for real.

[believe_in_legend]

Everyone I've asked said he's staying with Ran-chan and her dad. He's a distant relative of Kudo-san's family. [pauses] I guess that's why he's so smart for a seven year old...

YOU'RE GOING TO MISS EVERYTHING GO GO GO ;A;

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[Kaito's brows furrow at that information. A kid, staying with Ran...? But if that were true, wouldn't she have mentioned it, prison or not?

He groans a bit, and lifts a hand to rub his forehead. He's too out of it to really focus on anything at the moment, and the prospect of sleep is suddenly very, very tempting]

I ONLY MISSED SOME OF IT. And your stuff is on the way now.

[believe_in_legend]

Don't worry about it. [her voice is soft but firm] You should rest, idiot. We can talk about it later.

[she can watch him, make sure that he doesn't go into deeper shock or start throwing up. Wake him up again when Edogawa-kun comes back with the food (and she hopes the child knows enough to get juice, but if he's the one who'd already done all this for Kaito, then surely he will).

The paleness of his skin and the tight look of pain on his face yank at her heart, and for the first time she finds herself desperately wishing that Chikage had thought to teach her how to do a blood transfusion. She's O, and Kaito (her Kaito, anyway; surely this one isn't much different?) is B, so they're compatible, but she doesn't have the skill or the knowledge, and hasn't seen a single doctor since she came to the Mansion. It seems they're on their own, medicine-wise.

Her helplessness over the situation makes her feel wretched. Wasn't that why she'd become a tomb raider? So that she wouldn't be helpless, and would be able to help and protect those around her instead of having to be helped and protected? This is anything but!

Her heart twists again at the thought, and before she realizes it Aoko has reached for his hand, holding it tightly in hers as if physically trying to keep him with her.

Rest, Bakaito. You'd better not die on me.]

8||| and fffffffft ty <3

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[By the time she reaches out for him, her warm hands brushing against his, he's succumbed to both the dizziness and the increasing feeling of fatigue. His breathing is even thankfully, and Conan's patch-up work is keeping him from bleeding all over the place.

So for now... he'll sleep and take a few hours to recover. She's right, they can talk much, much later]

~<3

[believe_in_legend]

[her hand remains curled around his, and is still there when he's finally woken up several hours later by a very careful shake and his name quietly being called in his ear. When Kaito finally opens his eyes, it's to a platter of food stored out-of-the-way on the room's dresser, and a solemn and silent Conan sitting on a chair next to it, book neatly marked and closed in his lap as he watches the older boy.

Aoko's still sitting on the bed next to him, close enough to be sharing body heat through the blankets; it doesn't seem like she's moved at all. She smiles, wanly, when she sees that Kaito's awake, and withdraws her hand from his, trying to pretend that she isn't blushing the slightest bit]

Hey. Think you can eat something?

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[He stirs and wakes up to the sound of his name, eyes opening and gaze flickering across Aoko's face briefly, then the rest of the room. Where was he...? How did he...?

Oh, that's right. He had passed out after trying to save Aoko, and was brought to some weird dimensional nexus--

Aoko.

His gaze flickered back to the woman in question immediately, and he bolted upright, though not without some pain. A wince, and his hand shot to his side, fingers brushing against the bandages. Right... they had helped him...]

... you're not-- [another wince] -- the Aoko I know, are you?

[believe_in_legend]

[She and Conan start forward with matching protests on their lips when he bolts upright, and Aoko quickly makes him lie back down]

Idiot, you need to stay still! You're really hurt! [takes in a deep breath and lets it out, before apologetically adding] No, I'm not the Aoko you know. I talked to Edogawa-kun, and we don't think she's here.

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[He allows himself to be pushed backwards, but not without some protest. His heart sinks a bit at the knowledge that the Aoko he was trying to rescue wasn't here... but he knows he'll just have to work that much harder to both get home and rescue her himself]

... you look older. [and she does. much older than the one he knows]

[believe_in_legend]

[...she's getting kind of tired of hearing that statement. B|] I'm 24.

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[well she's older than his Aoko 8|]

You are older. [he lifts a hand to his head and sighs. This place is going to take some getting used to]

... thanks, by the way. [and it's directed at both of them]

[know_no_evil]

[Aoko smiles, but before she can protest that he doesn't need to thank her, Conan speaks up]

Kaito-niisan, does the Aoko-neesan you know have a collar like yours?

[Aoko blinks and looks at Kaito again as if seeing the collar for the first time. She'd noticed it before, but hadn't really registered it, worried as she was for Kaito's health. Now, she reaches out to gently touch the cool metal]

What is that...?

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[His eyes are torn away from Aoko as Conan speaks, and they settle on the small boy with a peculiar expression]

... yeah. She does. Why?

[At Aoko's question, he glances back at her and frowns] 'S just something stupid from home.

[know_no_evil]

It'll make it easier to identify her if she shows up here.

[or so he says, but Conan's expression is perceptively thoughtful. Aoko's is just suspicious]

'Something stupid'?