Moonlight Magician

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Pandora woke up.

It allowed its consciousness to float upwards, and conjured a body so it could yawn and stretch. It liked stretching.

Pandora looked down at its sleeping guardian, then down the hallway longingly.

Shinichi, it hissed. Shinichi. Wake up.

Shinichi stirred in her sleep.

Shinichi! Hey, Shinichi, I'm hungry.

Shinichi opened one eye and squinted at it. "No."

Yes.

"No. You don't get hungry", she mumbled, her eye sliding closed.

But you do. Humans need to eat, right?, Pandora said triumphantly.

"I'm not hungry yet."

Think of the eggs... bacon... waffles...

"We don't have any of that stuff!" Shinichi pulled the covers over her head. "Leave me alone. I'm tired and I have a stomach ache."

They might be hunger pangs.

"No."

The curtains swung open, allowing buttery yellow light to flood the room. Shinichi yanked the covers over her head. "I hate you."

Pandora snorted as it yanked the duvet to the floor. Oh, that's very nice- It froze, staring fixedly at Shinichi, then gave a high-pitched scream that sent Shinichi tumbling to the floor.

"Ow! Pandora-"

B-blood! Blood! Shinichi, you're bleeding!

"What on earth are you-" Shinichi frowned, feeling an odd dampness on her legs, and looked down. "Oh", she said in surprise. "So I am."

Pandora fainted.

===

"I can't believe you fainted!", Shinichi laughed ten minutes later. She was buttering a piece of toast.

How was I meant to know you were due on?

"It's written on the calendar."

But there was so much blood!

"My periods are always quite heavy. But I still can't believe you fainted!"

Shut up and eat that piece of toast!, Pandora snarled, crossing slightly transparent arms defensively. I'm hungry.

"You're not, you know", Shinichi said, beginning to eat. "You can't get hungry."

Oh, not this again!, Pandora groaned dramatically.

Shinichi paused in her chewing for a moment to give a small snort.

What?, said Pandora, looking at her curiously. Shinichi didn't often laugh, that morning being the exception.

"You fainted!", Shinichi squealed, flinging down the piece of toast to double up with laughter.

Pandora sighed. Shinichi obviously wasn't going to forget that in a hurry.

Kaito walked out of the school in subdued silence, ignoring the daggers Hakuba had been sending at him since the last heist.

"Kaito?", said Aoko, watching her childhood friend carefully. He had been quiet all day, and was starting to worry her.