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Shinichi was a fool.
In fairness, he’d just been eager. Eager to get all of the organization in jail. Eager to get back to his life. Eager to just have all this over and behind him. So tired of it all and just wanted to be normal.
When he saw Gin escaping, all that crumbled around his ears. No way he was going to let that silver haired bastard, the one who started this all for Shinichi, get away scott free. However, it was a deviation from the plan. Going after Gin, with no backup, no help, telling no one where he chased him to.
A cornered criminal is the most dangerous. Shinichi managed to knock Gin out, but at the cost of his own body. Blood flowed from the gunshot wounds on his side and shoulder. He had to call the police. He had to get help before Gin woke up.
Greyness creeped in on the edges of his vision, branches of darkness folding in. One foot in front of the other. He has to keep going, he has to… get Gin….arrested. Suddenly, he was on the cool floor, staring into a marble tile. How’d he get down here? Shinichi had no idea, but it felt good, and he was so tired. So very tired and his eyes were so heavy.
====
Warmth. That was the first thing Shinichi felt upon awakening.
Something was laying on top of him. Fabric… was it a blanket? Shifting, he took stock of his body. His wounds were wrapped tightly. Did he get to a hospital? No, his shirt and jacket were still on. Unbuttoned, leaving his bare chest open to the air, but still on nevertheless.
Opening his eyes, he could see he was still in the abandoned building he chased Gin into. There were still shadows on the walls, with strips of soft city lights creeping in. Still night, so the detective couldn’t have been out more than a few hours. If Gin had woken up before him, surely he’d be well on his way to the afterlife, right?
Gin! Shinichi tried to jerk his way to a sitting position, but the gunshot wound in his side screamed at him. Groaning, he gave up, clutching his arms around his stomach. Panic started to settle in. He had to call the police to pick up Gin. He can’t escape! His breath started to pick up, heart beating rapidly as he imagined all sorts of scenarios of Gin getting away and hunting him down later.
“Hey, listen to me. You’re safe. They can’t hurt you anymore.” A very smooth and familiar voice came from above him, a white glove touching his cheek. Oh no, Shinichi knew who that belonged to.
“KID.” It came out a little more venomous than he intended. Now that he was more awake, he could tell his head was laying in KID’s lap. Looking up, Shinichi saw his face was in shadow, like usual, only the gleam of that monocle standing out. At his snark though, bright white teeth could be seen as the face split into that infamous cheshire grin. “Why are you here?”
“Is that any way to talk to someone who saved your life?”
“This had absolutely nothing to do with you. Butting your nose in where you don’t belong?” How did KID even know this was going down. “And Gin-”
KID tilted his head slightly. “In police custody. They’re downstairs right now, cuffing him up. Personally, I hope they put a muzzle on him.”
Shinichi relaxed slightly. Gin was being taken care of. “Answer my question. You would have only known this was going down if you were stalking me.”
The thief let out a small huff, like Shinichi was asking silly questions. “My dear detective. You are a trouble magnet.” He felt his hand lifted, and a pair of soft lips touched the back of his hand. Soft… warm.. He could feel KID’s breath lightly on his skin. “If I don’t keep track of you, you tend to run yourself into trouble you can’t handle. I’d like to keep you alive. I would miss our competition during my heists.”
The detective felt his cheeks warm a bit. No, stay angry! This was stalking! “Keep track of me?! How many bugs do you have in my house?” The secretive smirk told him everything he needed to know. He would have to strip the Kudo mansion down book by book. Probably one tucked in a Lupin book. KID liked being ironic. Asshole. “Anyways, I had everything under control.”
“Oh! ‘Under control’, you say?” The white gloved hand that had been resting on Shinichi’s cheek started to move, slowly. Tracing down his neck, over the bump that was his collar bone. He felt his skin shiver under the drag of the silken fabric. It moved over his chest, before finally resting on the bandage across his stomach. “This right here says ‘not under control’ and ‘I would have bled out’.”
Shinichi’s cheeks were red now, a pit of warmth pooling in his stomach from where that hand lay. Oi oi, what’s with the lingering touches? “I’ve gotten through tougher things before.”
The phantom made a noise in the back of his throat, something that sounded like amusement. “Yes, I suppose you have. But detective, I’d have thought you learned through teaming up with your FBI friends that you don’t have to do such things alone.”
“I wasn’t alone.”
KID merely sighed, but that smile never left his face. “Keep telling yourself that, great detective. But I suppose you wouldn’t be who you are if you admitted defeat at any point.”
A noise from down the hall caught Shinichi’s attention. Were the police still looking for him? It caught KID’s attention as well, looking beyond the door.
“Ah, finally. I get they were more interested in getting all those bad guys under wraps, but you’d have thought they’d spare a couple of minutes to come get the savior of the police force.” He gave a small shoulder shrug. “More so that officer-san with the blonde hair and dark skin. He seemed rather protective of you. Guess you can wiggle out from under the nose of the best even Japan has to offer.” KID sounded a bit bitter. Of course, Bourbon and KID haven’t had the best interactions.
The thief leaned down, planting a soft kiss onto Shinichi’s forehead. His lips were warm, soft, yet slightly chapped, probably from his flying activities. Shinichi’s face redness increased. He probably looked like a tomato at his point.
“Here is where I leave you, then. Take care of yourself, great detective.”
Suddenly, with a flip of white fabric, he was gone, just as Inspector Meguire slammed open the door.
===
“Revenge.”
Haibara Ai looked up from putting some flowers in a vase. She’d come into the bland, white, hospital room Shinichi was put in and declared it needed some cheering up. “What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Ai leveled a look at Shinichi, the kind that she gave that would sear into his soul if he wasn’t careful enough. Damn, how did she level such scorn in just a glance? His mom could do that too, and Ran’s mom. Must be a skill women learn early.
“You absolute moron.” Uh oh. “The complete and utter carelessness of going after Gin. He shot you! You could have DIED, Kudo!!”
The young man winced, itching a bit at the IV in his arm. “I knocked him out. It worked out in the end, right?”
The level of anger in the little girl’s eyes only increased. “You’re lucky you didn’t bleed to death.”
“Yeah, lucky that cop found me an applied aid.”
“That’s not what Inspector Meguire said.” Came the dry response. “Nor the police report. What really happened?”
Shinichi carefully weighed his options on how much he wanted to be screamed at. “I’ll tell you if you promise me to bring my laptop.”
====
Time to do what a detective does best.
Armed with his laptop and plenty of time, it was time to see if Shinichi could crack the mystery that is KID’s identity. He just needed a starting point. Well, time to list everything he knew.
Shinichi started by listing the date and location of every KID heist. KID started 20 years ago in Paris. That would put KID’s age at his father’s age. He winced a bit. KID better not be his father’s age, flirting with him. Gross. Though, he was pretty sure this KID was much younger. That years-long gap in activity made him think there were two thieves. This one was either a copycat, an apprentice, maybe a family member.
Another thing to note, the older KID did heists everywhere, not just Japan. The more recent thief seemed to stick mostly to Japan. With some Sunflower and Singapore related exceptions, however, those planes on both trips were owned by Suzuki. It was probably simple to either sneak onto a private jet, or go as Kudo Shinichi himself. This gave more theory to KID being younger. Who can afford to fly overseas these days?
There is also the possibility that the thief is a cover for Lupin in Japan. After all, he did catch Lupin dressed up as KID once. Though, Lupin broke character and whipped out his gun at police during that. Not to mention, the chaotic way he escaped wasn’t really KID’s style. Also, if that really was Lupin touching him in that manner, Shinichi would hunt him down and absolutely murder the old bastard.
Shinichi was still pondering things when his parents came into the room.
“Nooo! My poor Shin-chan!” Yukiko immediately latched onto Shinichi, burying his face into her bosom in a tight hug.
His father, Yuusaku, just chuckled. “Let the boy have some breathing room, dear. Take care not to injure him further.”
His mother pouted, but quickly relented, letting Shinichi free from his fleshy prison. “I brought you some things to eat while you’re here.” She held up a basket of fruit. “Would you like some now?”
Shinichi nodded, and Yukiko sat, getting to work on peeling a few fruits for him to indulge him. That’s when a lightbulb suddenly went off.
“Hey, mom. Your disguise and makeup skills are pretty high. Both you and Ver-..Sharon Vineyard. Where did you learn it?”
Yukiko smiled as she worked on making an apple slice look like a little rabbit with practiced ease. “Oh, that? We both had to learn it for a production we worked on together. We apprenticed under a magician for a while that your father recommended.”
The young man raised an eyebrow. “A magician? Not a makeup artist? Special effects artist? Who were they?”
She let out a dreamy sigh, holding her hands to her cheeks. “Kuroba Toichi. He was so suave and handsome, I made him one of my knights-”
Shinichi quickly tuned his mother out, googling the name. Bingo, Kuroba Toichi, a famous Japanese magician, noted mostly for being the youngest winner of the FISM, a competition for magicians.
Where had he heard that name before? Wait, when he was still Conan and Sonoko dragged Ran to that Magic Lovers club. KID had been there, disguised as a medical student named Doitou Katsuki. When it was going around asking people who their favorite magicians were, Doitu clearly responded with ‘Kuroba Toichi’.
Doing some cross reference of dates, things quickly lined up. A show in Paris, the same week KID first showed up. A show in Germany, when KID stole a jewel there. Kuroba-san’s death… the same year when KID took his seven year break.
Here it was, plain as day, the first KID. He looked up at his father, who had moved over curiously to see what he was doing. Yuusaku was now leaning back, arms crossed. “You knew.”
“Knew what?”
Leave it to his old man to play innocent. “You worked with the police on KID cases. You even named him ‘KID’, claiming you misread ‘1412’. You’re fluent in English. You wouldn’t have made a simple mistake like that. You sent mom to learn how to disguise from him. Kuroba Toichi. He was Phantom Thief 1412.”
Yuusaku looked like he still wanted to deny it, so Shinichi continued. “That was Kuroba-san. That day in the library when Ran and I were little. He sent us on a wild goose chase with clues. But it wasn’t a challenge for kids. I was supposed to go to you when I couldn’t figure it out. It was a challenge for you.”
Yuusaku couldn’t help but break into a small grin. “He made it hard on purpose. Though it seems he underestimated my son’s stubbornness.”
Figures. “You knew who he was but never turned him in?”
“And ruin the fun I was having?” Yuusaku laughed. “Besides, I had no physical evidence. Now, if I’d been able to catch him, that’s a different story.”
Fair enough. “So, if Kuroba-san is dead, who’s the new KID?”
The older man gave a shrug. Shinichi leveled a miffed look at him. “Don’t look at me like that, I honestly don’t know. When this new one came around, I was too busy writing and getting chased by my editors. No time for thieves.”
Shinichi leaned back against his pillow, but still continued to click through photos of Kuroba-san. Until, one caught his notice. There, at a performance 10 years ago. A photo of Toichi with his wife, Chikage, and in his arms…. His son, Kuroba Kaito.
A son that would be his same age by now. Googling Kuroba Kaito came up with a young magician working nearby with the Hopper Magic Troupe. The detective nearby smacked his forehead. A son magician, following in his father’s footsteps. Probably in more ways than one. Of course. What really sunk it in were the eyes of Kaito in the photo. Shinichi was one of the few people who’d gotten close enough to KID to peek at those amazingly sharp blue eyes. He always thought it was a set of contacts, but with Kaito staring up at him with the same blue eyes…
Excellent. All he had to do was heal, then he could get revenge.
====
Two weeks later found Shinichi staring up at the sign to the Minato Hotel, where the Hopper Magician Troupe performed. It was a lovely old fashioned hotel, more in a western style. It’s no wonder the British-lead troupe chose this location. It was also the location of a KID heist some time ago, before he had become Conan. The troupe leader wore some sort of large gem on her lapel. It’s no wonder KID went after it.
The hotel was open for guests of course, but the area where the troupe performed was currently off limits. The performances didn’t start until 7pm, so most likely the magicians spent the early afternoon setting up, practicing their routines.
Shinichi didn’t have the luxury of sneaking into a place as Conan anymore. If he was caught before, well, oops! Cute child antics! Everyone loves a cute kid. Adult Shinichi? Not so much. However, he figured out a new skill to put into his bag of detective tricks. Just walk in like you belong there. One would be surprised how uninclined people are to stop you if they think you know what you’re doing.
He was familiar with this hotel and its staff so he chose his outfit to mimic them; a crisp white dress shirt with a black tie, black slacks, and formal shoes. All he was missing was the name tag, but he was sure no one would notice.
The detective walked through the doors, nodding at the staff who were cleaning tables and chairs, setting up the stage. They nodded back to him, then went about their work. Shinichi smiled to himself. This was working like a charm.
The performers should be in the back. He made his way through the back stage, dodging more workers and performers getting ready for the night. Looking around, he finally spotted his target alone in the back, working with a few doves. Perfect, with no one around, he can say exactly what he wants.
“Kuroba Kaito.”
The young magician looked up at Shinichi, curiosity written across his features. “Yes, can I help you?”
Shinichi smirked at him. “What, no “great detective” anymore?” It was his first good look at the thief. Oddly enough, he looked nothing like KID at the present moment. KID had darker hair, while Kaito’s was a lighter brown. Mixed race, perhaps? The voice certainly didn’t match at all, but considering how the phantom could change his voice at will without the aid of electronics, no surprise there. What really stood out was how similar they looked. Kaito’s natural face mimicked Shinichi’s in a lot of ways. Same shape, cheekbones, nose, mouth. No wonder he was able to sneak past cops using his own face. No mask needed here, just hairspray. If he wasn’t so certain, he would peg him as a cousin or something. However, the world is small. Some people just have similar features.
Kaito tilted his head slightly, a look of confusion spreading over his features. “Excuse me? Do I know you?”
“Yes, you do.” The detective creeped closer, closing in on his prey. “Kudo Shinichi.”
“Kudo Shinichi…?” A frown passed over Kaito’s features. The oddness of it struck him. All the times he’s seen KID, a smile of varying degrees always graced his features, along with that air of arrogance, cockiness, grace. An untouchable phantom that evaded police and disappeared through walls. Seeing KID as a normal person was surreal. “Oh, you know, I think I saw you in the paper. You busted that big criminal ring recently, right? Detective of the East.”
“That’s right.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Kudo-san.” The magician gave a small bow. Now the interaction was unbearable. What’s with that formal, stiff tone? “What can I help you with?”
“You don’t know?” Look at him, playing coy. “I’m here for you.” He planted a hand onto the wall next to Kaito’s head, leaning in a bit.
A blush started to creep into Kaito’s cheeks. “Oh, you're here for a show? A fan of mine? Hopper-san didn’t let us know a VIP was coming.”
“I’m a huge fan of your work.” Shinichi was getting close enough to invade personal space boundaries now. “Yours and your father’s.”
“ I-I see.” Kaito’s voice cracked, the redness in his face becoming more intense. “You saw one of my father’s shows when you were a kid? He was amazing, ne?” Doubt started to creep into the detective’s line of thought. Could his deduction be off? This person didn’t have an ounce of KID’s charm- No! KID was an impeccable actor! This was just a trick, to throw him off balance.
“I never saw your dad in person. I’m talking about the legacy he left you. The one where you wear white.”
“White..?”
“White, with a flowing cape. One where you fly through the air, steal jewels.”
Kaito, who was now pressed tightly against the wall in a vain effort to put some space in between their faces, gave a small nervous laugh. “Are you comparing me to Kaitou KID? I’m flattered, Kudo-san. KID a master magician. My skill level is nowhere near comparison. I’m just starting my career here and have a lot to learn before I’m like that.”
This was getting him nowhere. Time for more aggressive tactics.
Shinichi leaned close, close enough to feel the warmth coming from Kaito’s face, bright blue eyes locking together. “What if I told you I had proof?”
The magician swallowed hard, hard enough he could see his adam's apple bob. The blush had found its way over his ears. Oddly enough, it struck Shinichi as …cute. He’d never thought of KID being cute, but watching his reactions were pretty fun.
“Then you’re wrong… I… I’m not KID.” He seemed to gather up some confidence, looking up a bit defiantly. “You can’t just accuse every magician of being KID. Besides, I’m not old enough to be KID.”
“Your father was the original KID, obviously. Then KID disappeared when he passed on. Then when you were old enough, you took it over. That’s just a bite of all the evidence I’ve collected.” The Reiwa Homes smirked in triumph. He had him now.
Kaito gaped at him, mouth open like a fish.
“Nothing to say, Mr. Magician in the Moonlight?”
Said moonlight magician gathered his jaw off the floor. “SECURITY!”
====
Thankfully, Shinichi reeled back when his target yelled in his face. He also went peacefully when the hotel security team came in and escorted him out. Not before looking over at his shoulder at Kaito, his eyes sharply focused on him, blue eyes loaded with an unsaid promise.
Kaito went into the back changing room quietly. He looked at himself in the mirror, before leaning against the wall, sliding down to sit on the ground, covering his face in his hands and letting out a muffled scream.
What was that? What was that!? WHAT WAS THAT!?
The great detective knows! He KNOWS. Why didn’t he bring the police? Whip out the handcuffs?
At some point, his master and the owner of the troupe, Jody Hopper came in. She’d come in to check on him, since she heard about the screaming for security, but obviously didn’t quite expect to wander in to see her prized protege on the floor.
“Kaito!” He jumped a bit. Jody-san’s family originally came from England, so she tended to follow more English mannerisms at times, including using someone’s first name. He was slowly getting used to it. “Are you alright? I was told something about a stalker?”
Kaito looked up at her, mustering up the saddest of puppy eyes. “Yes ma’am. He cornered me and wasn’t taking no for an answer.”
She reached down and seized him by the arm, pulling him up to standing. “I find it hard to believe the man who pranked about half the troupe on his first day here would have an issue with telling some sod off.”
The woman had a point. What could he say to get out of this? Kaito couldn’t very well say, oh by the way I’m KID and he’s found me out. “He wasn’t just any sod, ma’am. His name is Kudo Shinichi. He’s a famous detective.”
Jody tilted her head slightly in thought, then winced. “Oh, him. I saw him in the paper the other day. ‘Savior of the Japanese police force’ was it?”
“That’s the one.” Came the dry response.
“What business did he have with you?”
Here it goes. Tell the truth…? Well, denial worked on Hakuba after all. “He… he thinks I’m Kaitou KID. But I swear I’m n-”
Jody burst out laughing. “YOU!?” She continued to laugh, and it took her a few breaths and giggles before she calmed down. “No offense, Kaito. You’re too much of a goof to act like he does. Your magic skills are excellent as well, but unrefined. You’re nowhere near his level yet.”
Kaito gave a soft sigh. Of course, his skills weren’t as good as KID’s. He had to carefully maintain that fact so as no one wouldn’t be suspicious of him. Though, some days it got really tiring to pretend he wasn’t as good as magic as he was.
“Did I ever tell you I met him once?”
“Really, Hopper-sensei?” Of course he knew; he’d been there. That fancy ruby she always wears on her chest was a Pandora candidate once.
The troupe leader smiled at him, smacking him playfully on the shoulder. “Come on. I’ll tell you about it while we train. You want to beat your father’s record of being the youngest to ever win the FISM don’t you?”
Kaito gave a wide grin. “Sure.” No. It was a record he never wanted to break. He wanted Kuroba Toichi’s name to be etched into FISM history forever. He’d flub it if he had to.
The irony. The Hopper family raised his father lovingly in their troupe. His father in turn helped raise Jody when she was little and followed along at James Hopper, her grandfather’s heels.. Now, the circle closes as Jody brings him up into the spotlight. It felt warm. Wonderful. Like something in the universe was happy that the cycle was coming back to him.
“Lead the way, Hopper-san.”
====
A few hours later found the young detective sitting on a chair, in the wide and vast Kudo Manor library. He frowned to himself, leaning over his father’s desk in thought.
Shinichi opened his laptop and flipped through all the notes, photos, documents he created. He reviewed them over and over, looking for anything he may have missed, something that would mislead. No, no, it was perfectly clear. All roads. All the clues lead to Kuroba Kaito. When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
So, that leads back to the next question. What now? What next
He could follow Kaito around, but if he was caught, he could be arrested for stalking. Most likely he was banned from Minato Hotel for a while after that little stunt. A shame, he would have loved to have seen the show and compare Kaito’s magician persona to the gentleman thief.
A quick internet search looking for a home address proved just as fruitless. His father had been a celebrity after all. It makes sense the Kurobas would want their privacy and not have stalkers of their own. Makes Shinichi’s job that much harder unfortunately.
The detective mulled for a long while, until his eyes fell onto a photo in a frame on the desk. Pictures of him as a child, a photo of his parents’ 10th anniversary. His mother had gotten a large diamond necklace as a gift.
Diamond… a jewel.
An idea sprang to mind.
====
Darkness permeated through the halls of the Tokyo National Museum. The Suzuki wing housed the collection of artifacts that the Suzuki so generously donated, either personally, or paid for the museum to purchase the items.
A soft click resounded through the dim halls, breaking the stillness and silence, breathing life into the museum. A white figure slunk into the room, its bright form chasing the night back like a jilted lover.
Footsteps padded quietly across the wood flood. KID’s head turned from side to side, taking in the atmosphere. There was no one here. No cops, no fans, guards, or old man Suzuki gloating and cackling. That idiot old man would never hold a KID trap and not be around to gloat about it. Or not have a bloody media circus.
Between this and the fact Suzuki senior announced this challenge at the last second giving him absolutely zero time to plan and scout the place, Lady Luck was waving all sorts of red flags in his face.
KID approached the pedestal that housed a rather impressive diamond necklace. He hadn’t been able to research the jewel this time either. Looked like a typical necklace some rich guy would get his wife though. The stand contained no locks, no traps. Another red flag.
He slid his gloved hand under the lip of the glass, opened up the case, and seized his prize. He stilled, waiting for the trap to drop. Still nothing.
The magician was super creeped out now. Maybe the gem had a tracker? Wouldn’t be the first time police tried that. If they were trying again, more reason to just look and leave the bloody thing behind.
With a flip of his cape, KID walked confidently over to the window and slipped out onto the main lawn of the museum. Whatever trap this was, he was over it. The moon was nice and bright tonight, thankfully. He held up the necklace, gazing at the beautiful rainbow patterns flickering across the face of the diamond.
This time, the sting of disappointment was very small. He hadn’t really expected some no-name diamond necklace to be Pandora. Would have been nice, but no. That suited him just fine, really. Some days, after a heist, he went back to his empty house, and it was all just too much. The endless search for something not real, the lack of family in his life, lying to his friends-
KID shook his head. No, not tonight. He was going to have a nice night if it killed him.
A hand latched onto his wrist and it took the moonlight magician every ounce of willpower not to scream in surprise.
====
Shinichi had no doubt KID would show up.
It took a massive amount of string pulling to set up a fake KID heist, then convince the police it was a fake note. It had been pretty simple to set up a small pedestal and put his mother’s necklace onto it before the museum closed. Once again, a use of the “act like it’s always been there/you belong to the setting, no one will notice” trick. Who says you can’t learn a thing to two from a thief?
…Though he better not make a habit of it, or his professional detective career will be over before he knew it.
The Reiwa Homes put on a black outfit so that his form was well blended into the shadows; hat, turtleneck, pants, gloves. He found a spot hiding in the bushes near the large window of the museum closest to where the diamond was stationed. Then, he waited.
His guess was right on the money. KID came creeping cautiously to the window. It didn’t take the thief but a few seconds to pick the lock and slip in.
Shinichi smiled to himself. Just like he predicted.
Moments passed, little puffs of cloud huffed from his nose, waiting in the cold for the thief to reappear.
KID slipped his way back out the window and stood straight on the ground, one hand tucked away in a pants pocket, the other lifting the gem to the moonlight. Shinichi had yet to figure out why he did this. He was clearly looking for something, as the phrase ‘not the gem I’m looking for’ spilled from KID’s mouth several times.
Time to act.
The young detective slipped silently from his hiding spot and approached the phantom from behind. It surprised him a little. Usually it felt like KID had eyes in the back of his head, or could sense his very presence. The other man’s mind might have been very distracted. Guess the lack of a trap really put him off.
Shinichi got right up behind him, the billowing white of KID’s cape lapping gently at him, before he quickly stood and grabbed KID by the wrist.
KID didn’t make any noise or move an inch, but he could feel the sudden tense of muscles under his grip. Damn, he would have liked to have seen him jump at least a little.
“Great detective.” The familiar cheshire grinning face turned in his direction. “Fancy seeing you here. Did you set this all up for me?”
“I did.”
The thief’s head looked side to side. “So, where is Inspector Nakamori going to pop out from? Old man Suzuki?”
Shinichi shook his head. “No one is here but us, I promise. No police, no cameras, nothing.” He took a deep breath. “I just… I wanted to talk to you, but I had no idea how to get in contact with you.”
KID’s smile never changed. This guy really was great at schooling every muscle in his body. Not even a twitch of that arrogant look.
“I’m not at the beck and call of every detective I meet, you know. That’s the purpose of a phantom thief, to disappear into the mists once the heist is over.”
Shinichi dropped his eyes coyly. His mother had been a great actress and tried to impress that profession onto her only son. He’d had no love for it, but definitely picked up a few tricks here or there from her. Learn from being Conan. Play a different part. “I thought after the last time, with you saving my life… I meant something to you. I looked all over for you.”
“Of course you mean something to me.” A glove reached over, fingers trailing along his jaw. The warm touch sent shivers down Shinichi’s spine. “I bet you harassed every magician in town, accusing them of being me, didn’t you?”
Now KID was just mocking him. He wanted him to break character, accuse him. Shinichi wasn’t playing that game. He just looked away, shivering slightly from the cold air of the winter chill.
The thief moved closer, hands sliding over his shoulders in an effort to give the other man some warmth. He didn’t have to fake the blush coming over his cheeks. “I’ve given up on arresting you. I still want to catch you, but I would let you go after. I wouldn’t give you up to the police.”
KID seemed a little taken aback by the statement, but recovered quickly. “That’s good. I love our game of cat and mouse. I want to keep doing it as long as we’re able, really.” Silk covered fingers traced up his neck, tracing along his ear.
Shinichi closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. It did feel really nice. “KID…”
A soft chuckle came from the magician. “You make me want to steal you away, detective. Would you like that? I can whisk you away, and put you into my jewelry box. I’ll shine and take care of you every day.” KID’s other hand was creeping around his lower back now, intent on pulling him closer.
“Please…” Shinichi leaned in close, eyes still shut. He was acting, right? This was acting. Yet, when the warm, soft feeling of KID leaning in, lips pressing against his own, he didn’t want to pull away. It sent thrills through his chest, his heart hammering away. Was he attracted to KID and he never realized it? Of course he was. It may have been about arresting a criminal when this dance together first started, but as they continued to clash, Shinichi realized he saw an intelligent mind behind the mask. Someone who was his equal.
Yet, once this kiss was over, the phantom would disappear again, leaving the detective in the cold, pinning. That wasn’t going to happen.
Shinichi moaned lightly into the kiss, hands sliding up KID’s chest. In one swift motion, he jerked them up, one fist closing around the cord of the monocle and giving it a yank, the other flinging itself to knock the hat from where it was seated on its owner’s head.
KID, no Kaito, took a few seconds to process what just happened. Without the monocle and hat, Shinichi could see Kaito’s wide blue eyes, messy brown hair. He’d applied makeup to change some of the contours of his face, but with the full light of the moon hitting his face, the detective could see past the makeup quite easily.
It was like a switch flipped. Kaito yelped, untangling himself as quickly as he could from Shinichi in a rather undignified manner. He made a desperate lunge for his accessories, but Shinichi quickly hid them both behind his back.
Blue eyes glared up at him. “Give those back.” It definitely was Kaito, but he was still maintaining his “KID” voice, which was a few notes lower.
“Not until we talk, Kuroba Kaito.”
The mask crumbled even further. “Great detective, that was rather nasty and unfair of you. Playing with a fair thief’s emotions like that!” The voice was starting to crack back to normal, the odd tone of whining definitely something he’s not used to coming that suave white form.
Shinichi took a deep breath. “I meant everything I said.” He leveled his gaze straight into those blue eyes. “I really don’t want to arrest you. I want to talk to you. Afterwards, if you want nothing to do with me, I promise I will never harass you ever again.”
The moonlight magician stared at him for a few beats, before he dropped his gaze to the ground. The sight almost made Shinichi take a step back in shock. KID, the gentleman thief, avoiding someone’s gaze. “Alright. Let’s talk. Can we at least go somewhere warmer?”
====
Thankfully, the Kudo manor was a short walk from the museum. Shinichi settled Kaito down in the living room and went into the kitchen to make them some hot drinks. It was a bit late for caffeine, so he made them both a mug of hot chocolate.
“Oh my god.” Shinichi muttered to himself while stirring the powder into the heated milk. “I have an internationally wanted thief in my living room.” His parents would have kittens if they ever found out.
Shinichi brought out the drinks to find Kaito huddled on the couch, his cape and a stolen blanket (looked like the one from the guest room) wrapped around him. Apparently KID was very weak to the cold. The thief would stick those disposable hand warmers all around under his clothing. They’d died on the walk over, leaving the man a shivering mess. The library lights were off, with only the moonlight peeking in through the windows. It let Kaito continue to hide a little in the shadows, like he was not yet willing to rip the mask completely off.
Kaito latched onto the offered mug instantly, pulling the cup close to attempt to leech every ounce of heat into his body.
The detective settled in a chair across from him. “I don’t expect you to talk about everything right now. I do have one important question.” How should he phrase this? “Which…one of you is the real you?”
Sipping at the mug, Kaito made a soft sigh at the question. “Detective-”
“Call me Kudo. Please.”
KID peeked back through a bit, the smirk pulling itself on Kaito’s face. “Don’t rob me of my joy, detective.” The grin faded quickly though, Kaito almost looking distressed. “Maybe you can understand me out of anyone in the world. What it’s like to live two separate lives.” The next part came out rather quietly. “When you can pretend to be someone better.”
Shinichi mulled over that statement a bit. Yes, he can understand it a bit. He wouldn’t say he’d been a bad person before Conan, but his arrogance, his inability to understand how dangerous the world really is got him into that shrinking mess in the first place. Conan made him into a different person.
Kaito continued on. “When I’m KID, I’m someone. No one sees Kaito, the class clown. Kaito, the one who always got into shouting matches with his best friend. Kaito, the poor kid who lost his father when he was 7. Kaito, the poor kid whose mother doesn’t stick around.”
The young detective winced a bit. He did bring up Kaito’s dead father right to his face. That probably hurt him. He hadn’t meant to. How many people brought Kuroba Toichi up to him? Monthly? Weekly? Daily? Was he compared constantly every time he did a magic trick? Said he looked like the spitting image of Kuroba-san at his age, reopening a tender wound over and over.
“As Kaitou KID, I can be someone else. Someone with purpose, with a goal, with confidence to do what he wants, get what he needs. Somewhere Kaito can hide.”
Interesting, as Shinichi had never thought of it that way. KID clearly had some sort of goal, but in taking up the mantle, it was also an escape from much heavier things.
“I can’t imagine confessing to someone as Kaito. It’s KID everyone loves. He’s the confident one. So, detective, I suppose the answer to your question is that Kaito is the real person, and KID is the one he wishes he was.”
Shinichi crossed his arms. “I don’t think that’s entirely true. I think Kuroba-kun is a very brave person. It takes a lot of effort to commit to what you’ve done. I don’t know your reasons for doing it, but you’ve never struck me as a bad person. You’ve saved people. You’ve saved me countless times. You’ve given gems back to rightful owners, caught other more dangerous criminals.”
He got up, settling down on the couch next to the bundled up thief. “I refuse to believe Kaitou KID and Kuroba Kaito are different people. I think they’re just pieces of the whole picture.” He reached down, squeezing his hand over Kaito’s. “I’m in love with the mind standing behind the gentleman thief. You’ve succeeded in stealing me. The question is, are you going to give me back?”
The blush across Kaito’s face was intense, visible even in the dark library. “Well, it seems my streak is broken. I refuse to give my shiny prize up.”
Blanket and cape flared, wrapping around Shinichi and pulling him into the warm embrace of a phantom thief. Kaito wasted no time, continuing the kiss he’d so rudely interrupted at the museum. The detective laughed softly into the kiss, turning to a soft moan as soft nips followed along his jaw, down his neck.
Good thing he had lots of turtlenecks to wear.