Hello, everyone! First of all, if anyone reading this follows my other fix Home Free, I'm really sorry to say that it is on hiatus. I've lost most of my interest in One Piece, and that makes it really hard to write Home Free. Still, I tried to sort of force the chapters out, but it really wasn't working. So, until my interest in One Piece is eventually renewed, Home Free is being put to the side. Instead, here's something for DCMK!
Disclaimer: I do not own DCMK or any related characters!
Full Summary: After overhearing a ominous conversation between some suspicious attendees of a heist, the KID Capture Brigade decides to investigate the bizarre disappearance of Kudo Shinichi. But as their attempts to unravel the mystery of his apparent murder progress, and enemies and allies alike close in, they start to realize that some cases should be left closed. Just how can a detective be both alive and dead?
Well, some nights I wish that this all would end
'Cause I could use some friends for a change.
And some nights I'm scared you'll forget me again
Chapter 1: Some Nights, I Still See Your Ghost
The Kid Capture Brigade was not the most successful unofficial high school club, and sadly, probably was not going to look that impressive on Saguru's future resume. Not that he was that concerned with his future job prospects, considering he was already well ahead of most his age in professionalism, connections, and experience.
Though, the more heists he attended, the more it seemed that professionalism was tested.
One would think the more heists he was present for, the better his observations, and the better his chances at actually capturing the elusive thief; and yet, if he was honest, Saguru was almost certain he was getting worse, or at least, less effective, while KID improved, pulling bigger, crazier stunts and cackling his way to freedom more easily each time.
His indoctrination into the Brigade had only depleted his already waning usefulness to only slightly above the Inspector's, which wouldn't be such a blow if one was not aware that Nakamori Ginzo had been pursuing KID for over two decades and had absolutely nothing to show for it. The Brigade itself was well intentioned, bless Aoko's sweet heart, but its practicality was severely crippled by one tiny little detail.
And that tiny little detail was currently driving Saguru up the god-forsaken wall.
"Kuroba, would it happen to be impossible for you to shut up for more than half a second?" He growled into his walkie-talkie, attempting to interrupt Kuroba's perfect rendition of Gangnam Style.
Said fellow Brigade member did not even miss a beat. Saguru wondered if he was really singing live at all, or if he had merely set a recording to play while he committed an appallingly large amount of felonies.
Not that he would put it past KID to perfectly mimic the god awful tune while breaking and entering and humiliating the police in full, eye-catching regalia, and to be simply ignoring him.
"Yeah, Kaito!" Aoko's voice came through over the din, "you're gonna ruin the surprise attack!"
No, sadly, the surprise attack was ruined from the start. Mostly because it was difficult to surprise an internationally wanted thief after including said criminal in the planning of the grand strategy.
"Speaking of said attack," Koizumi cut in, "KID is heading to the southeast wing."
"In position, everyone!" Aoko ordered, and Saguru plastered closer to wall. He had changed up his planned position a bit, no need to stick to already compromised plans, and suspected that KID would rush right past the hall he was guarding on his way to the roof exit, which was guarded by five taskforce officers. Hopefully, he could still catch the phantom thief by surprise when he came up behind him while the magician was gassing the guards.
If not, KID would erupt out onto the roof, where Nakamori Aoko was waiting, having set up a trip-wire, which would absolutely be completely ineffectual and the bandit would likely escape unhindered, again.
"Wait, Nakamori-san," Koizumi's voice came again, an odd hardness in her usual crystalline tones, "something's wrong."
"Did KID change direction?" Saguru asked. Still no sign of the thief, even though by his average running speeds, he should be reached Saguru's position thirty-three point seven seconds ago. The exciting thrill of the heist's atmosphere had disappeared from the air, and it was suddenly as if he was hiding in a creepy museum in the middle of a more threatening night.
"You need to hide, now! I'm coming to you!" Koizumi hissed, probably to Aoko, and Saguru felt a chill creep down his spine. It was not like the idol of their class to sound so harsh. Something unexpected must have come up.
Sometime between their whispering over the walkie-talkies, Kuroba's voice had softened and eventually faded out. That, Saguru expected, was the most ominous sign of all. The sudden absence of noise and cheer was eerie.
"Kuroba?" He asked tentatively into the receiver. There was no reply but the sound of heels clicking against the tile floor down the hall. Koizumi, having abandoned her post, dashed towards where he was hidden around the corner.
"KID hasn't come by yet, has he?" She asked, uncharacteristically breathless, and he nodded. "We have to get Nakamori-san back inside, now!"
"What's going on?"
"KID isn't the only crook on the loose tonight, apparently." Briefly, he wondered how she knew that, but knew better than to ask. The possibilities of her words swept through his mind; there were no murderers or thieves or kidnappers loose in the area that he knew of, if he discounted the star of this particular show, and Edogawa Conan wasn't in the building. That left the occasional other audience of the heists.
They needed to get Aoko inside and safe, immediately.
At the roof exit, there was a flurry of motion and voices as the guards all answered some order they received over their own communicators. After some quick, unquestioning exclamations of 'Yes sir!' the five of them booked it down the way Koizumi came.
"How much do you want to bet that it wasn't Inspector Nakamori that gave that order just now?" Saguru muttered to his classmate, eying where the guards had disappeared and the door they left unmonitored. He hoped it was KID and not someone more deadly calling the shots.
Uneasy, the two of them approached the door, fiddling with their comms. "Nakamori-san, its us opening the door. Come back inside." Koizumi said softly as she inched the heavy exit open, keen red eyes staring into the darkness beyond. When there was no response, she pushed out into the night, Saguru following quickly behind. The trip wire was abandoned at their feet, the line loose and cut, and the cold air was unwelcoming and bleak.
Aoko was nowhere to be seen.
But it was not silent. Carrying through the quiet night air, some strange sounds reached them, of heavy footsteps and the strange shrill shriek of multiple high-speed projectiles smashing into granite.
Saguru couldn't see what was going on, and could only hope that meant that whoever was out there couldn't see them either.
"Nakamori-san?" Koizumi whispered again, tension making her voice harsh. They crept along the wall of the roof's exit; Aoko should have been near the door. Saguru's heart was pounding in his chest, and the sound of voices was getting louder.
And then a hand was wrapped around his mouth, gloved, cold, and vicious. He tried to yell, to struggle, but in an instant he was being dragged upwards by the vice grip on his face and shirt.
Roughly, he was dumped on top of the roof exit, pushed down until he laid flat against it, and a sharp "shhh" accompanied a burst of air in his ear. A moment later, Koizumi was dragged up as well, her crimson high heels kicking in the air, and he realized someone was lying besides him, shaking slightly. In the darkness, it was a struggle to recognize them, but as he grew accustomed to the gloom, Aoko's figure resolved itself, pale and apprehensive. On his other side, Kuroba dragged Koizumi down, and they flattened themselves to the sloped roof of the museum's roof access stairwell.
He wanted to ask what was going on, but the grim expression Kuroba wore, and the sharpness of his indigo eyes, silenced him easily. From...somewhere, Kuroba pulled out a bundle, which was quickly unraveled into a black fleece blanket, which he tossed over them.
And so they settled like that, crammed together like sardines, on their stomachs underneath the cover it provided in the darkness. The damp chill of the concrete underneath them seeped into his clothes, until nothing but the warmth of the bodies pressed along his kept him from shivering.
In the dark, figures crawled onto the roof, all large and imposing, and carrying bulky duffel bags. Somehow, Saguru doubted they were police reinforcements for the heist. He slowed his breathing as much as he could, found Aoko's hand, trembling, and squeezed. Her palm was cool and sweaty with nervousness and fear.
"The target?" Someone barked as the figures shifted around.
"The thief got it."
"And where is he?"
Silence, then static and incomprehensible jumble.
"In the northwest wing!" One of the men answered, a hand lifted to his ear. They had pretty high-tech comms compared to the Brigade's measly walkie-talkies.
As his eyes adjusted to the meager light, Saguru discerned that there were six men on the roof, all dressed in black. One, in a hat and trench coat, seemed to be the leader, growling and snapping at the others like a rabid dog. That did not intimidate him much, but the shine in their hands made Saguru's blood run cold. All of them were heavily armed, and if the bags carried what their size and bulkiness suggested, there were more guns to come.
"You three, with me!" The leader ordered, waving a pistol around like a fool, "We'll corner that bastard inside." With the gun, he motioned at two of the men, and pointed at the door. "You two, mark the door! We won't let him fly away tonight." And in just a few excruciating movements, the other four disappeared into the building beneath them. Aoko squeezed his hand, and the contact, though slightly painful due to her tight grip, was comforting. Maybe it was for the best that they had not remained inside.
The two remaining men settled down, one to the right of the door, the other around the corner, both with guns drawn and pointed, ready to shoot at the first sight of the quarry.
He figured there must have been more intruders than just six that had enter the building another way, and were now herding KID into a trap. These two were just insurance to make sure, if the bandit slipped through their net, that he couldn't escape by air: a solid plan for catching prey less elusive than a phantom thief. It might have had a chance at success, except, KID hadn't been in the building at all when they arrived, and instead of being slowly enclosed in the museum, was watching warily from above.
That made Saguru want to smile, but worries came from the from what little he knew of what was occurring within. Was KID's accomplice in the building? How did KID trick both these men and the taskforce? Saguru couldn't even begin to guess. Would the taskforce be all right, and would they remain oblivious if so? It must have been KID on the radio, directing them to safety without their knowledge, but surely they couldn't miss the increase of intruders in the building.
They had noticed oddities before; there had been evidence at previous heist sites of interference by a third party. Gunshots etched into stone, shattered windows, suspicious figures and reports, sniper shots, undeniable proof that someone wanted the Moonlight Magician dead. And yet, to both his own and the Inspector's frustration, all evidence found was either a dead end, or disappeared right from the vaults and records, and requests for an official and formal investigation only ever made it up a few levels in the bureaucracy before being shut down.
Someone, both inside and outside the department, did not want them investigating.
Now, that was foreboding.
As they four of them waited with bated breath and fear pumping in their veins, the men below, part of something big and powerful and dangerous, grew bored as time moved on. Monitoring an unchanging door was apparently not at all interesting for thugs with guns. And so, they started to talk.
"Tch, this is a fucking joke." The one on the right began, shifting impatiently.
The other seemed less hotheaded. "Don't let Snake hear ya say that." Snake? Must be a codename, probably for the leader.
"This place is fucking crawling with cops, and they still make us come here. I don't care what Snake says, this is a motherfucking joke."
A chuckle. "Not just those shit-stains. Apparently some brats running around too, playin' cops and robbers. Really does sound like a shitty joke when ya think about it."
"Teen detectives, by fucking hell. As if this job weren't fucking enough of a joke already."
A touch of nasty-minded sarcasm entered one of the thugs' voices. "Maybe a chance meeting with a celebrity is one of our perks."
The hotheaded one laughed cruelly, the sound grating to his ears. "Heh, I wouldn't mind a chance to cap one of those little bitches."
"Damn straight." The colder one agreed, and the sadism in his tone sent a shiver down Saguru's spine. Aoko pressed closer.
"What's the name of that really famous one? Kudo something. I'd like to blow a hole in his big, shitty head." Kuroba tensed along Saguru's side, the first movement he made since they hid. Despite lying flat on his stomach, he was like a viper coiled to strike at any moment.
"Heh, haven't ya heard?"
"Heard what?"
"That one got offed way back. One of the codenames bashed the bitch's head in." Saguru's breath left him in a rush, and he bit back a sound, but no one seemed to notice. That was-that was impossible. These men were saying Kudo was dead.
"Oh, I think I remember someone telling me that. Man, wished I coulda seen it."
"Wasn't even a body once they were done with him, apparently. What I wouldn't give for picture of that." Saguru had a strong stomach, and had seen plenty of grisly scenes without balking, but the words made his stomach turn and nausea claw up his throat. Something about the thought of someone his own age, so alike to him, dying in such a manner that denied them any sort of identity, or closure, or mourning, without anyone the wiser, was bone chilling. And the sickening twist of sinners dyed with blood finding pleasure is such cruelty only compounded his horror.
"Bet he squealed like the pussy he was, eh? Forget pictures, I want video." Not wishing to think of it, to imagine it, he focused on his companions. Kuroba's eyes were most striking, from the little Saguru could make out, and were lapis lazuli burning with a ferocity he had never seen before, hateful and cold as the fires of hell. Saguru had never witnessed a furious Kuroba, just the usual aggravated and insulted front he put up, and for once it was easy to imagine the phantom thief 1412 in the place of his dear friend.
A harsh whine erupted from one of the thug's comms, and a gruff voice burst through with sharp words Saguru couldn't quite hear.
"No, sir, nobody's been through here. No sign of the target." The man on the left replied, exchanged a glance with his partner. More indecipherable noise on the other end.
Saguru was glad for the interruption.
"Yes, sir!"
"What Snake say?"
"No sign of the bastard thief or the target down below. He gave us the slip somehow. We got to get out of here before the cops get themselves together."
"Tch, another waste of fucking time."
And in just a few brief moments, they were gone, melting back from the shadows they came from. Still, the four of them remained still and frozen for minutes after, waiting for a sign of thugs coming back, but as the silence wore on, they relaxed. Finally, after carefully measuring their surroundings, Kuroba rose and pulled off the blanket.
"Everybody alright?" He asked, helping Koizumi up and off the sloped cement. Saguru pushed himself up as well, mourning the state of his clothes, and offered his hand to the shaky and pale girl besides him.
"Yes," He replied, after inspecting his companions, "but let's get inside and back to the taskforce before anything else happens."
Unnerved and uneasy, they reentered the building and started navigating their way out, walking quickly to warm their chilled bodies and ward off the jittery fear built up in their tense muscles. For a couple minutes, no one spoke, but eventually Aoko pulled herself together.
"They were talking about Kudo Shinichi, weren't they?" She asked as they went down the stairs, brow furrowed and eyes bright. The deep blue of her eyes contrasted eerily with the paleness of her face, and Saguru winced when her gaze fell on him.
The conversation they had overheard was burned into his memory, and made his stomach turn. His mind was racing with possibilities and thoughts, but without proper time to digest the frightening new information, he didn't want to talk about it and make ill-founded conjectures.
"Most likely," He agreed after letting her question hang. Neither Kuroba or Koizumi had seemed willing to answer it. Though he dared not say so, it was unimaginable that they were speaking of anyone else.
"But, Kudo-san isn't dead, is he?" Aoko pushed on, and Saguru was unable to look at her. There were rumors, of course, but he hadn't paid them any mind. Kudo had been suspiciously absent from the media outside of gossip articles and internet backdraft for over a year now, but he had just thought the other had grown tired of all the attention. He had wondered slightly when at the Sunset Mansion it was mentioned that the other teenage sleuth had been unable to be found or contacted, but hadn't paid it much thought. When again, at the Detective Koshien, he alluded search, he had shrugged and figured that maybe he was globetrotting like his parents or become a recluse.
Geniuses were often flighty like that.
The words that all four of them had just heard were undeniable, though. Dead men appeared in no tales, after all.
But as far as he knew, Kudo wasn't officially reported missing. At least, there had never been any search announced, and even if the police had investigated privately, his father would have surely mentioned it, out of concern for Saguru's own safety.
The Osakan detective, Hattori, was, or had been, close with Kudo, hadn't he? Wouldn't he have investigated the disappearance of his friend? Something was off.
But dangerous, and professional, criminals, in a conversation they had no reason to think was anything but private, boldly proclaimed that not only was Kudo murdered, but that they knew at least something of the circumstances of his supposed death.
That some "codename", someone possibly in the same criminal organization they were working under, had assassinated Kudo and destroyed the body.
Saguru had expected the strange circumstances of the interference at KID's heists to be part of something big, but this was more horrifying than he had imagined. Was the same power that withheld investigation on the third-party after KID also preventing an official search for Kudo Shinichi? Were there some members of the force already aware of the alleged assassination that were covering it up within the police?
"I don't know." He said finally, as the confused and flurried shouting of the task force began to filter through the halls towards them, "I just don't know."
The after-heist debrief meeting of the Brigade the next day began with uncomfortable silence. The frightening events of the dark night before weighed heavily on each of the members minds.
Aoko hated the heavy mood consuming her friends, but couldn't deny that her own usually cheery attitude was struggling to overcome the anxiety of the night before. She had returned home shaking and quiet, and had been unable to sleep. Her father came back even later than she, but riledd up as he was about the escape of his prey and some confusing events she didn't know about, she didn't dare tell him the truth about what happened to her and the Brigade.
Now, even in a safe place with her friends, daylight streaming through the window, her hands shook. Glaring at them defiantly, she clenched them into fists before slamming them into the Blue Parrot's bar, cutting right through the silence and dark thoughts of her friends.
"Aoko wants to know what happened last night." She announced loudly. "Who were those guys? Why doesn't Aoko's dad know about them? How'd they get in and out?" All the unknowns were driving her absolutely crazy. All her friends met her eyes, but only one looked guilty, like he had been keeping secrets.
"Hakuba-kun," She called him out, "What do you know?"
Said transfer student ducked his head and looked uncomfortable, clearly battling with his own indecisiveness. Aoko frowned at him harder.
"At past heists," The blond eventually capitulated, "we've found evidence of the presence of a lot of… unauthorized individuals at the scene of the crime. From what we could tell, they aren't with KID. If anything, they seem to be trying to kill him."
"What?" The exclamation burst from her lips before she could stop it. There were people who wanted to kill KID? Sure, Aoko sometimes felt a little murderous before, during, or after a particularly obnoxious heist, but even she had to admit that as far as criminals went, he was unusually harmless. So long as she forced herself to ignore how he encouraged others to disrespect the law and disturb the peace, that is. The idea of someone, a lot of someones, wanting the vivacious burglar six feet under was near unthinkable.
Hakuba continued on, voice solemn but strong, as if he was going over the clues of a case. Maybe to him, he was. "Announced heists are essentially the only times KID comes out of the woodwork, in costume at least. The rest of the time, considering his skill with disguise and infiltration, he very well could be anywhere as anyone. As such, if someone is searching for KID, the only time he is guaranteed to appear is at his own heists, which he arrogantly announces before hand. He tells everyone where and when he'll appear, and that is the only chance to… get him." Aoko was well aware of the fact that the announcement of KID's targets was the only reason the police seemed to have a chance at catching him at all. If he could steal under such heavy, prepared and alert security, surely he could do the same under less vigilant conditions. But Aoko knew, she just knew, that he didn't do it to be sporting; he did it to boost his own ego and make fools of the honorable police that tried to capture him. Yet, doing so apparently did not just make him vulnerable to capture, but death as well. Was his own arrogance really so important that he would put his life on the line to show-off? She just couldn't understand it.
Unknowing of her confusion, Hakuba continued. "But considering how he is high-profile cat burglar, it isn't unthinkable that he may have enemies in the criminal underground as well as the police force, or that there may be a valuable hit on him. KID may be responsible for a great deal more crimes than we know, as well, and could be involved in just about anything. As such, we expect that a third-party is using heists as an opportunity to kill him." She had never thought about it before, but that troublesome thief probably did spend plenty of time stealing without an audience. And if he managed to infuriate the police so much, surely he had run amuck with other bad guys too.
"...Alright. But how do they get in? Aoko's dad's security is supposed to keep criminals out." She pointed out. Just how did so many bad guys get passed her dad to even have a chance at murdering KID? They can't all be infiltration specialists on the level of one of the greatest thieves in history.
Hakuba nodded. "And usually, it seems, its successful. Evidence of...confrontation between KID and this third-party is not apparent at all heists, though its much harder to prevent the snipers." So, the presence of police did give KID some level of defense against his more grisly pursuers. Of course that infuriating jerk would use her father as a shield. Not only did he take away their time as a family, but he put her dad's life in danger too. She clenched her fists and fought back against the rush of anger. This was not what she wanted to focus on right now. Somebody may not just be in danger of being dead, but may really be dead.
"Snipers?" She asked after seething for a moment. Hakuba measured her with a sympathetic gaze.
"From what we know, snipers have been camping on top of buildings along KID's most likely escape routes frequently. We have yet to actually catch one of them, though."
That was alarming. The way Hakuba said 'we' suggested the whole task force was aware of this. She shuddered in confusion and worry. "But... why isn't Aoko's dad doing anything about this?"
"That's the actual suspicious part of it all. All inquiries we make on the topic don't ever get approved, and evidence disappears as soon as we find it. Somehow, somebody is interfering and preventing the launch of a formal investigation." Saguru said the last part quietly, like he didn't want anyone to hear. Aoko almost wished she hadn't. Was he really suggesting what she thought he was suggesting? Even she had to admit that the justice system was corrupt sometimes, but something on such a scale that snipers and organized attempted murder could go on without investigation... it wasn't right.
Battling with herself, she came to a decision. If no one else would pursue this, she would. "...What do we know about these guys?" She demanded, and Hakuba looked surprised for a moment, before sighing in disappointment.
"Next to nothing." He admitted, and Aoko knew him, knew how he could always pick something out of nothing, and realized that this was way out of her depth. If Hakuba was left empty-handed, catching them must be nigh impossible. "They wear black. They want KID dead, and possibly the jewels he steals. They appear and disappear easily. They are organized, and possibly part of a much, much larger group." All that Aoko could have listed off from just their experience at the heist. Hakuba wasn't kidding about them knowing nothing. He didn't seem discouraged, though, just serious, and his eyes were bright with promise as he continued. "Just last night, though, it seems we learned something new."
"They mentioned someone called 'Snake'." She pointed out, and again, he nodded.
"I believe that's the codename for their leader." How... cliché. Or even, cartoonish.
There was one last thing they knew. "And somebody else with a codename..."
"Apparently killed Kudo Shinichi."
While Aoko battled with herself throughout the conversation, Saguru was carefully monitoring the reactions of their other two members. Koizumi had an expression of quiet curiosity and interest throughout the discussion, but was otherwise unmoved. Maybe she had suspected something like this all along? One could never tell with her.
Kuroba's face was the picture of bored aggravation throughout, which while characteristic of the attitude he brought to the usual meetings of the KID Capture Brigade, didn't quite fit here and now. Wasn't he supposed to be KID's greatest fan? Any fan with any sort of affection or interest in the thief would be horrified by the revelation that there were killers after their idol. Maybe the topic bothered his classmate so much that he couldn't bring himself to put up a more reactive mask, that for him it was easier to close off than pretend. It couldn't possibly be easy, knowing so many dangerous men were out to spill his blood across the pavement.
Deciding to take pity on his friend, he focused on the matter at hand rather than Kuroba's unusual behavior: the possible death of one Kudo Shinichi. He had been too tired to look into the issue properly after the nerve-wracking heist the night before, but he did do some quick web searches. There was a lot of speculation about his disappearance, but nothing remotely conclusive or official. As far as he could tell, discounting the dubious testimonies of many anonymous "witnesses" who claimed to have seen him in the past year, Kudo had genuinely vanished without a trace. No viable or trustworthy pictures had been taken, no official statements, nothing.
The thugs had claimed there was no corpse to find, too.
"Is it possible?" Aoko asked him, brow furrowed. There was something in her blue eyes, but he couldn't tell what.
"...I looked into it last night, and…Yes. Its possible." He confessed, and wasn't that the scariest part? That it was a possibility that Kudo Shinichi could really have been brutally murdered, and no even knew?
As unnerved by the idea as he was, Aoko chewed her lip in indecision. Finally she asked, "Should we tell someone? Aoko's dad?"
Saguru had already considered reporting the events of the night prior to the Inspector, but had refrained after debating with himself over the consequences of revealing that they had been in such danger. The only reason they were allowed on-site at all was because KID was considered a non-violent criminal.
"Do that and we'll all be banned from heists for the next century." Surprisingly, it was Kuroba that answered, which made Saguru raise an eyebrow disbelievingly. Such a ban would only be convenient for KID, considering it would take Saguru out of the picture, and therefore remove one of the few actual hindrances to KID's free reign, and keep Nakamori Aoko, one of his few weaknesses, out of harm's way. Being able to attend as Kuroba Kaito had its uses, but the international jewel thief certainly had other methods. Informing the Inspector would only handicap Saguru, so it was in Kuroba's interest to actually encourage it.
So why was he essentially telling Aoko to keep her mouth shut?
Did he not want the Inspector to know of the threat of the men dressed in black?
Or, he did not want the Inspector to know what they heard about Kudo. That was a possibility; his reasoning could even include both. What was Kuroba's connection to Kudo, anyway? He had been bizarrely angered last night, as if the thug's conversation had discussed the death of someone close rather than a stranger.
Just another question about the enigmatic Kaito KID.
Aoko seemed torn. "We can't just not do anything, though." She insisted, and as soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed to make up her mind. There was a determined line in the turn of her mouth and chin as she suddenly slammed her open palms on the counter again. "Hakuba-kun, you investigate murder cases all the time, right?"
Well, not all the time, but often enough, he supposed, and nodded.
Then he blinked. Was she suggesting—
"Alright! Then from this day forward, the KID Capture Brigade will be taking on the case of the Disappearance of Kudo Shinichi!" She announced resolutely, and Saguru felt, well, a little impressed. He had been planning to pursue the matter anyway, but to see someone else so dedicated to the rising mystery, when most turned their heads away, gave him an unusual feeling of camaraderie.
Kuroba, though, clearly didn't feel it. "Hey, hold on!" The magician groused, "What's Kudo got to do with KID-sama?" He was frowning, the same disgruntled, 'I don't want to do this' face he always wore when Aoko suggested something that was inconvenient to him. Another unusual reaction in this situation though. Why wouldn't he want the main detective that pursued him to be distracted investigating something elsewhere? The only answer was that he didn't want them investigating this particular subject. Why? Kuroba was not entirely an apathetic, or unjust, individual, despite his frequent bouts of insensitivity, and did not like to see cruelty go unpunished. It was not like him to not care about the possibility of a murdered kid.
"Because, he's the only lead we've got on the creeps that are coming to KID's heists, and those creeps are the only lead we've managed to get on KID since we established this Brigade!" Aoko shot back, and it was clear that there would be no arguing with her. Still, it was a fair point, and when added to the other questions buzzing in Saguru's mind, more than enough.
Maybe, by investigating Kudo, they stood to learn about Kuroba, KID, too.
But Kudo was one of the greatest minds of their generation; certainly the most formidable in terms of deduction and perception. He had spent the past few years dedicating his life to the pursuit of truth, the banishment of illusion, and yet, now it seemed that he himself had become a mystery so baffling, an illusion so deluding, that the whole country was fooled.
It was terribly, sadly ironic.
The least Saguru could do, as a fellow detective, was find the truth Kudo had treasured so much in the mystery he had become.
Some nights I always win, I always win…
But I still wake up, I still see your ghost.
.
And that's a wrap! Some quick stuff: for the beginning of this fic, the POV characters will probably be Hakuba, Aoko, and Akako. Future chapters will expand to other POV, and many characters are very important to this fic, including Ran, Akai, Bourbon, etc, etc. So, warning: SPOILERS. Furthermore, I have yet to decide on any pairings, if any, for this fic. Feel free to suggest ANY you want to see, but no guarantees.
That's about it. R&R?
Next chapter: Our heroes kick off their investigation right, with blatant lies, trespassing, home invasion, and identity theft! Man, that Kaitou KID is a terrible influence!