I own nothing and no one

The Kuroba 'verse is my idea though

This is just I little short story I decided to write before

I start typing my next full length one

I got the idea from an episode of Gargoyles I watched

Takes place about a year before Kuroba

Hope you all enjoy

Chapter One

The pages of the newspaper rustled as Kaito idly flipped through its pages. The teen looked perfectly relaxed, slouched comfortably in his chair. His exotic blue-violet eyes scanned over the articles, committing the information to memory. He never knew when it might come in handy.

Some big wig had donated a bunch of money to one of the museums. Hopefully they would use it to acquire something shiny in the near future. Two rising stars were getting married; the girl was pretty cute. He glanced briefly at the weather report. Kaito took that with a grain of salt, as usual. Oh, and there had been yet another murder in Beika.

Kaito really had to wonder what was in the water over there. It wasn't normal, not that anything about murder should be normal. At least tantei-kun had solved it, though officially credit had gone to the Amazing Sleeping Kogoro.

A slow smirk spread across the magician's face. There was a small article speculating about the Kaitou Kid's next heist on page three. He hadn't even sent a notice yet and already the reporters were starting to gather.

Kaito made a mental note to drop off his riddle this evening. A pair of matching canary diamonds, known as the Eyes of Inari, was being displayed in a museum downtown. He had finished all the prep work, so there was no reason to delay, and it would be such a shame to disappoint his dedicated fans.

Intellectually, the eighteen year old knew stealing was wrong. Kaito was careful to always keep his true reasons at the forefront of his mind. He could never afford to forget that he was doing this for his Father, and everyone else the Organization had ever hurt over. Still, the teen couldn't stop the anticipation that rose with the approach of every heist, or the thrill that came from outwitting his pursuers. He sometimes wondered if all thieves felt this way.

Although, Kaito considered, there was another possibility. It could come from his youkai side. All the fair folk were tricksters at heart, and the magician accepted there were some aspects of human behavior he would never fully understand, no matter how well he faked them.

It was just his nature. Then again, it could just be him. Kaito knew he would never know for sure, but he didn't let that bother him. He was who he was, and he was not ashamed.

Inwardly, Kaito acknowledged the blue wreathed presence that was approaching him from behind. Outwardly he remained perfectly still. Well, except for loosening his grip on the paper. It wouldn't do to get a paper cut when Aoko pulled it out of his hands.

Sure enough, a moment latter he found himself staring into the annoyed face of his best friend. She crumpled the paper, tossing it into the trash. In her opinion that was where the article belonged. "I don't see how you can read about that stupid thief anyway?" Aoko huffed. If anything, her opinion of the kaitou had worsened in the two years since his reappearance.

A brief pang of grief and guilt shot through Kaito's heart but he repressed it with the ease of long practice. "Oh come on Aoko," he complained. "You have to admit he is a master of his art." Theirs was an ongoing argument. He could recite the entire discussion in his sleep.

"Which art?" Hakuba put in. "Thieving or magic?" The gleam in his golden eyes told his rival it was far from an idle question, more along the lines of a trap.

Kaito shrugged, plastering a puzzled look across his features. "Magic of course," he answered. "What would I know about thieving? Though I suppose if Kid were bad at it you would have caught him by now."

The blond glowered. He was sure that jab was aimed at him, even if he couldn't prove it. Just like he couldn't prove Kuroba was the Kaitou Kid, even after all this time. If anything, his evidence proved the opposite. That didn't change his mind though. One of these days, he swore to himself. I will catch him.

How long his classmate would stay caught was another issue entirely. One the detective didn't care to dwell on. Though Saguru supposed it was better than wondering whether or not he truly wanted Kuroba to stay caught. The brunette was a friend, sort of. Besides, he was sure Kaito had some sort of reason behind what he did.

Now that, the detective did want to know. He frowned briefly before shooting the magician a discrete look out of the corner of his eye. Unfortunately, neither Kuroba nor Kid seemed inclined to tell him.

Mentally Kaito was doing a happy dance. Once again victory was his. That made it Kid/Kaitou 468, Hakuba err. Well, more than the magician liked to think about. The British detective wasn't quite on the level of him or Kudo, but he was no slouch either.

A seductive blackish red aura alerted him to Akako's presence a moment before she spoke. "I am certain Kid has other talents beside thieving and magic," she regarded Kaito thoughtfully from beneath half lowered lashes. "It would be interesting to find out what they are," the sorceress purred.

The magician resisted the urge to gulp. Like Hakuba, Akako was sure he was the Kaitou Kid, and she also wanted to prove it. It was just her motivation that differed. The magician knew the redhead believed he was like her, a human magic user. Though one of a different school, and the hybrid was in no hurry to enlighten her otherwise. He did trust the witch to some extent, but she still gave him the creeps.

Kaito looked around for an escape. Fortunately one was close at hand, in the form of his volatile best friend. Whoosh! her skirt flipped into the air, giving him a brief show. The magician smirked. "Blue today huh?"

The wild-haired girl's face went red and a mop almost magically appeared in her hand. "Kaito!!!" she shouted in fury, swinging the implement with all her might.

The teenager ducked, the wind ruffling his hair as the mop passed by. She was getting faster, he realized. Then the chase was on. Kaito scrambled over tables and under chairs. At one point he was even hanging from the ceiling. The pair's classmates just rolled their eyes. This was nothing new, at least not to them.

As for the teacher, he yelped when he entered the room, the mop narrowly missing his head. His materials dropped to the floor, papers flying every which way.

"Oh my god!" Aoko shouted. "I am so sorry Honda-sensei. Are you all right?" She knelt, trying to gather up the papers. All thoughts of gaining her revenge against Kaito had vanished. She couldn't believe she had almost hit him.

The teacher took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Why oh why had he ever taken this position? With his grades, he could have gone anywhere. He should have listened to his cousin and taken the offer at Ouran. He had heard some odd things about the host club, but he was sure it was nothing compared to here.

But no, Honda had wanted to work in the real world, among students who really needed it. He managed a reassuring smile, accepting his papers back. "I am fine," he told Aoko somewhat shakily. "Now if you would all take your seats, class is about to begin."

TMTMTMTM

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