Note: I have revised this chapter, mostly just to clean up some minor errors and contradictions. The real work comes later, because chapter 2 and 3...well let's just say I can recognize that the introspection is way too long. That said, the direction of this fic is changing a bit, as well as the actual writing. I'm going to revise all the chapters before I get a new one up.
And further, yes contrary to what I originally said, I did abandon this story. For over a year. I'm sorry, please don't kill me! Anyway, this story is now with less exposition and unnecessary, repetitive introspection. That's not to say I'm getting rid of them entirely; I happen to like showing various facets of the characters and explaining their reasoning. It's just that some of it was interrupting the flow of action/dialogue, which I think is less acceptable. Besides, now I'm back.
Disclaimer: If I owned either of these, I would be over forty, male, a good artist, and fluent in Japanese. However, none of the above are accurate descriptions of me, so I think it should be obvious that I'm not Gosho Aoyama.
Days off came rarely Kuroba Kaito, so he made sure to take full advantage of his freedom in order to get some things done. He was leaning towards scouting a particularly tempting gem, that would likely lead to a heist within a month.
After all, there seemed to be a large chance the Tranquil Wave gemstone held Pandora, being faceted enough that you couldn't see the inside clearly and four inches in diameter. Admittedly he'd seen similar chances—or even higher odds—before and they hadn't panned out, but he had to get lucky sooner or later, right?
Right?
That, however, would have to come after the grocery shopping Kaito's mother had demanded he do. Kaito did not want to be around when she was ticked off, nor did he want to be the subject of her ire. Better men than him had shrunken in fear of her wrath, or so he'd been told by family friends doing a poor job of suppressing their laughter at his predicaments.
So off to the grocery store Kaito went, looking over his shoulder as inconspicuously as possible the whole way. His instincts, honed by many a heist, said that someone was watching him. It was his magician's instincts. You had to make your audience see what you wanted, and be aware when they didn't.
Being the observant guy he was—both of Kaito's hobbies cultivated the habit of surveying one's surroundings—Kaito's glances picked up on someone standing to the right of the path, no longer trying to hide. Someone who had brown hair, glasses, and didn't even come up to Kaito's waist. A person whom he'd seen only about a week before, and wasn't particularly eager to meet out of costume. If he hadn't been trying to look impassive, Kaito would have groaned.
What's Tantei-kun doing in Ekoda? I really don't want to deal with this right now.
At least I only need to worry if he thinks I'm impersonating him again. Or maybe he'd dismiss me as some freaky look-a-like, if I'm really lucky. And I technically am a freaky look-a-like, but how likely is it that he'll dismiss me? Ah reality, so wonderfully unrealistic. Besides, it'd be funnier the first way; his reaction last time was priceless!
Kaito then proceeded to walk right past the seven-year-old, trying to ignore the boy's existence even as he half-hoped for some sort of reaction. He was succeeding at being ignored, at least.
"Kaito-niisan, can you show me where the bus stop is? I kind of got lost," spoke a cute little-kid voice in an overly-cheerful tone, making Kaito start. Ornot.
It took a moment for Kaito to register that yes, the pronunciation had been that of his name rather than a profession.
Notgood,notgood!Howdoesheevenknowmyname? Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kaito had to strain just a bit to keep his face blank. After all, it wasn't every day that some little kid—some genius detective—who should not know your name spoke to you so familiarly. It wouldn't have been so alarming, Kaito was sure, if he was someone else, who didn't moonlight as Kaitou Kid, and have that seven-year-old as one of their greatest hounds.
If it wasn't for the fact that Kaito knew perfectly well who was hiding in that tiny form, he would have been insulted by how easily Conan had caught him at all those heists. (He had, of course, been incensed back before he knew any better, but Kaito liked to pretend he hadn't missed something so obvious.) The great phantom thief being outwitted by a seven year old, genius or not, where grown men were left clueless? Of course something was up. (And once again, Kaito didn't think about the period where he'd been flummoxed by the detective.)
A tugging interrupted Kaito's genius plan of not reacting and hoping Kudo went away. The thief didn't even want to think where this confrontation would go, though if it weren't for one name, one little name, he would've been anticipating the fun he was about to have. Thanks to that name and that knowledge, however, Kaito was just praying that the detective's honor would keep him from having too many long-term complications.
Assuming the ensuing interaction went poorly, however, the thief would have to escape less-than-subtly, seeing as a downward glance revealed Tantei-kun pulling on the leg of his pants.
"Hey! Kaito-niisan, are you even listening to me? Can you come and show me where the bus stop is?"
Poker face. Play innocent, try to get him to drop his clearly existent suspicions and go away. Hope it works, because I don't know what my other options are.
"Calm down kid. Hasn't your mom ever told you not to talk to strangers?"
A thoughtful frown, followed by that same stupid, innocent mask that everyone who didn't know the truth actually seemed to buymost of the time, for whatever reason. "My mom's in America. Ran-neechan told me though. But I'm lost, and if I can't find the bus stop then it'll just be worse, ne? Besides, you're not a stranger if I know your name! And anyway, you look just like Shinichi-niisan!"
Kaito sighed, Iamsoscrewed.Atleastheisn'taccusingmeinpublic,thoughit'sprobablyonlybecausehehasasecrettoo,andwantstoavoidthescrutinythatwouldcomewithdiscoveringKid'sidentity."Fine, come on, kid. Just don't ask a stranger for directions again. It's dangerous. Besides, don't you have a cell phone to call your neechan?"
"Hai!" agreed the boy, with child-like excitement that almost made it hard to believe that the kid was really a seventeen-year-old detective, not in the least because such an act would be thoroughly embarrassing. Conan tugged on Kaito's pants again, leading him towards the bus stop, and Kaito reflected that it almost defied some law of nature, how easily Kudo was able to drop all traces of male pride.
Except for when Kudo went and made it completely obvious that he wasn't really seven, which was usually around the same time he got really troublesome.
Like at heists, where fun as challenges could be, Kaito did not like being cornered or especially spotted before he was ready to drop his disguise. But of course Kudo had to be one of the smartest detectives that showed up to his heists, except for maybe Hakuba. Both of whom were annoyingly competent, especially compared to Nakamori and Mori. And while it was nice to get a challenge from someone who could match his abilities and meet him on the same level, Kudo—formidable detective though he was—was still seeing through his disguise and pushing him into a corner.
Why was this happening? Why did his Still, why did his strongest opponents have to be able to anticipate his actions and match his insanity so easily? Oh yeah, because life wasn't fair. The challenge was great and all, but sometimes Kid just wished Kudo and Hakuba and all the other annoyingly good detectives would go poof. Especially when they were corneringhim.
Kaito acquiesced to the midget's prodding and walked in the general direction of the bus stop, but took a roundabout way to the park instead of going there. Hopefully they'd be able to find enough privacy for the…interesting…conversation that would inevitably follow.
Judging the area clear of potential eavesdroppers, Kaito spoke up as they walked through the park: "Okay Tantei-kun, how'd you figure it out and how's this gonna go? We've never met outside the costume, and you know that just as well as I do."
And then the innocent look on "Conan's" face faded into a knowing smirk that most people would agree wasn't an expression that would typically—okay, try ever—be seen on a seven-year-old. "I suppose we haven't," Kudo replied, tilting his head up at an angle that made light reflect off of his glasses, hiding his eyes. "Nice to finally meet you, Kaitou Kid-san."
"Aa. But you're avoiding both questions. Let's start with how you figured it out. Not even Hakuba's managed to find proof, and he's been looking pretty hard." It was a fair question, and Kudo seemed like the type of guy who might be polite enough to grant him one last courtesy before hauling him off to jail. Or trying, anyway.
Kudo needed to avoid scrutiny as well though, so better to wait and see. Besides, any attempts at proving anything would be hilarious, especially if they resulted in Hakuba squawking at being beaten to the punch.
"Our dads." Kaito raised his eyebrows. That was definitely not what he'd expected, especially seeing how Kuroba Toichi had been dead for almost a decade. Haditreallybeenthatlong? Kaito pushed away the thought before he could be distracted from the situation at hand.
As for what Kudo was saying, yeah, he'd read an article about how a certain Kudo Yuusaku had been chasing Kaitou Kid about ten years ago, but how exactly was that proof of his identity?
"You know I met your dad? I didn't realize it till about a month ago, but he was trying to use me to get a challenge to my dad. It actually didn't work, because Ran and I didn't want to ask tousan for help. However, I'd been wondering: if my dad had faced off against Kaitou Kid, then why did his files have so little information on him?"
"Maybe Kid was even more of an enigma back then and nothing more was known? Tousan was pretty good," Kaito suggested in a tone that showed just how proud he was of both his father and his heritage.
"Unlikely. It wasn't even mentioned that heist notes were always written using riddles. I got lucky enough to stumble onto something that proved my dad had some way of corresponding Kaitou Kid. Coupled with your skill in disguise and a conversation with my mom revealing that she'd learned that art under the famous Kuroba Toichi, who had a son my age, it was enough to raise suspicions. Then I looked into it and found that you lived in Ekoda, where most of Kid's heists are, and then I saw your school picture. You brought this on yourself."
Kaito glared mildly in the detective's direction. "And just what part of that suggests that Ihelped you figure this out, hmm? The only thing you mentioned was being good at disguise and looking like you, which I have no control over."
Cue the smirk of Kudo's that said, "I know something you don't," getting even bigger. "Simple. You showed me that we look alike. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't be accusing you right now. Circumstantial evidence wouldn't be enough yet. So you didbring this on yourself by impersonating me for the Star of Destiny heist. And by the way, if you ever do that again, especially in front of Ran, I willhurt you."
"Dammit! I liked that disguise! Why do the best plans have to backfire?" Come to think of it, Kaito realized he probably should have argued more. Of course the chances of a third person that looked that similar to the two of them were small, but really?
Too late, and Kaito was not going to take the opportunity to delve into the psychology of why he would do something as insane as practically confessing when he had an alibi for several heists, as Hakuba could confirm. Not that those incidents were likely to get him off the hook. If Hakuba was still suspicious, there was no reason Kudo wouldn't be.
And now Kaito had practically admitted that he was the Kid. Great. Wonderful. Lovely. Fantastic. Spectacular.
"Now that you've admitted you're Kid, I have a proposition."
Kaito furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. A proposal? As in one that didn't involve him going straight to jail, do not collect two hundred yen? That sounded both promising and decidedly ominous. Though how exactly Kudo would have planned to drag him to the police station was anyone's guess.
"What kind of proposition?" Kaito asked slowly, careful not to let a single intimation slip through. No sense in giving away anything else. "And why are you even asking? I thought you were just going to arrest me."
No sense in agitating the man with the soccer ball by pointing out that in his current incarnation, Kaito was physically superior in every way.
The shrunken tantei tilted his head to look directly at him, fixing him with a determined, calculating look and a hint of a knowing smirk. "I wasgoing to just arrest you, but luckily for you I decided to do some more research. This led me to the conclusion that if arrested, you'd either escape or be dead by tomorrow. Though this is just an educated guess, it'll be the snipers shooting at Kid that'll find a way to kill you without getting caught. You'll be murdered in your jail cell, right under the police's noses, and the culprits will never be found. Assuming, of course, they don't make it look like suicide."
So Tantei-kun had found out something about Snake and his murder of evil crows that looked like villains from some bad movie. Considering information on them was so sparse, howKudo knew was likely related to how a famous high school detective had gotten himself stuck in the body of a seven year old in the first place.
"Your point? I didn't think you cared," Kaito replied, fishing for information. He instantly regretted it, though. That was untrue and they both knew it. Kudo deserved more credit than that. He agreed that no one gets hurt, and didn't hold too much of a grudge for the more offensive impersonations Kaito had pulled. Kudo was a better person than someone who would be willing to seal his fate by turning him in.
Kudo didn't take much offense, outwardly at least, and responded, "I don't want people to die. That includes you. I don't think you're one of the worst, but please inform me if I'm wrong. It's not as if it's impossible to keep your arrest a secret, especially since Japan isn't the only country Kaitou Kid is wanted in." There was that piercing glare again. Then again, maybe he had taken offense…
They were left in silence for a few seconds, before Kaito said, "I shouldn't have said that. I'm allowed to be on edge right now, but still." An actual apology would require a situation that was considerably less tense, however.
Kudo waited a few moments before replying, "Fine. I suppose I might've reacted similarly if someone told me they figured out my identity. But about that deal . . . are you interested?"
"Depends on what it is. Though I am curious."
"I don't like murders," Kudo began, "and I detest my love of solving them even more. I dislike that murder cases are some of the only satisfying intellectual challenges I get. While it's true that what I enjoy is bringing murderers to justice, that doesn't eliminate the fact that someone has to die for me to get that challenge. Sometimes I feel like horrible person for that. But there aren't a huge amount of people who can keep up with me, so it's hard to find another outlet where I can have a real rival and an actual contest. Kaitou Kid is the only criminal who presents that kind of challenge when no one's in danger of dying. Most of the time anyway, but those aren't your fault.
"Besides, I think it'd be fun. It always comes to a draw between us and there's not much of anyone else our age involved with law enforcement—no matter which side they're on—that's at our level. Really just Hattori and Hakuba. Hakuba's obsession with catching you is making him lose his touch, by the way. You should draw his attention to that. It'd be a shame if he went dull."
"Interesting. Though I would like to know where you got the idea that those were draws. I always got away." Kaito knew he probably shouldn't be relaxing at all, but he did feel more comfortable as he began to smirk. Kudo's reasons sounded genuine enough, and in his estimation Tantei-kun was above using this to set a trap.
And naturally Kaito knew why the detective thought of those heists as draws, but why miss an opportunity to act egotistical? Being conceited was so much fun.
Kudo gave him a deadpan look on account of the obviousness, before replying, "I nearly catch you, and even when you do get away, I either hinder your ability to get the target, or forcibly expedite its return to the police. I would hardly say that you aren't challenged by our confrontations either."
Kaito laughed. "Okay, so what's your deal?"
"Simple. I don't pursue you outside of heists or turn you in now in exchange for a challenge. Your heists are like a game anyway. Don't you like going up against someone on your own level? And the deal's even to your advantage since it's not like I have access to police resources at this age."
It was tempting. It was nice to be challenged by someone on his own level. That didn't happen often, and Kudo certainly was on that level, with not only his deductive abilities, but his ability to understand people.
"Why do I get the feeling that there's something else to this?" And there was. It didn't matter that Kudo had a lot of practice hiding things in order to trap criminals with their words, Kaito was a master of reading people. Kid's reemergence had only honed that skill. There was definitely more.
Tantei-kun smirked again. "Yeah. You're right. You see, I'm pretty sure that the Black Organization is after you. Am I right?"
To tell or not to tell, that was the question. Ahwhynot.Nothingmoretolose,sinceTantei-kun'snotworkingforthem,andonlyanallytomaybegain.
"I don't know what their name is, but there is a group currently trying to shoot me. A guy named Snake in particular. I presume this Black Organization has something to do with your current size?" Personally, Kaito thought the answer was obvious. He wouldn't put it past those bastards to do something like that, especially since they were after immortality. How they did it, and why Kudo, were different questions entirely.
Kudo looked contemplative in a way that really did not fit his current face. "Well, I thought they were the same. The MO matches and everything, but the group I'm dealing with has alcoholic codenames, not animal ones. Though that doesn't necessarily mean anything, they could be different branches of the organization… For one thing, if there were two groups like that in the area, the turf war would be impossible to miss."
"So we both have the same highly dangerous criminal organization after us. Let me guess. You want some information."
Tantei-kun looked up at Kaito, his gaze satisfied and slightly hopeful as he answered, "Actually, I was hoping for more of an alliance. I figure we're twice as likely to catch them if we combine our talents. We may have completely different methods, but we could still work together. I stay in hiding and try to find a case that involves them from Mouri's clients, plus working with a few contacts, and you trying to lure them out with your heists, just like we've been doing. Only this time, we have backup and a second brain to look things over. You could help me find information on them, and I could help you draw them out at heists."
Kudo had a point. Maybe it would be easier to catch the Black Organization if they worked together, though heists were something Kaito was a little reluctant to share with anyone but Jii.
Digressing, Kaito snorted. Black Organization. What an amazing feat of imagination it must've taken to produce thatname.
Still, Kaito wanted to catchthem as soon as possible, before they could kill anyone else. Neither of them could go to the police; Kudo's predicament and his night job aside, anyone they told was at risk of being targeted. More resources and allies would be useful. It was not a bad idea, though Kaito wasn't sure he wanted to commit to anything big without some serious consideration.
"And what would the terms of this deal be?"
Kudo paused for a moment before replying, "Actually, I'm leaving that open to negotiation."
Well that was considerate of Tantei-kun.
"How about a mutual exchange of information, for starters? And obviously I won't use any knowledge of your identity to give you away, as long as you grant me the same courtesy," Kaito proposed.
There was more, but did he really want to tell the detective? Not entirely, if Kaito were being honest. This was his chance though, and Kaito was going to make the most of it. That decided, the thief continued, "Also, if you find any information on the thing I'm looking for, you tell me."
Kudo looked up at him in surprise, as if he hadn't expected such a comment. "In order for me to do that, you'd have to tell me what it is you're looking for. I mean, it's obvious you're looking for something, but we can address that later. I'm sure my curiosity will survive. In the mean time, shall we share how we got involved?"
Kaito cracked a grin; one thing they both had was a plenty of curiosity and a desire to get answers. Finally he'd find out why Kudo looked seven, though he'd reluctantly avoided looking before. He had to respect someof the guy's privacy. Well, just a little.
"First though, two more things. One: leaveRanoutofit.Absolutely no more dressing up as Ran or knocking her out or anything."Ha, so Kaito's plan had been working. It was just so much fun to irritate the tantei by flirting/impersonating with his not-girlfriend. (Though if anyone believed that last part, they were a blind idiot at best.)
"Only if the same goes for Aoko." At Kudo's blank look, he added, "My best friend, though unlike you, I don't have a crush on her."
Kudo snorted, though whether he didn't believe that for some reason or objected to the accusation of liking Ran was unclear. "Second thing: if I catch you, especially if that happens because we're trying to draw them out, I trust you to escape on your own before you get into the police car. If you can't, I'll help, assuming I know you need it, but that could be risky."
"Are you insinuating that I'd plan my own capture just to draw them out?" Kaito demanded, seemingly incredulous.
Kudo just shot him a deadpan look before saying, "I meant being genuinely caught, actually. Though considering you've come up with what's probably the most suicidal plan ever, to fight themno less, you probably would. Besides," he admitted, "I tried something similar to get to their boss."
That statement implied Kudo was a lot closer to catching them than he'd thought. All the more reason for this deal, Kaito supposed.
"Heh, fine. Out of curiosity, how many people know about you and are actively helping you against the Organization?" Kaito asked.
The detective looked wary despite their agreement, but then Kaito wasn't surprised. His question had hardly been small-talk, and divulging the identities of your accomplices tended to end badly no matter which side of the law you were on. Kudo worked through his caution quickly, though, and replied, "Hattori and Haibara."
"The Detective of the West I guess I saw coming, but the most sarcastic member of your detective club? Why her?" Kaito was puzzled, and he'd never been overly fond of that feeling. The only reason Kudo would ask an eight year old girl for help was…oh. Duh. "You mean she's also not really a little kid?"
Kudo nodded in confirmation. "However, her life is her business, and anyway she doesn't need to know about this. We have an agreement that I focus on pursuing the Organization and leave her peace of mind, while she focuses her attention elsewhere. As for Hattori, he has a way of involving himself. He's not going to stop either," Kudo snorted, but there was plenty of fondness in it. "He's a good ally."
"That's it? Really? That's everyone who knows who you really are? Sorry, I find that weird, especially considering Mouri-chan is so suspicious. I really don't know whyshe hasn't found you at yet. It's not like you're particularly good at pretending."
Kudo's glare just fueled Kaito's impish smirk. Ignoring that, he continued more seriously, "It's funny though. Even with those times I masqueraded as you and we were in the same room, she's still doubtful." Which made sense, since it was so freaking obvious that Edogawa Conan was no ordinary seven year old. For god's sake, he'd come closer to catching the Kid than the police force ever had. Though considering the other person who'd come close was only seventeen, maybe it wasn't quite as glaring as one might expect. But there was a big difference between seventeen and seven; there had to be a line somewhere.
"There are more people who know," Kudo corrected, "much as I tried to prevent some of them from finding out. Most people just aren't helping so directly or overtly. Actually, most of the help I get is from people who don't know, the FBI in particular." Kaito raised his eyebrows at that little tidbit.
"If you're worried about someone finding out about our deal—or about your identity—from this, don't," the detective continued. "Haibara doesn't want to know what I'm doing most of the time, and Hattori's in Osaka, though he's trustworthy enough you wouldn't need to worry about him knowing. No one else who knows my secret is really helping against Them, and if the others don't know my secret, there's no reason for them to know yours."
Stupid Kudo, reading his mind and concerns. He had to start somewhere, though, so Kaito just said, "Okay. You want to share first, then?"
And that pretty much sealed the deal. Whether this would help the two of them get back what they'd each lost, they wanted to stop the Organization and make them pay.
The reasons They needed to be stopped were obvious, but the Organization also needed to pay, in Kaito's mind. Not just for his and the detective's own pain, but for the all damage that had been done to people all over the world. Just how many people had died at the hands of the Organization, their families not even being granted solace in seeing the murderer brought to justice? It would save all the people who might cross Theirpath in the future and die, guilty of nothing but being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Both of he and Kudo had suffered, and they both sought revenge not only by landing every last one of themin the world's most secure prison, but to make sure that no one else endured such pain at theirhands, if at all possible. Afterall, Kaito thought, thebestrevengeislivingwell. They shared a motive and could keep up with each other. It was only logical for them to start working together.
And so Kudo told him all the relevant information—well, presumably not all, since the detective likely had almost as many trust issues as he did, but it was enough. He started with the biggest mistake of his life, following those two suspicious men and getting knocked out. After that he told how drug had shrunk him, and how he'd been urged to keep it a secret from everyone, even Ran. He'd listened, of course, to keep her safe. Kudo was also careful to make sure that Kaito knew what was going on with the Sleeping Detective (though he'd pieced that part together anyway) and listed the people who'd found out. He even touched on Haibara Ai, though only barely.
Kaito felt sorry for Kudo. Even if his own dad was dead, at least he still had his own life to go back to, a right Kudo had lost. Even though the other had a chance of returning to normal, he couldn't look in the mirror to see his own face without a stepstool.
Then it was Kaito's turn, and he started with the secret room he'd discovered the afternoon he'd decided to face Kaitou Kid, mentioning Jii vaguely, but not saying anything to reveal the identity of his accomplice. He told Kudo about hearing, on that rooftop, that his father had been the first Kaitou Kid and had been murdered. Kaito had taken up the mantle of Kid for many reasons, but that incident had given him a direction, as Snake had first confronted him, stupidly confused Kaito for his father, and spilled about Pandora. He told Kudo the descriptions of Pandora and what it was supposed to do, at which the chibi detective raised a skeptical eyebrow. Nonetheless, Kaito made sure that Kudo knew that when he found Pandora, the thief was going to crush it down to its subatomic particles, or at least a fine dust of ground jewel, and throw it into the bottom of the ocean.
"Why do they think that Pandora will grant immortality? It's impossible. It's clearly just a myth. I can't believe that's really the reason they're after it." Kudo mused to himself.
"That's not the point," Kaito stated, jerking Kudo out of his train of thoughts. "The point isn't really whether that's true or not, at least not unless they get their hands on it. What matters is that they're willing to kill for it. So we have to keep them from getting it."
"Aa. You're right. Though knowing their true motive would help a lot, we can make do."
"Honestly," Kaito commented, "I could picture that being their real motive. I'm sure that some of the members are smart, considering that they've remained unknown for so long, but Snake didn't really strike me as intelligent, per se. I mean, he mistook me for a forty-something-year-old man."
Though they'd outlined the basics, it was obvious that Kudo hadn't told him the whole story any more than Kaito had. They'd both only told the basics of what was relevant, because alliance or no they were still a detective and thief. And though their previous dealings made it easier to trust each other, this was something different.
The fact that today they were without masks would have to be good enough. Though Kudo still looked like a seven year old, he wasn't pretending to be one. Kaito wasn't shielding himself behind another person's face and voice, either.
It was good enough.
Kudo looked down at his watch, Kaito realizing belatedly that he probably should've palmed it a long time ago. After all, the tranquilizer darts presented a greater threat than Kudo's other gadgets. Luckily he hadn't paid for not doing so, but Kaito remained a bit annoyed he hadn't thought of that.
…If they were going to start trusting each other, Kaito was going to have to get used to openly working with the shrunken teen from time to time. Which would presumably mean not fearing for his cover every time they were in the same room.
Still, he was going to miss their competitions. . . Oh wait, hadn't Kudo said that they'd continue that? That was good, it wasfun to be chased by either of his detectives. Speaking of which, sometime he'd have to arrange to go up against Hattori, especially with how highly Kudo had spoken of the Osakan. He'd have to rectify their lack of interaction in the near future.
"I'll ensure that news of my next heist makes its way to Mouri-san. I expect a good chase, Tantei-kun," Kaito voiced his thoughts with a smirk.
Kudo looked up at him with a matching smirk, his answer to the challenge clear. "You're planning something already? Alright, I look forward to it."
Kudo glanced at his watch again. "But for now, Ran's expecting me back soon, so I better go." The former teen looked somewhat vexed at his curfew, if Kaito did say so. "Ja ne."
Kudo turned and walked off just like that. However, Kaito deemed it necessary to prank the detective at least once today, so…
"Oi Tantei-kun, I think you're forgetting something!" Kaito yelled after him, dangling the silver-banded watch he'd just swiped with one of Kid's infamous smirks.
Turning around, Kudo automatically confirmed that it was in fact histranquilizer watch in the thief's hands. He then sighed with exasperation and muttered, "Of coursehe did. Stupid thief."
As he tossed the watch back to Kudo, who caught it easily, Kaito replied, "I'll have you know I'm not just some common thief, I'm a kaitou."
"Aa," Kudo bantered, "but no matter how big your bag of tricks, a thief is still a thief. I'll catch you soon, even if it means I have to sneak you the keys to your handcuffs to keep up my end of the deal. Ja ne." With that, Kudo walked off for real, leaving Kaito to walk home and ponder over their deal. Hopefully things would turn out for the best, though Murphy would probably insist on something bad happening first.
With a chuckle at what had transpired, Kaito walked off to get his mother some groceries.