Aoko frequently waited up for her father on heists nights. At first, it had been to ask him if he had caught Kaitou KID, but now, it was to make sure that he was okay.
Over the past few months, KID's heists had become dangerous. Shots were being fired at the thief. He always managed to dodge them with his usual agility, but some of the onlookers weren't as lucky. A policeman and a young woman had been killed, and half a dozen others hospitalized. It was now apparent that someone on the other side of the law wanted to stop Kaitou KID.
Aoko sat at the kitchen table, reading a book- the same page that she had been reading for hours. Suddenly, the phone rang. Aoko picked it up.
"Hello, Aoko?" Inspector Nakamori's voice was rushed and breathless.
"Dad? What's going on? Did you catch KID?"
"No, but we did get something even bigger. I'll tell you when I get home tomorrow. Go to bed, honey. Don't wait up for me. I have a lot of work to do."
"Wait, what happ-." Then her father hung up.
As she went to her room, Aoko thought about the call. What's so important that would keep Dad at work all night? Something that's not KID? Would it have anything to do with…? Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she opened her bedroom door to find a white-clad figure standing in front of the open window. Before she could draw breath to scream, the figure was behind her, gently pressing a gloved hand to her mouth.
"Shhhh, Aoko, we don't want to wake the neighborhood up now, do we?" The thief's voice was not the cocky one she heard at heists, but an all-too-familiar whisper. Aoko's eyes widened.
"Now," KID continued, "if I remove my hand, will you promise not to scream?"
Aoko nodded.
"Good." The hand was removed.
KID started speaking again. "Aoko, I came here now to tell you something- no, everything." He moved to the desk chair and sat down, gesturing to the bed. "Have a seat."
When she was seated, KID sighed and reached up to the brim of his top hat. "First things first. I'm sure you've already realized this, but…" He let the hat fall to the floor. The monocle was removed and tucked into a pocket.
"I'm Kaito Kuroba."
Even though Aoko had realized who he was, his admission of it made her mad. She stood up, hands clenching into fists.
"You…you…why? Why did you do this?" She screamed. "What were you…"
Kaito stood and pressed a finger to her lips. "No screaming, remember? You promised."
Aoko sat down. He had a point, but still…
"Idiot," she muttered.
"Takes one to know one," he replied lightly. Then his expression darkened and his voice turned serious. "Why did I become KID? That's most of what I have to tell you. It's kind of a long story, so get comfortable. It started one afternoon, in our second year of high school, when we were at my house…"
By the time Kaito paused, Aoko was awestruck, sitting on the edge of the bed, eyes wide. "So, did you find Pandora? What happened to the organization chasing you?"
Kaito didn't answer. He reached into the inside pocket of his white tuxedo jacket and pulled out something. He held it out to Aoko in his palm.
It was a round fire opal, milky white with multicolored sparks. "This is the Forge of Heaven. And inside..." He moved to the window and held the gemstone up in the light of the full moon. For a second, there was only the glitter of the stone's own fire; then a red glow appeared, growing brighter and revealing a red orb at the opal's heart. Aoko gasped.
"Pandora."
Kaito let it shine for a while, then placed it back in his jacket. "As for my pursuers, they're keeping your father and the rest of the First and Second Divisions busy tonight." He walked back over to Aoko, still perched on her bed, and knelt in front of her.
"Aoko, I never wanted to lie to you about all this, but it was necessary for what I had to do. You don't have to forgive me. If you want to never see me again, I understand completely."
His gaze had wandered to the floor, but looked up again when Aoko spoke. "How could I not see you? We're in the same class. We've been friends since we were in elementary school.
"I'm not pleased about the situation, but I'm not as upset as I think I should be about it either. I understand why you did what you did, and... I forgive you."
Kaito stood up and hugged Aoko tightly. She wrapped her arms around his torso.
"But don't think you're not going to be punished for this, Bakaito."
He laughed. "It'll be worth it."
AN: Took me forever to come up with a description for Pandora, and I'm still not 100% happy with it. Oh well, hope you liked it!