I'm Sorry for the Wait

It's almost hard to believe when I finally stop to think about it. That it's been so long since all of that change took place. I clearly remember the day that everything changed… as if it were yesterday, in all honesty… but I know that it was seven years ago to the day.

That's right. Seven whole years since I first stumbled across my dad's secret Kaitou KID lair. Seven years since I took up the family legacy and became a thief. Seven years since I began my search for Pandora and the truth to Kuroba Toichi's death.

At first, I hadn't known what I was getting into. I just knew that by using this disguise, I would eventually find something or someone that could give me answers: Why my life had been abruptly changed by one supposed mistake. Why there were so many secrets about my father that no one wanted to admit to me.

Of course, I still enjoyed playing the role of the revived phantom thief. I was able to perform in front of large crowds—sometimes on live television—and have stunts that have never been seen before by anyone. I had the police constantly chasing me, the late Nakamori-keibu always in the lead, as well as a few detectives that were only a step away from catching me (Tantei-kun would have been the equivalent to half a step).

It wasn't very easy to pull all of this off though. I was still a high school student for the first couple years of it, with college quickly following that due to my mother's vehement arguments, so I had to balance that along with my social life, planning and executing heists, eating and sleeping…

And trying to keep up a relationship with Nakamori Aoko. Oh, how hard that was… There were so many times I had almost given up on it entirely. I had just felt too low and not confident enough that things would work out. She could tell there was something different about me, but she had never asked.

Of course, I had grown surprised by that. Even her father had questioned me on multiple occasions, for he was the type to secretly know far more than he let on. It wasn't until it was too late, but I had found that he knew of my dad's nighttime hobby.

Yeah, that came close to giving me whiplash. Nakamori-keibu actually knew who the first KID was? One then began to wonder why he never arrested my dad for it… I had decided to ask my mom soon after the accident, and she gave me an answer:

"He never wanted to arrest KID. He knew that there was a reason for the jewel searching where they were never stolen and no one was hurt. He knew there was a reason for Toichi to start this, so he allowed him to do it while purposely failing to catch him. After all, it would be suspicious if the police knew about it and didn't try to stop it."

So that explained why Nakamori Ginzo had never caught me or my dad. However, it just made me feel worse when realizing that he was completely innocent and didn't deserve to die the way he did.

I'm getting ahead of myself though. Before anything else is brought up, I should mention the incident. It was my final heist as KID—one last attempt at searching for Pandora. I hadn't expected it to be the actual jewel since I had been searching for five years, two-hundred-nineteen days, and about three hours, but…

It was. When I raised it toward the full moon, it began to glow red and almost seemed to burn in my gloved hand. Tossing it to the ground in surprise, I jumped back and scanned around the area. If this was really Pandora, it was likely for Snake or the others to be here. This was probably a candidate high up on their list, after all, and they liked tailing me since I was against their goal.

Sure enough, it was only a few minutes more before I heard the familiar sound of gunfire. Quickly ducking behind a wall, I searched for where Snake could be hiding. However, I hadn't expected for the actual sniper to be someone else… and Snake to already be on that roof with me. I soon felt a cold, wet cloth against my nose and mouth, and in my shock, I inhaled a bit of the chemical on it.

"Snake… why did you… bring someone else…?" My voice was muffled due to the cloth, and I could already feel the chloroform entering my system. That familiar voice filled with iciness merely laughed at me and tossed me to the ground.

"I'm done being the pawn in your game, brat. Now give me the jewel you're obviously hiding, and we can make this simple." He held out a hand towards me, but I wasn't going to give up. I couldn't let them have Pandora… especially with the fact that they killed Oyaji.

"No… I'm… not letting you win…" A burst of adrenaline somehow managed to course through my veins, and I jumped to my feet. "I'm not letting you win, Snake!" I shouted as I ran to the edge of the roof. Snake looked alarmed as he rummaged for a spare weapon, but I had already thrown the jewel off the roof as his bullet grazed my arm.

"Too late, Snake… it's already… destroyed for good…" Collapsing due to both relief and the chemical I had inhaled, I noticed my vision beginning to blur. What was Snake going to do now? Was he just going to kill me while I was vulnerable? I supposed that didn't matter, judging by how I had already accomplished the goal of destroying Pandora.

What surprised me was that I noticed Snake walking away before I lost consciousness. Where are you… going, Snake? I had wondered, but I would not find out until the next morning when poor Aoko called me…

X

It was around four in the morning, I think, when I had finally regained consciousness and returned home. I hadn't even had time to eat the rest of that chocolate mousse cake when my phone began to ring. Seeing the caller ID, I immediately hit answer.

"Heya, Ahoko! Why are you up so early? I figured all girls needed their 'beauty sleep.' Then again…" I trailed off, though, when realizing something:

Aoko was sobbing. This couldn't have been good. Taking a deep breath, I calmly asked her what was wrong. What she told me…

Still hurts me to this day. Apparently, while I was still unconscious, Snake had tried to escape the area but was seen by Nakamori as a suspicious individual that needed to be questioned. For starters, his pistol was still in his hand, and he had no reason to legally have it.

Nakamori-keibu was just doing his job… He didn't deserve to be killed by Snake like that. Thankfully though, a few other officers saw what happened and had Snake disarmed and arrested. That was the end of him… and the end of an innocent officer.

"Aoko, how about you come over here today? I can call the campus for both of us; they'll surely understand why we need a day off. I still have all those movies we watched as kids, so we can have a bit of a marathon and eat lots of chocolate."

That got Aoko to laugh a bit. "O-Okay, I guess… thanks, Kaito."

So she came over a few minutes later, and I let her cry for a couple hours before doing anything else. I knew she needed it—she loved her father almost as much as I had loved mine, and she had been there for me when Oyaji died. It was the least I could do by being there for her.

Eventually, Aoko straightened out her emotions enough to where she wasn't in complete hysteria. "I-I'm sorry, Kaito… I just… didn't think that would happen… at a KID heist…"

I sighed deeply. I understood that hearing of her father's death was quite the bombshell, but I had to tell her this. Now was better than never, after all. "Yeah, I… I had thought that too. I didn't think he'd just leave me and go after your dad instead."

Any color that had entered Aoko's face quickly drained from it, and she stared at me with widened, tear-filled eyes. "W-What do you mean by that, Kaito? You weren't th-there earlier… right? Y-You couldn't have b-been there… because it was just…"

With a sad smile on my face, I placed a finger over Aoko's lips to silence her. "Only KID and the Taskforce were there. I know."

Aoko choked out a sob and rested her head against my shoulder. "Y-You're KID after all. Hakuba-kun was right… and so was my dad. Why… why did you have to stress him out so much? Why did you have him go there last night… and cause his death?"

I had no idea how to respond to that. Of course I felt guilty about his death—almost like I was the one to actually shoot him. Deep down though, I knew I couldn't have stopped it. I calmly explained to her the reason for becoming the second KID and why I couldn't prevent her father's death.

Was I scared of her reaction? Absolutely. I was terrified that she would hit me, yell at me that I was lying, and storm out of my life. That she would forever be gone from me… and I would lose yet another person in less than 24 hours.

What actually happened was something I had never expected during the time I had been KID: she understood my story… and accepted it as the truth. Perhaps it was the fact that I had been unconscious during Nakamori Ginzo's death or the fact that her father knew who both KIDs were. Either way, she merely wrapped her arms around me and cried again.

"I'm sorry, Kaito… I-I didn't realize you were going through all that… That you were trying to avenge Kuroba-san… and protecting me and Tou-san…"

I chuckled a bit in response and reached for the remote to start our first movie. "Aw, that's okay, Aoko. How about we just talk about all this stuff later and start watching these movies?"

I clicked play for the first DVD, an animated comedy, and Aoko seemed to be relaxing. It was around seven-thirty when she finally fell asleep, and I couldn't help but realize that she had probably been awake all night waiting for her father to come home from the heist…

Quickly ridding myself of those darkening thoughts, I pulled out my phone and called our college professors. "You probably heard what happened with Nakamori-keibu early this morning, and both of us were really close to him. I know Aoko's really distraught by it, so it's not likely we'll be able to focus in class."

The teachers agreed and gave sympathy for our loss before ending the call. I noticed it was now approaching eight A.M., and neither of us had eaten anything for quite a while. Slipping out of the tight embrace Aoko had wrapped me in, I went to the kitchen and began making her mother's recipe for apple pie. I had never told Aoko, but I had actually been practicing a few times in the kitchen to make a few dishes such as this. My original intention was to surprise her on her birthday, but this certainly worked too.

Once the pie had been placed in the oven and started to heat up, Aoko awoke from the familiar smell. "Kaito… what are you doing?" Slowly rising with a long yawn, she met my amused gaze and frowned. "What's that smell? I feel like… I know what it is."

I glanced at the timer and put a finger to my lips. "There's still fourteen minutes left, so you'll just have to wait~!"

Aoko had sat herself in the dining room and began a bit of small talk with me. I could tell she wasn't fully recovered, but that was expected. It would be even more concerning if she acted completely fine already. Eventually, the timer dinged, and I opened the oven door.

"Now tell me, Nakamori Aoko, what is this?" I placed the pie on the table before her, and she covered her mouth with her hands as tears filled her eyes once more. They didn't seem sad though… to me, they were tears of joy.

"Kaito, you… you learned how to bake? This is Kaa-san's recipe too… did you ask Chikage-san for it?" She cut a small slice for herself and bit into it. She looked up to me with pure delight. "Thank you, Kaito. It tastes just like the ones she used to make."

I found myself smiling as I watched her finish the slice. It felt so good to make her happy again… I almost felt like I had a chance of creating a future with her, even after all the lying and hiding I did. Having this realization seem as a true possibility… made me feel so relieved. So happy.

"Kaito, why are you crying? Is something wrong?" Upon finishing the food, she stood up and approached me. Her thumb gently brushed my cheek, which was indeed wet from tears. "You're not feeling guilty about Tou-san's death, are you? Because I thought we agreed that you… you couldn't have done anything about it. That you tried your best."

Laughing a bit, I shook my head. "No, that's not it." For some reason, my voice sounded a bit shaky, which only increased Aoko's alarm. She had me sit on the couch and left the room for a moment. When she returned, she was carrying something I hadn't seen in years:

An old blanket that had been buried in my closet. It was far too precious for me to use anymore… because Oyaji was the one that hand-sewed it for me. It had the characters for my name in large print, as well as the phrase "Aspiring Magician" below it. He had made it soon after my birth, for he knew what I would soon be capable of. He knew I would want to follow in his footsteps… and aim for the best.

"How did you… know about that?" My trembling hand rose to grab the blanket, and both Aoko and I were able to fit under it. Just seeing it again made me so happy… Happy that Oyaji's death had been avenged for… and that he could finally rest in peace.

"Chikage-san used to brag about how cute you and Kuroba-san were in all those pictures she took with it, and I knew it was something that you felt as important." Her expression grew concerned as she bit her lip. "So… why were you crying, Kaito?"

Resting my head on her shoulder, I closed my eyes and sighed. "I just felt so relieved, Aoko… that you don't hate me for being KID or feel like I caused your dad's death… that I might be able to admit my feelings for you without you leaving me…"

X

I almost wish I had known what Aoko's initial response to those words was. Being under that blanket with the love of my life next to me, I couldn't help but fall asleep. It had been hard for me to get much of it during the time I was KID. There were all the long nights of planning… and the ones plagued with nightmares. I know I'm not the type to need much sleep, but when you get at most twelve hours in the span of a month… it's enough to make anyone break. I came close to it, in all honesty.

All I can be sure of is that I had slept far better than I had in years, and there were no nightmares to disturb me. There was no reason for me to have one; all of the major stresses that had forced their way into my life were now gone, and I no longer had to worry about them.

When I finally awoke, I noticed that I had been transported to my bedroom… blanket and all. It was already mid-afternoon too, if the sun's positioning meant anything. Aoko wasn't in the room though, so I stood up and began walking about the house.

"Oi, what are you doing?" With a long yawn, I entered the living room and plopped on the sofa beside my childhood sweetheart. She appeared to be conversing with someone on the phone… and giggling? "Who are you talking to, Aoko?"

Aoko quickly spoke a farewell to whomever she was speaking to and hung up before I could try to hear them. "No one important! So Kaito, do you think we'll be doing anything special today?"

Completely confused, I raised an eyebrow at her. "Um, if watching a bunch of old movies and eating chocolate are special, then yeah. Why do you ask? I figured you wouldn't wanna do much today."

Aoko's expression grew pained for a moment before she shook her head and smiled. "We can just do it after dinner then! For now, we can start the next movie and finish that amazing pie you made!"

Aoko remained cryptic for the rest of the day, and I was growing more and more concerned for her mental and emotional wellbeing. Was she just trying to put on a poker face for me, or did something absolutely amazing happen to her that made her push aside her father's death? Either way, I knew this was not normal.

Dinner came and passed with Aoko acting the same, but she suddenly grew quiet as we meandered back to the couch. "Um… Kaito… can I ask you something?"

I hummed thoughtfully. "Sure, I guess. What is it?"

"Do you… wanna go out with me? I realized earlier today that we feel the same way for each other, and… I feel it would make both of us happy."

X

It was exactly 511 days ago when she asked that question and 510 days since I answered that question with a "yes." At first, I had been hesitant since I didn't want her to think of the sudden decision as a mistake. I had made her wait until the next morning, and I realized it had been my mother she was speaking to. She had been asking to see if my feelings for her were genuine and if I would be happier having her as an eternal partner.

So here we are now, getting ready for another date night. She doesn't know it, but… I have a bit extra planned after the dinner and dessert. Kaa-san already knows about it, and she was all for it, even going as far as paying for a reservation at the most expensive restaurant in town.

"Bakaito, did we really have to eat here of all places? I know this is too expensive for what you bring home every week." Aoko straightened a non-existent wrinkle in her sparkling black dress. It looked amazing on her, and the red rose I placed in her hair made it even more beautiful.

"It's perfectly fine, ojou-sama! Now come inside; it's far too cold for you to be out here without a coat!" I led her inside to our table—coincidentally one that overlooked the city skyline and its dazzling lights.

"Wow, it's so pretty~!" Aoko gushed, clapping her hands together with glee. Of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity and made one of my doves appear. It hopped across the table and pecked her hand, making her giggle. "I should have figured you would have tricks up your sleeve, Magician-san."

I put up my hands in mock defeat. "As expected of the great Keiji-san." She had indeed completed her degree at the police academy one year earlier, and people were realizing that she was most certainly one fine officer. If she wanted to find out the truth, she would find it out and arrest the culprit herself.

Aoko rolled her eyes and began skimming through the menu, oblivious to the fact that a waiter was whispering to me.

"When would you like the dessert and music?"

I took a moment to think about it. "Exactly midnight. You've got everything else prepared already?" Seeing his nod, I thanked him and returned my attention to Aoko, who had just finished her selection and met my gaze.

"Did I miss something? You look really happy all of a sudden…" She suddenly reached for her phone and opened the camera app. "Hmm… You didn't dye my hair, so…"

I couldn't help but laugh. "There's no particular reason; I was just happy you picked that dress to wear tonight~"

Aoko blushed furiously, and I continued to laugh. "K-Kaito, don't embarrass me in p-public! People are going to stare at us!"

My poker face hid a knowing smirk. Oh, believe me, Nakamori Aoko, they will be staring at us soon… We soon placed our orders and had a lovely dinner. However, Aoko was more observant than I suspected when we didn't receive a dessert menu.

"I thought they served desserts here… Why were we not asked about them?"

I merely shrugged. "Maybe it's already been ordered for us~?" Seeing her unimpressed face in response, I quickly glanced at my phone. 11:58 P.M. It was almost time…

Soon, the same waiter from before began walking up with two plates of dessert, and a violin duet began to play. I stood up from my chair and slipped a hand into my pocket. Bending down on one knee, I pulled out the ring and grinned up at Aoko.

"I'm sorry for the wait… but I have something I need to ask you."

END