Disclaimer: I own nothing…now where did I put those blueprints?
Chapter Two. Mysteries
"May it be an evening star
Shines down upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
You walk a lonely road
Oh! How far you are from home
Mornie utúlië
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantië
A promise lives within you now"
"May It Be" by Enya
April 19, 1991
She kicked the small pebble angrily and huffed. It was all his fault! That no good meanie who made her touchan's face a funny red color and say bad words.
Why did he have to be so…so…so mean!
Her temper rising, a small growl emitted from the back of her throat, strangely making her sound like a hissing cat; she kicked the pebble again when it came back into eyesight and sent a trash can toppling down from the force of it.
'Why does touchan hafta ignore me all the time? He said he would play with me and that I was his special little girl.'
The flames of a five year-old's rage guttering out, Aoko's big blue eyes became mournful, the aching pain of sadness welling up inside of her and she wiped her tiny fists against her tearing eyes. She sniffled and rubbed her eyelids furiously.
No, she couldn't blame her touchan; he was s'pposed to catch the bad guys and put em' in jail. 'Cause that's what good guys did and her touchan was a good guy! It was Kid's fault! All his fault and touchan still couldn't catch him 'cause he's sneaky and plays mean tricks on people.
With that firm resolution, she lowered her hands and clenched them at her sides. 'That's right! If Kid wasn't 'round, touchan would play with me some more—he wouldn't hafta work so hard an' get hurt an' say things he not s'pposed to say.'
It was understandable in her own way why her touchan was the way he was…Kid had made him that way.
He was never so angry and upset as when Kid made a fool out of him time and time again. Sometimes seeing the displays or hearing the cusses coming out of his mouth would frighten her and she would flinch back. Even when he came home, he would mutter half-heard curses around the house until he finally slammed the door to his room after cleaning up the kitchen. In the morning when he had his hot steaming mug of coffee in front of him along with his half remaining cigarette smoldering in the ash tray, he would flip through the pages of the newspaper. Blatantly ignoring the front page, the articles that criticized his failures and praised Kid like he was some hero.
And she would notice the twitching eyebrow when he saw them, the tightening of his jaw and knuckles. Her touchan was just so angry with the Kid…and she couldn't blame him.
A gust blew by and she shivered, realizing as she looked up from the wet asphalt that she was in the middle of some dark alleyway and it was late. In definable terms, she knew she shouldn't be here by herself and that what she had done to her touchan was wrong.
But she had been so hurt!
Still, she knew deep down that she had hurt her touchan when she left him at the sight of Kid's heist and that made her feel so low. Low enough to even compare herself to Kid and when her mind hitched onto that thought, she sunk lower into her misery.
It had all started a week ago when her father received a note that had gotten mixed into his coffee and had almost choked on it. It was another notice from Kid and that set him in an uproar, making him completely forget that he had to go and pick her up from school. So she walked home by herself, walked across the lawn of her home, crawled underneath a bush, opened the small window to the basement and squeezed through. Even when he came home, he hadn't noticed that she had been asleep on the couch because she had waited up for him again. So when they both entered the kitchen at 5:30 a.m. the next morning, he had stared at her while her own sleep induced eyes welled up with tears. Then she had ran upstairs to her room where she slammed her door and threw herself on her bed, crying.
But she had never known that her touchan had sighed tiredly, sat himself at the table and held his head in his hands. Kicking himself mentally for the way he had been treating his daughter and thinking of way to make it up to her. Never knowing that during the midst of her sobbing, he had quietly cracked the door open to check on her and seeing how depressed she was, his own face had saddened and he had closed the door silently as tears stung the back of his eyes.
So when the night of the heist had come, Aoko followed her father down to the museum and watched as Kid outsmarted her father and laughed in mockery at his slow reflexes. Feeling pity for her touchan, she had rushed over to his side and tugged on the sleeve of his jacket.
He had ripped it out of her grasp, yelled at her for being in the line of danger, pushed her back into the crowd, and turned his attention back to yelling into the megaphone at the officers of his unit. At the time he had been so wrapped up in his obsession of catching Kaitou Kid that he had no idea what the repercussions would be for his actions towards his daughter.
Anger, hurt, and a twinge of betrayal filled her; she had yelled at his back in a incoherent scream and turned on her heal, running away from him and out of the crowd into the darkest area of the city. Now here she was, walking down a dark street in-between crummy looking apartment buildings and trying to find her way home. She knew better than this, how many times had she heard her touchan rant on and on about those…what did he call them again, oh yeah…bastard criminals and dumbass thugs?
There was a street light that glowed from the road behind her and she could only see dimly in the dark. She twisted her head to both sides with a finger to her chin in thoughtfulness.
Aoko had never noticed a slightly hunched figure with his hands stretched out towards her. His footsteps were soft and as they approached the small child from behind, the loud 'CRUUUNCH' of a soda can confirmed it had been crushed under his weighted foot and drew the child's attention sharply behind her. Her eyes going wide, her mouth opened in an attempted scream but the man lunged at her and she braced herself, drawing her arms around and over her head and squeezed her eyes shut.
For a few minutes, she stayed in that position until she realized nothing had happened to her and cracked open her eyes, lowering her arms slowly. The thug lay five feet away on his back, unconscious and form spread eagle-style. She could hear the silent 'drip, drip, drip' coming from him but she couldn't see where it was coming from or what it was.
Footsteps sounded behind her again and this time she was prepared, turning around swiftly and clenching her fists at her sides. Her tiny body trembled from the terror that filled her but she stood her ground and looked at the distinct shape of the man standing only a few feet away in the shadows. She couldn't see his full form but he was tall, towering over her by at least four feet, and his messy hair seemed to go in every direction at once.
Then he smiled.
She could see that just fine because his teeth were glowing so oddly; like a bright, white light had been stuck in his mouth and the distinct shape of his teeth, especially the two longer teeth in the front, that gleamed wickedly. She gasped inaudibly. "What are you doing here?" A gentle voice…
"I…I…I got lost. I ran away from my touchan and now I don't know where I am."
He took a step closer to her. "Well, perhaps, I could take you home?"
She shook her head and lowered her chin. "Nah uh, touchan says I'm not s'pposed to talk to strangers, 'specially not to go home with them 'cause he says they could take me to a bad place."
He took a few more steps toward her and then crouched before her; she didn't move away. "Well, I'd say your touchan is a very smart man. But you wanna go home right?" She nodded. "Good, now you're gonna have to trust me even though I'm a stranger. I'm sure your touchan will make an exception just this once."
Her eyes became glossy and she raised her index finger to her lips in a thoughtful pose. "You sure touchan won't be mad with me?"
He smiled again. "I'm pretty sure your touchan won't be mad at you. He'll probably feel better once he sees you again."
She smiled at him and bobbed her head eagerly. "Okay, mister. You can take me home." Then she placed her hands on her hips in a comical gesture and narrowed her eyes at him. "But I'm warning you, if you don't take me to my house right away, I'll get my feather duster and hit you with it. Got it?" She held out her hand.
He laughed, took her small hand in his, and shook it gently. "Straight home it is, but you have to close your eyes."
She cocked her head to the side. "Why do I have to close my eyes?"
"Because if you don't, the bad man will come again and we don't want that to happen, do we?"
She shook her head 'no' furiously and snapped her eyes closed. He smirked again, stood and cradled the child in his arms. Within a minute she had mysteriously fallen asleep and Kaito closed his eyes as darkness surrounded him like a shape shift shadow and he was nothing but a blur as he transported the both of them to her house. When he opened them again, they were in her room and he walked towards her bed, pulling the covers back, depositing her on the bed gently, and the pulling them back up to her chin. For a moment, he stayed crouched beside her bed and softly brushed her hair away from her face, a gentle look on his features. He held out his hand and with a flick of his wrist, a full bloomed rose appeared in his hand; he set it down on the table beside her bed. Standing, he held his hand to his forehead and saluted her; then he was gone.
A while later, Aoko began to slowly reawaken and when her eyes opened, she noticed her surroundings and bolted up in the bed. 'How did I get here? Oh yeah, that really nice man said he was gonna take me home…guess I don't have to hit him now. Oh wait, is that touchan downstairs?'
Sure enough, muttered curses and frantic pacing could be heard even from her room upstairs and she hopped out of her bed, ran through her open door, and sprinted down the stairs. When she reached the floor, she ceased her quick pace and opted instead for treading into the parlor where the noises seemed to be coming from the most. Standing in the doorway, she watched as her touchan, his hand on his chin and his brow furrowed, walk back and forth between the couch and the cushioned chair talking to himself and scratching the back of his head in what Aoko knew to be a worried gesture. She placed her hand on the doorframe.
"Touchan?"
Turning towards her, Ginzo's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open before he rushed over to her and grabbed her up into a massive bear hug. He breathed in the faint scent of cherry blossoms from her hair and squeezed her to him. "Oh Aoko, where have you been?"
Her small arms reached around and linked behind his neck and she buried her face into his shoulder. "I ran away 'cause you yelled at me, I thought you were mad at me, and…and…I'm sorry touchan!" she wailed and sniffled loudly.
He lowered them to the floor and held her out at arms length, studying her face, looking for any scrape or cut or bruise and when he saw none, he sighed with relief. "Touchan?" He gulped.
"Aoko, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean to, it's just…well, you know how I get when I'm busy with my work right?" She nodded. "I know it's not an excuse Aoko, but when I'm chasing Kaitou Kid I need to concentrate on my job and not have anyone distract me. Not that you're a distraction! Ah, how to say this correctly..."
He pursed his lips together in agitation. "You see, Aoko, a policeman has a very important duty and that means he has to protect people from all the bad things that can happen to them. I have to protect the people, especially valuable objects, from Kaitou Kid so that they won't get hurt or stolen."
"But touchan, the only one who gets hurt is you."
"I know, I know and it's not easy. But Aoko, if I don't do my job, then all those people will get hurt and all those things that belonged to them will get taken away and that will make them very sad—and we don't want them to be sad, do we?"
She shook her head 'no'. "However, that doesn't give me the right to ignore and leave you behind all the time. So I promise, from now on, I will try my damned—I mean my hardest to play with you and spend time with you so I can be the father you need us both to be. What'd ya say?"
Her eyes were still sad as they gazed at him from a far away place and Ginzo feared that he had perhaps not explained himself well enough for her to understand. A small hand reached up and the digit of her finger tapped him on the nose. She smiled a sorrowful little smile but it was heartfelt nonetheless.
"Okay touchan. I'll let you do your job but ya gotta promise to play with me a whole lot more and that you won't yell so much." He smiled at her gently, his eyes softening. "Alright Aoko, I promise to be a better dad and to not yell so much. Deal?" He held out his hand.
She placed hers in his and shook it once. "Deal."
He ruffled her hair and picked her up. "Now little miss, I believe it's time for you to go to bed. After all, tomorrow is Saturday and we have a whole day of planning to make if were gonna go to that new theme park in Beika." She bounced excitedly. "You mean the one they call Top…trop…Tropikel land?" He chuckled. "Tropical Land and yes. We can go there tomorrow since they finished building it last week and have a lot of fun together but you have to go right to bed."
"YAY! Okay touchan, I'll go right to bed but you gotta go bed too or else we'll never get to go—you sleep like a rock!" He gave a bark of laughter and set her down. With a "Shoo" and a pat on her butt, she was off like a rocket towards her room, zooming up the stairs and closing her door faster than he could blink. Sighing, the man turned rubbing the back of his head and gave a light snort as he walked back into the parlor room to do some extra critiquing on his police reports.
Upstairs, Aoko had flounced into her bathroom and brushed her teeth and hair, got undressed and threw on her pink 'Yaiba' nightgown. Running over, she pounced onto her bed and sighed tiredly into the pillows as her hand groped for the sheets and pulled them up to her face. Her eyes traveled the wall she was facing and when they reached the large window to her room, she realized she had forgotten to close the curtains again. The moon shined with all the luminosity it could produce and like scattered children at the park, the stars twinkled in the dark zenith. For a moment, Aoko narrowed her eyes on the moon–her facing shifting into a look of awe when the shape became clearer even from such a far distance.
There was something flying across the moon…someone gliding over the white brilliance as the wind ruffled his clothes and hair. Aoko swore she could even feel his gaze land on her for a fraction of a second before he turned away.
Feeling the creep of sleep come upon her, the heavily lidded eyes began to close. She smiled softly. "G'night…Moon Man." She closed her eyes and with a final breath, relaxed and began to fall asleep. Unknowingly, the quiet voice had reached the "Moon Man's" ears and made him smile in return.
"Goodnight, Aoko Nakamori. Pleasant dreams…" Once more, he vanished; the surface of the moon now speck free of his presence and the night continued as the wind howled, the crickets sang their low chorus, and the spirits of the dark dwelled in the shadows…
'BEEP, BEEP, BEEP'
"Mmmm…"
'BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BE—BRRRNNT'
The fist rose from its new resting place as the crushed half of the clock collapsed; tiny gears, springs, and screws falling off of the bedside table and onto the carpeted floor. The hand unraveled and fell limply to have the fingers brush against the thick material. A heavy sigh came from underneath the sheets of the queen-size bed and the form below them shifted restlessly, the hand now coming up again to pull the comforter off of her head and torso. Goosebumps forming on her skin and the hair on her arms rising from the early morning chill, Aoko groaned and shivered. She loathed getting up this early in the morning…who'd made it a regulation to start work at five-thirty every morning for an inspector? She'd like to get in touch with this person and show him how close to the floor he could really get.
As it so happened to be, the twenty-two year old rolled herself out of the bed, placed her slippers on her feet and got her tired ass off of the all-too comfortable mattress. 'Damn thing…why'd it have to be a Sealy?' Trudging across her large room in her grey pajamas, she sluggishly made her way down the stairs, still yawning with her eyes half-way open, and into the kitchen. Throwing on the light switch, she cursed as the bright lights burned her retinas and banished the dark fuzz completely from her mind. The year was 2008 and she figured it was about damn time they started making light bulbs that didn't come directly from the sun.
With her eyesight now redeemed, she set about the kitchen, making her coffee and her toast with scrambled eggs that had bits of bacon in them along with tiny sausages for her breakfast. Pouring her steaming morning-helper into her prized "I'll Kick Your Ass If You Touch This" mug, Aoko's thoughts drifted. 'Why'd I dream about that night again? It's been seventeen years since it happened and yet every time I fall asleep, I hear this voice from a distance in my mind, calling me…sounds creepy but there are worse things—like Keiko and her obsession with my failed love life. Wow, okay, no more dark thoughts in the morning, too goddamn early for this nonsense.' Shaking her head, she stirred the cream and sugar into her coffee and gave a pleasured 'Aahh' when she took her first sip.
Setting the steaming plate of food in front of her with utensils already on the wooden surface, Aoko grabbed her newspaper and opened it up. Skimming the pages, she drank her coffee regularly. 'Hmmm, maybe I'll go check that movie out later on this week. Keiko would like it for its romance…maybe not. Sports?…nah. Economy, boring. Nothing new there. Weekly editorial letters…ooh.' Seeing no articles about Kaitou Kid (which really made her morning) she folded the paper and set it aside. Picking up her fork she began to shovel food into her awaiting mouth.
After finishing, she took her plate over to the sink and turned on the faucet. 'It's surprising though. Kaitou Kid hasn't sent a notice out for almost a whole month…Oi, don't ruin it now Aoko; you'll jinx yourself and then where will you be?'
Turning the tap off and placing the plate with the fork and knife into the drainer to dry off, Aoko wiped her hands on the dish cloth and shook her head. 'Then again, when has luck been on my side? Every time I try to catch that damn thief, he ends up disappearing then reappearing, running away smugly on top of roofs and making me look like touchan. Ooh, if I could just get my hands on him, I'd…' twisting the damp cloth in her hands tighter and tighter until a tiny 'shhrrtt' could be heard. Looking down, she relinquished her grip and held the dish towel to her face. She frowned, there was a medium sized hole in the middle of it. 'Ya see, he even makes me ruin a perfectly good dish towel…Maybe I should get anger management like touchan did…then again, it did take a heart attack just to get him to see the damn shrink.' She shook her head again, dropped the ripped towel onto the counter, and sauntered off and up the stairs and into her room.
Seeing the time of the somehow-still-working smashed digital clock, she swore loudly and began to clumsily undress and then dress, running into her bathroom with one arm still trying to get into the sleeve of her black blazer. With the quick on and off of the faucet, she had brushed her teeth, managed to get her already wild hair into a quick messy bun and was jogging down the stairs. Kicking off her house slippers, she put her running shoes on…just in case. Snatching up her purse and keys on the way out, she opened and slammed the door behind her, turning the lock as she did so. She ran over to her car and fumbled for the car key. 'Damn, damn, damn, damn' she glanced at her wrist watch, 'shit, shit, shit, shit – Ah hah! Yes!' Mentally jumping triumphantly, she unlocked her car, slammed the door behind, slid on her seat belt, put the key in and revved the engine, set it in gear and went crazy. Backing down the driveway, she shifted the car into forward and stepped down hard onto the gas pedal. The car lurched and sped down the road towards the heart of the city; Aoko beeping like at the slow walking pedestrians and other drivers and vice versa, getting sworn at as she steered recklessly around the streets and almost onto sidewalks. She just growled. 'I am never gonna watch Sex and the City late at night ever again…AHHH, damn sign! Watch where you're goin', ya bum!' Mumbling a swear under her breath, Aoko swerved harshly, her tires screeching and leaving skid marks on the road. Turning the steering wheel all the way, she skidded into a parking space and shut off the engine. Opening the door, jumping out, and slamming the car door (locking it in process) she ran across the lot and pushed open the thick glass doors and rushed inside. The car creaked a sigh and a puff of gas emitted from tail pipe; comically, it almost seemed to sink in on itself.
She ran past the Lieutenant's office. "NAKAMORI!" She halted mid sprint and tensed. 'Oh shit…' "Get your ASS IN HERE NOW!" Turning around lightly on her heel, she took a deep breath, relaxed her shoulders and walked forward calmly. She only stuck her face in the doorway and smiled nervously, "You wanted to see me, sir?" The stout, angry face of the old, bald-headed man narrowed his glaring eyes at her, his fingers strumming on the oak surface of his desk. "You're late, again. That makes it three times this month." "I know sir, I'm really sorry sir. I don't mean to be late but there's just so much going on and-" "Alright, alright, alright! Quit your blabbering, ya sound like your father. Next time, and I mean next time, I will fire your ass, father's daughter or not. Understand?" He jabbed the pen at her for emphasis of each word. "Yessir, I won't be late again. Thanks so much, uh, sir." Saluting sheepishly, her face vanished from his doorway and the old man sighed as he set down his pen; placing his fingertips against his wrinkly forehead and rubbing. "Why oh why did I have to hire his daughter. One Nakamori I could handle, but two when one of them just left last year? Ooh, I need a vacation."
Happily unaware of her employer's stress level, Aoko walked quickly to her desk, dodging other officers and ducking around people carrying heaps of paper and files. "Hey Aoko, late again? Whatsa' matter, Lt. burn your ass again! Hahahahah!" A few officers chuckled or roared with laughter and mentally, Aoko gutted them all and stood victoriously atop their corpses. "Heheheheh, yeah, right again Toshiba! You son of a bitch, you." She had muttered the last part but waved enthusiastically at the small juncture of men and flashed a fake smile. When they turned their backs, she gave them all the finger and sat down in her movable chair. Sighing, she didn't notice the tall shadow behind her. "You know, Aoko-san, you really shouldn't let them get to you. I mean, I know they're pricks, but seriously, it's degrading to watch you lower yourself to their standards with your father's colorful word scheme." Placing a hand on her forehead, she used the other and gave the wise ass the finger as well. Feeling the smirk burn into her, she turned, her chair following her as a slight snort sounded from her companion.
"Good morning Hakuba-san." she drawled.
He cocked his usual smile at her and leaned with his hip against her desk. "Mornin' Aoko-san. Sleep well?"
"As well as can be when you're having strange dreams that you've been having since you were five." He frowned, "That one again?" "Yes." "Why don't you go to a shrink, I hear they're pretty good at interpreting that kind of stuff." "And be declared a nut around here by all my fellow police peers, no thank you. It's bad enough being the daughter of a man who was humiliated by Kid and half the newspapers of Tokyo." He waved a hand at her, "Nonsense, you are not a nut and certainly if these gentlemen had any decency of chivalry in them, especially since your father was so respected around here, it should be no problem."
She smiled and he felt his heart jump. "No, I think I'd like to figure them out on my own." He shrugged, "Just a suggestion." She shrugged and turned around, ruffling through the thick pile of Kaitou Kid files. "So, any news?" "If you mean if there's any news on Kaitou Kid, then yes, I would say there is." He could see the side of her profile, one of her lovely blue irises pin-pointed on him from the upper corner of her eye. "Oh?" "He sent me a note this morning." Now he could see all of her; her hands folded in her lap while she placed a stoic and unconcerned look on her face. "Where and how did you receive it?" He muttered something under his breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that. Could you speak up and repeat that?" He glared at the ground and shuffled his feet.
"…He sent me a stripper in a…a bunny suit. She gave me the note and…"
"And what?" He could hear the laughter in her voice. He snorted angrily. "Well, dammit, I let her in. It was bloody four o'clock in the morning and it was freezing out and a gentleman can't exactly let a lady freeze, despite her…occupation." She folded her arms across her chest and smirked.
"She tried to strip for you didn't she?"
He jammed his hands into his the pockets of his pants. "Yes."
"But you didn't let her…right?" His face shot up with an incredulous expression written all over it. "Of course I didn't! I gave her my robe, sat her on my couch, and gave her a mug of hot chocolate. She fell asleep and I didn't have the heart to wake her up since she had been ringing my doorbell for the past half hour and I think…I'm pretty sure she's still sleeping there now."
"How very fortunate for her that your culture is still so civilized when it comes to the matters of gentry." He glared at her. "I'm only half British and at least there is one decent human being in this building. You should be on your knees thanking God that he sent me to work in the same department as you. I could've been positioned at the other side of it ya know." She waved her hand at him and scoffed. "Tch, you would've transferred out of there faster than Kid jumping into the air." She winked, "'Sides, what would you do without me by your side?" She watched comically as his face glowed with an adorable hue while he stuttered. She held out her hand. "Do you have the note with you?" He fished into his pocket, his usual cool coming back to him, and placed it into her grasp. She unfolded the edges and read the note, brow furrowing, then anger flashing in her eyes when she saw the caricature he was so known to leave with his impromptu signature before looking up at him with a questionable face. "Were you able to decipher anything from it?"
"I forget what it says, I read it when I got it and didn't look at it again. Read it back to me."
"Dear Idiots that like to stalk me, ("I do not stalk you!" simultaneous, no?)
Beware Emperor of Rome in the darkest of the smile in the sky
For clocks are fickle and go back to their half lives
This time it will surely be a buy
When the darkness comes to present his wife
The city is where the Lion and the Sun come to play
Each symbolized by their true traits
A treasure well known by the cousin of the bay
Surely if you miss, it'll be your fates.
Sincerely,
Kaitou Kid
P.S. I hoped you enjoyed your present Saguru-chan." ("Oi, don't look at me like that!)
"Well I guess that does make him guilty of sending the stripper to you…kinda interesting…I've never known an international criminal to send sexual favors to someone who's trying to throw him in jail." Hakuba snorted. "Just goes to show how demented the guy is…and it isn't sexual favors…I don't need any favors from him, especially in that department."
"Beware Emperor of Rome in the darkest of the smile in the sky…That one I have no clue about. A smile in the sky? What would be considered a smile; especially at…the moon! When the moon is a quarter full, it always looks like a smile! Hakuba, when was the last full moon?"
"…About…two weeks ago. Pretty sure it was two weeks…can't be sure, I'll have to check online."
"Good, but we still need to figure out the first part of the line." She was about to read it over again before Hakuba waved his hand at her. "Forget about that for now, we still need to find out what he's going to steal and where."
"Alright, ummm…The city is where the Lion and the Sun come to play…Alright, so he obviously means Tokyo. But what's so important in the city? He's going to try and steal from a place where he can be seen to try and impress the crowds again. It has to be a place where there are things of value, someplace where they can be…The Tokyo National Museum! Of course, it's an important site in the city and rare finds are always on displays in a museum, plus it's in the middle of the city and people can easily get there from miles around…but what does he mean 'where the Lion and the Sun come to play'?"
"Hold on a sec'." She looked up at him. "What?" His eyes glazed over, staring at nothing as he raised a finger in the air and shook it. "I read it in the paper this morning." Her brow furrowed. "Read what in the paper?" "Be right back!" He turned on his heel and ran out of her cubicle; she heard shouted curses and small crashes coming from around the floor of their department. A few moments later, he was standing in front of her with a crumpled up newspaper and leafing through it quickly. Stopping on a page, his eyes skimmed from top to bottom before a dawned look came over his features and he turned the paper to her and practically shoved it in her face. "This; this is what I'm talking about." Taking the paper out of his grasp, she looked over the article.
"Tokyo's National Museum is on schedule this week to receive the renowned diamond, the 'Darya-i-nur' or 'Sea of Light' for its international tour this year. The diamond is one of the crown Iranian jewels that were once a prized possession of the Mogul emperors of ancient India. During 1827, the emissary of the Persian court, Sir John Malcolm, said that the principle stone along with another world class diamond, in a pair of bracelets, were to said to have been worth one million pounds in sterling…" Their eyes met.
"Think about it. In the note it said When the darkness comes to present his wife. People always say that the most successful couples are those that are opposites; people who complete each other. The opposite of darkness is light. The other clue was A treasure well known by the cousin of the bay. A cousin of the bay; he obviously means it has something to do with large amounts of water and why not the ocean which the bay turns into as the water gets deeper by sea level."
"But what about the sun and lion part? What does that mean?"
"I don't know, maybe it has something to with the jewel. Read on."
"Okay, okay, okay…ummm…let's see…blah, blah, blah, that's where I left off…blah, blah, blah…hmm…Oh, here it is! Listen, 'during this part of the interview with the director of the museum I was allowed a small peak at the jewel before its opening day. The gem was absolutely gorgeous! A large pink diamond no bigger than the palm of my hand, surrounded by the Imperial Iran Government emblem, the two distinct shapes of the sun and a lion…'."
"Sooooo what you're basically saying is that he was just writing down a description of the jewel…I think he's losing his touch…"
She shrugged. "Nah, I think he just wanted to make sure we got the right one." He moved from his position against her desk and stood straight, grabbing the newspaper from her grasp, making her frown in irritation. He rolled it up and tucked it under his arm. "Well whatever the reason, we now know what he's going to steal, where he's going to be. We just need to find out when he's going to do it. I'll notify the Lt. and the rest of the squad, you make the preparations." He turned but was stopped…"Ooooh no, the last time you tried to tell the others, you ended up in the janitor's closet bound and gagged." "Hey, I tried to get their attention but all they said was that I kept bothering them." She laughed. "Well, when you put notices of another Kid heist in the birthday card from the major's daughter, that'll get you the reputation of being a nag."
"Fine, you go round up the troops and I'll do my part. Later!" He dashed off with a wave and she shifted towards the computer, logging onto a certain file, and clasping her hands. Placing her chin on the interlocked, back side of her hands, her eyes narrowed as she studied the black and white picture of the laughing Kaitou Kid on the screen. Her brow furrowed. "Mr. Kid, what secrets are you hiding?" The picture just continued to stare back at her; she kept glaring back at it, expecting the mouth to suddenly start moving and spew answers for her question. She only sighed and clicked on the mouse, closing the program and going into the Microsoft Notepad, where she kept all her failed plans for catching Kid. She placed her fingers above the keypad and rolled her neck, receiving the 'crick' sound that she wanted. 'Well, if this doesn't work, then I'll forever be able to prove that I am once and for all my father's daughter…Okay Aoko, let's make this a smart one and hope to God that nothing will be foiled this time – wait, I can't use that; I already did that mistake and it almost cost me my car!…alright, delete all of this' she pressed down on the key, 'and start something fresh…now think, dammit, think!'
Later on at 10:30 p.m. that night, just two hours after she had finished her takeout dinner, she got into her car to drive home (less hectically). Switching on the car alarm, Aoko fished out her house key from her purse and unlocked the door, securing it again when she was inside.
Dropping her keys and purse onto the table, she kicked off her running shoes and put on her house slippers; walking into the living room and plopping down onto the couch. Spreading her arms out along the back, she leaned her head back and slouched. At ease and comfortable with her eyes closed, she forgot her place and instead fell into the black abyss willingly; the calmness of the dark haze surrounding her subconscious.
The window of the living room flew open, the panes slamming against the wall at either side. She hadn't woken up; only shifted, her brow twitching before she relaxed. A cool breeze blew in and caused the ghostly white curtains to drift in towards the room, floating as if in a dream. A hiss of glowing air seeped into the room and swirled around the area of the couch, settling above Aoko's sleeping form and continuing to spiral.
'Aoookooo…'
A shredded looking fragment began to detach from the windy whirlpool and slowly slithered down towards her face, stopping just before it touched the tip of her nose. She made a movement of stirring but then became still. A heavy-sounding breath echoed in the room and the non-corporeal segment drifted back towards the spiral; continuing to spin for a moment before it rushed past the drapes and out the window, pulling the shutters behind it shut.
Her eyes snapping open and moving left and right, Aoko remained perfectly still and then relaxed her tensed body. She sighed tiredly. 'Damn, every time I fall asleep, I always have that strange dream. It almost seems as if something is trying to remind me of what happened that night. But that's just ridiculous. I mean it's not as if ghosts really exist…right?' When the second part of her mind didn't respond, she became flustered and stood up from the cushiony object. 'Damn right they don't exist; if they did, they'd have a lot to explain as to why they keep haunting me with this stupid memory.'
Looking at the miniature wooden clock on the mantle of the fireplace, Aoko was surprised to see that it was one in the morning. Placing her hands on her hips, she threw her head back and let out a low frustrated scream. 'Oh man and I have to get up in four hourrrrssss. Ugh, I seriously need to see if I can change my shift in the morning for one at night.' A loud yawn slipped past her lips and she stretched her arms above her head, bending backwards and cracking her back and aching limbs. 'Oh yeah, that feels good.' Blinking sleepily, she turned off the lamp sitting on the table by the couch and trudged her way in the dark around the room and towards the stairs.
She had never noticed the silver-hued shadow lurking outside the window that had opened with such force behind it. She had never seen that same eerily white, glowing smile that reappeared in dreams night after night. The same wild hair, the original wicked gleam in his eyes…no, she would never see. "Heheheh…I'm gonna give you such a hard time and all the nightmares you deserve, Aoko Nakamori. You may have been that cute little girl once but now you're just an annoying pest that quickly needs to be squashed. Fortunately, I don't murder humans in cold blood. No, instead I'll kill your spirit and then you'll never chase me ever again…Farewell, lost little one…"
The form moved and then disappeared, a rich laughter echoing in the night as Aoko turned towards her bedroom window, her silk blue blouse in hand and eyes wide. 'What was that?'
Walking into the downtown police department on time (thankfully) Aoko immediately looked over the files at her desk that Hakuba had presented and began to look over his plans and schemes. 'Hmm, well this is interesting. I don't understand this guy; I mean, does he stay up all night and think of these things himself or what? Ooh, what's this? Heheheheh…Hakuba, you dirty lecher. You did like that stripper, you included a little file in here on her and everything. Well, I guess that ruins things for Keiko…such a shame too. Nag boy and nag girl should've hit it off but nooooo, he had to go and –" A hand slammed down onto the cover of the file of the slim, curvaceous woman that had visited its owner's house. Grinning, Aoko peered up into his face and snickered when she saw how red he had become. He swallowed.
"Must you be this nosey in the morning?"
She folded her hands behind her head. "Well, generally as a police officer, it's my duty to interrogate a witness. I was just minding my own business, not my fault you almost had a love fest with her."
"I did not have a love fest with her and will you just drop it already. You're starting to become as annoying as Kid." She scowled. "Oi, don't ever compare me to that bastard." "Sorry, sorry, sorry but don't haggle me about that crap and don't tell anybody in here about it, okay? I don't want my sterling reputation ruined because Kid had the gall to presume that I needed… – well, you get the picture." "As you wish, oh-worrier-about-my-virginity." He glared this time. Behind his anger-staring eyes, a part of him was actually amazed that she forgave him so easily for his comment when she was angered so quickly. 'Must be a woman thing…'
"So, did you figure out when the next quarter moon will be?"
"Yup. The date is March 14th; next week, at 10:46 p.m. I also found out that March 14th is also known as the Ides of March which is when the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by the senate."
"We still need to figure out the date thing though. Wait a minute, what was that part after the Roman Emperor thing?"
"Um," he fished the note out of his pocket ("Geez, can't you put that in the file?"), "here." She grabbed it out of his grasp, "Beware Emperor of Rome in the darkest…Hmmm, well the darkest could be considered the darkest part of the museum or…the darkest time of night! That's around midnight…but wait, that 'smile in the sky' bit has me a little confused. Usually Kid shows up right when the moon is visible at night. Call it a trademark but I think he left another clue in this note. The moon doesn't show until 10:46 p.m. but yet it clearly states midnight in his note. Perhaps…perhaps it could be a double meaning?"
His eyes lit up. "Aoko, you're a genius!" She blinked, "I am?" "Yes, think about it! Beware Emperor of Rome in the darkest of the smile in the sky… For clocks are fickle and go back to their half lives! He means the reverse time of midnight. When you rewind a clock from midnight, especially a half hour, the time is 11:30 p.m.!" Her brow furrowed, "How did you figure out the half hour part?" He smirked and slid his hands into his pockets with a smooth flow of movement. "Easy. A half life? When you think about it, an hour is only sixty minutes but if you divide it, it's a half hour right? The clue was right there all along; he just used a different adjective."
"Alright, I'll put this in the report," she got out her pen and began to jot down notes on the yellow writing pad, "March 14th, quarter full moon, 11:30 p.m. at Tokyo National Museum. Target: Darya-i-nur a.k.a Sea of Light. There. Now we just have to come up with a plan to stop him and have it actually work." Hakuba scratched the back of his neck and gave a goofy grin. "Yeah, that's the only problem," he became serious, "Every time we try to outsmart that damn thief he ends up on the rebound and we end up bumbling around like a bunch of idiots."
Aoko clicked the pen repeatedly as the pointed tip ejected out of the bottom and went back in; her brow furrowing and her eyes holding a determined yet questioning glint to them. "Well mostly we'll have to ask the proprietor of the museum to give us the blueprints of the building; find all the vents, doorways, windows, every crack, nook and cranny has to be locked up tight and sealed; so no one gets in and no one gets out. Although if, if Kid does somehow manage to triumph it'll be us in the locked down building and him running around as usual.
Hakuba placed a hand on his chin and looked up at the boarded ceiling, "Well, we definitely can't place a guard at every door. He'll just knock 'em out with his gas and go prancing in. We could lock down some parts of the museum. The back doors, a few windows and most of the vents. Well, then again, he could probably have some heating gadget that could melt down the steel walls in the vents and just continue crawling. It would slow him down no doubt, probably get him seen a couple of times by some of the officers but he would just do one of his annoying tricks and keep heading on."
"Wait," she flopped her pen in the air, her face all but screwed up in thought, "what if we made a path for him? It would be suspicious but mostly convenient…yeah…we make a pathway for him, leaving some dead ends open so it wouldn't be too suspicious and then have half the team in the room with the diamond so that when he gets there they could all jump on him at once. He's been known to get out of dog piles with ten officers on top of him but can he get out from underneath twenty?"
"That's only ten more people Aoko, I think he could handle it. 'Sides, not to give him credit or anything, but I think Kid has enough brains to recognize a trap when he feels one. He's not a wanted international criminal for nothin' ya know?" She tossed the pen onto her desk in frustration and threw her hands up at him in a suggestion of 'well-what-do-you-think-we-should-do?' He sighed. "Well, I myself don't know what to do either. The best we can do is to go home tonight and come up with some kind of brilliant deduction and see if we can piece them together. Don't look at me like that. I know we're supposed to be doing that kind of work here but frankly, I do not trust these walls," he whispered now, "For all we know they could be bugged by Kid and that's why he keeps escaping from us; because he keeps hearing our plans out loud!"
A grin made its way over his face, the eyes twinkling along with a set of fangs; even in the dark, shadowed room. He held a head set to his ears and listened with all the strength his vampiric senses could pick up and luckily for him, that was practically everything, including their heart beats which made it sometimes hard for him to distinguish the sounds of their voices conversing and the sound of his stomach whining for food. The smirk grew.
"Oh, you have no idea Saguru-chan. No idea at all. Heheheheheh…"
For you see, the young thief had bugged the building right when it was being built in the seventies. He had even worked as an anonymous construction worker and built it with his own two hands and to say he didn't know it like the back of his hand was to say the sky wasn't blue…ain't true.
Aoko placed her chin in her propped hand leaning on her desk and stared at him with a bored, sarcastic expression. "You ever think you're just plain paranoid?" He huffed and folded his arms across his chest. "You can never be too unrealistic when it comes to Kid. I mean, this guy goes 'round cross dressing. Like that last time we almost caught him as a twenty-four year old hooker prancing around the mayor's office. Not to say that that didn't almost turn into a scandal and we got hollered at by practically every commanding officer in the district but I'm not going to go there. The point is, you have to expect the unexpected with Kid and that comes with literal terms. So heed my warning."
"I think I've worked long enough to know what to expect and what not to expect from Kid thank you very much. At any rate, everyone knows about his supposed number one rule about no one getting hurt. So as to expect anybody getting killed or remotely scraped is a definite check off. As for the rest of his…skills…we just deal with them when the time comes and not speculate about him being some kind of secret agent or crap like that, okay?" He pouted. "Fine."
"Geez, who's wearing the pants in this relationship?...Ah, that's a good perverted, British detective. That's right, you don't suspect Kaito of being a stalker like you guys and I get to listen to your hair brained schemes like the good little fly on the wall that I am…heheheh…"
"Although…"
"Although what?"
"I'm actually surprised that you would trust this rumor about no one getting hurt. Last time I checked, you didn't even trust the air that Kid breathed. What changed?" She shrugged her shoulders and glared, "Nothing's changed. If you'd paid attention to the heists you'd notice that no one, and I mean no one, has ever gotten hurt. The only reason my touchan got hurt was because he made idiotic mistakes and almost got himself killed numerous times from hanging off the sides of buildings. Mostly because he was chasing Kid, not the other way 'round."
He shifted, crossing his legs and arms with a quirked eyebrow and surprised gaze, "Something has changed with you. Usually you blame Kid left and right for everything, even if your car gets a flat tire or if your toilet isn't working…," he stood up straight, "Oi, you're not Kid are you?" Her eyes flashed and he knew what was coming. Without a second warning, Aoko had snatched the mop from the janitor's bucket who happened to be walking down that particular corridor for the spill in the Lt.'s office and laid a big wet swipe on Hakuba's head. Letting out a sigh, the young man ducked his head from underneath the soggy bristles and watched as the mop-wielder settled a hand on her hip and held the mop with the other, giving him the impression of an Amazon going hunting.
"Stupid question, I know. Sorry…just not used to you for not yelling for something and blaming it on Kid," he shrugged, "Who knows, may it'll be better for your stress levels. Certainly will help you in the long run; you won't need to go to anger management like your father." He smirked but then paled when he heard a certain growl, "Ha-KU-BAA!" Another mop swipe came at him and soon it was a full out chase, coworkers sipping their coffee and lifting their belongings without even giving a glance.
Sheepish look, "Man, I am sooo glad that I'm not that guy…I probably get worse since she shoots the gun at me, not that it hurts a dead guy to be shot by bullets" frustration, "…though…it would be nice to be alive so that I could feel the pain!" Putting down the headphones, Kaito shifted in his chair, placed something in right the pocket of his pants and then rose from his sitting position. Turning around he walked into the darkness, a smirk playing on his features.
Pulling into the driveway, Aoko shut off the engine and undid her seat belt, taking the key out of the ignition and opening the door. With the blink and squeal from the direction of the headlights, her car alarm was ready and set and she made her way to the front door of the house. Smoothing down her skirt and removing a piece of imaginary lint from the left shoulder of her long wool jacket, Aoko rang the door bell once and let her hand drop to her side as she unconsciously straightened her form. The sound of quick scuffling entered her ears before the beige door with the gold knocker opened and golden light spilled forth from the interior of the house. "Ah, Aoko! Come on in, come on in!" Quickly ushered in by his hands, the door was shut behind her and she turned to the person behind her. She smiled. "Touchan, you look good. How have you been?" She was pulled into a soft embrace by her father. "I'm gettin' by, especially for an old man like me." She smiled up at him softly again while turning her profile towards him as he took off her coat and hung it for her. "Oh touchan, you'll never be old." "Why thank you Ao-" "No, instead you'll be a grump with gray hairs coming out of his nose and ears while his head gets balder and starts to lose his brain cells from all the smoking he's been doing for the past 20 somethin' years." "-ko…hmmm, smartass. Just like your mother." She chortled softly and walked into the parlor where they both sat on the comfortable, worn pale yellow sofa.
"So, how has police work been for you?"
"Oh, it's been fine," she fidgeted, "I uh, I still haven't caught…Kid…yet touchan."
He smiled knowingly. "I've noticed. They always show special reports on the news for that type of thing. Don't worry, I have all the confidence in the world that you'll be the one to catch him. I mean, you scored even higher than I did when you took the last exams of the police academy and graduated. Plus, I've been watching closely with these reports and from what I can tell, you've been giving the Kid more trouble than he bargained for."
"Tch, you're telling me old man. Not only does she have more brains than you but she definitely has more agility and strength than you ever did…probably from chasing Hakuba around with that mop of hers for the past fourteen years…Heheheheh…loser."
Her brow furrowed. "Hm, yeah but…"
"Yeah but nothin'. Now come on, I made your favorite dinner-"
"What? Burnt beef stew with melted fried shrimp and liquefied rice curry?"
Under his breath, "There goes those smartass remarks again," she laughed, "No, but I did make all of the above so come into the kitchen and quit squawkin'. Sound like an old woman."
They walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table where, surprise-surprise, he actually did make an edible meal for once. During the course of shoving food down their throats which tasted delicious ("Touchan, did you get a housekeeper or perhaps your keeping a gourmet chef in a cage in the basement?" A glower. "Hahahaha…eat your food.") they talked animatedly about past and present cases, things going on in the community and, of course, Aoko's love life…or lack there of (groan).
"All I'm saying Aoko, is that it's time you settled down with someone and started sharing a life…preferably your life." He let his fork drop down onto his crumb filled plate. She sighed and dropped hers as well, shaking her head. "Touchan, I'm twenty-two years old. I'm in the prime of my life! I'm not like you or mom who just one day meet, fall in love, and have me nine months later when you're both twenty three." He sighed this time, "Aoko, I never said you had to do any of those things. Your mother and I were very fortunate to have found each other at such an early stage at both of our lives and to have married and had you. I just think that you should perhaps start going out on some of those blind dates that most young people do and try and see if one of them is the right guy. If perchance you do find the right young man and he is approved by your touchan,then I could only hope that you'll take time getting to know each other, perhaps even settling down and having grandchildren for you dear old touchan."
She smiled wearily, "Alright touchan, if it makes you happy, I will try and shop for the right guy so I can bring him to your house and have him fail every test you give him and still love him anyway. Yes, a Romeo and Juliet scene will occur, except without the suicide notion of it all, and my hunk and I will jump onto his dashing Harley Davidson and ride out into the sunset. My dream come true for a fairy tale ending for true love."
He scowled, "You know, you don't have to be so sarcastic about the helpful advice I'm trying to give you. But if you did take my advice seriously, you wouldn't be spending most of your weeknights here with your old man and would be, instead, with that would-be-man-of-yours, having the time of your life and looking forward to a possible future together."
Her brow furrowed, "But touchan, I like spending some of my weeknights with you. Don't you want me here anymore?" He reached out and patted her hand, "It's not that I don't want you here sweetheart; tell you what, the next time you come here, you bring some company of the opposite sex and I'll let you through the front door ("Sounds like an ultimatum to me…")."
"Alright, alright, I will bring a date the next time I'm here and you can interrogate him while Hakuba follows our every move like his favored, creepy pet hawk and fume in the corner like a jealous school boy." "Aah, him again. Right, right. Well, I could just let you two in and shut the door really quickly in his face and bar the windows and shut the drapes."
"I don't know if that'll do touchan but I'll try anyway, for your sake…" 'If it'll get you off my back for a while…'
He picked their plates up from the table and walked over to the counter where he disposed them into the sink and turned on the faucet, rolling up his sleeves. He turned to her as she stood up and gave her a tight embrace. "Aoko, I love you. I really do. You're my only child and you mean the world to me. You're all I have since your mother passed away all those years ago and I only want you to be happy. Even though I may act like a pushy old man who wants lots of grandchildren to spoil, and believe me I do, I want you to take this at your pace and marry someone when you're ready for marriage." She squeezed him softly and smiled into his shoulder. "I know touchan. I am happy, for now I mean. But when I do find that one, what should I look for…I mean, what I should feel when I do find that one for me?"
He smiled and held her out at arms length, "Well for your mother and I, it was a telephone pole, a very big bruise and a broken nose, which concluded a ride to the hospital and our first date the next night. For you…I would say lightning in a bottle. Something that you want to hold in for so long because it feels so good and yet hurts at the same time but you just can't contain it because it's so powerful, so strong, and it grows with every little minute that you're together or far apart. Passion, obsession, happiness, rapture, singing cherubs, playing harps, God's light breaking through the clouds to make an obvious hint, rainbow filled skies, and yes that one thing parents are forbidden to talk about, desire. All those things and more, Aoko. So much more."
She stepped away and smiled up at him, "Alright touchan, I'll look for that and more. I promise." Satisfied, Ginzo turned away and began to wash the dishes. Aoko walked out through the parlor and to main foyer where she gathered her coat, put it on and slid her purse onto her shoulder while she held her house and car keys in her hand. Looking down into her clenched fist, her fingers digging into the metal of the keys, she could only think, "Lightning in a bottle, huh? But lightning has to strike first and people always have to stand in a certain spot for that one occurrence to take place. I wonder where mine will take place." Shaking her head with a wistful smile, Aoko opened the door, the gold light from inside spilling out onto the porch, and locked it behind her softly as it shut.
A/N: Hey, just wanted to wish everyone a "Happy Halloween" and I hope that ya'll get wasted on candy and puke up some good chocolate in the morning! Halloween is my favorite time of the year, especially with all the magic, mystery, scariness, ghost stories, darkness, traditions, movies, monsters, and legends that come with this special day. Plus the fact that the candy companies make a ton of money with our consumer reports of however much stock we buy and consume in one night. Heck of a lot if you ask me…
Anyways, I want to say thank you for those who reviewed and for the 200 hits on my story this past month. I have been checking the stats on my story and I must say, I was kind of impressed that so many people read it. Must be my charm!
I will try and have the next chapter up during Thanksgiving or possibly earlier. However, I mostly try, during my writing, that I update before any major holiday or on the day of. Review or mention me and I'll be your bestest friend!
Later Peeps!