Disclaimer: I do not own Magic Kaito.
Note: This chapter ends sooner than intended because I decided over ten thousand words for a chapter was getting to be a bit much.
The Wolf
Chapter One
The night was clear and Selene drove her full-bodied chariot across the sky. A figure clad in white ran fleetly over the rooftops with a skill that spoke of much practice, the ephemeralness of his person and the bright sheen of his suit in the moonlight making him appear ghost-like. He grinned and threw his face to the sky, reveling in the chilly wind that dragged its fingers across his cheeks and tugged playfully at his cape.
Kaitou KID was free tonight, his wings still unclipped.
Sure, the heist that he had scheduled tonight had been another disappointment as its target jewel had not proven itself to be Pandora when he had held it aloft to the full moon, but that was not an especial surprise; Kaito had doubts about whether it even existed, but what did matter was that his father's murderers believed that it did. He would continue playing this deadly game that they had started until either they were brought down or he died.
Besides, the heists themselves were still an experience, one that the adrenaline-junkie in Kaito craved despite the danger and inherent unlawfulness of them. The chance to show off his magical talents on a huge stage that before he could only fantasize about was a delight and challenge, the added element of keeping a secret identity and running on a razor-thin edge only increasing the thrill of the performance. He was pushed to his limits, having to force his body and wits that extra mile to stay ahead of the opposition.
But now it was the epilogue of the heist, the denouement that was getting home with no questions concerning where he was and what he was doing that was perhaps the young thief's favorite. It was times like this, running free amok the city as a person who didn't really exist – as his father's physical ghost, one could say – that was the best. He enjoyed the way the early autumn air cooled down his skin, heated and flushed from the exertion of his night job in a suit, and how the soothing silver light of the moon guided him where the lights of the city failed to illuminate.
Kaito hopped down from a roof onto a balcony. Gloved hands gripping the railing he leapt over the edge and dangled over it, lowering himself a bit more from the bars before he deemed the ground close enough to drop. He did so and landed in a fashion that lessened the impact but still jolted his limbs. Shaking it off he now took to the streets, inching along the sides of buildings where the eaves cast shadows. This part of Ekoda was not so busy at this late hour, but Kaito nevertheless did not want to risk an encounter with a civilian; or worse, a policeman or a criminal in league with Snake and his cronies.
Reaching a public restroom and seeing no witnesses after a quick but practiced scan of his surroundings, the gentleman thief strode into the empty men's side and one of the out-of-order stalls, locking it behind him. Prying out a section of the innocuous-seeming wall, he found the civilian clothes that he had stashed in the secret cavity and quickly changed.
Short minutes later, any bystanders would see only Kuroba Kaito, a not-so average but certainly not criminal high school student returning home in nondescript jeans and T-shirt. The phantom thief's outfit was safely ensconced where the clothes he was now wearing had been, to be retrieved on a later day when it wouldn't be so suspicious for a teenage magician to be out and about carrying an extra set of clothes, just so coincidentally on the night of one of Kaitou KID's heists.
Home wasn't that far off now, and worn-out from the night's activities, Kaito was looking forward to getting there as soon as possible. Especially since it was a school day tomorrow and he wanted as much time to sleep as he could get this night.
It was with this desire that Kaito forwent the more trafficked streets, taking instead the back ways that, although away from the streetlights and shadier in nature, would also get him to his destination faster. Besides, it wasn't like this part of the city was dangerous, certainly not like the suspiciously murderous den that Beika was (really now, was there something in the water there?). Even if he did run across an unsavory character or few, Kaito was confident that if he could destroy murderous androids, run an entire division of policemen and detectives around in circles, and stand off against gun-toting villains then he could manage some run-of-the-mill thugs.
Thus undaunted, he carried down a dark alley with a jaunt to his step, the satisfaction of another escapade successfully performed still thrumming in him. Kaito smirked as he remembered the way he teased his favorite inspector and snooty detective classmate. He just wished that he could be there when Hakuba discovered what the thief had surreptitiously slipped under that stupid hat of his that he had worn to the heist tonight. Face screwing up into a visage of unholy glee as he snickered loudly, he almost missed the breathy sound that came from somewhere ahead of him. He was hesitant for a moment, the mirth draining out of him, but then he shrugged it off as an audio illusion and started walking once more, albeit more reservedly than before.
Except he heard the sound once more, louder this time, and Kaito halted mid-step. It did not stop this time, but instead deepened into an animalistic snarl that fluctuated a bit as if a parody of a cackle. Eyes widening, Kaito took in the sight of a large mass, which he had mistaken before as a patch of deep shadows, peeling off from the side of the alley. It came to pause in the middle of the narrow corridor a few feet off in front of him, wide enough that it barred the wiry teen from passing around it on either side.
Kaito tensed, warily taking in the form. Even in the gloom it cut an imposing figure that would tower over him regardless of the way it was stooped. The entity then crouched down until all four of its limbs were planted on the ground, its hindquarters raised like a hunting cat's.
Biting his lower lip, the thief slowly started backing away, not daring to remove his eyes from the beast before him. As he neared the entrance whence he had entered the alleyway, Kaito dared to hope that his caution was working, for the black form did not match his steps. The thief blinked, and in that interval of sightlessness the creature had crossed the distance between them in a single bound of powerful legs and was now descending upon his form.
He saw a slathering, gaping maw lined with teeth like scimitars bearing down upon him. Above it were jaundiced eyes that rolled madly, luminescent in the glow of yonder streetlights and set against a backdrop of bristling black fur like harvest moons.
Kaito's scream was choked out of him as his back collided heavily with the hard ground, knocking the breath out of his lungs. He wheezed and gasped, struggling to draw air into his airways – feeling constricted as if caught in a vise – as red and black stars bloomed in his vision. He winced as paws with dexterous fingerlike toes clamped painfully down upon his shoulders, and the thief could feel large claws pierce his skin and burrow into muscle for a tenacious grip.
His assaulter was both larger and much stronger than him, but now Kaito thrashed, desperation and pain lending him strength even though his efforts were futile. Snapping his head up as he felt a humid breath smelling like dog and something rancid that he couldn't quite place, Kaito felt his forehead collide with something wet and fleshy, followed by a resounding crack that Kaito hoped didn't belong to him in a part of his mind where the panic did not reach.
An outraged howl met this and the weight on Kaito lessened. Daring to risk a glance, he saw that the creature, which was now apparent as a canine at this proximity, had reared up from the force of his collision against its snout, from which rivulets of blood streamed. Strength renewed from this brief respite, Kaito tore at the ground with his hands in an attempt to scramble away, unconcerned with the bruising pain in his shoulders and the way the asphalt stripped the skin off his palms in light of the greater issue.
Chancing a glance as he incrementally worked his way from out beneath the hulking monster, Kaito saw it licking its chops, taking in the taste of its own blood with a slightly confused look that would have been amusing had this not been a life-and-death situation. Fascinated by how emotive the beast was for all its viciousness, the thief's gradual escape unconsciously slowed down as he took in how the canine's (although there was something wrong about that description . . . it almost looked, dare he think so, human, especially at the moment) brows and muzzle furrowed in an expression that Kaito would label as frustration at itself, were it intelligent enough to possess such emotions.
Regardless of what it is, the mauled teenager was just thankful for the distraction. Now he was almost capable of getting to his feet and running away, pulling the magic tricks he had kept on him to aid in this endeavor. Although nothing strenuous, Kaito noted as the twinges in his shoulders opined what they thought of anything on the scale of Kaitou KID's typical skill.
Almost there! But then he caught sight of the creature's amber eyes flick in his direction, and when it bared its teeth at him his hopes were dashed. With a growl it slammed one of its forepaws onto Kaito's chest, pinning it back down to the ground like a specimen butterfly. The thief squirmed against the daunting pressure crushing him, and the savage teeth that had lashed out missed his throat. Kaito screamed as he felt them graze the side of his neck, feeling them catch on the skin and tear. Viscous spittle dripped from the beast's jaw and mixed with the blood that had been shed.
Seeing that the monster was going in for the kill once more, Kaito squeezed his eyes shut and grit his teeth, nothing left but to await the inevitable.
The death strike did not come. He vaguely registered a shout, followed by a few more. Suddenly the weight on his chest eased and did not return as the sound of heavy pants and claws clacking against asphalt grew fainter.
Kaito remained lying there, his breath coming in shallow gasps that made his entire body shudder. The adrenaline that pumped through his veins and permeated his utter being started ebbing away, leaving relief and the ghost of terror in its wake. His muscles slackened, feeling leaden, and muzzy warmth quickly overcame him. He did not even take note of the people that rushed to his side, trying to rouse him to consciousness as he fell into a state of blissful black.
Line Break
Kaito wasn't quite sure when he returned to conscious. It was more a gradual process, starting with a sense of existing. Alive, in other words. To bask in the feeling was an unfamiliar one; the other times he had being fleeting instances in the momentary face of death. Kaito reveled in it; the sensation akin to rousing to lazy wakefulness bundled in a cocoon of warm blankets.
He was then aware of sound. Kaito had been hearing a susurrus of hushed voices for a while now, but they were only becoming coherent now. Light conversation, stretched with a tone of concern that the casual veneer could not hide.
They sounded familiar. Kaito was almost content to remain as he was and continue allowing the voices to wash over him like sea murmurs. Unfortunately, waking up also alerted him to something that he could not ignore: he had an itch. The thief's face scrunched up as he set to paying the discomfort no heed, but the incessant itch gave him no choice. Resigning himself to what he had to do, Kaito started to raise one of his arms to scratch the irritated area. He stopped when his shoulder protested the movement with an angry twinge.
Kaito groaned and became only vaguely aware that the voices had ceased when he moved. He was more concerned about the itch, along with what was apparently an injured shoulder. What had he done to hurt it this time? Perhaps a poorly executed landing roll? His other shoulder seemed fine after a quick test of moving it, so he used the other arm to get at the itch, niggling worry – he was forgetting something – prickling at him in a way that no amount of scratching would alleviate, before he encountered bandages.
Ceasing his previous fervent efforts, Kaito instead rubbed at the itchy spot as he fought the desire to pick at the wrappings, figuring they were there for a good reason. Why were they there? Obviously, as he had observed before, he was injured. How?
Propping himself up on his elbows, the bedridden thief opened his eyes, just in time to see his childhood friend swing a hand at him. He cried out (totally understandably (even without a mop Aoko could be scary), and no, it was definitely not a squeal), only to be surprised at he received nothing more than a firm tap to the crown of his head.
"Bakaito, stop that before you mess up the stitches!" Aoko chided, and next thing Kaito knew he was being hugged. One of the boy's eyes twitched unconsciously as the rest of him remained frozen in the spontaneous embrace. What to do, what to do? He had nothing at all against being hugged by a pretty girl – especially one that smelled like peaches (was she wearing perfume? That wasn't typical of her) – but this was Aoko. Those were two completely different things.
Not to mention that for all he knew this could be some strange behavior of the female species before they directed their wrath upon their hapless victim. Like how a cat toyed with their prey?
The thought occurred to Kaito that perhaps his head had been injured also. Wriggling just enough to work his good arm free from the firm (but thankfully loose) coil around his torso that Aoko's arms formed, he blindly trailed his fingers (the palms of his hands were also bandaged, he noticed) around his head until he could feel gauze. The wounded teen allowed his arm to fall back down, not quite sure what to make of all this. It was too sudden.
"Aoko, what are you doing in my room?" Kaito settled to ask after trying to recollect his thoughts. It didn't help that he had been trying to piece together his situation when she'd suddenly assaulted him.
"Kaito, you're in the hospital." Came his mother's voice from behind Aoko. Kaito shifted himself in the girl's grasp to catch sight of her sitting in a utilitarian chair. She looked amused by the interaction between the two teenagers, but a cursory glance was enough to pick out the relief in her eyes and, more importantly, her rumpled appearance. Kuroba Chikage's hair was not immaculately groomed and her clothes – usually neat and put together as though she had just walked out of a fashion catalogue – were slightly disheveled.
Squirming fully out of Aoko's hug, which she released him from with a measure of reluctance, Kaito asked, "What am I doing in the hospital?"
"You don't remember? Some passersby witnessed you being mauled by an animal and managed to ward it off from you. Apparently there have been previous reports in the past several months of a feral dog attacking people!" Chikage huffed, scowling at the thought that it had been running around for so long and hadn't been apprehended yet, and now her son was a victim of its violence as a result.
"You're really lucky, you know. Apparently the dog has killed and even eaten most of the people it has attacked." Aoko shuddered, crossing her arms and running her hands over the goosebumps that had developed.
Kaito sat up straighter, eyes widening as recollection of the event slammed into him. The feeling of being helpless and . . . and prey, the odd thought jumped unbidden to his mind, and he couldn't separate the feelings of both fear and, strangely enough, affront at the impression. A shudder wracked the magician's body at the memory of snarls carried out from behind the wicked teeth on a humidly warm and odiferous breath that Kaito could still almost feel rolling over his face.
Those teeth . . .
Reflexively the teenager snapped a hand to his neck as the entire memory of the event returned, playing out across his vision like a surreal movie of a dream. He could feel a ghost sensation of the yellowed bone pinching his skin and creeping over the rest of his neck as a tingling, feather-pressure that became denser as it commanded his attention.
Rubbing at the spot that the teeth had caught as if to reassure himself that his throat was still intact despite the obvious, Kaito felt and heard his bandaged hand scratch like sandpaper over more bandages. Only slightly relieved by the confirmation (and at the same time alarmed in a new way – holy shit he could have died, could have been dead now) he nearly jumped out of his skin at a small pressure easing onto his back.
"Breathe, Kaito. In and out, slowly and deeply," his mother commanded, words tickling one of his ears as they passed by, alerting him to the fact that his breathing was rapid, and he didn't need to put a hand to his chest – if he could; at the present moment something had taken him over, his muscles seized up – to feel his heart palpitating.
You're hyperventilating, stated a clinical corner of his mind unaffected by the terror that had overcome him.
(How pathetic are you? You deal with so much freaking craziness on a regular basis, and it's a rabid mutt of all things that finally cracks you? Whatever happened to Poker Face? Your father would be disappointed in you, were he to see you now, a depreciating voice sneered, skulking insidiously into his thoughts like poison incarnate, black and bubbling with vitriol.)
(No, I can't deal with this right now.)
Clenching his jaw, Kaito shunted the evil doubts out of the way to address later and then forced himself to take a deep breath. It shuddered uncertainly into his lungs, and his following exhale was stuttered as he attempted to reestablish his normal pattern of breathing. The simple action felt artificial and wrong with conscious control, and Kaito's constricted throat, the pressure in his chest, demanded that he stop and just let his body do its thing, incorrect or not.
Like when waking up, Kaito could hear as if from a distance his parent addressing Aoko as she rubbed soothing circles across his back. His childhood friend responded in an affirmative fashion and hurried out of the room in a brisk walk that was only barely contained from a sprint.
His breathing was just starting to return to normal when Aoko returned, following behind a nurse with a severe demeanor. She took in the sight of Kaito, awake and recovering from his breathing attack, and nodded curtly with approval at Chikage for her efforts. The thief's mother gave Kaito a reassuring pat on the back before retracting her hand, which had remained for the duration of his panic attack.
"It would be appreciated if the patient is not upset further. You should have sent for me as soon as he awoke," said the nurse in a rigid tone, matching her appearance as a strict elderly matron to a T. While Chikage ignored the admonishment, a sheepish flush tinted Aoko's cheeks and she went to stand close to her friend, who was doing his best not to glower at the nurse for her attitude.
People like her always rubbed him the wrong way. She should just count herself lucky that he had no pranking objects on his person to use against her.
The nurse briefly examined Kaito, clucking as she observed his health, and once done she turned her attention to address Chikage. Kaito made a face behind the crone's back and shared a glance with Aoko, who was just as displeased. Of all the nurses out there, he just had to get the crotchety hag, didn't he?
When Kaito heard his name uttered he started listening in on the conversation between the two adults, the topic alarming him once he got a grasp on what they were discussing.
"We have only administered the first dose. Remember to bring him in on these four days," the nurse was advising Chikage, pointing to the days on the pocket planner that the young magician's mother was taking note in.
"Doses? Doses for what?" Kaito interjected, receiving a glare from the nurse in the process.
"The rabies vaccinations. There isn't much known about the dog that attacked you, but there's a high chance of it having rabies." Chikage smiled apologetically at her upset son, even though she had to hold back a chuckle at his stricken expression. At least he was starting to act more like himself.
"What? I don't want–" He was cut off by looks he was shot by the three women in the room.
"You don't need to stay here, but you will be getting those shots." His mother's tone brooked no argument.
"But–"
"Not another word!"
Kaito huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and settling into a surly slouch. He hated shots. Then again, that may have to do with that blasted tranquilizer watch that Tantei-kun was so fond of.
"Well, at least your injuries aren't as bad as the doctors thought at first," Aoko started as a way to console her friend. "They say that they won't take too long to fully heal, and without lasting damage."
"Really?" Kaito perked up.
The nurse nodded.
"Besides those stitches on your shoulder and head, along with the concussion you suffered, you are in good health. Ignoring the potential exposure to rabies, that is. So long as you do not demonstrate any negative effects then by this time tomorrow comes we will be releasing you."
Beaming, Kaito thought to spring out of bed before thinking better of it, mindful of his injuries. Then the nurse broke his joy once more as she turned to his mother and said, "Remember to bring him back the day after tomorrow for his second dose."
"Whaaaaat? So soon? Can't we push it back?" Kaito whined.
"No, and do not complain to me; I am not the one who came up with the schedule." The nurse left the room after that clipped statement.
Kaito huffily slumped back against the headboard of his hospital bed, shooting Chikage a betrayed look, which the woman aloofly ignored on the pretense of regarding her fingernails. Aoko snickered, which further exacerbated the thief's bad mood. Why was it that everybody seemed to derive amusement from his suffering? It wasn't funny!
Line Break
True to word, Kaito was discharged the next day, following another check of his health that passed with a positive opinion on his recovery. Indeed, his injuries were not discomforting the thief as much as they had the day before.
Worried about Kaito, Aoko had skipped school that day to accompany Chikage to the hospital once more, eager to see if her friend was doing well. Now though she was starting to regret her decision as she observed Kaito. His mother dealing with the medical practitioners, Kaito was ignoring the rules of hospital conduct as he scurried down the halls, poking his nose into anything that piqued his interest before capriciously rushing off to the next thing to catch his eye.
Following after Kaito as he was going on his way were displays of color, plumes of smoke, white feathers scattered here and there, and the long stares of bewildered patients and workers alike (the latter of which, if they found the wits quickly enough to react, would find that their sharp words were deflected by Kaito's metaphorical thick hide).
It had been nice to see her friend so energetic at first, especially after that uncharacteristic episode he had suffered when she visited yesterday, but after a while had become as bothersome as was typical.
Aoko was going to strangle the person that snuck a set of clothes with toys included to Kaito should she ever find out who was responsible. Having had enough, and with a conveniently unlocked storage room providing her with her weapon of choice, Aoko put an end to the almost-discharged patient with a (gentle) thwack of a mop to his head.
"What was that for?" Kaito asked only a little irately as he came to a stop, rubbing the spot – taking note that it was nowhere near the stitches, but since Aoko was a master of mop-fu it did not surprise him that she had such control even when on her last nerve – where the cleaning implement had hit him. Gross! Who knew where that thing had been!
The thought occurring to him, Kaito pulled his hand away from his head to give it a suspicious sniff. It neither smelled nor was wet, so if nothing else at least the mop had not been used for its intended purpose recently.
"You're driving me and everyone in the hospital up-the-walls with your obnoxious antics! Grow up and act your age!" Aoko snapped, only to regret it as she watched Kaito's face fall. An unpleasant guilt crawled under her skin and, worming its way through her, came to coil in her chest. She sighed, setting the mop aside against a wall.
"I'm sorry, it's just been . . ." Aoko searched for the words to properly convey how she felt but, for a lack of them, finished with an unsatisfactory, "stressful."
She fidgeted under Kaito's unblinking gaze as he stared at her until it could be taken no longer.
"What?"
As if snapped out of a daze, a broad smile stretched over the magician's face and next thing Aoko knew she was being glomped.
"Aww, you really do care about me! And here I was starting to think you just kept me around for my dashing good looks."
Kaito didn't even see Aoko move. One moment he was teasing her, and the next he had the mop shoved into his face, the girl using the leverage it granted to wrest herself free from Kaito's arms.
"Agh!" Kaito spluttered, stumbling back in revulsion from his childhood friend and her formidable weapon. His face was screwed into an expression of disgust, clear even as he rubbed his face and tongue on one of his shirt sleeves.
"Bakaito."
"That thing tastes nasty!"
"It's your fault for your face just so happening to be where I wanted to place the mop."
"My fault? You did that on purpose!" he managed to choke out as he picked dishwater colored threads and miscellaneous clumps of who knew what off of his tongue.
Aoko merely retorted with a 'hmph' and, mood subdued and scowling, Kaito continued on his way to the hospital reception area with her.
There they joined Chikage at the front desk and finally checked out.
Although mood still not entirely restored –not helped by the elder Kuroba's curiosity on what must have happened between him and his childhood friend to have caused such – Kaito nevertheless perked up as he experienced freedom from his hospital stay. Soon enough his pleasure was lifting up, albeit not to the manic levels that it was at before Aoko rained on the magician's parade.
Of course, then his mom had to ruin it.
"Don't forget that we have to come back tomorrow for your next shot," she chirped, so cheerfully that Kaito, moaning a loud objection in response, was certain that she had been saving the reminder for a moment just like this.
Line Break
His footsteps sounded eerily in the unnatural still of the city. Walking down the sidewalk he was almost tempted to leap out into the road and dance giddily at the utter lack of cars and pedestrians. What stayed him though was the unsettling vacancy of all life but him.
Hands shoved into his jean pockets he instead continued his shuffling progression, still unknowing of where he was going. Perhaps, he thought, he was just continuing for the sake of doing so. Maybe to seek out anybody else; he knew he certainly would not mind company here.
The street he traversed continued for an unknown distance, and night was falling. Looking up, Kaito was disappointed to see umber clouds rolling overhead; expected, due to living in the city, but was nevertheless a letdown. It would have been nice to have the stars at his side.
It was when the city was completely covered in darkness, and Kaito was now ambling blindly down pavement for a lack of sight, that the sodium vapor streetlights flickered on. They hummed softly, like fluttering heartbeats.
He was not on the same street as before. Somewhere he had veered down a different direction, and now the place he was at was a much smaller one. A chain-link fence cut off one of the street's two ends, leaving only the other and narrow alleyways open.
Kaito paused here to take in his surroundings. The buildings were old and stained, but bore themselves with the solemn dignity of grandeur long passed. Intricate metalwork was twisted into rails and grills and ornate wall lattices where skeletal remains of once-resplendent plants hung. The thief thought they would crumble to dust should he touch them.
A mournful note ghosted through the air. Cackles echoed it, a rasping undertone that sent shudders through the metalwork. Gooseflesh rising on his arms, Kaito took a step back, only to wince as the back of his head collided with something hard. Turning around, he saw a brick wall where he had been sure was an alley. At first he mistook it as oddly dark when compared to the faded coloring of the other buildings, but upon a second glance saw that it was just alike to them. The only difference was the black stain that spread several meters over him and draped straight out in front of him like a misshapen shadow.
A bloom of old blood, splayed over the bricks in the shape of beast skin.
With no other choice Kaito broke off from the fringes and stepped further out into the street, where the lights did not quite reach, reducing everything to shades of grey. Nor did any heat. Instead a cold washed over in the twilight, brushing its needle-fur up against Kaito, who stiffened up but stamped down the startled response at the invisible touch; somehow, he just knew that his fear could be smelled.
A breath in and then out; he watched his exhalation billow spirit-like from his puckered lips. The vapor was tinted red and almost luminescent, bright motes within the ethereal substance winking in and out of existence like moons.
They fluttered further ahead of Kaito, who found his legs lifting of their own accord to follow them as they trailed down the street towards its single exit; sometime, somehow, the alleyways had disappeared, or perhaps never existed, and left only the one unfenced opening as the way out.
Pitch darkness crept into the sides of the street, rapidly shifting into a new position with every motion Kaito made and giving off the impression, glanced from the corners of his eyes, that they were stalking his progress with undivided attention.
The motes started dying off, the ones remaining picking up speed.
"Wait, don't go!" Kaito shouted, reaching out. The last of the mote gave a final twinkle before it faded out a hair's breadth from the thief's vying fingers.
Abandoned, Kaito slowed to a stop and sighed, shoulders slumping forwards in disappointment. This didn't last long, the cackles from before returning. Raising his head, Kaito observed how the impossibly deep darkness undulated ever closer around him like a cinching noose. The shadows stretched up and so did the world, and the teen fell onto his back as the world tilted and became off-kilter, perspective skewed until it seemed that the street was surrounding him and he was a frog at the bottom of a well.
Even then he could barely make out the tops of the buildings, so towering was the darkness, and he saw how it was shaped into a pack of vaguely defined beasts, sharply cut as if formed from a multitude of knives, too-large streetlight eyes pulsing with a savage glee. Against the inky backdrop they were like stars plucked from the empty sky and rearranged to spell ill omens.
Light, he needed light. The shadows were languorously skulking closer, and though their eyes were bright their encroaching presence only bled darker shades into the monochrome world.
Patting himself down quickly (and when did he change into his gentleman thief suit?), Kaito found a lighter, its silvery shell almost shining. A few flicks of its spark wheel and a flame leapt to life. Around them all the air simmered and the cold retreated, as did the shadows, their forms rippling agitatedly. Heartened by this, the thief took the chance to get to his feet.
One however slunk forward, and as it came into the firelight Kaito saw that it really was bestial in form, though its mouth hung in a comically inquisitive fashion. He would have laughed at it, had it not affixed him with a gaze of countless orange glows set into its head.
The shadow raised a disturbingly finger-like claw, the curved digit inching towards the small flame. Upon alighting, its entire form started flaking off like ashes, growing ever smaller as it disintegrated; the true black transitioning to greys that became progressively lighter.
And then Kaito was looking into a mirror, which stared grimly back at him.
"Kaito," it spoke, and Kaito realized with a start that it wasn't himself, but his father. His thief's outfit was a bright white, limned with the orange of the fire, in stark contrast to the shadow he had been.
Kaito opened his mouth to speak, but the words deserted him and left him trawling for something to say, but his efforts proved futile.
"You cannot fail me, you cannot," the phantom said without concern for his son's lack of speech. The flame that he still touched started leaping up his outstretched arm and onto the rest of him, and Kaito could do nothing but scream as he watched his father's skin redden and blister, become devoured and as black as the shadow he had been before.
"Do not fail me!" Toichi ordered even as the flames consumed him and only then, as his lower jaw dropped with the melting of the tissues, did he cry out. Choking black smoke billowed from his mouth and diffused throughout the vicinity, lending a dark haze to the fiery backdrop of the spreading flames.
The lighter fell from Kaito's slack fingers, falling onto the asphalt with a clatter. He ran. The fire and smoke grew behind him and the feral shadows harried his steps in crouching liquid movements, baying for blood. They could never quite catch up, but they came close, and their hides clung to him like the tar that the pavement was warping into before peeling off.
Kaito found an alleyway, its entrance nearly completely veiled by foliar forms. He lunged in, vegetal tendrils tugging him insistently further into their midst. He passed by the buildings, their metal ornaments warping into long-thorned brambles, and Kaito found himself ensnared in a spinney.
But the fire continued raging, the smoke descending on the armed vegetation like a locust swarm and insidiously drifting in as wisps that whispered 'you cannot fail' in his father's voice without end to Kaito. Or perhaps it was the creatures' doing, blending with the sinuous shadows that the light of the encroaching fire cast from the branches.
He had to keep running.
Kaito tore through the spinney, paying no heed to the thorns that lanced him, catching his clothes and stripping them from his person. He stopped only when he broke through the grasping brambles and into a glade, having left the fire and shadows and smoke behind.
Pausing to catch his breath, he looked around. The space was quiet save for the distance crackle of ravenous flames, hidden from sight by the wall of interweaving branches that formed an unnaturally perfect circle. The black vegetation was in stark contrast to the wanly lit glade, the distant moon peeking out from a cloak of clouds overhead and casting a silver sheen over the grass.
A glint of light caught his eye and he walked over to its source, a large mirror. It stood alone in the middle of the glade, glass captured by a baroque frame held upright on stout clawed feet.
Kaito looked into the mirror and saw the lacerations the thorns had scored in his passing. They oozed freely, dark rivulets tinted red in the moonlight and leaving rust-like stains in their wake. A crookedly smiling cut then opened up across his neck, a spray of blood splattering forth, obscuring the reflective surface and misting Kaito's face.
In a hazy state, Kaito reached forward and with a hand wiped at the blood on the glass, trying to catch a glimpse of his face. He could see it there, only not really – the features seemed obfuscated, incomprehensible to him despite being there, and the longer he stared the more they warped, flickering back and forth from his own to his father's to the shadow that his father had been.
And then the fire was bearing down upon him, raining in embers from black smoke that spirited away the moon. Kaito felt the flames lick at his skin, found he could not move, and watched from the sidelines as his form burst into bright blood.
He awoke with a mouthful of pillow and a muffled scream.
Line Break
The alarm clock ceased its racket as it became acquainted with the wall, crashing with a loud thud and the sound of several delicate metal parts clanging together. Not particularly concerned with the fate of his time piece, Kaito allowed his good arm, which had proved its worth with its throwing prowess, to drop back down.
With the disruption taken care of, Kaito shifted under his sheets, burying his face into his pillow. This was so much better than a hospital bed. Sighing with contentment, the thief started falling into the waiting arms of Hypnos once more.
"Kaito!" His mother's voice followed a sharp rapping upon his bedroom door. Only groaning in reply, the teen snuggled further into the comfort of his bed.
As silent as a thief, Chikage entered the room and crept to Kaito's side, grinning as she took hold of the sheets and wrenched them off of him with a single jerk.
"Hey!" Kaito cried out unhappily at the sudden loss of warmth. Groggily rubbing at his eyes he sat up, frowning at his mom.
"You slept away nearly all of yesterday; there's school today for you! Now hurry up and get ready while I make some toast for you."
Grumbling he threw his legs off the bed and the rest of him followed them fluidly, albeit he stumbled a bit as exhaustion hit him like a brick over the head. Somehow he managed to stumble his way through his morning routine, which now included taking care of his wounds. Kaito, who had been in plenty of scrapes before, was rather satisfied with how they were healing; it seemed that every time he inspected them they were better than before.
Maybe it was just fanciful wishing. Still, it would be nice if he could return to his night job as soon as possible, preferably before any connection was made between his injuries and an absence on Kaitou KID's part.
Before he left his bathroom Kaito paused to take in his appearance in the mirror, vestiges of his nightmare swimming to the fore of his mind. Unconsciously his hands rose to trace the dark bags underneath his eyes before being run a couple times through his messier-than-usual hair in a futile attempt to tame it to a respectable degree. He then started hiding the signs of exhaustion through the application of concealer and foundation, expertly done with the ability of a master of disguise.
Despite his mother's claim, he really wasn't that rested. After the nightmare the night before last he had been exhausted and ended up falling asleep after a few hours of being awake. It hadn't been a restful sleep either, though he had no recollection of dreaming save for a few vague feelings that eluded his grasp.
Trying to remember just left a bitter taste in his mouth, like ashes coating his tongue.
"Kaito!" the young thief heard his mother call once more. Realizing that his dwelling had wasted time that he needed to get to school, Kaito left the bathroom in a hurry, snatched up his schoolbag, and jumped down the stairs. Scurrying into the kitchen he grabbed his toast with a hasty 'thanks' tossed over his shoulder and ran out the door.
In his rush Kaito almost ran into Aoko, who had been waiting a few feet away from his door, and came to an abrupt stop just in time, ending up toe-to-toe with his childhood friend and looking down at her, whose face was upturned with an expression of alarm that quickly morphed to ire.
"Geez, Kaito, you really need to look where you're going." she told him with a dusting of red on her cheeks, taking a step backwards upon realizing their proximity to put some distance between her and him.
"Well, what were you just doing standing there? Usually you get to school earlier than me, after all." Kaito asked as he took his place at Aoko's side and they set off for school together.
"Waiting for you, obviously. I figured it might be nice to walk together this morning."
The teen thief gave her a sidelong glance, face displaying nothing but apathy save for some slight curiosity. Internally, he was feeling a mix between glad that she waited for him for a change, and bristling with the thought that she probably only was because she perceived him as fragile since the attack.
Thoughts going down that road, Kaito stumbled when a dreadful thought occurred to him.
"Are you alright?" Aoko asked him, concern obvious in her tone and expression.
"Yeah," Kaito didn't even bother disguising his grimace or the crossness in his voice, "just remembered that I have to get a shot today."
Aoko stared at him for a moment before chuckling.
"Shut up! It isn't funny!" With a 'harrumph', Kaito leapt several paces ahead of Aoko, who sped up to reach him. They continued to school in this manner.
Line Break
Kaito and Aoko entered the classroom together. Most of their classmates were already accounted for and taking advantage of the last few minutes before first period began to converse with one another. Kaito let his gaze travel over his peers, unconsciously relaxing upon finding that none of them seemed to be paying him any special attention (just the usual wariness everyone he associated with came to develop sooner or later). He supposed that the news of his attack hadn't gotten around to them, for which he was thankful.
The prankster resisted the urge to run his fingers over the rim of his gakuran collar until he was assured that the bandages on his neck were concealed, and only did so because he didn't have such habits and it might indicate that something was off. It was an entirely different thing for Kaito to have bandages all over his hands – and with his nighttime activities and just tinkering with chemicals and contraptions in general sometimes this couldn't be avoided, even when he did his best to take care of them.
"Oh, I don't see Hakuba-kun," Aoko commented, and Kaito could practically feel his ears perking up at the mention of their half-British classmate. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen him in his quick scan of the class.
Click.
The sound of metal chinking against metal lightly from behind had Kaito turning around, just in time to see Saguru with his pocket watch in hand.
"Good morning, Nakamori-kun, Kuroba," greeted the detective, dark eyes containing a gloating intent that Kaito did not like.
"Aren't you going to be late, Mr. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?" Kaito deadpanned, though Hakuba didn't respond to the taunt.
"There are still four minutes, twenty-seven seconds, and forty milliseconds left before class begins."
Used to this by now, as freaky as it still was, Kaito and Aoko accepted this timekeeping in stride as one of Saguru's quirks.
"Come on, we should enter the classroom," Aoko suggested upon noticing that they were blocking the doorway.
"Actually, I was hoping to ask something of Kuroba in private. You don't mind, do you?" Saguru asked the girl, though the way he phrased it clearly indicated that it wasn't an answer. Aoko pursed her lips together before opening her mouth to speak, but Kaito interjected before she could.
"I don't think now is an appropriate time for a confession of love, but if you insist," Kaito teased, grinning at the flustered look on Hakuba's face, before he grabbed one of the foreigner's arms and pulled him away further from the classroom. Aoko watched them leave, caught between confusion and amusement, before she shrugged and entered on her own to meet up with her friend Keiko.
"So, Kuroba, I hear you were attacked by a rabid dog three days ago, at eleven-oh-two at night. As you know, that was the night of Kaitou KID's last heist, and the night before a school day. What would an ordinary," here Saguru laid the sarcasm on thick, "high school student such as yourself–" sarcasm was practically dripping off of every word now "–be doing out at such a time? Seems awful coincidental, doesn't it?"
"How do you know about the attack?" Kaito hissed, unconsciously raising a hand to his throat.
"I have my sources. Although I must admit, you appear to be doing better than I thought you would from the injuries you accrued. Nevertheless, you still haven't answered by question."
"What, I can't burn off some steam with a nighttime walk when sleep doesn't come easy?" Kaito asked, using the cover that had been given when first asked what he had been doing there at that time when he'd encountered the beast.
"Right, because your conscience plagues you at night. Kuroba, just admit it, you're Kaitou KID!" the detective finally came out with his accusation.
"As much a compliment as that is, since Kaitou KID is awesome, I'm not him!" Perhaps not really; after all, his father was the true Kaitou KID. Kaito's hands balled into fists at his side.
"Is that too hard a concept for you to get through your thick head?"
Before Saguru could even retort, Kaito spun on his heel and walked off. But not before the half-Brit caught his mumbled words that he doubted that Kaito had meant for him to hear.
"And it wasn't a dog; it was a monster."
Line Break
It was about halfway through first period that Akako, who had not been present for roll call, sauntered into the classroom. For some reason this did not faze the teacher at all, who continued lecturing without breaking stride.
Kaito noticed, though. He sneezed as his nostrils started to tingle, only to run his tongue along the interior of his mouth at an unusual taste, like bitter herbs and the crisp sensation of a cold winter night. Frowning, he shot the witch a long stare, which she returned with a raised eyebrow and a glint in her eyes that said she knew.
Not knowing what she knew but perturbed all the same, Kaito redirected his attention back to the board, though his hands were busy with brightly colored handkerchiefs and small noise-making contraptions. He was a bit too tired and sore to pull a real stunt or instigate a mop-chase with Aoko, and it was making him jittery.
A few minutes later and a twitching Kaito could still feel Akako's gaze boring into him with all the subtlety of a jackhammer. He turned his head to glare at her, a tick developing in one of his eyes at the sight of her knowing smirk.
It kind of creepy; after all, this was Akako, and Kaito was too accustomed to her attempts at making him her slave to not be on guard of what she might try to pull. Locking eyes with her, his nose scrunched up at those red pair's fixation on his own. Realizing what getting into a staring contest with his sorta-friend/accomplice/stalker might look like to his classmates, the prankster huffed and tried paying attention to the lesson instead. It was difficult though, as his eyelids started drooping, and eventually he gave up. Lifting his textbook up to form a barrier between him and the teacher, Kaito slumped over onto his desk and quickly succumbed to sleep.
Because of this he didn't notice how Akako's expression morphed into wary concern, or how Saguru's sharp eyes observed the silent interaction between the thief and the witch with a burning curiosity.
Line Break
The rest of the month carried out fairly normally. Kaito's injuries healed, he got his shots, and Aoko continued being concerned about him until the day he returned to flipping her skirt up in class and was the victim of a disruptive chase through the classroom for it. Kuroba Chikage, assured that her son was alright after he'd carried out a heist about halfway through the month without too much difficulty, had left Japan once more, this time her destination being England.
Saguru, though, wasn't of the same opinion. He had taken to surreptitiously observing the classmate he suspected of being Kaitou KID even more than usual, though he did not bother calling him out on being the gentleman thief when it was clear that he'd respond as poorly as their encounter at the beginning of the month. (That, and it had been only a day after his confrontation when retaliation had been enacted upon the detective in the form of outrageous dye jobs and spontaneous wardrobe changes.)
Because of his scrutiny, he had noticed a few things. The way the class clown sometimes faltered for a few days when it came to moving certain ways even after his shoulder had recovered, perhaps a habit instilled by phantom pain. How he would sometimes hold his neck in a moment of idleness, just placing a couple fingers over the carotid artery as if to reassure himself that it was fine.
Other behaviors were less noticeable, though. Whenever they met outside of school (Inspector Nakamori's daughter usually being the common factor for their interactions), Saguru saw how Kuroba would position himself in a way that put him at a distance from alleys, and also displayed unwarranted but checked hostility towards dogs whose paths they crossed; face blank and movements controlled, but flinty eyes never leaving their own.
Still, these habits seemed to become less prominent as the month on, so Saguru didn't give them much thought. After all, Kuroba had come closer to losing his life than the half-Brit had initially thought, so it was understandable that it had taken him some time to settle after the attack.
Line Break
Kaito tapped a finger in sync with the second hand of the wall bound analog clock, the only outlet for the slight electric excitement buzzing through his body. The tick of every second passing seemed to resound louder than life in his ears, counting down the end of the school day. He was thankful he had no afterschool chores, if only because he had no clue how he could wait any longer.
The moment the minute turned Kaito packed his schoolbag quickly and was out of his seat. Waving farewell to Aoko, who was staying after, the teenage magician left the classroom and was soon out of the school, the cold air outside feeling refreshing despite its edge after being stuck in a room with several other people.
Passing Hakuba, Kaito flashed him a cheeky grin upon noticing the weariness the teen detective couldn't keep from displaying; last night had been another heist, the second that month. In all honesty he had wanted to do it this night when the full moon would be out, especially since they'd had a test in biology today, but a prediction poor weather conditions and the intended steal's schedule of touring the country had forced him to chance his place.
Sure enough, Kaito didn't even need to look up at the ominously dark clouds that hung low in the sky to see that he had made a good choice. He could taste the humidity in the air, that moist feel of the air clear in every inhalation.
It was exciting sort of weather, the possible storm possessing the tension of a drawn bowstring just waiting to be released. The same anticipation he got before a theft, or those exhilarating moments of free fall before activating his hang glider.
Perhaps, though, he could attest this jittery feeling of ants crawling through his veins to the fact that this was the night he would be checking the two jewels he still had in his possession to see if they were Pandora. Even if the likelihood of either one of them being the legendary stone was slim, Kaito couldn't help but recall the times as a child when he would search every decoy treat container his father had kept in hopes of finding the true stash of sweets. (He never did find them; the deceased Kuroba had hid them in the secret room.)
A fat raindrop fell on Kaito's head. Rubbing at the sensation it left on his scalp with a hand, he looked up and noticed that the clouds had grown denser. With no doubt that this was only the first raindrop of many, Kaito picked up the pace and hefted his schoolbag to use in place of an umbrella over his head. It had been good thinking on his part, for thunder rumbled across the heavens like the grumbling of a surly giant before flickers of lightning split the sky and unleashed a volley of rain that quickly painted the sidewalk a darker grey-brown than the worn, ashen color it had been before.
The magician started running the rest of the way home.
Line Break
Kaito burst into his house the moment he unlocked the door and quickly slammed it behind him, relocking it only as an aftermath. He could still hear the rain, lashing against the windows and drumming on the roof.
He sighed, wishing his mom was there despite the fact that he had far more freedom home alone. She could have brought him a towel to dry off with. As it was, the teenage boy cast a glance at the rapidly growing puddle at his feet and rubbed his head, knowing he would have to dry it up before it warped the floorboards.
What was that saying Hakuba had used before? Oh yeah, in for a penny, in for a pound. Since it seemed to apply to this situation, Kaito shook some of the water off of himself like a soaked dog before heading for his room. As he walked he shucked off his sodden clothing, which clung awkwardly to him as if an ill-fitting second skin, and abandoned them where they fell to the floor with a distracted mental note to pick them up later. Kaito was much more concerned with becoming warm and drying off.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of becoming cozy, cleaning up the mess he'd made, and then lazing around the house. It wasn't restful, especially since after about an hour of being home and uncomfortable warmth had been stoked in his chest like some sort of creature awaking from slumber, and he could only hope he wasn't getting sick. But as the day passed he found that the sensation was increasing, spreading throughout his torso and from there the rest of his body until every movement sent a wave of heat through him.
Finally, as night fell, the storm started abating and Kaito grew hopeful that the moon would be visible tonight, especially since he preferred not to keep the gemstones he had stolen for longer than a month. With that in mind the young thief abandoned the rest of the glass of ice water he had been drinking (it did nothing to neither cool him down nor prevent his mouth from feeling like an arid desert) and retired to his bedroom.
A quick scan revealing nothing to look out for, Kaito retreated into the workshop of Kaitou KID for a moment, returning with gloves over his hands, each one holding a large jewel respectively. Pulling back the curtains on his window and opening it up, Kaito shivered at the chilly air and drizzle that touched upon his too-warm flesh like a breath of relief. Peering out, he was relieved to see that much of the cloud cover had dispersed, enough that it should allow for the moonlight to break through.
With that done, he seated himself on the floor with his stolen prizes, waiting for the moon to rise.
At first he rocked side-to-side on his seat bones as he waited, occupied with any random thought that passed through his mind. Kaito came to sit still as he stared at the precious stones before him, his thoughts inevitably fixating on them.
They were pretty, and definitely unique if only by their size, but he'd had too many experiences with crime centered around such objects (ignoring his own less than legal activities, of course) that it was hard to just admire their ilk without speculating on how dirty their history was. He just couldn't fathom why people would hurt and kill each other for what basically amounted to colorful rocks, even if they granted immortality. Those were some really messed up priorities, in his opinion.
For the third time in a minute he scratched at the space between his eyebrows. It was really itchy. Kind of felt hairier, too. Was he growing a unibrow? He hoped not; despite how swanky he was, Kaito was not sure he could be successfully debonair with a unibrow, nor did he want to resort to waxing.
The itching quickly became worse and on top of that it was growing more widespread and needling to the point that it was almost painful. Forgetting about the jewels, Kaito collapsed to the floor and squirmed without thought as he succumbed to the need to itch and clawed at his skin futilely, the area too large to cover and the gloves he wore diminishing the effectiveness of his fingernails.
The heat now had increased to a furnace, and every breath he took filled him as if with hot air and noxious fumes, insides swelling until his hide stretched taut and felt ready to burst. Bones became molten, searing agony into his body and branding white-hot lights that faded to red against the dark side of his eyelids.
Pain burst into existence in Kaito's mouth, and the copper tang of blood that followed somehow overrode everything else.
CRACK.
Kaito did not even have time to comprehend what caused the loud sound of something breaking before everything vanished without warning.
A/N: Alright, so I ended up having to rewrite all my plans for this story after some characters and things unintentionally slipped in when I let my guard down, but my new plans seem solid, and the story should be roughly nine chapters long if I'm correct. I'm mostly basing this off of the manga, but taking things from the anime and Detective Conan (primarily the manga) also. Please review on the way out?
Uploaded 6/20/13