Sima

Prompt: [Beneath the surface]

A/N: Just had a moment of intense Kaito feelings, and this little thing came out around midnight. Sima is the lowest layer of the Earth's crust. Beta-ed by my lovely sister. Thanks sheytoon.


Kaito flinches instinctively whenever something comes close to his face, his eyes specifically. A hand, a baseball, a piece of chalk from an angry teacher, whatever; anything coming at high speeds.

(The facial twitch is so minute that only people looking for it could actually see it, but Kaito knows that it's there.)

Getting shot at does that to a guy, after all.

Of course, the eye itself didn't sustain any damage. He's too good to let a hit like that shake him, too skilled and with too many tricks up his sleeves.

(He's kind of disappointed that the bullet shattered one of his monocles, but he has plenty more in stock, and he managed to fulfill his original objective anyway, so he supposes that everything worked out in the end.)

But true to his alter ego's name, there's a phantom lingering there, an intangible ache that plagues the back of his mind. It's a constant reminder that he was this close to death.

It frightens him at times, if he were to be honest. Dying, that is.

He has too much at stake now, and only one life to accomplish his goals. Sure, his heists are reckless at times, and he loves the pounding of blood in his ears, the rush of adrenaline in his veins, but he can't afford to end his hunt now. Not when those organization people (those murderers) are still out there, searching for that accursed gem.

So he hides his pain behind bright grins and heart-warming magic, because that's what Kuroba Kaito does best. He hides his fear behind flamboyant heists and poker faces, because that's what Kaitou Kid does best.

Hidden they may be, forever buried they will not stay (a lingering phantom they will always remain).


Notes: It was never really explained how he wasn't injured by the bullet to the eye, so I left it ambiguous, aha.