Chapter 1: The Wounds

Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold - but so does a hard-boiled egg.
- Author Unknown

...

It was actually a bit fun to have the blond detective chasing me, Kid thought to himself. If he thinks he can catch me though, he's dreaming.

It wasn't often that that British boy decided to chase the Kid, conceding to the other's speed even before they started. Kaitou Kid had seen subtle changes in the teen detective start appearing after the case with Chat noir, and a more liberal change after Nightmare's death, so he wasn't sure if this was going to be the usual from now on.

They were running through a park right now and Kid knew that the cops weren't far beyond them. For all his boasting, the thief still tired like everyone else. The day hadn't been the best with someone pulling the fire alarm, making him miss his lunch, along with some last minute changes to his plans that made him miss dinner as well. Running on empty wasn't the best thing in the world but freedom and life were important enough to give him the adrenaline he needed.

They rounded a corner in the dark and Kid's usually perfect instincts failed him for a moment and he lost his footing as his ankle scraped roughly against a jagged rock. The rock happened to be part of dozen or so more that surrounded a small koi pond that Kid promptly fell head first into.

He came up sputtering, his hat floating somewhere along the water's surface.

"Damn it" the magician cursed quietly as he heard Hakuba's footsteps coming closer. Kid placed on hand on the small, fist sized rocks boarding the pond as he tried to get to his feet, monocle falling off into the water as well.

Dripping wet wasn't the best way to disguise yourself so he let his other hand feel around in the water for his hat. When he got hold of it, he froze in place, eyes widening to see one of the large white and orange fish swimming around in it.

Unfortunate as he was to be stuck with his phobia, he couldn't just throw the hat back if he wanted to keep his anonymity. Kaito's hand shook as he kept hold of the rim and his mind went meticulously blank.

A sharp noise behind him made the thief react, throwing out the hand that wasn't holding… something. He heard a sharp scream follow his movement and looked blankly at Hakuba who must have been behind him. The detective was on the ground, covering his face with his hands.

Kid looked numbly down at the rock that he hadn't let go of.

"Hakuba-san-" Kaito tried to shake off the lingering fear of the creature in favor of uncertainty over what just happened "are you alright?"

There was a lot of blood staining the blond's hair and running down his collared shirt.

Too much, Kid though. If he'd hit him with the rock, even as hard as he knew he had, there shouldn't be that much blood flowing over the detective's fingers.

Hakuba actually whimpered. The sound was enough to fully dislodge any thoughts of the fish. Kid dumped it unceremoniously back into the pond before putting the hat on and climbing out of the pool.

"Hakuba-san…" The thief reached out a hand to make Hakuba lean back more so that he could get a better look at what he'd done but the detective shoved his hand away, flinging some blood across the others white coat.

"Get away from me!" he yelled.

"Hakuba-san, you're hurt-"

"I said get away from me!" The detective's breathing was fast and he let out little pained noises that made Kaito wince inwardly. The thudding footsteps of the police catching up told him he should leave, but he held down on the instincts and knelt down next to the detective. There was so much blood.

Kaito was unsure what to do. He was Kid at this point and Kid couldn't sit with Hakuba to make sure he was all right. Kaito might, but Kid couldn't afford such affections.

"I'm sorry Tantei-san" he whispered under his breath and vanished off into the shadows, hoping that the blond would be okay.

…

Kaito sat dejectedly in class, ignoring everyone who tried to talk to him. Aoko sighed from her adjacent seat and flung one of her erasers at him. There was no retaliation as it hit the side of his head.

"Kaito what's wrong with you?" she asked him during lunch with fire in her eyes. "You walked all the way here with me in silence and now you won't even acknowledge me." Aoko wasn't use to Kaito being quiet and it didn't suit the magician at all. "Say something!"

Kaito didn't really listen to her words since he was too busy burying himself in self-loathing. Hakuba hadn't come to school and, knowing the detective's behavior well, there was little that would keep him from class.

"Sorry Aoko." He flipped up her skirt, "nice undies."

That kept the girl from bothering him the rest of class, though he did miss his little skirmishes with her. The normalcy would have been welcome if he could have found the energy for it. Aoko was kind and Kaito didn't want to give her any reason to worry along with him.

They were both surprised when Aoko's father came after school to pick her up.

"Sorry Aoko but I was on my way to the hospital and I thought Hakuba-kun would like it if I brought you along since I don't really know what to say to him."

"Hakuba-kun's in the hospital?" Aoko's surprise was matched by Kaito's, though he didn't voice it. "What happened?"

"I don't know" the older man let out a sigh and smoked one of his cigarettes with the window, cracked open so they wouldn't suffocate in his backseat. "We were after the Kid like usual and when we caught up to him, Hakuba-kun was on the ground… He's in pretty bad shape."

"What's wrong with him?" Kaito barely go the words out as his heart constricted.

Nakamori was quiet for a while as they drove, though the teens waited for him to answer instead of asking him again. Persistence never paid off with this man, it only made him angry when he was asked a question more than once. When they reached the hospital the Inspector turned around and faced both of the kids. "We're not sure what happened but Hakuba-kun… well, whatever it was, something hit him in the eye yesterday." He sighed and looked away. "I'm afraid he lost it."

"His eye!?" Kaito shouted louder then he should have. "He lost his eye?!"

"Yeah." The inspector got out of the car and Aoko followed him silently. Kaito stayed where he was, cursing himself with every terrible word he knew.

"Kaito aren't you coming?" Aoko poked her head back in the car and he tried to smile a little at her.

"Hakuba-kun doesn't exactly like me. I don't think it would be good if I went in there with you."

"Don't be such an idiot." Aoko pulled Kaito's sleeve and he was just out of it enough to let her get him out of the car. "Hakuba-kun doesn't hate you."

-Get away from me!-

The words echoed ominously in his ears and the magician freed himself from the hot-tempered girl's hand. "Trust me on this one. Hakuba-kun doesn't want me there."

"Kaito." Her tone was gentle and her eyes pleading. She didn't want to go in there with just her dad. Neither of them were good at the art of tact and had come to rely on Kaito for the more delicate situations. He'd already helped Aoko when she started having bad dreams after her mother's death and Ginzo when he couldn't find the words to tell his daughter when he wife was no longer going to be around. Kaito even had to play a regrettable, but thankfully small, role when Aoko came into womanhood. His mom took care most of it.

"Hakuba-kun... may not have liked you when he first came" she admitted, "But I think he's gotten passed all that now."

He almost let himself believe it. It was true that Hakuba didn't have the venom towards him that he had before. Now things were different again. Kid - Kaito - had caused him to get hurt for no good reason other than his own irrational fear.

"Fine, but I'm not going in to see him if it only makes him mad" Kaito conceded. He needed to see what he'd done to Hakuba last night and face the repercussions that came with it.

Once in the hospital, the trio was led to a room in the back of the hospital where patients were sent after surgery. While Aoko and her father looked gloomy, Kaito couldn't seem to get his emotions in order and his only known instincts for anything unknown were either to run towards it or away from it. The magician wasn't sure he was following the right one this time.

The detective was asleep when they arrived so Kaito had no fear of entering. The greater part of the right side of the blond's face was wrapped in bandages that circled his head, making odd ends of his hair stick up. Though there was no blood on any of the white material that teen was draped in, it wasn't encouragement to the three. Hospitals were clean, that did not mean they didn't hold dark and horrible secrets. Death was just tidier here.

Aoko sat dutifully next to Hakuba and placed a hand reassuringly on his arm. "Dad." She spoke up with fierce scorn echoing in her words. "You've got to make sure Kid pays for this." Kaito could see tears leaking out of one of her eyes and it only made him feel that much worse. Little to no fear came to him when Nakamori gave a quick nod to his daughter. Maybe Kid deserved whatever it was the man came up with as payback during the next heist.

Hakuba started to move during their conversation, nothing much but definite signs of waking. He opened his eye and Kaito wasn't quick enough to move before he was the first thing the detective saw.

True to Kaito's previous thoughts, Hakuba was furious at him. He bolted up in the bed and grabbed the sheets in tight fists and almost growled at the magician. Aoko read his actions as confusion instead of most-unwelcome-surprise.

"Hakuba-kun calm down, you're in the hospital."

Aoko's words automatically brought a stop to anything the detective was about to do and Kaito felt bad that the other had to hide behind his manners, especially when he was feeling that strongly.

"Aoko-kun?" The detective turned to look at her, which was difficult since she and her dad were on his right side. He hadn't even seen her with his limited vision.

"Oh, I'm sorry" she blushed. Aoko got out of her seat and moved it to his good side. "I wasn't thinking."

"It's ok..." Hakuba watched them as they resituated themselves and Kaito remained frozen near the edge of the bed. Once they were settled Aoko put her hand back on his arm.

"How are you feeling? Is there anything I can do?" her tone was soft and pleading. Kaito once again echoed her words in his own head but wouldn't voice them.

"Aoko-kun" the detectives smile was small as he tried to appease the girl's wants and needs along with his own. "It may sound strange to you, but if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to talk to Kuroba-kun alone."

"Oh...Ok." She looked hesitantly at Kaito who just waved his hand in a goodbye gesture and smiled. "I'll be back in a few minutes then."

"Thank you."

"No problem, I'll see you soon."

Aoko left willingly enough though she had to drag her dad along with her since he was wondering curiously what the two boys needed to talk about. The door shut.

"Kuroba-kun..." The hatred was back in the detective as if it had never been interrupted.

"I'm so sorry Hakuba-kun, I didn't mean to." Kaito would worry about the fact that Hakuba knew he was Kid if it ever came up in the future but it didn't matter at that moment. "I didn't know you were behind me. I swear I would never have hurt you on purpose."

"I know you didn't mean to do it, but" besides the intense anger the detective was giving off, there was an underlying sadness to his words, an emotional connection to the magician that Kaito knew he didn't deserve. "Kuroba-kun... I can't forgive you for this."

"I know." Kaito winced internally but kept a neutral expression firmly in place. It felt hard for him to breathe. The phantom thief hadn't killed Hakuba or anything but knowing he'd hurt the other so badly made him feel as if he had. "I know..."

"I'd like it if you left now." The detective's stare hardened but he wouldn't meet Kaito's, even if the other teen hadn't been looking downward. "I don't want you to come back."

"I understand, but for what it's worth, I am truly sorry." Kaito left the room not using any special type of escape technique but by simply walking out the sliding glass door for once.

It was one of many changes the magician would unconsciously be making in the future.

…

"Kid! Get back here!" The thief ran as the Inspector chased him to the roof. Nakamori wasn't usually so negligent since Kid clearly had the advantage when it came to heights.

It was that confusion that made Kid keep running instead of escaping out one of the windows or losing him in an adjacent room.

Once on the roof, the thief turned around to face the man who was out of breath. It took a few seconds for Kid to notice that there weren't any officers following him.

"Kid!" The old man huffed out, fury seeping into his words. "I've been chasing you for years and I have to know. Was I wrong about you!?"

Kaitou Kid turned and bowed elegantly to the man. "Nakamori-keibu, I think you need to rephrase your question since I don't know how it is you think of me."

"Hakuba-kun, he's been chasing you too and I thought … I thought…" He let a growl escape his lips. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE AT LEAST A DECENT PERSON! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HIM?!"

Kid smiled and let his cape flutter wickedly around him. Nakamori wasn't close enough to see the strain in it, the falseness that held it in place. Kid could have defended himself. He could have told Inspector it was an accident, as it was. He could have done so many things.

But Kaito wouldn't let him. Kid – Kaito – was responsible whether it was his fault or not.

So Kid stood there, smiling at Nakamori, at a man he respected for years as a strong and independent person. "I'm afraid you've thought too highly of me."

"Damn you." Kid wasn't ready for the man. As winded as his was, Kid had underestimated his speed and strength. The glider wasn't prepared so the thief's only action when the older man lunged at him was to stumble backwards.

The knife separated skin from itself as the blade scraped across the thief's ribs, not having enough force to penetrate into his lung but hard enough to make a deep gash in his side.

Kid's eyes widened as the Inspector straightened himself, holding the blood-covered knife. He spared a second to look down at the wound where it ripped his coat and was staining it scarlet.

"If you're willing to hurt others to get away I have no trouble hurting you in return. Give up."

The wound was deep and bleeding but it didn't hinder his movements. A few clicks as the glider was put in place and the phantom thief flew off into the night, going uncharacteristically against his namesake by allowing himself to bleed.

The Inspector, for all his words, resented his actions. He hadn't expected to hit him. The thief had always gotten away from him before but something had slowed him down this time. Something that Nakamori said had dulled his response.

The man only saw this after he'd hurt the other. As bad as he felt about, he couldn't stop the satisfaction of knowing that he could hurt the other when he wanted to. Kid had always been so far out of reach that he'd come to doubt whether or not he'd be able to touch him.

Myths never lived up to their expectations. The untouchable could be touched, the unhurtable could be hurt…

And a phantom could bleed.

…

Jii had no trouble stitching the magician back up. The cut had been clean but it would leave a scar. Kaito saw some future problems with that but he'd find a way to deal with them when they arose.

For now the magician settled on the tedious workload of school and research. He hadn't found a gem in Japan that was close enough for him to strike at, and that had a shred of chance of turning out to be Pandora, in some time. Now there was.

It was a large sapphire. It would be hosted in Tokyo soon for only a few days and was being held on loan from a reach woman from the states. The gem itself wasn't legendary or special, but its significance was.

The Heart of the Ocean.

Kaito never doubted that Pandora could be found in this gem, even though it was only recently created. From firsthand knowledge, the thief knew never to underestimate the feelings that go into something, especially something as ironically hopeful and tragic as the story behind the making of this blue diamond.

Now he had to hope that he could get the precious stone safely while protecting Nakamori from Snake and now himself from the Inspector. It was up to the Inspector to decide whether the thief had paid enough for the Hakuba's pain. In Kaito's own opinion, he had not.

Not that the thief was a masochist. He hoped that the Inspector didn't plan on fighting him with guns now, or knives, but he couldn't say the man was wrong if he did decide to.

It made Kaito confused as to what he should be feeling and what he should expect from Nakamori.

This confusion made him slower. Made his actions less thought out. Caused him to resort on instinct rather than thinking.

All of which could, so very easily, get him killed.