Mikau: Hello and welcome! I hope you all are having a fabulous day. Thanks so much for taking a look at my work. This one was originally inspired as part of a writing exercise I was doing writing from prompts. The prompt was "sitting overhead". I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, we'd be in trouble because I get writer's block a lot. However, if Aoyama-sensei were looking for someone to take over, I'd gladly volunteer. I think I could steer the series in a direction that would make the fan base happy. I'd need help with all of the murders, but there would definitely be more romance and plot development. It'd turn into shounen ai, but somehow I don't think you guys would have a problem with that.

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Pulling Your Strings

"Don't look up. Don't look up. Don't look up," Kaito kept repeating in his head like a mantra.

He'd been lazy and decided to take the elevator instead of hoofing it up 16 flights of stairs, and he was now paying for his laziness through the nose. On the fifth floor, Inspector Nakamori, Hakuba f-ing Saguru, and a crowd of Taskforce members had boarded as well.

Kaito had concealed himself by scaling the walls and wedging his body between the elevator's sides, and now he was praying no one happened to glance up at the ceiling because there was no escape hatch and no hope of him retaining his freedom in an elevator full of police officers.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived at the top floor, and the Taskforce started filing out. Kaito was just about to heave a sigh of relief when Hakuba freaking Saguru told Nakamori to go ahead without him because he had forgotten something.

The elevator doors closed, and Kaito was trapped once again with the detective.

Just between the eighth and seventh floors, Hakuba pushed the stop button.

Kaito gulped.

Saguru turned to look up at his rival and smirked. "Just like a rat in a trap, Kid. Come on down and surrender; you've nowhere else to go."

"Tch. Never, Tantei-san. Why don't you come on up here and get me?" Kaito challenged, desperately racking his brain for some method of escape.

"I don't scale walls like a gecko like some people, unfortunately. No, thank you, I'll wait." Hakuba crossed his arms and leaned up against the elevator doors.

Kaito scowled. "You'll be waiting a long time, Detective. I can hang around up here all day."

"Somehow I doubt that, Kid," Hakuba returned smugly. "You may be strong, but your arms and legs will give out eventually. No, I'm a patient man. I'll wait you out."

Kaito frowned, emitting waves of hatred toward his foe.

They stayed there in silence for a good fifteen minutes—Saguru smirking and Kaito starting to feel his limbs cramp up.

"You're quite impressive, you know that? I never would have thought you'd make it so long," Hakuba finally spoke up in awe. "You must work out."

"Every day," Kaito sighed, trying to ignore the throbbing in his arms. "You do Judo?"

"Yes, I do."

"So I'd have no luck overpowering you and getting away," the thief mused.

Saguru chuckled. "Not even a slim chance. Are you still thinking of escape, Kuroba?"

"Kuroba?" Kaito pretended to be confused.

"Kuroba, I can see that it's you. The lighting's not that bad in here. I can see your face, and I recognize your body." Hakuba rolled his eyes. "You can't hide anything from me this close up."

Kaito blinked. Now he really was confused. "My…b-body? Do you spend a lot of time looking at my body, Detective, that you'd be able to pick it out of a lineup?"

Saguru's face went cardinal red, and he looked away, clearing his throat. "For research. When I first started to suspect you of being the Kaitou Kid, I studied you intensively."

"In other words, you've been stalking me," Kaito snorted, repositioning himself very carefully.

"Researching," the teenage sleuth insisted, blushing all the more.

Just then Kaito had an utterly crackpot idea. Perhaps it was completely off-base, and perhaps going through with his crazy, shot-in-the-dark plan would lead to his arrest, but as things stood, he had no other options.

"I've been watching you too, Detective Hakuba Saguru." Kaito smirked, eyeing his rival like a panther setting its sights on its next meal.

"Y-You have?" the blonde gulped.

Kaito dropped to the floor and rose up to standing gracefully. "I have," he purred, slowly advancing on the detective. "I find you fascinating."

Hakuba would have retreated further if he could have, but he was already backed up against the elevator doors. "Y-You do?"

"I do," Kaito replied, licking his lips. He stopped a little less than a foot away from the spooked detective.

"Y-You're under arrest," Saguru whispered, shaking hands taking out his handcuffs, but his eyes ever left those haunting violet orbs.

Kaito smirked. "Oh? I don't think you want me to put those on yet. You see, I can do amazing things with my hands, and there's still a magic trick or two I want to show you before we get into bondage."

"I….I…You…" The detective's brain was shutting down completely. "You…like me?"

Kaito took advantage of the blonde's open mouth and crushed his lips against Hakuba's. He preoccupied the detective with his tongue and ran one hand through Hakuba's hair while he restarted the elevator and hit the button for floor seven with the other hand.

In a split second, the doors opened and Kaito pushed Saguru away forcefully while making a break for it. There was still time to make it to the heist.

He happened to glance back over his shoulder, and the sight almost stopped him in his tracks.

Hakuba Saguru was staring at him in a mix of confusion, mortification, and utter hurt.

Kaito frowned but kept running.

Hakuba never showed for the heist. He was absent from school for a week after that as well.

It wasn't for two weeks after the elevator incident that Hakuba appeared at a heist, waiting on the roof for Kid to try to make a getaway.

"Don't move," Hakuba seethed, pulling a small handgun on the thief.

Kaito froze. "Y-You wouldn't shoot me."

"How well do you think you know me, Kuroba?" Saguru chuckled bitterly. "After what you did to me…why shouldn't I kill you?"

Kaito's eyes widened as Hakuba approached with the gun pointing right at Kaito's heart. "Hakuba, what the hell did I do?"

"You used me," the detective hissed, slowly dragging the barrel of the gun up Kaito's throat as he circled the thief. "Remember? In the elevator? You played me like a violin, taking advantage of my feelings for you."

"Hakuba," Kaito began to protest, but quickly fell silent when the gun was pressed to his lips.

"Shh. That silvery tongue isn't going to get you out of this one. I despise you, Kuroba Kaito. You're cruel and heartless, and I don't know what I ever saw in you that made me act like a lovesick fool." Hakuba glared at Kaito, reaching to take off the top hat.

Kaito held his assailant's gaze as he was unmasked, but when Hakuba reached for the monocle, Kaito reached up and took it off himself, tucking it into his pocket. "That is a memento of my father, and I'd prefer if you didn't mess with it."

"Hn," Saguru snorted. "You're pretty impressive. I don't think I could still act arrogant if someone where holding me at gunpoint."

"You're not going to shoot me, Hakuba. You may be pissed because I distracted you with that kiss so that I could get away, but you're not going to kill me over it." Kaito held his ground.

"Pissed? Yes, I'm angry, Kuroba, but pissed doesn't even begin to cover it. Try mortified and heartbroken," Saguru spit with malice. "For a split second there I thought that someone cared about me. You made me believe you loved me, and you have no idea how happy that made me. I thought that for the first time in my wretched life someone cared for me, and then, the next minute, you take that all away. How do you think that made me feel, Kuroba? You're notorious for picking on people. I fully expected to be teased mercilessly whenever I returned to school. How do you think all that made me feel? Try crushed. Now, do you really think I'm not going to shoot you?"

Kaito looked sadly up into the eyes of his classmate. "Hakuba, I'm sorry. You're right. What I did to you is inexcusable, and I am a complete jerk. I'd deserve it if you wanted to beat me to a pulp right here and now, but you know what, Hakuba? You're a good guy, and I believe in you." With a shrug, Kaito started to walk away and pull out that night's heist.

When the light of the full moon hit the gem, it began to glow red.

There was a gunshot, and Kaito hit the roof before he knew what had hit him.

The answer would be one Hakuba Saguru who had pushed Kaito to the ground when he had noticed the gunmen on a nearby rooftop.

"Y-You're bleeding," Kaito whispered, staring blankly at Hakuba's left arm.

"Brilliantly observant, you are," Saguru groaned, rolling off of the thief and onto his back.

"Hakuba!" Kaito sat up only to have his head pulled down by the detective's good arm.

"Stay down, you bloody idiot. I refuse to die for you in vain," the Brit snorted.

"You can't die!" Kaito shrieked as more and more of Hakuba's suit was dyed crimson. He took off his cape and began using the material as a bandage to wrap around the wound.

Saguru smirked. "But if I die for you, you'll have no choice but to love me."

"Why the hell did you do that?" Kaito hissed, applying pressure.

"What? Save you?" Hakuba chuckled wryly. "Because I love you."

Kaito looked away, unable to contain his blush. He picked up Pandora from where it had fallen and paused. Eternal life…. What if—? No. Eternal life would be worse than dying for the detective.

"I have one last request, if you don't mind." Saguru closed his eyes and milked it for all it was worth.

"Sure." Kaito came back to reality and tucked Pandora back into his breast pocket.

"Would you kiss me one last time…Kaito?"

The thief's face went tomato red, but he nodded. "Un." With a gulp, he leaned in and closed his eyes.

There was a jolt as their bodies touched, and Hakuba eagerly arched up into the kiss.

After a minute, Kaito pulled back breathlessly and panted, "Y-you sure you're dying?"

Saguru smirked. "I never said I was dying; you came to that conclusion all on your own. The bullet only grazed me. Though, now that you mention it, my arm doesn't even hurt anymore."

"Bastard," Kaito hissed, wanting to sock the detective but feeling it would be wrong to punch the guy that had just taken a bullet for him. "Looks like the bleeding's stopped too."

"Hmm," Saguru hummed as he unwrapped the makeshift bandages and studied his arm. "It's gone. There's no wound or anything. How…?"

Kaito gulped, touching his breast pocket. "I have to go. There's something I have to take care of. I guess we're even now as far as stealing kisses goes?"

"That depends." Saguru smirked. "Just how many kisses do you think it's going to take to make me forget about Kid's true identity?"

Kaito paled and then frowned. "That's blackmail."

"Yes, yes it is. Go out with me or I'll expose you…and just think what an easier time those gunmen will have of tracking you down if they know who you are. Come to think of it, your mother and all of your friends even would be in trouble, wouldn't they?"

"You wouldn't. You may be a little vindictive at times, but you're not evil, Hakuba," Kaito growled.

Saguru shrugged, feeling a little bad about what he was pretending to do. "I'll ask you again: just how well do you think you know me?"

Kaito's brow furrowed. "I guess I'll be getting to know you better once we start dating?"

Saguru smiled. "Where would you like me to take you on our first date, Kaito?"

The magician snorted. "Let's go to an arcade. I'll trounce you."

"I assure you I'll hold my own," Saguru chuckled. "I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Yeah," Kaito sighed. "Night…and thanks for saving my life, Hakuba."

"My pleasure." Saguru smiled as Kaito slipped off to go destroy the gem.

Truthfully, he did feel bad about pretending to threaten Kuroba's family and friends, but he hoped that by the time Kuroba discovered that there was no real threat the magician would have come to have feelings for the detective. One could hope.

The

End

…

Mikau: How was it? A little different than usual, but, then again, it's good to do different every once in a while. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought, if you have a second to drop a review. Thanks so much for reading, and have a fabulous day! May we meet again soon.