1: Melancholy Magician; Master of Masks

The door slammed as Conan burst onto the roof, breathing heavily. Perched at the edge of the roof was his prey, that illusive thief. Cape blowing in the breeze, lit by the full moon until his white suit gleamed in the dark, and the target gem lifted as if in offering to the stars. The magician seemed ethereal. Conan's watch clicked as he lifted the glass and sighted the sleeping dart at the thief's back, just above the collar where a thin line of skin was visible before it disappeared at his hairline.

Kaitou KID sighed and let the gem vanish with a swift flick of his wrist, "not the one," he muttered tiredly. The energy the thief had exhibited during the heist was gone; suddenly he seemed smaller and less… impeccable; in fact Conan could swear the modern Lupin, gentleman thief was slouching. Unable to claim victory when his opponent wasn't what he should be, Conan lowered the tranquilizer-watch and waited for the other to make the first move.

"Tantei-kun" KID breathed, so softly that even a gentle breeze would have covered the sound of his words, "who am I?" Conan looked up in surprise at the moonlight magician's unusually somber countenance. KID dropped his eyes and turned away, but Conan had already seen what the thief's poker face had failed to hide. Fear… grief… and exhaustion.

The thrill of the heist seeped away, dissolving into the night air. "I feel… as if I'm forgetting." KID said uncharacteristically hesitant. "Can you tell me tantei-ku… Kudo-kun? Am I a civilian who spends his nights as Kaitou KID? Or am I the Phantom Thief KID who spends his days acting like a civilian?" KID grit his teeth, "As I am now I tell more truths, but as I am then I wish the most for the lies to be the truth."

Conan laughed bitterly, but not without sympathy, "Both are lies as much as truth, both are masks that protect the other, if one is lost the other loses its purpose." KID smiled slightly, but just as bitterly, "you understand that as well as I Shinichi, but is it worth it? Both of our faces are false, so where is this one truth?" Conan sighed… he had no answers, not for this… "perhaps… the truth is where it always is... out of sight until it is ready to be revealed… or buried." He said instead.

KID laughed, "you're learning tantei-kun; maybe one day you'll truly be as cryptic as I am." The laugh died away, "then, I'll be waiting for that day: when lies become truths and truths lies." His confident smirk was back in place when KID turned around again and straitened his suit. "I am Kaitou KID, bold and flamboyant, I am a thief, but before all… I am a magician! Who better to warp reality and baffle the mind! Who better to create a perfect illusion!"

Conan smiled, all teeth and wild joyful relief as the thief seemed to be recovering from his bout of depression, "And who else is so adept at twisting lies and truth to become the same." Conan finished. The white clad thief tipped his top hat forward slightly in agreement. "Then I hope your truth will one day be realized." Conan said sincerely. "Yours as well," KID offered, "but, my dear critic, we still have a heist to conclude and an illusion to uphold. Shall we?" Conan's smile grew sharper and he reached for his soccer ball-dispensing-belt, "of course." He replied.

By the time Nakamori-keibu had escaped KID's traps and reached the roof, the phantom thief was flying away in his hang-glider, a ghostly white triangle against the night sky. Conan was watching him go with a satisfied grin, his hands shoved in his pockets. "Catch you next time thief." He muttered even as Ginzo started his usual rant.

"I'LL GET YOU KAITOU KID! ALL OFFICER'S MOBILIZE! KID'S HEADING SOUTH!" He shouted into his radio. Almost instantly a line of cars with flashing lights headed away from the building after what Conan had no doubt was a dummy. "Nakamori-keibu," he said innocently, "I retrieved the gem already." The inspector stopped and stared at the glittering jewel in shock, "WHAT!"

Conan smirked as the blustering man snatched the gem away, then turned to leave the police to their wild goose chase. The shrunken detective yawned, it was getting late for a kid. Solving murders, chasing thieves, cheering up melancholy magicians… all in a days work. "Conan-kun!" Conan looked up at Ran's worried face, "yes Ran-nee-san?" "Are you ready to go home?" Conan nodded and let her grab his hand to lead him. Yes… all in a days work.

A few blocks away a certain messy-haired magician was walking languidly down the sidewalk with a puzzled expression on his face. "I can't believe I dropped my poker face in front of tantei-kun." He whined half-heartedly, "Pops would be turning in his grave." An open and mischievous grin stretched across his face and a spring was added to his steps. "I feel a lot better now though…."

Deciding that the risk had been worth the results, Kuroba Kaito started planning pranks for tomorrow at school. After all, his depression and moping around had left him behind on his weekly quota. Even Aoko had started looking at him worriedly, which led to her pulling her swings during their routine mop chase. The teacher's too had been watching him less warily as the days went by. Oh yes! Kaito chuckled sinisterly; he had a lot to make up for! "Kikiki!"