Okay, a quick new story. I actually wrote this before I got the idea for Playing with a Full Deck, but no solid ideas aside from the obvious. I didn't even get how both Shinichi and Conan were there until I thought that maybe Kaito offered Akako something in return and they were accidentally split, and then Conan was adopted into the Kudo family. Kiyoshi is two years younger than the main cast.
Also, if you have any suggestions for a better name, I'm all ears.
Clouds drifted across the night, passing in front of the bright full moon that hung in the sky. The wind blew steadily, chilling everything slightly. The stars were barely visible, the clouds covering the already dim lights that dotted the black sea. The night itself was quiet…
Or at least that's what the dark-skinned young man would have wished for it to be. Instead, he was being tossed from one point to the other, barely staying in his seat by the thin piece of cloth pulled securely across his torso. To his right, the youth causing the roller-coaster-like-experience was concentrating hard, his eyes darting between the road in front, all three mirrors, and the small white kite flying in between the buildings surrounding them.
They had been chasing that kite, racing down the streets to keep it in sight, for the past 15 minutes. That was long enough to establish that the dark-skinned man was never letting the youth drive him around again, and to cause enough trauma that sleep for the next week (at least) seemed next to impossible.
"Shinichi-nii-chan, I think you're scaring Keiji-san," a young voice piped up from behind them. The only other passenger sat in the middle of the back seat, a wise choice, as he was short enough to not hit the door on either side of him at every turn. He looked like a younger version of the driver with large classes down at the tip of his nose, probably due to the constant throwing back and forth.
Shinichi glanced at him in the mirror and snorted. He switched his eyes back to the fleeing white kite. It had slowly been growing as it neared the ground. The dark-skinned man couldn't help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch. Once again, nothing happened, they didn't appear, nothing was stopping the white kite that hung in the sky from getting away.
Then something moved. The man's eyes widened when he saw the glint of the moon off cold metal and felt his heart clench when he saw the flash. He wasn't the only one that noticed as the boy stiffened in the back of the car. The white kite retracted and began to descend even faster than it already had been. The car sped up to catch up with the rapidly descending white kite.
The car screeched to a halt at a park and everyone scrambled out in the direction in which they saw the white-clad figure land. The first to reach there was Shinichi, quickly followed by the dark-skinned man and the boy. There, propped up against a tree, sat another man, dressed in all white with cape, top hat, and monocle. The only splash of color was the blue shirt under his white suit and the growing dark red flowers on his chest.
Noticing their arrival, he turned his head slightly and grinned. "My, my, Tantei-kun, nice seeing you here, though I guess I would have preferred it under more favorable circumstances," he chuckled slightly before wincing.
None moved, too shocked to force their limbs to move. There sat before them the Moonlight Magician, an internationally wanted criminal better known as Kaitou Kid, and here he was chuckling as blood flowed from his chest. The first to regain the ability to move was Shinichi. He walked over to the bleeding thief, wary of any trick the other might try, even in his condition.
The thief noticed this. "No need to worry, Metantei-kun, I don't think I'll be able to pull anything in this condition," he stated, indicating to his chest. He then let out a dry chuckle, "Damn, they really got me this time. I guess that's what I get for being careless," the thief's voice trailed off. He turned to the group and smiled.
Suddenly, the dark-skinned officer ran forward, tears streaming down his face. He dropped down to the same level as the thief and started trying to cover the bleeding holes. Panic filled the man's eyes as he saw just how much blood was being lost. He began to shake. "N-NO! NII-CHAN!" he wailed, his voice sounding like that of a girl and not the deeper pitch that he had used earlier. Both Shinichi and the boy's eyes widened in surprise at the scene. The thief cracked another smile, this time more of a comforting one than the usual mischievous one normally worn.
"So you did come after all, ne, Kiyo-chan?" Kid asked in a pained voice. He wrapped his arms around the weeping man-well, girl disguised as a man. Her cries grew louder, demanding why. Shinichi and the boy exchanged looks. They both silently agreed that the outcome was known, no matter what they did. The ambulance would take ten minutes to get him here and then to the nearest hospital, and by that time, it would be far too late. The thief would be gone, so might as well not give the two a time limit.
When the girl calmed down slightly, Kid turned to Shinichi. His mouth moved into a smile, though this one was sad. "Ne, Metantei-kun, could I ask you a favor? Could you please keep an eye on Kiyo-chan here?" Shinichi just stood there, his eyes slightly downcast. The thief continued on, "You see, she is my lil' sis, and if I know anything about her, I have a feeling that she will get herself into trouble to make sure that our family's goal will not go unaccomplished. My only request is that you keep her safe, away from the shadows that hunt Kaitou Kid."
Shinichi could only find it in himself to nod at the thief's request. He turned to the boy, who nodded and left. Shinichi turned to the siblings again and saw Kid weakly holding up a gem, the prize of tonight's heist. A snort and the arm holding the gem dropped.
"Not even on my last heist could the prize be Pandora, eh?" Kid muttered to himself. He then picked his arm up again, this time lacking the gem and with a snap of his fingers, smoke appeared, masking the siblings. As the smoke cleared, Shinichi saw that the two were no longer in the clothes they had been wearing, but were now in casual wear.
The boy wore a cap, black tee-shirt, and jeans. Looking at him, Shinichi saw why the thief sometimes went as the detective from time to time. They could have easily passed for twins, with how close they looked alike. There were a few differences, Shinichi was slightly thinner, his face a little rounder, his eyes a little larger, and his hair was neater, but overall, they looked so alike it was creepy. The girl looked like her brother, only she was smaller, her skin a touch lighter, her hair down to her waist and slightly neater, but it still stuck up in places. Her clothes consisted of a tee-shirt and a pair of shorts.
Shinichi took a step forward. He saw the girl tense, but ignored it, his eyes trained on the thief in front of him. "So, I take it that this in what you truly look like, Kid-san?"
The thief chuckled. Shinichi looked closer and saw that the boy also was about his age because the girl was probably a year or two younger. "Yeah, figured that when the police showed up, it'd probably be better not to be dressed in that," his voice trailed off again. His eyes were looking at the girl in his arms. She was still shaking, her blue-violet eyes watery. Kid placed a hand on top of her head tried to smile a little wider.
"Come on now, don't cry. You gotta be strong, remember? You don't wanna worry Kaa-san, now do you?" Kid's voice cracked. The girl, 'Kiyo-chan', looked up at her older brother, sniffed, and wiped away her tears, nodding. Conan returned, a grim look on his face, having just notified Nakamori of their location and that there was a man who had been shot, no mention of the fact that the man was in fact Kid.
After a few moments of silence, Shinichi finally found his voice. "You know, it is hard for a detective to accept requests if they lack knowledge of the requester's identity. Don't worry, ojou-san," Shinichi said, turning to the girl who was staring at him, "we won't give away the fact your brother was also Kaitou Kid."
The thief chuckled again, closing his eyes in pain as he aggravated the hole in his side. He was used to getting shot at, but never had it hit there, and he certainly wasn't used to the pain that came from bleeding to death. He sighed, a small smile rested on his pale face. "Name's Kuroba Kaito. Nice to finally officially meet you, Kudo Shinichi, and same to you, Kudo Conan," the boys frowned at the mention of their names. Never had the thief called either of them by their names, he much preferred the nicknames they had earned from chasing him. Also, they were a sentiment to the time when Shinichi was stuck as Conan. They didn't know how the thief found out, but they didn't mind, it got them out of a few situations and even helped them get to how they were now.
Silence fell again. The girl continued to try to wipe the tears that stubbornly continued down her cheeks. Kaito turned to her, smiling gently as he raised his hand to bring it to rest on his sister's head. "You be safe now, Kiyo-chan, 'kay? Also, tell Kaa-san I'm sorry," his voice strained with pain. The girl swallowed and nodded. Kaito's smile grew a little wider as he sat more against the trees. He let his eyes drop closed with a sigh. The girl's eyes widened in horror and she dropped her head onto his chest, her body shaking as her crying renewed.
Nakamori Ginzo showed up not long after with the ambulance shortly afterwards. Upon seeing the young teen that he knew so well and whom he saw a son lying still against the tree, his legs nearly gave out below him. The medical personnel quickly checked the teen over, but it was too late. The backed away, and shook their bowed heads.
Shinichi and Conan stood out of sight. Neither spoke, their eyes down cast. They were mourning their dear late rival, the thief, the magician, and their friend. They both knew full well there would be a day that Kid's presence would no longer be there, but never had they imagined that the thief would go this way, or this soon. They had come to see the thief's existence as a constant, something to help them relax and be themselves in a way in which no one got hurt, just like the unspoken rule during the heists was, but sadly, not everyone followed that rule, and the person who paid the price was none other than the man himself.
It was a long night when the two finally returned to the Kudo Estate. They had been thoroughly questioned and were finally released when it was only a few hours until dawn. Though they both wished they could sleep, and they were able to, there was no school for either of them, they could not bring themselves to. Shinichi instead went to the kitchen and made them some coffee. As they sat in silence, Conan took off his over-sized glasses and rested them on the table.
Then, a flash of white flew across the room. A dove landed beside the glasses, a card held in its mouth. Conan glanced at his older counterpart then reached out and gently pulled the card from bird. Conan skimmed it over and his eyes widened slightly. He handed the note to Shinichi, who plucked the card from the boy's hand and skimmed it over.
Dearest Tantei-kun and Metantei-kun,
I thank you for not telling the police of my brother's identity, Nakamori-keibu would not be able to handle it. But I should warn you now, Kaitou Kid, your younger brother, is a phantom who will haunt the Kuroba line until his goal is achieved, and will move from one host to the next when the previous is no longer able to be of use. I'm sorry to tell you, but I shall not leave this alone, not until the murders my family has suffered have been righted and the dust of Pandora has been spread out so that no one can find it.
With all do respect,
Kuroba Kiyoshi, Kaitou Kid III
Shinichi read the bottom and could not help but feel sorry for the girl. It was obvious that her brother was not the first to pay the price for taking up the mask of Kid, and nor would he probably be the last. Apparently, whatever Pandora was, it was important enough for people to be killed over.
"Looks like our work is cut out for us, ne, Shinichi?" Conan said, with a slight smile. The teen glanced at his younger counterpart and nodded. They had promised to keep the girl out of trouble, and though obviously she had no plans of keeping out of trouble with the cops, that was alright with them, as it made an easier time to keep an eye on her.