A/N Hello, guys! Here is the second chapter. Thanks a lot for your reviews! We were so happy to get them! And we hope that you won't be silent and share your impressions with us after you read this chapter!
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A Revived Sapphire
Chapter 2
The girl was sitting in a cozy living-room of Kaitou KID's safest shelter, which was his own sweet home. He couldn't think of any other places to take her after she had shocked him with her name that was uncharacteristic for humans.
And now she was watching quietly as the man in white measured the room in a rapid pace and rubbed his chin in a deep thought. She really didn't understand why he was so perplexed. She believed that she had already answered all of his questions but he didn't seem to look satisfied at all. He was so strange to her eyes, yet at the same time there was a strong aura of tranquility coming from him and she couldn't but enjoy that sensation.
Her train of thoughts was abruptly ruined by the thief's sudden halt. He stood still in the middle of the room as if he represented himself as a marble sculpture, created by a very talented hand. The girl tilted her head to a side, just like a little bird did when it got overwhelmed with interest. He was so funny to watch. She didn't notice how her lips spread into a smile and a light giggle escaped her throat. But the next moment Kaitou KID turned his head and sent her a piercing gaze, under which she shuddered unwittingly.
He was about to ask her something, but the view of magical glittering eyes just disturbed the judgement. Taking a hold of his emotions, he came closer to the stranger and sat on a coffee table across from her.
The girl just blinked in anticipation of his next actions.
They both didn't know it, but right now they looked like a perfect match with their pure-white suits and similar unbreakable eye-lock. It could be funny if only it wasn't so serious.
"Okay, now you tell me everything again," he stated firmly and his gaze became even more intense.
The girl blinked again and then smiled beamingly, blinding him with the shining effect of her eyes.
"From the very beginning?" she asked merrily. For some unknown reason, she loved being interrogated by him. She enjoyed the concentrated expression on his face and the smooth sound of his voice. She swam in delight every time he addressed to her. After the moment she had told him her name during their night flight, he hadn't drop a word to her regret, but his face looked so funny with his mouth wide agape and his eyes as round as spheres. She remembered reaching this place smoothly and but in complete silence.
When they stepped into the room, he had finally let her know that he wanted some explanations. And she believed that she had already given them as he wanted, but now he was demanding for a repeat.
"Yes, I want to hear the whole story again, especially the part where you turned into a human," the man spoke and took off his top hat. That night felt like eternity. He was tired, exhausted mentally and physically. And he had no clue why he was punished with this precious "gift" in the girl's person.
"I mean," he started again, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose to ease the tension. His eyes still hurt after the blinding effect of this girl's spectacular appearance back on the rooftop. "If you are really "The Beauty of the Seven Seas", I have to return you to your owner in your gem form. I may be a thief, but I have my own code of honour. If the gem I steal is not Pandora, I always give it back. But now I have no ideas how I am suppose to do it if you have turned into a girl," he sighed uneasily and glanced at the lady before him. Why she was smiling at him so cutely he couldn't tell even if you asked him to, but somehow he felt a familiar aura coming from her. She reminded him of Ran Mouri - a girl from his faculty, whom he had been secretly admiring from their first year in the University. This sapphire girl had a strong resemblance to Ran and it made the whole situation even harder.
"Of course, I am not Pandora, since she is my sister," she answered cheerfully, clapping her hands like a child.
Kaitou KID choked after hearing her words. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stood up rapidly and unintentionally grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking them as if she was his last hope.
"Tell me where she is! I must find her!"
The girl blinded him with the shine of her precious yet scared eyes for she wasn't ready for such harsh actions from his side.
"You will never find her," she uttered slowly.
"What?"
"Pandora is buried in the depths of the Pacific Ocean along with the people who dared to steal us. I tried to persuade her to spare her life, but it was useless. It was her stubborn wish to get lost and never become someone's property again."
"Are you sure?!" his voice was loud and desperate, the grip on her shoulders tightened and she winced, shutting her eyes in fear.
The pain on her face cooled his emotions down at once. What was he doing? The realization that he had just hurt her with his talented hands made him feel sick and disgusted of himself. He wasn't acting like his old self at all!
"Please, forgive me for my rudeness!" he released her hurriedly and made a step back only to hit his leg against the coffee table and stumble over it, performing a spectacular pirouette backwards, which ended with the Phantom Thief's glorious fall.
The girl's eyes shot open when she heard a loud thud and yelps of pain. She jumped on her feet and rushed to KID's sprawled side in attempt of helping him to stand up. Worry could be clearly read on her pretty face. She grabbed his hands and pulled him up as strongly as she could. It wasn't an easy task since he was too heavy for her. But soon enough the infamous Phantom Thief gained a vertical position again and after ten minutes of groaning and whining in pain, he and his troublesome guest were sitting in his kitchen with him pressing a package of ice to his aching throbbing nape. The monocle was gone from his face; most likely, it had rolled under the table in the room after the grand fall, but right now he didn't pay much attention to his disguise. His head was throbbing so much, that it felt like hundreds of smiths were trying to forge something out of it, while having it between their hammers and anvils.
The girl was sitting at the table across from him with endearing expression on her face. She had her hands lying on her knees, as she watched him carefully yet curiously.
After some time of silence, Kaitou KID decided that he was ready to continue their conversation. The headache started to subside slowly and he was utterly glad about it.
"You said that Pandora is lost in the ocean," he said finally. His voice sounded tired, but his blue eyes were concentrated on her face firmly. He had strong determination to find out the truth.
"Yes," the girl bit her lip for a moment before she continued, "When Englishmen stole us from one respected Arabic sheikh three hundred years ago, the ship they sailed got into a terrible storm. But even in that dangerous situation, when everyone was struggling for their lives, one of the sailors decided to steal my sister. She was indeed very beautiful sapphire, a lot more beautiful than plain me."
Kaitou KID frowned. He remembered how this girl looked like as a gem. She was the most gorgeous precious stone he had ever seen in his whole life. Yet, she thought that she was too regular in comparison with Pandora. He could only guess how her sister must have looked liked and why everyone desired to own her.
Her shimmering eyes got sadder as she continued her heartbreaking story.
"She was sick and tired of being someone's property. I remember what she told me just before the captain of the ship stole me from the burning deckcabin we were being held captive in. She cried that the only thing she wished for was disappearing from this world, so no one would ever touch her with their filthy hands. Then the tongues of flame devoured her and the man, in whose hands she was trapped. He was dead by then, since the ceiling of the deckcabin had crashed on his body, taking his life away instantly. The captain didn't risk going deeper into the fire, so he just took me and some other reachable treasures and managed to leave the burning sinking ship with the rest five men from his crew."
She fell silent. By the way she was gripping the fabric of her white dress on her knees, KID could tell that right now she was suffering from recalling the nightmare from the past again. Her story was tragic and it couldn't but move him to the core.
"So, Pandora is lost forever," he concluded with a heavy sigh and put the wet package of already melted ice aside. His eyes were glued to the dark surface of the wooden table in a deep thought.
"Yeah," the girl answered quietly.
His brilliant brain was occupied with the analysis of the situation he was in. Today he had found out that the gem he dedicated his life to destroy did no longer exist. Was it happiness? Maybe, yes. He had no reason to be KID any longer, but the main meaning of his alter-ego was not just in finding Pandora, but also in avenging his father. Black Organization had killed him because of Pandora. For that Kaitou KID hated the gem with all his heart. He had always thought that it was a curse for the whole human race to have such a dangerous artifact as Pandora and its tears, which could give immortality to anyone, who drank them. But after tonight's events he found out that the gem was just a victim of humans' greed and vile desires.
A damsel in distress - that was what Pandora actually was. And she was that strong in spirit that she decided to sacrifice her life to get free from the curse.
"If only we could stay at sheikh's palace," the Beauty of the Seven Seas spoke in a lost tone, "that man wasn't like any other of our owners. He bought us for his beloved wife and daughter, because the legend says that my sister and I are magical. Pandora was given to sheikh's wife, while I started to belong to his only daughter. Those women were kind and pure-hearted. They didn't crash us into pieces to make some jewelry, but they treated us as the most valuable things. We were happy to be in their private collection, but three years later the sheikh's palace was attacked by Englishmen and they stole us…again."
When she finished, she looked up at him, not even noticing that her gaze had been attached to her hands during the whole time she was speaking.
When their eyes met KID caught himself on a thought that the girl was attractive and her marvelous glittering blue eyes just added the uniqueness to her natural beauty.
"How many times have you been stolen in the past?" he asked in a sympathetic tone.
"Seventy three times, since I was born as a gem."
It was hard to imagine how it must be felt being stolen over and over again.
"And today it was the seventy forth one," he added bitterly, feeling self-reproach. He wasn't any better than those previous thieves.
"No," her voice was firm. "Today is different," she declined with a small smile.
"Heh, I can't see how it can be any different," he chuckled sarcastically. "Anyway, is it your first time turning into a human being, or have you practiced it before?"
"It's the first time," the girl answered hurriedly and somewhat happily. The Phantom Thief glanced at her again and for innumerous time that night he got blinded with too glaring eyes, which reminded of precious stones of the highest purity in the sunlight. But at the very moment, he thought, that the shine was even brighter than usual.
"It's strange. Magical. But who am I kidding?" the white thief let out an ironic laugh. "Tell me, sapphire-"
"My name is The Beauty of the Seven Seas," she interrupted him in an offended tone. Perhaps, she didn't like when she was addressed to as a gem. Not in her current form, at least.
For a second he really wanted to burst into a long, loud and hysterical laughter. Where did you see a girl with such a name?
"Ah, yes. My apologies," he hurried to win his good reputation back. "I just wanted to know the main reason why you decided to turn into a human. Or maybe it wasn't your decision? Did it happen upon some circumstances?"
The sapphire girl's face lit up with a glowing smile as she answered his questions.
"I turned into a human because you woke me up with your emotions! I sensed your pure heart and good intentions. Usually, when people stole me or owned me the only feelings they had in their hearts were greed and egoism, but yours were different. You held me gently in your hands and when you pressed your lips to me in such a tender and careful way, I got inflamed with a strong wish to see and know you better - a human, whose motives for stealing me were not his personal vice."
By the expression on his pale face one could say that famous Kaitou KID's Poker Face had left him as a roof usually leaves someone's crazy head, waving its hand a goodbye in a process.
"You…you mean… it was me, who turned you into a girl?" he asked, even barked, loudly, losing the last remains of his self-control and sanity.
"Yes!" the girl exclaimed happily and clapped her hands together. "I am so glad to meet you!"
"The pleasure is mine," his tone was far from a welcoming one. He watched her overwhelmed with optimism as if she didn't have a problem in her life. Oh, he wanted to be as cheerful and hopeful, but the reality was just too cruel to him.
"I have to give you back to your owner. I must!" he said it more to himself, but his eyes were placed firmly on her.
The girl frowned and pursed up her lips.
"I don't want to go back! That man is greedy. I hate it when he touches me!" she flinched as unpleasant memories flooded her mind.
He didn't know what to do. Of course, he could imagine that it was far from pleasant to be touched and treated by the hands you didn't like. Especially when those hands belonged to Suzuki Jirokichi. But she wasn't a real girl. She was a precious stone, and being someone's property was her destiny.
"You have to understand, sapphire," he started to demand, but was interrupted by her stern glare.
Oh, yes, he had absolutely forgotten that for some unknown reason she didn't like being called by her natural name. KID cleared his throat and continued in a steady tone.
"I mean, The Beauty of the Seven Seas," after he corrected himself he received a broad smile of approval from the girl's side. "I am a thief with my own code of honour. I've been stealing precious stones in order to find Pandora. If the gem isn't her - I always return it back to its owner. And this time isn't an exception."
Their eyes met again in a stubborn duel.
"You don't look like all those people, who desired to own my sister for their wish of playing up to their vanity. Why do you want my sister that much?" she inquired seriously. It was a very personal theme to her, he knew it. But he didn't want to show his cards and tell her his own personal story. They barely knew each other. It wasn't in his style to open his heart to a total stranger.
"I have my own reasons and greed or vanity has nothing to do with them," he told her casually and then his voice became thick and lecturing. "And you must turn back into a gem again, so that I could give you back to the old man."
"No!" she cut him off decisively.
"Why not?" he threw his hands in the air, losing his patience. "All you need to do is becoming your natural self again!"
"No!" she stood her ground firmly. Where did she get that stubbornness all of a sudden?!
"Why?!"
"Because I don't want to!" her words sounded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"And what do you want then?" KID plopped his cheek on his knuckle and just watched the sapphire girl intently. He was too tired of this night, of this girl and their futile talk. It was leading nowhere. But the next moment he noticed her eyes becoming brighter, their radiance increased and a huge sunny smile fell on her lips.
Her answer was sung in a beautiful melodic voice, by which he understood that she was indeed happy.
"I want to be with you!"
Kaitou KID blinked once, then twice - she had blinded him with those blazing eyes again. Also he noted that when she felt joyous and positive emotions, her eyes gained deeper colour and started to shine even more strikingly.
If to be honest, he didn't know what to say. The girl, who was pretty and unique (if not to say one of a kind) was telling him that she wanted to be with him. Maybe under some other circumstances he would have felt honoured, proud or even happy, but now he felt nothing but confusion and awkwardness. He couldn't understand why she wanted to be with him or why she was so impressed by him. Her fondness towards him led to all that human transformation. It was a mystery and he didn't know the solution.
His tangled thoughts were interrupted by her lovely voice again.
"Besides, even if I wanted to turn in a gem again, I don't know how to do it," she looked up at the white ceiling, thinking about something.
"Sorry?" that last statement of hers was just too much for his nervous system. "You mean, you have no clue how to get your original form back? How did you transform into a human in the first place then?" there was no end to his bewilderment.
"I don't know! It's just happened! I wanted to know you better and I desired for my wish to be fulfilled. I wanted it to come true so much that in the end I turned into a human. I don't know how to undo this," the girl explained sincerely. Her shoulders dropped helplessly, since he was asking too much from her after all.
For several minutes they were silent. Nobody knew what to do. Kaitou KID was perfectly sure that he had no such magical power to turn the girl into a sapphire again, though he could be proud of gaining a skill of doing vice versa. But for some reason he didn't feel any smugness at all. All he knew was that he had a problem, a very big and troublesome problem with the eyes of glowing sapphires.
They said, if you wanted to solve something difficult- do it on your cool head. That's why he decided to let the situation go until he came up with an idea of putting everything on their places. For now he needed a good rest. He had to go to the University in the morning and it couldn't be skipped.
"Okay," the white thief said in a calmer and more confident voice, "We will think about everything tomorrow. There must be a way to solve this mystery."
"Alright," she smiled and added, tilting her head to the side. "May I know your name?"
Heh, he didn't see that coming. But if she was going to spend some time in his apartment, she had a right to address to him by his name. She had already seen his face without disguise, though he didn't think she knew who he really was. He only hoped that her stay at his house wouldn't last any longer than one night. He was hoping that the charge of her battery or something like that would soon go low and she would turn into a sapphire again.
"You may call me Kaito," he winked playfully and received another blast of blinding blaze from her eyes. "You know, we have to do something with your eyes, or else I will become completely blind by the break of dawn."
Confusion appeared on her pretty face as she reached her hands to her eyes to touch them. "Is anything wrong with my eyes?"
"They shine like diamonds in the sun!" he answered hopelessly, rubbing his own teary eyes to get rid of the dancing stars in them.
"Diamonds?" the girl's voice exclaimed angrily. "I have nothing in common with those rude and terrible flirts! How dare you compare me with them!"
Kaito sweatdropped. That little outburst was totally unexpected. Who could know that this angelic creature hid a hot temper inside? He had to be careful from now on. More than anything else he didn't want any unnecessary scandals. The sapphire girl was boring a hole into him with her sharp glaring eyes. He didn't know the whole story behind that sudden explosion and negativeness towards diamonds, and he was sure he didn't want to find that out.
"Ah, I didn't mean to offend you. In our human world it's a metaphor. All I wanted to say is that your amazing eyes shine so bright that it hurts to look at your face."
After his explanation she cooled down a little and sat on the chair again, though she didn't even notice that she had stood up in the first place.
"Oh, I didn't know that. Our kind is not fond of diamonds and the feeling is equally returned by them," she spoke quietly, looking down. She remembered him telling that it hurt to look in her eyes, and that felt a little depressing. She liked looking at him. His eyes were so crystal-blue; it was pleasure to gaze in them. Also she enjoyed watching his expressions. His young face showed so many of them, that the girl couldn't stop admiring it. And his hair…it was unruly and had a nice deep-brown colour. And also he had a rich and somehow soothing voice. This person was ideal to her eyes and ears.
"Heh, I think I don't want to know the details of your little gems' war," he laughed sonorously. Everything seemed so ridiculous. "By the way," the man suddenly straightened his back and threw a quick glance at her form appraisingly. "If we are going to be stuck together for some time, I mean, I can't kick you out, since you don't have anywhere to go right now," his voice were meaningful, yet sounded teasingly. The girl got interested with his new way of speaking. It was as if he was solving some hard case and spoke his deduction out loud light-heartedly. She looked at him carefully from under her eyelids and saw him tapping his index finger against his chin in a deep thought. His dark eyebrow was arched above his concentrated eye elegantly.
"So," he continued. "I need a name I could address to you."
"I have a name," she stated firmly, furrowing her brows.
"Yeah, it's very nice and all, but it's too long to pronounce. We need something shorter and something that will suit your personality," his lips curved into an intrigued smile. He was enjoying himself, it was clearly obvious.
"But I like my current name," she didn't give up.
"Hold on a second, you mean it's not the only name you had?" surprise could be heard in his velvet voice and the girl encouraged herself to look at him fully. He didn't complain about becoming blind this time, so she straightened up and placed her gaze on his face.
"During my existence I have been given lots of different names. I got this one about hundred years ago from one Spanish grandee."
"Oh, now I see. But that man gave you the name because you were a precious stone. And since you are a girl now, you need a girl's name."
KID looked at her up and down: a lovely young lady with glittering sapphire eyes dressed in a crystal-white dress. She was a true beauty, but also she was a precious stone. A very rare and gorgeous precious stone to that. A brilliant idea popped up in his calculative brain. He was ready to hug and kiss himself for being such a genius as he was.
"How about "Aoko"?"
The girl tilted her head to the side inquisitively yet cutely. He continued enthusiastically, wishing to see her next reactions.
"In Japanese "Aoko" means "Blue Child". You are a sapphire, which is blue by nature. It's almost as if you are called blue gem. But Aoko sound gentler. And it's a female's name here. Not a popular one, I must add, but you are a unique girl, so a rare name will suit you greatly, not mentioning that it describes your nature the best."
"Aoko," she repeated slowly, trying the name on her tongue, it indeed sounded nice and soft.
A bright and blissful smile appeared on her face, and Kaitou KID had to shut his eyes again, because he was sure that he wouldn't be able to take another pyrotechnical show that night.
And with his eyes closed, he suddenly felt a strong pressure on his right arm. When he looked at the unexpected source, he was surprised to see his recently stolen precious sapphire hugging him by his arm as she encircled her own slender arms around his, while pressed herself to his shoulder. Her eyes were closed, but her face was glowing in happiness. Unexpectedly to himself, his own lips spread into a soft smile. She acted just like a little child, her reactions were innocent, open-hearted and sincere.
"May I assume that you like your new name, Aoko?"
As a reply to his question, the girl opened her magical eyes and glanced at him. Thanks to their close position, her head was lying on his strong shoulder and her face was just in a few centimeters away from his own.
The sapphires in her eyes were blazing, glittering so magically, that Kaito held his breath. Never in his life did he see such beauty. It was like he was looking at the ocean surface that reflected millions of twinkling stars on the night sky.
And those incredible eyes were looking into his so deeply and with so much gratitude and gentleness: they radiated warmth, not the material one, but the one that enveloped your soul and took your worries away. And also he sensed that she trusted him, trusted with all her gem's heart. Interesting, did she have a human heart or was there a hard gem of sapphire in her chest? Apparently, not. She was warm, soft and he could clearly sense her joyous heartbeat through the fabric of his sleeve. This girl was flesh and blood and he had no explanation how in the world it was possible.
"It's the best name I have ever been given! Thank you so much, Kaito!" she chirped happily, hugging his arm even tighter and rubbing her cheek against his shoulder dearly.
"It's an honour to hear," he answered with a smile, though his eyes were still gazing into hers. Strange, but when you looked in them from this small distance, they didn't have that blinding effect, more like an enchanting one.
Believe it or not, but from this moment Kaitou KID had realized that his life decided to make a sharp turn and stand absolutely upside down. This girl had made her entrance into his life from all four sides, or you could call it falling on his head like the moon from the sky.
It was unforeseen, irregular, magical, but as he watched his own reflection in her mesmerizing eyes, he decided to give this situation a chance.
Unexpectedness in his life was almost his profession, ne?
A/N Sooo? How was it? Will you share your impressions with us? Your reviews helps us to write!
Thanks for reading!~