Chapter one
Heist
ooOO-OOoo

Shinichi checked his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. The clock-hands crawled agonizingly slowly towards the time KID had announced for his arrival. A sigh escaped him. He just hoped he could get this over and done with quickly, and return to Ran's party. To say she hadn't been amused when he'd told her he would have to leave before 12 o'clock was, well – understated.

'Five rounds of the ball that means life.' That had meant five days after the note had been delivered. And it just had to be the night of Ran's birthday.

After all what had happened during the last few weeks, she deserved a wonderful birthday party, and she'd decided to invite all of her friends to celebrate into the small hours. And yet here he was – waiting for Kaitou KID instead of seeing his girlfriend's smile while she was blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.

Just great - he was such a shitty boyfriend.

His mood sunk even further when he caught the glowering gaze from Nakamori Ginzo. The Inspector had allowed his presence at the heist-site with clenched teeth and just because Shinichi had been able to present him the personal 'invitation' he'd gotten from the thief. Talking about territorial behavior.

His eyes scanned over the other officers, who were scattered all over the hotel's in-house art gallery. The 'Elite Hotel' consisted of two big main towers and was known for its exclusive exhibitions. 'Two fingers pointing into the sky.'

This month, they were showing a collection of four star-cut jewels, each with an engraved pictogram for water, fire, air and earth. They symbolized, of course, the four elements, and the jewels were chosen to match their element. Sapphire for water, ruby for fire, diamond for air and emerald for earth. Because their creator had been a huge fan of astrology, they also stood for the four classifications for the astrological signs – hence the name 'Zodiacal Quartet'. 'Four matching stars.'

Chanting from the outside drew his attention to the large glass doors of the balcony. Shinichi walked over to see the enormous crowd that had gathered in front of the hotel. His tongue clicked in annoyance as with every second step a soft thud reached his ears. He gripped the handle of the cane a bit tighter. It was, aside from a band-aid on his head, the last reminder of his clash with the Black Organization and in a few days, he wouldn't need it anymore.

Shinichi felt a bit at a disadvantage, knowing that KID would for sure go all out tonight, while he was handicapped with his injured right leg. His left one would have to suffice. He'd received his new power-kick-boots and the soccer-belt from the Professor yesterday. It hadn't been really surprising that Agasa had made them for him already a while ago, guessing that Shinichi might like to have some of his gadgets in adult-size. He was still working on an upgrade for the tranquilizer-watch and they had yet to come up with a replacement for the glasses. After all, he couldn't wear them as Shinichi anymore.

Another glance to his watch. Midnight. 'Three beats after the beginning. Three, two, one…'

"Ladiiies aaand gentlemen," KID's voice boomed over the courtyard outside. Spotlights flickered on and searched for the thief in white. Thick smoke billowed over the balcony and a glitter-bomb went off, covering the cheering people in a layer of sparkling silver.

Shinichi jumped when KID appeared out of the white fog, directly on the other side of the door he was standing in front of. His face-splitting madman grin firmly in place, the thief opened the locked door as if it had been open from the start. Shinichi, who'd lost his already precarious balance in the process, felt a steadying hand gripping his arm and an amused voice whispering in his ear.

"Now now Tantei-kun, I just arrived and you're already all weak-kneed?"

Embarrassed and upset, Shinichi lunged forward to tackle the thief, but KID had vanished instantly. As soon as Shinichi had straightened himself, his head cleared. "Stupid thief," he muttered. It wasn't like him to go for such a headless attack. KID just had caught him off-guard. He wouldn't let that happen again. The dog-pile method was more suited for the KID task force, whose leader didn't seem to have learned a thing, even after so many heists. And sure enough, across the room he saw a heap of officers, struggling on the floor.

Knowing that KID must have escaped them effortlessly, his eyes searched the room. The showcase seemed untouched, the four jewels still on their cushioned display.

One problem with the task force's favored attack was that KID liked to use the commotion to disguise as an officer. He'd done so countless times already and still Nakamori hadn't found a dependable way to prevent it. So, chances were high that they counted an additional squad member right now, but because Nakamori always went by the rule 'the more the better', it was impossible to say for sure.

Well, he wasn't here to prevent the theft in the first place, though he definitely would step in if the opportunity presented itself. His task was to pass on the money. 54.321 yen, just like the italic words written on the heist note had said. 'One to deliver the debt.'

His parents, especially his mother who was a KID fan, had been more than willing to meet the costs for the destroyed glider. It wasn't asked much for the life of their son and they really could afford it.

"Keibu, KID got away!" came the shout out of the officer-heap and provoked a flood of heavy swearing from Nakamori.

"Find him!" he yelled. "He must be still in this room! Protect the jewels!"

Oh well, it was very predictable what would happen next, so Shinichi decided to go on ahead and made his way to where he was sure KID was going to make his exit from. Remembering their previous meetings, he opened the door that led to the roof. He couldn't understand for the life of him why Nakamori never secured the roofs properly.

Shinichi leaned against the brick-wall next to the door and waited with his hands shoved in the pockets of his crème-white jeans. A soft breeze carried up the nightly noises from the city and tucked at the collar of his black polo-shirt. His gaze swept over the neighboring skyscrapers, where bright-colored neon-signs declared the names of hotels, companies and a bank. Most of the facades were dark, but on some buildings bright light shone out of several windows to form patterns or logos.

"A lovely night, isn't it, Tantei-kun?"

Shinichi just turned his head to the speaker, who, like him, leaned against the wall. KID's arms were crossed behind his head as he looked up at the starry night sky, seemingly totally unconcerned by the presence of the detective next to him.

"Already done with playing?"

The thief let out a frustrated puff. "It was just the usual. Nakamori and his men are hardly a challenge anymore, though I had fun stripping the Keibu to his boxers and locking him out on the balcony," he grinned. "It would have been more interesting if you could have participated, but well, it can't be helped," KID said with a glance to the cane in Shinichi's hand. "But next time I'm expecting some real effort from your side, Tantei-kun."

"What next time?" Shinichi snorted. "I'm certainly not going to chase you around like Nakamori-keibu or Hakuba-san."

"Whaaat? Why not?" KID whined, turning to face Shinichi, who just gave him a sidelong glance. "We had so much fun when you've been pint-sized. I've been looking forward to test out your abilities now that you're taller than your average fireplug."

"Insulting me is not going to help, you know?" Shinichi grumbled halfheartedly. He had to admit that KID was right. It had been fun to solve his little riddles and it had loosened him up to put his mind on something else than the BO - but that was then and now was now.

"Simply put – I just don't have the time," he sighed. "I have literally close to no free time, since I have to play catch up with all the schoolwork I've missed. What little is left, I try to spend with Ran and when I get the chance to actually work on a case, I have to say that I'd choose a homicide over a theft. Especially if the thief in question tends to return the stolen jewels anyway."

KID hummed in understanding. He could sympathize with that, seeing how he had to juggle his schoolwork and his night-job that took quite some time regarding the preparations before the actual heist. Good that he was used to it by now and could go through several nights in a row with little sleep without letting it show in school. Hakuba was close enough to his secret as it was. He couldn't afford dropping hints left and right by sleeping during class every time a heist was coming up.

But Shinichi didn't know that and he felt a tiny prick of disappointment that the detective rather spent his time with dead people than with him. Well, he couldn't argue over that priority, now could he? Catching murderers was more important after all.

"Okay, I'll let this slide for now, but I'll certainly get back to you," he promised the eye-rolling teen at his side.

"Do whatever floats your boat KID," Shinichi replied absentminded. He was already calculating how long it would take him to return to Ran if he would go right now. Big mistake.

"You're sure?" KID's husky voice breathed against his temple.

"Gaahh!" Shinichi screamed and jumped away from the chuckling thief. "Stop that, now will you?" He rubbed his hand over his temple. "Keep that shit up and I will help a certain self-proclaimed number-one fan of yours to get her hands on you."

The face of a squealing short-haired blonde popped up in KID's mind and shut him up effectively. He lifted his hands in defense. "Alright, alright. Understood – no more feeling up Tantei-kun."

"Glad we have an agreement here. Now," Shinichi pulled an envelope out of his pocket and held it out to KID. "Before the task force makes it out of whatever you've trapped them in, it's time to make an exchange. Your money for the Zodiacal Quartet."

"An envelope? Seriously, Tantei-kun?"

"What did you expect? A shiny metal-case full of bank notes?" Shinichi asked with an amused half-smile.

KID mumbled something like, "Could've come up with something less lame," what Shinichi decided to ignore.

"Okay – got it. Just give me a second." KID strode to the middle of the roof and held the jewels one after one up to the full moon.

Shinichi watched him curiously. "What exactly are you hoping to see? You're doing this every time, don't you?"

KID squinted against the moonlight to check the third jewel. "I do, but I can't tell you." He turned to Shinichi and winked. "It's a secret."

Shinichi crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah – whatever. Hurry up then, I have to be somewhere else right now." He really hoped the present he'd chosen for Ran would sooth her enough that he would live through the night. He'd picked a necklace he had seen her ogle at every time they'd passed the store, when he'd still been Conan.

"Okay, okay – no need to be so prickly. I'm almost done. Just this last one." KID took the remaining jewel, the one for water, and held it up. It glistened as he turned it a bit and the picture of KID, swathed in his billowing cape, staying bathed in pale moonlight with the jewel in his raised hand, was more than memorable.

A silenced shot shattered the moment of awe.

With a pained outcry, KID dropped the jewel and clutched his hand. Blood stained the pristine white of his glove.

Shinichi was dumbstruck for a second, before he realized what was happening. The cane clattered to the ground as he compelled his body into action and spurted forward, ignoring his protesting leg. His eyes skipped frantically from the windows to the roofs of the opposite buildings.

'There!'

The glinting of a rifle-scope revealed the sniper's position. Quickly, he pressed the button on his belt and a soccer ball inflated. He activated the power-kick-boot on his left foot and aimed. Just before the next shot went off, the ball crashed into the wall next to the shooter, who got distracted enough to miss his target.

Shinichi cursed under his breath. With his stronger right foot he would have knocked him out cold for sure. "KID!" he shouted to spur the thief on, what wasn't necessary, because KID already was running over to him. Grabbing Shinichi's arm and spinning him around, he dragged the teen towards the door and slammed it shut behind them.

Panting, they stood in the dimly lit staircase. Shinichi was the first to catch his breath. "Wha – What the hell was that?"

KID's expression was grave, his jaw set. He didn't look as ruffled about the incident as Shinichi had expected him to be.

'Wait – does that mean-' His eyes widened. "This hasn't been the first time, right?"

The thief remained silent and Shinichi lost his already thin-running temper. "Dammit, KID! Who is trying to kill you?"

KID tilted his head down, hiding his eyes in the shadows his top hat casted over his face. His tone was unusually earnest and grim. "It doesn't concern you, Kudou."

Taken aback, Shinichi stared at him for a moment. KID never used his last name. Oddly enough, this detail brought the message across much more clearly than anything else could have.

Stay out of this.

Shinichi's thoughts raced. The thief certainly had offended many people and most of them were rich and mighty, but to go so far as to put a hit on him?

A scrap of their last conversation flickered through his mind. 'Though I might come back to you about that syndicate thing.'

His heart missed a beat. Could it- could it be? 'No! Nonono! We've caught them. It is over, right?' He clenched his hands as they began to shake.

"Calm down – it's not them. Unfortunately," KID's bitter voice pulled him back to presence and Shinichi looked at him sharply.

"Unfortunately they are no faction of the Black Organization you've brought down recently, or they wouldn't still be out there. I've really hoped otherwise, but there was nothing about them in the reports the police received from that blonde agent."

Shinichi inhaled audibly and KID gave a short snort. "You really thought I wouldn't look into the results after all the effort I've put into this? Come on – you ought to know me better." The thief had regained his composure and pushed himself from the banister he'd leaned against. "Well – I'll call it a day. You're okay on your own?"

The detective just gaped.

Did KID really expect him to drop the topic just like that? Could the thief be so dense? He had seen what had happened to those who tried to manage everything on their own. He had seen what had happened to him.

Shinichi's anger rose. They'd just gotten rid of this damn organization and now another one tried to rear its ugly head? If this syndicate was anything like the BO, KID would be dead in no time. He wouldn't let this happen - he couldn't.

Shinichi was tense to such an extent that now his whole body was trembling. "If I'm okay?" His words were a mere hiss. "If I am okay?" Now he shouted. "Cut the crap, KID! You are the one with a bloody hand who just got away from being shot! Bury your fucking pride and let me help you!"

KID looked up. Did the detective just swore? Tantei-kun never swore. At least not like this. He could be arrogant, a know-it-all, sarcastic, he teased, but he didn't swear.

Huh - interesting.

"Okay."

"You can't- wait, what?" Shinichi stumbled over his own words.

"I said 'Okay'," KID repeated calmly. "I will tell you what you want to know. If I don't, I'd put you at risk dying from your exploding blood-pressure." His lips curved into a slight grin. "Can't have that, now can we?"

'He is nuts,' Shinichi thought lost for words. 'He is totally nuts. But at least he's getting back to his mocking personality.' He took a deep breath. 'I can work with that.'

The sound of running feet echoed through the staircase. The task force was finally catching up.

"Am afraid that's my cue," KID said and opened the door to the roof again.

"Are you stupid? What if the sniper is still out there?" With the nearing officers Shinichi didn't dare to yell at KID, but he made his point quite clear.

"No worries, Tantei-kun." KID tapped against a bud in his ear. "My backup gave the all clear. Just so you know - I'm not backing out. I'm counting on you. Ya." And with a short wave he was out on the roof and activated his obviously new hang-glider.

Shinichi stood in the doorframe and watched the thief maneuvering through the city. After a moment, he picked up his cane that lay discarded next to the door, and turned to meet up with Nakamori as something on the door-handle caught his attention.

Blood.

He sighed. "At least let your 'backup' have a look at your hand, idiot," he muttered.

Working with the thief would be – different, so to say. Shinichi shoved his free hand in his pocket again and felt the smooth surfaces of four jewels. KID must have slipped them in there. He searched his jacket for the envelope just to find it gone.

'What did I get myself into this time?'

A/N: And here the story really begins. Seems like KID just changed his status from 'thief who returns the stolen jewels anyway' to 'Possible homicide victim.'