Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are owned by Aoyama Gosho. I don't make money from writing this fanfiction. The story contains spoiler for Detective Conan and Magic Kaito. Also there are quotes from manga, anime, wiki and other sources.
Clair de Lune
Chapter II: Winterreise Part I
Since Stradivarius violin case, Conan had met with Kaito Kid twice. Both heists involved Suzuki Jirokichi who tried his best to capture Kid to earn a place on the front pages of the Japanese newspapers.
Conan was alone with Kid during Blush Mermaid case but thankfully the thief didn't try to kiss him when disguised as Masumi Sera. Kid was more flirtatious than ever though. Conan knew that Kid was quite a charmer, seeming to always know just what to say to the ladies to leave them speechless. But to be the end recipient of those words was a new experience.
AL: She truly can kick.
Kaito Kid messaged him after the heist. Conan smirked when he read it. That kick from Sera got hurt a lot.
SH: Serves you right.
AL: Aren't you supposed to protect me?
SH: Since this is you we're talking about, I'm certain that you can protect yourself.
AL: Touche, Tantei-kun.
The second meeting happened during Green Emperor's case when Kid tried to steal the jewel from Jirokichi Suzuki. Kid disguised himself as Sonoko this time.
SH: Kyougoku managed to uncover your disguise because your ring finger is longer than your index finger. Unlike Sonoko's.
AL: You do know what people say about the ratio of the length of a man's index finger to that of his ring finger, don't you dear?
SH: I'm going to throw away this phone.
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A few weeks had passed since the heist. Today was the last day of school before winter holiday.
AL: How are you today, dear?
SH: I was better before you texted.
Conan pressed send and grinned at his phone.
"Sexting in the morning?" Haibara muttered.
"Haibara!" He hissed.
"I didn't know that you have it in you." The girl said, smirking.
Urgh! Conan regretted telling her about Kaito Kid because she now developed a habit to tease him whenever she wanted.
His phone chimed again.
AL: How cold.
SH: How are you then? Are you planning something dastardly?
AL: That's for me to know and for you to find out.
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Winter holiday also meant holidaying at a ski resort. A very enthusiastic Sonoko Suzuki had decided to spend winter holiday skiing in the absence of Kyougoku Makoto. She had asked Ran which meant Kogoro and Conan would tag along. Hearing that, Detective Boys also wanted to join them so they got Haibara, Professor Agasa, Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta.
Yuzawa Town was a popular all year resort but most famous for its excellent ski and snowboard resorts and onsen hot springs. The town was in an excellent location, making it the most convenient resort area from Central Tokyo. By car, the 200 kilometres journey using the Kanetsu Expressway took just over two hours.
They used two cars to go there. Kogoro drove the car with Ran, Sonoko and Conan while Professor Agasa drove the car with Haibara, Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi. They arrived at the hotel in the evening.
After putting their bags in their respective rooms, the Detective Boys wanted to explore the area around hotel.
"Where are you guys going?" Conan called.
"We saw something on the ski slope during our way here." Ayumi explained.
"On the ski slope?" he asked, frowning. It was already dark outside now.
"Yes. And now we want to check the place." Mitsuhiko said.
"Come on, Conan-kun," Ayumi said.
"Ask Professor Agasa if he wants to accompany us," Conan said at last.
The children went to ask Professor Agasa. Of course, the man couldn't refuse three pairs of begging eyes.
"Yes!" They cheered.
"Come on!" Genta said impatiently.
"Hurry up!"
Conan sighed and resigned himself to follow after them.
They walked all the way to the ski slope. It was full of people which Conan noticed to be high school students. It turned out that Ekoda High School students from Tokyo were on a school trip and they held 'Holy Night Masquerade Pair Skiing Contest.' It was quite funny to see those mismatched costumes. Who came up with this idea anyway?
"The last pair is Nakamori Aoko and Kuroba Kaito, right?" a student near Conan asked her friend.
"Yeah," her friend replied.
"Look!" someone pointed.
Pairs of white lights were descending from the top of the slope, creating a runway in the snow.
"It's Kuroba's doing!"
Conan groaned when he saw the pair of students who dressed as Kaito Kid and his bride. Seriously? These Kid's fans took thing way too far.
"He's wearing a Kid's costume!" Ayumi shouted enthusiastically.
The girl, Nakamori, wasn't a skilful skier. The dress she wore also hindered her movement. She almost fell backward only to be caught by her friend in Kid's costume and carried on bridal style. That guy was a great skier though and when they almost reached the end of the slope, he flipped them both high into the air in a dramatic ski salto. He landed perfectly and stopped right in front of his cheering and clapping classmates.
"Way to go Kuroba!"
"That was awesome!"
The pair got a perfect score and was announced as the winner of the contest.
Who would have thought that Conan would meet Kaito Kid here? And without his disguise too. There was no doubt that the guy was Kid. The acrobatic movement and the familiar appearance were more than enough to convince Conan. What a nerve the guy had. Then again, Conan suspected that Kid was a bit mental.
"So, that is your boyfriend?" Haibara commented in low voice. She had come to the same conclusion as Conan. "And with his bride nonetheless. Shouldn't you be worried?" she asked with a sly grin.
He gave her an irritated look. "It's only a game, Haibara." He replied. "Only a game."
Then Conan turned to Professor Agasa and the children. "Let's go back to the hotel. It's late enough now."
Since the show was over, the children agreed to his words.
Conan didn't want Kid to notice his presence yet. While other students were still there, it was best to get away. Kuroba Kaito, student of Ekoda High School. I got you now, Kid. He smirked inwardly.
Haibara Ai looked at the smug boy next to her. Only a game, eh? Was Kudo really certain of that? Whatever the outcome was, it would be fun to watch the drama unfolding in front of her eyes. She needed to get entertainment after all.
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Conan had to gather information about Kuroba Kaito first. He had browsed Ekoda High School official website. Now, time to search the social media. While Kuroba didn't have an account at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other popular web sites, a lot of his classmates did and that was really helpful.
They portrayed Kuroba as happy go student who loved magic and liked to play pranks on his classmates. He was also a smart student. Kuroba also claimed to be Kid's number one fan because they were both a magician. If only they knew Kuroba's alter ego, then, Conan thought.
He stared at the picture of Kuroba Kaito and Nakamori Aoko, his childhood friend. Kuroba looked like Kudo Shinichi so much that it was eerie. On further inspection though, he could see that Kuroba had wider face. He also had a different hair style. That Nakamori girl also reminded him of Ran. It was ironic that she turned out to be the daughter of Inspector Nakamori, the guy who had tried and failed all this time to capture Kaito Kid.
Kid's personality didn't show up much in Kuroba Kaito which was a pity since Conan preferred Kid's wit. But then again, Kuroba Kaito was probably hiding his true self. Conan sighed. They were similar in that matter though. They were two persons who lived with a secret identity, hiding their true self.
And it turned out that Kuroba was the son of Kuroba Touichi, a world renowned magician. The elder Kuroba passed away in an accident during magic show. The name sounded familiar though. Conan's eyes widened in realization. That Toichi Kuroba was the magician who taught his mother and also Vermouth about the art of disguise.
He quickly called his mother.
"Shinichi," Yukiko Kudo's cheerful voice greeted her son.
"Ne, Okasan. Could you tell me everything you know about Kuroba Touichi?"
They spent the next fifteen minutes talking on the phone.
"Thanks, Okasan." Conan ended the call.
Kuroba Toichi was the original Kaito Kid. It fitted the timeline. Kuroba Kaito couldn't be the first Kaito Kid since Kid first appeared nineteen years ago in Paris. Touchi coincidentally had a magic show in Paris around that date.
The date of Kid's heist after Touichi's death didn't match though. Kaito Kid showed up twice in eight after following Touichi's death. Touichi must have an assistant to aid him during his heist. The same assistant who helped Kuroba Kaito now during the heist. Apparently, the mantle had passed down from father to son. The question was why Kuroba would feel the need to don Kid's identity and appear again as the world greatest thief.
The second Kid never truly stole something from his heist. He always returned the jewel he had stolen the very next day through mail to Inspector Nakamori. Besides that, Kid also sent note to announce about his heist to police so they could try to catch him on wild goose chases. Kid also never wanted to see others got hurt and he never hesitated in leaping to rescue someone. These qualities were some of the reasons why he and Kid occasionally ended up as allies in a common cause.
What kind of thief to do that?
There were two answers to that. First, Kid did it just for the sheer thrill of overcoming all hazards in the end. Kid was a genius after all and genius needed audiences. The second answer which Conan thought was closer to the truth was that Kid was a part of a bigger picture out there. Kid was trying to do something and those heists were the way to achieve his purpose.
Argh! Conan had enough with Black Organization on his plate. He truly didn't need to add another puzzle. He cursed his inability to resist a good challenge. What should he do now?
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The next day, they were going to have breakfast before skiing and snowboarding.
Conan deliberately ate first so he finished faster than the others. He scanned the restaurant to find his target. Ekoda High School students stayed in the same hotel with them so they were bound to have breakfast in the same restaurant.
And here he was.
Kuroba Kaito had showed up at the restaurant together with Nakamori. They sat next to the window. Kuroba looked ready to fall in sleep at any moment. Nakamori said something to Kuroba and then left to buffet table. Kuroba was left alone. The teen slouched in the chair and closed his eyes. Perfect.
He got up from his seat.
"Where are you going, Conan-kun?" Ran asked.
"I got something to do, Ran-neechan," Conan replied. "Don't worry, it won't be long."
Haibara gave him a knowing smirk but he ignored her.
He walked stealthily to Kid's table and sat in the chair across the thief.
"Fancy meeting you here," he began.
Kid's eyes snapped open.
Conan smirked.
Author's Note:
Hi!
Winterreise (Winter Journey) is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert.
Thanks for reading everyone and please review.