Ch 7. Twilight in Tokyo

Surprised, Conan ran over to investigate, with Kaito following closely at his heels. Of course the magician knew what had happened, since he was the one who had set it up, but he wanted to see if his mother had added another creepy stalkerish message to his trick.

Kaito paled as he saw that one windowpane had been misted over, and written on with a finger. "No…zo…mi?" Conan read, looking over at Kaito worriedly. Although the teen now knew what his mother was trying to do, Kaito could still act the part of the freaked out teen that thought he was being stalked.

"That's… the name of the bullet train we rode to and from Kobe."

"Yes." Kaito almost jumped out of his skin as he heard a voice literally whisper into his ear. He scrambled backwards into the wall, putting himself as far away from the voice as possible in the tiny room. His heart beat furiously as he looked around, only finding Conan by his side.

Then he saw him. Err…her he automatically thought, but dismissed his snarky self. Kaito was seeing Kaitou KID standing in the shadows in all his white clad, and somehow still sneaky, glory.

Despite knowing whom it was behind the monocle, and knowing the tricks behind the evening's magic, Kaito still felt… disoriented. Maybe it was the combined scent of the perfume and the roses that was adding to the magic. The moon lit room felt stuffy and isolated from the rest of the world with the combination of fluttering cards, fluttering blue rose petals, and… fluttering cape?

"Hey, wait!" Kaito exclaimed, as the phantom thief vanished into the hallway, making quick work of the door. He swiftly grabbed Tantei-kun and tossed him on his back to continue the chase. Bursting into the hallway, the two boys looked frantically around, before realizing that they had been in a corner room. There was only one way down the hallway.

The two flinched as a series of BANGs followed, making each door in the hallway fly open, one by one; starting with the one closest to them. Of course, the hallway was plunged into the starry darkness that had engulfed the jewel room and the hallway in the lower floor.

Conan gripped Kaito's shoulders tightly, as he watched in amazement the starry abyss they had been tossed into again. He had to admit; it was kind of like being on an amusement park ride except it was real. The feeling of his companion's shirt in this hands were comforting, in that it gave him a physical reminder that they, indeed, were still in reality. As they started down the hallway, however, Conan yelled at his friend to stop, as he caught a glimpse into the room next to them.

"Oh… my god." Conan gasped, not believing his eyes. The view from the window in the next room showed a city landscape with… absolutely no lights. "Wha-" Conan tried to scramble out of the teen's grasp to go and investigate if the window had been messed with, but was prevented.

"Come on, we don't have time!" Kaito exclaimed, looking pale but determined as he looked down the hallway. The teen seemed more intent on catching the thief than figuring out the impossible trick of the city power outage. Perhaps, being a magician himself, he already knew.

Conan couldn't blame the boy from being nervous though; the implications of the little 'messages' left by the phantom thief should have been pretty jarring for the teen if he really hadn't been expecting it.

With a protesting little detective in tow, Kaito continued running down the hallway, focusing on the direction the thief had gone. He noted with hidden glee however, at the way the little critic on his back was staring wide eyed at the inside of the rooms they were passing by. As they passed each room, the city lights recovered little by little, completely recovering three quarters of the way down the hallway, before earning too many lights by the time they were completely at the end.

However, Kaito pretended to be oblivious to this sideshow until they reached the last room, a dead end. That was when the teenage magician finally looked into the last room, and yelped as he was almost blinded by the too fabulous cityscape. Running into the room, he swiped the curtains shut, noting that the color of these drapes were a wine red, as opposed to the translucent white from the first room.

He then felt the mini detective jump off of his perch on his back, as Kaito caught another whiff of the perfume and roses, and whipped around to face the room just as the lights glowed on.

Again, in the corner, stood the phantom thief. However, this time, he was prodding his chin quizzically as he looked over at the coffee table in the middle of the room.

Out of all the unexpected events that had happened tonight, this particular one made Kaito's blood run cold.

Because right there on the coffee table were two, small plates: one with a slice of chocolate cake on it, and the other a slice of lemon pie. Although Kaito had thought about getting cake with the mini detective during their time in Kobe, they never did get the chance, so 'Kaito' had no way of knowing the significance of the two cakes together. But then, neither did Conan have any way of knowing Kaito's favorite cake either.

Additionally, he didn't think his mother knew about the detective's favorite food since Kaito hadn't bothered to tell him. The thief had found this out by accident a while ago, but didn't think it to be a significant fact.

So this was a trap. This was an Ellery Queen style trap by a detective that leaves a cryptic, meaningful message that would only make sense to the guilty one. Kudo had placed this last one, and Kaito had been expected to make the momentary sincere reaction to throw a glance at Conan. However, he was the great Kaitou KID, master of Poker Face, illusionist to the core. He wouldn't fall for this trap, if even for a moment.

But how had he known? How had he known about the chocolate cake?

"Interesting." 'Kaitou KID' breathed, as he slowly walked towards Kaito and Conan, the former backing away. Kaito resisted the urge to blink as he noted with shock that his mother had looked at the lemon pie, and then didn't hesitate to look over at Conan. The little boy, in turn, smirked.

"So…as I suspected. You even know my favorite food." Conan stated cryptically, putting himself between Kaito and 'KID'. "Do you stalk all of your lookalikes?"

"Mmmm a magician never reveals his secrets, my dear Tantei-kun." 'KID' replied with a chuckle. "Though you don't seem to be so innocent yourself." He said, indicating the chocolate cake, "How did you know Kaito-kun's favorite cake?"

"My mother told me."

Kaito blinked. Conan's mother? Or Shinichi's? "How would your mother-?"

"Ah, Yukiko-san." 'KID' replied without missing a beat, not even acknowledging Kaito's confusion, "Beautiful lady. Send her my regards would you?"

How did she-? Kaito was thoroughly confused now. Both with how Shinichi's mother knew Kaito's favorite food, and how his own mother knew that Conan was Shinichi. Kaito had told his mother that pipsqueak was not what he seemed, but he had respected the detective's secret and not told her who he was.

"How do you know my mother?" Conan asked, narrowing his eyes. He had garnered from his conversation with Yukiko what little information he could about the Kurobas, but as usual, his parents never gave him a straight answer. When he had confessed his suspicion about Kaito being the second generation KID, he had only been met with the chiding words of his mother, and the faint sound of his father laughing in the background.

"Who doesn't?" 'KID' then glanced over at the shell-shocked Kaito. "Well I guess Kaito-kun here might not."

"What is your relationship with the Kurobas?" Conan asked, narrowing his eyes. Perhaps this was the key to this phantom's identity. "What is your relationship with Kaito?"

"Oh?" 'KID' gasped in mock offense, putting his gloved hand up to his face, "How brash of you, Tantei-kun. And here I thought we were having a conversation between gentlemen."

"What do you-" Conan never got to finish his conversation, as KID cackled and left in a whirl of flower petals. But this time, the petals were… maroon?

"What-" Kaito stammered, genuinely confused and a little scared how close to home and yet how far Conan seemed to be in his search for KID's real identity. Granted, Kaito had wanted Conan to come to that 'close enough to be satisfactory but completely wrong' conclusion, but this was going way beyond what he had expected. Besides, from what he had picked up from the conversation, it seemed his and Shinichi's parents were acquaintances.

For a moment, he felt his heart break as he realized that maybe his father and Shinichi's parents had known-

"Kaito-niichan! Let's go!" Conan snapped the teenager out of his reverie, as he pulled on his sleeve. "The window! We're almost at the top floor, so can you take us to the rooftop from here?"

"Y…yes." Kaito replied, still reeling from the strange conversation that had happened in the room, and strangely bothered by the change in petal colors. Was that his mother's way of saying sorry? She never apologized so what was going on? Kaito cleared his head as the cool night breeze caressed his face, getting rid of the scent of that perfume, the rose, and the enchantment that the show inside had put over him. "Hang tight."

The scene that greeted the two as they landed on the moon lit rooftop made time stop for them. There, the moment the two had arrived, a strange man in black had pulled the trigger to a gun, and a large patch of red blossomed on the white costume of the phantom thief, causing the shot man to crumple to the ground.

Noticing the arrival of the two boys, the shooter turned tail and ran, jumping off the roof and grabbing onto a rope ladder that had been tossed down from a helicopter flying overhead.

However, the two boys paid no heed to the assassin, as they ran towards the wounded 'KID', hoping against hope that he was still alive. The few seconds it took for them to run over felt like eternity, and Kaito fell to his knees in front of the bloody mess, trying to stay calm despite his shaking nerves.

Conan was horrified as well, as he had witnessed the potential murder of one of his long acquaintances, enemies or not. And besides, although he could not gage the weird relationship Kaito seemed to have with the thief, Conan felt that his new friend would be devastated if the man had died.

So with two heavy hearts, the boys inspected the body; only to find it was a dummy.

They both sighed with relief. Kaito wiped his hands with his handkerchief, not realizing how clammy with cold sweat they had gotten. His face and body language, he could control at will, his sweat glands, it seemed he could not. Ah, that scent again. He thought absentmindedly. Mom… I thought you… Maybe that was why she had left those maroon petals behind; to warn him of this sick stunt.

They heard a soft 'clink' and the two whipped their heads over to the soft sound, only to see a dark gem, the 'Abyss' glittering in the moonlight, rolling around haphazardly on the roof top in a manner unfitting of its worth.

"I am a phantom" Both Kaito and Conan jumped as they both heard a whisper by their ears. However, there was no breath, no warmth. Just a close voice, almost as if a celestial being really were speaking to them. "I cannot die until-" Kaito looked over at Conan, who was holding something by his ear. It seemed the little detective had also figured out the trick of the disembodied voice. There was a mini speaker hooked onto one of both of their ears. "I destroy immortality."

The whispered phrase ended, and the other end went silent. Left stunned by that cryptic message, the two boys looked at each other in silence. One pondering what that meant, and the other impressed by the theatrics. Then Conan blinked, as he wordlessly pointed up at the sky. Kaito looked up behind him where Conan had pointed, pretending to look curious but knowing what to expect.

This was the last part of his show, the climax before the curtains closed for the night.

"Make a wish, Tantei-kun." He breathed, as he smiled. His companion didn't answer; no doubt in awe of the meteor shower adorning the sky, and probably trying to think up of a scientific answer as to how Kaitou KID had managed this miracle.

000

"Mom." Kaito greeted his mother after they met up for the first time after their combined heist. "I have a lot of questions for you. But, before that, although I hate to admit it that was… an amazing heist."

Chikage chortled as she nonchalantly drank her tea in the middle of the barely used kitchen, "Have I paid you back in full for what you did for me with the Ryoma treasures?"

"More than enough." Kaito replied, rubbing his chest, "Though that was mean, scaring me like that at the end. I thought I had lost you."

"Well that's your fault for not letting me know that you had become friends with Shinichi-kun." Kaito's mother pouted, squinting her eyes at her only son, "What were you thinking? Not letting me in on this crucial detail? What is this, 'oh little Tantei-kun is not what he seems, that's all you need to know mom' crap?"

"Well it seems he's in hiding and-" Kaito started, trying to defend himself, before frowning. "Wait, what do you mean 'Shinichi'-kun. Do you know him and his parents or something?"

"Yes." Chikage replied, her previously unhappy complexion turning mischievous, "Well Shinichi-kun probably doesn't remember us, but your father and I used to know his parents way back when."

"Did they know what dad was?" Kaito asked, a lump forming in his throat. If that was so, then maybe all this time, he didn't really have to-

"I think the father knew; probably not the mother though." She added on, "definitely not the son."

"Do you think he would tell his son who my dad was?" Kaito asked, creasing his brows. The Kudos were…weird. What were they thinking? Keeping a secret like that from the police? From their son who was chasing the current KID, not having a clue?

"No way!" Chikage exclaimed, "That father is probably laughing his butt off right now, knowing his son has gotten so close, and yet gotten to the wrong conclusion about you."

"Right," Kaito sighed, there was Tantei-kun. He wasn't sure if his plan to get Tantei-kun to completely doubt his role as being Kaitou KID was successful. After all, his carefully knit plans were not followed to a tee thanks to his unpredictable mother and unpredictable family ties that seemed to have been discovered by Tantei-kun before him. "Mom, you really think Shinichi got the wrong conclusion about me?"

"I think so." Chikage then cackled as she received a message on her phone and read it. "Look, from Yukiko-chan, Shinichi-kun's mother."

Kaito took the phone tossed to him, and read the new message, which read:

Chikage-chan! Shin-chan keeps asking me weird questions about your family and Kaitou KID! First he accuses Kaito-kun, and now he's asking if Toichi-kun had a student, or if Kaito-kun has a twin. I'm worried about him. Oh… and Yusaku won't stop laughing. Do you know what's going on?

"This is far from good." Kaito grumbled, dropping the phone onto the counter, and placing his forehead next to it. "It seems he's diverted his attention from me for potential other targets, but it's only a matter of time…"

"Well he's convinced for now isn't he?"

"Mom-"

"Living life on edge, my son, all grown up! Toichi would be proud." She sighed, putting her hand over her heart, before her eyes went hard. "And son, I've temporarily convinced one of your potential killers that you've died that night, and that Kaito Kuroba is not Kaitou KID, but…" she sighed again, this time with genuine heaviness. "Remember to stay careful. You don't have to finish your father's work. The gem may not exist for all we know. I don't want you dying over this."

"Mom…" Kaito repeated, feeling guilty at worrying her this much. But this was something he had to do, something he had to finish. "Mom by the way, do you think…"

"Hm? Is Kaito-kun actually asking me for advice on something?"

"Oh stop with the teasing," the teenager rolled his eyes, before continuing. "Do you think I should become friends with Shinichi? Not just Conan… but the real guy."

"What, do you want to?" his mother teased, smirking at her son, who looked annoyed and embarrassed. "Well I don't see why not, but you know you won't be able to keep him from befriending you as KID as well if you do that."

"Why not?"

Chikage laughed, pinching her son's cheek to rid him of the arrogant smirk, "Because that's not real friendship you dope."

"Fine." Kaito sighed, and then he stretched and yawned. He really needed to turn in for the night. Too many weird happenings and too many weird thoughts. "If he figures me out, I'll let him be my friend."

"My what a queen you are."

"Not as much as you."

"Whatever. Good night."

"Night, dear."

000

The next morning found Conan dazed and fumbling as he stumbled his way towards the kitchen for breakfast. He had been tossing and turning all night, trying to figure what had gone wrong in his observations yesterday. Conan had clearly missed something, or had failed to extract the clue that would link Kaito Kuroba with Kaitou KID. The KID he had seen yesterday seemed to be the genuine thing. The grace, the dexterity, the skill, and the knowledge of strange, trivial details of his person could not be faked. Not only that, Conan had Kaito by his side the entire evening, showing sincere surprise and fear at all the right moments. Except… The handkerchief before the heist started.

The boy had taken out a handkerchief that smelled of the same perfume KID had on the evening before, and had used during the entirety of the heist. Kaito hadn't acted surprised or alarmed at the scent, but Conan had noticed that the boy had put it away immediately. That discrepancy was the one thread that was keeping Kaito from being completely tossed out of his potential KID candidates. The one last night could have been a fake, but… it was too skillful to be a fake. Goddamit what is going on? Conan sighed, putting his forehead on the table.

This had been the same thought cycle over and over again. Going over every detail from the night before, finally settling on the handkerchief, and then finally denying himself due to the unmistakable authenticity of the KID from yesterday.

"Conan-kun, what's wrong?" Ran asked, looking over, concerned at the miserable looking boy. "Did something bad happen at the heist yesterday?"

"No, I'm just confused." Conan said, sighing. This earned him a surprised look from the girl as well as a scoff from her father.

"Dad." Ran gave her father a look, before turning her concern over to the boy, "What are you confused about, Conan-kun? Maybe we can help."

I doubt it… Conan thought dryly, before wondering how he could put his question into words. He guessed the crux of his confusion came from the relationship between Kaito and KID, so he decided to start with that. "Well, what does it mean when someone who usually doesn't smell like perfume has on perfume, and then another person who also usually doesn't smell like perfume smells the same?"

For some odd reason, the other two inhabitants of the table gave the boy a strange look before Ran tried to clarify his inquiry, although she sounded a little strained, "Conan-kun, is this perfume common? Have you smelled anyone else with it before?"

Conan frowned as he tried to remember if he had. "No. Those were the only two times I smelled it." He lied. Well, it was kind of true. It didn't count after the heist.

"When?" Kogoro asked, surprising Conan with the uncharacteristic curiosity. The boy frowned, but continued. Maybe this man could give surprise insight like he did the other day.

"Once at night on one person, and the other person on a different night."

"Co-conan-kun." Ran stammered, blushing for some reason, as Kogoro grinned at him, "Don't worry about that. Maybe they were friends and went to the same department store together to try the same perfume! Haha…"

"I somehow doubt that…" Conan replied, frowning. "They won't tell me their relationship, and I didn't see either of them on the same night when I smelled the perfume. Besides, I know at least one of them doesn't seem the type to know much about perfumes."

"Hey brat." Kogoro interrupted, before laughing. "Get to school. You're too young to be thinking about perfumes and what it means when two different people, one of whom doesn't care for perfume, happens to smell the same."

"Wha-?!" Conan yelled, now officially annoyed, before being interrupted by the daughter this time.

"Conan-kun! Dad is right. It's time for you to get to school!" Ran stood up, starting to clean up the table. "And also yes, Conan-kun, don't worry about this perfume mystery. It's not anything bad!"

The boy frowned, but then left the table to get ready for school. He wasn't going to get answers from the Mouris, who seemed to have realized something, so he decided he would ask Haibara once he got to school.

"Kudo-kun…" Haibara, the girl who Conan had depended upon to provide him with the answers to his unanswered question from the morning, gave him a withering look. "Obviously those two people are in a romantic relationship."

Conan frowned, "Huh? That's weird. They're both guys-" he stopped. Wait, seriously?

Then he had a brief flashback of a conversation he had with the phantom thief himself last night.

'What is your relationship with Kaito?'

'Oh? How brash of you, Tantei-kun. And here I thought we were having a conversation between gentlemen.'

"No." Conan whispered in horror. This was a possible avenue but… it sounded incorrect! Yet… he could not ignore the possibility.

Somewhere in Ekoda Kaito sneezed, and Chikage giggled.

-ch 8. Preview

"Is Kaitou KID gay?" Inspector Nakamori frowned, wondering where that question came from, "I mean my daughter, Aoko, seems to be convinced that he is, but I don't see how that's important."

"Aoko?" Conan asked, he hadn't heard of this person before. "Does she know Kaito-niichan?"

"Yes. Those two pretty much grew up together." Nakamori answered, still sounding puzzled by this line of questioning. "Why?"

"Oh uh... Nothing."