Prompt #2 "pearlaceous"
A thief and a rose
"Excuse me."
She looked around, slightly confused. She could've sworn...but there was no way. The heist was long over and she was on her way home. Why would he follow her? But that voice...
"Are you ignoring me? I'm hurt." the voice of KID spoke again. And then he was in front of her. One second there was just the empty and dimly lit street ahead of her and the next Kaitou KID was standing before her within arm's reach, his outfit blindingly white against the the dark night. As always, the hat and monocle shadowed his features, assisted by the darkness, making it impossible for her to see his face clearly, despite the close proximity.
Unsure what to do she came to a halt. What do you say to Japan's most wanted thief? Do you talk about the weather? Or do you just go for it and try to catch him? As if that would work...he'd be gone before my hand even reached him.
In the end, curiosity won.
"What do you want?" were the words she chose.
"Can I not talk to a beautiful woman when I happen to see one?" the thief asked with a smooth voice, and she thought she could see a smile tugging on his lips. But thanks to the starless night, she couldn't be sure.
Despite the fact that she was no fan of KID she felt her cheeks heating up. He just had this charming voice and...no! She was not going to be swooned away by some cheesy lines like those irritating fangirls!
Maybe he wouldn't see her red cheeks in the darkness?
"Oh my, you're blushing! How sweet!" he exclaimed, sounding a bit amused, to her frustration "Could it be...that you're not used to receiving compliments concerning your physical appearance? Or maybe you're not used to compliments at all?"
Her cheeks were on fire. But so was her temper. About time for that.
"How dare you! Following a teenage girl in the middle of the night like some creepy stalker and then trying to flirt with her? You're just an old pervert! And it's none of you concern
whether or not I'm used to compliments!" This guy has nerves! Why am I even talking to him? I should just go home... But she stayed, even though the logical part of her mind was questioning her sanity.
And then he chuckled. Of all the things in the world...he chuckled. What an infuriating man!
"It's not funny!"
"Oh, it is. And you've got quite a temper. I have to admit, I like that in a woman. But I also apologize for giving you the wrong impression. Let me assure you that I was not trying to flirt with you nor was I stalking you."
The phantom thief waved a hand in front her face, flicked his wrist and suddenly he was holding a white rose for her. She stared at it while he stared at her. That simple magic trick instantly reminded her of someone else, but she brushed the memory aside.
"Will you take it? As a sign of my sincerity."
How does a flower prove your honesty?
"Why should I believe you? I don't trust criminals" she replied, reluctant to give in .. and yet, the gentle voice … and the rose really was beautiful.
He's a thief, a criminal, he lies, don't believe anything he says.
"And if you're not stalking me then why are you here? What do you want?" she repeated her first question, not really expecting an honest answer. He flashed her a cheeky grin.
"Merely curious. You see ... never before have I seen someone in the crowd carrying an anti-KID sign. Until today, that is. And I wanted to meet that person who's courageous enough to stand alone in that sea of fans, opposing everything they believe in. I did follow you, yes, but that's the only reason. I swear."
Silence settled over them while the girl pondered over the thief's answer. She wasn't sure what exactly she'd expected to hear, but this was not it.
She took the brief pause in conversation to study the flower more carefully. It looked real but something about it was off. Just some odd detail that she couldn't quite put her finger on. If I was holding it I could take a closer look. But I can't … I hate him … right?
"Take it, please."
Surprised she looked at the man in white. Should I..?
"Why? Why should I take anything from you? For all I know it could be poisoned or explode or something." She knew that that was very unlikely, everyone knew that KID never hurt anyone, but the words had left her mouth before she could really think about them.
He sighed. When he spoke next he sounded tired and weary, to her surprise. It was probably the most anyone ever got to see beyond his seemingly everlasting smirk.
"Why should you not? It's just a flower, I promise. It won't hurt you and neither will I. Take it and I will leave you alone."
"Why the rush? I thought you wanted to meet me." she answered. Mentally she was berating herself. What's with you? You don't want him to stay and talk to you.
"So I did, didn't I? I met you and now I'll be on my way. Have a good night."
Pink smoke exploded around them and she coughed and covered her face. When she looked up again after a few seconds the smoke was gone … as was the thief. She picked up the rose that he left behind on the ground and held it up close to her face, remembering her earlier thought that something was odd about it. Now that she could see it better, the pearlaceous glow on the petals was glaringly obvious. Curious, she ran a finger over one of the petals, wondering if it might be some kind of powder or glitter. The flower felt perfectly normal and nothing got stuck on her finger.
She was left puzzling over the mysterious flower...and a few other things.
Three weeks later the rose was still sitting in a vase on her desk, looking as fresh and pristine as if it had just been cut. At night the petals would show off their pearlaceous shimmer, but at day the rose looked just like any other.
A/N
Short one today, hope you liked it anway. And I'm sorry for the lack of other characters so far, I blame my current obsession with Kaito/KID. Next one will have some ShinRan, but it might take a few days, because I'm still finishing up my entry for Poirot Cafe's contest.
And as always, thanks for reading, follwoing and commenting. It makes me very happy :) Much love everybody!
