The night came. Stuffing the showy costume into a small briefcase, Shinichi prepared himself for the heist. The bulletproof vest was already secure against his chest. He'd have to wear a large coat to cover the bulk of it. Inside his pocket was the map generously provided to him. The route was simple: Kid would remove a glass panel from the upper story rainforest exhibit. From there one of many air vents were accessible, leading into a dark maze within the floors. But if he followed the directions he would drop out right into the room where the jewel was kept. He'd noticed there hadn't been much in the way of security, so he needn't worry about that. His main concern was the weight he already carried on his torso.
He was risking his reputation- his life- for a thief he was determined to catch. Not only that, but committing a crime himself in assisting in the robbery of the Eye of Neptune. His heart seemed to clench in his chest thinking about it. The young boy sulking in his room had been right. Everything he'd worked for would be for nothing if he got caught. As an upholder of the law himself, to ask people to change it for him was hypocritical, an abuse of power and a disgrace.
He picked up the briefcase off his bed, gripping it tightly in one hand. At the doorway he stopped. The consideration of bringing a handgun for safety crossed his mind. But it was unnecessary, just another burden for him to carry. Conan didn't say a word as he watched Shinichi leave, something which bothered the older counterpart quite a bit. He shivered, not from the cold thanks to his heavy coat, but from the anxiety that began to overwhelm his muscles, unable to contain it. Before long he was wishing that magic truly was real- real enough to get him through the night.
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"Can I help you?" asked a waiter as Shinichi tucked his baggage under his chair. "Very well," he said again when Shinichi shook his head in response. The table sat outside the corner restraint, with a slight view of the aquarium only a few blocks away. It was already lit up, illuminated by spotlights and a single helicopter that flew lazily in wide circles. Shinichi fidgeted; He pulled his coat tighter around himself, kicked the case beneath his seat to make sure it was still where he left it, tapped his fingers, nudged the chair next to him.
"Good evening. Is there anything I can get for you tonight?" asked yet another waiter approaching him. Shinichi opened his mouth to respond but was cut short. "Perhaps a coffee? Hot chocolate? Stolen artifact?" At this the detective felt a slight chill run through him as if the wind had suddenly pierced his skin.
"I take it that isn't your real face that you're showing me right now," he said, nodding to the bespectacled boy with ginger hair and scattered freckles. "In any case, the heist is soon."
"How right you are," responded Kid as he turned away. "Follow me." Once again tightly holding the briefcase, Shinichi casually stood up, pushed in his chair, and followed the other boy across the street and behind the hotel into a dark, cramped ally. In a flurry of clothes the magician had abandoned his disguise, once again in his usual flashy attire. Shinichi gave him a questioning look, to which Kid made a small exclamation and draped his cloak around the detective. When he emerged from the folds, looking just the slightest bit frazzled, Shinichi felt like he could have been a mirror image. But by the time he'd looked up from admiring his new style, Kid had already scaled half the long ladder up the back of the hotel. It wasn't a particularly tall hotel in the least, but nine stories was still eight more than he cared to climb up a shaky ladder. Kid awaited him at the top, smiling, and not even breaking a sweat.
The jumping and climbing that came with traversing the rooftops was not easy to manage with a heavy vest weighing him down, but Shinichi managed to keep up. Thanks to shortcuts and tricks from Kid they had wordlessly traveled across four blocks without being noticed. When they were only a few buildings away, concealed behind a staircase doorway, the thief looked Shinichi in the eye. "I'll draw attention to myself," he said, speaking quietly but still loud enough to be heard over the humming of the helicopter overhead. "Sneak in and follow my directions. When you get to the room there are several surveillance cameras set up. Pretend not to notice. If someone decides to attack then, they'll be caught on tape and you can arrest them and claim it was all a set-up by you. If no one shows up, take the Eye and meet me where you came in on the third floor so we can escape. Take no more than fifteen minutes getting in and out. Understand?"
"And if anything happens?"
"If anything happens, I'll find you. Promise."
"But you'd be putting yourself in danger or being caught."
"You've already proven that you'd do the same for me." Kid looked at his watch. "Ready?"
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A flash of white streaked across the sky trailing a spectrum sparks behind it. People crowding the streets went wild with applause while security watched eagerly.
"Coming to you live, we've just witnessed the famed Kaitou Kid soaring across the sky!" exclaimed one reporter into a camera. "His first heist since the Hope Diamond was stolen right out from under the nose of the authorities. It was also the one in which it is suspected that teenage detective, Shinichi Kudo, had a hand in assisting. Where is the famous Kudo tonight? Housebound by his own shame or once again playing the part of an accomplice? There he goes again! Diving with his hang glider… and something has happened among the guards. There seems to be some confusion. What could be going on behind the security tape? Wait, it seems that several large mirrors have been set up and that Kid has disappeared. The crowd here is roaring with applause much to the disdain of the man in charge, Inspector Nakamori, who has been chasing Kid for years. And there he is, walking vertically up the side of the building! And he gives a wave to all his fans out here tonight as he strides up the building with ease. And what a trick. Once again Kid has disappeared into thin air. More live coverage coming to you in just a minute."
The woman handed her microphone to one of two men standing before her, fixing her glasses on her nose and pulling her bun tighter with her free hands. Fighting through a few other excited new crews, the woman finally made it to her van, quickly concealing herself inside. Locating a small radio shoved under the passenger's seat, she waited for a chirp on the other end before speaking. "You saw him go in? Keep and eye on it. Make sure no one else gets in or out until I'm up there."
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The work of a kaitou wasn't half the fun Kid made it look, thought Shinichi as he carefully knocked a glass panel out of place. He ducked through the large space left to him, fitting the panel back into its place. There were a few sounds in the dark, but not many. The copter occasionally swept over the building, illuminating the inside just enough for Shinichi to be able to find his way to the vent. It was the one just to the left of the automatic doors that provided entry to the room. Kid had done well yet again, already having loosened the screws enabling Shinichi to quickly get to business trying to navigate his way in the dark. He had been given a tiny flashlight, only bright enough to reveal what was just ahead of him, but it was enough to do the job. Shimmying rather uncomfortably on his stomach, Shinichi was relieved to find the room where the Eye was being kept exactly where Kid had marked it on the map. Carefully removing the cover and placing it to the side, Shinichi dropped down into the room. Fish swam carelessly on either side of him, small lights from the tanks casting strange shapes on the ceiling and floor. And in front of him was the target, wallowing in an air of mystery, almost mystical, untouchable.
In one motion, which Shinichi found disturbingly easy, he had swept up the orb, cradling it in his gloved hands.
And time seemed to stop. The reflections moved slowly, the only sounds the quiet filters and nothing more, save his own breathing. The peace that swept through him seemed like the type that could only be found in the depths of the ocean. It was so serene, so wonderful, so dangerous. The Eye was silent, but seemed to communicate its message in another way. It wanted to be stolen. It wanted to be taken away, coveted, fought over. Shinichi didn't know how he knew this, but he did.
Just as soon as it had begun, the spell was broken. Realization and logic had taken hold of the detective, fishing him out of the dream world he'd slipped into. Suddenly, panic.
He was alone.
xxxxTo be continued
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I cannot even begin to say what happened to me. Last update '07?! It's almost '09!
In any case, I've resolved to finish this story. I may even revise previous chapters to my liking. Not the storyline itself, but rather the writing.
I did end up having to re-read all of this to be able to continue, but I believe I recall what I had in mind as the ending. And if not exactly, this is close enough. This also resulted in me having to break what I intended to be the last chapter into two separate chapters. Since all my other chapters were incredibly short, I thought it'd only fit to keep the remainder of them relatively short as well.
Thank you so much to the people who have continued to read and comment this during my long absence. It was actually that that brought me back to this story. If it weren't for the fact I was still finding in my email that people were actually reading this, I probably wouldn't have bothered.
So here it is- part 1 of the last chapter.
