This chapter is so much fun!
Hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it!


Chapter 11: Houseguests

Nakamori answered the door and I froze. It was done completely on reflex. Not only had I forgotten Aoko was at my house, but I had assumed that Nakamori would be at his. The man's residence was bugged however, and I couldn't see him wanting to stay there. The logical choice would have been to remain at my house with Aoko where there was no reason to be spied on.

"Kaito-kun? What's with the hair?"

I frantically put my hand up to my head, feeling the dye having dried itself. I didn't have Hattori's hat any longer, and even if I did, Nakamori would have recognized it. I had to think fast.

"I've been working out a new trick. I thought the red would be fun. What are you doing at my house Ojisan?"

"We're visiting for a while. I'm having my house sprayed for bugs and we can't be there when it's being done."

What a decent lie. I knew the man well and he'd most likely really called in people to spray his house.

"You know you cut yourself, right?" Nakamori reach out a hand towards my face and I backed up, raising my hands and grinning.

"It's nothing! I was trying to get my doves to stay under my hat and one of them panicked and scratched me."

"Really? Looks like a mark from glasses."

Yikes.

"Ojisan, I don't wear glasses. It was just a one of my birds. Their nails are sharper than you think." I mentally thanked the peanut butter for making me take off my gloves. The only thing of Kid's I was wearing were the shoes. If I was careful, he would never see them.

"Kaito?" My mom looked around Nakamori, slightly startled only to have a smile spread across her face. "Why did you dye your hair red again? I told you that the blue looked better."

I thanked my mom also for catching on so fast. "No, I like the red. What do you think of the outfit?" I spun around, showing off Kudo's clothes so that I had an excuse for dressing so differently than I normally would.

"I think it's too much again. You want to look professional, not like someone from an old movie."

"Why is he dressed up?" Nakamori aimed the question backwards at my mother, focusing on her before placing his eyes on me, examining the mark on my cheek again.

"A friend of mine is having a birthday party and they want Kaito to perform. He's never done any genuine performances so I'm trying to make sure he doesn't embarrass himself. Unfortunately he really wants to stand out, so it's hard to rein him in."

"I can imagine. So you're using your birds then? Be careful. A little higher and you could have gotten your eye."

"I know." I felt my pockets. I had put my card gun in the back of my pants and there was knock out gas between my fingers. Everything else was either in my coat or back at Jii's. I didn't even have any cards to play with unless I wanted to unload the gun, and that would take time.

I sighed. "Can I get into my own house or are you going to keep me out in the cold?"

"Sorry Kaito-kun." Nakamori moved away, waiting for my mother to back up first so he wouldn't walk into her. "I've been a little distracted."

"That's okay, it's just cold out here." I shivered genuinely. I didn't have enough energy to keep myself warm, even with the jacket. The house felt wonderful. Simply walking in the door had my hands warming up, prickling as the cold sensation disappeared.

"Kaito-kun."

The way Nakamori said my name made me look up as I tried to slip off my shoes without notice. His expression gave away that he was on the trail of something he didn't find pleasant.

"What is it?" I got the shoes off as I met his eyes. He'd have to break eye contact if he wanted to see them, and whatever had caught his attention seemed to be wrapped around his mind at the moment, keeping him blind to my actions.

"You smell like smoke."

Eep.

"Really?" I looked worried. I tried not to but it was hard. I'd only been expecting my mother or I would have showered.

"Kaito!"

My mom's yell made me wince and I automatically covered my face with my hands like a child.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop playing with those fireworks? I thought I got them all but obviously not! I expect the rest to be handed over before the end of the day from wherever you're hiding them this time!"

I could have kissed her.

"I only lit a few. I didn't know how big that last one was going to be. It's not like I hurt anyone!"

"Ah, Kaito." My mother sighed and looked at the Inspector. "You're lucky that you have a girl. Boys are a hassle. I bet you were a trouble maker when you were young as well Ginzo-kun."

Nakamori lost all traces of the intense expression that he'd been hounding me with. His shoulders slumped forward and he smiled, buying my mother's lie with ease. "I wasn't as bad as Toichi-kun was. That guy really knew how to make things… interesting." Nakamori turned the smile he wore towards me. "I guess you're following in your father's footsteps."

"Yes I am," I said proudly. I was following dad in more ways than one. "I bet I won't ever get in trouble for my pranks though. I'm just that good."

My mom came over and hit me lightly on head with a rolled up piece of newspaper. "You most certainly will not be doing anything of the sort! That friend of yours is nice enough to try and get to you look and act respectable, you could at least attempt to make their gesture worthwhile. Aren't you sleeping over there tonight?"

I laughed internally. Mom had even thought of an excuse for me not being home. "Yeah, I'm gonna stay over there for a few days."

"Kaito?" Aoko poked her head out for around the corner. Her immediate reaction was to look at the mark under my eye. I'd been wearing the monocle, but it hadn't even crossed my mind that she could have seen it while I was sleeping.

"What happened to your face?"

That undertone was there. She, like her father, had guessed what the mark meant.

"Nothing, it was just an accident."

"He was apparently playing with fireworks too. He smells just like you."

Nakamori chose his words deliberately. He was trying to break my lie. He seemed to believe it before, but the way Aoko turned to look between the two of us left me unsure how much in the dark he truly was.

"Speaking of fireworks, go get them." Mom put her hand out and tried to look cross. I could see that she was just as worried as I was, lingering her gaze on my face as well. It was just a little scratch. I was afraid of what her reaction would be to my more serious wounds.

Bowing my head and looking disgruntled was easy. I trudged up the stairs and took out some spare fireworks I had in the closet. All my big stuff was in Kid's room, but these would be enough to prove that I had my fair share of explosives to smell the way I did.

I walked back down and handed the armful to my mother.

"Kaito, are these the rest of them?"

"Yes Okasan," I spoke dryly.

"If you come home smelling like a bonfire again, I'm not going to let you off so easy." Her threat was real. She'd most likely heard some of what happened to me from Aoko. I smiled.

"I got it."

"Kaito, when were you lighting fireworks?"

I turned to face Aoko, seeing that she was worried. I looked confused, trying not to understand why she was upset. "This morning. I took the bus out into the middle of nowhere but I got tied up at my friends. I guess I forgot to shower, and I almost got away with it too." I spoke the words under my voice, sounding angry.

"Who is this person? You said that they needed your help?"

I frowned, trying to think back on what I had told her. The memories were slow to come. I was still tired and I needed to eat some real food. I couldn't do it here. Aoko and her father would be asking too many questions I didn't feel like answering.

Damn.

"He did need my help. We traded. I helped him watch his little cousin and he's helping me prepare for my first live performance." I held my hands out, trying to look eager. I instantly slumped forward and frowned. "The guy's really annoying though."

"What's his name?"

I had my pick of either choosing Hattori or Kudo. Since Aoko had already met Hattori, it wouldn't be that far of a stretch. The only problem was that he lived in Osaka and we were both currently in Tokyo, giving me no reason to stay over at his house if he wasn't there. Worst of all, Nakamori might actually call Hattori's father.

"Kudo-kun. I met him a few months ago this spring. He's not a bad guy but he's way too serious about detective work. He's like Hakuba, but worse."

She laughed at that, making me smile. "Why didn't you ask Hakuba-kun for help? I'm sure he would have liked too."

"Tsh. I couldn't get a hold of him. The guy's been hard to find these days."

Aoko smiled in return, falling for my deception. It was easy to create the fabrications. Because of the way Hakuba previously nagged me about being Kid, I found an excuse for practically everything in my life as it happened. Old habits die hard, but that was what makes me good at my job; either of them. Deception is the key. That didn't mean I didn't like lying to her at the moment.

"I think Hakuba-kun's busy anyway." Her eyes darkened and I found myself looking away. She was staring at the floor now, so she wouldn't notice. If she had to hate me, I was all right with it. She didn't hate me as Kaito, and for now, that was fine.

"Kaito, you look hungry. Did you eat anything yet?"

Ah mom, don't tempt me.

"No, I'm going to eat over at Kudo-kun's. In fact, I'm already late. I came to get some of my clothes. He hid the ones I came in and won't give them back." A half shrug, narrowed eyes, and a tired look were all I needed to have my body go along with my words. I didn't think about it as I acted out the lie, it came naturally. "He says that I look like a delinquent."

"You do," Aoko laughed lightly. "You're clothes aren't very in style anymore."

"Anymore? I don't think that they ever were." My mom put hers hands on my back, tracing them down the coat as if admiring Kudo's clothing. I winced when she touched near my side. It was small and the others didn't notice, but mom wanted to know if I was hurt and I wouldn't hid it from her.

"Kaito let me go with you so we can agree on something your friend won't burn on sight. It's clear that Kudo-kun has much better tastes than you do."

"Don't insult my clothes." I clung to the ones I was wearing as if to defend myself. "Just because people don't understand my style, doesn't mean that I don't like it!"

"Come on!" She took the collar of the coat and dragged me to my room. I turned back, saluting Aoko with two fingers.

"I'll be right back!"

Once we were alone together and the door was closed, my mom lost her smile and turned to me with uncompromising eyes that could have burned a hole through my wall. They only managed to burn away my lighter thoughts.

"Kaito, what happened? Where are you hurt? Aoko-chan won't tell me anything. I know there was a fire involved and the news reported it as an accident, but I heard nothing from you. Do you know how worried I was?"

"I'm sorry." Mom already had the coat off and was unbuttoning the white shirt. It did nothing but reveal bandages underneath. I could feel the stitches, or more accurately not feel them, so I knew they were there.

"How bad is it?"

I looked down and to the side, finding the stray book that had fallen off of my desk interesting. My brain informed me of the color, texture, how many pages were bent in its sudden clash with gravity, the name, the author, and didn't get any further when my mom spoke again.

"That bad?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "I lost a lot of blood. I'm fine now."

"Kaito, this is not fine. This isn't even close to bad. Stop getting yourself hurt."

I couldn't hear it in her words but when I looked up I saw tears in her eyes, one large enough to fall down the side of her face, making it easier for the other tears in that eye to follow.

"I'm sorry mom. I had to-"

"You don't have to. Kaito, stop this. Stay home. Let Kid die with your father."

I drew back, away from her reach. Breathing seemed too easy. If I tried to, I knew I'd be able to speak clearly. I was getting defensive and I wasn't letting her words get to me. They did anyway, but it was like water seeping in from a crack in a pipe, slow and not effecting much more than the area around it.

"I can't do that. If I stop now, someone's going to die, and it won't be me." I looked up at her. She didn't know about Snake, only Hakuba did, but she knew that I was up against dangerous people. It wasn't hard to guess what would happen to Ran.

"It's not fair Kaito."

"I know." My words were mostly a sigh. "If it makes you feel better, Kid's not going to be around after this. Two days, and I promise you won't have to worry ever again."

"You might not be alive then for me to worry about you."

I let the silence stretch out. I wasn't going to lie to her. Going up against Snake had a good chance of killing me. I was going to do all that I could to make sure that it didn't, because my death would mean Ran's death, but that didn't mean that it couldn't happen.

Something pawing at my sock distracted me from my mom. My expression told her as much as it would. Looking down, a small white poof of fur startled me, making me draw my leg away.

Mary looked back with despondent red eyes, crawling over to the new position of my foot before proceeding to paw at it again.

"Oh, I forgot all about you." Mom bent down and picked her up. "I wonder where Kuro-chan went off to."

"Give me." I held out my hands. I hadn't gotten much time to spend with the little rabbit and, at that moment, I wanted her badly. Damn cute animals having sway over me.

"Promise to come back to her then or I'll keep Mary-chan all to myself." Mom put her up to her face and snuggled with her, stoking the soft fur on her back. I felt my hands twitch.

"Fine, I promise I'll come back. Now give her to me. She's my rabbit."

"You'll do what?" Mom was clearly toying with me and I growled under my breath. Mary's head moved to the side before setting on me with her red eyes. That made me stop, her drawn-back ears twitching to show she was scared.

"I promise I'll come back mom."

"Fine." Mom handed me the bunny and I eagerly took Mary against my chest, playing with the fur behind her ears. If felt like I was holding a mix of velvet and cloud, if clouds had a physical texture. "I can't believe I just bought your life with a rabbit."

I sat on the bed, knowing I was grinning but not being able to stop. "It's not like I would have purposely gotten myself killed if you didn't give her to me." Mary didn't want to be held but I wasn't about to let her go. After petting her for a while she only became antsier. I picked her up, trying to make her look at me. She did, keeping her eyes locked on mine to so long that my arms got tired from holding her up.

"Kaito?"

I quickly closed the front of my shirt when Aoko barged into my room, Mary falling into my lap.

"Hey, knock first!"

"Kaito you still haven't changed?" Aoko started at Mary on my knees. "Quit getting distracted! I thought you had to leave and I wanted to talk to you for a while. And Kaito? I didn't think about it before, but why did you stay out until seven in the morning?"

"Why were you up at seven?" I said snidely in return.

Aoko looked uncomfortable. "I couldn't sleep last night."

I hid my reaction to her behind an annoyed look, if not letting some sympathy slip. "I'll be out in a minute. Wait for me downstairs."

"Fine but give me Mary-chan." Aoko held out her hands like I had. "If you keep her with you, you'll keep getting distracted."

I released her reluctantly with one hand, using the other to make sure my shirt stayed closed. Aoko lingered by the door, looking back at me. I glanced at my shirt before looking back up to make sure that she hadn't seen the bandages. Her eyes moved to the one side of my face, looking at the scratch again. I rolled my eyes.

"Aoko get out of here! And you call me the pervert! How am I supposed to change with you watching me?"

"Who says I want to watch you!" Aoko stood stubbornly where she was. "I was just worried."

"Nakamori-ojisan!" I yelled. "Aoko's trying to watch me change!"

Aoko blushed before turning and closing the door harder than she should have. My mom raised her eyebrows at me.

"That's cheating, isn't it?"

"I'm a thief. Who am I to play fair? Besides, if Aoko looked at me any longer I may have had to resort to more drastic measure to get her to leave. I'm sure you wouldn't have wanted to know what color her underwear is today."

"Kaito!" My mom hit me with her hand across my shoulder. "You don't do that to a girl!"

"What girl?"

My mom hit me again and I laughed. She knew I was kidding. Aoko may have been blind to my jibs but my mom could see right through me.

"I'm going to get dressed now before Aoko comes back in and see's me in my boxers." I went to my closet and took out a nice shirt, deep red with no design. It was better than Kudo's button down ones, but the color was almost too strong to be much of a disguise. I shrugged. I was going to see Sato and it wasn't like I hadn't made an extravagant appearance last time. The black pants were fine but I took my own coat, a shadowy green with black patches across the sleeves.

My mom followed me out of the room, keeping close. The minute I took a step out, something dashed in front of me, making me trip, too far away from the wall to catch it and too close not to run head first into it as I fell. I covered my head with my hands and landed in a heap, unhurt.

"What the heck was that?"

"Kaito?" Aoko came up the stairs holding Mary. She giggled at me. "Did you fall down?"

"It's not my fault!" I defended, getting to my feet slower than I should have. My body wasn't used to moving yet and I was still really hungry. If I moved any faster I would get dizzy and Aoko wouldn't miss me sway.

"Kuro-chan?" My mom looked behind me where, it wasn't hard to guess, Kuro had run after tripping me. She laughed, meeting my eyes. "It looks like the rabbit really is one of the family. If he's faster than you are, I guess that makes him your better."

"Shut up!" I flushed at the inference.

Aoko laughed more, my mom trying to stifle it but failing. I bristled. It wasn't my fault I was hurt at the moment. The rabbit would have never made me fall if I was at the top of my game.

"Here Kaito." Aoko handed me Mary before I was ready for her. My hands were already grabbing her out of the air, unsupported on one side and having flipped over before I had her safe in my gasp.

"Be careful Aoko!"

Aoko went down the hall, turning back with an injured look. I lost my anger. "I didn't mean to."

"I know." I sat down on the floor, holding Mary close and regretting having yelled at Aoko. I still didn't know what Snake had done to her and she was just rescued by someone she hated. It didn't take a genius to know that she must be upset.

Aoko came back, dark fur and two pointed ears blocking her face at my angle. She sat on the carpet with me, touching our knees together as my mom looked on, smiling and waving goodbye as she made her way down the stairs.

"Kaito, I have something to tell you."

"What?" I tipped my head, smiling slightly, trying to give her some comfort.

"I was kidnapped the day before yesterday." She held Kuro up to her face, arms wrapped protectively around him. I wished the rabbit wasn't there for the first time. My fears started to take over as I saw tears coming to her eyes.

"What happened?" I said it in a more demanding tone than I had meant. Surprised eyes, wet with tears, met what must have been a frightening expression on my face. If Snake had touched her-

Aoko smiled, looking hurt and happy simultaneously. "Nothing much. He took me away after you left. I kept praying that you would come back but… I knew you were too far away at that point. It was stupid."

"It's not stupid." I removed Mary from my lap. She remained where I had placed her next to me. Taking my arms and wrapping them around Aoko to try and protector her from the memories, I couldn't find enough hate in me to aim at myself that wasn't already directed at Snake. Her head fell onto my chest as I knelt in front of her. "What happened? Were you scared?"

Aoko started crying but I couldn't hear her. My shirt got wet as she let herself silently find comfort in my presence. I let things be. It was better for her to get her emotions out then for me to demand answers from her in the state that she was in.

"I'm so sorry that I wasn't there. If I had known-" I didn't finish my sentence. I would have done anything to keep Aoko safe and away from that man, even if it had killed me.

"No." One of her hands came up and pressed against my chest. "That was the one thing I was happy about. There were five men who took me. They would have hurt you. It did scare me. I-" she hiccupped in a breath, the only outward sign of her pain. "I was never so scared in my life. I was locked up in a dark room all alone. After I got tired of yelling, someone came in and must have done something to me because I don't remember much after that."

I held her tighter, feeling her shake and wishing I could stop it. Brushing my fingers through her hair, I murmured reassurances to her. "You're safe now. Whoever hurt you won't ever get the chance to do it again. I promise it to you Aoko. Never. I'll protect you so you don't need to feel scared anymore."

"No Kaito." The hand on my chest clenched into a fist, pulling my shirt. "Don't. I don't want to see you get hurt."

If I ever had any doubts about surviving my encounter with him in a few days, they disappeared after I heard the terror in her voice.

"I won't. You have to tell me if someone hurts you though." Even if it's me.

Aoko nodded. I kissed her on the top of the head and she drew back, looking at me with wide eyes. I grinned. "As long as you're safe, no one can hurt me."

She laughed, coughing on it and leaning out of my embrace. "Kaito, that sounds so corny!"

"Yeah well," I shrugged. "What else was I supposed to say to you?" I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Aoko's eyes shot up to mine, looking surprised and worried. I smiled. "What?"

She brushed her hand lightly across the area where I had kissed her without touching the spot. "Kaito, what did you do that for?"

"Kaito-kun!"

I jumped back as someone slammed the ground off to my side, making me fall back on my butt further down the dark hallway. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Ojisan?" I looked between Aoko and her father, scrambling to my feet. "Nothing! I wasn't doing anything!" Holding up my hands was a weak defense against a police officer. "I swear!"

"You better not have." Determined and curt, his voice held more dislike towards me than it normally should have, even if I had kissed Aoko. I'd only kissed her forehead. His eyes were dark so that I couldn't catch it, but the way he was looking at me told of why. He still had suspicions of me. I'd already fooled him once but similarities kept coming up.

"Dad!" Aoko pushed him away from her with weak arms that had no hope of accomplishing the task. "We were just talking!"

"That didn't look like talking to me."

She blushed, turning away from her father and looking at me restlessly. "That was nothing, right Kaito?"

Being in the darker part of the hallway, lit only by the downstairs light so the angle shot the beam upward, I let my smile fade to something more downcast then I would ever let either of them see. "Right. It was nothing. I was just playing around."

"Ginzo-kun let the children be!" I heard my mom's voice holler up the stairs. Nakamori gave me one last look, glancing down at Aoko. He left somberly, showing that no funny business was to be done in his absence.

Once I could safely hear him talking with my mother in another room, I bent down next to Aoko, keeping one foot up so that it was easier to stand afterwards. "I've got to go now. My friend's been waiting for me long enough. I'll see you when I get back."

She held onto my sleeve, stopping me halfway between kneeling and standing, one arm out to keep me from falling back on the floor.

"Kaito, I'm scared."

"Why?" I tried to get back to the position I'd been in, finding I had to fall on my knee, making a soft thud when I landed. I wasn't going to force her to let me go.

"You're scaring me again Kaito, like before." Her eyes looked downward, scrunched up to keep herself from crying. "You smell like fire and you hurt your eye."

"Why should that scare you?" I looked confused, "I must have smelled life fire before now. I've been playing with fireworks for a while. The cut's nothing. It was just one of my doves. You've seen how they can act when they get scared."

Her finger was suddenly on my face, brushing under my eye and making me hiss out a noise. It wasn't like the wound was that old and it still stung. "Then why does it look like you were burned?"

I took her hand in mine, frowning and looking like I was trying to concentrate. Lying to her now wouldn't hurt as much as it had before. "Please don't tell mom!" I whispered with resolve. "If she knows I hurt myself on one of the fireworks, she'll kill me."

"Oh, this is from a firework?"

"Yeah." I let go of her hand, looking off to the side slightly as I watched my made up story play out in my mind. "The damn thing wouldn't light. Turned out it was burning internally without catching the gunpowder. I picked it up to look at it and tripped. I thought my mom wouldn't be as worried if I said it was a dove." I laughed lightly. "I could have taken my eye out."

She looked so relieved that I didn't mind being dishonest at that moment. Any of the lingering doubts that she'd kept with her since my arrival were completely gone. Even in the dark, I could see her eyes clear, deep blue irises looking longingly into mine.

"What's that matter with you Aoko? And you said that I was the one acting strange."

"Sorry Kaito, but don't I have reason to?" She loosened up, keeping our eyes locked. "I mean, I was just kidnapped. You shouldn't be treating me so mean."

"Mean? What did I do that was mean?"

"Besides get my dad angry at me for what could be the next fifty years of my life? Well," she looked down. "Like I said, you scared me. That was mean of you. You should have just told me truth."

"I promise, on my word as a magician" I placed a hand on my heart "I will be more truthful to you in the future."

"More truthful?" her face asked the rest, showing that she was still only playing.

"Yes. I am a magician after all. I can't give away all my secrets." I winked at her, receiving a few quiet laughed.

"Okay Kaito, not everything, but tell me the important stuff."

"I will."

"Kaito! Are you planning to stay for breakfast?"

My mom's voice broke into our conversation. I put a hand up to my head, thinking about it. I was really hungry and I really needed to eat, but I had to see Sato as well. Ran didn't have much time.

"No, I'm going to catch something to eat with Kudo-kun!" I yelled back.

"I hope you don't mean that literally!"

I laughed for real this time, the first one since I'd come back home. "No, I plan on leaving nature just the way it is." I turned to Aoko with a smile and whispered, "For the time being anyway."

"Don't do anything stupid." I felt her hand on my back and watched her eyes trail over my arm. "No more fireworks."

"I can't promise that." Casting my eyes downward and shrugging my body, I got her to look back up at me. "I like my fireworks Aoko."

"Fine," she said after a moment, my puppy dog eyes getting to her. "But you have to promise to be careful with them this time."

"Promise." I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead again, grinning as I jumped down the stairs, skipping every other step. When I got to the bottom I turned and stuck my tongue out at her. "You didn't make me promise not to do that!"

"Kaito!" She looked around the hall, only finding Mary and poor Kuro who had somehow managed to stay in her lap. Coming to the conclusion that throwing them at me was a bad idea and would only hurt the rabbits, Aoko turned away with a blush. "You got lucky."

"I'm gonna get lucky now?"

If she could have blushed more she would have. I laughed, leaving her speechless behind me.

"Mom, I'm going to be at Kudo-kun's for the next few days." I let my eyes show that I was being truthful with her. As long as Aoko and her father were at my house, I didn't want to risk anything. I'd break in later and get the stuff I needed from the back room. I had another outfit in my own room, hidden under the floor boards in the closet, that I had taken out with some of my more potent smoke and sleeping bombs, but there were a lot of other things I wanted on me when I had to face Snake.

"Okay Kaito but get something to eat. You look as white as a ghost."

Haha. "I will," at some point.

"I'll see you in a few days. Make sure Aoko keeps her big nose out of my room." I turned my head so that my voice carried back to the hall. My smile told my mom that hiding anything wasn't necessary. Aoko wouldn't be able to find any of my stuff. Her father, maybe something, but nothing that wouldn't be expected from me.

I took out another pair of shoes I had in the closet, hiding the white ones in the bag. These new ones were black with gray sections stretched out along the sides filled with holes that weren't actually holes, the front toes covered with black rubber for me to climb easier.

"Be safe."

I took out the white phone, closing the door and walking down the street. I had my glider now so I didn't have to rely on mom's car or money, which I was running short on at the moment. Hakuba was going to kill me when he realized I'd taken his cell but I didn't want anyone tracing Sato's number back to me. It wasn't as strange to have the detective calling her.

"Hello?" I asked in an exaggeratedly high voice, annoyed when Sato seemed to be refusing to pick up. The phone kept on ringing, ignoring my question. I hung up and tired again, successful to an extent on the fourth attempt.

"Sato-san is busy at the moment. She says she'll call you back." There was yelling in the background as the man talking to me was being screamed at. He spoke louder in return, not removing the phone and making my ear hurt when I had to draw it away. "But Sato-san!" To stop the argument, the man complied with whatever it was she wanted him to do. "Sorry about that. Sato-san wants to know what you-" there was a screech of tires and the phone on the other line was knocked against something.

"Tell her it's Natsuki-san from last week. I need to speak with her about somethin'."

The man relayed the information to her, getting back to me and making me feel like a child playing translator. "Sato-san said she'll call you back in five minutes-"

The phone was taken away and I heard Sato get on it. "Natsuki-kun? I'm near Tokai University in Shibuya. Find the closest restaurant and meet me there."

Click.

That was one the strangest phone calls of my life and it was obvious that Sato's diving skills were in play when she took the phone from the man. I laughed to myself. I'd taken my fair share of phone calls from my mother or Aoko while I was in air ducts and hanging off of buildings. I wasn't allowed to judge her.

I stretched, getting out all the sore spots that had stayed with me. My vision wasn't as good as it could be, but we were meting somewhere where I could get something to eat. It was only twenty minutes away and, with how often I used it, the glider wasn't that hard to fly. I knew it was dangerous to take flying it as easily as I did, but, again, old habits die hard. And what was I if not confidant in myself?