Chapter Eleven:

Lady Fate

SHINARA POV

"What do you think of Kaitou Kid?" asked the young Detective Hakuba.

She paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. What did she really think of Kaitou Kid? She wondered to herself. He was funny, brave, charming, optimistic, somewhat annoying, egotistical, intelligent, creative, spontaneous and a whole bunch of other things, but if she could describe him in one word…

"I think he is… magical", she said with a smile.

A burst of laughter from a nearby policeman had both her and Hakuba looking up in confusion. The policeman didn't say anything, but instead turned away as he continued his 'observations'. Hakuba just sighed and turned back to her, but she continued to stare at the policeman.

'Could it be?' she wondered, yeah…she had no doubt.

The policeman in question glanced back at her and when he noticed her staring at him, his face blushed a deep red as he scratched his neck in embarrassment and surprisingly stepped over towards them.

"S-sorry about that", he said with a bit of an accent, "I noticed one of the reporters going at it with another reporter and it just struck me funny."

She could tell he was lying through his teeth, but she saw no reason to call him on it. After all, she hadn't come to arrest him. Merely to observe and assist the police with a plan, should they request it of her. As for Hakuba, she noticed him looking at the 'policeman' as though he had grown two heads. She just smiled as she glanced at her watch hidden beneath her sweater. The heist would begin in just a moment. Looking up, she was going to say something to the policeman to get him safely out of the room, but when she glanced up, he was already gone.

She smiled. 'Sneaky jerk' she thought in her head.

Because of this, it didn't really surprise her when the lights went out and the phantom thief appeared in a mist of smoke as soon as they came back on. She watched in amusement as the police surrounded him, but didn't move any closer.

KID POV

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" he yelled to the surrounding police and reporters.

He skimmed across the lot of them with his eyes as he found the location once again of Kudo and Hakuba who were both watching from the back with… What kind of expressions are those!

He raised an eyebrow mentally at their faces.

Hakuba looked rather bored and Shinara…she looked completely amused. 'Well whatever,' he thought to himself with a smile, at least this way they wouldn't be chasing him yet.

"Kaitou Kid! You will never get the jewel!" yelled Nakamori.

Kid just ignored the Inspector. It was the same lines every time and honestly, he hadn't come to match wits with the old man. He wanted to check the jewel to see if it was the right one…if it was truly Pandora.

"My apologies gentlemen", he replied as he bowed, "but I am afraid I will be stealing two things tonight."

The inspector and his men all frowned, confusion evident in their faces.

"I will be stealing the jewel and…" he looked back at Shinara Kudo who was watching him with curiosity.

Before anyone knew how it had happened, he had practically transported himself to the other side of the room. Hakuba moved in seconds closer to the doors, trying to block them in case the thief wanted to escape that way, so luckily for Kaito, this left Shinara wife open.

"I will also be stealing the heart, of one Shinara Kudo", he grinned as the police turned in surprise at finding him behind them instead of in front where he just had been.

The thief snapped his fingers and brought forth a single white rose from behind his back. Shinara stared at the rose for a moment and then looked up at him, a strange type of expression on her face that he couldn't really read.

Taking the rose from him, he watched as she twirled it for a moment in her fingers and a small, almost unseen blush crept up her face. The thief grinned that it seemed she enjoyed the little gift and show that went with it.

"Step away from her!" yelled Hakuba from his right.

Kid just smiled as he inwardly glared at the irrational detective.

"Apologies detective", he replied, "I have not forgotten about you."

Kid smirked as Hakuba scowled.

"I am afraid I must adjourn for the night. Tis' late and I must be getting on my way."

With those words, he dashed toward the jewel and threw out several sleeping capsules letting loose a sleeping gas. He knew they wouldn't all fall for it, but it would at least make seeing him much more difficult. He glanced back after he had the jewel to search for Shinara. He hoped he hadn't caused her to pass out. Last thing he wanted to do was affect her obvious recovery.

Not seeing her, he dashed up the stairs and onto the roof, where, to his surprise, she stood waiting with a slight smile and a guarded look in her eyes.

SHINARA POV

I watched as he entered the roof door. I knew from confrontations as Christie that this was where he would likely turn up at some point. It was the easier access point for him to glide off into the night. When he did step through the door, his face momentarily showed his surprise before he slipped on his mask of a smile.

"Well, well, my mysterious tantei-chan~", he said with a smile, "seems you found me out."

Kudo didn't say anything. She just watched him as he drew closer until he was a few feet away.

"You going to arrest me, detective?" he asked curiously.

She stared at him a moment. His expression told her he was curious about why she had come onto the roof tonight and honestly, she also wondered why she had. Did she truly like the thief? Could there even be something between a thief and a detective? Normally she would say no, but there was something about Kid, something she had always felt that told her he was different. There was a reason behind his actions and she wanted to know exactly what that reason was.

"Why do you steal?" she decided to ask bluntly.

His face contorted to surprise again before the smile returned, albeit, more slowly than it had the first time.

"Why do you ask?"

"You don't strike me, as a normal thief. So I wonder why…why someone like you with a policy of 'no one gets hurt' and as a thief who always returns the stolen jewels at the end…why you would steal?"

He was silent for a moment before he began laughing quietly.

"You are quite sharp, meitantei", he said with a smile, "but I am afraid I cannot tell you the answer to that question."

"Why not?" she asked, truly curious.

She had fought him so many times before as Christie, but she had never felt the need to really question him. She guessed it was because as Christie, she didn't think she could effectively help him, when she couldn't even help herself. Now though, things were different. She had her body and her life back on the track it should be and she would help him, if he let her.

"I just can't", he said, a slight shadow passing his features and she decided to let the matter drop for now to be discussed another night.

"Very well. I owe you a favor though, Phantom thief", she said, "I plan to pay it back at some point."

The thief genuinely looked confused, before all at once recognition crossed his features and he stepped closer to her. She didn't move back at all, but instead watched him curiously as he stared at her, harder than ever before. Luckily she couldn't see his features because of the hat and honestly, she wanted to keep it that way until she found out his identity for herself, fair and square.

"You really do look different from that night", he whispered as he studied her hair and eyes once more, "what happened after you fell?"

Kudo sighed as she thought back to that night.

"I fell and Harley rescued me. I had a slight concussion, nothing too bad, and a cracked elbow. All of which I have recovered from."

"How did your hair and eyes become like this though?" he asked her, taking a piece of her silky black and silver hair between his fingers and rubbing it.

"…"

She didn't answer him and he noticed she too had become guarded, the same as he had when she had asked him the questions about Pandora, his father, and MKO.

"Very well, seeing as how I have not answered you, it is fine if you do not answer me", he said, dropping her hair, but he didn't move away as he stared at her once more.

She stared back at him, noticing his face was completely neutral, though his eyes were shining intently into her own. She was about to ask what he wanted, being so close to her, when all at once he bent forward and with a gentle hand, brought her chin up and kissed her on the lips. It surprised her at first, but then she felt the softness of his lips against hers, the moistness that came with them and she couldn't pull away, but instead leaned into the motion. He deepened the kiss, to her surprise and to his surprise, she let him. His tongue went inside her mouth, exploring the areas within before finally drawing back, to give them both a chance to breathe.

He stared into her eyes and she stared into his. They both were colored a deep red and probably would have remained in that position a little longer, if it hadn't been for the door banging open to announce that the inspector had finally found his location.

"Get away from her!" yelled Hakuba who had raced up the stairs.

Kid sighed at the interruption.

He turned to the group behind him and smiled, "Seems I got both of my targets tonight."

He handed the jewel to Shinara, who was still watching him with a red blush on her cheeks. If he could, he would have kissed her again, but he figured it best not to tempt fate too much at the moment. After all, Lady Fate had already given him her blessing with just being able to meet her again and kiss her.

"Farewell officers…Detective," he then turned to Shinara, "Ms. Kudo. Until we meet again."

With a drop of one of his smoke pallets, he was off the roof and sailing through the sky before anyone even knew what had happened. Shinara just watched him go, a smile on her face as she touched her lips, thinking of the kiss.