A/N: Yeah... I'm... gonna post this here so I can get it on with the next few chapters... This is emotionally exhausting to write, but I hope it came out well.

Also, hello new followers!~

DISCLAIMER: May be a bit OOC (or super, I dunno, you be the judge), but then again I'm exploring an unfamiliar side of the characters. Bear with me. I'm Magic Kaito-deprived. xD

Ch16 Explosion

Unspoken rules.

-[A father's love.]

-.-(A boy's memory.)

The world's a stage,

-["World Famous Magician Kuroba Toichi"]

-.-(Look, that's my dad. Isn't he amazing?)

-.-(Like Aoko didn't know that already! But it's not like that makes you amazing.)

-.-(What did you say? For a cheeky girl like you…)

-.-(Hey, stop!)

-[Now, now, you must not tease the ladies. Okay boy?]

-.-(I understand…)

And everyone's an actor.

-[Are you familiar with the term 'poker face,' Kaito?]

-.-(Poker Face?)

To an unwavering heart, emotions are but ornaments…

-[In poker, no matter how good or bad your hand is, you can't show it in your expression.]

Ornaments designed to fit the part.

-[The same goes for magic.]

-[Sometimes a trick may fail, but you mustn't bring that to the audience's attention.]

Whatever role you choose to play,

-[Kaito, no matter where you are…]

Never forget who you are.

"Never forget your Poker Face"

.-*-.-*.-*-.

To an unshakable spirit, emotions are but excess baggage…

Magicians are actors too;

-.-(While it may be true…)

Entertainers in the stage of deceit.

-.-(That magic tricks utilize lies, illusions and coincidences to deceive people…)

But in the battlefield where you can no longer hide your emotions,

-.-(Those who are watching said magic tricks enjoy being deceived.)

Self-deception leads to self-destruction.

.-*-.-*.-*-.

To a restless body, emotions can do great things—it can even betray one's own principles…

And to one who keeps them trapped deep within, he might not know it's already eating him up.

Third day at camp. The last day. The day he decided to confront his inner demons…

That was the day Kuroba Kaito's mask fell off completely.

And he did not, in any point in time, blame it on his lack of sleep the night prior.

The boy's shoes on the slightly damp floor produce a scraping sound, his every step heavier than the last. Empty eyes, out-of-focus and weary, looked more like someone else's. The last time he checked, Inspector Nakamori has apparently woken up in the early hours of the morning to get back to the scene of the bombing. And since Heiji and Conan were once again nowhere to be found, Kaito once again found himself in solitude. So much so that his impatience led him to escape the four corners of his cabin, all the while completely oblivious of the brewing storm deep within his chest.

For the longest time the magician has found himself in conflict with himself, all because of what lies waiting on the night of the full moon. Now, he knows that's completely out of character, and he's totally betraying his father right now for not living up to his words. But as to how a person would react in the face of death, no one can really guess until they're there. And for the last two hours, Kaito has busied himself with the same riddle: How does he face tonight's uncertainty?

I might have to face that man as Kid, he says one minute, and then challenged the statement with, Just how do I do that without Aoko noticing?

There are a lot of things he's unsure of (and for the record, this is probably the first time he faced too many uncertainties at the same time). But there's one thing he's certain of: he's going to settle the score with his pursuer once and for all.

"Kuroba, can I have a moment?"

The familiar obnoxious voice of the detective he's been constantly annoyed with cut him off from his thoughts. He slowly turned to meet the speaker.

"And good morning to you too," was Kaito's out-of-context reply. Hakuba is the least person he wants to bump into right now and he's got the worst luck at the moment. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall make it a point to make this a 'good' morning."

The other lad simply shook it off and continued, despite the fact that Kaito's now turning to leave.

"Look, can you at least hear me out? Kudou-kun did me a favor and helped me narrow down suspects last night. And I think we've got an idea who we're up against."

With those words, Hakuba knew he finally got the magician's full attention. Kaito paused in his tracks and spun to the direction of the other boy.

The detective reached for his pants' pocket and brought out his navy blue phone. He then showed Kaito a picture of a middle-aged man with wavy, nape-length black hair which sticks at odd angles, deep piercing eyes, a distinct jawline, thin lips, a pair of thick eyebrows and a slightly crooked nose. In a business-like tone, Hakuba filled Kaito in without a moment wasted.

"I wouldn't go into detail about how we did it, but here's our suspect: Kujirai Makoto, age 49, born April 21 19xx, height 183cm, weight 63kg, blood type A, hair and eye color black, eyesight 1.5 left, .25 right…"

He got all that from a single strand of hair, the magician momentarily thought. Well, if he got a sample of my hair during one heist without my knowledge, no wonder he's been onto me being Kaitou Kid like a bloodhound.

"He was a former employee of the Kumakiri Pharmaceuticals and later on became a drug dealer," Kaito heard the blonde say. "Given that, he's probably adept to using chemicals. He used to be one of those tasked to develop drugs for antibodies, but he knew he can do more than just that. He was kicked out from the company after being discovered he's illegally developing a poison so fatal, yet it does not leave a trace in the body once consumed."

With the information imparted to him, Kaito was reminded of the first line of Akako's prophecy.

'Light and dark, life or death, cure or poison.' It must be referring to this, isn't it?

"Okay, so what's he doing now?" the magician asked, trying to hide any sign of interest in his voice, but failing miserably.

"Earning millions in the black market selling the final product of his so-called labor," Hakuba stated in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone. From his breast pocket, he conjured a tiny piece of what looked like paper torn out of a notebook. "He's got his own website, accessible only for those who have connections to underground proceedings, and in it, as I was told, he described that after consumption, the victim will have a violent seizure before he'd drop dead, seemingly looking asleep… 'A perfect crime', he says. He even went as far as calling it 'Deathstalker.'"

Deathstalker… "And the bomb in the shopping district?"

From his conversation with Inspector Nakamori, Kaito has a clear idea what the bomb was, but asked anyway just for the hell of it.

"It's an improvised explosive device that triggers with a push of a button. It's chemically-infused so that with only a little amount of gunpowder it can cause a big explosion. As to whether or not he's part of that organization you and Kudou are up against, I must say I'm not sure…"

"That's great and all," the messy-haired teen stated in sarcasm, and it's clear in the way he shifts his weight from one foot to another that he wants to stay away from the other teen as soon as possible, that is, after he's exhausted all helpful information from him. "But how sure are you that we're really up against this Kujirai guy?"

"I happen to be pretty good with figuring out identities, right Kaitou Kid?"

Kaito felt like twitching in discomfort, but deemed it best to keep his Poker Face in place.

"Just so you know, I feel really pissed off hearing that from you. I've said this before to the other two, but it doesn't help if you only know Kid's real identity if you don't have real proof."

"True," the detective from London agreed with a smirk. He placed his cellphone and the piece of paper back in his pocket and continued, "Lucky for you, I'll save that for a later date. I really can't get Kid behind bars if he's dead, can I?"

"Let's get one thing clear, fraud-detective. I don't trust you," Kaito said flatly, tucking his hands tightly in his pockets. "I don't need your help, heck I don't want it. I don't like the way you played your little game with me and I don't plan on playing it. I most especially do not like the way you're getting too close to Aoko and acting like a couple in front of everybody."

The grin on the detective's face couldn't have been any wider. Without Kaito even knowing it, he has fallen into Hakuba's trap. By bringing up the magician's alter ego, Hakuba originally wanted to find out the motive behind his third identity. And he got his answer with a flick of a finger.

"So the truth finally comes out. Was that the reason you went out of your way and created Ace?"

"I'm the one asking questions here," the magician spat, loathing eyes making it past his perfect mask.

"Ask away, if that's what will make your morning better," the London detective said coolly, and his cool demeanor annoyed Kaito even further.

"What do you really plan on gaining after all this?"

"Rather than gaining, I'd say I don't want anyone losing their lives, I guess."

"Ah, spoken like a detective. Tell me, why again did you get yourself involved in this? And don't you dare tell me this is just another one of your tricks to get to her."

"Oh, she's got nothing to do with this. Buuuut… even if I tell you the reason, there's no way you can make me uninvolved anymore, is there, Kuroba? Even if I tell you that the main reason I'm doing this is to make you admit you're Kaitou Kid and Ace, or to piss you off like I always have, that does not change the fact that Aoko-kun…" he paused to give Kaito a cold stare, "asked for my help."

"Like hell she would," the brown-haired muttered, a piercing blue glare meeting a sneering almond.

"Ask yourself that question. Why do you think she would?"

Hakuba took a step towards Kaito, and another, so that they're only one foot away from each other. Despite his question, he really didn't expect the other guy to give him an answer, and so her continued, his voice sounding much harsher that it did seconds ago.

"You're an inconsiderate, good-for-nothing, sorry excuse of a brat, that's why."

Kaito clenched his fist at this and even if he wanted to avert his gaze away, he's determined not to break eye contact.

"Face it, Kuroba Kaito. You're the very person she's always with, yet you're the only one who never saw how brilliant she is. You're a pathetic waste who doesn't deserve to be called her best friend."

"Watch it," the brunette warned through gritted teeth. He knew Hakuba's only doing this to piss him off, but no matter how many times he tells himself not to let it get to him, his overwhelming emotions are betraying him completely… Especially since a certain Nakamori Aoko is involved.

"Really, if only I've gotten myself closer to her sooner, not only could I have made you admit your nighttime occupation; I could have made her fall for me as well. Surely, a rare jewel, in the hands of a lowly scum like you, would meet a miserable ending."

Something snapped inside the teenage magician at that statement. Everything around him turned black. And just like that—like a bomb set to detonate—Kuroba Kaito explodes.

"BASTARD!" the magician bellowed as he landed a solid punch on the other boy's face with such force he didn't even know he possessed. As if to mock Kaito's rage, Hakuba, who was thrown to the ground by the impact, simply laughed it off, and even bothered brushing the dirt off his outfit as he stood.

"It's the truth, isn't it?" Hakuba's statement was firm and definite, and in his voice was the unfamiliar sensation of anger that never crossed his features—until now.

"You failed to see how she really feels, insulted her by hiding behind a mask, and made her suffer even further by taking the fact that someone's out to kill you like a grain of sand. She's a lot more than you think she is, Kuroba. She's smarter than you last checked, and you, of all people, FAILED to notice!"

The idea of punching someone on the face was so foreign to the British gentleman that he hurt himself in recoil as his fist landed. Kaito leaped on his feet and punched back, leaving the other guy with a bleeding cut on his lip.

"IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, waking up the entire campsite. This caused Hakuba to let out a loud, mocking laugh. By the time the blonde has gotten on his feet again, a small crowd has started gathering around them—some confused and still trying to figure out what's happening, most of them half-asleep. Among them were Ran, Sonoko, Kazuha and Keiko.

Hakuba is now well-aware of the taste of iron in his mouth, and a thumb went up to trace his lip, all that with the nasty grin still etched on his face.

"Have you ever thought about what she feels, Kuroba, setting up this wild goose chase, and now getting yourself in this mess?! HAVE YOU EVEN. FOR A SECOND. THOUGHT ABOUT THAT?!"

The sight of both the trickster and the usually calm and collected heartthrob froze everyone. And it was exactly because of that that no one was able to stop Kaito from charging towards Hakuba.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!"

He's got the blonde by the collar now, and to an onlooker, the detective possessed an aura of a lunatic grinning for no reason.

"Look at yourself, Kuroba," Hakuba Saguru, with his almond orbs wide and intimidating, roared in order to further provoke his attacker. "You're a sorry mess! And all for what, a stupid misunderstanding?"

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

With both his fists clenched on Hakuba's shirt, Kaito banged his head against the other—hard enough that Hakuba was sent falling to the ground with a swollen forehead. The action accompanied gasps and screams of horror from the crowd. Some guys from the class, albeit still confused, hastily ran and tried to restrain the wild magician.

"Kaito-kun, calm down!" said one of the four people who was trying to pull Kaito back.

"Hakuba-kun!" Ran and Keiko chorused, as they quickly went to the pained Hakuba's side out of concern. When the pigtailed girl placed a hand on him, he rudely pushed it away.

"LET GO OF ME!" shouted Kaito, trying to get rid of all four classmates trying to stop him him.

"He's completely out of it," Sonoko commented from the sidelines.

Kazuha silently agreed and whispered, "At this rate, Aoko-chan's the only one who can stop 'im. I'm gon' go get her," before she dashed off. It's jealousy out of control and the girl from Osaka recognizes it more than anyone else.

"I thought you'd be smarter than this," the still dazed Hakuba goaded. "Clearly, I overestimated you."

"And clearly, you're not that much of a gentleman like everybody thinks. STAND UP, YOU SON OF A—!" the magician growled.

"O-oi, Kaito! Stop this!" another one of his restrainers said, but it only made the magician go wilder.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HER FEELINGS! SHE TRUSTED YOU, YOU LITTLE BASTARD! SHE GODDAMN TRUSTED YOU!"

Kaito's thunderous voice echoed through the surrounding area. It was then that their adviser finally made it through the center of the crowd.

"What is going on here?"

"Sensei, Kaito's out of control!"

And as if by cue, the four people holding Kaito back fell on the floor, when said guy mustered just enough strength to shake them all away. In just seconds, he once again got Hakuba by the collar, ready to strike another punch. That's when the panicking shouts from Kazuha stopped him.

"Kuroba-kun!" she kept calling out as she cuts into the group. She took in a few deep breaths before she spoke the words that brought him from rage to distress.

"Kuroba-kun, Aoko-chan's missing!"

In an instant, the magician's vengeful eyes turned to utter terror, and all color drained from his face.

"Aoko…"he muttered under his breath, as he unconsciously dumped Hakuba to the ground.

There was a short moment of silence in the group, all of them anticipating the magician's next move. By this time, Ran had already moved her arm protectively in front of the blonde, in case Kaito attacks him again. Rather than advancing towards the guy before him, the magician let out a trembling huff.

"I swear if anything bad happens to her, I'm never gonna forgive you," Kaito warned him in a devilishly husky voice, his sapphire eyes like that of a killer's, before he dashed off and disappeared from everyone's view.

"Kuroba-kun!" Yamada, a bespectacled classmate, called out, but was stopped by the blonde's words.

"Leave him alone. He just wants to put the blame on other people," the detective called out in nonchalance. Out of concern, his classmate inquired.

"How about you, are you alright?"

"Yes," Hakuba lied, still sounding bitter. "Just… leave me be…"

It was then that Sonoko spoke up.

"Huh? Now that I noticed it, that brat's not here either," she told her best friend, who was now walking her way towards the heiress.

"Conan-kun too? Geez, I wonder where he ran off to this time," Ran wondered and went off with both Sonoko and Kazuha before Hakuba even finished saying "Better find him and Aoko-kun before anything bad happens."

"What about you?" Keiko asked with worry in her quivering voice.

"I said I'll be all right," was the deemed gentleman's aggravated reply. The onlookers, taken aback by the statement, walked away in silence, but not without concerned stares and whispers.

.-*-.-*.-*-.

To a logical mind, emotions are but distractions; temporary setbacks hindering rational decisions.

Hakuba watched as the last of the dispersing crowd started their search for their fellow classmate and the grade school kid. A hand automatically went to his forehead. Surely Kaito went a bit too far with the head butt; he's probably hurt too but was too preoccupied by his anger to notice. When the blonde attempted to stand up, he found himself sinking back down. Everything felt like they're spinning. Not being able to do much anyway, Hakuba exhaled a long, long sigh to calm himself down.

I must be crazy…

And in attempt to make the pain go away, he also let out a few silent snickers.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Hakuba could have jumped in surprise if his body would allow it. Instead, he found himself agape when Akako emerged slowly from the tree a few steps behind him. She stood there in silence, looking down at him, leaning with her arms crossed and an apathetic expression.

"Since when have you been there?"

"Long enough," the witch uttered like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Look at you, acting all cool and getting yourself hurt. Even with your standards, that's just pathetic."

"Well, if I don't knock some sense into him, who else will?" was the detective's reply.

To this, the girl rolled her eyes with a sigh. "You made him worse. What a careless thing to do," she told him, before crouching over to Hakuba's eye level with a handkerchief in hand. Realizing what the witch was about to do, Hakuba automatically turned his face away from her with a wild blush on his cheeks.

"N-no, you don't have to do this," the detective stuttered, but the girl held his head in place without a moment's notice.

"Just stay still, will you?"

Hakuba did as he was told, albeit reluctantly. He would be lying if he told himself he doesn't feel uncomfortable to be in such proximity with the redhead. After all, no matter how great a mind he possesses, he's still a teenage boy with raging hormones. And so, to distract himself and to make sure he wouldn't do anything 'out of line,' he engaged her in a conversation.

"Come to think of it, it was my fault wasn't it? If I didn't take advantage of Kuroba's confused state, he wouldn't do something reckless."

"About time you realize that, don't you think?" was the girl's reply, and the detective forced a huff to this sarcastic statement.

"But seriously, I don't get how his mind works right now…" Hakuba winced when the cloth brushed his bruise a little too hard, but continued nonetheless, "He thinks of one thing and proceeds to do the other. He didn't used to be that way."

"Rather than his mind, though, I think it's his emotions which were more involved this time."

Instead of asking how Akako would know such a thing, Hakuba simply commented, "That doesn't sound like it would do him much good."

"Believe me, it won't," the girl responded, busying herself with wiping the last drop of blood on the side of his lower lip. When she did, she simply tossed the handkerchief to him like a rag, deeming it useless to her. Hakuba just stared at it, until a question occurred to him.

"Koizumi, how much do you know about Kuroba?"

"Nothing much. Compared to you, I know he's more popular in school."

"I don't mean that. I meant…"

Hakuba paused, unsure of whether or not he should even tell her. In the end, he asked anyway. "You've been watching over him. Why?"

Akako pursed her lips at this. I can't tell him my secrets, or that I'm out to steal Kid's heart…

"Why would you wanna know?"

"As far as I know, I don't think you should be involved in this thing," he advised her. The last thing Hakuba wanted is another meddler in this risky affair.

"What makes you say that?"

"It's just… y-you know, we might be dealing with someone extremely dangerous here."

"Nothing can hurt me," was Akako's stoic reply. As the heiress to the scarlet arts, she was determined never to let her feelings take over—especially since a lone teardrop will leave her powerless forever. To this, the blonde let out a small chuckle.

"Funny. I must have misread the way you look whenever you see the two of them together."

Akako stopped, not knowing how to react to the statement.

"If it hurts you so much to see them together, then why are you helping them sort things out?"

Hakuba realized too late that he should not have said such thing when Akako sent him a deathly glare.

"Please, like I'd tell you…"

Despite this, the British detective kept a calm exterior and asked, "You know don't you? About Kuroba being Kaitou Kid?"

"Well, what is it to you?"

"You know, yet you did no such thing as turn him in…"

"That's—" Akako sputtered, before Hakuba cut her off.

"And it was you wasn't it? That time when I almost made Kuroba admit he's Kid, and someone turned up in Kid's costume and took the jewel away." (A/N: See Magic Kaito vol3 chap17: A Gift from Akako, or Detective Conan Special Kaito episode 9: The Witch, the Detective and the Phantom Thief)

Akako avoided his gaze, and it was enough for Hakuba to confirm his suspicion. And so, leaning his head a little closer, so that the plum-haired would have no choice but to look at him, the detective from London asked his trademark question.

"How come you did that?"

"I…" Akako sighed and looked away before she continued with a small blush, "I can't let you have him."

"Why not?"

"Oh, that's none of your business," the girl replied impatiently as she stood up and dusted herself off.

Like I said, this girl's a mystery.

Hakuba has now gotten himself in a standing position, yet still staggered and leaned backwards on to the tree behind him for support.

"By the way, I—," the lass paused in discomfort and locked her arms together. "I thought about what you said last night."

Hakuba merely shrugged and inquired, "Heh, what about it?"

"You don't know me, Hakuba, so what makes you say that I like you?"

Even before she finishes the sentence, the blonde cut her off with a grip on the wrist. Surprised, the witch tried to pull herself away, but it only caused Hakuba to pull her closer. So close, in fact, that Akako could see the perfect detail in the boy's almond orbs with their faces mere inches apart.

"Very well. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't like me."

The scarlet temptress's lips turned to a glower, as if nonverbally warning the blond to stop whatever he's doing if he doesn't want things to turn nasty. When Hakuba didn't even budge, Akako narrowed her eyes at him.

"You do realize you're making me hate you even more don't you?" she uttered before she tried shaking the boy's grip off her, but the lad simply tightened his grip even more. "I'm under no obligation to do so. And I don't know how it is where you came from, but in this part of the world, you call this harassment. Let go of me!"

Hakuba released his grip just as Akako started pulling again, and the plum-haired girl almost fell out of balance because of it. She let out a small scream. With furrowed brows, she gave the detective a look of distaste before she automatically staggered backwards.

"45.09 seconds, give and take," the detective from London uttered with a scholarly tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That was how long you allowed yourself to be completely immersed in the scenario. You could have pulled yourself off right away but you didn't. You do like me don't you?" he taunted.

"You're too full of yourself," the witch scoffed as she straightened herself up completely.

"I wouldn't think of myself as such, thank you very much," the lad told her, that annoying grin still plastered on his features.

"Don't get your hopes up; I don't like you," Akako declared with conviction.

To this, Hakuba simply shrugged her shoulders, much to the redhead's chagrin. She spun on her heels to leave, but paused even before she can take one step.

"But, even if I do like you…"

Hakuba blinked, wondering if he even heard her right. Was she considering the possibility just now? That was by far the very first time he tried to flirt with her, and he was not necessarily hoping to succeed.

"What…?"

There was a long, uncomfortable silence before Akako muttered "Nothing," and walked off. Contrasting her silence, though, was an inner conflict waiting to be brought to light.

All men in the entire world are my slaves. Even if I do like you, there's just no way that's going to change, right?

A lone frown.

To a heart of a temptress, emotions are shards of fragile colored glass, both beautiful and wounding—it helps if you know which piece to destroy, and it destroys you if you crush the wrong piece.

Even if I do like you… You'll never like me back the way Kaito does with Aoko.

"I'm keeping an eye on you, Hakuba Saguru," she called out to the said detective, not even daring to turn her head to him.

Hakuba can only draw a blank upon the turn of events. And as he watched her walk away and into her cabin, he found himself drawn into greater confusion. With his wondering eyes once again glued to the girl's handkerchief, he allowed himself to drift to thought.

Funny… Early on I've convinced myself that girl is totally out of my league. But now that she's the one approaching me…

I can't seem to find it in me to run after her and keep her by my side…

What is this, exactly? It does not make sense at all.

To a confused heart, emotions can kill, and to a heart that loves too much, emotions can break souls.

Kaito's agony is just beginning, and Hakuba is just one step away from irrationality. With Aoko nowhere to be found and Akako's goal challenged, just how are the characters going to survive this storm?

Stay glued for the next chapters...

A/N: All right guys, move on, nothing to see here loljk. Hmm, this was more chaotic inside my head. I sincerely apologize for the slow updates.

Sorry too, Kaito, Hakuba, Aoko, Akako... I need to do this... *deep bow*

"Deathstalker," by the way, is a name for one of the most poisonous scorpions on the planet. I just thought it fitting if I use it here, hehe.

Also, I did my best to fix that first part, I really did. It looked prettier in my Word document *sighs* oh well.

Oh, last disclaimer, Kujirai Makoto is in no way related to Kyogoku Makoto; they just happen to have the same first name. Other similarities to real-life people are purely coincidental (or I might juuuuust be around the corner stalking them *evil grin* LOL just kidding). Also, Kumakiri Pharmaceuticals is purely fictional.

Now, if I get my right-side brain to work with me for the next few days, the next chapter may be out by a week or two.. (pray it does; this story's killing me and I seriously have to finish this! *broken heart*)

P.S. I NEED REVIEWS! huhuhu...T.T

I need to know if people still read this. I love you guys in advance thank you very much *huuuuugs*