A/N: Holy Crap, I never expected to write this story for so long, or that so many would like it and review! Thank you your support means a lot to me :D

Warnings:
Strange English, OOCness

Uploaded: 2012-07-04
Revised: 2014-09-16
Chapter rating: K+
Words: 3,700

Chap. 36
How to Stalk Your Detective

Kaito grinned as he sat by the window, staring out into the clear sky; it was a cold day even though the sun warmed pleasantly. The magician, with some reporters, had been indulging in the sport of Detective Stalking for over three weeks and he'd decided that all kinds of normal Tantei-watching was quite boring compared to the new Meitantei-watching, seeing as meitanteis are a rare breed of detectives who, other than being extremely paranoid, had a high ratio of determination and intellect. And just like the small and unusual specie of tanteis, the Tantei-kun, meitanteis were also cursed.

The males had captivatingly blue eyes and a charming smile, giving it an undeniably alluring presence. The meitanteis used these traits to channel serenity into other species; particularly the male and female reporter seemed to enjoy the meitanteis' calming company. But this specific male, Meitantei-san, had the ability to attract almost all females from other species; mainly the singles, the students, the fans and the police, but very few of the other species' males didn't see it as a major competitor, which they both loved and disliked for its enthralling company. It seemed like Meitantei-san was almost worshipped by the reporters, the fans and many from the police. The only one that seemed to completely detest the meitanteis were the criminals, which hunted the other breeds, and often attacked them when they were in few numbers.

Kaito suddenly started snickering from the analytical voice in his head and his classmates eyed him warily, 'the meitanteis were also beloved by every other specie anyone could think of, for example,' Kaito whipped his head around and stared at his teacher, who swallowed nervously, but still continued the lecture, 'the teachers. Despite the long absence this particular meitantei had taken, the teachers still loved it and rewarded it with high grades. Meitantei-san deserved the rewards the teachers gave it, given that keen observation had shown that it worked very hard to achieve its goals, even though he certainly charmed the females."

Saguru glared at the grinning magician that returned his attention to the outside; he was still looking ridiculously happy even though Kudou had figured out how the thief had 'stolen' the vault and then stopped him completely in his tracks the very next heist. The Brit caressed the watch carefully; he'd found it inside his bench the day after the second heist and he really disliked when people touched it, especially the larcenous magician with a knack for picking things apart; who knew what would happen to it if it stayed in the company of that sticky-fingered thief for too long.

The pocket watch was one of his most treasured possessions which he'd inherited from his grandparents, who loved to spoil him. They were the only relatives who actually cared about him when he was little, but once they died Baaya was the only person he even considered family. The watch represented all of his happy memories of playing in the park, eating his grandmother's home made foods and being pushed on the swing by his grandfather. Neither his mother nor father had been around much during his childhood, especially his father given that he both worked and lived in Japan, while his mother was mostly bored by his presence or was working. Absentmindedly the Brit moved his hand to his hair to slowly and cautiously draw out specks of hardened purple slime until break began; it was annoying how hard it stuck to his hair, and what was worse was that it got even more troublesome when he used shampoo, hell, his hair was just as unruly as Kuroba's.

"Kuroba!" Hakuba called out just as Kaito opened the window to escape, and was hastily pulled inside. "How do I get this purple stuff out of my hair?" he hissed and the magician shrugged like he always did to that question.
"Come on, tell me! I've tried the usual mixture of different juices, and I even tried milk!"
"Hakuba, I have no idea!" Kaito commented, still smiling, but the Brit didn't seem to believe him, "maybe we can talk tomorrow? I have somewhere I need to be, and someone I need to mess with, unless you're offering up yourself." Hakuba gave him a grim look and released his grip from Kaito's shirt. The magician grinned and left the classroom through the window, causing the teacher to sigh.

Kaito made his way to Teitan High and watched how Meitantei-san sat by himself in an empty classroom doing a test of some kind. The thief had decided that Meitantei-watching was fun, but as long as the detective was at home he was a bit boring since all he would do was homework and an occasional case-solved-by-phone for the police. He was sporadically talking to himself and it seemed like he was a good conversationalist given that he could laugh or snicker at nothing, but that was probably some of his quirks, or he had some kind of multiple personality disorder, causing him and himself to interact with each other, which could be interesting. The second heist with Meitantei-san had gone by without any unwanted bombs and he still hadn't figured out who threw the purple slime-stuff; he'd considered every single option ranging from the whiny Tantei-san to a taskforce member, and even Meitantei-san himself, since it was more likely that 'Imposter-san' was responsible compared to Hakuba, but he would need it to happen again in order to figure it out.

Suddenly the detective twitched and jolted his head up from the assignment. Kaito shivered as he met a pair of blue eyes through the binoculars. If he didn't know better he'd say that Meitantei-san could see him, and it was creeping him out. Kaito sat still, not daring to breathe until that piercing gaze moved to study the surroundings, trying to find the source of his uneasiness. The thief grinned; that was something Meitantei-san always did just after he'd begun to be watched, but then he would shrug it off and ignore it in order to go back to whatever he was doing in the first place.

The detective seemed a bit lonely seeing as all that he would do was schoolwork, no one ever visited him except Science-san a few times every week to tease him for being a bad cook; it was funny that she would come over to taste his food for some reason and then leave a snarky comment about 'not being able to catch the heart of his prey' with it. They even argued about it once and made a bet. Meitantei-san would bring Science-san to a restaurant to taste a dish and then they would both remake it. Kaito had seen the detective shop and try to replicate the dish, sometimes muttering that he was an idiot for falling onto her trap.

The detective stopped working and started to stare out the window on the last orange-red leaves covering the trees; he seemed to be quite content by sunbathing beside the window. Kaito smirked; it had been interesting to observe him during the heists. His eyes had shone with determination and Kaito had loved that predatory gleam just after he'd figured out most of the trick; he really tried compared to Hakuba, who seemed go give up in order to stare at the other detective. Meitantei-san always appeared to know exactly what he was doing, and he was just as good as Kaito had hoped; good enough to give him a challenge, but not good enough to catch him, even though it was really close the second time.

The chimes called out for lunch and a teacher soon after entered the classroom to take his test. Kaito then watched how the detective ate his lunch together with some guys from his class who teased him for 'being left and ignored by his wife' and urged him to eat faster so that they could play a game of football.

The thief giggled, in character of his female persona, as he ate his own lunch on a bench by the wall of the school and watched the game; Meitantei-san looked like he was having a great deal of fun, next time he would disguise as a guy and challenge him; that would be interesting. He could use magic to tease him and then purposely, and discreetly, let him know that he was Kaitou KID.
"Aren't you cold?" a voice asked and Kaito turned towards it while he pulled a little in his skirt.
"No, not at all," he answered smiling in a female voice and gestured for the student to sit down, "Mouri Ran? Right?"
"Yes, how did you know?" Ran asked curiously as she sat down and Kaito giggled a bit.
"I watched you during a karate competition. You know that guy, out on the field," Kaito nodded towards the detective, "Kudou-san, right?" The young woman grew a bit annoyed by his question and threw him a suspicious glance.
"Yes, why?" she asked coldly and Kaito swallowed nervously; he knew that Meitantei-san and Mouri-chan had been 'the couple to be' and now they were having some kind of fight. Kaito only knew something about a confession and a heartless breakup, but he didn't trust what the crazy KID-fan had told him; it was too much description from someone who hadn't even been there, and Suzuki-san had a very vivid imagination, drawn towards tremendous amounts of drama.

"I was just curious," Kaito smiled a bit shyly, trying to look as non-threatening as possible and was happy that he'd chosen a disguise that was plain and boring; Ran would look like a vibrant queen in comparison to himself right now, "he was working with the FBI, chasing that horrible organisation, right? I bet it was very dangerous. I even heard he was shot in the shoulder, but he isn't showing anything."
"He was working with the FBI," Ran agreed sadly, "but I haven't heard anything about him getting shot; that's probably just a rumour." Kaito tilted his head towards the field as the detective made a goal and blinked innocently; the detective had a high threshold for pain, but that he didn't tell anyone that he'd been shot was strange.
"I heard that he can get shot and still continue if he has a goal," Kaito commented and threw a glance at the other while he picked up his bento and continued to eat.
"Shinichi? Hmm," Ran frowned as she thought about it, "never! He would probably cry and want to be babied; he loves being babied when he's ill or injured." The woman laughed and Kaito frowned; he knew for a fact that Meitantei-san had been shot and he hadn't stopped his mission even if it killed him, in a matter of fact, it nearly did.
"Yea, you're probably right!" Kaito snickered along, but sighed on the inside, "so, how long are you going to be angry with him?"
"You know about that?"
"Everyone does," Kaito smirked as she blushed.
"Sonoko..." she muttered and then sighed, "I don't know. I'm not actually angry anymore. I'm just disappointed that he didn't trust me in the first place, and I feel bad for everything that happened, but now I'm happy that he's home and safe. I just wished that he'd told me the truth earlier." Kaito nodded and thought of his own situation with Aoko; it was close to the situation Meitantei-san had had. Both of them had been against an organisation, which was life threatening to anyone around them if the criminals found out. Meitantei-san had been undercover, while Kaito had a secret identity as a thief. Aoko might or might not understand if he explained it to her, but she would definitely be angry with him and tell him to quit looking for Pandora. Meitantei-san had finished his mission, but Kaito had not; he still needed to find the gem and destroy it.

"I think I understand why he didn't tell you the truth," Kaito smiled a bit at Ran, who gave him a shocked expression since most people she'd spoken to had sided with her, "he wanted to protect you from the world he lived in; a world of death and darkness. He didn't want you to worry about him every time he risked his life, even though he knew that he might one day die. He wanted you to live your life without the fear and worry."
"Who are you?" she asked and Kaito giggled a bit nervously.
"Oh, I have to leave," the thief got up and brushed off his skirt and made his way towards the detective when the game ended.

'tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock,'
'Pandora, what do you want?' Shinichi muttered inside his head as he made his way off the field.
'Oh, nothing. You're distracted, I'm not. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock,'
'What's with the clock-noises?'
'Remember the crocodile that swallowed a clock in Peter Pan, so that you always knew when it was coming?'
'Yea, what about it?'
'You're distracted so I'm your alarm clock,' Pandora gleefully informed him and snickered, 'tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock."
'Alarm for what?' Shinichi wondered as a female passed him and Pandora smirked.
'Tick-tock, tick-tock, check thy pocket, tick-tock,'
'Now what?' Shinichi grumbled and pulled up a paper which hadn't been there earlier. He stared for a moment at the note with a KID-doodle in the corner and then jolted his head towards the girl's direction; she smirked at him as she walked towards the gates, the same smile he'd seen every heist, and Shinichi knew that it was a challenge; 'catch me if you can'. The detective smiled back 'oh, I will, just not the way you expect' and the thief grinned as he walked away.

Ran felt strangely betrayed and jealous; she'd seen the other slip Shinichi the note and the way Shinichi smiled at it while he read it made her want to beat up the girl. She was confused about her feelings; she both hated the detective geek and loved him, even though she really liked Isamu and could see a future together with him she still had feelings for Shinichi, but of course he'd moved on.

"Do you know her?" Ran asked a bit sadly when the detective passed her on his way to the door.
"Yes and no, we've met," Shinichi smiled, happy that Ran had decided to speak to him again.
"Do you like her?" she asked and Shinichi grinned in amusement.
"Yea," he answered slowly, "Kaitou KID is a really likable guy. Strange hobbies though."
"KID? That was Kaitou KID?" Ran blushed; even a thief knew about her and Shinichi's fight.
"Yes, he delivered a heist note," the detective showed her the note for a moment and then stared at it, "at least I think so."
"Oh, I, oh," Shinichi raised an eyebrow at her stammering, until she glared at him and left in embarrassment without saying anything more, leaving the detective thinking that he'd done something wrong, again.

The detective was distracted during the rest of his test filled day. Kaito saw cheerfully how his gaze was constantly drawn towards the note and how he sometimes picked it up and read it over and over again. The detective mouthed the words on the note and seemed to enjoy reading it before going back to his tests. The thief never noticed when his own smile grew warm and fond; he felt like he'd known the detective much longer than he actually had, and he kept studying the way the sun made the detective's hair shine, the way the other's eyes closed and opened when he blinked, how his hands moved as he wrote, how his tongue moistened his lips and before Kaito knew it, the entire day had gone by and he found himself outside the Kudou residence.

Meitantei-san was cooking some kind of wok while listening to the radio.
"Oh, an old classic!" he smiled at the radio and Kaito read his lips, not aware that the detective was having a conversation with the gem he was looking for.
'Dance! I remember us dancing to this with mom when we were small! It was fun!'
'No, I can't dance to it by myself; I'll look ridiculous!'
'Aw come on! Who's going to see you? And you can dance with me,'
'Dance with you? You're inside me, of course I'll be dancing with you whether I like it or not,'
'Just close your eyes,' Shinichi did as the gem wanted with a sigh, and saw the flickering red shape of Pandora. Quickly the lines expanded and he could see the entire vibrating room, but then Pandora changed and Shinichi stared; before him stood none other than a very feminine version of his alter ego, Fujimine Mizuki.
'What's wrong Shin-chan? Aren't you going to invite me to a dance?' the voice Shinichi had chosen for Mizuki asked and he smiled.

"May I have this dance?" Shinichi asked loudly, took Pandora's hand and kissed it. Kaito laughed as he watched the detective dance by himself in the kitchen with his eyes closed.
'There's something that's been bothering me about you,' Pandora smirked amused; the jewel knew the question but wouldn't answer until Shinichi had actually asked it face to face, 'are you really a guy?'
'Of course not, I'm a jewel! I'm neither male nor female; I just take on the characteristics of my host. What I mean is; would you feel comfortable with a feminine voice in your head? Hmm, I could wear a white hat, cape and monocle too,' Pandora smirked teasingly, knowing that it would make Shinichi uncomfortable, 'okay, the things would be red, not white… But, now that I've lost my memories I feel male, since I pretty much only remembers our childhood, both of them.' Pandora grinned and his eyes shone with mirth.

'Technically,' Pandora began again and wrapped his arms around the detective's neck, 'you could have an affair with yourself, or anyone of your choosing, how about Kaito?' Shinichi gasped, opened his eyes, and then quickly got back to stirring in the pan while his cheeks burned fiercely and Pandora laughed.
'I'm so sorry, I couldn't resist!'
"Baaroo! Don't do things like that! I don't think it's healthy!"
'Yes, you're right; today we had sixty-two thousand, five hundred and three confirmed cases of death by imagination, and tomorrow we're expecting twice as many,' the gem smirked in irony and leaned back into his chair in the library and spun around in it, 'but if you took care of our body better we wouldn't be so damn horny!'

'I meant mentally healthy! I have a voice in my head telling me to sleep with myself, and I don't even have to imagine it, because it would be 'real'! And I can't take care of our body, not when I know that you're watching,' Shinichi grumbled and blushed even deeper.
'I'll close my eyes! Oh, wait, that wouldn't help,' Pandora rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, 'I just hope that you're aware that we're going to get a 'growing' problem if you don't do anything.'
'I know,' Shinichi complained sheepishly, but then felt how Pandora sighed.
'I'll be quiet… And you know that I've always been there when you did it before…'
'Fine, I'll do it, but you can't talk to me,' Shinichi sighed as he placed his food on a plate and went to the table.
'Ha! You can't resist me! I'm irresistible!'
'Please, shut up. I don't want to think about it,' Shinichi took a bite of the food and immediately spat it out.
'Go lighter on the seasoning,' the gem grimaced at the taste as Shinichi sighed and got up to go and get milk for the spiciness.
'And whose fault is that?'
'Yea, blame the innocent gem with no way of moving the body,' Pandora grinned and Shinichi snorted.
'Yes, very innocent, you distracted me with… That topic, maybe I should have you tested for insanity; that would be interesting.'
'Yes, it would, but how are you going to do it? Hi, I'm Kudou Shinichi, I would like to test the voice in my head for insanity… Can you do that later? I don't want to be locked up,' Pandora hummed amused and Shinichi smirked as he glanced out the window, 'oh, I just thought of something interesting! What if you are insane?' Shinichi deadpanned as he got back to eating, 'no, listen to me. You have a talking voice in your head; me!'
'But you're magical,'
'Good, you're playing along.' Shinichi smirked in amusement; he wasn't playing along, he was just stating the truth, which actually sounded nuts. 'You dreamed up everything; this is your imagination and you're so far gone that you're not actually aware that you are living in your own imagination. How do you know if you are in the real world or in an imagined one?'
'I wouldn't know, but someone would have given me a pill for it-,'
'There's no cure! A cure for your insanity hasn't been invented and no one knows how to help you, so they simply get you to eat your food and… change your diaper. And you're just sitting there drooling.'
'Your imagination is just horrible,' the detective muttered and took up the note again; he would go to the police station tomorrow and hand it to Nakamori.

'Greetings Meitantei-san!
You seemed to have had just as fun as I on our first dates, so prepare for the next!

When the created season is changing, I'm thinking of a candle lit dinner on a day of rest, classical music by a great composer who practically defined the solo form of concerto, a warm seat in front of the crackling blue fire, a glass of red wine and white moonlight falling in from the window on the ceiling.
I'll meet you there.

~Kaitou KID'

Shinichi smiled at the KID-doodle with a small heart by his hat and a hand holding a rose; he liked it and it would be interesting to find out how a genuine date with the thief would go, but the fact was that it was an actual heist note, which followed the media's excitement over him chasing KID. The detective sighed as he placed it on the table and continued to eat while thinking about it.