They were drenched in blood. The three of them, drowning in that bleeding color of despair, shivering as the liquid cooled their cores.

Kid took a pile of folded clothes out of the lining of his suit jacket and placed them on the ground. He held one bloody tie-died shirt up. Aoko assumed Kid had been planning to use it as his disguise to leave the place. It looked like it had been a white office shirt.

"Can't use any of these, I guess," Kid muttered.

"What do we do now?"

"Wait for the cops. I already texted Hakuba," Kudo said, reciting the process almost mechanically. Aoko had forgotten he was a homicide detective and that he was used to this type of thing, even if she wasn't. "They'll take our statements and let us go - well, maybe just Nakamori-san and myself." He was looking at Kid. "They might have other things to discuss with you, though."

"I'm obviously not sticking around for that," Kid said nervously, putting his hands up in front of him.

Kudo only rolled his eyes. "I figured. But how do you plan on getting away? You don't have any disguises left."

"I don't?"

Kid disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Aoko and Kudo coughing. When the fog dissipated, Kudo Shinichi was standing in his place - although his clothes were still heavily stained with streaks of blood. Aoko winced slightly as she looked at him, but marveled at how quickly he had been changed - and how closely he resembled Kudo himself. She had almost forgotten that she was dealing with the Master of Disguise himself. She wondered idly if Kaito would ever be able to disguise himself that well. She knew he often used masks to dress up as their classmates, but Kid looked like he had completely become possessed by Kudo's spirit. Would Kaito ever be that good?

Kudo, still dressed up as Kuroba Kaito as he had been all evening, didn't look impressed.

"Any half-witted detective would see right through that disguise - if that's even what you want to call it," Kudo critiqued. "The staining pattern reflects that the clothes were folded up when they were stained. Who would put on bloody clothes besides you?"

"At least I'm not standing in the middle of a crime scene in a bright white suit, top hat, and cape right now. You've got to admit it's something, at least."

Kudo peered back into the room where the blood-bath had occurred. "So what's our story, then? The three of us just happened to find this room? Together? Even though the building was being evacuated and Nakamori-san was supposed to be nowhere near this building -"

"That's your problem to figure out," Kid interrupted. "I told you to keep her away from here. That was the whole point of including you, don't you remember?"

"Hey!" Aoko said, pushing herself between the two and glaring at Kid. "I'm not some frail old woman who has to be protected! You didn't have to go so far as to have Kudo-kun babysit me all evening!"

"Yeah, well I should have known better than to pick on Kudo Shinichi of all people to act as your babysitter, anyway. Right, tantei-kun?"

Kudo huffed. "Oh, shut it. And Nakamori-san has a point, that she's more than capable to keep herself out of trouble, unlike some people -"

"We're going to go there? What about your little incident?" Kid drawled humorlessly. "I thought you would've learned a least a little restraint -"

Aoko tuned the two out as they started to argue. They were like siblings, the way they bickered. Or an old married couple, she snickered to herself. But it was nice, she knew, to have this little distraction, so that she wouldn't have to think about what she had just witnessed. Even if she hadn't directly seen it - the sounds, the vibrations, the smell, the taste all drummed against her mind and tried to squeeze her sanity out. She wasn't sure how she was going to sleep tonight. Scratch that - she wasn't sure how she was going to sleep any night from now on.

She was shaken out of her reverie by a loud BANG that sounded and reverberated through the hallway. A gun? Who was coming? She looked around, frantically searching for the source of the sound.

Footsteps - first a couple, then a couple dozen, then a couple hundred. Thundering towards them. They turned their heads towards the staircase to find a group of policemen running towards them.

"Aoko!" She heard a gruff male voice as the men swarmed past them to assess the situation in the room. The bloodbath. She felt someone grab hold of her and pull her in close. The smell of teakwood permeated the air around her, encasing her in the moment. A comforting smell - her father's cologne.

"Dad!" She cried into his shoulder, clutching on for dear life. Her father was here now and she could release the waterworks - truly now, without restraint. She was her father's little girl in this moment, and God had she been so scared. Only her father could make her feel safe. Not Kudo, not Kid. They could come close, with their friendly, reassuring smiles and their strong arms. But they weren't her father - her father, who had held her tight when she had a nightmare about her mother dying every day for three months after her funeral - her father, who had buffed the car without a word after she had crashed into a guardrail - her father, who had worried about her safety that morning and had tried to keep her safe. Had tried, and succeeded. And failed, in a way. But that way wasn't one of the ways that mattered, to her at least.


They were escorted out of the basement and helped over to some ambulances, where EMTs were buzzing around treating peoples' injuries. Their statements were taken, they were given courtesy warming blankets, and were told to go home. Inspector Nakamori had milled around for a bit, but once he made sure the three of them were uninjured he excused himself to assist with the investigation. Aoko, for as much as she wanted to cling onto her father, understood completely: duty called. Someone had to make sense of the tragic mess that just occurred. Someone had to bring order back into the universe.

So it was again, the three of them, standing lonely on the street corner, wrapped in police blankets. Kid disguised as Kudo, Kudo disguised as Kaito, and Aoko playing the role of herself.

Kid coughed suddenly, then nodded his head to the left. "Pain in the ass incoming in 3... 2... -"

"I suppose I was right when I said Kudo Shinichi only deals with murder cases, wasn't I?" Hakuba said smugly as he approached.

"Oi, oi," Kudo said a little defensively, before being elbowed by Kid, who assumed a defensive tone himself, saying, "Hey, it's not like I tell people to kill each other when I'm around!"

"I'm sure," Hakuba said. Then something seemed to click in his head, causing him to blink and swing his head to look between Kudo and Kid. "Wait, you - two are -"

"Are what?" Kid asked with sweet innocence, seemingly oblivious to the obvious resemblance he shared with the detective next to him.

Hakuba glared at Kid. "That tone alone tells me you're Kid. I'm just curious how you roped Kudo Shinichi into this."

"I don't understand. I'm Kudo Shinichi," Kid insisted, then tacked on for good measure, "There's only one truth!"

Hakuba's eyes turned towards Kudo himself, who was looking absolutely disgraced by his counterpart's acting. "Is that so?"

"Well, yeah, ha ha ha," Kudo said, scratching his head. "Why are you asking me?"

"What's your name?"

"Err- Kuroba Kaito."

"Age?"

"Seventeen."

"Date of birth?"

"I don't need to tell you that!" Kudo retorted. Aoko found herself dumbstruck. That was the same rageful annoyance that Kaito always had when he argued with Hakuba. Guess Kudo was just a good actor!

Hakuba persisted. "What size -"

"Okay, that's enough," Kid said, interrupting. "Hakuba-kun, don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Don't you? I thought you'd be all over this murder case," Hakuba said, directing his questions at the real Kudo.

Kid replied, "I have another case to attend to. Besides, it would break the detective's code of honor to steal this case from you. You've claimed Kid for yourself - at least, that's how I've understood it."

"Well -" Hakuba started suspiciously, before thinking better of it. "You're right."

"Then shoo," Kid said, waving his hands and shooing him away in a very un-Kudo Shinichi way. Aoko assumed Kid was just taunting Hakuba at this point.

Hakuba huffed in resignation and seemed about ready to walk away. Suddenly, he shoved his hands in his pockets and said, nonchalantly, "Oh, before I go. Nice to meet you for the first time, Kudo Shinichi-tantei. And as for you, Kaitou Kid, if you really thought you were fooling anyone - the stains in those clothes? I would have thought better of you. I suppose your imperfections show you're just as human as the rest of us. Goodbye until tomorrow, Nakamori-chan, Kuroba."

The trio watched him disappear back into the building. A pompous freak returning to his natural habitat - Hell.

"He's fun at parties, isn't he?" Kudo finally said, to break the silence. Then, turning to Aoko, he said, "You're awfully silent. You feeling okay?"

Aoko's face turned red as she was called out for behavior she didn't realize she was committing. "I just - didn't know what to say."

"You didn't want to lie to Hakuba, did you?" Kid said, reading her mind effortlessly. "I know I've put you through a lot, Aoko. I don't want you to compromise your morals to protect me."

"I - I really wanted to," Aoko said, blushing a deep maroon. "I wanted to tell Hakuba off for acting like you guys were really who you are rather than who you said you are. I wanted to be part of it. But something inside of me - didn't want to, as well."

Kid nodded. "I understand."

She wasn't sure if he really understood, though. It wasn't just tonight. It was every other moment. The guilty feeling in her stomach when her dad asked who she's been texting. The nausea she had when Kid showed up at her window all those times. The stupid way she feels when she goes to bed at night and can only think about him.

"Wait, hold on," Kudo was looking at Kid incredulously. "So Nakamori-san here gets a choice over whether she wants to 'compromise her morals', but I get you breaking into my house in the middle of the day and coercing me into helping you commit grand larceny?"

"I didn't steal anything tonight," Kid pointed out.

"You stole that pill from me!"

"Oh, that?" Kid grinned mockingly. "What's it for, anyway? Some allergy medication or something?"

"Anyway, the deal's done. I helped you, so give it back!" Kudo demanded.

Kid plucked a small white capsule out of midair. Kudo reached for it, but Kid snatched it away at the last split second. He held it up to the moon, eyeing it like a jewel. "Like taking candy from a baby! You only need it in the morning, right?"

"That wasn't the deal!"

"Actually, I don't think I ever specified when I'd give it back. Just that I would." Kid winked. "As I always do."

Aoko had had enough of their childish antics. "Kid, just give it back to the poor guy!"

"In a little while. I promise." Kid put the pill back into some hidden pocket in his pants. "First, we need to have a talk."

"We're already talking!" Aoko said.

"No, like a serious sit-down talk. Let's go to a diner. There's got to be one nearby." His phone appeared in his hands. Aoko tried to ignore the rust-colored fingerprint smudges on the back of it but couldn't. The blood had really gotten everywhere, hadn't it? Kid spoke out loud. "There's the OK Diner a block away. Let's go there."

Kudo's shoulders sagged. "Fine. Whatever you want. As long as you promise to give me that pill back before two o'clock?"

A glance at her watch told her it was nearly midnight already. "Jeez, time flies..."

"On a thief's honor - yes. There's just some things we need to discuss before I release you back into the wild. Nothing too scary."

The three began making their way down the sidewalk. Aoko stopped suddenly, causing the two guys to stop and look back at her in confusion. She gaped at their obliviousness. "We can't go to a diner dressed like this!"

"Dressed like...?" the two of them started, before looking down at themselves and their blood-soaked garments. Ah yes, they certainly couldn't go to a diner in those clothes. They shouldn't even be walking around town looking like that, for that matter.

But then Kid grinned widely. "I already thought of that. Don't worry."

A car whipped around the corner and sped by at an insane speed. A duffel bag flew out of the window and landed at their feet. Kid unzipped it, took a bundle of fabric out, and handed it to Kudo. "Put this on."

"Was that your assistant?" Kudo said, eyeing the thief suspiciously. "He looked rather old."

"Don't let him hear you say that!" Kid laughed, before pulling out some more clothes and depositing them in Aoko's open arms. She juggled with the clothes, trying to make sense of what she was being given. An oversized hoodie... and a frilly pink dress?

"So, what, are we supposed to get dressed in the middle of the sidewalk?" Kudo asked.

Kid looked about ready to answer, but then peered over his shoulder. "I was going to say that even if you guys can't, I can - but I really can't, not with all these police officers here, at any rate."

"Let's go to the aquarium and change," Aoko offered. "It was empty when we were there earlier. I bet we could duck in, get dressed, and be done in less than five minutes."

A second passed. Maybe more.

A devious smile spread across Kudo's face, looking right at home as he was currently dressed as Kuroba. "I don't have a problem with that. Any objections, Kid?"

"Ah -um -" Kid looked a bit unsettled by something. "No problems here. Let's just be quick."

They ran into the aquarium. At the lobby, they split up, with Aoko heading into the women's restroom and the guys heading into the men's restroom. Once alone, Aoko peered into the big mirror stretching in front of the five sinks. Her face looked had a few streaks of rusty red thrown across it, probably from her hands as she rubbed her eyes and from Kid's jacket when she hugged him earlier. Compared to the boys, she didn't look that bad - which wasn't too surprising, considering how little interaction she had had with - the room. The bloodbath. She frowned, tears threatening to fall once more. It was easier to just call it the Room.

She changed quickly, feeling insecure about wearing such a light dress when she didn't have the proper undergarments on. A part of her found humor in that, that she was able to care about all her lumps and bumps and curves (or lack there of) that were in all the wrong spots. To care about the somewhat unshaved legs. She hadn't expected to be showing off her calves, and her razor was so dull, and - and her bra straps, poking out from either side of the dress straps, seemed to poke her as if to say, Hey, you'll always be the same. Thankfully, whoever Kid's accomplice was - and it was probably Jii, now that Aoko reflected - had been courteous enough to throw in the hoodie. It wouldn't help much about the leg hair situation but it would help her feel a little less exposed on top. She slipped it on and gave herself a once over before promptly doubling over in laughter.

"I look ridiculous!"

She walked back out to the lobby to find the two guys, now dressed in clean clothes, waiting for her. Surprisingly, Kudo and Kid still seemed to be sticking to their disguises, and they seemed to be silently tolerating each others' presence, which Aoko was grateful for. She didn't feel like listening to the two of them arguing with each other. Not right now. She just wanted some peace and quiet now.

"Ready to go?" Kid asked as soon as she came out of the restroom. He seemed to be keeping his eyes trained on the floor, only looking up to acknowledge her approaching. He looked - apprehensive?

"You're certainly excited to get out of this place," Kudo commented playfully. "Not a fan of fish?"

"No, I just want to get to the diner," Kid replied, denying Kudo's accusation with perhaps more force than necessary, but not removing his gaze from the ground.

Aoko was no idiot. Something was bothering Kid about this place. Unlike Kudo, though, she wasn't about to make some joke about him being scared of the fish there. After all, the pure thought of it was laughable - Aoko only ever met one person who was scared of fish and it was Kaito. Nobody else was weird enough to have a fear like that, let alone Kid. Kid was... She stopped herself there. Kid wasn't some imaginary character. He was human. He had flesh and blood, and feelings, so many feelings, and he had people he cared about like his mother and Jii and Aoko hoped herself as well. But with all those came human worries like death and fear. Scary thoughts that everyone had - afflicted Kaitou Kid as well. It was strange enough that she had a hard time wrapping her brain around that. Kaitou Kid wasn't an untouchable spirit. He was a person, through and through.

Which led her back to his discomfort about the aquarium. Perhaps he was worried about the police? After all, the block was absolutely infested with them - the high-rise across the street had, after all, just exploded into a giant fireball. Maybe that's all it was. Kid was just worried about the cops.

"Let's just get going, then," Aoko said, hoping to hurry the three of them out of the place that was making Kid uncomfortable for some mysterious reason that she absolutely did not need to know. Absolutely not. But... It wouldn't hurt to just ask about it later.

And under the full moon, the sky glowing red from the residual fires still breaking out of the high-rise, the trio left the aquarium and made their way quickly to the diner. Somewhere, far away, a tall clock tower tolled.

Midnight.

AN: Okay? This chapter kind of just happened. I wanted to get to the diner conversation but there were some loose ends I had to tie up before getting to that so...

Anywayyy, update in my life: I turned 21! I got a job! I'm actually super excited but scared at the same time. It's super strange writing this story, knowing I started it in junior high, and that now I'm like... responsible... and stuff. Like, I'm almost a full-fledged nurse. I give people medications and do other important things. I don't know if anyone gets what I'm talking about.

Anyway - please review! I love to hear your voices!