Timeline: "The Red Tear"
-X-
He pulls his phone out between classes, opening the news app and searching out any mention of Kaitou KID. Aares leans down to read with him, focused on the scrolling banner declaring his pursuit of the world's largest ruby in possession of the Hopper's Magic Group.
"He hasn't learned his lesson yet, even though he keeps failing," Aoko remarks from over his shoulder, Kiiva landing softly on the desk beside him.
"You'd think he'd have learned not to mess with our father by now." Kiiva swats at the phone and Kaito raises it up out of reach, sticking out his tongue as Aares hops down to peck at Kiiva's waving paws. He's a little irked that his decision to not leave with everything he's tried to steal reads as a defeat. Someone should know better by now.
"You'd be better off quitting," Akako says, striding up to them and crossing her arms over her chest. Diamet rearranges himself on her shoulders and blinks at them lazily. The knowing smirk on Akako's face makes Kaito's eye twitch.
"Quitting what, Akako-chan?" Aoko asks, turning away from Kaito just as Kiiva jumps down to wind around Aoko's feet. Their eyes are fixed on Akako and Diamet, and Kaito notices suddenly that, even though Akako is only passingly interested in them, Diamet is intent on Kiiva's every movement.
"I'm talking to Kaitou KID," Akako says, grinning at Kaito. His eye twitches again. "There's a rumor about that ruby. It's the devil's stone. Those who try to get their hands on it will bring misfortune upon themselves."
"You mean the Red Tear?" Hakuba's voice drifts over to them, and his face is going to spasm if it keeps twitching like this. Hakuba's reading a magazine, but Watson is watching them.
"That's right." Akako brushes her hair off her shoulder as she turns to him, and Kaito can see Aoko follow the movement. "If KID wants it that badly, then it's inevitable."
"Either way, I'm not interested," Hakuba says.
Kaito rolls his eyes. He wasn't sure anyone actually invited Hakuba into the conversation.
"What's with you?" Akako approaches Hakuba, Diamet rising up to stare placidly at Watson.
"Nothing much-" And Kaito can pinpoint exactly when Akako's charms are noticed. It's actually hilarious to see happen to someone as prim and proper as Hakuba, even though he can see Aoko's shoulders fall and Kiiva's ears droop.
"Your face is red!" Aoko sings, covering the somber expression on her face with a teasing smile. If Kaito hadn't been watching her, he wouldn't have noticed anything wrong at all.
"It is not!"
Akako cackles.
"Kaito! The Red Tear!" Aares hisses into his ear, nipping his earlobe sharply. He winces. The name sounds familiar and he's sure that his father said something about it sometime long ago. The specifics are lost as class stars to resume, but it nags at the back of his mind for the rest of the day.
It all comes back to him when he's down in the hidden room, tinkering with his card gun. Then, it's all too chilling to realize that Jody Hopper is incredibly similar to him. She'd lost her parents in a magic show accident, just as he'd thought he'd lost his father, and the fact that she'd never again performed herself pulls at his heart.
"We need to fix this," he says to Aares. She's been practicing her shape-changing, flitting from large animals into tiny mice and birds, trying to get faster. She nods her agreement and personally delivers the cancellation notice as Kaito lurks a few blocks away from the police department in a coffee shop.
"I want to see it. Just once," Aares confesses after she flies back to him. He hums acknowledgment, since they've already promised Aoko they'd come with her tomorrow.
The television stations don't waste any time reporting on the abandoned heist, speculating on reasons why. If only they knew...
"Kaito! Did you see?" Aoko shouts as she and Kiiva come running up. Their expressions are bright, and he can't summon up any genuinely excited expression for her since she's only so happy that his alter ego is giving up. "They've been showing this on the news since this morning! I'm sure KID got scared of my dad. He's a coward."
Kaito winces inwardly, keeping the sour expression mostly off his face. He's never been scared of Nakamori and won't ever be, either. But Aoko believes in her father.
"Let's go," he says abruptly before he can spoil her mood, leading her down the sidewalk.
Her face falls just a little but she perks up as she reaches his side. "Wait up! Once he realized that KID had run scared, dad's mood improved a lot. I told him that KID was finally realizing he'd never win against an amazing detective like you, and so-"
Kaito's eyes narrow as a man and his tabby cat daemon knock into Aoko, lifting her wallet from her purse as he went.
"Hey! You!" He spins on his heel, Aares fluttering ahead of him, and they go after the thief. A woman in the crowd gets in the thief's way and steals the wallet back almost faster than Kaito can track. Her red fox daemon snarls lowly once after the thief and swishes its tail menacingly. It notices him watching and darts after the woman, nimbly avoiding the others on the sidewalk.
"What happened, Kaito?" Aoko asks, even as Kiiva runs over to them and circles their legs, eyes darting around the crowd. The woman approaches Aoko and holds out her wallet.
"Isn't this yours?"
"My wallet! When did I drop it?" Aoko rummages through her purse, coming up with empty hands, and Kaito leads Aares and Kiiva over to the two women. "Thank you so much."
"Be more careful in the future," the fox says, a surprisingly sweet feminine voice carrying over to Kaito even through the crowd between them.
"It's alright," the woman assures as she removes her glasses, finally exposing her face. Aoko's eyes widen in recognition.
"Aren't you the Hopper's Magic Group's-"
"Yes, I'm their leader, Jody Hopper." She smiles as Kaito comes up to join them, Aoko turning to him in excitement.
"Look! Pictures of her have been all over the television and newspapers this morning."
"I know." He's actually a little excited too. Magicians aren't that rare to meet, but she's a legacy much the same way that he is. The Hopper Family's been famous well before his father started to get recognition. "Her grandfather, James Hopper or The Magician of Fire, was one of the world's greatest magicians."
His face softens as he recalls the taped performances he and his father would watch together, excited to see The Magician of Fire perform.
"Kaito's father, Kuroba Toichi, was a magician, too," Aoko inserts warmly, meaning well, but it's jarring to hear anyone talk about him. Aoko hadn't brought him up directly since Kaito's last birthday, and even then, it was a passing remark.
He can see recognition on Jody's face and her fox paces once around her legs in surprise. "I know him. Kuroba Toichi had the world's greatest magical hands." Her face hardens. "But in the end, he and my grandfather were no different from that pickpocket."
Kaito's smile vanishes. Aares digs her claws in his shoulder.
Jody draws back and there's a cold expression on her face. "They were just cunning frauds who fooled people's eyes and robbed them of their money. Well," she shrugs good-naturedly, "those who are fooled are at fault, too."
"But aren't you a magician?" Aoko asks, confusion in her voice. Kaito sympathizes, but this wouldn't be the first magician he'd met who'd been little more than a sham. That Prime Minister had been a poor magician, but he'd at least understood the joy in accepting a deceit.
Her fox scoffs and presses into Jody's legs. "We're just our grandfather's successors. But tonight... We're done with that."
"Done?" Aoko frowns and Kaito draws his shoulders up.
"That's right. Tonight is the Hopper's Magic Group's last show. You two are welcome if you want to come." Jody hands over two tickets, much to Aoko's delight, but Kaito's not as excited. He'd been looking forward to the famous Hopper Family Magicians, but it's starting to look like his hopes were up too high.
"Are you sure?"
"If you want to be deceived by us frauds," Jody says with a smile as she walks away. Kaito watches her leave, and it's lucky he did because Snake is sitting in a black car just behind them, watching Jody intently.
"Oh no! Kaito, we're going to miss the movie!" Aoko grabs his arm and pulls him down the sidewalk.
Aoko still isn't sure about the magic show on their way to the movie. He's been subtly trying to get her to turn it down, but Aoko had thrown her total support behind magic ever since he'd started getting interested in it again, after his father had died.
"We're going, right?" she asks, obviously expecting him to agree, as he's barely missed a magic show in the area since middle school.
"Who would go?" He's given up on being subtle. If Snake is going after The Red Tear, he doesn't want Aoko anywhere near it. "I refuse to watch a show by someone who's mocking magicians."
"There you go, being stubborn." Aoko scowls at him, and Kiiva grumbles.
"I'm not being stubborn. Look, if we don't hurry, we'll miss the start of the movie."
He's left Aoko on her way home after the movie was over and called Jii for a pick up. He's wearing nondescript clothes and researching the Hotel on his laptop, even as Jii drives like a maniac, his snowy owl daemon Nastraus perched on the seat beside Kaito.
"There's even a restaurant on the rooftop," Kaito says out loud, lips curving into a smile. "The dinner show is on the 5th floor."
"Don't be unreasonable, Kaito," Jii warns, Nastraus hooting quietly.
"I know," he assures.
Jii jerks the car into the next lane and around another vehicle and there's a mad scramble in the car to keep upright. Jii ignores traffic laws and the laws of physics to get them outside the Minato Hotel well before show time.
"I'm sure by now Nakamori has some guards assembled. And the guys from the organization are all set and ready for dinner." He grins as he puts on his sunglasses, waving a hand over his shoulder at Jii. Aares chirps and hides away in his hood, disappearing into the folds of cloth. Jii follows him into the building, holding onto their supplies as they head up the elevator. "I'm sure Aoko is in a bad mood. I'm leaving the rest to you, Jii-chan."
He leaves Jii as the elevator arrives, excitement in his tone.
"Take care," Jii says back, the elevator doors closing.
He sneaks backstage and climbs up the lighting rigs, rope over one shoulder and his knock-out gas in his other hand. Aares is silent and ready to surprise their target's daemon as soon as Kaito gives the command. He pauses as he realizes their target is more of a bumbling magician than someone like Jody, a self-proclaimed fraud. He's performing the trick too slow and Kaito can't watch anymore of this.
"Move faster!" He jumps down to surprise the man, bringing his arms in to demonstrate the trick. "More swiftly. Like this!" He waves his arms and two doves fly out.
Paul watches them fly off, his own dove daemon popping out of the hat to stare at Kaito. "Who are you?"
"Uh... Sorry." He leans back on the balls of his feet, looking contrite and inviting. "You've been practicing for quite a while."
"Oh. This is our last chance to get recognized by the leader. I want her to change her mind and let this group continue." He stops and his daemon nudges him encouragingly. "And I want her to perform magic again."
"She was so amazing." The dove sighs, and her words seem to inspire her partner.
"Please. Let me see you do that again." He places his hands on Kaito's shoulders.
It turns out he won't have to use the knock-out gas after all.
"In exchange, I've got a little favor I'd like to ask of you." Kaito grins. His exchanged favor gets Paul out in front of the crowd, demonstrating all his finest skills. Kaito can hear the loud applause, and he can't wait for the day when it's his face, uncovered and proud, before his audience, not just him under KID's costume.
There's a fake KID coming out of the smoke on the stage, and that gets Nakamori out of his seat. The crowd runs out of the room as smoke overtakes them, but not everyone is lucky enough to get out before the organization makes their move.
"I'm going to count to three," Snake says, his jackal snarling at his side. "If you don't want anyone to get hurt, you'll hand over that jewel.
"You musn't!" A man warns, even as the jackal snaps at his daemon and Snake kicks him.
"1."
"Robert!" Jody starts to run forward.
"2."
Jody stops as Snake's fingers tighten on the trigger and his jackal crouches to pounce on her fox.
"3!"
He fires.
Paul gets in the way. And goes down.
"Paul!"
"What an idiot!" Snake laughs, distracted. "Haven't you had enough? Just hand it over."
"You can have it," Jody says, closing her hand over the ruby. She pulls it from her coat and draws her arm back. "This damned jewel!"
"You can't give it to them," Kaito, as Paul, reaches up and stops her throw.
"Paul! You're-"
"I'm alright. I'm wearing a bulletproof vest." He stands up.
"Why would you wear something like that?" She's surprised but she hasn't dropped the ruby, yet.
"That's because I'm Kaitou KID." Kaito pulls off the Paul guise and swirls his cape around himself. Aares rises onto his shoulder, clacking her beak menacingly.
"You-" Snake snarls at him while the rest of the group draws back in surprise.
"But KID was just here!" Jody backs away a few steps, her fox lingering close to her legs.
"That was a decoy they'd set up to draw out the police," Kaito says, raising his chin and meeting their eyes steadily.
"Didn't you come to steal the ruby as well?" Snake steps closer, his jackal creeping close enough to be within lunging range.
"I didn't come to steal it." He turns to Jody, trusting Aares to keep an eye on Snake. "I came to protect it with you."
He throws a smoke bomb into the narrow hallway. He grabs Jody and launches them up into the lighting rigging, steadying her as Aares drops her daemon into her arms.
"Where's Paul?" She asks immediately.
"Hiding momentarily," he answers. "You'll be able to see him soon."
"So that was you in the show." She's very sharp. But still doesn't really believe in magic anymore.
"No. I switched with Paul after his part. That was his magic. And it was for you."
Her mouth opens in surprise, but they don't have time for her to come to any important realizations just yet.
"We have to get going." He offers a hand to her and scales back down, leading her down the hallway and to the stairs, going up. A bullet clips his arm from behind, and he can't believe they'd caught up with them already. But there's Snake and his jackal, taking the stairs in bounds. He crouches in the stairwell, reaching for some distraction, but Jody pushes her way into his space.
"Give that to me!" She grabs his lighter and a flask, spilling his other tricks on the floor between them. She starts guzzling the flask, striking the lighter flint for a flame. She stands at the top of the stairs and breathes a tongue of flame so potent he can feel the heat from where he's crouching. Apparently, not all of the family magic is gone.
Snake's blown back to the foot of the stairs, his jackal yelping as its fur catches alight.
Jody laughs, her fox barking beside her. "That serves you right!"
"Well done," Kaito says, tipping his hat to her while he catches his breath and tries to ignore the pain in his arm. "Even though you've supposed to have stopped performing magic."
She turns to him and her face falls. Happier memories must wash through her mind because she can smile as she says, "It's all due to the training I did with my parents and grandparents when I was little."
"Wait. Who are you? Why do you know-" Her fox steps in front of her, brown eyes assessing him and Aares.
"I'm just-" A bullet strikes near his head as he stands up and he changes what he was about to say. "I'm just a petty thief who never learns his lesson."
"Now you've done it!" Snake staggers to his feet and starts back up the stairs.
Kaito lifts her up and runs, keeping the pain her weight and all the motion causes him off of his face.
"But why? Why do you have to protect us and this jewel? Answer me!"
He doesn't. Not yet. He stops when they've made it to the restaurant, spreading his arm out in front of Jody even as Snake levels a gun at his face.
"Just step aside. I don't have time to play games. Give me the jewel." For all the threat Snake represents, his intimidation needs work. But the gun is more than enough of a threat.
"Her jewel isn't Pandora. It's something much more valuable." He leans forward with a taunt on his lips, a silver smirk that never ceases to irritate and annoy any opponent. "But you wouldn't know much about that."
"Shut up. We'll see if it's Pandora, not you." Just as his fingers tighten on the trigger, the restaurant begins to move. "What's this?!"
"I might have tampered a little with the revolving mechanism," he admits with a wide grin. Or rather, Jii was controlling it. He grabs Jodie and her fox, holding them tightly and launching an anchor rope up to the only secure section in the whole room. "Tell this to your boss! I swear to crush your organization!"
He raises his card gun from behind Jody's back. Snake grins at the gesture.
"What are you going to do with that?"
But it's too late. The room is spinning so fast now, the centrifugal force has started pushing everything not bolted down to the edge of the room, and soon enough, Snake and the jackal are thrown to the glass windows. And Kaito demonstrates what he's going to do with his gun, firing razor-tipped cards into the tempered glass.
"Just in time to meet your partner!" He shatters the glass around them, sending man and daemon out and crashing into the fake KID.
Jii begins to slow the room, his overzealous control with the spinning room just as bad as his driving. Kaito lowers Jody and her fox back to the ground, straightening his jacket and cape and comforting Aares.
"Thank you, KID. You saved us." She closes her eyes and smiles. Her smile falls as she pulls The Red Tear from her inner pockets. "But I guess this is the devil's stone, after all. Because of it, group members got hurt, the show was ruined, and it was a cursed last show."
He can't let this go on anymore.
"Don't you think there's something strange with that ruby?" He's surprised her. "Even though rubies are usually red, this one is blue, but it's called The Red Tear."
"It's red... after the red of fire..." She says slowly, some faded memory coming to light behind her eyes.
"Yes," he says and pulls out his lighter. He sparks a flame and holds out a hand for the ruby. "Take a look." He brings the flame up to the jewel. And red light begins to spill from within. "This is the last magic your grandfather, James Hopper the Magician of Fire, left in this world."
He tilts his head up to the ceiling and stares in wonder at the pictures splashed across its surface. Young Jody performing her first magic tricks smiles widely down on them. The handwritten note of hope brings tears to her eyes, and Kaito can only smile even harder. Because that's his father in one of the pictures, standing with the Hopper family, and it stirs his own memory.
That same memory that made him call off the heist. Himself and Aares, young and happy, sharing delight over the reflecting light trick that hid away the true magic of the Red Tear.
"I forgot how we'd looked performing magic like that," Jody drops to her knees to hold her daemon to her chest, both of them with wet faces and soft smiles. "They were all really strict with me about practicing magic. But they'd always watched over us. So lovingly. So happy."
Kaito closes the lighter and lets the memories fade away, back into their hearts where they can be treasured. He offers the ruby back to her and she takes it with one hand and brings it over her chest.
"And even now..." She starts to cry and Kaito averts his eyes to give her some privacy.
"Ms. Hopper!" Paul's voice rings out to them and they all look over to see him and his dove walking over to them. "I'm glad you're alright."
"Paul." She climbs to her feet and wipes away her tears. "Can you keep this magic group going?"
"Of course!" His face splits into a smile.
"Then follow me and keep going. From now on, I'll be standing on that stage, too."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"KID-" She turns to address him, but he's already gone. He doubts Jody will ever call herself a fraud again. He's waiting for Jii in front of the hotel when Aoko spots him.
"Kaito! So you came to see it, after all!"
"I could run this show all by myself!" He brags, caught a little flatfooted but recovering quickly. He'd thought Aoko'd been gone by now, but Nakamori hadn't left either and she wouldn't go home by herself at this time of night.
"Then let us see it right here, right now!" She demands, but he can't. The main event's already gone by and no trick of his or KID's could outshine The Red Tear.
Plus, his arm hurts.