Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D

Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.

This chapter will be more relaxed one, with some explanation and research. Its main focus will be Hakuba. In the end notes you'll find the promised explanation of the prophecy.

Please keep in mind that Hakuba's deductions presented here are an effect of week-long chewing on the issue. Their focus is a bit different due to Shinichi concealing some information from him.

Hm… do my horns stick out that much? Darn… seems I have to find new ways to hide them xD

Loyal DC Fan –Thank you for your complements and telling me your thoughts on this :) I honestly don't think Kaito is superior that much in compare with Shinichi (except for physical aspect – but it's only because he's training so much more).

Kameo1 – Aww… so many nice words 3 makes my frozen heart melt ]:-D

Spade – I'm glad you like it so much and that I managed to pull out of you so many emotions and questions xD And well damn… you reminded me that I forgot to mention the hospital Ran was in was on other side of Tokyo… Last time I've been pulling an all-nighter, promise =.=''

Sele-chan – Glad you didn't get the heart attack xD I like your deduction very much honestly – well KID did already cooperate with Shinichi a few times, so honestly it's nothing new here ;) but as for 'demons' part – you hit the jackpot and it really did make me happy :)

Narga – I so loved what you wrote there xD Couldn't stop grinning for hours (I was going to work and didn't want people to think of me as a maniacal demon there, so it was hard on me xD)

Mists – Thank you, thank you :) As for the explanation – you got it a bit wrong. Hakuba was not the shadow from the prophecy and his going to the other detectives would be nothing but natural.

So without further delay...

Please enjoy and review! :)


Chapter 9: Illuminating doubts


His stay in England allowed Hakuba to think things over, in a calm less emotional way. He was happy he managed to share his doubts with his fellow detectives, especially considering all they told him. And while he couldn't say he enjoyed Hattori's attitude (the best thing he could say about him was that he was living in Osaka and they wouldn't be meeting too often), he was thrilled to learn that the young boy was actually Kudo Shinichi. Hakuba found the chats he shared with the genius enlightening and fun. They shared a similar sense of humor and seemed to respect each other, although they both were still cautious about each other. Well, trust did need time to be build, so it was fine.

Hakuba had also the time to think about his own allurement to the magician. Kuroba was so different from the detective. And yet the more he knew him, the more similarities he could find. Until they met Saguru felt rather isolated and superior because of his own genius. He couldn't enjoy his time with others, as he found them rather dull and inferior. And then KID surprised him and outwitted. And he repeated that accomplishment time and time again. At first it was frustrating and unbearable for Hakuba. And then he discovered that his rival had a noble and caring side of him. That made him take a step back to calm his frustrations and take a closer look at the thief he despised so much.

From the distance it occurred to him how harmless the criminal was and how much fun he was giving to those who chased him. That was actually troubling for the detective and made him more eager to discover, why the thief was actually doing all this. As chasing and questioning his classmate didn't reveal much, he started his research on everything he could find about KID. And that was when he first started being aware of how much good the magician was doing and how many dangerous shadows were surrounding him. Hakuba couldn't honestly pinpoint the moment, when curiosity started turning into actual care. Nor when it was he started to like and admire the teen hidden under the top hat. He thought the detective not only humility, but also how to have fun and cherish others. And that probably was what made him so appealing for Hakuba. And thus he became the first person the detective wanted to call his friend. In the end it became an even stronger desire, than discovering the secret Kuroba was hiding.

Hakuba sighed heavily with his head cleared of all the uncertainties. Wasn't it pitiful that the person he wanted to befriend the most, was the one, who trying so hard to push him away? He turned on the computer to check his email.


Before he left, Hakuba exchanged his email addresses with Kudo. The shrunken detective promised him, to keep him informed about anything on KID they might discover.

The information about multiple heist notice didn't surprise the blonde much. As he concluded it was most probably Kuroba's curtsey towards his target's owners for presenting him much appreciated jewels and presentation of his consent to predetermined schedule.

The information about KID's quiet behavior during the first heist worried the Brit significantly. It wasn't like Kuroba to act out of character. This confirmed Hakuba's suspicion that something of grave magnitude must have been preoccupying the magician's mind. The blond frowned at his fellow detectives decision, to allow the Osakan hot-head to try and approach KID alone. He didn't personally like him, nor did he fully trust his judgment. But after thinking it over, he concluded that his attitude might indeed be alluring and enjoyable for Kuroba, so the idea might actually work.

According to next email, during the second heist KID remained silent and used some slippery substance without considering the safety of others. Nobody got severely injured of course, but it wasn't like him to do any damage to his pursuers. Was it a mistake? Or was he getting that desperate… Hakuba had the feeling that something was missing in the report he received. When he asked about it, Kudo replied after a while mentioning about Hattori grabbing a hold on KID. He apologized for not informing the Brit about it earlier, but decided it was not important to the case and could only worry him. Hakuba frowned and couldn't agree less. It was very disturbing for him that the thief seemed so desperate, that he was ready to injure himself in order to escape. It was not like Kuroba could afford getting hurt during a heist. Why would he be this distrustful towards the dark-skinned teen, who not long ago helped him? The description of predatory gaze, he threw at Hattori, made Hakuba grimace. Kuroba was clearly aggressive towards not only him, but all of his, previously 'beloved' critics. It was definitely disturbing information. Maybe he shouldn't have left? His absence didn't seem to help and now he couldn't even observe his classmate. He sighed heavily. It wasn't like his presence was helping in anyway either. Only that jumping from one plan to the other would not be a wise thing. There were only two weeks left, so it was better probably to leave things as they were.

Hakuba mused more over the significant change in his classmate. Could it be possible that KID discovered something, that made him see the detectives as a threat so dire, that must be avoided, at all costs? And instead of fear he chose anger? But what on earth could it be… It couldn't be their alliance, as Kuroba first presented that behavior before detectives had a chance to talk. He shared that thought with Shinichi, who answered he was wondering about the same thing. If it was true, then the detectives would first have to discover what the thief found out in order to ease his doubts. Simply avoiding his heists and acting friendly clearly wasn't enough - Hakuba was doing that already and was the first one to receive this kind of treatment.

The mail on the third heist didn't bring any revelations. KID still remained silent for some reason and he used the same slippery substance. It was worrying that he used it on the stairs, but maybe not so much? It was possible that he planned, that he would use it on this event during his second heist. It was possible that he used it before only to make his pursuers familiar with dangers the substance could bring, so they would be extra careful when he used it on the stairs. That kept them safe from actual harm and he gained larger advantage in distance, as the officers remembering the bruises moved carefully and slower. That also gave him time he needed to block the path. It was clear that he did it all in order to be sure nobody would follow him. And that way nobody would be able to witness anything that happened when he reached his destination. Hakuba didn't like where this deduction was leading him.

Each heist was broadcasted in television and Hakuba didn't miss any of them. When he saw the explosion he went frozen in his chair. He stopped breathing trying to wake up from the nightmare, that could not have been reality. When he started hearing again what the speaker was saying, he realized it was reality. Regaining his breath he grabbed his phone and dialed Kuroba's number. There was no answer, but that was not surprising, he realized. It wouldn't be wise for the magician to take his phone on a heist and he probably never did. So instead trying on this one, he dialed Conan's number, but he couldn't get through, as it was occupied. He cursed under his breath and send him a text message.

*What the bloody hell happened? Call me!*

Trying to calm himself down, he switched to another station broadcasting KID's heist, hoping for a view from another angle, that could show something, anything. His mind started racing examining every possibility. How probable it was that KID was present on the roof during explosion? Depends… He went to the most optimistic possibility. How probable it was that it was KID's who prepared this? Why would he? Distraction? Fabricate his death? Without giving it any thought he rejected the possibility, that Kuroba might have wanted to hurt anybody with it, no matter how crazed he's become. And what if the explosives belonged to somebody else? He bit his lip. It wasn't very likely that they would mistake KID for his dummy and destroy it instead. Could the thief have detonated it himself? He most probably did check the building thoroughly before each heist to discover all the traps laid for him, so it was likely.

Hakuba exhaled slowly proceeding to the most dire possibility, that KID didn't know about the bomb and was present on the roof during the detonation… There were multiple cameras around the building and as the announcer was continuously saying, nobody spotted KID's glider. Could he hidden himself behind some contraption on the roof and avoided, or at least lessened the damage from explosion? He started changing stations until he got a view from a helicopter. He ruled out that possibility. The building had ten floors and each of them was roughly 2 meters high or a bit more. That gave probably around 20 to 23 meters to the ground. He wouldn't count on much, if a regular person would fall from that height, but… If KID made purposely a jump like that… Hakuba shook his head. If he had a possibility to make a jump he would have used his glider. Unless it was damaged somehow... His train of thought was stopped by the sound of his phone ringing. Without looking at it he picked it up immediately.

"What's happening Kudo-kun? Are you two alright?"

""Yeah, we're fine… He tricked us and we weren't even present there. I'm on my way now, Hattori is stuck in Osaka and won't be coming before tomorrow morning. I probably don't know more than you do right now."

"What happened?"

Shinichi sighed heavily "Long story short – he somehow disturbed trains between Tokyo and Osaka, and made me travel at the last minute to the other side of Tokyo. I was too far to even hope to make it back in time when I found out I was tricked." He sighed heavily "I should have tried at least, I know. But honestly he made me too angry with his method to think clearly."

Hakuba exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a moment and shook his head "Don't worry about it. He most likely did this to keep you safe. I hope it means he foresaw enough to prepare for this… Gods… This is surreal… And to think we oversaw something this big going on. I hope that it's just that he's too good at hiding all this and not them…"

There was heavy silence between them when Shinichi cleared his throat and started reluctantly "We may… Listen Hakuba… um…" He clearly didn't know how to say what he wanted to.

Hakuba frowned hearing the other boy was struggling "What is it Kudo-kun? Is there something you didn't tell me?" He bit the inside of his cheek to hold in any possible anger, that might come after hearing an answer.

"We didn't want to worry you. There wasn't anything you, or we could do about it anyway and I feared you might want to come back to check up on him. And it wouldn't serve any good if you'd make him more stressed out…" the boy's voice was apologetic.

"Kudo-kun." He cut in more harshly than he intended to "Tell me."

Shinichi sighed heavily and told him everything he neglected in the reports he's send, including that Nakamori-keibu brought up the possibility to stop concerning KID as non-violent. Hakuba closed his eyes imagining how hard it must have been for the officer. The Brit exhaled loudly when Kudo told him that he contacted Division 1 to get their help during the last heist.

"I'm afraid it might have been a mistake Kudo-kun…" he said slowly.

"Yeah I know… It's possible he did all this in order to arm his Task Force quietly, so they could help him get those guys… But by the time it hit me it was too late already… I'm sorry I hid this from you."

"Yes, I'm sorry too…" Hakuba answered with hoarse voice and sighed "Listen I will be tomorrow at 15:50 at Tokyo-Haneda airport, could you pick me up then? I'd like to talk with you as soon as I get there."

"Sure, we'll be there. And Hakuba… Try not to worry too much. It's KID we're talking about. He's always prepared. Heck, I wouldn't be too surprised if he got out without even a scratch" he added with a lighter tone.

Hakuba tried to smile and said softly "Yes I know that. See you tomorrow. Good luck."

"Thanks, bye."

When Hakuba hang up he was still sitting in his chair, gazing at his phone, with the television buzzing in the background. Slowly he wrote a message and send it to his classmate.

*Kuroba-kun, I know you hate me for some reason and wish not to talk to me. But please, answer if you're alive.*


It was 8:52:48.16 in England and Hakuba was getting ready to drive to the airport, when his phone buzzed announcing an incoming message.

*I'm not KID, leave me alone at last.*

Seeing the short text lift a heavy burden off the Brit's shoulders. After a few moments, when he recovered, he send a message to Kudo.

*He's alive.*


Conan and Hattori were casually chatting with Baaya in the waiting area, when Saguru saw them. He refrained from starting the most urgent topic until they were in the car.

"So what did you find out?" The Brit was sure the brilliant detective would discover something.

"Not much to be honest. He warned Nakamori-keibu about the explosives just before it happened, so they managed to evacuate before it was too late. There were only minor injuries to the police officers thanks to that. There is an investigation going on whether he was responsible for the explosion. As for the bad news KID Task Force members I managed to talk to are nearly certain, that he was up there during the blast. We managed to watch security cameras records and nothing indicates he escaped through the inside. The bright side is that there was a tape reveling a few people wandering near the roof, leaving something up there, before the heist. Nakamori doesn't let it out of his sight." The boy smirked "His Task Force doesn't seem to believe KID is responsible." He ended with a comforting smile and averted his gaze uncertain of what he was going to say next "Uhm… You told me that he's alive… Did he, by any chance… contact you?" Conan asked a bit perplexed, clearly not sure if he had any right to be asking questions, after concealing so much himself from the Brit.

Hakuba looked at his fellow detectives and saw worry in their eyes. They were clearly tired and lacked sleep as much as he did. He sighed heavily and nod his head.

"Yes. He responded with a short message, a few hours after I send him a text asking if he's alive. Can't say for sure if he wrote it himself, but I doubt I would receive it if he was dead." Hakuba sighed again and moved his gaze to the window "Listen, I understand that you don't trust me fully yet. But I don't want to doubt your words. I've already got my hands full with secrets, riddles and such, and don't need any more from you." He looked back at the other boys "If we're to work together I have to be able to trust you."

Heiji grimaced a bit. He felt the urge to give the annoying Brit a piece of his mind, but despite the irritation he caused, he was right. Before they came to the airport Shinichi told him about what happened though the phone between those two. He didn't know before that he promised the Brit to keep him informed with everything. He could and should expect that, but he honestly didn't like the Brit all that much and preferred not to think about him at all, if he had the chance. Heiji did yell at Kudo before meeting with this guy, angry for breaking a promise like that. As things were it was hard not to agree with what Hakuba said. The blonde did seem nothing, but honest and trusting towards them till now and didn't deserve such treatment. He had every right to be angry with them and give them his rebuke, but the Osakan still didn't like it. Especially seeing how Kudo was taking it. Well damn… he did wrong and all, but it was not like Heiji was going to go against his best friend. Therefore he remained silent for now and would comfort Kudo later.

Conan had his eyes locked at the floor, feeling ashamed. The nagging feeling that KID might have gotten severely injured because of him didn't help at all. And he was certain that, if he consulted the Brit before acting, it could have been avoided. Worse was that, the doubt he's shown was a low blow to their building trust and possible friendship. It was all because Shinichi has gotten used to acting secure, but he wasn't going to make excuses like that. He sighed and looked up at Hakuba.

"I know and you are right. I wish I could somehow make it up to you. I shouldn't have doubted you and I'm sorry. Unfortunately all I can do now, is say that I've learned my lesson and promise not to do it again. You did put a lot of trust in us and deserve nothing less." The boys tone and eyes were sincere and hopeful.

Hakuba nod his head, clearly not expecting any explanations from Hattori. The Osakan didn't give him any promises and they weren't fond of each other anyway. Despite the humility lessons Kuroba gave him, it was hard for the Brit to swallow his pride, but Kudo's words made it easier for him now.

"I accept your apology. I wouldn't want to end our alliance here either and I intend to still put some trust in you. Both." He moved his gaze briefly on the dark-skinned detective "Anyway, where do you want me to drop you off? I intend to try and search for him and for obvious reasons I can't take you with me. I don't think he'd be happy to see you at his doorstep, especially if he's wounded."

Heiji threw a glance at his friend and responded to that himself.

"Would be best, if you could drop us near the gallery. Doubt we'll find something, but worth a try."

Hakuba gave a nod to that and they drove there. Once his fellow detectives got out he sighed heavily. Baaya praised him with a soft smile for how he acted, telling him she was proud. They drove towards Ekoda.


Without much hope Hakuba started his search for the magician at his house. It was obviously closed and didn't seem that anybody was inside. It was possible that Kuroba simply left for the day, like usual, so the detective decided to try again later. He wondered about his next step. Hakuba didn't want to go to Aoko yet. It wouldn't be good for the magician, if he didn't manage to make any explanation to her before he was forced to stay away. He'd have to think of a way to help him cover it up. Who knows? Maybe that way they would manage to ease things up between them? The blond smirked walking back towards his cars and shook his head. He clearly viewed the girl as Kuroba's weakness and was definitely overusing it. But he honestly never managed to find any other way.

He sighed returning to the issue at hand, thinking about who could the thief turn to at his time of need. He knew Kuroba had no family, except for his absent mother. The blond thought about the old man who ran a billiards parlor called the Blue Parrot. His name was Jii Konosuke, if Saguru remembered right. He asked Baaya to take him there. Hakuba knew the man valued the magician greatly and that he used to be his father's assistant. He wasn't sure what their relation was, or whether the man knew about Kuroba's secret. Officially the teen was doing odd-jobs for him lately, so at least he was ready to cover up for the magician, that was for sure. Detective suspected that Jii might be his accomplice, but that was pure assumption and he wouldn't bet on it.

During their drive Hakuba wondered how many more people could Kuroba have know his secret. Knowing how secretive the teen was odds were that there weren't any more than the detective suspected. But it all could be only façade the magician prepared. The blonde grimaced seeing again how little he knew about the elusive magician, despite all his research on him. When they arrived he quickly got out and went to the parlor.

It was 16:36:23.45 when he entered and there weren't many clients yet. Hakuba knew that within an hour this would change, but it didn't matter. He approached the counter and smiled towards the bartender.

"Hello, would you mind if I asked you a question?" he asked politely.

Jii knew him as one of Kuroba's classmate, as they were a few times here together before the magician decided to cut on his free time. He smiled in return, showing no anxiety on his poker face.

"Oh it's nice to see you young man. It's a pity I don't see you coming here with Bocchama and your friends anymore. Of course feel free to ask anything you wish, I'd be glad to help." Hakuba got the feeling the man got a bit sentimental about the memory as his smile softened.

"Yes, it is a pity. I hope we do get the chance for it again sometime soon. Anyway I wanted to ask, if you happen to know where I might be able to find Kuroba?"

"Oh, I'm afraid you won't be able to. Bocchama called me the other day saying he's been invited by his mother and won't be available for some time. I probably could pass a message if you want me to." Jii offered with a apologetic smile.

"No thank you, it's quite alright. Maybe only a greeting." Hakuba smiled thankfully "Do you happen to know if he has told about it his friend Aoko? Seems it's kind of a sudden trip and I'm afraid she would get worried, if she doesn't know. I could pass the message, if needed."

"I believe he's called her, but none the less thank you for the offer. Is there anything else I could help you with?"

"No that's all, thank you very much. Have a nice evening."

"Not a problem at all. Good bye."

Hakuba left the parlor frowning over what he learned. Interacting with Kuroba made him more sensitive to know when somebody was showing him real emotions and when it was only a mask. And Jii was by no means as good, as the magician with it. Therefore Hakuba didn't miss the wary look the man was giving him, nor how carefully he seemed to act with the detective. Saguru was positive that Jii knew far more than he was saying, but it wouldn't be wise to push him. The news about Kuroba's sudden departure was alarming. It probably meant that his injures were too severe to conceal them, so he decided to go into hiding for the time being. And unfortunately there wasn't much Hakuba could do about it. He didn't know any of Kuroba's hideouts, which he didn't doubt that the thief had. He didn't think that questioning his possible assistant would serve any good, as it would only alarm KID. Without much choice he decided to return to his fellow detectives and try to help them find some clues, that could tell them what happened.


Phew… took me more than I expected to write it all, but I hope you guys liked it anyway ;)

And now for the promised prophecy explanation:

'When the white shadow goes against the natural order, the demons enclose at him and finally triumph as the dove falls to the crows feasting on it'

'white shadow' refers to KID, honestly speaking I believe it's the best description of this guy. A 'shadowy' person is basically somebody with unclear motive, somebody not all purely good – and let's face it, some of Kaito's stunts are nasty xD And 'white' refers for one to his clad color (xD) and indicates that in the end – he is a good guy.

'going against the natural order' first of all the trap of this that Kaito has fallen for was considering himself as a regular criminal. It is unnatural for a criminal to befriend or cooperate with detectives, but for KID? Come on – it's not like it's anything new or strange for him ;) During the last heists he was acting anything but natural. But the thing that triggered the prophecy was getting rid of his favorite critic – while he is usually thrilled to have him attending. If he didn't go after Ran to the other side of the city, he could have used the time to search the building more thoroughly and would be able to find the explosives.

'demons' it's true Akako called Shinichi like that, but it was only him who she called like that. And here we have plural. It was in fact just like Sele-chan noticed – a reference to 'the demons of one soul'. Fears, uncertainty and all the dark emotions that haunt a person. And Kaito had lots of it and as we seen in chapter 6 – he got overwhelmed by it (funny thing that it was because of the prophecy, right? Most probably if he didn't learn it he would be friends with the detectives by now and would be able to easier fight his 'demons'). Because of that he was focusing on too many things and made mistakes.

'dove falls' that was a bit tricky too – it was a double warning thing – 'dove' is a symbol of peace, gentleness and such. His fall would mean discarding those features in an open way. The second was literal, which you guys guessed right ;)

'crows feasting on it' not much of a surprise here – just bad guys getting a full plate of KID ;)

See you next chapter *bow* ;)