Snake was not the man who killed Kaito's parents.

Or, at least that was what Kaito wanted to believe.

There are many men in black with strange mustaches, he told himself as he lay in bed, thoughts whirling through his head, refusing to stop.

Yet Snake fits that description the best, and the timeline adds up. He… he killed my…

Kaito squeezed his eyes shut, trembling. Don't believe it. Kudo must have been lying. But…

Kaito hated the warm feeling spreading through his body at the thought of Shinichi's name. Yet he had to admit that Shinichi had no reason to lie. He had no idea that Snake had taken Kaito in after the death of his parents. And unless Shinichi somehow knew about this, there was no reason for him to tell Kaito who killed his parents.

So why did he tell me?

"Kaito, are you still up?"

Kaito startled at Snake's gruff voice and jolted up in his bed. "Y-yeah, I am," he responded, voice trembling. You are soooo good at hiding your emotions, Kaito. Really. You're spectacular.

Snake sighed. "Is something wrong?"

Kaito quickly shook his head. "No! Of course not!"

Snake narrowed his eyes. "Really?"

"I'm fine, tousan," Kaito muttered, sinking back into the bed. "It's just…"

"You're thinking about that Kudo kid again?" Snake asked, raising an eyebrow.

Technically, that was right, so Kaito nodded.

Snake groaned. "You know you can't be with him. You're on opposite sides of the law."

"I…" Kaito choked out. "I know."

Snake got up from the chair he had been settled in. "Try to get some sleep tonight," he said, before leaving the room.

Kaito stayed awake a few moments longer, flashes of violence shooting through his head, terrified of the man who probably killed his parents. He made me into the person I am. If he didn't kidnap me - the truth was undeniable now - would I still be Kaitou Kid?

Then Kaito remembered what Snake said.

If I can't be with Kudo because we're on opposite sides of the law… doesn't that mean I just have to leave the organization?

Leave the people who killed my parents… and be with the only person who told me the truth?

Yes. I'd do that anytime.

Kaito slipped into sleep thinking of plans to get out without being killed in the process.

Kaito waited until Snake left on another assassination mission before he started packing his bags. He froze when someone entered the room, and slowly turned around to see…

"Vermouth," Kaito breathed out, trying to keep his voice calm. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you," Vermouth replied, looking disdainfully at the bags. "You're trying to leave? Turn traitor?"

Kaito froze, trying not to tremble at her accusatory tone.

"I've heard from Snake about your obsession with that Kudo Shinichi boy," Vermouth continued. "If you disappear, the organization will think you left to join him. It's too early now."

"What do you mean, it's too early?!" Kaito hissed out, rage bubbling inside of him. "I need to leave as soon as possible!"

Vermouth gazed at him coolly. "I won't let you put that boy in danger." Tapping her nails on her arm, she continued before Kaito could snap at her. "A few days ago, Miyano Akemi was killed."

Kaito paused. "And? What does that have to do with me?"

"Her sister, Sherry, is still a member of the organization, though most likely not for long," Vermouth said. "Go down to the lab, talk to her. If you can make them think you two escaped together…"

"Then they're less likely to go after Kudo," Kaito realized. "...Thank you."

"If anyone asks, I never came here," Vermouth said simply, walking out through the front door.

Why did she want to help me? Kaito wondered.

Sherry - or rather, Miyano Shiho - was a hard person to make friends with, but Kaito managed to gain just enough of her trust to escape with her. They rented an apartment under a fake name, pretending to be siblings, and close enough to Shinichi's house that Kaito could occasionally see him pass by the window. (That part was a coincidence, though. Shiho chose the location, not Kaito.)

Kaito apparently stared out the window often enough for Shiho to figure it out. One day, she pulled on his arm until they sat in the living room, then said, "You're in love with that boy."

Kaito choked on his drink. "Huh?!"

Shiho sighed, rolling her eyes. "Look, it's obvious. I did some research, he seems to have gone to Kid heists as well, which is how you know him. You don't need to deny it to me."

Kaito stared at her, then muttered, "Yeah, okay, I'm in love with him."

Shiho nodded. "Don't get too attached. It'll just hurt more when they eventually die."

Kaito knew Shiho was talking from experience.

Kaito tried to take Shiho's advice (really, he did), but in the end, it was all for naught.

Kaito was trying to leave out of the alleyway, like he usually did when he didn't want to be seen, when he stumbled upon a man holding a knife up to a certain detective's throat.

The man must have heard Kaito's footsteps, because he turned his direction and glared. "Move on, punk."

"What are you doing to him?" Kaito hissed out, looking at Shinichi, who's eyes were narrowed as he stared at his opponent.

"This boy put my brother in prison!" The man shouted. "He deserves to die!"

Kaito's breath caught in his throat. They were going to kill him?

Within seconds, the card gun was out of his pocket, and a sharp edged card sliced through the man's shoulder. He howled with pain and backed off. "Move on, punk," Kaito spat the man's words back at him.

The man glared at him, then ran off.

"Kaitou Kid," Shinichi said cooly, and Kaito jerked his gaze to him. "Never thought I'd see the day where you save other people's lives."

Kaito glanced away. "I'm not Kid anymore," he responded.

"...I see," Shinichi muttered. "What are you doing here?"

And because Kaito was too smitten to lie to him, he pointed at his apartment. "I live here." Only after the words were out of his mouth did he realize that he shouldn't have said that.

"Did you find the man that killed your parents?" Shinichi questioned.

Kaito nodded. "Yes… I did. He was the one that raised me, though, after they died, so…" He looked away. "It's complicated. But I don't want to be a criminal anymore."

Shinichi smiled a little bit. "That's good. Well, I have to go and report that man to the police, so…"

"Do you want to meet up for coffee later?" Kaito suddenly asked in a rush. "As, like, friends or acquaintances or…"

Shinichi stared at him for a while, then nodded. "Sure. That sounds good to me."

And then he left, and Kaito was left there with happiness flowing all throughout him.

Maybe he truly could build a life for himself out of the claws of the organization.

If you enjoyed reading, please leave a comment!

Upcoming Works

-Flying Solo

Date: 9/14/2022

Fandoms: The Mentalist

Series: Nico's Polyam Shipping Days

Pairings: Rigsby/Van Pelt/Jane

Summary: Jane always wants to deal with everything alone. Rigsby and Van Pelt try to convince him otherwise.

-Entwined Souls

Date: 9/16/2022

Fandoms: Detective Conan

Series: Friday Funtimes

Pairings: Shinichi/Heiji

Summary: Heiji always knew that Kudo Shinichi, the great detective of the east, was his soulmate. So when he mysteriously disappears, Heiji immediately goes to look for him - and is surprised to find out he is now a child named Edogawa Conan.

-Gambling with Chess Pieces Chapter 1

Date: 9/18/2022

Fandoms: Detective Conan, Magic Kaito

Series: Nico's DCMK Events

Pairings: Saguru/Kaito

Summary: The identity of Kaitou Kid was discovered when Kaito was still in high school, and for the past few years, he has been on the run, searching for Pandora. But now, Saguru - the boy he was always in love with - is determined to help. Written for HakuKai Week 2022.

Upcoming Events

-HakuKai Week 2022

An event that I am hosting, celebrating the pairing of Hakuba Saguru and Kuroba Kaito. Prompts are now on my friend's tumblr (Radibe5), as well as on my AO3 collection, and reblogged on my own tumblr!