DCMK || KaiShin || DCMK || Born Again and Again || DCMK || KaiShin || DCMK

Title: Born Again and Again – The Next Kaitou KID

Fandom: Detective Conan / Magic Kaito

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Gosho Aoyama for he created the awesomeness that is Kaitou KID. Ah, and Detective Conan, too. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Tags: m/m, rebirth, past character death (because rebirth duh), fluff

Main Pairing: Kaito/Shinichi

DC/MK Characters: Kudou Shinichi | Suzuki Shinji, Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou KID | Hakuba Kaito

Summary: Kaitou KID and Edogawa Conan died, during a heist. When Shinichi saw KID again, it was in their next life during another heist.

Born Again and Again

The Next Kaitou KID

It took Shin until his teen years for him to regain fractions of his memories from his last life. At first, they felt like strange dreams, but more and more did they make sense. It was weird, he'd never been a fan of KID heists, whenever grandma Sonoko asked him to go, he declined.

But now? With these memories, memories of chasing KID, of being a detective hot on the magician's tails, he grew more curious. Hoping that Kaitou KID had some answers for him.

There was a certain sense of instant recognition when Shin saw the white figure, illuminated by the moon behind him. The grin on that thief's face sent thrills down Shin's spine in a manner he'd never experienced. Or at least had never experienced in this life.

And then the grin froze, replaced by a startled and wondrous look. "...Tantei-kun?"

Shin turned his head a little. "I'm Suzuki Shinji. And we have never met before. ...Have we?"

"Suzuki?" KID looked startled and then cackled. "You? You're a Suzuki?"

Shin frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Shut up, stupid sneak thief."

Sneak thief. That felt familiar too. Wincing, Shinji cradled his head. It hurt. There were so many impressions assaulting his mind. A hundred different meetings like this, him and the thief.

"Hey," the thief was at his side suddenly, supporting him. "It's okay. It'll get easier."

"What are you..." Shinji paused. "You know what's happening to me?"

"Yes," Kaitou KID offered a pained smile. "I've been there myself. You're remembering our past life. Thief and detective, once upon a time. You should... You should look into Kudou Shinichi and Edogawa Conan. It'll... maybe it'll help. I hope it helps. I hope you remember me, next time."

And just like that, KID disappeared in a blue puff of smoke, leaving Shin alone and potentially even more confused than before. What was he supposed to make out of that? Kudou, he remembered that name, grandma Ran and grandma Sonoko used to be friends with someone named that, right? But he'd died when they were still teenagers. That, that was something Shin knew. What else was there?

/break\

Kaito was laying on his bed, throwing a baseball up and catching it again. Before he'd remembered his last life, Hakuba Kaito had been the captain of the baseball team, living a happy, carefree life with friends and his parents. And then the memories started coming in.

His own investigation had brought him to the hidden KID room in the former Kuroba home. Dusty and unused for decades now. It had been tricky to sneak in, because a different family owned it now – after Toichi's death, then Kaito's death, Chikage had sold it a very long time ago.

He took a moment of irritation when he realized that Hakuba Saguru was his grandpa. But he also took solace in the fact that Aoko had found love, that Hakuba had been there for her after Kaito's death. Between that and his own, new memories, of afternoons spent at grandma and grandpa's, it became easier for him to move past the stuck-up detective he had once disliked.

What had hit him hard had been the memory of his death. Snake, shooting him on a roof-top, shooting right through... through Conan, who had thrown himself in front of Kaito. But Pandora had been there, Kaito had finally found it. And then a bullet hit it, breaking it into a thousand shards that shot everywhere, embedding itself in both Kaito and Conan. The last thing either of them saw before dying was each other. They'd died. Arm in arm. And with Pandora in their bodies.

The damned, cursed gem had granted them immortality but different than Kaito had ever expected. Rebirth. A second life, but with the memories of his last. Kaito turned over in his bed. Mh. The irony, of his mom and dad naming him Kaito, after the dear friend his dad's parents had lost.

Turning his phone on, he scrolled through a search for Suzuki Shinji. Firstborn heir of Mouri Takeshi and Suzuki Tomoko. Heh. Considering how annoyed tantei-kun used to act around Sonoko, there was something funny to Kaito there, in tantei-kun being born Sonoko's grandson.

His tantei-kun was the reason Kaito had started donning the KID mantle once more. There was no Pandora to hunt, no Black Organization to destroy anymore – he'd looked it up and a special task force from the FBI had apparently taken them all down decades ago; many familiar faces Kaito had seen around his tantei-kun during their last life. But knowing that he had been reborn, and could remember his past life? It made him hopeful that maybe, just maybe, tantei-kun, who'd died the same way and the same day, would also be reborn. That seeing Kaitou KID would draw him out.

/break\

The soccer ball hit just above Kaito's head, startling him. Where had... Turning around, he was even more surprised to see Suzuki Shinji, wearing the fancy private school uniform of his, standing there, a scowl on his face. Right. Tantei-kun's soccer balls. One thing he hadn't missed.

"I'm a swimmer, not a soccer-player in this life so the aim was off a little," tantei-kun narrowed his eyes. "But I promise you, I'll get better and get payback for whatever happened to me."

Kaito was quick to walk over to him and steer the other away from Kaito's school. "Aw, come on, it wasn't really my fault. I didn't know Pandora would do this to us! More importantly, how did you find me? At my school? I thought I'd only see you during my next heist!"

"After you made me look up... myself... it wasn't hard to figure out," Shinichi – no, Shinji – huffed. "KID's real identity was reveal with your death. I took a leap, since I was reborn in the families of those closest to me. I looked up the... closest friends you had in school. Only one grandchild."

"You can't believe how giddy and happy I am to hear your deductions again," Kaito laughed.

"And," Shin's voice was sharp. "I don't blame you for the curse you didn't know about. I blame you for the damn sniper who killed us, how had it never occurred to you to seek my help with the damn assassins trying to kill you, you stupid, idiot sneak thief?!"

Urgh, so cute when he was angry. Kaito laughed again, not because it was funny, but because he was so relieved. Finally, someone who understood. Nobody could understand like Shinichi. His laughter was cut off by lips on his own, leaving him completely startled.

"I wanted to do this so often and never did because I was a preteen. And then we died. But we got a second chance and this time, I'm not going to waste a single second, thief."

The brightest smile spread over Kaito's lips. "Neither do I, Shin-chan."

Shin sighed and leaned his forehead against Kaito's chest. The second life of who knew how many. But regardless of what would come next, they knew they had each other's backs.

~*~ The End ~*~

Author's note: I love me a good rebirth AU and with Pandora, that's such a perfect opportunity for it *grins*