Disclaimer: Not mine. I'm actually okay with this, as it means I can borrow them whenever I want—then put them back again, no fuss, no hassle.

For Penina—thanks for the help, even if you do think I'm nuts.

ooooo

"Thank you, thank you, no applause please." The glowing figure in white swept a low bow, jewel glinting blood-red from between white-gloved fingers. Below him, fuming policemen glared helplessly, tied neatly with plastic cord and their own handcuffs. "And now, for my next act, I will gracefully exit stage left. I hope you enjoyed the show, and please come again soon."

Hakuba squirmed helplessly in his own bonds. He had been caught totally unaware, and now the thief was getting away. It was always like this. Bloody frustrating, it was.

Why had he even bothered to come, anyway?

A glint of metal caught Hakuba's eye: a small, foldable knife, laying not three feet away.

Hakuba began to grin as he inched his way towards it. Kaitou Kid has probably left it there on purpose—it wasn't like him to be careless. Letting him escape was probably part of some grand nefarious plot that would end with the Kid escaping and Hakuba humiliated, but Hakuba was okay with that. He'd play along for just a little bit longer.

ooo

"You want to do what?!"

"Hey, calm down!" Akako glanced around nervously before continuing. "Look, I know it sounds drastic, but I think we have to. This problem goes a lot deeper than the others, and we have to find a more permanent solution."

"I know you're right, I just—" Aoko cut herself off. "Alright already. I get it. It seemed like we were just playing before, but now we're not. This is dead serious. No more playing around."

"I never play around," Akako whispered fiercely, then relented. "Okay, so maybe sometimes I do. But you're right about this being dead serious, and I need your help."

"Damn straight you do," Aoko muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"I said, I agree with you. So. What've you got so far?"

"What do you say we up the stakes a little?"

ooo

"What do you say we up the stakes a little, Hakuba-kun?"

"Eh?" Hakuba dodged a marble bust, then leaped over a plush footstool. "What do you mean?"

"You catch me, you can ask one question and I'll answer it. Same goes if I catch you."

Hakuba considered this for all of a second. "Deal."

On the walkway above Hakuba's head Kaito Kid skid into a tight turn on a thick Persian rug, ducked under a low chandelier, and slid between two rickety bookshelves—

and slipped—

falling against the railing, which gave way—

and fell—

and landed directly on top of Hakuba.

"Oomph!" Hakuba went down in a pile of tweed and white silk. In the ensuing scuffle he became the proud owner of six new bruises and a black eye, somehow ending up on top of the Kid.

"Well?" One blue eye and one monocle gleamed cheerfully at him in the darkness.

Hakuba narrowed his eyes. "This seems just a bit convenient, doesn't it?"

Kid's grin widened. "Does that mean you don't want your question?"

"I could just arrest you right now."

"You could try."

"But then you wouldn't answer my question, huh?"

"The possibility does exist that that would be the case."

Hakuba considered this briefly before nodding sharply, but he didn't get up. "Why do you do it?"

Suddenly he was swept down and under, pinned by the Kid's iron grip, strong fingers digging painfully into his shoulders. "Are you sure you want to know?"

ooo

Akako looked at Aoko doubtfully. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Of course I want to know!" Aoko paused and took a deep breath. "Look. I said I agreed with you, right? So tell me what you've got so far."

"Kid is planning his next heist."

Aoko gaped. "How'd you know that?"

Akako grinned crookedly. "He gets a lot quieter when he's planning something."

"I thought I was the only one who'd noticed that."

"So," Akako continued cheerfully, "Kid is planning his next heist, and I was thinking that we could make it a bit more... interesting... with just a few... additions."

"Go on," Aoko nodded cautiously.

"The real goal of the heist isn't to the jewel—it's Hakuba. What d'you think?"

"Helping Kaitou Kid steal Hakuba one last time? I say yes."

ooo

"Yes." Hakuba looked steadily into Kid's blue eye, willing Kid to believe him.

Then he was lying alone, Kaitou Kid a patch of white fading into the shadows. "I'm not certain you've thought this through carefully. If you're really sure, meet me tomorrow night. The note in your left pocket contains the details."

Hakuba stared into the darkness for a long moment before pulling a folded note from his pocket. [Meet me at Park A], it read. [Come alone.] Then, at the very bottom, in place of the Kid's usual smiling signature, it read, [No masks.]

ooo

"So we have them meet face-to-face?"

"We have them meet face-to-face."

ooo

Hakuba swallowed nervously as he entered the quiet park.

He had had enough of pretending.

Kaito was waiting for him on a bench, idly swinging his feet back and forth.

"So, why do you do it?"

Kaito sat motionless for a long moment, almost as if he hadn't believed Hakuba would come, before relaxing imperceptibly. "Have you ever seen the movie The Princess Bride?"

Hakuba considered this apparent non-sequitor before shrugging. "I don't think so."

"Well, there's this guy in it who saw his father killed in front of him as a young boy. He spends the whole movie looking for his father's murderer in order to get revenge."

Hakuba sat down on the other end of the bench heavily. "Your father was that famous magician. The one who died in that accident a while back."

"It was no accident." Kaito scuffed the ground with one foot. "Some guys hired him to find this jewel, only he refused to do it, so they killed him."

"That jewel you're looking for, the one that grants immortality."

Kaito nodded. "I promised I'd avenge him." He gave Hakuba a sidewise glance. "You're taking this rather well."

ooo

Aoko leaned over Akako's desk. "You know, you're taking this rather well."

"I'm taking what rather well?"

"Well, for the longest time I was sure you were interested in Kaito."

Akako laughed. "Actually, I think I was interested in the idea of him more than anything else."

"You mean, he was the one man you couldn't get."

Aoko shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess I convinced myself that I had to catch him. In the end, it was just a game. Kaito and Hakuba, now—"

"I know." The determination in Aoko's eyes matched that in Akako's. "Hakuba and Kaito—that's serious."

ooo

Hakuba considered this for a moment before nodding. "I suppose I am. But you're serious about this, aren't you."

It wasn't a question, but Kaito answered anyway, his face grim. "I know it might look like it's all fun and games, but I'm not playing. I never was."

In the dark silence Kaito and Hakuba's fingers twined together.

"Have we said all that needed to be said?"

"No. But will we ever?"

"I guess not."

Warm hands intertwined, warm shoulders and hips and thighs pressed together.

"So?"

"So."

"So what do we do now?"

"We keep going, I guess. That is—?"

"Of course."

Warm lips found each other in the darkness.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"So am I."

ooo

Fin.

ooooo

Notes: All together now: "Awww..."

Kaito says: "My name is Kuroba Kaito. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Well, this's the end. I hope you enjoyed it, or at least were amused a little. Review and tell me what you thought—was the relationship realistic? Should there be an epilogue?

Thanks for reading!

-SummerCloud-