Detective Conan and Magic Kaito characters, settings, and ideas do not belong to me but to Aoyama Gōshō.


Warnings: Language, cross dressing


Return Triumphant

By Taliya


Heist: Capture


Summary: Kaitou KID leads the Task Force to Snake and crew—initiating the fall of the Syndicate—with a little help.

Note: Reading Phantasmagoric Pageantry prior to this chapter is suggested but not required, since events in that work help to explain a few events in this one.


"I don't like this, Kudou," Heiji muttered under his breath as he guided his date for the evening through the throng of bodies in the Stellar Garden sky lounge of the Prince Park Tower Tokyo hotel.

"I don't care if you like it. You're here with me, so deal with it," a disguised Conan snipped back, though the reply was not in his own voice but a soft, decidedly feminine one.

The Osakan snorted, his arm wrapping more firmly around the corseted waist next to him. "It's one thing for you to say you were going to cross-dress, but it's another to actually see it, you know?"

The stunning brunette dressed in the sleek, strapless burgundy gown, simple drop earrings, and a neat updo next to him rolled her eyes. "Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious."

"Weird," Heiji quietly complained.

"Shut up," Conan retorted, equally quiet before she pasted on a brilliant grin and leaned into the Osakan's shoulder in a show of affection as they passed another couple. She pressed her head against Heiji's shoulder, glancing up at him through thick lashes. "How much longer until KID shows up?"

The kendo practitioner consulted his watch. "Ten minutes," he replied.

Conan hummed as she ran through the plans once more in her head. Hattori Heiji had been personally called in to help with apprehending a group of criminals—though the Osakan had no idea this group was the one that had been after Kaitou KID for over three decades. All Heiji knew was that he was here to help his friend when the action started. Conan had invited his friend to the dinner party at Brise Verte as his plus one—though he had RSVP'd under an alias. Both the restaurant and sky lounge had been rented out for the evening by some financial conglomerate, and he had managed to snag an invite due to his father's connections.

Chikage was somewhere in the crowd while Jii was situated offsite, but both were available through an earpiece and ready to act as helpers during KID's heist. Chikage, in particular, had been sporting a secretive smirk all evening long that Conan could make neither heads nor tails of, thus the phantom thief had pushed his curiosity on the matter to the backburner in order to focus on the present goings on prior to the heist.

The target of the night was the Morning Rose, a four-carat, Asscher-cut Padparadscha sapphire. As far as gemstone sizes were concerned, the Morning Rose was a tiny thing given its estimated monetary value. Padparadscha sapphires were one of the scarcest types of sapphire found anywhere on the market, and to find one of gemstone-clarity over two carats was a true rarity. The object of interest was set in a platinum band and ringed by a tiny double row of pavé-set diamonds. All in all, it looked like a fairly normal Western-style engagement ring—just aside from the fact that the center stone was a dusty rose pink in color.

"It doesn't look that impressive," Heiji hummed as they studied the ring from a good two meters away. Inspector Nakamori had installed a floor-to-ceiling plexiglass barricade around the display case, one that Conan had already carved a way in and out of—through the ceiling. To enter, she would need to get in through the ventilation ducts above the ceiling tiles, and for that to happen… she needed to ditch her friend. For this, Conan would be counting on Chikage to create a diversion right before KID was set to appear.

"Your earpiece in?" Conan asked.

"Yeah," Heiji absently replied, still staring at the gem.

Twenty seconds before the phantom thief's scheduled appearance time, Conan caught sight of a disguised, smirking Chikage in her ruched, navy ballgown and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at her assistant. The gas bombs that had been placed inside the air conditioning shafts went off ten seconds before the hour, and Conan slipped away from Heiji and quick-changed into the iconic white outfit while the room was doused in hoary mist, handing off the duffle with his dress, jewelry, and wig to Chikage as she flailed beside him while shrieking alongside everyone else.

KID darted towards the display, avoiding people with the ease of all of his ninjutsu training even as he listened to Heiji swearing in his ear. Using a conveniently placed display as a stepstool, KID jumped and levered himself through a ceiling panel, quickly sliding the panel back in place to hide his entrance into the HVAC—just in case anyone happened to glance upwards. Quick scooting a few meters and a drop onto the glass-covered pedestal, and the thief was inside the floor-to-ceiling display case. He activated the magnetic catch inside that flipped the cushion holding the ring upside-down, revealing an exact replica of the cushion minus the ring, poking two fingers inside the small trapdoor he had installed, and his fingertips brushed the ring. With a victorious grin, he latched onto the band and pulled it out, pressing it onto a gloved little finger for temporary safekeeping. KID leapt onto the now-empty pedestal that had housed the Morning Rose, surveying the chaos he could somewhat see and most definitely could hear through the fog.

Hattori's Kansai accent was particularly distinctive in the chaos. "Kudou, where'd you go?"

"Trying to find KID in all this fog," KID retorted in a grumpy tone, his voice back to normal now that he had dispensed with the disguise. "Let me know if you find him."

"I'll catch him before you do," the Osakan challenged.

The phantom thief snorted. "In your dreams." A jump back up, and KID exited the way he came, landing on thief-silent feet on that same conveniently placed pedestal from before. "Chi-san, you out?" he asked quietly.

Chikage laughed as she replied, "I am. Jii-chan and I will be on standby."

"Copy," KID murmured. He dropped back to the floor and ran for the stairwell exit, throwing his voice in order to make it seem as though he was everywhere and nowhere as he purred, "This ring looks so good on me, keibu, don't you think…?"

Nakamori's garbled, incoherent screams of frustration and rage echoed from somewhere on the other side of the lounge.

"Won't look good on you for long," came Hattori's voice from in front of him. KID slid to a stop, the door to the stairwell mistily barred by the tuxedo-clad Osakan wielding—where the hell had he managed to hide that metal shinai?! On closer inspection, KID realized it was not a traditional one, but rather a collapsible, telescoping one.

Ingenious. The magician discretely clasped his card gun. "I beg to differ," he argued, grin widening somewhat viciously, "since pink would definitely not complement your complexion."

Hattori snorted. "Don't care if it matches me or not, I'm still taking it from you!" He lunged with a speed worthy of his multiple national championship golds, and KID felt the breeze generated by the weapon kiss his cheek as he dodged.

The phantom thief flipped backwards on one hand, drawing out the card gun with the other and firing mid-flip. The Osakan parried the card with ease, and KID fired two more consecutively as he landed in a crouch. Now, how to draw him away from the door? A feint in the other direction had a fifty percent chance of the Osakan giving chase, so what could he do to ensure that it was a certain one-hundred percent chance?

KID grinned as he quickly backed up, and Hattori disappeared into the mist. Counting his steps, he slid to the right far enough to remain beyond visibility and pressed himself flush against the wall. Quickly scooting sideways, he approached the Osakan. Once he was within arm's reach, he struck, spraying a dose of sleeping gas at the other man's head. While the angle was such that it was not a direct blast to the face to ensure complete and instantaneous unconsciousness, it was more than enough to make Hattori stumble.

"What—?" he coughed, and the small break in concentration was all KID needed to push the Osakan off balance enough to access the stairwell.

He burst through the door and hotfooted it up the stairs to roof. Let's see if Snake shows up tonight, he thought with an uncharacteristic scowl. I'd love to have Hattori catch them for me. It was windy on the roof, as he had expected—it was not a good night for gliding. Because he had known that the weather would not be conducive for such an activity, he had instead prepared a zipline that had been strung between Prince Park Tower and Touto Tower. The line was a staggering 412 meters long, and the end of the line attached to Prince Park Tower had a gas-propelled pulley to help with movement once he passed the midpoint of the line's sag due to gravity. KID clipped himself to the pulley and launched himself off the building, praying that there would be no one to cut the line while he was still attached to it. While he still had his glider should something happen, he rather hoped that he would not need to use that fail safe.

"Kudou, where the hell are you?" came Hattori's voice in his ear. "And what the hell is that noise?"

"Chasing after KID," he answered, and the speed at which he was traveling shooting down the zipline was picked up by the earpiece's microphone. "It's windy out."

Hattori swore. "Where's he headed?"

KID eyed the distance left until he reached the tower. "Touto Tower," he said, then activated the propellers that would push him that last distance to stable ground.

"I'll meet you there," the Osakan said, and hung up.

The magician focused on getting himself atop the lower observation deck in one piece. As he closed in on the giant metal structure, he noticed several silhouettes standing on the roof, waiting. "Chi-san, Jii-san, we've got company," he said into his other earpiece.

"Can you handle it?" Jii asked worriedly, and KID knew they would step in at a moment's notice if he gave the word.

"I think I'll be good," he answered. He counted five in total.

"I'm sending you backup," Chikage said.

KID frowned. "Backup?" he asked, but his focus was diverted before she could answer. He detached himself from the pulley and dropped onto the observation deck roof in a flutter of silk. Straightening from his crouch, he casually slid hands into his pockets to mask the fact that he had grabbed his card gun. "Evening, gentlemen," he greeted lazily, and locked eyes with the man at the head of the group of five. "Snake."

"Kaitou KID," the mustached man in black growled.

"I hadn't seen you in so long I thought you'd gone and gotten arrested on me." His words and the grinning expression on his face were teasing, but his intent was anything but.

Snake sneered. "As if," he snapped. He leveled his gun at KID. "I've been waiting for sixteen years for you to die. Tonight, I'm going to make sure of it." He squeezed the trigger.

The thief, having trained his reflexes by virtue of his years of ninjutsu training, barely dodged the first bullet. It burned past his eye, singing the hair on his left temple. He brought up his card gun and fired in quick succession, feeling the heat of other bullets ghosting by him as he twisted to slim down his profile, though he grunted as one lodged itself several centimeters below his right armpit, which was thankfully protected by the Kevlar vest beneath his outfit. KID's aim was mostly true, and each card knocked a gun from a hand, three out of five weapons clattering to the ground and sliding off somewhere into the darkness.

KID frowned as he heard surprised shouts and two more weapons clattering onto the concrete along with the sound of two bodies. "Didn't your parents ever tell you it's not nice to point weapons at others?" scolded a female voice. The phantom thief froze along with the three remaining men including Snake. A woman stood over the two she had taken out, a bloody axe twirling easily in one hand. The upper half of her face was bandaged, and the areas where her ragged, skintight black suit was missing fabric were covered by more bandages. The two on the floor were out, blood leaking from wounds on their necks. She glanced at them dismissively. "Don't worry, I didn't kill them."

"You—You—" Snake snarled, apparently unable to articulate properly.

"Use your words, Snake," she taunted. Then as if suddenly noticing KID standing there apparently processing the addition to their rooftop soiree, she ducked her head in a facsimile of a bow and said, "Phantom Lady, at your service."

Chi-san…?! he thought wildly before rational thought reasserted itself and jounced him out of his astonishment. No, this Phantom Lady has to be a successor, like me. No, think about this later! Sucking in a breath that had him wincing in belated recollection that he had been shot—that bullet would definitely leave a bruise, though he was unsure if he had cracked a rib or not—KID straightened his posture. "Snake," he called out, bringing attention back to himself, "Guess you'll have to try another night," he taunted with a savage smile. He dropped a smoke bomb filled with a soporific vapor in it, dousing Snake and crew. He held his own breath so as not to inhale his own sleeping gas, chest flaring with pain as he did, and was gratified to hear three muffled thumps, though he hoped one of them was not Phantom Lady.

Anticlimactic, but I'm okay with that, he thought as he clutched his injured side and wheezed. Now to draw the police's attention.

"You hurt, KID?" Phantom Lady asked as she approached, heels clicking on the concrete. Up close, KID instantly knew this was not Chikage. This woman's lips and jawline were different, as was her voice. She was also slightly shorter than his landlady.

"I'm fine, thank you," he said. He shuffled over to one of the arcing supports, where a small stash of fireworks had been secreted away beforehand. "I suggest you leave, as I'm going to bring the police over here," he said as he laid the decorative explosives out.

Phantom Lady stared at him appraisingly—though how she could see through those bandages was beyond his comprehension. "If you're sure," she said and casually loped to the edge of the roof. Tossing a grin over her shoulder, she chirped, "See you at home!" and jumped off the roof as the wail of approaching sirens began increasing in volume.

KID stared, wondering what the hell that last part of her message meant before he shook his head and lit the fireworks, switching his earpieces from hear-through to noise-cancelling in order to dampen the sound of the explosions. Pressing a finger to one ear in order to speak, he shouted over the communicator, "Hattori? You there?"

"Kudou!" came Hattori's voice in response, "Where are you?"

"Up on Touto Tower where the fireworks are going off! I'm headed out!"

"What?" the Osakan yelped. "Hang on, wait, I'm waiting for an elevator to head up there!"

KID hesitated, wondering if it was all right to reveal his secret to his best male friend. Snake and his crew were asleep, and Hattori was more than capable of corralling them if they somehow managed to wake early. Let him draw his own conclusions, then. "Are you with anyone?" he asked as the last of the fireworks burst in the sky.

"Just me for now, though Nakamori-keibu isn't too far behind."

"Fine, I'll wait. But," he warned, "I'm leaving the moment you get here."

"But why do—" KID lost signal, indicating that Hattori was on his way up. The magician limped his way over to the edge of the observation deck roof, attaching the grappling attachment to his card gun as he went. He assumed a casual pose, straightening his spine to hide the fact that he favored one side and pasting KID's characteristic grin on his face as his iconic weapon dangled lightly from one hand.

The roof access door burst open to reveal a panting Hattori. "Kudou!" he shouted, clearly searching for him.

"No need to shout," he chided as he pointed to the pile of bodies, "since they all need their beauty rest." He brought up the card gun and shot the grappling hook, securing his escape route. "I leave the rest in your capable hands, Tantei-han!" he exclaimed, and tipped himself over the edge to make his getaway.

"KUDOU!" Hattori roared into the earpiece, and KID winced at the volume in his ear as he detached the hook's cord and rolled himself to safety on the top of a shorter apartment building. "THE FU—WHEN WERE YOU PLANNING TO TELL ME THAT YOU WERE KAITOU KID, YOU ASSHOLE?!"

"Eh heh heh, oops…?" he replied as he quick changed into his reconnaissance blacks and booked it out of the apartment complex.

"DON'T FUCKING 'OOPS' ME, YOU FUCKING SHIT!" the Osakan howled. "WHEN I GET DONE PROCESSING THESE DICKS, YOU AND I ARE HAVING A LONG TALK," he threatened.

Conan panted lightly as he ran, chuckling in amusement. "Yes, yes, Hattori," he placated in a purposefully dismissive tone to needle his friend.

Heiji snarled incoherently before the line cut off, and the phantom thief laughed at his friend's reaction. After a quick check in with both Chikage and Jii, Conan entered Akabanenashi Station, caught the Oedo Line train bound for Roppongi/Tocho-Mae, and settled in for the near hour-long ride. He ignored the initial phone call from Heiji, hanging up on each successive call after he sent a text informing him that he was on a train. It was, after all, rude to converse on the phone while on a train.

Conan alighted in Shin-egota Station in Nerima, taking a moment to stretch his limbs before he began walking towards the Kuroba home. This time, he picked up the call from Heiji. "Could you be any more impatient?" he snarked in greeting.

"Fuck you," Heiji snapped back. "You can't just leave me like that after telling me you're Kaitou fucking KID!"

An unintentional snicker escaped him. "But I just did."

"Kudou!" the Osakan protested angrily. There was a staticky sigh, indicating that his friend was trying to cool his head. "Where are you right now?" he asked in a calmer tone.

"I'm headed home," he answered honestly. "Did you take all of them into custody?"

"Yeah," Heiji confirmed. "They were still out by the time Nakamori-keibu arrived. You planning on squeezing yourself into the investigation?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Conan deadpanned. "You planning on coming over for that 'talk' tonight?"

Heiji sighed. "Nah. It's one in the morning, and Kazuha's been waiting for me."

Conan yawned. "It's fine. I'm kind of beat myself, honestly."

"Expect me at your place tomorrow though," he warned.

"I'm jumping for joy looking forward to it," the phantom thief huffed in amusement.

"Damn straight you are. Night, Kudou."

Conan hummed. "Night, Hattori." He unlocked the front door, calling out a tired, "I'm back," as he swapped his shoes in in the genkan.

"Welcome back!" Chikage called from somewhere in the house, and she emerged from the kitchen with a laden tray of tea and Phantom Lady in tow. Conan froze, stunned, as Chikage set the tea tray down on the coffee table and settled herself in a seat. Phantom Lady similarly sat down, leaving Conan the only one still standing. "Sit, Conan-kun," Chikage instructed with a devilish grin, and Conan mechanically lowered himself into the last open seat.

"I…" His voice trailed off as he stared at Chikage's successor.

Phantom Lady smirked as she crossed her legs elegantly and leaned comfortably into her seat. "I told you I'd see you at home, didn't I, KID-san?" she purred.

Chikage laughed delightedly. "You really said that?"

The female phantom thief shot his landlady a blind but amused look, lips twisting in good humor. "I did," she breezily admitted, and somehow he could tell when her eyes landed on him. "Though I'm sure you didn't think I was being serious though, right?"

Conan's brows furrowed. "No…" he slowly replied, his brain racing with possibilities as to who Phantom Lady could be since it clearly was not Chikage. "Who…?"

"… am I?" Phantom Lady finished, taking a sip of her tea. "You've definitely met me before as myself," she hinted as she reached up to begin unravelling the bandages that covered her head and face.

His frown deepened as he studied the blinded woman before him. It couldn't be… could it…? Wavy black locks escaped the bandages first, followed by her nose. Conan's eyes widened in shock, for even though he had suspected, it was another to actually see none other than Nakamori Aoko shake the last of the bandages off her had.

Aoko grinned sheepishly. "Hello there, Conan-kun," she greeted as she shyly combed through her hair with her fingers.

"Ao—" he squeaked, tongue refusing to properly work in his disbelief.

Chikage laughed loudly. "Ao-chan, I think you broke him," she conspiratorially whispered, making no attempt to prevent him from hearing her words.

Conan snapped to and glowered at his landlady. "Backup," he said, recalling her bewildering words right before the heist. "She was my backup?!"

Aoko nodded happily, though her smile dimmed with her words. "Took a while to train me, but I wanted to help catch the men that took Touichi-oji-san and Kaito-kun from me."

The magician understood her motivation, and was grateful that she had been able to be a part of capturing Snake. "I understand," he quietly said. "Now that Snake is in custody, Touichi-oji-san and Kaito-san should rest easier."

Both Aoko and Chikage sent him watery smiles that he returned. "Yes," Chikage agreed, "they would be happy about it."


Author's Note: Ah, this one stumped me for a while, but here we are and it's finally done. It was mostly my muse being a bitch and not wanting to work on this series. I have two more additions to this fic before this entire series can be marked complete, so hopefully it won't take too long for me to churn them out. I hope you enjoyed it.


Completed: 13.04.2022