And unexpectedly there's another chapter already! Dunno if I can pull that out of the hat again but we'll see, I'm just glad to give you all the chance to enjoy it!
And now, on with the ficcage:
Moonlight Shadow
Chapter 09:
Sing a Song of Sorrow and Grieving
Aoko, knowing her father was on his way home and would want to speak with her about the events of last night, was cooking dinner. Not just any old dinner either; she was cooking the fanciest dinner she could manage with what they had on hand. Her reason for doing this was twofold. First, she knew that her father hadn't eaten much for breakfast, and also hadn't had much of the lunch Minami-bachan had ordered, so she was sure he would be hungry, and second... Well, second, she knew, both from what Minami-bachan had said and just from her own logic, that Inspector Nakamori Ginzo, head of the Kaitou Kid taskforce, was going to come home with more than a few questions for his darling daughter - he was hardly likely to pass up the opportunity to interview someone who had come so close to the Kaitou Kid and stayed with him for a protracted length of time, after all - and she figured that if his belly was full it would at least take the edge off some of his grouchiness, not to mention making him a bit drowsy, and she would need all the advantages she could get in passing her story by him without giving him any information she shouldn't.
She puttered around from one dish to another, nervous energy fueling her efforts as she chopped and sliced, tossed and stirred, and put everything out on the table, prettily displayed. She was just finishing the last few things when she heard a car pull into the driveway.
"Well, here we go," she said softly to herself, then responded with a cheery "Okaeri" to her father's rather grumpy and somewhat distracted-sounding "Tadaima".
His mood did seem to improve a bit when he saw the dinner laid out, but he gave her a suspicious look as he sat down. "Lovely dinner Aoko, thank you. Now, before we do anything else, I'd like to know just one thing."
"Oh? What's that?" Aoko asked, feeling a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.
"How long have you known?" Nakamori asked, fixing her with a piercing glare. "I know Kuroba is Kaitou Kid, but how long have you known?"
"Really known? Only since yesterday," Aoko said softly, sitting across the table from him and staring down at her hands. "Are you going to arrest him now?"
"No," Nakamori said shortly, shaking his head, "and nobody else at the station knows yet either. I need to talk with him about a few things before I make any decisions one way or another. Hmm, now there's a good idea... You really have made more food than just the two of us can eat, why don't we invite the Kurobas over for dinner? It's been a while since our whole semi-family has sat down to dinner together, ne?" He stood up from his chair. "I'll just give Meimi-san a call."
Aoko felt more numb than anything else as she watched him walk to the phone in the hall and dial Kaito's number. She didn't really hear what he said; mostly because her ears were ringing with shock. Her father had figured out Kaitou Kid's identity, and he was actually acting calm about it? And not only that, he wanted to talk to Kaito before he did anything else? This had to be some kind of bizarre sick joke he was playing in order to get Kaito in custody without tipping him off so he could run. It just had to be! Her father would never cooperate with the Kid, even knowing he was Kaito.
Her mind just kept circling around and around, trying to make logic of it all, she didn't even notice when Kaito and Meimi came in and sat down.
"Aoko? Yo! Space station to Aoko, come in Aoko!" Kaito waved his hand in front of her face, "What's wrong, you have a long day training?"
She blinked. "No Kaito, it's Tousan! He knows..."
"What she's trying to say is I know that you're the Kid. You really ought to be more careful what you say when you've got a live radio transmitting, you know." Nakamori said calmly.
Kaito blanched for a second before he slipped into his poker face.
Meimi patted his arm. "It's a good thing you brought that box of your father's along just in case," she said.
"Yeah, I guess it is," Kaito agreed quietly. "So, Nakamori-keibu, where's the horde of police to arrest me?"
"Not here. I made some very binding promises to your father when you were younger, and there's also the issue of Aoko's White Knight, but I want to hear the whole story Kuroba, all of it, or there will be a whole horde of police, just when you least expect it."
"Understood," Kaito nodded. "Would you like it now, or should we eat first?"
"Eat," Nakamori shrugged, "I know you're not going anywhere for a little while anyway. What was that about a box?"
"Oh, just Touchan left a box and a letter for you, just in case you started asking questions that couldn't be easily answered," Kaito shrugged, "I'll bring it out after we eat."
"Fine," Nakamori nodded, and then started serving up the dinner.
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Back at the Koizumi mansion, Hakuba Saguru was having his eyes opened in any number of ways. For example, the existence and wide-ranging nature of the Black Organization. He had had some vague suspicions that something of the sort might exist, but to have those suspicions confirmed so matter-of-factly, and connected to the Kaitou Kid, was not something had ever envisioned. He had just assumed that Kuroba's father had died in a stage accident, like everyone said, and that the one shooting at Kid last night had been hired by one of the phantom thief's former marks to get back at him. He had assumed that Kuroba had taken up his father's mantle simply because the thought amused him, or perhaps from some sort of twisted respect for his father; he'd never suspected that the motive might have been revenge! Of course, Minami-san never actually referred to them as anything but "the original Kid" and "the present Kid", but the parallels were easy enough to draw. None of this surprised Akako-san, though, so she must have known at least some of it. No, Akako-san just calmly nodded at everything Minami-san said, up until she started explaining about the Koizumi family's connection to the Tenshi Miko.
"... So with a very few exceptions, the Koizumis have always supported the Tenshi miko and her line, acting as backup and support, and the families even occasionally intermarried, strengthening the powers in both lines. The Koizumis, though, had one major difference. They had always been sorcerers rather than priests or miko the way the Tenshi line were, and during the first western contacts with Japan, the then-head of the line came across a Dutch sailor washed ashore and nursed him back to health. Once they had managed to overcome the language barrier, they discovered that he was something of a sorcerer himself, and they asked him to share his knowledge and techniques with them, in payment for his rescue. He readily agreed, and eventually ended up marrying the Family Head's only daughter. That started a trend within the family of bringing in gaijin with magickal knowledge and skills, and created a strange kind of blended magickal tradition, more effective and powerful than either tradition on its own."
"And you comment about me being konketsuji?" Saguru raised an eyebrow at Akako.
"I told you I have cousins in Europe," Akako shrugged, "you just assumed that meant they were Japanese émigrés."
"You're right, and your use of Western Magick should have given me a big clue, too. Which part of Europe, if I might enquire?"
"Ireland, primarily," Akako smiled, "or at least that's where my closest relatives are from. I think there's also some Spanish and Italian a few generations back, and of course there's the Dutch connection. Still, even with all that I'm more than half Japanese, I think," she grinned and stuck her tongue out at him.
Saguru stared at her, a little taken aback. He'd never seen her so childishly playful before, only ever mature and flirtatious. He decided he liked it, it made her seem more approachable, more real, and also more vulnerable, somehow.
Minami looked between the two of them and subdued the urge to roll her eyes. If I might continue?" she interjected, "It is getting late, and there are still important points to cover."
"Yes, of course," Akako sat up straighter in her chair and looked attentive again.
Saguru nodded and mirrored her attentive pose, waiting for Minami to go on.
Minami smiled a little sadly at them, then went on to explain bout the theft of the Tenshi no Namida and the events that followed, up to and including the death of Aoko's mother and the hiding of her family. She looked at the stunned expressions on the faces of the two children sitting before her and shook her head. On the one hand, she couldn't blame the Koizumis for not having told their daughter anything about the connections between their families - bonds of friendship between her and Aoko-chan could have been traced back and given Aoko and Ginzo away if they seemed to be directed and encouraged by the parents, far better that any connection between them seem to grow naturally from being in school together - but at the same time, dear little Akako-chan could definitely have been better-prepared to hear about all this. Well, she wasn't going to chastise parents she hadn't even met for years; she'd reserve her final judgment until later. At least now these two had a better idea of what they were up against. "So now that I've told my tale, I'm curious about something," Minami said. "I know all about Akako-chan's connection to us already, but what is yours, Saguru-san? Besides being a classmate of Aoko-chan's and Akako-chan's study partner, of course."
Saguru found himself flushing faintly for no clear reason he could explain, and silently cursed his light skin tone that showed blushes so easily. "My primary objective is and always has been the Kaitou Kid, but after last night and what I've learned today, I think that it's ore important to remove my competition, this so-called "Black Organization", and then deal with the Kid. I'd rather capture him alive and intact so that he can answer all the questions I have for him," he told Minami.
"Ah, so That's the "Holmes" connection," she nodded, "Alright then, Saguru-san, but if you don't mind a piece of advice, keep in mind that flexibility is often what keeps us alive, and there is more than one way to get the answer to any question." She smiled at him to lessen the ting of her words, and patted him on the shoulder. "I know you'll do the right thing in the end, for yourself and for everyone."
"Thank you," he nodded a little stiffly, but she was sure he would take her advice at face value.
She turned then and winked at Akako. "I trust you'll teach him everything he needs to know. I'll leave you my cel number in case you need to get in touch with me, and do let your parents know I'll be dropping by once they get back."
"Of course," Akako agreed, nodding.
"Now I really should be going, so I'll wish both of you a good evening. Please do feel free to call on me if you have any questions or concerns at all."
"We will," Akako nodded, rising to walk their guest to the door.
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It was a rather strained meal at the Nakamori household that evening, but everyone did at least try to keep the tone light. When dinner and desert both had been consumed and the dishes set aside, Kaito took a deep breath.
"Alright, probably the best way to start this would be to give you Touchan's letter. After all, your dealings in this did start with him."
Nakamori nodded curtly and watched silently as Kaito made a long, slim box appear in his hands, then with a few deft twists, almost too fast to follow, the box popped open, revealing the tightly packed articles, which Kaito carefully took out and laid on the table in chronological order. When he had reached the bottom of the main box, he removed the false bottom and handed the box to Nakamori.
"Here, this is a letter from my father, Kaitou Kid, to you," he said in a somewhat formal tone.
Nakamori peered into the box, then reached in and brought out the letter-wrapped magician's wand. With an expression of mixed regret and excitement he unwrapped the letter and set the box and wand down on the table, then opened the letter.
'Dear Ginzo,' he read silently to himself,
'I'm sure all this has come as something of a shock to you, but then, you always were too trusting of me... Not that I'm complaining, mind you! In any case, now that you've figured out who I am, I suppose I owe it to you to come clean. Well, maybe not TOTALLY clean, but I will at least tell you the things you need to know. The most important of these has to do with my latest heists. As I'm sure you've noticed, they've all been jewels, and I've always returned them when the fun was over. That was because they weren't what I was looking for. The gem I actually seek is called the Pandora, and I'm not the only one after it either. I'm not sure if you've ever noticed a dark presence around my heists, especially recently, but they're there, and they are most definitely dangerous. I would like to say that I could send them packing myself, but unfortunately I just don't think that will be possible. After all, there are a great many of them and only one of me. Well, maybe two, but you'll have to puzzle that out on your own; THAT is not something I'm coming clean about here!
I suppose you want to know how I know this; well, here's my sad little story. I was running along doing my job as a magician and a good, law-abiding Kaitou as well as working hard at being a good father and husband, when I was approached for a job. It sounded easy enough really, just find a jewel. No consequences if I nabbed the wrong one, I got paid anyway for each heist completed and I could do what I wanted with the "wrong ones", the client didn't care. I know, I know, too good to be true, right? I thought so too, but hey, even a thief's gotta buy his groceries somehow, and Kai-chan's a growing boy! So I took the job, and it really was tons of fun - at first. But then I started to get curious about my employer or employers, and started doing a little digging. Would it surprise you to learn that a Kaitou can be awfully good at detective work too, if he puts his mind to it? Logic and deduction are very useful skills if one lives behind the "darker shadow" of the world of crime...Especially if one wants to stay safe and away from clients who could come back to bite one in the posterior. Unfortunately, I really should have done my looking into things before I got involved at all (not that this would have necessarily removed the element of danger in dealing with them. I suspect they would have tried to kill me in any case, just for having a little knowledge of what they were doing and what they were looking for) since I discovered that this was not just one or two isolated "collectors" looking for this piece, whatever it was, but in fact a vast and dark crime syndicate, the type I really would rather was wiped off the face of the planet. Well, I suppose that's more your job than mine though, isn't it?
But I digress. The point is, once I discovered what they were up to and how nasty they really were, I decided that I ought to do something about it, so I told them I'd had enough, and then started going after targets on my own, just to try and get what they wanted before they could. The jewel they had been having me look for was supposed to be fairly powerful, not that I necessarily believe everything they said about it, but it doesn't do taking unnecessary risks, and the last thing I want to see is some immortal or super powerful bad guy running around if I could have done something about it. As you can imagine, they were definitely less than thrilled with the idea of me getting this little gewgaw before they did, so they've been after me for a while now. So far I've been evading them as handily as I do your police (if I do say so myself) but I don't want to risk something happening to me and there being no record of what was going on here. I won't tell you the name of my former contacts in the organization or the jewel I most suspect to be the one I need, not here, even this isn't safe enough. Likely if you're reading this they have gotten to me one way or another and I am dead. If that's the case, they are the ones that killed me, even if my death didn't look like a murder. My associates keep telling me I'm being paranoid, but... Ginzo, I've studied these people, I've spied on them and I've tapped their phones, and I KNOW what they're capable of! My only hope is that my identity will not be revealed with my death, so that Kaito and Meimi are safe. I know you'll keep your oath to me, even if you DIDN'T know it was made to a criminal. You MUST keep them safe, and whatever you do, you MUST avoid getting in the way of this Black Organization. They will kill you and those you love, and that is the last thing I want to see happen, to you or to Aoko.
I trust you Ginzo. You're an okay guy, even if you ARE a policeman. You'd even make a decent magician if you ever pester me enough to learn more tricks. I gotta say, after I taught you how to palm things I thought I'd die laughing! Ah, the irony! You take good care of my boy for me, and take good care of that little girl of yours too, she's gonna be a terror someday.
I'll see you later, in this life or the next, but if it's the latter, just you make sure it's not too soon, you hear?
With all my best,
Kuroba Toichi, International Phantom Thief 1412, "Kaitou KID"
Nakamori set down the letter when he was finished reading, shaking his head and looking up at Kaito. "Well, this answers some of it, but it just raises more questions. One thing's for sure, though, I believe what you told me the other day, that the Black Organization were the ones who killed your father. What I don't understand, though, is how they managed it. I mean, I've SEEN the autopsy files, I insisted on it at the time, and I don't understand how they could know who Toichi was in his civilian life and yet not have come after you."
"They didn't know," Meimi said softly, speaking for the first time since they'd finished eating. "I have it on good authority that Toichi did not die on stage. You know, I'm sure, that cold water can make estimating time of death difficult. He drowned, but not on stage, and not as Kuroba Toichi. Luckily he had someone helping him, who was smart and quick enough to recover his body, and although not in time to save his life, his assistant did manage to save his identity from those who had killed him. He told me how he found Toichi, and I'll tell you about it later if you must know, but not around the children. It's not something they need to hear."
"That's fine Meimi-san, I understand," Nakamori nodded, "I may ask you at some point, but you're right, now is not the time. No, now is the time for the second iteration of my nemesis to explain just exactly how he ended up taking on that role. I'm sure your father never mentioned it to you before he died, he wasn't the type to burden a child with something like that, and besides, I remember just how protective of you he was, he never would have told you until he thought you were old enough to understand."
"No, you're right, he didn't tell me, but he did leave me a message, something for me to discover when I was old enough; and somehow, when I discovered the truth, I couldn't just do nothing. It was…surprisingly easy to become the Kid, and the more I found out about those bastards who killed him, the more convinced I was that they could only be brought down from within, from the darker side of the fence."
Suddenly Aoko giggled; then covered her mouth, looking shocked at herself for her outburst. "I'm sorry!" she said, "I'm sorry, but suddenly you made me think of Star Wars, and I just couldn't help it! I know this is a serious thing Tousan, and I'm not just being silly, but I couldn't help it!"
Kaito snorted. "Yeah, right, whatever you say, Aoko. Personally, though, I think I make a better Han Solo than a Darth Vader." He raised an eyebrow suggestively, and suddenly Aoko's mental picture degraded into one of the sweeter scenes between Han and Leia and she blushed bright red.
"Achem!" Nakamori cleaned his throat, rolling his eyes, "If we could get back to the topic, I believe you were about to explain to me why I should put my job in jeopardy by not disclosing everything I know to the chief of police and exposing and capturing you?" He turned to Kaito, "And no, just wanting revenge is not enough of a reason. There are plenty of vigilantes out there who want revenge for something, and we don't let them get away with things either."
"How about the fact that I'm on your side?" Kaito pointed out, "I really am doing my best when I can to direct you toward the dark types, and I'm trying to keep them from getting something that could be a disaster if it actually works as advertised - something I'm more concerned about now that I know about Aoko and the Tenshi no Namida. I had doubted such a thing as a magical jewel could really exist, but I wasn't taking chances even if I wasn't sure, just the same way my father wouldn't have. And speaking of that, there is also the fact that I have been and intend to continue to be Aoko's protector," he added, not letting himself show any of the myriad of emotions which were running through him at the moment, although if pressed he might have admitted that the primary ones he was hiding were anxiety and fear. Nakamori really did have him in a bind here, and if he couldn't work something out with the policeman he could probably still get away, but not without giving up far more than he ever wanted to. If he had to leave now, he had to leave Aoko behind, and with their friendship just beginning to blossom into something far greater, that was the very last thing he wanted to do.
"You do make a point there," Nakamori admitted, "Aoko will need the protection of her "White Knight" until she's strong enough to manage on her own, and probably beyond that. You know as well as I how ruthless the syndicate is in going after what it wants, and I know all too well that it wants the power of the Tenshi no Namida." He took a deep breath, then looked at Kaito again. "Alright, you get a reprieve for now, but I want to know from now on what your real objectives are behind a heist. I won't ask you to tell me exactly when or where - that would be too sudden a change if I was able to interpret your calling cards faster than usual, but believe me, if I think - even once - that you're overstepping things I will call you on it, and even if I won't report you to the police, I'll report you to your mother. Does that suit you, Meimi-san?"
"It does," Meimi agreed, "I can make a point of imposing some rules on him when and where the situation requires, but I'm sure you'll find Kaito will be quite willing to co-operate. Won't you, dear?" she turned a "look" on Kaito.
Kaito shivered. There was no more unholy alliance than one between his mother and Nakamori Ginzo. "Yes, of course. I'll still tease you on heists, otherwise as you said people would notice too much of a change, but I'll keep it within reason, and I'll warn you ahead of time about who to look out for at the heist," he agreed.
Aoko looked at all three of them and sighed in relief. It seemed her little experiment with "calming" others had worked. And none of them had even noticed!
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In a tiny four-tatami room in a corner apartment in one of Tokyo's tenement slums, a phone was ringing. The man who picked it up didn't identify himself, and as the lighting was bad and he was wearing fairly concealing black clothing, anyone who happened to notice him (not a likely thing since the blinds were drawn) would not have been able to recognize him either. It didn't bother him though, that was the way he liked things, and even if he could have afforded a bigger apartment or better clothes (which he could have) he had no reason for them. He lived for…other things.
"Yeah? Right, fine, understood. And the target's name? Okay, what's your preferred location for this to go down? Right. Got it. Okay, I'll have to conduct some surveillance first. Yeah, I understand."
The phone was hung up, and then picked up again, and he dialed a number. It was a different number from the one that had called him, not that anyone else would know. Not that anyone else would care. But they should have cared...
"We've got a job," he said gruffly, listened for a second, then hung up with a chuckle, sitting back in his tiny room and listening to the scream of a shinkansen going past on the nearby tracks. He liked the sound, it sounded almost…human.
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After Minami had gone, Hakuba turned to Akako. "I should probably head home as well. After all, it is getting late and I'm sure you want to be getting on with your evening, not to mention your dinner..."
"And just who here told you to go anywhere? It wasn't me. As far as I'm concerned you can stay the night if you so desire. I'd certainly love to have your help again with my research, if you feel up to it. Besides, it's not like you have anyone to go home to tonight, right?" she pointed out.
"How did you know my father's away?" Hakuba asked, giving her a suspicious look.
"Oh come now Sa-chan, surely you don't think you are the only person here capable of using logic and deduction! Observe: For the last week you've been coming to school a little later than your usual fifteen minutes early, and with sandwiches instead of onigiri. Add to that the fact that you were up all night last night, but not at the heist itself, and that you hadn't really eaten when you arrived here, and there is only one possible conclusion: Your father is away again and you're at home alone." Akako smirked at his stunned expression and reached out to lift his chin with one finger. "Well look at that. I've managed to shock you speechless with my masterful deduction!" she laughed.
Hakuba shut his mouth with a clack of teeth and shook his head. "Okay, you've proven your point. I'll stay for a few more hours, but I'm a gentleman, I won't endanger your reputation by staying the night when there's no one else here."
Akako giggled, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "Still playing the paladin, Sir Hakuba? How does that work? Brave and shining holy knight on a white steed; do you have to ride yourself? That would be rather awkward."
"Ha ha, very funny," Hakuba rolled his eyes, but she could see a faint blush high on his cheeks, and she giggled.
"You are an imaginative boy, aren't you!" she teased.
"A good, active imagination is essential for a good detective. How else is he supposed to outwit criminals? A good grasp of logic is important too, but not all criminals are either logical or sane, you know."
"Very true," she giggled, thinking about the Kid. "So, shall we get back to our studies, since you insist on cutting our time together short this evening?"
"Yes, we really ought to," he agreed.
"We'll read for half an hour, then have some dinner," she continued, "Mother and Father left plenty of food, after all, and you evidently need to be fed when you're on your own."
"I can cook!" Hakuba objected as he stood and headed for the library.
"I'm sure you can, Saguru-kun," she said in a mollifying tone as she followed him, "But I also know that cooking for one is boring, and not many people enjoy doing it most of the time." She laughed a little, "Not even me. As to the library, I want to start my study of the Tenshi Miko at the beginning of the family history."
"I agree," Hakuba said; then he laughed. "You know, it occurs to me that both of us are quite adept at diverting conversations, aren't we?" he pointed out.
"Yes, I am! It's an important skill for a woman to possess," she said airily; then broke into giggles again.
"Er... Akako-kun? No offense meant, but what's gotten into you today? I've never seen you so giggly."
"Was I really all that serious all the time?" she asked him. "I never thought of myself like that."
"Well no, not serious persay; it's more that you were too refined to do something as frivolous as giggling. You might chuckle and wink suggestively, but I don't think I ever heard you really giggle like a schoolgirl before today."
"I suppose I have fewer burdens now, which might have caused the change. Does it really sound that bad? I didn't even realize I was doing it, but..."
"No, it doesn't sound bad," Hakuba shook his head, "I kindof like it, it makes you seem more relaxed - more real." He smiled at her. "I assume it has some connection to your glamours being gone?"
"How did you..." She looked at him in shock. "How did you know they were gone? More importantly, how did you even know they were there in the first place? And how did you know what they were? Do you have power also and just never let on?"
He shook his head. "Me? Have power like yours? Not that I've ever noticed, but as to how I knew? I am a detective, remember? Trained to be observant and all that rot; and I may have been born here, but I spent all my formative years in Britain with my mother's family, and I had an auntie who just loved telling my cousins and me stories of "the fair folk" and witches and such. Once I'd come around intellectually to the idea that you actually were a witch, it wasn't that much of a leap to accept that the abnormal pull I felt around you had to be a glamour," he explained.
"If you say so," she said, giving him a dubious look, "but I still have my suspicions about you. Mundanes should not be able to see through or resist a glamour."
"Kuroba seemed to be able to resist yours," Hakuba pointed out.
"Kuroba? Be honest now, Saguru-kun, do you really think Kuroba's a complete Mundane? There's definitely some sort of ability there; latent or not I couldn't say for sure, but it's definitely there."
"You have a point," Hakuba conceded. "This isn't helping us study, though," he pointed out.
"You're right," she agreed. They'd reached the library while they talked, and she sat back down at the table where she'd left the book when she got up to answer the door. "Don't think you've gotten out of this completely, though, I do intend to do a couple of tests on you at some point to gauge how much you can see."
"Tests eh?" Hakuba said, sounding a little nervous all of a sudden.
"Oh don't worry, I won't do anything too permanent, just show you a few things," she smiled at him.
Somehow, Hakuba Saguru did not find that smile reassuring.
"But as you said, back to work. Shall we take turns reading aloud, do you think? That would be easier than trying to share the book, and then we'll both be on the same page, knowledgewise."
Hakuba rolled his eyes. "Yes, right, we'll be 'on the same page' both figuratively and literally." He screwed up his face. "Oh drat, I even turned that into a pun. It wasn't my intention, I assure you."
"Of course not, Sa-chan. I know you're far too refined to stoop to such vulgar things as puns," Akako tapped his nose. "Don't apologize, it was a good pun. Shall I go first?"
"You might as well, since you have the book," Hakuba nodded.
"Alright then. Fifteen minutes then we switch."
He nodded again, so she cleared her throat and began to read, starting at the very first page of the introduction again. It was nice having Hakuba - no, Saguru - around to banter with, she decided as she read, even if he was a bit of a stick and far too concerned with playing the gentleman.
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After a fairly lengthy grilling by Nakamori - through which Kaito felt he had more than held his own - and an even longer perusal of the articles which had been in the box with the letter, Kaito and Aoko were dismissed to the kitchen and ordered to do the dishes while the older generation remained at the table.
Nakamori Ginzo heaved a ponderous sigh and leaned forward to cradle his head in his hands. "Why does it all have to happen to people around me?" he groaned. "If it wasn't for these black men... These..."
"I know," Kuroba Meimi reached out and patted his shoulder, "believe me, I know. I've been there, and I've even called them some of those names I'm sure you're thinking of right now. After all, they've stolen one of the most precious things in my life away from me, and I live in constant fear that they'll take the other as well. I can't stop Kai-chan from following Toichi, I wouldn't ever want to try, but I certainly am capable of worrying over him, so I do my best to support him and keep him strong. Kaito mentioned that you also lost someone dear to them..."
"My wife, yes. They'd been searching for her, and I still don't know how they found her, but I suspect it was through the hospital where she worked. Too many people recovered too quickly and too well from things which should have left them incapacitated. Mariko was too softhearted to deny them what she could give, and I was still too much of a foolish rookie to recognize the danger of her making herself too visible."
"Kaito said they used thallium?"
Ginzo nodded. "It's a horrible way to die," he confirmed, his eyes haunted. "Meimi-san, I want to know. About Toichi. How did he really die? I don't mean to open old wounds, but I need to know the truth."
"I understand," she smiled sadly; "I thought you'd probably ask; that's why I sent Kai-chan away with Aoko-chan. They don't need to hear this. Shall we move to the living room?"
"An excellent idea," Ginzo agreed, and they stood and moved to the more comfortable chairs of the living room, which were also, coincidentally, further from the kitchen and thus completely out of earshot. Kaito had extremely good hearing, after all.
"So, where to start?" Meimi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I suppose I should start by setting the scene. Toichi had gone on a 'special exclusive tour' to France as cover for a heist. He didn't tell me exactly what he was after, only that it looked like a good prospect, and that he hoped this job would end things with the Black Organization. So he and his assistant headed off to France, and the rest of what I know comes from what his assistant told me after the funeral.
"Apparently the target he was after was being kept on an offshore island, and rather than trying to sneak through the security grid in a boat, he elected to go in underwater. He had only sent his notice to the owner of the gem he was after in hopes to keep the numbers of bystanders down, and that person had elected not to alert the police, so it seemed like it was going to be a quiet heist. Toichi went into the water, sending his assistant off to cover for him and prepare for his onstage performance that night. His assistant was uneasy though, and when Toichi failed to report in to let him know he'd arrived on the island, he dropped what he was doing and hurried back to the pier. He quickly got into his own scuba gear and headed along the route he knew Toichi had been planning to take. There was really only one safe route to swim to the island, even with a scuba jet, so he was able to find Toichi without too much trouble. It was too late for my husband by that time, his assistant could see that clearly, but he knew that if their opponents found Toichi and unmasked him, we - his family at home - would be in great danger as well.
"Toichi had been trapped under a massive weighted Plexiglas dome, and there was no way his assistant could lift it, so he turned his jet on the bottom and used it to dig under the cage to get to Toichi, who he brought back out the same way."
"But couldn't Toichi have gotten out that way as well then?" Ginzo objected.
"I'm sure he could have, if he'd had time, but his air hose had been slashed. Even if he'd managed to get out of the cage, he wouldn't have made it to the surface," Meimi shook her head sadly.
"His assistant took Toichi's body back to shore, then smuggled it into the magic show and took Toichi's place on stage. He was a consummate magician as well, so none of the audience noticed anything when he pulled a switch during the water escape trick. It's an honourable way for a magician to go, in the footsteps of Houdini, and since he'd already drowned there wouldn't be any awkward questions at autopsy…"
Her voice broke and Ginzo was suddenly aware that tears were rolling down her face. He awkwardly reached out and pulled her into ah half-hug over the coffee table.
"We'll get the bastards, one way or another. They've broken too many people's lives and families apart. I'm positive we aren't the only ones this Syndicate has pushed too far. There's a force growing in opposition to them, and it's getting stronger every day. One of these days they're gonna wake up and discover that they've got nowhere to go but down."
"Yes, you're right," Meimi nodded, wiping the tears off her cheeks, then chuckling. "I've never heard you so eloquent without swearing, I'm impressed, Ginzo-san!" she made herself smile.
Ginzo pulled away, looking thoroughly embarrassed. "Just don't like seeing women cry, didn't mean anything by it," he mumbled.
"I know, I know," she patted his head, "You're a big strong macho guy and all that, just like you always say. Whether you admit it or not though, there was more than just a grain of truth in what you said." She giggled again, having taken her emotions in hand – something she had long practice with – and shook her head. "Toichi'd be laughing at you, you know," she pointed out, "even if I'm sure he'd also agree with you."
"Probably," Ginzo shook his head. 'I'm determined not to make his mistake, though. Nobody can take these guys down alone, no matter how good he is at what he does. I won't let myself do that, and I won't let Kaito-kun do it either, now that I know what he's been doing." He rolled his eyes.
"I agree completely," Meimi nodded. "It's getting late though, and the children do have school tomorrow, so I'll just go collect Kaito. I'm sure he and Aoko must be done the dishes by now." She smiled and headed back to the kitchen.
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When the "suggestion" was made that Aoko and Kaito do cleanup, both went to the kitchen quite willingly. Aoko was desperate for a chance to be alone with him to defend her loyalty to Kaito even though she knew her father hadn't implied that she'd said anything to tip him off. Kaito, on the other hand, knew her well enough to know she was feeling guilty, and was anxious to reassure her that he didn't blame her for her father figuring things out.
:'m sorry Kaito," Aoko said softly when the kitchen door was closed behind them, "I swear I didn't tell Tousan any…mmph!"
Kaito cut her off with a quick kiss, both to shock her out of her worried funk and to reassure her that he wasn't upset with her. "Don't say another word," he shook his head, "I know you didn't say anything. It was my own fault, you heard him. He overheard us when that guy was shooting at us, and he heard me talking to you as myself and not the Kid. How could he not get it? After all, I grew up around you and him, and even your father is good enough to recognize a voice. When you add that to how obvious I was probably being about my concern for your welfare, it doesn't surprise me that he figured things out."
"Baka!" Aoko hit him upside the head with a hastily-grabbed scrub brush, "How can you not be worried about this! The police inspector in charge of your case has figured out your secret identity and knows where you live and everything! Damn you how can you be so calm! I was having a quiet FIT when I realized Tousan knew!"
"Who ever said I wasn't worried? Who said I was calm?" Kaito's eyes narrowed and he caught her wrists in his to stop the attack on his head by the rather spiky cleaning utensil, "I am far from calm about this, but right now there's nothing I can do, and since we seem to have worked out an agreement – at least temporarily – I have to go with that and trust that my wits and skills will get me out again when things get too hot with the police."
"I'll…I'll miss you when you go," Aoko sighed, dropping the scrub brush. "I know you don't have much choice, I know you'll have to disappear at some point and become invisible, but I'll miss you when that happens."
"It's not going to happen," he shook his head. "Even if I do have to drop off the face of the earth for a bit and go into hiding I won't go alone. When I disappear I'm stealing you and taking you with me."
"Kaito!" she protested, blushing, "You can't just steal me!"
"No? You think I can't? Just watch me!" He grinned at her, using Kid's grin. "A Phantom Thief never turns down a challenge, you know! Besides," he looked at her more seriously now, "I need to keep you near me to keep you safe. That's my job, remember? Minami-san said so, and I have a feeling she's right."
"Well, I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself to worry about it just yet," Aoko admitted, "It's obvious that Tousan wants to put these Syndicate types behind bars, and he seems quite willing to work with you to do it."
"Yup!" Kaito nodded gleefully, "I get to have an "insider" in the force, how cool is that? All good Kaitou should have a police helper!"
Aoko rolled her eyes. "Right, if you say so. Sometimes I think you're just insane, do you know that?"
"Insane? Me? Never! Crazy for you, maybe…" he pulled her closer to kiss her again.
Aoko blushed. "Why do you keep doing that?" she asked a little breathlessly when he let her breathe on her own again.
"Why? 'Cause I can, of course!" he flicked her nose with a finger, turning her toward the sink, "I've wanted to for ages and not been allowed, how does it surprise you that a Kaitou should not want to steal as many kisses as he can get?"
"Stealing kisses," Aoko giggled, starting the water for washing dishes, "But how is it stealing when they're freely given?" She felt colour rising in her cheeks at her boldness, finding herself unable to look at him for fear of turning red completely.
Kaito wrapped his arms around her from behind, nuzzling at her neck, and she felt shivers run down her spine. "Stealing them, getting them free, either one's fine by me just as long as I get to kiss you some more," he whispered.
"Kaito!" she half-protested (their parents were still just in the other room, after all) and turned her head fractionally to try to look at him, "What's gotten into you tonight!"
"I guess it's just a reaction to all the worry running around in my head," he shrugged, "The thought of having to run and leaving you behind disturbed me, 'specially when I've just finally got to have you as close as I want, I just need to hold you for a bit. It's okay, right? You'd hit me with something if I was being pushy, I know you."
Aoko leaned back against him comfortably while also rolling her eyes. "You know it," she confirmed, "Anything you do that's going too far and you get mopsmacked. Well, or smacked with whatever comes to hand." She giggled then. "You can stay there if you like but once the drain board's full you're gonna have to start drying dishes. There's more here than can fit.
"Do I have to?" Kaito pouted, "Can't I just be your warm snuggly thief-blanket instead?"
"Yes, you have to," she said firmly, "Warm snuggly thief-blanket or not, I made the entire dinner, I am not doing the entire cleanup too!"
Kaito laughed and pulled her closer against him (or rather, pulled himself closer against her, since she needed to stay close to the sink) and concentrated on nibbling at her neck and ear while she worked, until she almost dropped a dish from her hands shaking and informed him quite sternly (but with a very clear blush) that if he didn't stop that she was going to have to get violent with him.
"Sorry," he said, "I'm not usually so…touchy-feely; I guess I just gotta pick my times better, ne?"
"Like when I don't have breakables around?" Aoko giggled, "Yes that would be preferable. Why don't you start on the drying? The faster you get it done, the more time we'll have before either parent decides it's time for the evening to end."
"I could always sneak in later," he pointed out.
"You could, but you shouldn't," she agreed, "Tousan would kill you, agreement or no."
"Point," he conceded.
They breezed through the dishes, and when the last plate and bowl had been dried and put back in the cupboard, Aoko turned away to empty the sink and was grabbed from behind and slung over Kaito's shoulder.
"Come on, I said I could steal you anytime I want, didn't I?" he grinned, "I'll just leave a nice little note here…"
"Kaito you will NOT!" Aoko squeaked, "Not on a school night!"
"Oh, so weekends are okay then?" he asked archly, "I'll have to remember that…" He set her down on the counter and grinned at her, "Shall we arrange a date for that? Say two weeks from now, perhaps? I'll have to think of an appropriate riddle, and of course a venue…" He leaned in so that their foreheads were almost touching, then burst out laughing at her poleaxed expression. "Gotcha! Don't worry, I'm not going to steal you like that! There's other ways I'd much rather go about stealing you. I…" He blushed, colour rising high on his cheeks, "I would like to take you out somewhere on a proper date though. Last night was kindof one, but you deserve better than patching up a bleeding bandit for a first official date."
"Kaito," she said softly, "You put on a face all the time for everyone, don't you? Even if you're a romantic you hide it behind all the silliness, but I'm wise to you now, you can't get away with brushing things off anymore."
"That's okay," he shrugged, "Just as long as you don't go around advertising it to the world and all."
"Of course not!" she protested and blushed as well, "I managed to catch and keep the Kaitou that nobody else has come near, do you honestly think I'd jeopardize that?" She smirked at him then, and before he knew what she was doing she ducked in and kissed him – the first time she'd initiated the contact between them, and it sent a shiver of something very deep and basic through the young thief's body.
"Thought never crossed my mind," he said against her lips.
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When Kuroba Meimi pushed open the door to the kitchen, the sight that greeted her eyes was…
Completely normal. Kaito and Aoko were sitting around the breakfast table chatting about homework (she thought) and when they heard the door they both looked up at her and waved.
"Kombanwa, Meimi-bachan!" Aoko said, "Are you and Tousan done talking now? It's getting kinda late, and even though I slept a bunch last night, I am pretty tired. It's been a long day and I really should get to bed soon."
"Yeah, I'm pretty bushed as well," Kaito agreed, "C'mon Kaachan, we should head home before I fall asleep on the couch here or something."
"Nice to see you two getting along and not doing anything you shouldn't' be doing in the kitchen by yourselves with your parents just down the hall," she winked at them, laughing at the blushes that bloomed on both sets of cheeks, "You're right, Kai-chan, it really is time for all good little boys and girls to be in bed. Come on now, say goodnight to your friend. I'll be waiting at the door." She winked at them and left again, shutting the door behind her.
"How did she know?" Aoko whispered, looking at Kaito with wide eyes.
"It's a mom thing, I think," he explained, looking a little wide-eyed himself, "I'd better get to the door before she comes looking for me. Sweet dreams, Aoko, no more nightmares now," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her forehead. She swatted at him then wove her fingers into his hair to tug him down for a proper kiss before pushing him toward the door.
"Oyasumi, now get going!" she giggled.
When he got to the door, Kaito had thankfully managed to wipe the shit-eating grin off his face. 'Good thing I've had so much practice as Kid!' he thought to himself.
Yay! Another chapter done, and just in time before I leave tomorrow for Acen!
A couple of notes in this:
1: konketsuji: This means a child of mixed Japanese and Gaijin ancestry.
2: Yes, I know Houdini didn't actually die on stage OR in the water torture chamber, but it sounded good. :P Besides, he did have a stubborn determination to do his act no matter what, so it still fits.
Oh, and I apologize to everyone. I tried to keep Hakuba totally Mundane, I really, really did! I fought him having any hint of "power" tooth and nail, but Akako just wouldn't have it. She had to have something to hang over his head, so blame her, not me.
I also appologize for Kaito being somewhat OOC at the end of this chapter. I blame all the crazy shyte that's happened to him in the last two days, I think his brain is breaking. Just a little, of course
The next chapter should be much less with the talking and more with the action, so look forward to it! And once again thank you to my small fanbase for reading my humble little fic, I'm always so cheered to hear from you.
