With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of Detective Conan that rightfully belong to its owner Aoyama Gosho.
This chapter has been edited by OnyxKatana. A shout-out to the beta whose creativity and awesome ideas never ceases to astound me! :) Some of these concepts were included here. Thanks again for all of your help, my dear! :)
If there was one thing that Kuroba Kaito enjoyed doing above all else, it was being able to put a good show. A sleigh of the hand here, and an optical illusion there with the occasional smoke pellet, anything was possible. His magic was an art; and when there is an artist who waits for his calling card to be solved, there is a critic who has already figured out what will KID will steal under the full moon. Unfortunately, one of the downsides to being an intelligent and charming gentleman thief was the lack of excitement.
Albeit incredibly dedicated to his job - and lifelong mission - of arresting KID, Inspector Nakamori was typically drawn into chasing a inflated dummy or shutting off the defensive measures instead of wisely making sure that the elusive young man was not still on the scene or only pretending to have bypassed security. Hakuba Saguru? Let us not journey there dear readers, for it would take too long to explain and Kaito really does not like the uppity prat.
With the newest member of the KID task force also being a student at Ekoda High, Kaito's nightlife took a turn for the worse: he grew even more restless in his search for Pandora, therefore the tricks and traps for each heist grew in both hilarity and mischief. At the pace he was going, it almost seemed possible that flipping Aoko's skirt to every day just to dodge her deadly expertise with a mop would give Kaito that rush of adrenaline he needed before slipping further into boredom.
But on the night that KID would steal the Black Star from the Suzuki Financial Group, he found a little girl on the roof of the Haido City Hotel, telling him to look at the pretty fireworks. This brat was introduced as Edogawa Agatha; a ward to the famous detective Mouri Kogoro, who had possessed a sardonic smirk and keen intellect behind those thick glasses.
Finally. Finally, there was someone he could have fun with after all of this time!
Before he even realized it, and against the advice of Jii, Kaito's alter ego started to subtly bringing the Mouri family to a heist location just to confirm the kid that was with them. And when the magician and Meitantei-chan were alone on a rooftop, their game of cat and mouse began.
Wits were exchanged, followed by whizzing cards and soccer balls until either of them heard the task force catching up to them. KID returned what he stole, flew away via hand glider, and the riveting cycle would repeat.
That night had not been any different.
KID sent Inspector Nakamori a calling card, proclaiming that he would steal Apollo's Chariot at 10 P.M. from the Ekoda Art Museum. Judging by the diameter of the world's largest sunstone and the rich lore behind it, the phantom thief was almost certain that his target was the mythical gem he had been seeking for an eternity. Once he made sure the pieces and the players - including his beloved critic - were in their proper place, KID commenced the countdown to his performance as an unassuming server at the buffet table.
Four.
Three
Two.
One!
With the push of a hidden button that was modified to fit and remain unseen on his silver name tag, the power in the room went out. The darkness and the crowd's diverted attention allowed KID to slip his way to Apollo's Chariot and steal it without being seen. Once the spoils of this evening were safely snuggled in his pocket, the thief pressed the name tag again. In an instant the gallery was filled with bright light again, and KID stood on top of the glass display with an impish smirk on his face that followed with a flourish bow.
"Good evening, ladies and gentleman~!" He greeted the stunned guests in perfect English.
"KID!"
At the sound of Inspector Nakamori's irate voice, another show with KID had begun. The task force tried to grab the gentleman in white but were quickly distracted with yet another smoke pellet and an inflated dummy that was heading towards the museum's south wing.
Again taking advantage of the distracted guests and police, KID began running in the direction of the west wing but he was not alone. Tantei-san and Meintantei-chan were on his tail.
Deciding to give the British sleuth a little reward for his efforts, a trap was remotely activated as soon Meitantei-chan's little feet landed on the nineteenth stair. Within seconds Tantei-san was covered in purple, glittery smoke. The reception KID was music to his ears; loud coughing, followed by Tantei-san cursing at the top of his lungs. The thief sniggered. Just wait until you look in the mirror tomorrow, you bastard!
But as much fun as it had been to prank Tantei-san, there was no sweeter vice for KID than clashing with his favorite detective. That was the highlight of this performance, a grand finale before taking one final bow to the audience!
Since he had a longer stride than Meintantei-chan, KID reached the rooftop first and casually stood near its edge with a shark-like smile stretched across his face. Seconds later, his opponent appeared; for some strange reason, however, KID could not see any smirk on her little face. Meitantei-chan looked...impassive? No, that was not the right word. Tired? Yes, that was it! His critic was tired.
KID ever so slightly a brow. "Penny for your thoughts, Meitantei-chan?" With a flick of his gloved wrist, a 10-yen copper coin appeared. When she did not immediately respond with sarcasm or even a snarky comment, the gentleman thief started to get curious. Why was his critic sulking? There was no fun in engaging a battle of wits if her head was not in the game!
KID opened his mouth to badger the Edogawa brat even further until her soft voice carried over the wind.
"This is not Reichenbach Falls, but I guess it will have to do," Meitantei-chan placed a finger on the belt around her waist. "Let's make this round of cat and mouse into our best one yet, shall we?" She pressed the buckle, and out came a soccer ball. KID was so surprised to hear those words that he almost got smacked in the face by the damned thing, had he not pulled the trigger of his card gun a second later, instantly deflating the flying object.
At that very moment, their game had begun.
Neither of them knew how much time had passed; between dodging flying projectiles and feeling that wonderful, thumping adrenaline flowing their veins, it almost seemed like KID and the KID Killer were trapped in a world of their design while the task force were caught in heaven knows what mechanisms the thief had planted in the museum tonight.
Sadly though, exhaustion soon kicked in and ended the evening duel with a draw. Huffing, KID pulled out Apollo's Chariot to the moonlight and looked at it carefully through his monocle. The sunstone shined beautifully, yet there was not a hint of dark red in its core.
This gem was not Pandora.
KID frowned in disappointment, but the expression was soon wiped off his face when Meitantei-chan broke the silence between them.
"Can you please do me one last favor?"
Indigo-dyed orbs widened a fraction at the uncharacteristic meekness in his critic's voice before KID averted his attention back to her. He watched the brat carefully remove her glasses, then threw them at him. The thief easily caught them but grew even more confused at Meitantei-chan's bizarre behavior.
"Brat?"
The KID Killer exhaled a deep breath and then held out her hand. " First of all I need that jewel back, KID, it doesn't belong to you. And...I just want say thanks, you know, for going all out tonight. You were a worthy adversary, the best I've ever known. But...it's time to say good-bye."
KID looked at the tiny girl with a vague hint of expression painted on his trademark poker face for a less than a minute until he stepped forward to take her tiny hand in his much larger one. Giving her a firm handshake, he pressed Apollo's Chariot into her palm. He was still hopelessly confused by his little critic's behavior, but he gave her his trademark grin, and stepped back to the edge.
"See you around then, Meitantei-chan~!"
But little did KID realize as he sailed across the night sky, this evening's performance was truly the last heist Edogawa Agatha would ever attend.
When he send out a calling card to the police that he the supposedly cursed gem Black Widow from its illustrious owners, KID was disappointed to only see his regular guests Tantei-san and Inspector Nakamori in the audience, therefore making tonight's show much more boring when Meintantei-chan is not around. After he examined the onyx jewel under the moonlight and returned it, KID escaped from the museum's rooftop and pondered what Agatha said to him almost three weeks ago.
"You were a worthy adversary, the best I've ever known. But...it's time to say good-bye."
Good-bye? What did Meitantei-chan mean by saying good-bye? Is she gonna be busy in school when summer vacation is over or something? KID frowned at the thought momentarily before he brushed that thought away with a sly grin. Nah, it isn't possible! Even if she is in elementary school, Meitantei-chan always makes time to come see my shows! She'll definitely show up for the next one!
But when KID's next heist arrived his critic was still not there in the audience, nor at the one that took place a month later. Before the teenage thief even realized it, almost two months have gone by and a new semester at Ekoda High would begin very soon.
Yet the question that plaguing KID's mind was: Where is Edogawa Agatha?
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed or favorited. I hope this chapter has lived up to all of your expectations, especially with the introduction of Kuroba Kaito and his alter-ego KID! Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism
Thanks and have a wonderful Labor Day weekend! :)