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.

I would to profusely thank OnyxKatana for helping me with the twenty-second act of Paper Faces. It has been a long process with Hurricane Irma hitting my hometown pretty hard and trying to finish up pharmacy technician school, but the fruits of labor have finally paid off. So without further do, let the intermission close and the chapter commence for our audience! :)

Beneath the neutral but mildly excited expression of Ishikawa's client, Kaito observed the antique dealer with a critical eye. In his line of work as both a magician and KID, the teen had learned that there was more to a person than what they did for a living or even how they interacted in society. So far, this visit had undergone signing a few confidentiality agreements for Ishikawa, who was now carefully examining the spherical container with gloved hands.

Ishikawa seemed extremely interested in the item, and had barely spared 'Shinichi' a second glance since the object was handed over to him. One could assume that he was just that passionate about what he did, and entirely invested in his work, but Kaito knew better. After all, this was a man who was owned by the Organization through and through. All his interest in the antique was simply because there was even the slightest possibility that he was holding Pandora in his hands. The blood-red gem with an even redder history. And this was the closest that any member of the Organization had ever come to it.

Kaito knew he was playing a dangerous game here, and the stakes were very, very high. One wrong step and everything that he, his father and Shinichi had worked for could crash and burn in bullets. Due to the stretched out battle of wits between KID and the Organization, his enemies had gotten desperate and were prone to rash decisions, which seemed to have gotten worse since Shinichi's transfer to Ekoda High.

They would do anything, and absolutely anything, to get their hands on the treasure they desired so badly. The proof of such greed appeared when they tried to murder Shinichi, and the Organization had come pretty damn close to succeeding. His Shin-chan, the Detective of the East, who was their only link at Pandora.

But Kaito had enough of just examining his opponent's moves on the proverbial chessboard. This time, it was his move. The teen magician had made Shinichi promise to stay at home with Aoko and Hakuba. It was pretty easy to persuade them, considering the sleuth's condition. She was barely able to move without some assistance. Shinichi, on the other hand, was an entirely different story; she'd kicked up a fuss and kept saying that she had to go or else more people could get hurt. However, with a few well-structured arguments from her "other half", Kaito was able to convince Shinichi to remain at her apartment complex.

The plan was simple enough: while Shinichi recovered from her injuries, Kaito would meet Ishikawa as the raven-haired teen herself. The pair shared enough facial features for the deception to be believable, and it helped tremendously that Kaito was a master in the fine art of disguise. Coupled with the fact that he knew Shinichi like the back of his hand, Kaito could easily play her part. This little get-together with the antique dealer was more of a recon mission, collecting enough evidence to proof that Ishikawa really was an agent of the Organization. In return, the Organization would be convinced that Shinichi was alive and active.

What Kaito conveniently forgot to mention to Shinichi was that he'd done a little more poking and prodding, and he was as good as convinced that Ishikawa was in league with the Organization. Keeping that in mind, he had come sufficiently prepared, should things go south, as they were so prone to doing recently. Their current situation reminded him of the calm before the storm. And what a storm it would be.

For his part, Ishikawa had been analysing the case for a long time now. Finally, he put it down with a soft exhale, and removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "Well, Kudo-san, I must admit, you've brought me an intriguing item. Most intriguing."

'Shinichi' widened her eyes in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Ishikawa sat down in front of 'Shinichi', resting his hands on the desk. Levelling a somber gaze, he responded to his client in a low, professional tone of voice. Kaito had to give him points for theatrics.

"This article here is exquisitely crafted, as you can very well see. However, what is so intriguing about it is the craftsman. I have very strong reasons to believe that this was created a little known inventor who had lived in darker days of early modern France. As you may or may not be aware, the French nobility had lived in decades of excessive decadence without ever having to pay taxes, leaving the financial strain on the lower classes and ultimately culminated to national unrest, and eventually, the French Revolution of 1789. Despite living in luxurious townhouses or even Versailles itself, there were a few aristocrats who were fiercely protective of their investments and possessions.

One aristocrat in particular wanted a priceless gem to be protected, a treasure he had brought back with him from Greece. Therefore, the inventor had been commissioned to create a failsafe for this jewel, and then vanished from history along with the gem until being it was sold at an auction in Germany in the early days of World War II. The buyer, as it turns out was a gentleman named Dietrich Fuchs," Ishikawa flipped through a file on his desk. "Not much is known about him. Records show that he'd served in the Schutzastaffel until Berlin fell in 1945 and died from a heart attack at 75."

The "detective" raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I never knew that this strange box had such a wealth of history behind it." However, Kaito was well aware of the container's history. In fact, he'd gone to the one other person who knew about Pandora: the cute, scary girl named Haibara.

The night he had left the hospital, Kaito called Shin-chan's parents with a heavy heart and inform them about what happen to their daughter. Even now, he couldn't figure out what was harder for the magician to do: inform the people responsible for bringing his beloved into the world on her condition, or make Haibara the third person to know the Kaitou KID's true identity.

But even when there was a silver gun was staring at him right in the face, Kaito stayed calm and explained everything he could to the little scientist with his Poker Face. He humbly asked for her help, knowing that it was because of Haibara that Kudo Shinichi had been able to return to her friends and family. Seeing his blatant honesty, Haibara had acquiesced and relayed whatever she knew about Pandora to Kaito. He was able to absorb everything like a sponge while performing mental cross references with what he already knew or suspected. In almost two hours, he had more than enough information about Pandora and its properties. Along with Haibara's own input on the crows she'd worked with in the past, Kaito was able to build a foolproof plan to bring down his enemies once and for all.

Kaito had the container, but he had no idea how to open it. There was a strong possibility that the Organization knew how to open the spherical object, though they needed to gets their hands on it to unlock its secrets. From Haibara's notes, the Organization may also be in possession of the Box; in order to make the machine work again and produce Pandora's Tears, they needed one more key. The jewel itself, which was right in Ishikawa's slimy grasp.

It was a huge risk, but Kaito needed the Organisation to open the item that contained Pandora. That was why the teen prankster had gone through the elaborate ruse with impersonating Shinichi and meeting up with Ishikawa. Speaking of which, Kaito could sense that the antique dealer was extremely jumpy. He was either highly excited, or nervous, maybe even a bit of both. It seemed like he knew more about Pandora than he was letting on. Even now, he was almost trembling when he spoke to his client.

"This box is more precious than you can imagine, Kudo-san. From the weight of it, and considering its material, I have a strong suspicion that something is contained inside it. Perhaps some long-forgotten treasure from the French Revolution itself?"

"Why, Ishikawa-san, surely you don't mean that?" 'Shinichi' widened her eyes even more, and let out a small gasp of surprise. Then, she tilted her head to a side, as if in deep thought, "But if what you say is indeed true, then there must be a way to open the box. Crack the safe, if you would." From the way Ishikawa tensed for a second, Kaito knew that Ishikawa knew how to open it.

On the other hand, the magician could not push Ishikawa too far or else the dealer wouldn't give Kaito the information he wanted. So he decided to pull back ever so slightly, leaning against the spine of the chair. "But you say this treasure goes back to the French Revolution, correct? There's a strong possibility that the key to opening it might've gotten lost during that perilous era, or it already belongs to someone else. I heard that it's a common problem with antiques like these; there's always a buyer, and finding them could be like seeking out a needle in a haystack."

'Shinichi' shrugged. "Still, it was nice of you to tell me about this item's history. Maybe I'll keep it in my living room as a conversation piece, might liven up the place a bit," The raven-haired 'female' wobbled ever so slightly as 'she' grabbed the crutches on the side. Kaito raised a hand towards the shell-shocked Ishikawa, a friendly smile stretched across his mask. "Thanks again for your time. Do you think Aoyagi-san could bring that out to the waiting room for me? I need to use the restroom." Just as Kaito was about to leave the office, Ishikawa called out to his client.

"W-Wait a minute please, K-Kudo-san!"

Kaito could not be more thankful for the fact that his back was facing Ishikawa at that moment. After all, it wouldn't do any good for his Poker Face to break the illusion of a cool detective would it? "Yes, Ishikawa-san? Is something wrong?" The magician watched from the corner of his eye as the antique dealer released a low cough.

"N-Nothing to worry about, Kudo-san. I only just remembered something. You must excuse my memory, being the old man that I am."

'Shinichi' shrugged, nearly resisting the urge to roll 'her' eyes at the half-baked lie. Jii could come up with a more persuasive excuse than that. "It's quite alright, happens to the best of us. What seems to be on your mind?"

Ishikawa appeared to be in deep thought for a moment, however, Kaito could tell instantly that he was putting on an act. In less than a few minutes, the dark-haired teen would know if he had played his cards right today.

"Well, Kudo-san, now that I think of it, I do remember a buyer approaching me a few days ago. A collector of antiques from the French Revolution, to be precise. Among other trinkets, he asked me to examine a set of manuscripts from a trip he recently purchased in Europe. I'm fairly certain, if my memory doesn't deceive me, that I saw a box very much similar to yours on one of them."

Behind his politely bored Poker Face, Kaito grinned. Ishikawa had fallen for it. Hook, line and sinker. Nonetheless, the magician continued to maintain the illusion that he was oblivious to the dealer's true intentions.

"I believe he would be interested in buying your antique. Perhaps, they may even possess the key to your box, considering the vast collection of items he has purchased over the years. I believe he might also possess the blueprints of the box, but it could already be in the hands of someone else. Would you like me to arrange a meeting?"

'Shinichi' softly smiled at him. "That is a stroke of luck, indeed! I hadn't considered selling this, but I could give it a thought. If it's not too much trouble for you, Ishikawa-san, I would like to meet this person. Perhaps this item is exactly what he was looking for."

The dealer almost hurried to get a pad and a pen from an adjacent drawer. "Kudo-san, could you please leave your contact details with me? So that I may call you to confirm the meeting later?"

'Shinichi' nodded. "Yes, just a moment. Could you please ring for Aoyagi-san to help me with the item? My ride should be outside shortly to pick me up."

As Ishikawa turned to his desk, 'Shinichi' quickly unscrewed the pen and slid a tiny electronic device inside. A small audio transmitter. Kaito had earlier placed a similar one under the edge of Ishikawa's desk. Closing it, 'she' pretended to fiddle around with the pen for a moment, as if working out how it opened.

In a slow, messy scrawl, 'Shinichi' wrote down 'her' name and a mobile number. On the surface it appeared to be an ordinary number that could be reached anywhere, though in truth, it was that of a disposable cell phone which hooked up to KID's computer. Kaito could remotely access it, after passing a number of security firewalls and protocols. The magician wasn't taking any more chances with the Organization.

Handing over the stationary, 'Shinichi' hobbled out of the door, with a polite smile and nod to Ishikawa. Only once he was out of the building and inside the dark blue car with tinted windows, did Kaito allow a shark-like grin to curve his lips as he slipped off his disguise.

The Organization would come running to them once Ishikawa reported to his supervisor. And report he would; Kaito had given him too much incentive to do otherwise.

"Did it go as planned, Bocchan?" Jii asked from the driver's seat, eyeing his surrogate grandchild from the rear-view mirror.

"Oh, Jii-san, it went better than planned~!" The messy haired grinned wide, reclining against the leather seat. "Ishikawa took the bait, and he'll be reporting the 'good news' to the puppeteer of the Organization, who'll finally come out of the shadows to obtain his prize. Jii, the final battle will be here sooner than we can blink."

The bespectacled male hummed in agreement. "That's good news, Bocchan. Kudo-chan will be pleased to know that."

"Shin-chan will be delighted, although she's going to huff that I 'left her out of the action'. Say, Jii-san, take a small detour to that bakery near Shin-chan's apartment, will you? A little something sweet should cheer her up~!"

Jii nodded with a small grin of his own and drove off to their next destination. About an hour later, Kaito was back at Clyro Villa with two snow-white boxes in one hand while the other appendage held the spare key to Room 223. Still grinning like a lovestruck fool he unlocked the front door and hollered, "Honey, I'm home~!"

The response that Kaito received was snarky, yet so full of affection that it made his chest cavity swell in happiness. "Get over here, you scoundrel!"

Yup. That's his Shin-chan all right~!

Once the magician locked the front door behind him and slipped off his shoes, Kaito's dark blue orbs softened at the lovely sight. Sitting in the living room with a stack of books next to her on the couch was the Detective of the East, pant-clad legs elevated in the air by a stack of pillows on the coffee table. But she looked far from happy.

For good measure, and perhaps to turn the sour look on Shin-chan's face upside down, Kaito gasped dramatically as he placed the confectionary on the marble counter, a hand over his heart. "Oh, how could you be so cruel after all I've done for you, my dear detective?!"

Shinichi released an unladylike snort. "All you've done for me, indeed. You left me here. With Hakuba-kun and Aoko-chan, who are more overprotective than my own parents. Meanwhile, you were outside, gallivanting around and playing hero while disguised as me."

"But I-!"

The sleuth crossed her arms, turning away from the magician. "Go away, Kaito. Get lost. I never want to see your infuriatingly adorable face again." Kaito gaped at his female companion.

"But, Sh-Shin-chan!"

"What?"

"I brought you cake! And free hugs~!"

The young woman blinked in surprise at Kaito once, then twice before she released a heavy sigh. "I'll forgive you this time, but only because there's cake involved. And I'm hungry. But you can keep the hugs."

Kaito smirked. "You know you can't resist my 'infuriatingly adorable' face, Shin-chan~!" That remark earned the magician a pillow landing right in the face. "Jeez, Shinichi! What did I do to deserve the fluffy fury of a pillow?!"

"Because you talk too much, Kuroba-kun. And I want some cake."

Snickering at the detective's childish response, he pulled out utensils from a nearby drawer before four slices of chocolate cake were divided evenly on two plates. Because what better reward would there be for a gentleman thief than enjoying a sugary treat with the woman he loves after a long day of hard work?

Walking over to the couch, Kaito placed his portion down on the far left corner of coffee table before he handed Shinichi her plate. "Well, what if I was to tell you that the meeting with Ishikawa ended so beautifully that he'll arrange a meeting with a 'buyer' who may very well have the key to our precious cargo?" He asked, licking his lips at the sight of the delicious morsel.

Shinichi gave him a deadpanned expression. "I'd say you are either a recklessly impulsive but brilliant man, or it's just an excuse to take advantage of my current condition." The sleuth replied, taking a small bite of her own cake. It wasn't that bad. Maybe a...little too sweet for her liking?

"Shin-chan!"

"It's the truth, and you know it."

The couple soon fell silent, enjoying each others' company and their little snack. Once the plates were licked clean, Kaito grabbed them so he could put them in the sink to be washed, much to Shinichi's annoyance. Yet when the deed was completed, the Detective of the East decided to reward Kaito for his efforts.

Releasing a small sigh, Shinichi extended both of her arms in the air and towards the magician, "Come here. I'm cashing in on that free hug."

Kaito almost bounded over to the girl, mindful not to jostle her. What followed was less of a hug and more of Kaito behaving like a cat, as he rubbed against her cheek. Shinichi smiled a little, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Hey, Kuroba-kun? You know, you'd make a pretty good cat. Although slightly high-maintenance." Shinichi snickered at the offended pout stretched across his face before she cured with a small peck on the corner of his mouth. "But seriously, don't scare me like that again. I know you wanted to help, and I really appreciate what you've done...I just don't want to go back to the hospital again, and this time it might be your life on the line," The fingers in Kaito's dark head tightened ever so slightly. "Okay?"

Kaito turned his big blue eyes on Shinichi, observing her slightly furrowed brow and concerned eyes. "If you think I'll willingly let you walk in to face the Organization alone, you've got another thought coming. There's no way I'm letting them touch a single hair on your head, not as long as I live. They've taken too much from me. There's no way in hell I'm letting them take you too."

"Kaito - "

"I'm serious, Shin-chan. I can't lose you."

"And you won't, Kaito." The raven-haired teen smiled down at him, moving one of her hands to cup the magician's cheek. Kaito leaned into her touch, gently nuzzling his face against the slightly calloused palm that smelled faintly of vanilla flowers and almonds. A unique perfume that most likely came from the stack of books on the detective's other side. "How are you so certain of that?" He asked.

"Because KID will be the one who'll be watching my back, and he should know that I'll watch over his, no matter what happens," Shinichi leaned in and softly kissed the tip of Kaito's nose. "If it helps, you can tell KID that I'll make sure to have Professor Agasa upgrade both my wristwatch and soccer ball belt before this meeting."

Kaito cracked a grin. "Just don't aim either of those at him this time, hmm?"

"Well, I'm not making any promises. He's a proper rogue. I need to keep him in line."

The prankster rolled his eyes, lightly bopping Shinichi on the nose for her teasing remark. "Hey, I have it on good authority that Kaitou KID, the Gentleman Thief, does not steal from others' jewellery boxes. Unclaimed jewels are fair game."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What makes you so sure?"

"Just a feeling. If I had to guess, I'd say he's found a jewel of his own. Possibly dark-haired, with sapphire eyes, and the cutest button nose. Although," Kaito leaned towards the sleuth until the tips of their noses touched each other. "I'd have to say, yours is rather cute too."

Shinichi's cheeks bloomed to a light shade of magenta at the unexpected gesture of affection. "I-Idiot!" The response she received from Kaito was a lazy grin. "Yeah, but I'm your idiot." He tightened the grip he around the detective's middle. "And I'll never let you go."

It looks like Kaito was successful in his recon mission! But despite the immense fluffiness between him and his dear critic over slices of delicious chocolate cake, what will happen now in their battle against the Organization? Will the mastermind behind this devious syndicate finally reveal themselves through Ishikawa, or are the pair falling into a trap that even the great Kaitou KID could not have foreseen? Decisions, decisions :)

Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added Paper Faces to their alert lists.

See you next illusion. - (KID caricature)