Chapter 13: To Earn A Thief's Trust
After the less than ideal conclusion to their first talk last time, Hakuba returns for a second try. But now, he needs to let Kid know about his next move. If the detective was to get the other guy to join up with police efforts one day, he first had to fulfill his own end in order to show that they had the ability to work towards their common goal.
On the night he found Kaitou Kid bleeding nearly to his death, Hakuba hurried back to speak with his father after seeing to it that the thief would be in good hands at the hospital. Apart from the fact that Kid's life was hanging by a thread back then, his other main concern was getting his father's approval on spending time and resources on this particular case.
The Superintendent General knew that Hakuba was investigating something that the police had tried to hunt down before, but the group always made sure to silence any threat against them with either money or murder. Before Hakuba had even set foot in Japan almost two years ago, his father had warned him over the phone about them detecting an increase in activity from a large criminal organization.
As soon as Hakuba heard that, he immediately thought about the group that Spider worked for. From what little the Superintendent General was willing to tell his own son, their methods of operation were similar to Spider's group. At first, Hakuba believed that it was the same mysterious organization that he was after.
But his theory swiftly crumbled when the news of the organization's defeat spread like wildfire and yet, Gunter Von Goldberg II still showed his face in public like nothing happened and suspicious deaths kept occurring wherever the man went. It was then that Hakuba understood that he was dealing with an entirely separate organization, with him seemingly one of the few fully aware of its existence.
A problem arose when he couldn't figure how to bring police attention towards the group, which had a less known presence yet they had similar wide reach and secretive tendencies. Hakuba had reluctantly accepted that he would have to wait until the fallout from the larger syndicate settled down years later before bringing forth a similar case to the police. But when Kudo had told Hakuba about his involvement and then offered to help, it gave him renewed hope that the group he had been chasing after would finally be investigated.
In an unexpected turn of events, Kaitou Kid had been caught, or at least to some extent. Hakuba would never forget the surprise he felt at discovering the first time Spider had targeted Kid during a heist, just when he thought the two criminals he chased after had nothing to do with one another. After that happened, Hakuba knew that there must be a connection of sorts between Kid and the organization. With Kid finally under custody now, he saw the chance at learning more about the group's relatively unknown goal.
During their first visit, he brought Kudo along. The other detective had interacted with Kaitou Kid before just like he did, albeit mainly under a different form and name, which hopefully meant that they would have an easier time talking. In the end, Kudo turned out to be more helpful than Hakuba could have imagined. What were the odds that Kudo knew exactly how to figure out Kid's real identity?
But the two of them met another bump on the road. After uncovering Kid's real name, something about the thief's background struck them as curious, if not outright troubling. It seemed like Kaitou Kid's connection to the organization spanned further back than Hakuba had believed. What looked like infighting between criminals turned out to be something else. However, with Kid refusing to talk, he had a hard time figuring out the organization's goals and the reason behind Kaitou Kid's assassination attempts.
With Inspector Nakamori behind him, Hakuba knocked and entered Kid's room after taking in a deep breath. This would mark his second attempt at talking to the thief. Kudo decided not to accompany them this time. The other detective had his own matters to deal with.
Almost two days had passed since their first visit, Hakuba hoped that this one would be their last talk inside the hospital.
If he and Nakamori dropped by any more often despite all of the people associated with them having been discharged, then it would begin to raise some questions. Kaitou Kid's stay in there must remain a secret, or else they risked Spider coming back to finish off the thief while he couldn't defend himself. In addition to having a person's life at risk, Hakuba would rather not lose his best bet on reaching his goal after encountering so many dead ends.
Upon entering, Hakuba saw that Kid was lying on his side with his back turned towards them. It seemed like Kid had recovered enough so that the doctors removed the IVs, allowing him to properly wear the jacket he previously had draped on his shoulders.
And just like before, Hakuba brought the thief's belongings along with him.
Nakamori spoke first. "Kid, we know you're awake."
As Hakuba also guessed, Kid merely pretended to be resting. Without any visible stiffness or even a sound, Kid sat up and looked at them with little interest.
There was something unnatural about seeing Kid so jaded right off the bat. Taking the initiative, Hakuba stepped forward and asked an ordinary question to begin their talk. No need to start off the wrong foot. "How are your injuries? Better, I hope."
Flexing his right hand, Kid nodded slowly. "My wounds have closed, but they're still sore. Healing is taking a while because of the poison. The doctor said that it will take another week before the toxins clears away."
"I see." Hearing Kid talk somewhat reassured Hakuba. "Then I think it's time we discuss what to do next."
Kid's eyes bounced between him and the inspector. "You're the one calling the shots, aren't you?"
"While I am technically overseeing this case, Inspector Nakamori is still the task force's leader. Which means that he still plays a part in deciding." Not that he particularly liked the inspector's brashness.
It earned a grunt from the inspector. "You mean your father is supervising this, Hakuba-kun. The Superintendent General is currently the man allowing this entire thing to happen. Without his permission, we would be swamped with multiple officials from every damned department imaginable for violating a whole bunch of rules just to keep Kid's presence here confidential."
"Right." The blond breathed out, painfully aware that he was technically riding on his father's coattail. But at this point, he would take any advantages he had to arrest Spider and his associates. "My father has been made aware that there exists a group of criminals similar to the ones Kudo-kun had to deal with. It was the reason why my father agreed to arrange matters behind the scenes to keep things quiet."
"So, what's the verdict?" Kid tugged the edge of his hood, further covering his eyes along with his bangs. "Am I to be interrogated again? Shipped to another facility and interrogated there? Or, am I stuck here for the foreseeable future?"
Shifting on his feet, Hakuba got started on the topic he needed to discuss with Kid. "Because of the potentially drastic nature of this, we can't bring you anywhere without causing a wave of unforeseen consequences and complicating matters for my father. Staying here isn't an option either, as our frequent visit and the consistent presence of guards in the hospital would begin to draw attention. In other words, our options are limited but clear."
Kid lifted his head towards the detective, now intrigued by what he would suggest.
As for Nakamori, the man already knew what Hakuba was going to propose since they had briefly discussed the issue before. Yet, he groaned at the thought of it. "It's ridiculous, and you know why I think that."
Ignoring the inspector's comment, Hakuba walked closer to Kid and lifted the bag strap over his head. "Here, I'm handing your equipment back to you. I didn't take anything away except for the shirt I used to staunch your wound." Apart from a cursory look for any dangerous objects, Hakuba had resisted the urge to inspect Kaitou Kid's gadgets and other knickknacks. He just had to make sure that he wasn't carrying around anything volatile or hazardous, with the card gun being the sole exception.
With widened eyes, Kid saw the detective set the duffel bag down at his side. His gaze darted from the thing and back to Hakuba, realization slowly unfolding at the implications. "You're… letting me go?"
"Yes, but under some conditions which you will need to follow." Hakuba was aware that Kid could easily reach into the bag at any moment and pull out something to make his escape in a split second–that is if the thief had been in top shape.
Looking down apprehensively, Kid spoke with an undertone. "I can just pretend to agree, and then hide away once I'm out."
"But you won't." Hakuba responded matter of factly, confident in Kaitou Kid's nature as a man of honour.
"...!"
Unable to contain himself, Nakamori yelled out in protest. "You're just sending him out there to die! Those killers will search for him, won't they? What's Kid going to do if they know that he's out there and not dead?"
The detective disagreed. "No, keeping him under watch while we have limited resources to work with might be more dangerous than not."
"I-I don't get why you would just set him free."
Turning to face the inspector, Hakuba sighed as he shook his head. "Kid might be living in secret under a false identity, but the fact that he's still alive now speaks for itself. He already had a way to hide from them." By using the name and face Kid had been using so far, it would be the most effective and simple way of keeping the thief safe.
Still fuming, Nakamori's hands shook in disbelief. "We-we're just going to return him to his civilian life and pretend as if nothing happened?!"
"From the outside, yes. But Kid will still technically be under surveillance." Hakuba glanced at Kid who returned him an unreadable stare.
Nakamori swept a hand over his hair, grumbling as he did so. "In other words, you're suggesting house arrest."
"Not quite." Before Hakuba could disclose anything further, he needed Kid to openly agree to follow through with the plan. "Kid, I agreed with Kudo-kun to begin investigating the Blue Parrot case."
Unsurprisingly, one of the thief's brows twitched at the mention of that.
Hakuba continued. "Over the past week, I have done nothing but gather a list of names of the people who were combing through the crime scene that day, those that approved and reviewed the investigation, as well as the staff inside the forensics department."
Kid looked unimpressed. "And as I said before, I won't cooperate just because you said you would look into Jii's death."
"I know, but please reconsider. We'll let you go, and in exchange I'll do my best to fulfill my end." The thief had been right back during their first talk. The incident did come across as a mild oddity to Hakuba at first–another case pulling him away from his hunt after the organization. But when he had learnt that it was related to Kaitou Kid, it gained his full attention.
Currently, the real issue was that doing background searches on so many individuals to find signs of misconduct would take a lot of time. "I swear that I will track down the people that tampered with the scene and find the ones that's behind the false report. I just need more time. If at any point you think that I can't deliver on that promise or that it isn't enough compensation, then...you're free to run."
Narrowing ever so slightly, Kid's eyes held in place as if studying the detective's words. What Hakuba offered to Kid had a great deal of freedom for the thief's side of things. In exchange for agreeing to cooperate with the police, Kid would be allowed to go back to his civilian life on the condition that he also followed Hakuba's terms. Escaping at any time would be a simple matter.
Kid looked away for a few seconds before returning to Hakuba. "...Fine. But what's the catch?"
Relieved by Kid accepting to work with them, disregarding the vagueness of it, Hakuba smiled cautiously as he revealed the rest of his condition. "Since we can't have your day-to-day identity under constant watch from the police without drawing attention from other officials, I figured it would be best to have you spend most of your time in a place where we know your whereabouts and we can keep an eye on you."
"And that would be…?"
"You will enroll in school as a transfer student, where I also attend." It was the least resource-intensive way of keeping Kid within sight. Plus, 'Kurokawa Haneji' would blend in seamlessly.
That somehow triggered the strongest reaction out of Kid they have yet to see. His jaw fell open as he stared back with abject shock. "Y-you've got to be joking." Similarly flabbergasted was the inspector.
"In addition, you will have to contact a task force officer every day in-person to show that you're still following our agreement. I'll leave it up to you to choose who, when, and where." With that said, Hakuba wrapped up the other end of the deal. "All of this begins on Monday, next week. For now, you are to return home and rest. We've posted a few temporary watchers around your house as a safety measure, but they will leave once your recovery period is over."
Gnawing at the inside of his lower lip, Nakamori walked out of the hospital building for the final time. Good. Because the unmoving atmosphere and smell of antiseptic was starting to give him feelings of paranoia. But he didn't walk out carefree.
Following closely behind him was Kid, dressed up as one of the task force officers. The disguised thief tailed him all the way to his car, and sat on the passenger side while Nakamori sheepishly joined in on the driver's seat. With the benefit of the sun having long ducked away under the horizon and obscuring the surrounding area, Kid pulled off the mask and quickly put on some glasses that he fished out of his bag.
As he leaned towards the window side looking out, Kid stated plainly without much enthusiasm. "Drop me off at the nearest train station. I can go from there."
"I'm not your personal chauffeur, sheesh… " Nakamori muttered as he adjusted his seatbelt before starting the car's engine.
Even though their destination wasn't far, the drive over felt like it lasted a long time due to the stuffy silence inside the car. During it, Nakamori replayed the conversations he had with Kid and what he had learned from Hakuba's report after his first visit a couple of days ago.
To think that a mother and child had to fake their deaths to escape assassins that targeted them was unreal. Although the police had found out the true identities behind Kaitou Kid, the reason for the first thief's death remained shrouded in mystery. The task force could find no way of contacting the mother either. All they knew was that she was alive and occasionally spoke to Kid, but even her own son was unaware of where she was. That may have been by design, but with Kid's sole guardian dead or missing, the responsibility to keep a rein on him now fell to the inspector by default.
As for what exactly that entailed, it's not like Nakamori had spent enough time with the boy to know. He doubted he would have to do much, considering it was a teen capable of carrying the role of an international criminal.
Sporadically during stops at red lights, the inspector tentatively glanced at his side. From the corner of his eyes, he saw that Kid had not budged at all since the beginning of the trip. Kid has been staring at the scrolling scenery with a glazed look, and not a single time did he seem to take notice of Nakamori eyeing him.
In all honesty, Nakamori had expected Kid to act more smug or gleeful about being essentially set free with nary a slap on the wrist. But following what he learned about the Kuroba family, Nakamori was less than surprised. In fact, he was rather taken aback by how little Kid had actually reacted to everything going on with him. It didn't seem right for any person, let alone a boy his age.
Nakamori spent the rest of the drive mulling over the facts. Only when a train station came into view did he snap back to reality. Pressing on the brake pedal, he stopped the car in a drop-off area.
Kid pushed open the door and had one foot out before he paused. "Thanks." He threw out a quick word as he ducked out of the car, dragging his duffel bag with him.
But before the door could be closed, Nakamori called out. "Kid–" He mentally smacked himself, remembering that he shouldn't be calling him that while outside. "I mean, Kurokawa-kun."
As if he were being pulled by an invisible rope tied to him, Kid took a step back and turned around to look at Nakamori with a flat expression.
"You know what Hakuba-kun said about needing to check-in with one of us on the daily?" Nakamori brought a fist to his mouth, feeling the need to clear his throat in order to proceed. "What I mean is that, um, you can drop by at my place or even my office if you feel like it. You know, in case there isn't anyone available."
"..."
The way Kid stared back without a sound or movement made him nervous. He couldn't quite figure out if Kid took his offer seriously or was about to shrug it off with a snarky remark. Both of which were possible in his opinion.
Dropping his gaze to the ground after a solid moment of silence, Kid simply nodded and pulled away to push the car door close. Nakamori watched Kid slink away, feeling ambivalent about the response he got from him.
Making sure that Kid was long gone inside the station and could no longer see him, Nakamori slumped down over the steering wheel. His forehead rubbed against the fake leather as he groaned. Truly, hell must have frozen over because he never imagined that one day he would willingly invite Kaitou Kid into his own house.
A/N: doesn't have any chapter summary/recap section. Let me know if you want one at the start of each chapter. (it will identical to the ones I already have on AO3, but I'm too lazy to edit every text file right now) Thanks for reading!