A/N: This chapter is a whole lot short since it has only one heist included. I thought about making it two but... Oh well.

Introducing: Red Witch Koizumi Akako!

The fourth file: Year of Magic
Sub-file two: The red witch

Shugo hated Valentine's Day. It was never really hyped up back in Finland and the hulabaloo included to it at Japan was ridiculous. Yeah, he got occasional chocolate but he never reciprocate them on White Day. He did draw cards.

"For me? Why I didn't know you thought of me like that… Shugo-kun." Kaito grinned but took the piece of light blue cardboard that Shugo gave him. It was decorated with pictures of magic props, mostly drawn with a white pencil.

"Baka. You know I don't celebrate Valentine's Day like others do." Shugo scoffed as they made their way to the classroom.

"How do you celebrate it then?" Momoi Keiko asked, apparently having heard the tail-end of the conversation.

"Like it is at my father's country. In Finland this day is known as 'Ystävänpäivä', literally meaning Friend's Day. We make cards for our closest friends to tell we appreciate them. Of course due America's influence in Western culture, there is a lot of chocolate in the works too but we rather have chocolate on Christmas…"

"So no romance of couples at all?" The bespectacled girl asked in horror. Several of other girls seemed to echo her sentiments.

"Well… established couples might celebrate it more and go on dates but… Not really." Shugo shrugged.

"I heard from Yamato-san that Shugo was a heartbreaker and said to be cold hearted in his previous schools. He never bought chocolate for girls on White Day." Kaito added. Shugo simply snorted and made his way to his seat.

"Yes, so don't expect anything this year either."

It was during lunch break once again that most of the action happened. Action meaning that boys swarmed around Koizumi Akako, practically begging for chocolate while the… young woman was holding court like a queen or something. Shugo wisely avoided the witch so he wouldn't be ensnared too. He doubted he would but honestly he wasn't sure how Akako's magic worked and wanted neither become a target of her ire nor a mindless drone in her presence.

During the said break, Kaito had gotten quite the lot of chocolate and was grinning happily as he made his way back to the classroom. Shugo just walked after him and wished whatever scene the magician/prankster pulled, would be enough to divert attention from him.

It seemed to succeed. Kaito went to ask Akako for chocolate. Akako slapped him and demanded him to give up all the other chocolate in exchange. Kaito refused. Meanwhile Shugo simply walked to his seat and pulled his books from his bag while he waited for the lesson to start.

"He is a moron, isn't he?" Shugo asked Aoko lightly. The girl huffed.

"Yes, he is. But Kaito wouldn't be Kaito without… well…"

"His occasional obliviousness?"

"And otherwise idiotic tendencies."

"Too true." Shugo chuckled, getting a smile from the inspector's daughter too. The lesson began then and Shugo could swear he felt Akako shooting cold glares at Kaito who was still sitting at the desk diagonally behind Shugo's.

And when Shugo closed his eyes and concentrated, he could feel the red swirling energy simmering just below the witch's skin.

"This will be interesting. I should make sure that all my belongings are with me when I leave school…"

Kaito 'lost' his handkerchief. Shugo swallowed hard. He knew that Akako had stolen it for her spell.

"Do you want me to stop by today?" Shugo asked then. Tonight was a heist. And back-up was always welcomed.

"Uh-huh… Sure." Kaito muttered, distracted as he went through his pockets looking for the handkerchief.

"Good, see you in couple of hours. I'm going home now." Shugo clapped his hand on his friend's shoulder briefly before walking past to other direction.

"Uh… What?"

Shugo was tense. He had been hooked into the security camera system and thus watched Kaito to appear in the gallery room. He opened the glass case… and was doused with some drug. Inspector Nakamori and his men appeared, wearing gasmasks.

"Damn, this is bad…" Shugo muttered, zooming the camera. Kaito retreated and tried to escape but the drug was already working. The thief fell from the ceiling and the task force tried to catch him immediately.

Then…

"Ack…" Kaito breathed. Shugo eyes widened and he tapped the ear piece he had.

"Kaito, you need to get out. Don't fool around. Whatever this is, you need to get away from there. Move!"

"Who's calling me?" Kaito whispered, behind his gloved hand before coughing. Shugo grit his teeth and began packing his equipment. Was Akako's spell so strong that the magician couldn't even hear stuff Shugo told the boy through the radio?

The police grabbed Kaito while the boy was still out of it, hearing the witch's voice. Then he screamed, grabbing at his head while blood trickled down his face. With a plume of smoke, he was gone though.

Shugo loaded all his equipment to his backpack and slid down from the roof top. He could see the trails of red magic in the air, tethering to Kaito and the source of the spell.

"I could get Koizumi's address from school records…" The hacker mused. But was there enough time? "Or then I can follow the red thread…" He looked up where the magic was hovering, now making a loop as Kaito headed towards the source of his pain.

Decision made, Shugo broke into a brisk jog.

Despite the pain, Kaito was in, he moved surprisingly quickly. Shugo had hard time finding him and when he did, they were already at the edge of forest, in front of a creepy looking house.

"Kaito!" Shugo reached for his friend and grabbed his bicep to support him. "I'm not asking if you are alright because you obviously aren't but…"

"Silence, shadow-seer." Came a sharp command. Shugo and Kaito both turned to look at the young woman sitting on a broken, ancient throne and holding a little Kaitou Kid doll.

"A what?" Shugo frowned. Kaito made an attempt to speak but one look from Shugo made him fall silent.

"Who are you?" Akako glared at the older boy(by some months but hey, it was Shugo's 17th birthday soon).

"I'm Midorikawa Shugo, as you should know because we are on the same class." Shugo replied, stepping in front of Kaito, shielding him from the witch's gaze.

"What is your mother's name then?" So she thought Midorikawa was his father's surname? He could work with that.

"…Kagemiya. Kagemiya Tsubasa." Came the answer and Shugo wasn't sure how he knew. The Red witch hissed in anger.

"Kagemiya?! Those no good cowards?! Hiding in shadows and spying the rest of us?!" Akako raged. Shugo watched it in bemusement. Well, that's explain why she didn't even attempt ensnaring him.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't seen my mother in years. Or my father for that matter." Shugo replied dryly.

"No matter. I have no interest in you." Akako waved her hand and it was like an invisible grip had seized Shugo by his throat. The boy gasped for air, colors swirling in his eyes before everything faded to black. The grip let go and the boy slumped to the ground.

"Shugo!" Kaito crouched by his friend, searching for a pulse that fortunately was there.

"I've been waiting for you, my gaudy little rogue." Akako got up from her chair, giggling a bit as the 'distraction' was out of the way. "But now it's your turn to be stolen. I'll be the one to steal your heart." She squeezed the doll, sending another flash of pain through the thief.

"You'll catch a cold dressed like that, ojou-san." Kaito smirked, poker face firmly in place. Akako laughed her high-pitched laugh that was both gleeful and mocking.

"Acting the gentleman even now?"

Shugo groaned as he came to. He wasn't in the forest anymore. That much he knew just by feeling the surface he was lying on. It was a bed.

"Awake I see." A familiar spoke up.

"Kaito… is the witch… dealt with?" Shugo asked slowly as he regained his recollections of what had happened… hours before?

"In a manner of speaking." The bed creaked as the young magician sat next to Shugo. "I broke Akako's spell and dragged you back home. Called Yamato-san and told you were staying the night."

"Okay. Good…" The hacker sighed and opened his eyes. He was in the guest room of Kuroba household. The clock on the wall said it was around one o'clock in the morning. "Hopefully she won't bother us again anytime soon…"

"Except at school."

"Except at school. Well, I'm just glad she won't be trying to get me to join her reverse harem." Shugo heaved his upper body upright. "Even if I'm a bit unsure as to what exactly she knows about my family."

"Secrets? I like." Kaito grinned, leaning his chin against his palm. "I've got your back then Shuu-chan."

"And I got yours Kai-chan." Shugo smirked back.

Next day… Kaito was purposefully oblivious. All that in order to infuriate Aoko. Shugo once again sighed as he took his seat. This would be such a long winter. And probably long years in the future too.

He was curious though… What was going on with his family? Shadow-seer, coward, spy… All those names Akako used on Kagemiya's. It implied that whatever supernatural sense Shugo had was actually genetical.

A/N: I don't have anything specific to talk here... Maybe I'll just jump right to reviews.

Replies to Reviews:

-Hellfire000:
Thank you. There wasn't that much here but I hope you still liked the chapter.

-Tsuki:
Yes, and hopefully it won't be just a one-time thing.

-Zeladious:
Kaito did enjoy his date even if he was worried to death that Shugo might get caught.

-Guest:
Done!