In the dark of the night, the arrival of a single plane drew the attention of the numerous cameras stationed at the entrance. Reporters crowded around the entrance, fighting to be closest to the door as the person they were waiting for made an entrance.
The sounds of her heels created a repetition of clangs against the hard floor. Her long gown was beautifully made, and tailored especially for her. Blonde hair that floated around her shoulders bounced with each step she took. A polite smile graced her lips as sky blue eyes regarded the crowd before her.
Princess Anne of the Duchy of Sabrina had arrived.
The reporters instantly closed in, microphones at the ready as cameras snapped pictures and recorded the questions their respective news stations asked.
"We've heard the purpose of your visit is the famous paintings and gems exhibitions from the Duchy of Sabrina," one reporter managed to speak over the clatter of the others.
"Is that diamond around your neck the famous Lots of Sunshine in Paris?"
"Yes," despite the chaos around her, the princess mantainted admirable composure. Her words came smoothly and fluidly, as though she was a native speaker of the language.
"Will that be on display, too?"
"Of course," she smile brightly, "I'd like to treat my friends in Japan to the sight as much as possible." Her next words however, drew gasps from the audience. "Of course that goes for Kaitou Kid as well."
"So can we take that as a direct challenge to Kid?" One bold reporter grinned after taking a moment to process her words. Over the course of Kid's illustrious and rather infamous career many a challenger had stood against him, but this was the first time royalty had deigned to participate.
"Yes. Naturally, I absolutely will not allow Kid to steal it." Princess Anne vowed. Her next words however, fell more in line with the words of the gracious host she was raised to be."To commemorate this event, we will be holding an opening party at the exhibition hall tomorrow night. For this party so long as you can show magic, you're invited no matter if you're a professional or an amateur. I would also like the children to participate to their hearts' content."
The chatter increased again as the media began to hound the Princess for more information, both on the jewel and the sudden announcement of a party. There was one person, however, who wasn't happy about the news of a party.
"A party?" Nakamori scowled. "They didn't tell me. If they do something like that who knows how taxing my security will be." He began muttering to himself about how he would need to increase the number of officers, and he would need to cover the grounds, look over the blueprints, so much to do.
"Belmont!" The Princess' sudden cry cut through his muttering. "Someone, stop my Belmont!"
The cat, as felines seemed inclined to do, was perfectly content to ignore and even disobey it's owner and curious of it's new surroundings, and used to being accommodated as the treasure of a royal bloodline, was ready to play. It dove out of her arms and, curious of it's new surroundings, headed out to play.
The sudden movement from the cat aroused attention in the previously content spectators. Several people stepped out of the way as the cat made its way through the crowd, either out of a distaste for cats or worry over offending it's owner.
It's path, however, lead straight for the man most displeased with the princess's sudden news. Luckily, it seemed his prickly nature only extended to humans. He extended his arms and soothened his voice, "Kochi, kochi, come over here Belmo-"
Bang!
The sound of a gunshot tossed the crowd into panic. The bullet landed mere inches from where Nakamori had been crouching, and had it travelled an inch more in either direction it would have hit either the Inspector or the Princess' cat. Nakamori himself seemed stunned as he stayed on the ground, eying the bullet hole in incomprehension.
Three more shots rang landing around the cat. Had there been more, it would no doubt have permanently etched his outline into the ground. Nakamori looked up, even as the crowd began panicking, and his eyes landed on the man that had nearly shot him.
He was a foreigner, dressed in a white suit with sunglasses and his hair slicked back in a manner more redolent of a gangster than an officer of the law. He strode through the throngs of people with an easy confidence, almost arrogance really, and picked up the trembling cat in his hands.
"You can't do that, Belmont," he scolded the cat. His voice was sugary and smooth like syrup, if sleazy.
"What the hell was that? I'll arrest you!" Having regained his composure, the sudden action set off Nakamori's legendary temper.
"Hah?" The blonde man turned to him and bemusement turned to recognition, condescension clear in his tone. "Oh, so it's you, the clumsy inspector who's been dancing to Kaitou Kid's tune."
"What was that?" His words enraged Nakamori even more, who clenched his fist and glared at him as he shouted back.
"Europe's number one detective, Delon." Delon removed his sunglasses and looked Nakamori in the eye. Even without the sunglasses, he didn't quite manage to subdue his gangster aura.
Nakamori drew back as if burned, 'Delon. I've heard of him. In order to catch the culprit, he'd even resort to firearms without blinking an eye.'
"Good timing. Let me say this to you first. We won't be needing the assistance of the Japanese police for our party."
"You don't need it?" Nakamori-keibu repeated in incomprehension.
"How could we possibly trust your squad, which has continuously let Kid slip away? Our police force from the Duchy of Sabrina will suffice." The look between the two would have been that of rivals if they had considered each other equals.
Delon turned to the camera directly behind him, "This is for Kaitou Kid. You've been rumored to be the Japanese Arsene Lupin, even in my own country, but you're just another petty thief in my eyes. If you dare to steal the gem glittering around the Princess' neck, then come get it. I'll arrest you within three seconds."
His challenge momentarily silenced those listening to him before the entire room erupted into noise. Delon threw his head back and laughed. It was a boisterous laugh, one that was designed to draw attention though unintentionally irritated as well.
His laugh was cut short when out of the crowd a single girl strode toward him. The boy by her side gaped as she strode through the police force, which quickly parted. There was an air of command about her, both in her movements and even more visible in the instant subservience of the officers around her despite her youth and clear civilian status.
She ignored the wide eyed crowd and her gaping friend and calmly picked up the cat that trembled at Delon's ankles. After he had placed it there to address Nakamori-keibu, it had been too terrified to move and had turned to stone. A trembling stone.
She held it in her arms and every so slowly the trembling cat began to calm. While still slightly scared, it far preferred the newcomer to the loud one. Perhaps it was the mysterious woman's lack of action, or just the distance from the gun-totting detective but the cat relaxed. Alert, but not daring to move just yet, it peered cautiously up at it's new perch.
She, however, seemed more interested in the man she had taken it from.
"How unfortunate to have a detective that uses a gun more than his brain," she raised her head and met his gaze head on. Like Delon had looked at Nakamori before, she now gazed at him in condescension. Turning on her heel she sauntered towards his owner before glancing back over her shoulder, "If you aren't careful detective, you'll soon fill a cell yourself. The next time you decide to shoot a gun in a room full of people think about the consequences first."
She turned her head back again and stopped in front of Belmont's master. "Princess," she nodded and handed over the cat before walking off. The Princess stared in mute shock at the spectacle, moving on instinct to accept the cat, her eyes still on the girl even after she had left the camera's range of vision.
Delon stared in equal shock at the woman, girl really, who had single handedly ruined his parade while Nakamori broke into a pleased grin. Even the officers around him had to hide a smile. It seemed not even a famous foreign detective could handle their boss' daughter.
'She's still the same as ever,' a certain magician thought wryly as his best friend stopped beside him and crossed her arms in irritation. Her eyes flickered to her dad and she seemed worried so he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Aoko sighed, "Tou-san's been pretty down lately, and now he's been taken off security. If that Delon actually did manage to do better than him Otou-san might-" she stopped.
Kaito clenched his hands in his pockets, noticing her frown. He tried to cheer her up and so promptly put his foot in his mouth, "Oi, don't look like that. If we're talking about a hack inspector like your old man, it can't be helped that he's dropped. But then again, it's Kid-sama, no one could catch him." His words drew a narrow eyed glare that made him wince.
"Hmph." She turned her head away and Kaito could tell she was looking at Delon. "If that thief actually manages to get caught by that third rate blockhead I'll break off his limbs and deliver him to the police myself."
Kaito imagined that for a minute, a beaten up Kid missing his arms and legs laying on Nakamori-keibu's desk, and could barley hold back a shudder. He peeked at her expression and immediately shrank back. The last time she had that look on her face she'd kicked someone through a wall.
'And people wonder why Kid doesn't fear the police.' he thought wryly. He would, but only if it was Nakamori-san and not Nakamori-keibu leading them.
It was as he was walking alongside the river after school that he noticed a peculiar sight. Aoko's dad sat on the embankment and was gazing down at the water.
"Keibu?" The voice broke the man out of his reverie. Looking up, he saw a very familiar figure before him.
"Kaito-kun?" With his messy dark hair and unique purple eyes, Nakamori would never have mistaken the boy for anyone else, even without his school uniform.
"What's wrong? Sitting here like this…" Kaito took a seat beside the man.
"As we anticipated, Kaitou Kid sent a heist note." He sighed.
"Oh, about the Duchy of Sabrina's jewel exhibition-thing, right? I saw it on the news."
"The Duchy of Sabrina have taken over security this time. If that Delon-keiji makes me look like a fool, then I'll be pulled off Kid's task force. But then I'll… I'll- but I can't figure him out for the life of me. His methods, his actions, everything. They-"
"Keibu," the word came out surprised, and Kaito admitted that he felt a touch of respect for the man who was trying so hard to understand him. For most of his life Nakamori Ginzo had merely been Aoko's father, a beloved figure in his own right, but confined to that position. But for his alter-ego, Nakamori Ginzo was Nakamori-keibu, the ill-tempered but passionate inspector who had made it his life's mission to capture him.
"Sorry, Kaito-kun. I shouldn't be complaining to you when this is none of your concern. Kid isn't something you should worry about, and Aoko-" his voice cut off abruptly and Kaito's head jerked to him, wondering what the man had been about to say. But he knew it wasn't his place to ask.
Still, his sudden mention of Aoko had caught his attention, like her name always did. A part of him still felt embarrassed for his words the previous day, but it had been too late to take the words back once he had said them. Still, he couldn't get the image of her worried eyes out of his mind. For her who was usually so unflappable to be so worried concerned him.
And maybe if he helped Nakamori-keibu here, it would make Aoko feel better, too. At the very least he could make up for his words.
Suddenly Nakamori-keibu's limbs jerked, as if a puppeteer that had suddenly decided to make use of him. His eyes gained new life, "That's right, Kaito-kun. Will you show me a magic trick?" Ginzo asked him.
"A- A magic trick?"
Ginzo smiled, a father's smile, "Aoko's told me how amazing your magic tricks are." It was a soft smile, one that many would have been surprised to see on the usually fierce inspector's face. And many more would be equally surprised to know how similar it was to the one that graced his daughter's usually aloof face. Kaito couldn't help but soften at that.
"All right then. I'll show you a simple one." He agreed. And with a flourish he held up five cards in each hand,"There are no gimmicks or contraptions. Please watch carefully." Nakamori nodded grimly and he couldn't help but grin at the man's serious face before he made the cards disappear.
"T-They're gone?"
"Here's what incredible," and with a flourish he made the cards reappear, much to the keiji's shock.
"But it's actually not that impressive." He held up his left hand, "I simply had to draw your attention to my left hand while my right hand was actually preparing for the next step." When the hand came out of his pocket, the remaining cards reappeared. "I did it quickly so spectators wouldn't notice. It's essential for magicians."
He threw up his hands and the cards scattered. "Come to think of it, Kaitou Kid is a magician, isn't he?"
Nakamori lowered his head in concentration before understanding struck, 'I see. Since he's a magician, too, he'd also lure his opponents into another place.'
"Magic tricks aren't sorcery, Inspector. There really are gimmicks and contraptions." Kaito explained warmly. He'd forgotten how nice it felt to simply sit down and discuss magic, even at its most basic levels. It had been something he'd done often with his dad, but afterwards, since he was studying by himself it hadn't been something he had done able to do with others.
He was broken out of his memories when Nakamori-keibu suddenly bowed in front of him, "Keibu?"
"Please Kaito-kun, won't you come to the party with me?"
"To the party with you, Inspector?" Confusion rang though his voice.
"Only those who can perform magic tricks are allowed in. If you accompany me, I'll be allowed in, too." Ginzo looked up pleadingly.
'If I cheer the inspector up, Aoko will be happier too… but what should I do?'
"I'm begging you Kaito-kun." Nakamori shook his shoulders. "That guy's definitely going to show up tonight."
Kaito looked at him and sighed. In the end there wasn't much of a choice.
The party was at a giant hall fashioned in a building with Neoclassical architecture. People milled around the grounds, which had been decorated for the occasion. Suits and dresses of all colors and styles mingled, some more stylish than others.
'Of course, I would've come too, but to think I'm here with the Inspector.'
"Don't look so displeased, Kaito." Kaito turned to the third member of their little group. In the midst of a menagerie of colors and designs, Aoko had chosen a sleeveless dark burgundy dress that fell to her knees. There wasn't a single embellishment on it despite the quality of the fabric.
"Is that really what you're going to wear to a Princess' party?" He sighed. It was a nice dress, if austere, but he would have thought going to a party hosted by royalty required a more ostentatious piece.
"Does it matter?" She shrugged. It wasn't like she could change now. He had to admit that she looked nice though. She hadn't bothered with jewelry or makeup and had instead merely fixed her hair, which he guessed was done by a professional, or at least someone who knew how to style hair since he knew for a fact she didn't. She managed to make the look seem simple and elegant rather than threadbare.
"So, why are you here?" It wasn't like she was a magician. And her being here meant he would have to take more precautions to avoid her.
"Why?" She raised an eyebrow, "Does my presence bother you?"
"Nooo," it sounded more like a whine than a calm answer but he couldn't be blamed for feeling exasperated by the extra work she had given him. And he remembered the suspicious look she had had when he had accidentally let go of the jewel and it had landed in the fish. Aoko would be much harder to shake off than her father.
Suddenly, the gates opened and drew enough attention that her focus shifted to the crowd instead. His shoulders relaxed slightly once that piercing gaze was no longer on him. They had always been sharp but in the current circumstances they were downright uncomfortable.
They were allowed to go inside. Only to balk at the sheer number of guards placed in the hall. Rather than a party it seemed like they were prisoners in a contained environment.
'Oi, oi. Are they telling us to perform magic under such heavy guard?' While they noted the number of guards, Nakamori-keibu marched ahead to the ringleader.
"Hey, you can't assemble so many guards like this!" He ordered.
"Hold on a second, Otou-san," Aoko called to him. Unfortunately, the man was too focused to hear her.
"The more guards you gather, the easier his tricks will go through." Nakamori continued.
"Why are you here in such a place, Nakamori-keibu?" Delon stepped forward. The two men faced off against each other like in an old western.
"Hey Aoko," Kaito mumbled into her ear. "The pressure's getting to me. I need to go to the bathroom." She turned to give him a glare but he was already gone. 'Really, disappearing now only makes you more suspicious, idiot.'
Sighing, she made her way over to her father, who had begun speaking again, "Some words of advice for you, Delon-keiji. Reduce the number of police officers immediately." Or rather demanded.
Delon laughed in his face. "To think I'm getting advice from a guy like you."
"You don't need this many people."
"What I don't need the most is you."
They glared at each other, nose to nose as they tried to force the other to back off. The sound of heels drew their attention. Aoko advanced toward them, walking as easily in heels as she would in shoes, her expression unamused. "Gentlemen, if you're quite done making scene," she gestured to the people who were gawking at the two, "perhaps you'll decide to settle this in a civil manner."
The two glanced around, averting their eyes from the steely gaze of the woman in front of them. Delon bit his tongue before he said something, remembering the incident at the airport. He glanced at the Nakamori, she had saved him then too. Was there some relation between them? A subordinate perhaps?
"Is something the matter, Delon-keiji?" Even the Princess had noticed the commotion. Delon composed himself hastily as Nakamori rightened his tie.
"No, everything is fine, Princess," he reassured, glancing warily back at the girl who had dared to stand between them.
But her attention had moved on from Delon to the other woman there. Even with the change of apparel, the princess recognized the vivid blue eyes of the girl who had rescued her cat. Her own eyes widened and a delighted smile crossed her face.
As a princess she was used to sycophants currying her favor and at times even cunning nobles aiming for power. It was the first time that she had met such an openly daring person.
Standing before her, the princess could see that she was beautiful. Not in the traditional Japanese way with her too angular features and too sharp eyes, but there was something in the way it all came together that drew the eye. Something that drew attention, some innate quality so few possessed.
"Ah, you were the one who saved my dear Belmont," the princess hastily took the last few steps and took hold of her hands. "I am so very gratefully for your help."
Aoko blinked when gold invaded her line of sight and leaned back a bit when an eager face pressed close to her own. "Welcome to the party!" Her smile was radiant.
"It's a pleasure to be here, Ojou-sama," she responded evenly. She nearly stumbled when the princess pulled her forward.
"As a thank you for helping Belmont, I'll show you around for the evening," she said cheerily. One hand clenched around her new friend's as she dragged the girl away.
'Are you being thankful or do you need a companion?' Aoko thought dryly. She said nothing, but allowed the princess to drag her around. Instead, she gave the two dumbfounded men a warning look to behave.
"-And you look stunning, Ojou-san. Your dress has a tasteful style to it. And the way you made Delon-keiji and that officer stand down. Are you a member of the Taskforce? You look so young." She suddenly gasped. "Oh, I haven't even asked for you name. How rude of me."
"It's alright, Princess. And no, I'm not a member of the Taskforce. Nakamori-keibu, the man Delon-keiji was arguing with, is my father." She bowed slightly. "I'm Nakamori Aoko, a pleasure."
"The pleasure is all mine," Anne grinned, happy to have someone close to her own age at such an event. It would be nice to spent the party with someone and have fun rather than rot away in the room they had prepared for her.
A sudden shout however, broke through the chatter, "It's Kaitou Kid. Kid's appeared."
Delon motioned to his officers immediately, ""Evacuate the princess. Terminate the party now!"
Her father ran towards the doors, "Where's Kid?" Delon followed him. "Oi, wait."
Anne gasped. "Eh? But I was just having fun! I don't want to~" She dodged the officers' arms and wrapped her own around Aoko and wouldn't let go no matter how they tried to unwrap her hands. Since she was still their princess, they instead turned to Aoko to make her listen to reason.
Aoko sighed at the sight, though seeing Anne's pleading eyes, her eyes softened. "Ojou-sama, with the appearance of the criminal, it would be better for you to return to your rooms."
"But I don't want to leave the party," she complained.
Aoko unwrapped Anne's fingers from around her arm and instead held them in her hands, "I understand you don't want to be locked inside a room just as you've finally been allowed to have some fun. However, we can't compromise your safety."
"B-but, this is the only time I'll be in Japan and afterwards I'll have to go home." There wasn't any other option now that Kid really was after the gem.
"After the heist is over, I'm sure you and I can meet, if only for the paperwork they have to file once it's over," she said.
Anne's eyes widened, "You promise?"
Aoko nodded, "I promise." Although it was unlikely they would have the princess do it herself.
Anne finally allowed the guards to take her away. The entire time though, her eyes were on Aoko and she had a smile on her face. Aoko found her own expression softening at the sight. She really was too soft.
"Excuse me, Nakamori-san. We need to have you evacuate the premises as well. Only officers are allowed to be here." One of Sabrina's officers approached her, speaking in surprisingly good Japanese. From his words, she guessed he had heard her earlier conversation with the princess.
"Of course," she nodded in understanding. "Keep an eye on my father for me, will you?"
"I understand," he bowed and she allowed him to lead her out. She did note however, that the guards were more polite to her than they were to the other guests, and they even prevented others from crowding her. Perhaps because she seemed the least averse to following their orders.
There really wasn't a reason to remain inside. Without the height of a building to jump off of his hang glider would be useless so he would have to rely on a disguise to make it out of the building. She had already prepared and had her own men surround the perimeter with orders for contact borrowed from Shinichi's own methods.
In a certain bathroom in a certain hallway, the two officers in charge of the operation found themselves questioning the officer who had been tied up for Kid's disguise.
"My clothes were taken." He cried.
"Where's Kaitou Kid?" It had been noted before that when on a case Nakamori-keibu had a one-track mind. And this was the biggest case of his career.
"He's already slipped himself into the party hall," the junior officer answered.
Delon grunted. "So he's disguised as a police officer?" He turned to the officer behind him. "Go search!"
"Roger!"
The three men then turned and ran back into the room they had just come from. As such, they didn't see the seemingly tied up officer stick is tongue out at them and climb out of the ropes. He then moved to a stall and it opened to show the true officer.
Kid grinned at him, "Now, allow me to borrow your clothes for a bit." And promptly began to cause chaos under the apparent order of Detective Delon.
Inside the hall, Delon clenched his hands into a fist. With the number of officer around it would take forever to find Kid.
"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Nakamori mouthed off behind him. "With this many officers around, how could you possibly catch Kid?"
"Why are you still here?"He pointed to the doors. "Unauthorized personnel are to leave immediately."
Like attracted like indeed.
In another corner of the building, on the same floor the princess was, Kid stepped into the light disguised as Delon.
"Listen up, Kid is in the dining hall. I'll watch over the princess so make your way over there," he ordered. The officers saluted and immediately headed to the elevator.
Inside the room, Princess Anne lay on her bed and sighed. She had been looking forward to the party and she had even found a friend during her short stay.
"This is so boring," she slumped. "The party was just getting started. But now it feels like I'm being locked away in prison. Did that Kaitou Kid even show up?" She glanced down at her cat. "What do you think, Belmont?"
A sudden sound startled her into sitting up, "Who's there?" Peering out, she saw that the corridor was empty. "What the, I don't see anyone here. Where on earth did all those police officers get to?"
She hmphed indignantly, remembering them as the ones who has ruined her fun, and flipped back onto the bed.
"So it's white, huh?" The unfamiliar voice, and the message they conveyed, made her sat up with a blush.
"Who are you?"
"I'm a thief." And Kaitou Kid himself landed on the floor of her room. "I have arrived to accept your challenge." As he approached, he conjured a rose and offered it to the blushing princess.
To his surprise, rather than scowl at him, she swooned. "My, I appreciate your coming all the way here so much." It drew him short as she continued, "I'm so glad I came to Japan. To think I actually got to see Kaitou Kid. Your fame has spread to even the Duchy of Sabrina."
"Eto," Kid scratched his cheek, wondering how to butt in. And how to react.
"What do I do? What do I do?" She cheered. "I even have a fan site for you. Would you like to take a look?" She held up her laptop.
"Your highness, I-" once again, his words got cut off by the exuberant princess.
"Can I take a picture with you?"
"Princess, what about the challenge?" The reaction he got was underwhelming to say the least.
"Oh dear, I wouldn't dream to challenge you." She waved it off. "I've always been a faithful fan of yours.
"Do make yourself at home. How about a game of chess? I'm pretty good at it."
'Oi, oi.'
"Oh, I know! We can meet your rival!" She clapped her hands in excitement.
"My… rival?"
"Of course. It's that pretty girl from before, the cool one," She said as if that cleared up everything. Seeing his silence she added, "Nakamori-keibu's daughter."
He nearly choked when he heard that.
'Oi, oi. Don't go making assumptions like that. I don't think I'd survive if that woman was my rival. And I'd rather not have to encounter her any more than necessary in this form.'
She took his silence for confusion still and began speaking, her voice even more enthusiastic if possible, "She was so impressive at the airport wasn't she? She just walked straight up to Detective Delon and took back Belmont. And you know, he even likes her." She clasped her hands together.
"And she did it today, too. Did you see the way she was dressed? She looked so elegant, didn't she?" She gave him a thoughtful frown. "You know, Nakamori-san was supposed to accompany me for the evening. But your arrival made me have to leave."
'That's for the better. I don't want to have to go through her.' His lips quirked. 'Though it looks like Aoko is expanding her fanclub again.' Now to stop the princess in her tangent.
"Your highness!" He knelt before her and kissed her hand to gain her attention. "Regretfully not much time remains. Regarding the jewel resting on your chest… please consider bequeathing it to this humble thief."
"I see, but you know, this gem is a precious gem received from my father." She hesitated. "I'm reluctant to just hand it over."
"I am only borrowing it for a short while. I shall return it to your highness in a timely manner." He smiled and bowed, making sure to maintain eye contact with her. "Please have faith in me. A humble thief tells no lies."
The sound of a cat purring drew their attention. Looking down the princess could see that her cat had wrapped itself around the thief's legs. "Belmont. My, this is incredible. Belmont almost never gets attracted to anyone but me." And yet it had happened twice in this trip. Kneeling down, she picked up the purring kitten."This cat is my only friend. No matter where I go, we are never separated."
When she looked up, her eyes met Kid's own. His gaze was soft with understanding. He understood the words she hadn't said and the feelings in them.
Ever the entertainer, and always one to make others feel better, Kid took her hand.
"That's right, Princess. Would you like to participate in my magic show?" The princess' eyes widened in interest and for a moment she reminded him of another blue eyed girl. The same awe of magic, the same reaction whenever he would successfully pull off a new trick.
Aoko stepped out and sighed as she looked around her. Since her father was an officer, even if he had been restricted access, he had been allowed to enter first and so she had forgotten the sheer number of people that had waited to get in. The inside of the ballroom had been near empty as the officers had restricted access to more than a few people at a time, and thoroughly checked their wares and identities before allowing them in.
Now she was once again outside and reminded of how much she missed the much quieter ballroom. Even if the princess had been chatty it was nothing compared the the sheer noise that the irritated crowd created. There were people who were angry over the fuss created, those indignant over being denied access, and Kid fans eager to see their idol. Together, the created a cacophony that belonged in a zoo. Officers ran about trying both to assuage the crowd, merely adding to the noise.
As it was, perhaps the only thing that could cut through the chatter of the crowd was a gun. And when it sounded she immediately knew who had fired it. It hit the target, a Kid dummy hanging from a mini-blimp and caused the entire thing to explode. It created a giant cloud as it did, with confetti bursting out like rain.
'That man really needs to learn when it is appropriate to fire a gun,' she thought. If he had shot Kid, the sight of the thief crashing to the ground and stained with red would only have incited panic. Part of her wondered if he even knew what he was doing.
And in the midst of it all a Kid ballon floated above them, carrying two paper fans and sticking his tongue out cheekily at his audience. How appropriate, the rowdy audience below, the infuriated detective to the side, and the untouchable phantom arrogantly gazing down at them.
Sighing, she crossed her arms and moved to the side of the building, one where there were few people. In fact, it seemed almost deserted with how few people were there.
Minutes later, Kid had, for some inane reason, decided to stand above a window sill with Lots of Sunshine in Paris hanging from his foot. She took a moment to comprehend what she was seeing before Detective Delon rushed out, his speed causing him to fall out the window. He screamed as he fell but he stopped suddenly. It seemed his suit had managed to get caught in the light post. She eyed the human yoyo in sheer disbelief. At that moment Kid looked down and caught her eye, his expression turned to shock for a brief moment before he grinned and disappeared through the window.
If nothing else Kid had prepared her the perfect opportunity to chat. How could she bear to waste it?
"Delon-keiji," the greeting made the man turn to look at her, and once he saw her immediately turn red. She couldn't help but smile at the spectacle. "It seems you've managed to get yourself into a rather interesting situation."
"Get me down," he ground out. She raised an eyebrow but gestured to one of the men her father had stationed around the building. He obediently came closer, and his eyes widened when he caught sight of the detective hanging like wet laundry in front of him. There were a few other officers near enough to see what had happened and they moved closer as well.
No matter what he was thinking or how skilled of a shooter he was there were some times he would have to keep his gun in it's holster. She had found it alarming at the airport, when he had risked the ire of a princess, but if he had hit her father, not only would he have run the risk of seriously injuring him, but the threat of an international incident, one which could ruin his career. And in front of a princess as well. It had been a miracle her bodyguards hadn't taken it as an assassination attempt.
And again at the party, if he had managed to shoot Kid, then the injured thief would have fallen into the midst of the guests. In both cases, he was lucky that the crowd hadn't turned into a frightened mob. And yet he didn't seem to realize the significance of his actions.
Which meant the man was a loose canon. If he wasn't stopped now who knew what kind of chaos the fool would cause in the future. She had looked into his records before, after the night at the airport and had noted how many close calls he'd had, in collateral damage, civilian casualties, and recklessly endangering officers. It was a bloody miracle the man still had a job.
"It looks like you've failed, Detective," she crossed her arms. "I take it you've learned a lesson in humility as well?"
"The most arrogant person here is you!"
Aoko smirked at him, and took an inordinate amount of pleasure in his expression when he blanched, "Yes, but for good reason."
She turned to the man she had motioned for, "Let him hang." He gave her a wide eyed look and froze as he looked between Delon and Aoko. Finally his eyes landed on her and he swallowed, wisely choosing to listen. "It'll teach him some humility. Perhaps the night air will even cool his head."
She turned.
"Once he gets down, inform me," she ordered one of her father's men quietly. "I need to have a talk with him about when it is appropriate to fire a gun."
And left.
She had never been the most selfless of individuals, and regardless of Delon's reckless nature, her father was her first priority.
Since the majority of the guests had been pushed to the front gardens she assumed that was where her father would be as well. She was right, and it seemed like she had arrived just in time to witness her father crossing swords with Kid. Or in this case words.
Kid stood on top of the giant crescent moon the decorators had thought would be a good decoration for the party. "And on top of that you managed to ambush me here," he was saying. His smooth baritone echoed across the grounds and Aoko wondered when he had attached a microphone to his suit.
He touched the tip of his hat as he continued, "Unlike another detective I know, who uses his gun instead of his brains. You're making my job a lot harder than it should be. I hope they take you off of my case."
Her eyes narrowed at that. It was a wonderful coincidence for Kid to be delivering a speech, to the entire party at that, praising her father's capabilities in the guise of complaint merely a day after he had been warned by his superiors.
No, Kid was oddly noble for a criminal, but he should have no reason to make sure the man in charge of catching him kept his job. She wasn't surprised he knew though. Kaitou Kid was renowned for his in depth knowledge of the police force and his targets, whether that be because he or an accomplice worked there had been speculated but no conclusions drawn.
"Sure! I'll catch you right now and end the case tonight." Her dad retorted. A part of her admired his drive. The other part wondered if he hadn't caught the subtext. Well, it was fine if he was oblivious to Kid's scheming so long as it worked.
Kid laughed. It was a charming, practiced laugh that was meant to draw in his audience, "That's not going to happen. Farewell." And he was gone in a burst of smoke.
And merely moments later, her dad pulled out the gem from his breast pocket. Aoko, who had seen the mound of tackled police officers earlier, assumed Kid had managed to sneak it into his suit in there before escaping. She was almost impressed.
"So you managed to retrieve it. Good job, keibu." An officer congratulated her bewildered father. He rubbed the back of his head as they began gathering around.
"They're right. Good job, Otou-san," she made her way forward and squeezed his hand. And quickly and quietly removed the little speck on the back of the gem.
"Aoko," he grinned at her and her eyes softened. It seemed his mood had improved at least.
"Oi! Aoko!," the sudden grating voice made her turn around and she found Kaito looking around, calling for them. She turned and waved to him.
He made his way over, "Geez, I've been looking for you everywhere."
"Who was the one who had to go to the bathroom?" She raised an eyebrow. "It's fortunate you didn't have to perform if the mere thought sent you into such dire straits." She added dryly.
His eyes twitched. "Oh come on. I just had a stomach ache is all."
"Right."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She lifted her head haughtily and sniffed, "Nothing, nothing at all."
He scowled at her and for a moment she just looked at him before remembering, "Thank you."
Lavender eyes widened, "For what? I didn't even do the stupid magic tricks."
"Tou-san told me about how you showed him a magic trick the other day. It really seemed to cheer him up."
Kaito just stared at her for a moment before he turned red, "Ahou! I was just thinking he looked pitiful like that! You know how he is, such a third rate-" he trailed off when instead of a frigid glare like he expected, her eyes softened. The look on her face was sincere gratitude and he found himself at a loss. But seeing her face, he found his own expression softening as well.
As he turned away though, Aoko couldn't help but glance at him. She hadn't forgotten about the incident with the fish, where it seemed Kaito had some unknown association with Kid and his sudden disappearance today only made previous events more suspicious.
And again with the Clocktower. For some reason Kid had decided to go after it instead of a more famous tower, such as the Bell Tree Tower. With his reputation for flamboyance she couldn't imagine why he would be interested in a little known tower. One that just so happened to hold importance to her.
And Kaito.
As the constant companion of an aspiring detective, Shinichi had pounded 'Correlation is not causation' into her head from a relatively young age. Coincidences happened more often in real life than they did in books after all. But it was thrice now that Kaito had behave suspiciously, and due to Kid. She had no idea how he was related to Kid, but it seemed more and more likely that he had some affiliation with the thief.
Unbidden, the memory of how an officer had proposed that Kid, or one of his accomplices, worked with or were affiliated with the police force came to mind. If Kaito really was one of Kid's accomplices then he would have ample things to tell him, considering who her father was. Still, it was hard to conceive Kaito being the confederate of a wanted criminal.
'I swear, if it's something ridiculous like comparing their prowess, I'm going to break his legs.' Kaito shivered suddenly. At least his self preservation instincts were present, even if not completely intact.
When her attention had shifted though, Kaito glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She had quickly given her father back the gem he had wanted to show her so proudly, and he couldn't stop the slight smile when he noticed that it no longer had the tiny addition to the back.
He had first noticed it when the princess had given him the gem. Knowing her, Aoko had given pinned it on the jewel just before the guards had dragged the princess off. In all the chaos it would be unlikely that anyone would check the jewel, especially when her father and Delon had chased off after him instead. And she had placed it in a little niche that was hard to see from the side, with a tiny bug that he would never had seen had he not been purposefully looking for it.
Despite that inconvenience it had caused Nakamori-keibu, it had been lucky that Delon had brought his own men. And despite his own distaste for the detective, he knew that it was probably the only reason Aoko hadn't been inside and directing the officers against him.
Still, her placing the bug on the gem had startled him for a moment. With how she usually preferred to stay on the sidelines in Kudo's cases (much to the latter's complaint and his secret relief) and her own laissez-faire attitude to her father's cases, he hadn't expected her to actively pursue him.
Or wouldn't if Nakamori-keibu hadn't been caught in the middle of this. It was also why he'd been extra careful in this heist. After the Clocktower heist, he knew not to underestimate her when she became invested. It was also why he had specifically planned a public announcement. But even if he hadn't intended to make the declaration in front of the crowd, he would never have dared face her directly.
At that moment, Aoko glanced back at him and he froze, their eyes locked until she tilted her head thoughtful and moved back towards him. Though she wasn't smiling, there was an amused light in her eyes, and her face seemed softer.
"You're not going to get him?" he nodded towards the green clad man standing in the middle of his men, sheepishly receiving praise and congratulations.
She raised an eyebrow, "He's probably going to celebrate with them so he's forgotten all about us. Besides, with the stress he was under before, he might as well have some fun." Who, exactly, was the parent here?
"Oh," Kaito nodded, suddenly realizing that if her dad wasn't there it would just be the two of them.
"Come on." Before he could say anything further Aoko grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the crowd. He couldn't help but smile when he noticed how people cleared a path as she cut a line through the crowd.
"Where are we going?"
She didn't pause her brisk pace."Food. I didn't eat yet and the party ended too early so I'm famished."
"What are we getting?" The area was spacious enough that he could move to walk beside her instead, though he didn't tug his wrist out of her grasp and she didn't let go.
"Ramen," she glanced at him, the light of the moon making the blue in her eyes glow. "It's been a while since I had some and apparently the stalls near here have wonderful ramen."
"I want dessert," he added just to be a brat.
She raised an eyebrow, "Ramen and ice cream?"
"There's nothing better."
"Sure, but you're treating."
"What? Why?" He protested and couldn't help but frown.
"It was your idea."
"Well, I was the one to make your dad feel better, wasn't I? Aren't you supposed to treat me?" He whined, though not actually upset. If anything, he couldn't help but smile at her improved mood.
They had finally managed to get onto the street. It was deserted due to the princess' party closing off every street in a half kilometer radius and so they managed to find their way to the sidewalk easily enough.
He glanced at her. With her hair tied back in an updo and her gown, she looked beautiful. The moonlight streamed past the trees and bounced off the skyscrapers, giving the atmosphere an ethereal look. In addition to the deserted streets, it felt almost as though they had fallen into another world.
The tug on his wrist drew him back to reality and he noted that he had fallen a bit behind. He sped up to match her pace, and a wry smile curled over his lips. Even in the middle of another world, Aoko held the same undaunted attitude as always, breaking through the light fog and murky night like a beam of moonlight.
Guys, you have no idea how much trouble this chapter gave me. I still don't really like it but I finally got it finished so I'm posting it. I didn't add the last part about Aoko telling them about Conan but I've been pushing that off since September so I'm just gonna post this and have that next chapter. I'll probably go back and tweak this later but for now I have just decided to post something.
AN: I've noticed that a lot of people in the fandom are very supportive of Kaito, and that's not a bad thing, especially since I like him too, but we have a bad habit of thinking that Kaito's an infallible person. He's not. He's a teenager. He's kind of awkward with his feelings and he can't show his affection straightforwardly. So a lot of the time he ends up sniping at Aoko and mocking her when he actually cares a lot for her. We as the audience can see all he's doing in the background, but Aoko isn't seeing any of this, all she's seeing is his bad attitude and sometimes, sometimes, he'll do something nice. So yeah, just wanted to break the double standard a bit, since they all have flaws, perhaps not ones Aoyama put there intentionally or even thought was a big deal, but they have real consequences. Just noting, he literally calls her ugly, flat, mocks her appearance and attractiveness to guys in various ways, and is often scalding with her. That's really not the kind of thing you want to deal with as a teenage girl, when your confidence is already pretty low (and canon-Aoko definitely has confidence issues). So yeah, Kaito can be a bit of an ass. And I thought I needed to portray that since it's something that is a part of his character design, for better or worse (definitely worse).
AN 2: So yeah, I kind of combined both animes. It worked better this way than with my original idea which wouldn't have gotten the right interaction between Delon, Anne, and Aoko.
AN 3: So it was as I was writing this that I realized that Delon is caricature of a foreign detective, what with how gun happy the west is, but I thought I kind of had to bring it down a bit, cause Aoyama has a habit of stretching things a bit too far into the ridiculous sometimes so yeah, consequences again; also, Delon was kind of an asshole and I was irritated by it so I dealt with it
AN 4: What do you guys think of Aoko's character so far? I've managed to get a rough sketch of her character so far and it's vastly different from canon and it's not really going to change so if you don't like it this probably isn't the story for you since I wanted an unapologetically badass female lead. And no, her badassery won't go down once she starts dating Kaito.
AN 5: I've tweaked the previous chapters to align more with Aoko's personality since it's definitely gone through some changes as I've developed this more; I might tweak it again but her personality right now is pretty solid so I probably won't change it much besides making it a bit more consistent
