Vlad Master was evil. Vlad Masters was ruthless. Vlad Masters was cunning.

Vlad Masters had no organizational skills whatsoever.

At least this was Kaito's conclusion after rummaging around in his lab. There were notes, gizmos, odds and ends, a file on the bombing of the local police department that Kaito was sure those two cops would just love to see, and a disturbing amount of love letters to someone named Maddie, but no sign of the Plasmius Maximus.

Kaito was also doing his best to ignore the northwest corner of the room. In it was a steel cage, large enough for a man. It was also, in all likelihood, where Hiro Segawa had spent his final days before his murder.

He was also being careful to avoid the large portal. Yeah using ghost powers he could really mess with the cop's heads, but it wasn't worth being half dead.

Besides, halfa's apparently had a weakness towards ofuda and the runt knew it.

Kaito wished he could just find the damn device and get out of there. The portal, the place, the situation in general made him think about things he didn't really want to think about. Why were the ghosts Fenton had described so...twisted? What was the criteria for becoming a ghost, who decided if someone was or wasn't one? If there was a 'Ghost Zone' did that prove or disprove Heaven and Hell?

Where was his father's soul now? How did he think of himself, as Toichi Kuroba or as Kaitou Kid? Kaito himself knew how the latter could take over. He may have been a prankster, but he had always been a law-abiding citizen. Then overnight he became a crime sensation (admittedly due to people mistaking him for his father).

Why? To lure out his father's murderers? That may have been his original motive, but why go that particular route? Nakamori-keibu had been like a surrogate father to him. Why didn't ask him for help when he'd discovered his father's death wasn't the accident it appeared instead of making it his occupation to publicly humiliate the poor cop? Because he wanted to protect his father's name? Because he wanted to catch the murderers himself?

Yes and no. While those may have been his prime motives, he knew they weren't the only reasons. And he knew that because when he thought about it, he couldn't picture himself stopping even after the killers were caught. Kid was too much a part of him.

Plus he was too good, and that wasn't just his humility talking. Yeah, his father had taught him various magic tricks and lock picking, but nothing like what he did as Kid. Heck he couldn't even remember learning that stuff, he just did it. Was it genetic, something programmed into him to become a thief? Was his father's spirdit still hanging around, prodding him on that path? Was he just some messed up teen with a skill for being on the wrong side of the law.

Was he ever going to find that stupid device and get his ass out of there so he could stop thinking like this?

Get a move on Thief-boy. Yes Thief-boy. Because like it or not, and for whatever reason, that's who and what I am. So whatever's left of my conscience better learn to deal with it, because I got a job to do. I don't have time for this, and neither does Kudo, Fenton, or anyone else Plasmius might consider 'expendable'. He opened another drawer. In this one was a badly photoshopped picture of Masters, a woman (Maddie?), and Fenton's ghost form, edited to look evil. On the back was some sloppy handwritting that read : My wife and my son (once Jack's dead).

"O-kaay. This Masters guy is one seriously crazed up fruitloop."

"Funny. That's exactly what Daniel said when we first met."

That's not good…

He had appeared seemingly from thin air (which in his case was actually rather likely). Everything from the black suit from the slicked back hair to the smarmy grin screamed 'condescending bastard'

"I'd like to congratulate you. You're the first to ever make it this far. Quite impressive." Masters clapped politely. "I would dearly like to know how you made it past my pets, but I doubt you're going to tell me." Vlad sighed, "They're very useful, you know, but sadly…limited. No really intelligence or initiative, they just blindly follow simple orders. Oh I can hire human ghosts, but there's always the usual incompetence and backstabbing. What I need is a fresh ghost, one that hasn't had time to fully form a persona, one I can mold to my likings."

Why is he telling me this? And why is he looking at me like that?

… Oh.

Kaito bowed. "Well I must be off. And might I suggest that if you really are as lonely as this room suggests, you get a cat."

Vlad's eyes flashed (literally) in rage. "I will NOT GET A CAT!" he leapt at the kaitou, but as soon as his hands touched him a burst or orange electricity pushed him back.

"What is this!"

Kaito gave Vlad the same smirk that drove cops insane. "A little bit of my own magic, FruitLoop-san."

CRACK

Kaito looked down at the pendant, which had developed an even larger crack.

Et tu Lady Luck thought Kaito before the talisman shattered, the small explosion throwing him into a large pile of boxes.

Vlad resumed smirking as he transformed into his ghostly state. "Your magic seems rather temperamental. Mine," His figure blurred and four evil Halfas began to converge on the poor thief. "on the other hand, works exactly how I want it to." Kaito scrambled back. He almost twisted his wrist as it landed on something that had fallen out of the boxes.

What the? Okay Lady Luck, get me outta this alive and we'll call it even.

One of the Vlads lifted Kaito up by his collar. "You had a promising career as a criminal boy. But you picked the wrong target. Farwel-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Vlad screamed as Kaito hit him hard in the neck with the taser-like device. The three copies poofed out of existence while the one holding Kaito dropped him and turned back to human form. He clutched his neck and tried to change. An energy ring formed around his midsection, but fizzled out before anything could happen.

"GET HIM!" roared Vlad.

Kaito, for his part, didn't stick around. As soon as Vlad had released his grip he was off and running towards the elevator. He could hear the legions of kami-knew-what following him, but he didn't even glance around behind him.

Past the labs, past the room full of corpses, past the steel hallways and straight into the elevator. He had barely past the door when he had hit the 5th floor button three times. The elevator door closed with a pleasant ding and began its ascent.

Kaito wanted nothing more than to flop down and relax, but he knew he couldn't. A little thing like a lack of an elevator wouldn't stop what was coming for him. It was all he could do to breathe as the elevator lifted past the lobby and continued upward. The lack of anything attacking him unnerved him more than calmed him.

After what seemed like a small eternity, the elevator opened onto the roof. Giving Lady Luck a quick prayer of thanks, Kaito grabbed the glider he'd placed there earlier. With in seconds it was on and he was off the roof.

Finally he started to relax. If he made it off the building, he was usually scott free. Plus he was now in the public eye, surely Vlad wouldn't try anything…

Kaito's thoughts were interrupted by an energy blast catching him in his side.

He turned his head to see what had to be a ghost (wearing a battle suit?) flying after him, a small gun raised from his arm. "Despair fool. For you have now become Skulker's prey."

"Sorry Tin-Skin, Hakuba-kun and Nakamori-keibu have dibs." Kaito called after him, veering away to the left. Damn that stings. I wonder if you can get infected from a ghost blast?

Kaito peeked back again and pokerface pretty much went bai bai. Instead of the one gun, the mechanical ghost-thingy now had an entire arsenal aimed at the poor thief.

Before Kaito had time to react, Skulker unloaded. Every weapon firing, Kaito felt numerous burns covering his body and his glider was reduced to little more than cloth and scrap metal. Unable to react, unable to do anything to save himself, he fell.

Be seeing you soon Dad…

To his surprise he felt cold hands catching him, his descent slowing. He also saw something shooting up from the ground and smashing into Skulker.

"Wha?"

"Well you didn't think we'd just leave you to die on your own, did you?" asked Danny as they landed softly.

Skulker half landed/half crashed in front on them. "Give it up whelp, you can't win" Skulker suddenly heard the sound of two guns being drawn. He turned to see officers Sato and Takagi, both aiming weapons at his with the FentonWorks logo emblazoned on the side. Jazz was fully armored in the Fenton Peeler, also aiming at him. Ran was wearing what looked like a more feminine version of the gauntlets, cracking her knuckles and smirking in a way that told the hunter that she definitely remembered their last encounter.

Suddenly whatever had been launched at him in the first place came down again, knocking into his head. It (which turned out to be a green soccerball) bounced away and rolled until a small boys foot stopped it.

"We hit up some of the stuff Mom and Dad brought with them." Danny explained.

"The thief is mine!"

"No, he's ours." Danny corrected. "He's one of us, which means you'll have to face all of us to get him. Unfortunately I don't have a thermos on me, which means there are two possible outcomes. One: You go away quietly or Two: we demonstrate our point. Which will it be?"

Skulker frowned and flew off.

"How did you know?" Kaito asked, trying to ignore the pain.

"We didn't." said Jazz, disabling the Peeler, "but we were all hanging around just in case."

Kaito grinned and pulled the Plasmius Maximus out of his outfit. "Do me a favor. Take down the bastard." He said, trying to stand up, only to collapse.

"Let's get him back to the house. A hospital won't know how to treat these injuries."

Sato nodded and took Kaito from Danny's hands. "Hard to believe how young he is. He's just a child."

Conan sighed. "We all are Sato-san. We all are."

They started to walk to the two cars they had taken when something made Danny turn around. For a moment he thought the ghostly figure he was seeing was Kid, he was after all wearing the same outfit Kid had when they first met. But this figure was much older and had a small mustache.

The ghost-Kid smiled gently, bowing to Danny before fading away.

S$$S

AN: Click the fanart button. Like Now. Yutaya's pic for the chapter is so wrong it's right!

YumeTakato: Sorry, I tend to do these things when I have freetime (read 2:00 am) so my spelling isn't the best.

Terra89: Yay updates, Updates are good. All I need is time to read it…

Kinns911: As you can see Kid is fine. Er…mostly…don't hurt me…

Candidus-lupus-full Moon: Thanks for the info.

Firefly4000: #nods# will do, as soon as I have a chance.

Kaida Hiakri: Yes MC1T how we love thee! (it rhymed!) I think Kaito's going to need some therapy when this is over. But then again, who isn't?