DISCLAIMER: Magic Kaito is the respective creation and property of Gosho Aoyama.

AUTHOR: Melpomene-the-Tragic-Parody

MAIN CHARACTERS: Kaito Kuroba, Aoko Nakamori (featuring Akako Koizumi)

CHAPTER: #5

TITLE: Numb

INSPIRED BY: ~ Numb, by Marina and the Diamonds ~

~M.K~

Granted that this should have been my soaring success, but for lack of better words, this was unsatisfying. In short, it was almost as though my endeavors were wasted on a fool's errand to fulfill my greatest desire. Perhaps the nature of my victory spoiled my mood as we boarded the plane together. The male attendant's reaction to my arrival was the genuine response I wanted from Kuroba, a desire to adhere to my needs, but all that fool could muster was a glance in my direction as we took our seats in First Class. To the inferior mind, my glamour to his features was flawless. No one would have been the wiser of his identity.

"What is it now, Akako?" he asked. "You're sulking."

My breath stilled under his unreadable gaze and had I known otherwise, they could have been indigo. There was nothing there to suggest that his concern was of interest, just a simple inquiry with a hint of an altercation.

"Hmm? Now, now, Kuroba-kun, that's no way to speak to your lady, is it?"

Kuroba's sigh was smooth and deep, irrevocably bored as he perched his chin on his palm and gazed out at the night sky. That would not do. I reached out and curled my fingers along his smooth, chiseled jawline, angling his face toward mine until our lips were pressed together. I felt a twinge beneath my touch, a minuscule movement that he had clamped down his jaw down. For all the softness of his lips or the warmth of his breath, I was annoyed by it.

I pulled back. "Like you mean it."

To his favor, I never saw the annoyance on his face.

His nimble hands were gentle along my cheekbone, feather-light to the point that I could not help but tremble. His mouth was an unexpected taste of spearmint and chocolate, parted in possessive movements that left me breathless. My heart fluttered and in that moment, I really did believe he meant it. That was... until he ended it and I caught sight of that flicker of disappointment and regret as he turned away.

He had thought of her again to convince me of his faithfulness.

I ignored that abhorrent hollowness that caved in my chest. Eventually, he would stop such ridiculous notions and settle into his new life with me. Could he not see that her memory brought him more pain than pleasure?

"Akako, must I remind you of the terms of our deal?" he asked calmly.

I huffed. "How could I forget, Kuroba-kun? We drafted it together."

Our deal was mutually beneficial toward our own personal goals. The results were just as I wanted: for Kuroba to remain at my side and be in my possession forever. And what was my trade in this bargain? Magical aid for him to accomplish something that his mortal talents could never achieve without me: destroying the legendary and powerful Pandora, a jewel with the power to grant immortality. It was a mystical item forged from cosmic power, and as such, only the supernatural forces could have an impact on its destruction. Naturally, my instincts sought against such an act and instead yearned to seize that power for my own, but Kuroba, damn him, was too clever to dismiss such an idea rising to my mind. He had worded his end of the deal so carefully that I was still searching for a loophole.

With my help, he would destroy Pandora without a trace left to its name. In return, he would never leave me in spite of his immunity to my power. Should either of us break our bond to this oath, we would suffer in hell for all eternity until there was nothing left of our existence. As the only one of us capable of wielding true magic, I was also the only one who could release him from his bond to me, but why would I do something like that?

"I'm only yours forever once Pandora is gone," he reminded me. "Until then, don't expect spontaneous kisses."

I rolled my eyes. "Only ones I demand, then."

He said nothing as we waited for our flight to depart for the United Kingdom. His silence marked his ability to annoy me with absolutely nothing, though I amused myself in gathering the attention of the pilot as he passed to speak with a stewardess and promptly bumped into another passenger behind us. But we both knew that was the cause of his indifference, and it wasn't his dislike of me. In fact, as of late, we had become something akin to unhostile allies over unwilling acquaintances, and he had shown signs that he at least cared about my well-being.

The problem lied with that girl of all people, Aoko Nakamori.

How was I to fathom his persistent infatuation with such a childish, temperamental woman? Childhood friends aside, there was no reasonable inclination that such a hopeless disposition would even benefit his future. She had an imprudent habit of endangering her life and distracting him from his work, and her intense hatred for his phantom persona had wedged a divide between them. Wasn't I the one with the advantage of knowing and accepting his secrets? Could she ever afford him the same pardon?

"Your heart will be your downfall," I reminded him. "Do not forget that."

He tapped his fingers against the side of his face. "Yeah, whatever."

"And besides, she already told you she wanted nothing more to do with you," I continued, watching carefully to see his reaction. "After finding out who you are. If it weren't for me and my talents, they would have stopped you at the checkpoint. Had they been looking, anyway."

Kuroba sighed. "Gloating is beneath you, Akako. As far as Aoko is concerned, I'm dead and gone. She didn't even attend the funeral Jii-chan and Kaa-san arranged to seal the deal. I've already thanked you for faking my death. It's too late to apologize to her for being Kid or breaking our engagement. I'm not stupid."

'No, but he is upset,' a little voice nagged.

'Quiet,' I thought back, annoyed. It remained silent.

Truly, it was incessant, catching sight of that glimmer bursting to life in his eyes at the mention of her name, pain and all. I should have been above being resentful that he never looked that way for me. In time, he would, but I was impatient. I had offered to make his burden easier after the contract had been sealed. She weighed him down from his potential. But Kuroba, with such foolish optimism, refused my offer to remove her from his memories. Such an act would strengthen my sway over him, surely.

But the man chose to remember her. He ate his heart out with her repulsion and fury of his perceived betrayal. Her loss was my gain. Every passing day solidified the truth of her rejection, and he refused to relinquish his memory of her. I retrieved my compact from my carry-on and gazed at my reflection. Nakamori was nowhere near my level of perfection; why was Kuroba so enamored with her?

"That's what's bothering you, isn't it? Tsk."

I froze against my better judgment. Kuroba's expression had broken from its mysteriousness to laugh at me.

"And what is that, exactly?" I inquired, mildly annoyed.

"Akako, you have a long way to go to understand what it is to be in love," he said calmly. "Beauty, charm, and power can't guarantee it. Demanding it won't make it real. It's unpredictable. It's its own form of magic that even you can't control."

He smirked at what must have been disbelief on my face.

"These men you control don't love you," he continued. "They only think they do. Maybe if you looked closer, you'd realize it. Why do you think Kudo-kun and Hattori-kun can shake off your enchantments? Because they have two women whom they love and you can't change it. Same with me and Aoko. Once you find that someone, they're a part you forever. The good and the bad. No one can steal that away."

I rolled my eyes. "You're being an uncharacteristically sentimental fool. I would have thought it beneath you to have such a naive view. A man hellbent on vengeance has no place in preaching the meaning of love to me."

Kuroba clucked his tongue softly, diverting his eerie gaze toward the night sky. "Maybe you're right. My success rate has been questionable. But answer me this, my Lady: you are adored for your beauty, but are you adored for your heart? For your integrity, compassion, and determination? Do people see what you want them to see or who you truly are? What is shown the greater respect? You or an illusion?"

An oddly painful lump had begun to form in my chest. What was he implying? That I wasn't good enough? It was a tempting thought to hex him there and then.

"You wonder why I love Aoko? It's simple." He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. "She's not deceptive like you and me. She believes in truth and justice. Having her in my life is worth more than every gem I've ever stolen. Even if the memory of her is all I can keep, I'll treasure it. She's the reason I want this to end."

He opened his eyes and stared at me.

"Call me vengeful, but I do this for her as much as I do it for Oyaji. I don't care if it destroys me. Once she's safe, that's all that matters."

My hands tightened into fists. My chest began to restrict as jealousy began to blossom.

"Don't martyrize yourself, Kuroba-kun. It doesn't suit you."

"It's not martyrization if it's the truth. I've always been my strongest when loving her. So, I can spend my life with you. But don't you dare imagine that I would ever choose to forget her."

With those final words, he fell into silence as our plane prepared for departure.

I cannot say my thoughts remained composed. In spite of our complex relationship, his assertiveness toward success had been a turning point that had united us. Yet, it was also the cause of our division. I loathed the thought that this implicated an inevitably pointless future between us.

Against my best judgments, I learned to accept that Kuroba Kaito was destined to immunity of my magic, regardless of my ever growing success in cultivating my powers. But the contract demanded that he destroy Pandora and be mine forever. If his ridiculous love for her strengthened his disposition, then what would happen if I ever did remove her from his heart? Undoubtedly, his sentimentality will be his undoing. Would this heart-sick fool cease his vengeance and become completely useless to me?

Irrevocably, I considered the truth of his declarations and it left a bitter taste in my mouth. His choice to stay with me was born from necessity, not desire. To be mine forever in body and not in heart and soul was proof that in the wake of my victory… I had already lost to Nakamori Aoko.

The fury was numbing.

~M.K~

FURTHER NOTES:

Have you read those stories where Kaito finds and destroys Pandora, sometimes with a gun or a hammer? Somehow, that seems far too easy. For something with supernatural properties to grant its user immortality, it would make sense that something (or in his fic's case, 'someone') with supernatural abilities would have the power to destroy it. That's where this idea came from, and how far Kaito might actually go to destroy Pandora, especially where Akako is concerned.

Reviews and criticisms are welcome.

—MELPOMENE-THE-TRAGIC-PARODY, signing out.