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

AUTHOR: Melpomene-the-Tragic-Parody

MAIN CHARACTERS: Kaito Kuroba, Aoko Nakamori

CHAPTER: #16

TITLE: ~ What Hurts the Most, by Rascal Flatts version ~

~M.K~

Living incognito was not as terribly off-putting as he had anticipated. However, there was the downside of constantly altering his disguises, a feat that eventually wore on his nerves and tested the limits of his patience. Unfortunately, it was necessary whenever he desired to escape his safe haven and conceal his identity. After all, his goal was to roam through Beika without someone recognizing him, alerting the police, and forcing him to move to South Korea or Russia. Alongside his mother, Jii was his only confidant.

Two years had passed since Inspector Nakamori had discovered the identity beneath his alter ego and its leak to the media was inevitable. His life had gone to hell; he had to flee before being captured. Jii had feigned ignorance to retain his employment and remain in contact with the outside world, closely monitored by the Japanese police and INTERPOL. But the greater penance had come at the hands of Chikage Kuroba. Sly enough to evade questioning, she had disappeared with her son; it had been enough to assert that she had been Kid's accomplice all along.

It was the most logical conclusion. Weren't parents supposed to discourage his criminal lifestyle, had they known of it? Normal parents would unless it was a family legacy.

Wherever he wandered, his face was depicted on posters and screens for all to see, captioned with a detailed list of his crimes dating back two decades. Some genius had identified the inconsistency between the Magician Under the Moonlight and Kaito's age (that famous writer, Kudo, he recalled); it had thrown the investigation down the rabbit hole. All fingers indicated to his deceased father when the speculations and debates over the timeline matched up to the phantom thief's initial disappearance and the famed magician's tragic death.

What could they possibly do then? Interrogate his ashes? Call for a séance? Jii had been his professional apprentice, but that lead gathered little results since Jii had played up his arthritis and medical issues as a deterrent for strenuous activity; Kaito would have lied if he had ever claimed Jii's health did not worry him with each and every planned heist, but his friend had been insistent to see their mission to the end.

It was easier to assume Chikage had been Kaito's (and even Toichi's) apprentice from the beginning. Her absence in her son's life had been chalked up to traveling, had it not? Was it not reasonable and logical to assume it was a cover for helping her son commit grand larceny? He never learned who got wind of the infamous Phantom Lady's existence and her coincidental retirement before Kid's debut, but it only fueled the flame.

It was just one theory after another. The whole world wanted some real answers. But Kaito Kuroba was never around to spill the juicier details.

They especially never sought them from the quiet young lady strolling down the street. She found her way to a quaint little café known for their delicious desserts. The bell jingled overhead, followed by a cool blast of pastry-scented air. She ordered her favorite chocolate malt with a slice of red velvet cake and took her preferred seat by the window overlooking the park across the street where the bright cherry blossoms swayed in the midday breeze.

After all, Kaito had a sweet tooth and the view was lovely. Also, those heels were killing him.

"That's the last time I let Kaa-san buy my clothes," he muttered, his altered voice maintaining its feminine pitch.

He dug into his purse for his compact mirror to check his current disguise, 'Hanako'. She was hardly remarkable, though pretty in a forgettable sense, which had been the point. Dull brown eyes, straight brown hair inching below shoulder-length, a pretty little getup of a green dress, some fashionable purse, and white heels that his mother had been so helpful to arrange. Satisfied that nothing was out of place, 'Hanako' tucked the compact away and waited patiently for that chocolate dessert.

Any reasonable person would have dissuaded his choice to return the café three times a week. While he enjoyed the tasty confections they offered, his appearances were motivated by one person. She always visited on Fridays. She would order a generous slice of chocolate cake and take her favorite seat beside the window overlooking the park. She would stay for half an hour and then depart for her daily activities. Aoko was in her final year in the police academy and was proud of her progress and hopes for her future in the force, but she rarely ever roused the topic.

For Kaito, the café had become his only window into her life.

The bell over the door jangled.

"Good afternoon, Aoko-san!" the cashier called.

That slender young woman glowed with warmth. With her dark hair tied back and a simple blue dress to keep her comfortable, Aoko Nakamori was as radiant as ever. 'Hanako' quietly observed as she made her order and took her seat at her favored table across from her.

"Good afternoon, Hanako-chan," Aoko greeted in a cheerful whisper, always cognizant that 'Hanako' was preferably soft-spoken. "You look well today."

"Oh, that's just the blush," replied 'Hanako' with a small smirk. "Coral Kiss. Post-Valentine's day discount."

Aoko burst into giggles. "You're completely ridiculous."

'Hanako' raised her hands in acquiescence. "Well, you're not wrong, Aoko-chan."

Kaito's heartbeat raced beneath his disguise. The temptation to reach across the vacant aisle and grasp her soft hands was strong. Aoko hummed softly and peered around the room. There were only four other customers and they were each consumed in their own activities. As 'Hanako' and Aoko were considered regulars, their appearance had no reason to be thought of as anything unusual.

"How's your mother?" Aoko asked curiously.

"Honestly?" 'Hanako' put on a painful smile. "She regales me constantly with tales of her youth until I want to pull off my own ears."

Aoko shook her head fondly. "It's probably better than a father who's constantly spewing virulence about my high school best friend."

'Hanako' sighed softly. It was not within her rights to share her somewhat biased opinion against Aoko's father. Best to leave well enough alone. This was intended to be a pleasant gathering of two acquainted customers and Kaito planned to keep it that way.

"I suppose work is going well, then?" Kaito mentally poked through his Hanako-mask.

"It's definitely improving," Aoko replied. "Not any easier, but I love a challenge."

These stolen moments with Aoko maintained a strained peace of mind that Kaito could keep. Cautious and wary, he knew it was a severe risk to her safety if anyone were to discover the small inconsistencies in 'Hanako's' identity, but Aoko never pried too far and 'Hanako' never gave her a true reason to start. They were café acquaintances, good enough for small talk but nothing more. Idle chat was consistent but Kaito refrained from making the persona too interesting. In a few respects, he could be honest. 'Hanako' could have issues with her mother (like him) and weary patience for her job (also like him). As far as Aoko would ever learn, Hanako was a ghost-writer who respected the privacy agreements of her clients to refrain from sharing spoilers and details of a project. She did not even have a family name to work with if her curiosity spiked.

Compromised anonymity, his mother called it. But she allowed it, all the same.

"Hmm? That's the forward-thinking we all need," 'Hanako' said cordially. "I wish I had that sort of fortitude. These days, my—creativity—has lacked its real potential. Between you and me, I know the plot and how it ends, but the details to fulfilling those arcs are all muddled… The curse of writer's block, I suppose."

Aoko smiled sympathetically. "Well, if you ever need a willing ear—I know, I know, you can't disclose the storyline—but if you're ever in a pinch, I wouldn't mind a healthy debate."

Debates were diverting, Kaito mused fondly. Aoko had a knack for deducing the pros and cons of any matter, from news, social media, music, or art, and Kaito earnestly missed the conversations that they had had in the past before their worlds had collided and ripped apart. Aoko refused to discuss her past friendship with her new acquaintance and 'Hanako' never pressed her. Still, it injured his pride to accept that her newfound fury and disgust for him persisted so strongly in the duration between his discovery and the present, even if he deserved it.

Aoko's phone buzzed and she checked for the caller ID. Her eyes lit up. "Oh! Excuse me for a moment, Hanako-chan!" she said, and 'Hanako' nodded graciously. Beneath the disguise, Kaito withheld a grimace as Aoko cheerfully said, "Saguru! This is a pleasant surprise…"

'Hanako' turned away as the waitress brought her order to the table, giving her a good reason to take out her frustration on the cake. Kaito was certain that the gods hated him. The discovery that came to him within the last two months had been a devastating blow, just to the point that a bullet from Snake could have been welcomed. But that was quickly stifled by the inevitable disappointment and resignation that opportunities to re-earn Aoko's love and trust had withered and crumbled to ash. Being replaced had been cruelty that he had expected but prayed against persistently; when it finally came to pass, it had been the nails to his coffin. While they had never officially been a couple, watching her fall into the arms of Saguru Hakuba had been excruciating to overlook.

'Hanako' had no reason to bear his pain so she smiled and nodded like any casual stranger who had learned an interesting detail about another person because this was now the reality of his life.

When 'Hanako' had returned to Kaito's hideout after the initial blow, the disguise had been shredded away with such frustration that it had been irreparable and Kaito had been forced to craft another mask from scratch for the following week.

His mother worried about him, but it had a minimal impact on his focus. He shifted all of his attention to Snake, his men, and Pandora. He devised more diligent procedures to discover the source of their organization and their other assets. If whittled to its core, Kaito knew that it had been more than Pandora that had destroyed his life, taking away his father, his freedom, and his heart. Those men in black were the banes of his existence. He would tear out the source, root, and stem, and if the world craved answers, it would have to explore the remains that he discarded.

But until then, he continued to exercise his patience and persistence. His time with Aoko would eventually end. Either she would discontinue her patronage to the café or 'Hanako' would leave when the timing was right. Until then, 'Hanako' was his sunlight crook, not immersed in shadows but openly seen in the world, stealing something more precious than any gemstone.

He had so much that he wanted to say to her but 'Hanako' could only translate the topmost layer of his sentiments. The tsunami threatening to burst from within was often thrown into the innermost vaults of his mind, keys discarded, with no intention of sneaking through the barriers and confronting truths that were best left concealed.

"Sorry about that," Aoko apologized, ending the call. "He checks in with me between cases when we can't have lunch together."

'Hanako' nodded. "Quite a diligent boyfriend," she agreed and Aoko blushed, clearly content.

Setting the notion aside was the only way for Kaito to endure the subsequent conversation. They commented on their desserts and more or less departed from discussions of relationships. Aoko's cerulean eyes shone when she mentioned little kitten she had adopted from a shelter, or how she was excited for the new café mall built by the Suzuki Financial Group. Any gossip 'Hanako' could offer in return paled in comparison, because they simply lacked Aoko's candid probabilities.

In the end, time ran out too soon.

They exited the café together but were destined to travel in opposite directions. As Aoko bid Hanako a lovely day, Kaito gloomily scrutinized her retreat behind Hanako's bright expression, still plastered to his mask. Figuratively and literally, he was a glutton for punishment to endure this blasphemy time and time again. The painful heels clicked beneath his feet as he ventured off to complete more of his research, not for a book, but for another grand heist he had concocted. The farce would one day meet its finale, but all the wonder that they could have had together had perished long ago, stolen by his own blatant oversight. It was truly ironic.

What had hurt him the most was not her rejection but the idea that the end might not justify the means.

~M.K~

We are in the second half of this fiction series, so I hope my own inspiration runs well. Sorry to burden everyone in my angst corner again. I will try for humor soon.

Thanks go to Guest, Akrim, Christine Tindle, and Daisy for reviewing the previous chapter!

To Daisy: I am humbled by the compliment. I like the idea you suggested, so I will keep it in mind in the future.

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