Reluctant hero
17. Interlude I
It was a big news, so big that even outsiders knew—Except for Kaito, ironically; he just wasn't interested to know anything about the organisation besides crushing it in the end.
But even if Kaito didn't want to know, everyone was constantly talking about it, and he ended up hearing the same thing for at least six times before the official news came to him from Snake a few days later; Somebody had joined the organisation (Seeing everyone's reactions and how Snake even arranged a meeting for them to meet, it was no brainer that whoever the person was got to be someone important).
"Hi."
Kaito turned, watching Snake and his two underlings walking towards him down the alley behind Snake's favourite club. Knowing the specific pitch of their tone and voice, Kaito was sure the Hi didn't come from either three of them—
The puzzling thought was answered after the two underlings behind Snake stepped away, revealing the fourth person that was responsible for that snarky greeting.
Yellow hair.
Tanned skin.
And a spider tattoo over the left eye.
These were the core descriptions Kaito heard about the newcomer from the rumours, and surprisingly, they were all true. What they missed in the account was the smug smile and that glint in his blue eyes that Kaito couldn't quite put in place.
Dangerous? Taunting?
All Kaito knew was he didn't like it.
Knowing they were not welcomed in the conversation, the two underlings stepped aside as only Snake and the yellow-haired man approached Kaito.
"You're here." Snake said, stating the obvious just to break the tension that Kaito thought only he was feeling.
"Yeah." Kaito answered, for the sake of answering.
"This is Spider," Snake weakly gestured over to the said man.
"And you're Kaitou Kid." Spider grinned, taking out a hand before Snake could continue the introduction. "I've heard so much about you."
Kaito wasn't sure if he should be honoured. Sure, he did garner quite a bit of a reaction when people knew he—Kaitou Kid—decided to join Snake and his organisation too, but the hype wasn't as upscale as Spider. He was just a thief—a very good thief.
But Spider?
"As you've probably heard, Spider is an assassin." Snake interjected the silence when Kaito still couldn't find anything to say as a reply to Spider's strange confession.
No, Kaito definitely didn't hear about that (because he never stayed till the end of all those gossips). But he continued the poker-face he already had in place and decided to lie, just because it was a better way to continue the conversation:
"Yes, I've heard." Kaito muttered, and then remembered that Spider still had his hand out, waiting for him to accept it. Grudgingly, Kaito shook Spider's hand, though he retracted it not more than a second later.
"I'd always admired your skills; the way you steal and mock those owners when they thought their security was the best. It's hilarious." Spider added a laugh for effect. "Your stealth, like a ghost. Yet your tactics are so surprising and bold—It's similar to my style."
"...Your style of?"
"Killing." Spider said, in a manner as if they were talking about the weather.
"I see." Kaito replied. He snuck a glance at Snake, but he wasn't reacting much (then again, why would he be reacting anyway when he himself killed more times than trimming his damn moustache).
"We do have another appointment somewhere, right, Snake?" Spider pushed the sleeve of his expensive suit to reveal his another expensive watch on his wrist. "To talk about the next assignment with the deputy Minister of finance."
Kaito frowned.
"Yes." Snake flicked a gaze towards Spider, similarly like a warning when an underling talked too much. But that was all he did; because if Spider was really an underling he was dealing with, it wouldn't end with just a glare (and seeing that, Kaito wasn't sure if it was Spider's rank or his abilities that stopped Snake from showing his infamous temper).
Snake turned his attention back to Kaito. "I'll contact you about your steal later."
"K."
"Goodbye, Kaitou Kid." Spider smiled, his white teeth shining against his brown skin. "We'll see each other again someday."
Kaito pushed a hand into his pocket and shrugged. "I don't think my job will ever involve yours."
"Who knows?" Spider shrugged back, but the smile didn't falter. "Anything can change in the future."
.o.
A week later, another major news broke out, but this was something even Kaito couldn't help but know of, especially when it was all over on the TV, newspaper and every part of social media a phone could have; The brother of the Deputy Minister of finance had committed suicide.
The news reported his suicide was due to the overwhelming stress from the guilt of embezzling billions of dollars from the country. Everything—the details of his deeds—was written in his confession letter before he drove his car off a secluded cliff.
There was no evidence that could state otherwise—the brakes weren't tampered, and the security footage that captured everything before his last moments showed he was still alive and wide-awake before he calmly drove himself to his death. The letter, which was found in his house, had went through multiple checks to prove it was his hand writing.
Case closed.
The news also broadcast the interview of the Minister of finance during a press conference.
"I am disgraced at what my brother had shamefully done." He said as he shook his head and rubbed his teary eyes. "But he had paid his sins with his death, and I hope he will continue to regret what he had done in heaven."
Kaito wanted to laugh.
Forget about the evidences; Forget about everything that could be faked, bribed, and removed. Kaito only knew there was just one reason for this so-called suicide, and it was Spider.
The only thing he couldn't understand was how Spider did it.
Snake's weapons were guns and knives.
But Spider…?
"It's similar to my style."
"...Your style of?"
"Killing."
Stealth? Like a ghost? Yet so surprising and bold?
As of now Kaito didn't know what Spider's methods were, but he knew it must be something more deadly than anything he would like to know.
.o.
Kaito, someway or another, believed in luck. And he believed a lot more about the sciences behind probabilities and math. But this detective, which Kaito hadn't seen before, seemed to be trying hard at proving him wrong.
Four times. Four damn times this detective had snooped around the jewel exhibitions Kaito was stealing from this month, as if he was possessed with some kind of KAITOU KID radar to know he was coming. Four times wouldn't be a big deal if Kaito had revealed what, when and where he was stealing every time. The problem was he never did.
Even so, Kaito was still really, definitely and extremely not interested in some puny detective when he had his back chased after by so many enemies. But because of his irritating presences and smart-ass tricks that often reduced Kaito's various escape plans to numbers less than five, he couldn't help but investigate that detective and, as a starter, know his stupid name.
Hakuba Saguru.
It was still fine, though; as long as the chase didn't jeopardise his life or his final goal, Kaito didn't (quite) mind this extra pest that could make his heists a little less boring that it often were.
But this time—their fifth meeting—things had gone out of hand.
Way out of hand.
"After 200 metres, turn left."
Kaito grunted, pulling the walkie talkie away from his ear and sprinted. He turned left after the calculated 200 metres and brought the walkie-talkie to his ear before it cackled to life.
"Go straight and under the bridge. You will see a few red buildings."
Kaito did all as instructed again, but the red buildings weren't the only things he saw; he was starting to see black dots and stars in his vision.
It seemed the direction-guider knew he was exhausted, or some sort, and was kind enough to give a few moments for a breather before continuing his instructions… But the thunderous footsteps behind Kaito weren't kind enough for that though.
"Alright," the walkie-talkie cackled again. "Go towards the red buildings."
Kaito would question why, but the moment of desperation made him too blind and mute to argue.
And whose fault was it?
Backtrack to fifteen minutes ago—after Kaito successfully stolen the biggest emerald in Asia-Pacific—the doors to the museum hall burst open and a flood of policemen rushed to pounce straight onto Kaito. Having lots of people around meant a better chance for him to slip away in the mess, which always the stupidest move the owners or police usually made. But having LOTS AND LOTS of people around, so much that they were suffocating him under a strong current of wave, it was almost impossible for Kaito to slip away at all.
What's more he'd screwed up and dumped a sleeping-gas bomb instead of a flash bomb onto the ground.
Most of the guards fainted, and dangerously, he almost did too. But he managed to pull through while holding his breath as he got out of the hall to find the exit, to only encounter more guards running after him from each and every corner he turned. The sleeping gas effect was starting to take a toll on his body and he needed to find somewhere to rest for a moment, but the extreme numbers or pursuers wasn't making his hiding option feasible.
But he tried anyway and dashed inside the restroom.
Into the third cubicle.
And on top of the toilet cover seat he found a walkie-talkie.
It cackled to life the moment he closed the door behind him.
"Hey."
Kaito flinched.
"This is Hakuba Saguru. I'm your temporary ally for tonight, if you allow me."
Kaito grabbed the walkie-talkie (though he already recognised the source of the voice even before the name was needed anyway). "You asshole—"
"See the window?"
Muttering more curses, Kaito climbed up the toilet seat and looked out without having to be asked.
Attached to the bottom of the window was a ladder rope, which reached all the way down to the ground.
Kaito blinked, and realisation dawned upon him no sooner. "You had this all prepared?"
"Yes."
"And you're also the one behind this, isn't it?" Kaito growled. "This… large amount of guards, and them chasing me all the way to this restroom—"
"Well, yes—But should we really be discussing this?" Hakuba cleared his throat. "You should know better than to waste any more time there."
Kaito felt the sudden urge to stab something, but he contained the temptation and imagery within his mind as he climbed out of the window with the walkie-talkie stuck between his neck and chin.
The second Kaito landed on the ground, another crowd of guards rounded the corner of the building and was onto him again. He could abandon the walkie-talkie and continue his way, but Kaito knew there was no way he could outmatch them; not at this state. One reason being his brain was still a little dazed out from the gas bomb, and two, Hakuba was controlling the movements of the guards; one smart leader (even though Kaito hated to admit this) was all the dummies needed to make them into a strong team.
So he grudgingly followed Hakuba's direction-instructions like a dog (the irony of trust).
And here he was.
"See the alley after the first red building?" Hakuba asked, though not exactly waiting for Kaito's reply. "Go into the alley."
"What?" Kaito blurted, skidding to a stop right as he stared down at the dark alley (no bins to hide behind or cardboard boxes to hide under) and the tall wall that was blocking the other end.
"Go into the alley." Hakuba repeated.
"Hello? It's a dead end." Kaito retorted (he hadn't reach the level of intoxication to know how stupid it would be to trap himself in there).
"There's a blind spot when you reached the middle; you can hide there without being seen as they will think the alley is empty."
"You're lying."
"I'm not lying."
Kaito scoffed. "Yeah, right. Prove it to me."
Right on the cue, a dark shadow materialised from the wall and stepped out onto the alley, or to be exact, it appeared from the blind spot that Hakuba mentioned. And lo and behold, the figure happened to be shaped like the detective as well.
In the dark shadow, Kaito saw the familiar tilt of the head. "Do you need a better proof now?" The actual Hakuba Saguru mumbled into the walkie-talking in his hand.
Footsteps were coming.
There wasn't any other options.
Kaito sprinted into the alley.
Hakuba retreated back into the hiding space again, and when Kaito reached, he was glad the it wasn't just some crack in between the walls; there was enough space for four people to stand side by side, and the right amount of distance he needed to be away from Hakuba at least.
He dived into the space.
"By the way," Hakuba leaned against the other side of the wall and pulled out a pocket watch, which attached to a gold chain from the inside of his brown coat. "Your escape has taken a good five minutes and 26 seconds."
Kaito glared, the annoyance reminding him of the irritating owner he had (gladly) knocked out and disguised for this heist. He tapped a hand over his face, feeling the waxy touch of his fake skin. His real face was still not exposed. Insecurities resolved.
He then remembered he still owed Hakuba a snarky reply. "Congratulations. You've helped to break my record of the longest escape time I'd ever used."
"My pleasure."
The footsteps grew louder, including the shouts and orders that added on to announcing the guards' grand arrival. They did slow down when they neared the alley, but their pace was picked up almost immediately, leaving only the whirring sound coming from the ventilation fans behind them.
Hakuba tugged onto his coat and flipped the collar up. "They're gone." He said, sounding pretty appeased and celebratory for some reason.
Kaito, on the other hand, closed his eyes in a long suffering manner. "But you're here."
"Don't you at least owe me a thanks?"
"Thanks?" Kaito scoffed. "Thanks for tripling the security team and screwing my heist up? Thank you very much, then."
Hakuba smiled (which would sweep some ladies off their feet but at the same time attract Kaito's fist to his cheek). "I thought you'd like the thrill."
"You sure do have lots of free time, don't you?" Kaito tossed the walkie-talking with the clear aim to hit Hakuba's face, but he caught it before it happened. "Shouldn't you be busy somewhere else? Like a murder scene? To think that I'm labelled a robber when you guys are the one robbing the taxpayers' money and doing nothing."
Hakuba shrugged nonchalantly. "I wouldn't have to worry about any murder cases for now with Shinichi around."
Shinichi? Hah. That Detective of the East? Right. No wonder the name sounded familiar. He'd been in the limelight recently for closing five unsolvable serial murder cases last month and Snake was recently complaining about it (because he couldn't stand smart people). Still, Shinichi-whoever was none of his business. All Kaito wanted was Hakuba to go away.
"Just get off my back." Kaito scowled, carefully wiping a sweat away from his forehead while making sure his wax disguise was still in place.
Hakuba chuckled. "Shouldn't you be saying: 'How can I express my deep gratitude for your help?'"
"In case it wasn't clear enough, I was being sarcastic when I thanked you."
"I'm clear about that. But I'm rectifying your lines for you."
Kaito pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let's just get straight to the point. What do you want?"
"I—"
"OH!" Kaito snapped a finger, his face brightened in exaggerated enlightenment. "You want a share of my steal? The jewel? Or you prefer cash—"
"No." Hakuba cut in. "I just want to talk to you. An hour max of your time. Simple as that."
"Simple as that? And we're going to discuss about rainbows and flowers?" Kaito rolled his eyes. "Just cut to the chase and tell me what you want."
"It's not something I can explain to you right now—"
"Summarize it."
Hakuba sighed. "It's about Spider."
Kaito frowned.
"You should know him." Hakuba said. "He's part of your organization."
How does he...?
Knowing Hakuba was gauging his reaction like a hawk, Kaito put up more effort needed to keep up with his facade despite the presences of his disguise.
"I… know Spider." Kaito began slowly, making sure his thoughts were projected in his head for at least three times before he said them aloud. "But what about him?"
"Spider is dangerous—I won't go into details, but he is dangerous. I have chased him from England to here and now he's affiliated with the organization you're working with." Hakuba said, his shoulders turning tense.
"So?"
"Work with me too."
Aha. That golden phrase that Kaito was waiting to come; it didn't take him two brain cells to know Hakuba's motive behind this conversation, but why? Why did Hakuba approach him, of all people? Was it because he was a mere thief, an easy target to bribe? Or did the detective knew something more, making Kaito the easy target to turn against the organization.
"You think I'll betray the organization for you?" Kaito laughed drily.
"I have no interest in your organization; my only goal is to catch Spider."
"And you need my help." Kaito mumbled, more as a statement than a question.
"There are other options." Hakuba remarked stoically. "But I want your help."
"…Why?"
"Because I think you're a good guy. And I trust you." Hakuba said slowly, his eyes darting across Kaito's face as if he was ironically finding something to change his own mind. It was like balancing on the tip of an iceberg, and Kaito knew Hakuba was risking everything he had to be here speaking with him, which meant the so-called trust he harboured didn't come easily as well.
It could be driven by desperation.
Not because he knew anything about Kaitou Kid—Kuroba Kaito.
"Yeah, I guess so." Kaito drawled. "Comparing to murders and other terrorist attacks, you can say stealing is like a charity in the organization; the purest activity you can find."
Hakuba wrinkled his nose. "I've said my stand. You can think whatever it is, then."
"Your pursue for Spider is none of my business. In fact, Spider is none of my business. You're talking to the wrong person."
"Spider should be your business." Hakuba muttered, his face darkened again at the mention of his name. "Once you know what he can do, you'll understand the need to stop him."
The strong affirmation in Hakuba's voice sent Kaito biting his inner cheeks. But he scoffed and crossed his arms, just enough to cover the fact that Hakuba's words had any effect on him.
"Even when we're on the same side?"
"Spider is on nobody's side." Hakuba raked a hand through his hair. "I don't know why he joined your organization, yet. But I think you might have have some idea about it."
"I don't understand what you mean."
"You had always been working solo for so long, but all of the sudden you decided to join an organization and get ordered around?" Hakuba cocked his head like a silent mocking stance. "I'm sure you have a motive for that."
Kaito narrowed his eyes. "I don't like how we're talking about me."
"I'm just stating the facts of my research."
"You researched about me?"
"Not extensively." Hakuba waved the walkie-talkie in his hand. "But as you can see, I've done it pretty well so far."
Kaito scowled. "Oh really—"
"Let's work together." Hakuba said again, his voice tight as he leaned even closer till Kaito could smell the mint of his breath (but he didn't back away). "Tell me your motive, and perhaps we can work towards your goal while achieving mine too."
"..."
"..."
Kaito tensed his jaws and stared at the blonde, considering the possibility that he was lying as a trick to convince Kaito into the proposal, but he couldn't find any hint of it on his face. What he found instead was simply genuineness, which at the same time seemed almost unfamiliar to Kaito; Having been involved in a world contaminated with deceptions and taunts, Hakuba's sincerity and determination was something Kaito hadn't seen in a long while.
Not even on himself, apparently.
Something about the silence, or Kaito's face, or his unintentional body language had probably gave Hakuba some kind of impression as he suddenly smiled, almost triumph.
"I don't think it'd be convenient for you to have my name card, but my office door at the TMPD headquarters is always open." Hakuba said, as though he was trying to stay humble despite his win in life. "I believe you'll have ways to find me easily."
It had been long since Kaito relied on anyone ever since Jii's health deteriorated. And he had enough things on his plate too; the last thing he needed was an obnoxious detective in his life.
"... I'm not going to work with you." Kaito finally found the sense to answer.
"Sure, not now." Hakuba smirked. "But the door is always open if you change your mind."
With that, Hakuba stalked away and out of the alley, not without a casual wave over his head before he was gone.
.o.
For the next month of heists that Kaito conducted, it was as though Hakuba had disappeared; no more tricks, no more antics or any sort of disruptions. And that sudden change made Kaito feel strange, in a way as though he had come to a sudden stop at the climax of a roller-coaster ride. It gave him relief temporary, but all that was left was the sense of dissatisfaction.
And he hated it.
Then the annoyance changed into wonderment as Kaito counted the possibility of Hakuba being murdered by Spider or some sort for being too close on his tail. He checked the news and came up with nothing about any dead body of a blonde found, but that didn't seem enough to convince him about anything either.
The next day, Kaito took a trip to TMPD headquarters in the disguise of a clerk who was too sick to come to work, to find Hakuba sitting in his private office, still alive and flipping through tons of files with a frown.
His office door was open.
Hah.
Kaito left.
.o.
Killing was never an option in Kaito's plan; it never was and it would never be. And that was the only reason why Snake and the people in the organization weren't dead yet. Rather, he wanted to bring each of them down on their knees and crush their reason for living to bits, just like Pandora once he found it.
Every lives matter. Every lives including scumbags.
That was why when people started talking about the victims that Spider killed, Kaito left the conversation. He didn't want to be part of the chorus squad and singing high praises for Spider and how he had assassinated those drug lords or other whatnots. It didn't bring the world to greater peace; it only increased the influences and control of the black market for the organization.
But even if there was the slightest percentage that Spider's act did make the world a better place, Kaito still condemned killing. It wasn't because they deserved worse or not. Deep down, it was back to the matter of his morals.
Every lives matter. Every lives including scumbags.
And more importantly—for the reason why Kaito distanced himself about any news of Spider—he didn't want to get curious about Spider's method of killing. He didn't want to know what made him dangerous, and he wouldn't have a reason to accept Hakuba's offer. In that case, he could continue stealing, continue on with his original goal, and continue working alone to bring the organization down.
(And that was where Hakuba was wrong; Kaito was still working solo.)
If Kaito didn't see the problem, then there was nothing he needed to fix.
Ignorance is bliss.
(But it wasn't.)
That ignorance only lasted until that night when Kaito went to Dai's club.
What he expected when he first stepped into the club was Dai's usual hospitality. Instead, three girls suddenly pounced on him, their thick perfume scent nearly knocking Kaito's unconscious. He never remembered their names, but given that Dai coincidentally hired 26 girls, he only remembered the alphabets he appointed for each of them (and the reason why he remembered them was because it went in ascending order of their… bust sizes).
"Hey…" Kaito cleared his throat uncomfortably and pushed O's hand that was tugging onto the sleeve of his jacket. "I already told you all I'm here not for—"
"We're not interested in you either!" O spat.
"Yeah. You look so poor despite being a thief." G commented.
"Ouch, but ok." He pried another arm that he didn't know belonged to who away from his shoulder. "Can you all stop clinging onto me—"
"Focus, girls." M spat, snapping her finger. She turned to Kaito with a pleading look that Kaito guessed came from experiences of asking for better tips, but at the same time, it looked genuine.
Genuine. And a mix of fear.
"You got to help Dai." M whispered.
"Yeah." G nodded. "Dai's in trouble."
Kaito straightened. "What trouble?"
"S-Spider." O's eyes lowered to the floor as if she just said a cursed word in front of a priest.
Kaito frowned.
"He…" M muttered, glancing around and lowered her voice. "He's angry at Dai for not giving him the service he wanted."
"It's been over fifteen minutes." G gulped. "And we're worried something is wrong."
"But we don't dare to check." O added.
That fear that always had been in the back of Kaito's head slowly surfaced again. Slow and dreary...
It wasn't his problem that Dai had crossed path with Spider, and it wasn't his duty to stop Spider from hurting anyone. But strangely, the responsibility of everything seemed to weigh down on his shoulder like an invisible boulder, and he couldn't help but feel that disgusting dread eating his stomach from inside out.
It wasn't his fault, but it felt like it was.
"Where are they?" Kaito snapped.
"Outside." The three of them said at once.
Outside? Kaito hadn't seen anybody before he came into the club, but that didn't mean he was going to ignore the girls' pleas. He spun around and jogged out of the entrance, brushing and knocking past a couple of guards before he stepped into the open space.
Kaito stepped away further, away from the club songs muffled behind the doors and the screaming passers-by that looked so intoxicated they probably didn't even know what their name was anymore. Kaito couldn't be bothered with that; he had to find Dai.
Or worse—Spider.
It was only when Kaito strained his ear enough—while eliminating all the possible unrelated noises—he finally picked up something. He heard a growl at first, and a choke, and not a second later there was a sharp gasp.
All of them sounded all too familiar like Dai's.
The noises came from the alley behind the club.
Kaito dashed towards it.
He spotted two figures in the dark.
One was standing, the other was lying on the ground.
It didn't take Kaito long to piece out whose shadows belonged to who.
"Dai? Dai!" Kaito jumped over a couple of trash bins and boxes before he skidded to Dai's side.
"Oh, Kid?" Spider let out a(n obviously fake) surprise gasp. "Fancy meeting you here—"
"What the hell, Spider!" Kaito yelled, baring teeth while shaking the unconscious Dai on the ground; he was cold and totally motionless under his touch. "What did you do to him?!"
"… Just something he deserves for ruining my night." Spider said and looked away impassively as he tugged onto the sleeve of his suit.
Kaito tentatively picked up Dai's wrist, expecting nothing as a a sign of—
He found a heartbeat.
It was surprisingly steady.
Then why did Dai look… so dead to be alive?
Dead but alive?
What the hell did Spider do?
Kaito snapped a glare at Spider, his eyes so wide and bulging he felt the veins on his temples were going to burst. Poker-face was his key to live, but this was not the time.
"Whatever you did to him, undo it." Kaito said, his voice low and with seething with anger.
Maybe it was the first time Spider saw Kaito possessing another form of emotion besides detachment, or maybe because Kaito was on the ground and shaking a lifeless body before him like a desperate dog. Or— Whatever the reason was, something was making Spider laugh. And he was pretty loud at it.
That laughter, though, died within the next three seconds, and his face turned blank like that apparent laughter had sucked out all the feelings off him.
"He asked for it." Was all Spider replied impassively.
"I said. Undo. It."
The staring battle didn't last long before Spider smiled in response to his defeat of the staring contest and raised his hand to snap his fingers.
On the cue, Dai started choking on the floor.
Kaito crouched back to the ground, helping Dai up. "Hey— Dai! Are you okay?"
Dai coughed and only nodded in reply; his eyes weren't glazed anymore, but his face was still pale as sheet.
Kaito gritted his teeth and glanced up, just in time to see the last of Spider's shadow disappeared at the other end of the alley.
His weapon—neither physical nor tangible.
All in the mind.
Hypnotism.
That would explain so many things that Kaito had been ignoring but noted of somewhere in his conscious mind, including his speculations of why the Minister's brother was still alive in the security footage before the car plummeted down to its destruction. Within seconds, more memories of the news about deaths, especially suicides, began floating back into Kaito's mind, and he knew who he had to attribute them to instantly.
And it was so instant to a point that everything seemed blatantly obvious, which made Kaito wonder about the disparity between a boasting serial killer and an assassin. Spider seemed too much like the former in his eyes, but if it really was, wouldn't that Detective of the East be doing something too?
Or was it only too obvious to Kaito because he knew? Like that purposeful 'slip-up' during their first meeting when Spider mentioned the Minister of finance?
And this?
Was Dai's suffering part of it too?
For Spider to prove his skills?
Pushing those thoughts away, Kaito brought Dai back into the club through the back door immediately after. With a help of a few girls that came rushing after they saw Kaito, they dragged Dai to a private lounge and dumped him on the long couch before throwing a couple of blankets over.
"Is he going to be okay?" K asked, her teeth sinking into her lower lip so hard that it drew some blood.
Kaito glanced around, watching the rest of the girls that were standing around and carrying worried frowns too. "He's going to be fine."
"Yeah, he must be." F blurted, and everyone began nodding in agreement.
Kaito said nothing to their silent begging of comfort.
He stayed a little after dawn—the time when Dai woke up.
Dai was conscious enough to move on his own as he slowly sat up from his couch, the blankets pooling on his lap. Kaito sat on a stool across Dai, letting the silence sink between them in the room; a small crack of sunlight had made it through the small window beside the door, enough for Kaito to see the colours on Dai's face had returned.
It still took a while before Dai could muster the muscles in him to speak, though.
"Thank you, Kid." Dai said quietly (even without words, his face showed more than enough gratitude). "If it's not for you—"
"Don't thank me. You should thank them." Kaito gestured his head to corner of the room. Lying against the wall and cuddled under the blankets were the girls, saved for a few who had left to clean up the club that was closed an hour ago.
"I will, of course." Dai's eyes softened before glancing back at Kaito, his gaze turned steely. "How did you… stop Spider?"
It was the same question Kaito had been wondering about when he retraced back their conversation in the alley for the entire night. But until now, he still couldn't tell what he did that make Spider sort of… give in to him so easily. Given that Dai's life was in danger, it was a good thing, but something was still making Kaito uneasy.
Kaito crossed his arms and gave a careless shrug, hoping it was enough to paint a nonchalance on his facade. "I don't know."
Dai rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "I see."
Kaito straightened. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I'm just… remembering."
"What?"
"The nightmare." Dai shivered, his grip around the collar of his shirt tightened. "I... dreamt that I was dead."
And it almost came true. Kaito lowered his gaze.
Dai's face grew concerned. "What kind of powers does Spider have?"
"Powers?" Kaito echoed.
"Magic, I mean, or whatever that caused this." Dai wiped his brows with the back of his hand, and whatever thought that ran across his mind made his face turn pale again. "I've seen a lot of things in my life, but Spider is another kind; the organization must have paid a high price to get him on their side, and I paid another price to know the reason why."
"I agree on the high price, but I'm sure it's not magic." Kaito said and stared down at his hand. "Not the kind of magic I know, at least."
Dai raised an eyebrow.
Kaito clenched his hand into a fist, trying to fight against the temptation to touch the bulge in his back pocket. It was like a pack of cigarettes to most people, but for him, it was a pack of cards. He hadn't been playing them these days, which was just as much as he thought of his dad.
He hadn't had the time.
"It's hypnotism." Kaito said, remembering his lack of explanation in his reply.
"Hypnotism…" Dai closed his eyes and laid his head on the sofa. "That's one tough nut to crack."
Kaito chuckled. "Is it?"
"Kid." Dai raised his head and peered at Kaito solemnly. "You better be careful, especially when you are working with him. That makes it more dangerous."
"I know."
"You shouldn't get involved with him."
"Spider should be your business."
Kaito rubbed his ear, trying to dispel Hakuba's voice that suddenly echoed in his head. "I know." He said, clearing his throat.
"Good." Dai leaned against the couch wearily. "I don't wish to lose a friend, you know."
Kaito said nothing, which was also the same response he gave when Dai was unconscious and the girls kept hoarding him with questions. And this—this thing that Dai wished for, Kaito wasn't sure about it too.
Assurance was the only thing he couldn't give to anyone at the moment, not when it was already hard to convince himself about anything; about the danger of Spider's powers, or how Hakuba must be wrong, or the unnecessary need to put Spider into his business.
But so far in life, the only thing Kaito was good at was lying to everyone except himself.
.o.
Kaito was better at copying faces than creating them. If he needed a random disguise that allowed him to slip into places without anyone noticing, the memory bank was where he would look for inspiration; he'd stored enough faces that could last him a life-time of disguise (though he still had to refresh his memory when the fashion trend changed).
A customer from the ramen stand. The saleswoman from the department store. His neighbour's brother-in-law's cousin that passed by three months ago. With just a snap of his fingers, he'd get those faces done.
But not for this case.
He needed something permanent, a face he could reuse over and over again without fearing that someone would suddenly come up to greet him and talk about the weather. He needed a new identity, which no one would recognise. Where he could use it without compromising anyone's safety.
Including the one he was going to meet.
In the end, Kaito created Nishimoto Rei—black straight hair, green eyes, pale skin and wore thick black-framed glasses. Nishimoto Rei was a nobody. No family. No friends. No job—
Not really.
Kaito used a day to craft up a perfect fake resume, spent his second day sleeping at home, and on the third he was on the way up to TMPD's human resource department. Apparently the position he applied for (which he had forgotten) was popular; there were five other candidates besides Kaito, and it made things all easier for him to slip away and find a lift to the highest floor where Hakuba's office resided.
Things seemed to be busy in Hakuba's office. Half of his department was gone, and the other half were so immersed in their work to notice Kaito casually walking towards Hakuba's private office.
The door was closed.
Kaito knocked.
Without raising his head, Hakuba flipped a page on the file and muffled behind the glass. "Come in."
Kaito pushed the door in while Hakuba continued rattling on.
"There's clearly some inconsistencies with this report, Junpei. You mentioned five slash wounds but—" Hakuba glanced up, and for that amazing split second of Kaito's life, he got to see Hakuba flinched on his seat.
"What— who are you?"
"I see that your office door is closed." Kaito—Nishimoto Rei—gestured at the door.
"Who are you?" Hakuba repeated, snapping the file shut. "Why are you here?"
"Just came to ask if your door is still open."
"Clearly, it's closed—" Hakuba remarked, and then stopped, his mouth gapping open as he slowly looked back at Kaito. There was a tentative pause that smoked the room with tension, but it was gone when Hakuba grinned.
"No. Sorry. It was a mistake."
"What is?"
"The door is open." Hakuba leaned against his seat with a cross of his arms. "It always has been."
"Good to hear." Kaito smirked back and pushed the glasses up his nose. "Then shall we get started?"
This, was his first mistake.