The Darkness Inside
Chapter 11 Best Christmas present ever
They tried to switch when they realized that they had different hair lengths – somehow, they hadn't noticed this before. Now, it would look weird if Ran had suddenly much shorter hair than before without a proper explanation, so they postponed the swapping to another time when they figured out how to get around the hair problem – of course, wigs would be an option but they'd need to get two which looked exactly like their hair which could be rather hard. Nonetheless, they'd think about solving this problem later.
"So, what is Kaitou Kid stealing this time?" Ran asked while putting the last plate on the table. They finished decorating rather fast and so they decided to prepare dinner for all of them.
"Nothing, I will not let him." Aoko answered evenly, while taking the tray with the main dish to the table.
"Heeh, as if you'd be able to catch the awesome Kid-sama, Ahoko."
Kaito sat down on his usual spot and Aoko smirked in evil mirth. Placing the plate with the baked salmon right in front of Kaito was satisfaction enough to let the last comment slide. Watching him swallow painfully, trying hard to keep his breathing even as to not make her guests aware of his phobia was punishment enough and while Aoko knew that it was rather cruel, he had it coming.
Aoko knew that this phobia of his was no joke and maybe it hurt him but honestly, he just got what he dealt and it wasn't like Kaito was so innocent himself. He was a pain in the ass most of the time trying to keep him from flipping her skirt. Torturing him with fish was appropriate in her mind – and besides, that one time she found that lost ship inside the sea? She knew that he jumped in after her. If his phobia were too bad he wouldn't have done that.
"Teme" he spat out teeth-gnashing.
Aoko winked innocently and shrugged. "Is something wrong, Kaito?"
Out of the corner of her eyes she watched Ran and Conan exchange confused looks and shrugged. She didn't want the world to know about Kaito's phobia but back then he let the fisherman know, too, so maybe it wasn't a too big deal. But then again – if Conan found out Kaito was Kid or he found out because of his fish phobia, she sure didn't want to be the reason for the fall of Kaitou Kid. Torturing Kaito silently or not so silently when no detective was around was neat but maybe only then.
"So, let's eat. Conan-kun, would you like some salmon?"
She took the dish and offered it to him. If there was some distance between the fish and Kaito, maybe he could breathe more easily again. Jeez, what she didn't do for that ungrateful guy.
"Mhm, sure, Aoko-neechan." Conan looked nice enough, with a friendly smile on his lips and no suspicion in his eyes, Aoko could nearly believe that he liked her. But there was this weird feeling, underneath the underneath that she couldn't get rid of. That boy probably neither liked nor trusted her and it shouldn't irk her so much. She was no criminal, for crying out loud! (Yet.)
Ran filled her own plate, as well as Kaito – it felt oddly weird, oddly nice to have so many people at this table. The space felt full to the brim but it was a happy full and a happy feeling. It felt warm and like a soft caress of the soul and maybe Aoko wished to spend more days like this. Maybe this was what family felt like and maybe these occasions had become too rare in her life ever since Kaitou Kid started striking every other day with no time for a breather in-between.
"But anyway, so there's this old dying Russian guy who wanted to see Japan and travel in this old train no one's using anymore. Apparently, he owns a jewel which Kaitou Kid decided to steal."
"Was that the message?" Conan asked confused.
Aoko shook her head. "No, I don't know what the message is but Otou-san got me a ticket for this train and there were some news about it so I guess I'm not too off about it. News or documentary, I don't know anymore. But they did say that the guy had some Blue Eyes or whatnot. I figured it must be a jewel or Kaitou Kid wouldn't hold a heist. I mean what else does he ever steal other than jewels?"
"Well, there were other times, right? When it wasn't just jewels?"
"That's right, Ran-chan paid attention", Kaito winked with a happy smirk on his lips. "Kid-sama doesn't always only steal jewels. He could want anything, really."
"So?" Aoko raised an eyebrow. "What is it that Kid wants?"
"Saa. You'd have to ask Kid-sama to find out." Kaito shrugged and took a sip of his drink.
"Well, I read about it on the news and I think Aoko-neechan is right. Popovic-san has the Blue Eyes which are supposed to be Sapphire earrings belonging to the family for many centuries. It's not very known in Japan but a thief like Kid would probably know about it. They say those earrings are very special but no one could tell why."
Aoko was visibly astonished about the knowledge of this boy but then again – if he was really Kudo Shinichi then it wasn't too astounding. She'd have to be very careful around him, though, he seemed to be able to pick up on the smallest things and she didn't like that very much.
"Wow, Conan-kun. That's really amazing. I didn't know that."
Blushing, Conan scratched his head in happiness, stuttering something unintelligible until suddenly the front door opened and heavy steps came into the living room.
"Otou-san. Okaeri!"
"Aoko. Kaito-kun and –" he stopped, double taking a look at Ran who probably looked too much like his own daughter and Aoko had to bite back a laugh. How much fun would it be to confuse her father like that? It was somehow sad if he didn't recognize her but well, if he didn't, he deserved to be tricked then.
"I'm Mouri Ran and this is Edogawa Conan. I'm sure we already met at one or the other heist."
"Aah, yes." He laughed in embarrassment and looked longingly at the food filled table.
"Have you eaten, yet, Otou-san? Mou! You never take care of yourself. Take a seat and have a bite." Aoko ordered and got up to get another plate. There was enough space to fit all of them at the table.
"So, Keibu, did you decode the note?" Kaito asked curiously. He seemed to have finished his portion and was picking at his teeth, watching her father disinterested.
"Yes, we were finally able to decode it. That bastard thief thought he is clever but let me tell you he's not. HAHA."
"Otou-san. Here, now eat."
Kaito pursed his lips in displeasure and Aoko couldn't help but feel elated at that. Kaito often felt he was the greatest and best and invincible when he wasn't. While he was smart, smarter than the average person, sure, he wasn't Hulk or something like that really. She often worried about him, worried that he wouldn't come back home one day because he wasn't fast enough or strong enough or smart enough. One day he might not return and she didn't know if she could take it.
So, whenever his ego got a damper she felt great because he'd work harder and double check things and be better prepared and if she had to watch him do these things then he better be prepared at least and her father was good at challenging him – even though her father always failed at the chase but that was fine. Important were the parts before the chase.
Her father sat down and took a bite of the food. "Ooh, that's really delicious."
Ran smiled politely and thanked him. They had both prepared it, so the praise was for both of them really.
"Apparently, Kid wants to steal the earrings – as expected – while on the train. 10 hours after the train left its home ground – we were wondering about that but it probably means 10 hours after the first departing which is exactly at 10 in the morning. The train stops around 12 midday in Tokyo and then we're off to Sapporo."
"Sapporo? That's where the storm is awaited, isn't it?" Ran asked worriedly.
"Yes, well, that damn thief always chooses the most annoying places for his heists."
Aoko sighed. Her father was right. On the one hand it shouldn't be too easy to protect the jewels in that small a place but on the other hand Kid had succeeded before.
Aoko kicked Kaito under the table when he couldn't stop grinning in mocking amusement. She ignored the evil look he gave her back which promised retribution – probably for the fish dinner too because Kaito never understood why she'd have to retaliate (he did, though, he wasn't stupid but this was somehow their way of friendship).
"So, Conan-kun. What do you think of Aoko? Isn't she a nice girl?"
"Ah, she seemed nice enough."
Ran was holding his hand while they were walking back home. They got into a heated discussion about Kaitou Kid and while Kuroba-kun wasn't as heatedly defending Kid anymore (ever since Nakamori-keibu got home) they still argued about what was good about the thief and what wasn't. There were parts where Ran didn't understand how people could think the thief did something good since stealing obviously wasn't good but she also knew about Aoko's suspicion about Kuroba-kun and she kind of felt that the girl was right, after all.
"But I don't know, Ran-neechan. I think she's hiding something. Maybe you shouldn't meet her, anymore."
Ran sighed. Ran knew exactly what Aoko was hiding and she herself was hiding just as much, so this conversation would lead her nowhere. Obviously, Shinichi didn't like Aoko one bit and probably wouldn't, either. She wondered why exactly. It wasn't as if Aoko forced her into anything. Ran was bored and prideful and she maybe wanted to show him just that. Maybe what really got her into this mess were her feelings concerning Shinichi. And not the love part.
"You sure are smart, Conan-kun but don't you think that people have a right to have secrets? I'm sure you have a ton of them yourself and you're just seven years old. Now imagine you'd be ten years older – don't you think you'd have many more secrets? And we are not entitled to know everything about them, so we should not try uncovering them."
Maybe she should take her own advice and leave him alone, not pry into his business anymore if just he kept her out of it. Provided that she felt entitled to know the truth about him, she understood why he wanted to know about this case, too. Things would be so much easier if only he weren't lying to her all the time.
Sighing again, she watched the dark night sky. The weather was biting cold but it was great to clear her mind a little bit. She was also glad not having to talk about Kaitou Kid anymore – somehow that was not her cup of tea (maybe because of what happened back then on that airship.)
"W-well."
"And besides, her father is a high-ranking inspector, though, maybe not very successful in catching Kaitou Kid. But that's beside the point. The point is that I highly doubt that someone like that could be evil. Or dangerous because that's what you're thinking?"
Watching Conan thinking hard for a reply she wouldn't take was both amusing and frustrating. He was so hard trying to separate her from Aoko when at the same time he just had a feeling and nothing else. Aoko wasn't a criminal and she wasn't evil. Her sense for justice was maybe even stronger than her own even if Aoko's view got warped, maybe? Ran sure would never have thought about breaking into the Police Headquarters but things had to be done and she was still glad Aoko had taken things into her own hands. This time those drastic measures were justified.
"Then at least promise me to be careful, Ran-neechan."
"Of course, Conan-kun."
"Don't you think it's time to go?"
"Are you throwing me out? I'm so hurt, Aoko. And here I was giving you the luxury of my company and you just throw that down the gutter."
Aoko rolled her eyes and sat down on her bed, watching him annoyed. "So. What do you want then?"
Kaito put a hand to his chest, pretending to be severely wounded. "And you hit me again."
Sighing, Aoko let herself fall on the bed and put her arms behind her head. Kaito lay down next to her and mirrored her pose.
"I think you should maybe not go to the heist."
Turning her head in his direction, she raised an eyebrow. "Because…?"
"Because a snow storm is coming up, especially in the north. And since you still can't ski and I'm not there to rescue you, you might get hurt, being that clumsy idiot that you are."
Looking offended and ready to hurt him where it hurt the most, Aoko crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"The only thing that could happen is Kid kidnapping me."
"Hah, as if he'd ever kidnap a boy like you."
Aoko hit him hard on the ribs.
"Ouch! Dammit. What the hell did you do that for, Ahoko?!"
"You're just scared I might ruin Kid's plans. You just want to make it easy for that thief but I will go to the heist and prevent him from stealing the earrings."
Kaito laughed. "My, haven't you become delusional? I guess it runs in the family, huh?"
Somehow, it hurt. Whenever he didn't know how to respond he lashed out like that. She often wondered if he knew how much it hurt and what it did to her. What it made her feel. Maybe Kaito never meant it like that but maybe he did and she couldn't really tell which one it was. And really, soon Christmas was there and she couldn't take anymore hurtful words from him for today.
"I think you overstayed your visit, Kaito."
He seemed to get the mood immediately because he turned to her side and lost all humor out of his voice. "You're not going to start crying, right?" He sounded panicky and maybe there was a silent apology somewhere between the lines but maybe not.
Aoko raised another eyebrow. "As if I'd cry because of you." She wanted to hurt him back saying he wasn't worth crying over but she would be lying and he'd probably know anyway. There were already way too many lies between them. She didn't want to add these kinds, too. Their friendship had become somewhat fragile and she was scared of breaking it fully.
"Alright then. Merry Christmas Aoko."
He left a small box where he lay on her bed and left in a poof of smoke.
"This is really awesome. I just have to tap the watch to take the call. Technology is really amazing."
It was in the middle of the night but Aoko couldn't sleep and decided to call Ran and test their new gadgets. They wanted to call each other later anyway, well, this was much later than planned, but hey, seemingly Ran was still awake, so it worked out fine. Tapping her glasses to start receiving a picture, Aoko marveled at how flawlessly she could see what Ran just saw.
"Yeah, isn't it? So, can you see my room? My watch says you're on receiving mode."
"Yeah, your room is really neat. Show me a photo of Kudo-kun. I don't think I remember what he looked like."
"Um sure. Why do you want to see, though?"
Aoko watched as Ran turned around. Her room really was nice, small but comfy looking. There was her bed and next to it the table on which a photo stood. Only the table light was turned on but it was enough illumination to let Aoko see the picture clearly.
"Even in the dim light the picture is really great – you know, he kind of looks like Kaito, only his hair is actually tamed and compared to Kaito he looks stiff but other than that… we'll have to make sure they don't try the switching game on us."
Really, he could be Kaito's twin and if she didn't know he was an only-child, she'd really think that was his long-lost brother or something. Hopefully, they really were not brothers because what kind of problems would that cause?
"Heh, Shinichi is not really stiff, though. But I have to admit that Kuroba-kun really looks similar to Shinichi but it stops there pretty fast. Character wise they couldn't be any more different."
Aoko laughed and agreed with Ran. Kaito was a showoff, a showman who always had his audience's happiness in mind or maybe not even happiness. He lived to impress and thrived off of the audience's input. She could clearly see that whenever he was Kid. Kaito sure had vulnerabilities, too, but he was good in hiding them from everyone. She could only tell because she was his since forever childhood best friend (even though she wasn't so sure about that status anymore) but only because of that. He didn't show her, she just knew.
On the other hand, there was Kudo-kun who seemed so stiff and angry to her. He was calculating and had strong protective feelings (which Kaito might have, too, but he never openly showed them – not that she remembered anyway) and came off as cold to her. The total opposite to the warm atmosphere Kaito omitted. Maybe things were good as they were with Kaito being her friend and Kundo-kun Ran's.
When Ran suddenly turned off the light, the view changed into a greenish light and Aoko could still see the room in prefect clarity.
"I think the glasses even have night vision. I'm sure it'll come in handy and I honestly can't wait to put it to the test, Ran." Aoko announced excitedly.
"Yeah, I think hakase really outdid himself with this. So far, the connection is really good. I can hear you loud and clear. The earpiece can easily be hidden behind hair, so no one will know about it. The wristband can optionally be changed into anything that needs to fit the outfit and I really think that's amazing."
Ran sounded as excited as Aoko and the girl felt like getting up and breaking in somewhere just to test all the functions their new gadgets gave them.
"Just imagine the opportunities. Ever need help on an exam? Just text me, put on the glasses and here I can help you solve it. Sure, that's basically cheating but who cares?"
Ran coughed in displeasure.
"Basically? That is cheating, Aoko."
"Yeah, yeah, sure, just know that if you're ever in a pinch, let me know and I'll see if I can help with anything. I don't know how much time we'll have to spend studying in the future, so maybe, as to not fail all our classes, we should consider cheating as an acceptable means to reach our goals."
Ran kept silent for a while and Aoko knew that Ran was against it. She had figured some time ago that the girl had such a strong sense of justice (Aoko did, too, no question asked but somehow the line Aoko wouldn't cross was much higher than Ran's) that it just might get in their way. But Ran had already loosened up quite much, so maybe with time they'd stand on the same path and if not, Aoko wouldn't cry over it. Only time would show what path they both would take.
Ran had long gone to bed but Aoko couldn't sleep. Her room felt incredibly cold and suffocating again, like a refrigerator really, dark and cold and suffocating. Now and then the moon illuminated her room when no clouds covered it but mostly, it was pitch black.
Last night she'd been so tired she could finally sleep through the night but right now, while she was tired, she knew the nightmares would torture her every second of it. And besides, she was curious and wanted to know what Kaito gave her.
Aoko had gotten a present for Kaito and she had really wanted to give it to him, too, but somehow things had gotten really awkward between them again and then she had no chance to anymore. It felt like that Valentine's again when she had wanted to give him her chocolate but since he had been stupid, she had ended up eating it herself. This time, though, keeping it was out of question. Mostly because she wasn't too interested in Lupin and there was this new limited edition Aoko knew Kaito really wanted to have but for some reason never got to get it. Maybe she'd just sneak into his room and leave it there. He'd find it sooner or later and then maybe he'll appreciate her effort but who knew with Kaito anymore.
She never expected him to get her a present, though and as the small box was sitting innocently on her table, Aoko had the worst urge to rip it open and see what it was. But, and she really couldn't explain why, somehow that present scared her. It was a small box and she wondered if it was maybe a ring or a bracelet or a necklace. It wasn't unheard of friends giving each other jewelry as presents but coming from Kaito, was it still so innocent? Just a friendly gesture? Aoko didn't know and while she was sure of her feelings, she couldn't figure out Kaito in that regard. One second he was cold as nice and the next he was sweetness in person.
It didn't have to be jewelry, maybe it was a bomb of some sorts and he'd have her hair dyed pink or something, though Kaito knew not to ever do that to her because her wrath was much worse than the one second of happiness. Maybe she was a tad afraid that something might jump out at her or maybe that Kaito actually wanted to tell her something with that present. Well, of course, beside that he cared enough about her to get her a present for Christmas.
It was a weird feeling. She really couldn't explain it, grasp it, it was just there and making her hesitate. Aoko usually didn't hesitate. She was a doer. Sometimes she did things before considering the consequences.
Sighing, she took the box into her hands and looked at the neatly wrapped box. It was wrapped in beautiful crimson paper but she didn't expect anything less from Kaito. He always went for the flashy. A silver colored ribbon was put on top. She nearly felt bad for ripping the paper open and destroying this beautiful masterwork but even though part of her didn't want to know what was inside, the curious side of her won. Sighing again and gathering all her courage, she slowly opened the box.
Aoko felt her breath being taken away by the beauty that awaited her in the box. It was a small golden pocket watch with ancient looking ornaments. And what looked like a very expensive jewel was placed in the middle. It was probably a sapphire but Aoko couldn't tell for sure. She'd have to ask Kaito about it. If she got a golden necklace, she could put it on and wear on her neck. It sure would look beautiful on her. Though how Kaito could afford something like this was truly beyond her. She knew for a fact that the Kaitou Kid business took more money than it gave back so, unless this was stolen, she couldn't fathom how he could have gotten her something like that. Unless, of course, it wasn't real. Kaito was smart enough to fake a jewel himself and a fake old small pocket watch didn't cost a cent, either. Still, she felt moved being given something like this. She could always have it on her and treasure it until she couldn't anymore. Maybe that way she wouldn't feel so alone anymore. If she had a piece of him with her at all times, maybe she'd feel better sometime.
She couldn't remember last time he'd given her something like this. Usually, he gave her flowers or a firework spectacle for her birthday but this was special. Maybe he wanted to tell her something with this she didn't get yet and maybe it was just an apology for all the missed opportunities. It could be an apology for all the lies – a watch as in a wish to turn back time. But maybe it was just an old watch which reminded him of her – the oldest friend he had.
Whatever the reason, though, Aoko would never get rid of it.
To: Kaito, 2016.12.24, 04:01:12: it's really beautiful. Thank you, Kaito.
"Aoko, you're up early."
Her father sounded as surprised as he looked upon finding her curled up on the sofa and reading a book in the living room. Her room had become too suffocating and she simply couldn't take it anymore, so she had grabbed a book and relocated to the living room. She had turned on the colorful lights on the tree and somehow it put her in a melancholic mood, rather than panicky. Somehow, she didn't feel as solitary.
"Ohayou, Otou-san. I couldn't sleep anymore and reading here is comfier."
Maybe it was also the snow that had started falling that she watched as she lay on the couch. Their living room was adjacent to the veranda and they had big glass windows making up the wall, so the view was really good. The light from outside was enough to let her watch as flake after flake fell from heaven to earth and stayed there, soon forming a white mass that probably wouldn't so soon melt again. Maybe that was the reason she felt calm and didn't have her demons chase her. Also, white always reminded her of Kaitou Kid and as much as she hated him, he was a constant in her life that gave her some sort of tranquility and security.
"I see. Well, how about we have some breakfast, unpack the presents and then get ready for the heist?"
"Uh, sure. But how come you're still here?"
She had been wondering for a while why her father hasn't gotten up hours before and ran off to prepare everything for the heist. Usually, that was how things went. After a heist, he'd come back late or sometimes only the next day because of paperwork and since he was the inspector, he had responsibilities. It sucked that she rarely saw him anymore but she got used to it and she understood why things were the way they were. It wasn't like she blamed him – if anything, she blamed Kid for all this. Even more surprising was that he was still at home, wanting to have breakfast with her even.
"Well, it's Christmas. I can hardly have you spend it alone, now can I? It's bad enough we have to spend it at a heist, so let your old man at least have the morning with his daughter."
It sounded as if her father felt guilty for spending so little time with her but that was the last thing she wanted him to feel.
"Nee, it's alright, Otou-san. You can go to work after breakfast."
"Nonsense, I'll spend some time with you now. So, how about that breakfast?"
Aoko smiled and put the book away. "Sure. You can set the table and I'll take care of the rest."
Since it was breakfast, it wouldn't take too long to prepare and her father still needed time to dress and get ready so the distribution of tasks was fine. She'd dressed when she went to read in the living room because she knew that sleep wouldn't come to her this night, anyway.
Finishing the fish, she put everything on the table and sat down with her father.
"How is school?" Suddenly her father asked. It was such a weird question, coming out of nowhere that it surprised her.
"Uhm, good I guess."
She wouldn't tell him about her last exam that she may have failed until she knew for sure that she did or didn't. There was no way of knowing how it went and Aoko wouldn't needlessly worry her father about things like that. In the end, even if she failed, it was just one exam she could easily make up. Maybe she wouldn't get 100 at the end of the term but she wouldn't fail the class or anything.
Nodding, he filled his plate. "That's good to hear. How about your friends?"
Aoko raised an eyebrow in question. What was this – an inquisition?
The situation with her friends, huh? She actually didn't want to think about it because while she sure was somewhat popular at school and had a lot of friends, there was actually just Kaito and Keiko – maybe nowadays even Hakuba-kun and Akako-chan but not really, either. And the situation with Kaito? It was disastrous to put it in simple terms. They were like a couple, on and off all the time and while she'd never reject him or their friendship, it was lacking right now. And Keiko? The last they talked was at school and even that has gotten rather scarce and Aoko had no idea why. Well, there was the thing with the case but even before that, their friendship had somehow stagnated. Aoko couldn't put a finger on when or why, it simply did.
"Good. I guess."
This time her father looked up from his food and raised an eyebrow. "Good? You guess?"
Aoko cleared her throat in nervousness. "Ah well, Kaito is being Kaito." Which wasn't a lie, only it was worse than usual but her father didn't need to know that. "And Keiko has been busy lately. But that's fine. I've been spending a lot of time with Ran. She's a nice girl."
"Ah yes, that Mouri girl. I was really surprised to see her here. So nothing happened with Kaito-kun or Keiko-chan? Kaito-kun also looked somehow distant. Did you two fight again?"
Aoko was really surprised at how perceptive her father was, especially when he was basically never there and while he was inspector, she really couldn't wrap her head around how right he actually was with his assumptions. Of course, someone stupid, even if Kaito always called him that (but her father wasn't stupid, he was just easily tricked), wouldn't have made it as inspector.
But how was she supposed to get out of this one? She couldn't tell him that there actually was something that happened and yes, she had a fight with Kaito. Only usually it never was so bad. But usually Kaito wasn't Kid and it just rubbed her the wrong way.
"I did have a fight with Kaito but don't worry about it. We'll just bounce back again." She tried to dismiss it as nothing bad, she didn't want her father to worry about her on top of everything else when she had her problems under control. And Keiko? She honestly didn't know if something happened.
"Hm, is that so? There's something else, isn't there?"
Aoko was sweating profusely now, trying to dismiss this too, because there was something else but how could she tell him? And anyway, she'd take care of it until she couldn't anymore.
"No." She lied and instantly felt bad because lying to her father was never a thing and right now it was hard and wrong and she didn't like it one bit. She never liked lies and while her inhibitions lowered significantly during the last few weeks, lying to her father was something else entirely.
Her father looked her intently in the eyes and she knew instantly that he knew she lied. But she would, couldn't, take it back and what would she tell him?
"I see. Well, I just want you to know that even if I spend much more time at work than at home, you can tell me anything."
"We've had this conversation before, Otou-san. Don't worry. I'll tell you if there's something worth telling."
Not that the secret of hers wasn't worth telling but it wasn't time yet.
"Alright. Then, let's unpack our presents." Suddenly he was all smiles and uncovered excitement and it was a nice refresher from the heavy chat right now. She had the feeling that her father was onto her but he didn't have the details beside the feeling that something was wrong with her. Well, he couldn't have been more right about that.
Getting up to clear the table, her father stopped her and dragged her to the tree. While she'd been preparing breakfast, he obviously put her present beneath it. She'd long placed his there so now there were to packages waiting to be opened.
"Go. Open your present."
He was somehow much more excited than she but it put her in a better mood and she went to get the rather large box. What could possibly be in a large box like that? It was messily wrapped which was typical for her father but she actually wouldn't want to have it any other way.
"You go unwrap your present, too, Otou-san."
Her father smiled and went to pick up the small present – small compared to the large thing she held in her arms right now. It wasn't very heavy, so it couldn't be books or wood to build something. It had to be something long, though.
Ripping the paper open, because her curiosity was getting the better of her and her patience ran thin, she uncovered a plain paper box. Opening it hastily, she gasped when she realized what was inside. With her mouth wide open, she looked to her father who watched her happily and nodded to take it out.
"Otou-san, that –," she said breathless. Turning her head back to the present in her hands, she couldn't believe her eyes. "That – that's – it must have cost a fortune."
She must have gone pale but excitement was bubbling inside of her which she hardly contained. This was the special edition of the Dragontaker Bow she'd wanted for ages. It was a special edition and it was a unique design and was built out of the sturdiest wood while giving 100 percent flexibility at the same time. There were only about ten of these in the whole world. An ordinary bow wasn't flexible at all but this one could be folded and so took only half the space and there was an extra dent for the arrow to make aiming easier. There was rubber reinforcement for better grip and the whole thing was painted in a shiny black.
She jumped to her feet to tackle her father in a tight hug.
"Thank you so much, Otou-san. This is the best present ever."
She had tears of happiness in her eyes but didn't let them fall because she hardly ever cried and hated it when she did. No matter what kind of feelings made her cry. This was truly magnificent, though. If things got rough, she'd be able to protect her and Ran and everyone else. This was a long-range weapon and she was better at long range, but that was fine. Ran could take everyone out at short range and she'd be in the background clearing her path. Their roles were simply perfect. And with this bow nothing and no one could stop her now. Right at this moment she felt invincible and wondered if this was what Kaitou Kid felt heist after heist.
"Ah, haha, of course. I'm glad you like it. I would have gotten it as soon as you had won the championship but it was harder to get than anticipated."
"Of course. There are only ten pieces of this magnificent craftsmanship. Just look at this smooth workmanship. And the weight is amazing. It's so light I can barely feel it at all."
Her father was smiling merrily and Aoko felt her fingers itch to try it out. She wanted to shoot some arrows but they didn't have enough space for this force of nature. It'd have to wait until after the heist or maybe if she took it with her she could practice whenever they made a break. Yes, that sounded like a good enough plan.
"Magic books?" her father exclaimed in wonder. Turning around, cradling her new treasured bow to her chest, Aoko cracked a grin.
"Yeah. You should read them. I thought they might give you some ideas how to counteract Kaitou Kid's magic. Usually your security is tight enough but Kid uses unfair tricks for you to deactivate the security and that's mostly when he gets the chance to steal whatever he wants. So, if you know his tricks – or even some, you'd not be so easily tricked and he'd have to think up some better tricks. Still though, think about it. He doesn't anticipate a thing so how hilarious will it be when he finds himself being tricked by you instead?"
Because she was so sick and tired of Kid making fun of her father all the time. Her father wasn't stupid, he just wasn't up to the magic world standards today and maybe this would help her father corner Kid. She didn't want him to catch him, just give him a better challenge maybe so that Kid would stop that taunting. It'd be enough for her. Also, if all the people stopped talking shit about her father.
She watched him in anticipation and wondered if maybe that was the wrong present, after all? She didn't mean to say he was incompetent or anything, it was really just about the magic tricks that he wasn't proficient in.
Suddenly starting to grin, Nakamori nodded. "You're right, Aoko. I actually never thought about it like that. Kaito-kun once told me to think like a magician but I guess I all forgot about it again."
Sighing in relief, Aoko slumped slightly. Thanks god it went well. She didn't want to upset her father in any way.
"Thank you, Aoko!
It was midday when the train stopped in Tokyo and the second division boarded. It was cold and the storm was raging, stopping traffic but since the old Russian geezer had a lot of money, the heist wasn't postponed. And since Kaitou Kid didn't postpone it, either. If Kid did, then at least the division wouldn't have to spend time on the train and stay at home instead.
Aoko settled down on her seat in one of the last carriages and sighed. She was surprisingly awake and not as tired as she feared since she hasn't slept a wink. It was getting really annoying, this habit of hers of not sleeping at night and it actually wasn't getting better. Sooner or later it would bite her in the ass and she didn't like that.
Since Kid's announced time was a few hours ahead, she decided to just rest for a while. Aoko had even thought to bring a book with her but somehow, she didn't feel like reading and after a few minutes of closed eyes, she didn't feel like resting, either. She felt like moving and looking for Kid. She felt like doing something but didn't want to be in the way of the preparations to keep Kid from stealing the jewels.
Sighing again, she took out her notebook and tried to move forward with their case. She had all the gadgets with her, so she might be able to contact Ran and discuss things with her if she felt like it.
So, there was the things about all the officers who were targeted. And Kudo Shinichi. How were they all connected? Why was Kudo Shinichi a target when he was no police officer? He was a high school student. Usually, officers only worked in their jurisdiction, so only a few would get to know others from different prefectures. How were they all connected beside the fact that they were all colleagues – except Kudo-kun but maybe since he spent a lot of time with the police, he'd been counted as one himself? Maybe the culprit didn't know Kudo wasn't an officer? But then, that couldn't be since that person seemed really smart for having come up with all this. Why go to these lengths when they didn't even know that Kudo was just a detective?
No, there had to be another connection, though Aoko wondered if there was a connection, at all. What if the person just blindly chose someone? Another possibility was that these people were just a distraction. The ball was a big official event, everyone of high rank was supposed to be there so if these small fry were to be distractions, then what was the main goal? A bombing would kill many more people than just those targets. Maybe the real target was really someone else instead.
She'd have to get her hands on seating arrangement plans to see who was seated where and next to whom. So, breaking in and getting the plans should be her next steps. Finding those plans might be hard enough, though. Who would be able to have those plans? Who was organizing this event? She'd have to find out soon. Maybe her father could answer some of her questions if she asked wisely. She didn't need her father to get any more suspicious than he already was and in worst case find out about her plans. He wouldn't be pleased.
Then there was still the shadowing thing. Maybe if they followed the targets a little, they might find out the connection between those people. Also, Aoko needed to check the location before April. A Kid heist would be a really great opportunity to sneak around quietly. And then there was the thing about April itself. How was she getting her father away from the event? If she got hurt, she could make him stay at home but that wouldn't solve Kudo's attendance. She needed to find a solution to make all of them stay at home or maybe get them farther away but what would make them go away?
She noted it all in her notebook and looked up sharply, when someone sat in front of her.
"Oh, what are you doing, Aoko-chan?"
Shutting her notebook hastily, so that the officer didn't see what she was writing, she stuffed it away. "Nothing. Just making notes for my school appointment."
"Oh? I thought school was over?"
"Yeah, but this is a longer project. It doesn't end until summer term."
Who was this guy? She could tell that it wasn't Kid but she'd never seen him before. He must be a new recruit but somehow she didn't like him. And how did he know her name? And right did he have to call her so familiarly? She wished he'd just go already. (She did have her bow with her.)
"I see, I see."
He was watching her strangely, with a look she didn't like. It didn't feel very threatening but she wouldn't want to meet him alone at night, either. It didn't feel dangerous, either, but she certainly didn't feel at ease with him, as if he had something bad in mind.
"May I tell you how beautiful you look, Aoko-chan?"
Usually, she'd be flattered to receive compliments but right now she felt more disgusted than happy.
"But you looked so sad, especially having to spend Christmas away from home and then alone in a train full of people you don't know."
"Actually, I just don't know you and I wasn't sad. I felt quite at peace until you came here."
It wasn't like her to be rude to a person she didn't know but something about him rubbed her the wrong way. If he'd just stopped looked at her like she was meat or a trophy to be won or whatever. She didn't feel flattered at all.
His eyes narrowed for a second, until he adapted a smile and laughed easily. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me, too, wasn't it? Did you come alone, Aoko-chan? Did you not take a friend with you?"
"She's with me and you should be at your position instead of flirting with my daughter."
Aoko smiled happily when her father appeared out of nowhere behind that smooth as fuck officer. Sighing in relief, she relaxed again and let her father take care of this for her. It wasn't like she couldn't deal with this sort of people, she just didn't feel like it right now. Also, it felt really great to be protected once in a while. She could take care of herself just fine, but someone having her back felt good, too, and so she enjoyed her father giving that guy a lecture about flirting with the keibu's daughter.
"Well, she just looked so sad, I couldn't help but talk to her. I had only good intentions, keibu."
"Eh, sure you had." She'd never seen her father angry at someone for flirting with her but then again no one's ever tried in his presence so there was that. She wondered if he'd be like that if she ever brought home a boy who wasn't Kaito. Would he let her date anyone? She felt like brining someone and fake date him just to see her father's reaction. She'd even go so far and convince Kaito to fake date and see what her father would do – except Kaito would probably reject that idea. In the rare case that her father decided to shoot him, it might not be so favorable for him to just fake their dating and die for it. Still, Aoko felt like knowing how her father would react.
"Now, if I ever see you around her again, I'll have you fired, Tamakuchi-keiji."
"Geez, keibu. I didn't do anything. But maybe if you didn't leave her unattended, no one would try anything."
Suddenly, his happy aura turned into a malicious one and Aoko shuddered in horror. Who was this guy? But he didn't let her father respond before he got up and left.
"Don't worry, Aoko. He didn't do anything, right? I promise he won't hurt you. Or anyone else."
She rarely saw her father that serious but somehow it felt reassuring and she eased up again. Nodding, she got up to stretch her legs after all the hours she spent sitting. "I'm fine, Otou-san. You came at the right time. And I'm not really scared. It worst comes to worst, I have the Dragontaker with me."
Grinning in confidence, she gave him a thumbs up and didn't think anything of his question look.
She'd have to watch her father a little more closely, find out who might want to kill him. Maybe it wasn't too bad, besides the obvious, that her father was a target, too. It was rather easy to follow him everywhere and watch the people he interacted with. She still didn't completely rule out the crazy fan theory but it was rather unlikely since the other targets had nothing to do with Kaitou Kid and division two.
Walking through the other carriages, Aoko found to be in the second last. it was actually the one for all the officers, so she left all her things at her place because no one would dare steal it. In the last carriage there were just some boxes and obviously nothing else. She then decided to go to the front to find the Russian guy and maybe get a peek at the jewels, too. They were sapphire and she was quite curious what they looked like, also, she liked sapphires.
When she crossed the officer carriage as she called it now, no one was inside but since it was just two hours before Kid would strike, she didn't think it too weird, either. They were probably already at their positions, trying to find Kid because he had to be on board already. There was no way he'd actually get on board in two hours. He had to hide somewhere and she felt like finding out where. Maybe this could be a lot of fun, besides, she had promised him to give him a challenge, after all.
There were a few civilians but only because apparently, they had a lot of money to spend to ride on a train a very famous and rich Russian man was on at the same time. Not that they would actually see him in person but who cared about details anyway? Mostly, though, the train was empty and it left a creepy feeling. She'd have this feeling for a while now, as if something wasn't right, as if things would get bad. Her father was on board and she had the worst feeling that it might have something to do with him.
The train was as old as the news had described it to be and she wondered who gave them permission for this ride. While the interior was indeed luxurious and quite comfy, it wasn't very modern. Even the colors were a washed out red and a mix of browns and greens. It wasn't ugly per se, but it was nothing Aoko would design a train with. Though, years ago this might have been very modern.
All the while, the snow storm was getting worse and worse outside. Maybe she should have convinced her father to stay at home, maybe she should have told Kaito to take the heist note back and postpone it until a better time. She didn't though.
Finding her father in the very first carriage wasn't so hard, since everyone was there, obviously guarding the dark haired bearded man. She couldn't see any earrings on him but it'd be much wiser to keep them hidden, anyway.
She sat down on one spot and observed the officers in the carriage. So far, she was pretty sure that Kid was not with them. That meant, that he was either disguised as one of the civilians, but she was rather sure that was not the case, or he was simply hiding somewhere. She didn't check all the toilets, so it was a real possibility. Maybe she should do just that. Or maybe he was hiding in that last carriage. She'd just peeked inside but seeing as there were just boxes, she didn't find it important to check every corner. But now, that Kaitou Kid was nowhere in sight, maybe she should have checked every corner.
Taking one last look at all the people inside and double making sure they were not Kid, she decided to go back and check the last carriage again and all the toilets on the way there. Of course, there was still the possibility of Kid being with the engine driver but she'd check the back first and if he wasn't there then she'd check the front. One way or the other, he had to be somewhere and she'd find him.
Going through the door to the next carriage, the creepy officer whose name she never got seemingly waited for her and winked with a disgusting grin.
"Aoko-chan. What are you doing here?"
She wished he was Kid to make her feel better but unfortunately his eyes were nearly black and as far as she could tell he didn't wear contacts and unless Kaito got new eyes, this could never be him. Besides, Kid was never this smiley.
"I'm looking for Kid. He has to be somewhere and there are only so many places he could hide."
The guy nodded in agreement. "That's true. Let me help you."
Aoko raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I don't think you should leave your position. What if he gets the jewels because you weren't where you should be?"
"Ah, don't be such a spoilsport. I'll be long back before Kid strikes. We still have over an hour. Enough time for me to come back. Besides, how could I let a little cute girl like you wander around all by herself?"
Aoko scowled in annoyance. "I think I can take care of myself just fine. Thank you very much. And I really think you should stay here." What a scumbag. What did he think he was?
Turning around, Aoko stomped away, leaving him behind and hoped he got the message and didn't follow her. When she made it back to the carriage with her things and no more doors were opened or closed, she sighed. So, he wasn't following her. Good.
On her way back, she had checked a few toilets, but all of them were empty and there was absolutely no trace of Kid. She wondered if he made it onboard on time. Maybe he overslept and the train departed without him. What a pain. But wouldn't he have contacted headquarters and then HQ her father that Kid wasn't on the train? Kid was no sadist and he wouldn't deliberately endanger anyone. So, he was probably onboard, after all.
She walked into the last carriage and took a better look than before. There were still just boxes all around but maybe was hiding in one of them? They were big enough to contain a whole person. First though, Aoko decided to check all around and behind those boxes. Walking deeper through the carriage, she found a door at the end. But when she attempted to open it, it was closed shut and while she'd be able to unlock it, she highly doubted that Kid actually waited in cold. Also, there was a storm raging outside. It was nearly impossible to wait outside for hours.
Turning around, she needed to check the insides of the boxes, after all. With new determination, Aoko ripped open the first box and froze. What the hell was that? It was probably a one meter big box containing – what exactly? It was black and somewhat powdery and looked like gunpowder.
Aoko was sure her heart actually stopped beating because why the hell was gunpowder stored on this train? Putting the lid back on the box, she hastily went to check the other boxes. Unfortunately, she got only to the next one when the front door opened and the nameless officer looked inside with an inexpressible look.
"You weren't supposed to die but since I'm not sure you're not Kid and you saw this, I have no choice but to get rid of you."
Aoko would have done something, gotten her bow and shot him or jumped out of the way but as things stood she couldn't move before he drew his gun and shot the gunpowder next to her.
The blow was earsplitting.
Her body exploded in pain and she shut her eyes close. There was another explosion but she couldn't be too sure because her ears were ringing and everything was just hot and burning and her body wasn't moving the way she wanted it to.
Grinding her teeth, Aoko tried to clear her hazy vision. There were flames around her and was the carriage tilting weirdly? When suddenly all the boxes came crashing towards her, her heart sunk. Aoko tried to dodge them because if just one crashed her, she'd be done for.
Being able to jump off death's grip, Aoko hurried towards the front door to get back into the other carriage because it should still be intact, right? The fire, though, kept her vision obscured and she couldn't see a door, only smoke. But right when she was close to where the door was supposed to be, the carriage tilted to the side making the girl stumble and fall, a box crashing on her side and pushing her to the wall.
Yelling out in pain, Aoko gasped for air when her chest exploded in hot pain. Everything was hazy and burning and she was sure she was dying.
The high school girl must have blacked out again and she didn't know what woke her, but when she opened her eyes, the box was pushed away from her, only there was no one pushing it but gravitation.
Shuddering in fear, only her survival instincts and adrenaline pushing her to her feet, making her run towards the blown off door and when she saw nothing but darkness and smoke, she jumped.
"KAITO!"
Yay a cliffhanger. I hope things are easy to understand but I'm tired and it's 3:30 am haha
Thanks a lot for the reviews!
This was a rather long chapter, I hope you guys didn't mind but I just need the plot to move a bit because otherwise I'll never finish this fic. We're barely at the beginning of arc 1 ugh and we're already at 60k words. Well, anyway, some action here and next chapter will be focused on Aoko and Kid only.