There was a reporter camped out in front of the manor, but Saguru had called ahead for a car, so it wasn't a problem. In the rush of everything that had happened, he'd all but forgotten the media's eyes in his direction. Mum met him at the door, a streak of dirt on the side of her nose. She must have been gardening.

"Saguru, get in before the photographer gets a picture."

"Of what? Me visiting my family?" Saguru raised an eyebrow as Mum herded him through the doorway.

"Most of them left last night, but there's still that one stubborn woman out there for who knows what reason. Best not to give her anything to work with." Mum looked him up and down. "You look like hell."

"Mum!" She hardly ever swore.

Mum waved away his half-scandalized look. "I'm surprised you're here. You said you were going to keep an eye on your thief."

"And I intend to do so. I just remembered something that I needed to talk to Otou-san about." He let Mum hurry him along down the hall toward wherever she wanted to take them. Sometimes it was just easier to just accept it.

"Your father?" Her eyes narrowed. Well, Saguru supposed he spent far more time talking to his mother than his father these days.

"Yes," he said, face neutral as he could make it. "And are the boxes of my things from the London apartment still in my old room?"

"Yes. They are." The assessing look continued. He could all but feel her trying to pick apart his mental state from what she could glean from his words and body. "What did you need from them?"

"My watch." Both her eyebrows went up. That watch had been a gift from his maternal grandfather. A time piece from a time obsessed man. It was given to him after his first official case with the thought that a detective always needed to know the time. He'd worn it on every case he had been involved in since. When he moved to Japan, he'd left it with his other things, one more step toward putting the past behind him and letting go.

"I can find it," Mum said. She patted Saguru's arm. "You go see your father. He's in the study."

He was almost always in the study. Since his retirement, Saguru's father spent most of his time researching things to pass the time. Saguru thought he might be working on a book, but if he was, his father had never mentioned it or shared anything. Saguru parted ways with Mum at the stairwell.

His father was poring over a large volume of old court records. He lifted reading glasses from his nose as Saguru entered, face giving away nothing more than patient attention. "Saguru, I wasn't aware that you were visiting tonight."

"I hadn't planned on it," Saguru said with a tight smile. "I have a few questions to run by you."

A spark of curiosity lit in his father's eyes. He gestured toward one of the empty armchairs. "Ask and I'll do my best to answer. How did the heist go last night? Your mother said you were attending. Haven't had a chance to look at a paper yet."

"Terribly," Saguru said. "The museum was bombed and Kid was shot." He all but collapsed into the soft embrace of overstuffed cushions. "He's alive, but it was a close thing."

"Not arrested?"

"Not for the moment. He's holed up trying to recover. It…he was injured very badly."

"I see." He had always kept up with the papers too. They had traded theories over the years about who the snipers might be—another thief, someone Kid had crossed, a hitman hired by someone Kid had stolen from before. An escalation in Kid's injuries was not a surprise.

"Otou-san, the sniper… I have reason to believe that this is an issue that goes beyond Kid and his heists. Evidence that this could be something global."

His father went very still. "That would be a very big issue indeed. You have proof?"

"Circumstantial so far, along with a verbal statement from Kid, but with reason to believe that there will soon be much more hard evidence." Saguru rubbed his knee absently. Surely Kuroba would share what he had. And perhaps Aoko would as well, provided he could persuade her to set aside her anger. Then again, considering how she'd been angry at him for even thinking she'd work against Kaito's best chance of living, she'd probably haul out what she had in a heartbeat. "It isn't out of the question to believe law enforcement is in on it. You were commissioner when Kudo brought down the crime syndicate. I remember you mentioning the turmoil that caused the police system."

"Men who had spent the last twenty years on the force were coming up guilty," Otou-san said. "You couldn't trust your own partner, of course it was chaos. I saw so many men and women I knew personally turn out to be leading double lives. I retired five years later, but when that mess came out, I was tempted to retire then and there." He frowned, one fist clenched on top of his book. "If what you're saying is true, either we missed people back then, or it's going to be another mess all over again."

"I'm not sure how big this group is yet. I'm sure Kid has some idea, but he's still too injured to have that conversation."

"It is never as simple as assembling all the clues and the breadcrumbs lining up. It's more like casting a net and hoping you catch the bulk of what you're aiming for," Otou-san sighed. "There's always going to be someone that slips through the cracks. I hope that anyone on the force aren't people who evaded last time, because if they are, they're masters at getting out of trouble and covering their tracks."

"I am aware of this." It would be another round of distrust among longtime coworkers and it would be a mess. It would make enemies and break friendships. Saguru intended to follow through with it anyway.

His father studied him from across the desk. "You know, years ago I thought that your obsession with Kid would mean you'd be the one to catch him."

"I thought so too." Saguru gave him a wry, lopsided smile. "It seems I am not cut out for that after all."

"The existence of a crime organization doesn't erase Kid's own crimes."

"No." It might make them more morally gray, perhaps tip some of his actions toward vigilantism instead of outright theft and larceny, but no less illegal.

His father sighed. He looked more amused than judgmental though, so Saguru counted that as a win. "You always were more interested in picking apart how he did things and his motivations than catching him by any means necessary."

"I could have caught him last night. It would have meant his certain death. I would rather let the thief run free than have his death on my conscience."

His father gave him an unimpressed look. "Of course." He knew Saguru too well to believe that was the only reason, but he wouldn't prod further. "Who else is aware of this larger issue?"

"Kudo Shinichi. And I have reason to believe Nakamori Aoko also knows." How could Aoko not? And her father had to have also had some idea of it, but they were both level headed enough when they put their minds to it that they would know it couldn't be looked into openly. "Everyone on the police force knows snipers show up to Kid heists. It's been put down to rivalry and Kid making enemies over the years, which is not wrong, but doesn't view the full scope."

"Kudo Shinichi, eh?" Otou-san lifted an eyebrow with a small smile. He had relaxed slightly at hearing the other names. They had had many conversations over Kudo's techniques and Otou-san knew Saguru's kneejerk distaste for Kudo's one-time methods against Kid.

Saguru cleared his throat, embarrassed. "I may have misjudged Kudo and his stance on Kid a bit."

His father huffed a soft laugh, then to Saguru's surprise, he rounded the desk. He placed a hand on Saguru's shoulder. "I'm glad to see you looking more yourself," he said.

"Otou-san…"

"It's good to have you back." His hand squeezed tight in a reassuring manner before letting go. "Now I know I'm retired, but if you need me to use any of my connections, I'm sure I could find some people still willing to help."

"I haven't even said I was investigating yet," Saguru said, though he couldn't help but smile, warmth filling him. His father was a serious man who showed his care in small gestures and few words. He did care though, had shown it when Saguru became a detective, when he came out, when he got married, and when he had lost Mel. Having his support again now meant a lot.

"As if you would sit back when it's Kid's life on the line," Otou-san said. "Kid has always been your exception."

"I'm that predictable, am I?"

"When it comes to Kaitou Kid? Yes."

"Thank you, Otou-san."

His father waved him off, returning back to his desk and whatever he had been occupied in. "Just bring the group down. We can't have that level of crime and corruption running around again. It's bad enough with yakuza and whatnot."

Knowing a dismissal when he heard one, Saguru stood to leave. "Of course."

*0*0*

Mum was in his old bedroom when he went looking for her. She had his watch like promised, and a few other things laid out besides. One of them was the silly Sherlock Holmes pin that Mel had gotten him at one point—for a birthday? Just because? Why didn't really matter now. He used to have it pinned to his coat, on the inside like a private joke between the two of them. She'd also found some letters she'd sent to Mel over the years. He'd always been someone to keep that sort of thing.

Mum looked up at Saguru with a bittersweet sort of smile on her face.

Saguru took the watch and pin from her and let her pull him into a hug.

"Thought you might want to take a bit of him with you again too," Mum said, in defense of the pin.

The pin sat in the center of his palm, innocuous. Yes. Yes, he did want that. The pin felt heavy as he pinned it inside his shirt pocket where only he would know it was there. If the pin felt heavy, the watch felt like returning a missing piece to its rightful place. Its solidity and smooth metal casing slid into his pocket like it had never left and with it, some part of himself slid back into place. All the insistence in the world that he was retired, even to himself, but it felt so much better to wear the watch. One more time, he thought. I'll be a detective one more time to see this through.

"I found your wedding rings too," Mum said. They were in a small unmarked box, his and Mel's. Saguru took it from her and looked at the gold bands inside, dull and worn because they'd both been active people and rings got wear and tear after a decade.

He closed the box and slid it into his pocket. He'd left them because it had hurt to remember. He'd accepted that memories could heal as well as hurt by now, so it didn't hurt near as much as he thought it would to hold them again. There was regret that it had been cut short and a stab of heartbreak and loneliness, but also the warmth of remembering those bands on their hands, linked fingers glinting gold together. He'd promised Mel's memory he wouldn't be a detective again. It hadn't really been Mel he'd been promising to, though. Mel had always encouraged him to keep being a detective no matter what held him back. Even if it had led to Mel's death in a sideways fashion, Mel probably still would have encouraged him to keep doing it. Just like Saguru had encouraged Mel to pursue theatre even though they both knew it could cost Mel his parents' support. The promise to give up had been one more way Saguru had been trying to stop the cracks inside from spreading. A promise to himself that he wouldn't let detective work destroy what he loved again. It was okay to break that promise now because it was being used to protect what he loved.

"Thank you, Mum."

She shook her head and pulled him into another hug. "Go solve your mystery. Catch who you need to catch." He shouldn't bother feeling surprised. Both of his parents knew what the watch meant to him. "It's for Kid isn't it?"

"For and not against?" Saguru asked.

"I read the morning paper, Love. It must have been hard to watch Kid get hurt."

She had no idea.

Mum held him at arm's length. "I can't say I'm surprised that he's the one pulling you back. He always did bring out your impulsiveness." Moving halfway across the world in the middle of a school year could definitely be seen as impulsive.

"It isn't just impulse, Mum," Saguru sighed.

"Of course not." She rubbed his upper arms. "Pass along my love to Kuroba and hope for a quick recovery?"

Saguru gaped.

Mum laughed at him. "Saguru, dear, you're not subtle. Kid and Kuroba bring about the same responses in you. I'd have to be blind to miss how you feel about Kuroba, and only that strong of emotions could send you back to your detective work."

"I don't. He isn't…" Bah, both things were lies and he had never been good at lying to his mother. Saguru centered his thoughts and brought his tongue back under control. "May I state for the record that I have still not unmasked Kid, and as such, I do not technically know without a doubt that Kid is Kuroba?"

"You can state away, we both know you don't have to see something with your own eyes to have conclusive evidence."

Saguru grimaced.

Mum patted him on the shoulder. "I don't plan on telling anyone, so stop making that face. Besides, I liked him when I met him, and you like him enough to bend your rigid moral compass, so that's enough for me to keep quiet right there." She tilted her head. "I notice you're not disclaiming your attraction this time around."

"No, I'm not," Saguru agreed. God he was tired. Too many things over the last twenty-four hours. Far too many things. "I'll admit that I am more than a bit fond of Kuroba."

"It's not a bad thing."

"No." And it wasn't. It made him feel vulnerable and a bit scared to admit, especially after how close Kuroba had come to dying, but. "It feels too fast. It's barely been a full year since Mel yet. And here I am falling for someone else after only a few months of friendship."

"A few months of friendship and more than half your lifetime keeping track of any news you got of him. When you look at it that way, it's not so fast after all."

Saguru wasn't sure if he agreed with that viewpoint or not. Either way, he nodded, conceding her point. "Do you think he'd understand?" he asked, touching the pin hidden in his pocket absently.

Mum looped an arm around Saguru's waist in a half hug. "He always called Kid 'your' thief, so I think he would understand that it was Kuroba."

Hearing it from Mum helped. He relaxed into her hug long past what would ordinarily be socially acceptable. He needed it though. "I don't want to lose him. I want to keep him safe and be near him even if only as a friend."

"I'm sure he's glad to have you." Mum brushed his bangs from his forehead and leaned up to kiss it like she used to when he was a small child. "Tell you what, come help me bake something nice for him and I'll send you off with it."

Following her to the kitchen, the mansion felt like home. Not like it had as a high school student, but like living with Mum in London had felt. A big home was easy to get lost in; Mum filled it up and turned the empty spaces into welcome.

*0*0*

Kuroba's bedside was covered in shadows, lit by light pollution from out the widow and a dim glow from a children's night light left on in the hallway. Kuroba's breathing was deep and even as he slept, not showing signs of his injuries in that at least. With all the shadows, Saguru could almost pretend Kuroba was uninjured. The pocket watch rested in the cradle of Saguru's palm, its sound as soothing as its weight, as he watched seconds tick by. 3:45:12…3:47:14…3:52:49… Saguru had been there since 2:37 when he had woken from a dream where Saguru had not been the first to find Kuroba once he crashed to the ground. His eyes ached with exhaustion, but the after effects of adrenaline had him too awake to go back to bed. Besides, he wasn't sure he wouldn't just pick up where the nightmare had left off.

Footsteps creaked in the hall. Kuroba didn't even twitch. The pain meds must have made his sleep deeper than normal; Saguru was sure Kuroba was a light sleeper.

The steps paused outside the door. "Can't sleep?" Kudo asked softly. His expression was lost in the shadows.

"Not so much at the moment." Saguru clicked the watch closed and tucked it back into his pajama pocket.

Kudo tiptoed into the room, looking down at Kuroba. Kuroba slept on under the eyes of two detectives now. "He always seemed larger than life."

"A chilling reminder that Kid bleeds like any other mortal," Saguru agreed softly. "He always did try to cultivate that air of mystery. Even if he was awful at it at the start."

"Oh?"

"The first time I witnessed him, he tried to escape the police across a frozen lake using a dummy to add to confusion. Only he couldn't skate so he face planted into the ice. Nakamori-keibu, who bought into Kid's mystique, concluded that Kid would never be so clumsy and ran after the dummy."

Kudo laughed, a quiet barely there sound in the nighttime hush. "I would have liked to see that. He's almost always composed when I'm around. Or tetchy."

"He's gotten better at faking. He's still an idiot who thinks conjuring flowers is the height of flirtation and who doesn't know how to react when the people he cares about are upset at him."

Kid's breath stayed steady. Outside a car passed, its headlights adding a brief double shadow to the room. It was surprisingly companionable to watch Kuroba sleeping with Kudo at his side. A vigil with an unexpected ally made through shared fondness of the bed's occupant.

"You two really are close," Kudo said, breaking the moment.

"It's recent. I knew him, yes, but we weren't close." Saguru's fault. Or perhaps both their faults; they had both had too much ego and pride to bridge gaps and wildly different morals and goals. "He probably hated me back then. I did my best to goad him at every turn."

"…Didn't hate you…" Kuroba's voice said, scratchy with sleep. One eye opened a sliver, light glinting off it. "You were just annoying."

"Kid…"

"Watching me sleep now, 'kuba? That's next level stalkerish."

"You would know."

"For the record I don't watch people sleep."

Saguru smiled, the night feeling brighter. He could barely make out a ghost of a smile on Kuroba's face as he closed his eye again.

"You look like you're about to pass out," Kuroba mumbled. "From someone who feels like shit, that means more. Go to bed, Hakuba." He flapped a hand weakly. "You too, Kudo."

"We're going," Kudo said, shaking his head and looking like he was trying hard not to smile.

"Oh!" Saguru stopped halfway to standing as Kuroba half sat up, looking much more awake. "Hakuba, can you check on my doves tomorrow? I left them more food and water than normal, but their usual caretaker won't be back until next week."

"I'll check on them," Saguru promised. "Do you have a key?"

"…In the dish on my bookshelf."

"Consider it done." Saguru gave Kuroba one last look as he resettled into the pillows before following Kudo out.

"His bookshelf, hmm?" Kudo said.

"No comment," Saguru said blandly. Hopefully after hearing Kuroba speak, the nightmares would leave him alone long enough for him to get a bit of sleep.