24: Gravely Mistaken

(And then, when my soul was already torn to shreds, the voices said... it's time for a murder-fic. It's time for your favorite character to die. So kill him.)

KID froze. Standing before him was Snake. Snake had never threatened him inside a building when he could help it. Here in the brightly lit museum halls it was far more likely for someone to stumble upon their meeting than on a dark roof top. Why the sudden change in the Black Organization's modus operandi?

As if sensing the magician's thoughts, Snake grinned cruelly and held up the switch-box for a remotely operated bomb. "Come quietly or everyone in the building dies."

KID hid how tightly his teeth were clenched with a wide smirk. "Asking politely is usually enough to get me to agree to a date", the magician bantered lightly, "I must be a better catch than I thought, for you to go this far."

Hiding his anxiety, KID followed where the other led. They ended up in a dimly lit side room, holding what appeared in the darkness to be display cases of armor. Snake closed the door with a soft click. Turning, Snake hissed, "my superiors are tired of you." The white-clad thief shrugged apologetically, "I had hoped that never repeating a trick would keep all my fans interested." The killer's smile became more terrible, "well, I've been given permission to make sure that this is your last trick, no matter what."

Eye's widening, KID barely dodged the first gunshot; the second went through his thigh and he toppled to the floor, barely managing to roll into a crouched position at the end. He still refused to make a sound to show his pain. "My, my Snake-san… I thought you had better aim." Snake growled, raising his weapon again, "Heart shots from a small handgun are easily defeated by a vest. I thought I'd make sure you bled before I went for the death blow."

Snake grinned as he shot the case open on one of the exhibits and reached for what was inside. "Well now the good inspector will know where we are." KID remarked flippantly, the tone contrasting greatly with the shaky steps he was taking away from the Organization member. Snake unsheathed the antique sword and lunged.

KID gaped in surprise, and then all expression faded as the dull blade was propelled into his gut. Even as Snake murmured, "it's impossible to fake your death when it's done like this", the magician knew he wasn't going to be getting back up.

KID didn't notice his body impacting with the floor, nor Snake's hasty escape as he fled down the hall. His limbs were heavy and unresponsive- cold, and darkness encroached the edges of his vision.

~o0o~

Conan and Ran were about to head out; KID's heist was done after all, when they heard the gunshots. Nakamori-keibu, who was walking them out, froze. The two males didn't hesitate to run towards the weapon discharge, and Ran was forced to follow or loose sight of her ward once again. They would have missed the room if it weren't for the thread, small and white, the spool was unwound and trailing across the hall. With no other leads the group followed.

The heavy wooden door slammed opened and Nakaomori Ginzo stopped so quickly that Ran nearly collided with him. Inside the room, blood pooling under him, Kaitou KID leaned crookedly against an exhibit case. A rusted old sword impaled him just above his navel, another injury was high on his leg. His face was pale and his eyes closed, his mouth hung open slightly as he gasped raggedly. Conan was already kneeling beside him, his small hands pressed into the gunshot injury on his leg. "Call an ambulance!" The young detective shouted.

KID's eyes fluttered open and he frowned at the noise, "nng… too late… f-for me… " He whispered, slurring slightly. "Don't speak!" Conan warned. KID gave a sharp breath, "I've… finally… been… caught." The thief's eyes slid shut again and Ginzo broke out of his shock too run to his rival's side and grab his hand to wake him without displacing the sword. At the tight squeeze, KID opened his eyes again. "No going to sleep!" Nakamori-keibu ordered.

Instead of looking at the inspector, KID's eyes instead focused on Ran, who was hovering over his shoulder. KID gasped and reached out to her, "Aoko!" Was all he managed to say before his energy vanished and he slumped back against the display case with a trickle of blood trailing from his lips. His eyes, however, remained on her, slightly unfocused and yet pleading.

Ginzo had paled at the name. "Who's Aoko?" Conan asked softly, eyes on the inspector. "My daughter… she does resemble Mori-san quite closely." The unusually hesitant man replied fearfully, "please no… not him…." Nakamori-keibu muttered. He reached out and pulled off KID's hat and monocle. "Kaito-kun" Ginzo choked in a mournful, yet resigned tone. He had hoped… but after the thief had said 'Aoko' like that, there was no one else he could have been.

Ran gasped at how young the dying man before her was, he looks like Shinichi! "Aoko…" KID wheezed again, reminding Ran that this wasn't her detective-geek, "I'm sorry… Aoko…. I'm scared." Ran clasped her hands together, tears forming in her eyes, "I'm not Aoko." She said softly, though her heart was full of pity.

"That doesn't matter." Conan said suddenly, looking up from his blood stained hands. "He thinks you are." Conan sighed, "KI- Kaito… there's nothing we can do for him. If he wants to say something to Aoko, it's best to let him." Ran shook her head tearfully, "I can't… I can't do it!" Conan closed his eyes, "if you don't, he'll think that Aoko hates him and he'll die in despair." Ran turned away, but in her heart she was already decided.

Kaito was trying so hard to hold on, Aoko was there and he had something to tell her. He kept trying to breath, to fill lungs already filling with blood, so that he could tell her. She turned away and Kaito nearly choked. She hates me, she hates me, she's going to leave me to die! No! Please don't leave me alone! A tear rolled down his cheek and a sob rose in his throat, only to gurgle and bubble up as more blood.

Then a warm hand was holding his and wiping his tears away.

Kaito's eyes focused again, closer, and Aoko was leaning over him with eyes full of worry. Kaito almost laughed in relief.

Ran flinched for a moment when she brushed away the magician's tears; she was treating him as though he were Shinichi. When his eyes opened though, full of relief, it was worth it. Kaito's hand trembled and Ran took it into her own. "You… should… hate… me." Kaito breathed shakily. Ran frowned, "I don't hate you…." She stopped, having no idea how this 'Aoko' would react… so she would react as she knew she herself would. "But I am very angry!" She asserted.

Evidently it was the right thing to say.

Kaito's lips quirked into a weak smile, "good…." Anger is better than hate. Kaito searched for the words he wanted to say… he just didn't have time. I'm sorry for stealing your father, for stealing your best friend, for lying to you. But, I had to stop them and I had to keep you safe.

Ran was running her fingers through Kaito's hair as he seemed to fade out of lucidity again. Then suddenly he had grabbed her hand, a look of determination in his violet eyes. "Aoko…I lied… to you." He said urgently, "I'm sorry…." He went limp again, but continued to whisper in broken sentences that everyone leaned in closer to hear. "I lied… when I… sa- said… means things…." He paused to cough up blood. "I pushed… you away… to keep… safe." The magician's eyes were dimming, his death near. "You… were… always… beautiful… Aoko."

Kaito fell still and Ran continued to run her fingers through his hair as she cried. With a last sigh as his heart stilled, Kaito's lips quirked into a weak, but content smile.

Conan sighed in defeat and pulled his hands off the bullet wound. With the lack of a pulse the bleeding had stopped, there wasn't a point now anyway. Nakamori-keibu, unable to think through his shock, automatically ran a hand over Kaito's face to close the teenager's eyes and intoned softly "Kuroba Kaito, deceased at… 2:12 AM on April 21." What am I going to tell Aoko?

As the ambulance, which had arrived far to late for the magician, drove off with Ran and Conan in the back, being treated for shock, Conan automatically drew up everything he knew. His hands clenched in a white-knuckled grip on the blanket draped over his shoulders. He had a murder to solve. The murder of Kuroba Kaito, aka the Kaitou KID. Under his watch, the truth would come out. I swear it.

(Kaito lying and wanting to tell Aoko she was beautiful was due to the fact that he had always teased her and said she was too tomboyish. Also, Important Note: I, due to encouragement from peppymint, am going to write a series of one-shots based from my chapter 7 drabble: chance meeting. This may or may not slow down the number of stories a post, with the split of attention. The story is going up under the title, 'from the midst of ruin'. Thank you and enjoy. ;D )