Falling Clover

The white clad figure pulled himself through the shadows, his foot slipping every so often. One might think the man drunk with how his body sagged and swayed in the moist sprinkle of rain, barely noticeable except beneath the dim lighting of the street lamps. His once pure white suit was ravaged by the wind and coated in fair amounts of dirt and if inspected more closely, blood.

With breathing that came hard and rugged, he continued down the sidewalk, his eyes, though shadowed beneath the brim of soaked brown bangs, peered out into the darkness with mistrust and an acute awareness of any movements near his person. While most would have never noticed, those watching from the shadows, waiting, could see that while his person looked very near defeat, to even consider such a thing was suicide. For this individual, whose left hand was clenched around a blood red jewel and his right, around a small Black Hand gun, had once been the infamous moonlight magician-thief and had at one time, been their greatest threat along with his pals.

That time had come and gone, however and all that remained was the illustrious thief and even then… his illusion was fading; growing dimmer.

Kaitou KID knew he was dying. He could feel the sticky, warm moisture soaking through the bandage tied sloppily around his chest and through his shirt and suit jacket. He could feel his life slipping away with every passing second, but he had made a promise some time ago to the one who had meant more than the world to him and even now, he planned to keep that childish declaration in the only way he knew how.

He would destroy this illusion.

A faint smirk twisted his blue colored lips as he fought for oxygen. He felt time slowing down as he turned the corner. He was aware of the eyes watching him on the street, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He knew he would never make it past the Osaka docks, but then… he had never planned to.

With trembling legs and straining lungs, he stumbled his way down the street until he turned and made for the lake side. Those watching him followed at a much slower, more cautious pace. He seemed ignorant of his position, but in all truth, he had them exactly where he wanted them.

"Do you really think you can escape, black shadow?" a voice nearly sang behind him.

He turned, his eyes staring into the eyes of the woman whom he had trusted. The woman he had once even dared to call a friend. The woman… he had loved.

"No, not really," he replied, his voice thin and cracked. He felt a trickle of blood leak over the rim of his lip. He noticed her eyes widen and he knew she could finally see just how badly he was injured. He knew it was too late and now, so did she. The question was, what would she do about it? Would she tell her partners the truth and allow them to attack him at his weakest form? Would she try it herself?

Instead, nearly in a haze, he watched her step forward, her hand lowering the gun to where it hung down by her side. Her intense gaze locked onto him, her teeth nibbling at her bottom lip, which he had once deciphered to mean she was troubled.

"Kaito…" she called, her tone still calmly neutral.

He narrowed his eyes. Though merely a phantom of his past self, he stiffened at the name spilling forth from her mouth and squared his shoulders, rising to his true height in the face of death and betrayal.

"You don't get to call me that," he hissed.

Her eyes flashed with several different emotions before settling only on what he would call resigned acceptance.

"I know," she whispered back and this time, though still in a nearly void tone of voice, he noticed the slightest hint of emotion slipping at the end.

The night was silent around them, the trickles of rain pelting his face, but he felt none of it as he gripped the jewel tighter in his hand and lifted it up, straight in front of her.

"This… all of this was because of a curse," he stated, his voice sounding firmer than it had in days, "this stupid little jewel with the power to create and give life. Instead, all it has done is take and destroy the world and lives around us. Is it truly worth it? This red, bloody, little jewel?"

She remained silent, but her eyes… they grew darker with untold emotion as he sighed and shook his head. His body shivered in the cold and his skin, already so pale, seemed to fade even lighter as he stood there. She could see he wouldn't be standing much longer, but this man… KID… Kaito … she couldn't bear to see him fall.

"I suppose you won't answer. Whether it's because you can't or won't, I will not be the judge, however…" he paused and suddenly his eyes met hers with such passion, so much emotion, that she nearly forgot how to breathe, "I promise you this day, I will save you and take back what is rightfully mine."

He stepped forward and when he did, she stepped back, nearly falling when she tripped over the wooden plank behind her. His eyes never left hers and while she felt a rush of fear, anger, hate, and confusion… she also couldn't stop the sudden rush of emotions such as longing, loneliness, sadness, and love. She wanted to turn her eyes away, but she felt as though he had ensnared her in some sort of trance and she just couldn't seem to break free.

But as suddenly as it began, it stopped as a sudden shot echoed in the dark. She jerked free of the emotions crippling her, but not before a new one took their place. Horror. She stared, slack jawed, as the man in white staggered back, a new stain of red blooming outwards across his chest. His hand holding the gun released the weapon as pale, shaking fingers reached up and came back red, before a somewhat startled expression came upon his face and his eyes once again suddenly met her own before slipping closed as he began to fall.

Without even thinking it through, she was catching him. She wouldn't… couldn't allow this man, this great man, to fall so easily. With hands that were unknowingly shaking, she pressed down on the wound, eliciting a small groan that was far too weak to be comforting.

"Kaito…" she whispered, the name now much more familiar upon her tongue, as though at one time, it had been spoken often.

The man in her arms, his eyes fluttered open and he breathed out a sigh as he stared up at her, not really seeing. He lifted a weak hand and gently palmed her face as his thumb gently brushed just under her eye. She only then noticed that she was crying. Why? Why was she crying? Why did it seem to matter that this man fell? Why did it seem to matter that he was dying? She was supposed to be killing him, right? So why… why did she care?

"I…" he coughed, his chest heaving with the effort to speak, "I'm sorry."

She frowned and for once, she truly felt the emotion.

"I don't…" she paused, "I don't understand."

He chuckled, but the sound was empty as he turned his eyes away from her and up towards the moon above them.

"I know," he whispered, "but you will. One day."

She couldn't fathom what he spoke of, but her attention was taken from the dying man's final words and to the suddenly brightly glowing jewel he held within his hand. Eyes that said a million things stared up at her before he gave her a toothy grin coated in crimson and suddenly, the docks vanished around them.

A voice that seemingly came from nowhere spoke. The voice was that of a woman and it sounded as though she were crying and in pain.

"You could have saved him. You could have saved them all!" it screamed at her. She recognized it as her own.

"Hey you~," another voice softly whispered and she turned, coming face to face with the man in white, but he was different, younger and much more alive. He grinned a hundred-watt smile at her as he stared deep into her eyes and though he seemed to be happy, she could see beyond the masks he donned and at the pain he held inside.

"Kaito…" she whispered and this time, she remembered. She remember how he had once held her hand. How he had kissed her under the moonlight. She remembered how he had spoken sweet nothings into her ear and how he had kept her close against his chest. She could remember him. She could remember them.

"Your back," his smile suddenly much more genuine and less sharp as he stepped closer to her and this time, she let him. His hands gently breezed over her arms and he took in a deep breath as he bent closer to her hair. "I missed you."

"Kaito," she repeated and she remembered what she had done. Stepping back out of disgust and horror and fear and utter, utter loathing, all of which was directed at herself, she collapsed to her knees, a hand covering her mouth as she withheld the sudden urge to vomit.

"I… you… I couldn't have… the others… why did… you should have…. Kaito," she cried, aghast.

Gentle hands brushed through her hair as she looked up into warm indigo eyes, rightfully pained.

"You couldn't stop this," he whispered to her, "I should have. If I had only been faster, none of this… it all could have been stopped."

She shook her head desperately. He was blaming himself. Her beloved, he always did this, always took the blame away from her and put it on his own shoulders.

"No," she whispered, her voice rising with each second that passed. "No. No. No! NO!" she shouted, pulling back and staring into his eyes as tears rained down from her own, "You didn't do this! Oh God, I hurt you so badly. I hurt you all. I… Kaito…"

A sudden red light surrounded them and Kaito held out his hand, a warm encouraging smile gracing his handsome features.

"It's okay. I know how to fix this. Will you trust me?"

She stared at him. Memories of a false promise once given swam into her mind, but she pushed it away as she slowly reached to lay her own hand in his. Her eyes connected with his and as though an electric spark passed between them, she was suddenly so aware of him and only him.

"What happens now?" she whispers.

"Now…" he replied, "we get a second chance."

The young woman paused, her teeth nibbling on her bottom lip.

"Don't be scared," his soothing tone suddenly sang into her ear, his tone comforting and so achingly sweet. "I won't leave you. Not again. Never again."

"...Okay," she whispered and suddenly that red light seemed to spark and swirl madly around them and around their connected hands as he pulled her close as he had once upon a time and finally, she felt whole again.

"A second chance," she faintly whispered as the red, living light suddenly blinded her vision. Blinking, she found Pandora gone and herself wide awake, laying in the rumpled up covers of her bed in the room she'd had as a child.

"Kaito…" she suddenly gasped and sat up, grabbing the cellphone located accommodatingly at her bedside. Dialing the number she knew by heart, she waited with bated breaths before a tired sounding voice answered.

"Did you sleep well?" it whispered and she found herself smiling as a sincere, slightly hysterical laugh burst forth into the quiet of the night and deep from her stomach as she cradled the phone to her ear.

"You silly thief," she whispered back, "Only you could have stolen my dreams."

A deep chuckle sounded before he replied.

"Payback," his wispy tone hummed, "First, you stole my world."

Was that cheesy? I had a request to write a one shot about Kaito being in love with an unnamed individual and Pandora being involved. Anyways, I decided to leave it open, but I figured, anyone who reads this can use their imagination and make the other person whomever they want it to be, so…. Yeah, enjoy! Please review!