A/N: Here we are, at the last chapter! I want to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, commented, liked, favorited, bookmarked or otherwise interacted with this thing I made. I'd also like to thank miladyRanger, who at this point is as much "instigator" as "beta-reader" and is unquestionably skilled at both tasks.

There is art now! You can find it on my tumblr, under the "riddle in reverse" tag. I'll eventually put all of mine on pixiv as a single post, once I've added one or two more sketches, and then put the pixiv link on the AO3 version of the fic and Tumblr. (None of the links on my profile work, and none of the links to anything off of FFN on anyone else's profile work either; I don't know what they did but I'm not gonna try to get past it.).

Please read the end-note! There's stuff about the sequel there.

Chapter 8: A Secret

Hakuba showed up to Chikage's house the next morning, wearing a dress shirt and slacks and carrying a package of relatively upscale chocolate pudding cups.

She stood in the doorway, unmoving, as he held out the pudding cups with a small, sheepish smile on his face. "For when he can keep down solids again."

She frowned at him as she accepted them.

"I promise the packaging is still intact," Hakuba said.

"That's hardly what I'm concerned about," Chikage said. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to make certain that Kuroba-san was all right, after last night," Hakuba said. "You would be acting differently were he still in unstable condition, so I must assume he is not." He paused. "I also thought to save you the trouble of tracking me down to interrogate me."

"And I'm sure that was out of consideration for me," Chikage said, not entirely keeping the mockery from her tone.

"No, I wanted to spend as little time dreading this as possible, so I hoped to finish with it sooner rather than later," Hakuba said flatly. "That said, if you don't think it would be a problem—I would like to look in on Kuroba-san."

"He doesn't need harassment from detectives right now," Chikage said.

"I won't harass him," Hakuba said, almost looking hurt for half a second, before returning to his customary expression of quiet distaste.

Chikage looked at the boy. He looked like a desk-jockey who might be blown over by a strong wind, but moved across rooftops with the grace of a phantom thief, even when carrying another person. No one she'd talked to had given her enough information for her to figure out exactly who he really was or what his intentions were. But he'd come here with the intention of answering at least some of her questions, and he had saved her son's life less than 24 hours ago. That earned him entry to the house, at least.

"Come in," she said. "Give me a second to put that pudding in the fridge; then we can go up to his room."

He followed her in, and was still waiting patiently in the entryway when she came back from putting away the pudding. She frowned at him again, then jerked her head toward the staircase.

"His room is this way," she said.

He nodded, and followed her up.

Chikage knocked on the door, and opened it at Kaito's answering groan of, "Come in."

"I've brought a visitor," she announced, all cheer.

"Kuroba-san," Hakuba said. "There's chocolate pudding downstairs, for when you're able to eat it."

Kaito stared at him for a long moment. He was still almost as pale as the uniform Chikage had cut off of him last night, and the bandages she'd wrapped around his stitched-up shoulder wound were still soaking up blood. Meanwhile, the bruises forming across his collarbone and shoulder blade were darkening from last night's rosy pink to a lurid shade of blue-black. A bruise on his left cheekbone was more brownish, and marred by a scabbed-over scrape. But at least his eyes were open, clear, and tracking their movements.

Last night had been entirely too long, and too uncertain, for her taste.

"Thank you," Kaito finally said.

Hakuba inclined his head. "A quick recovery would be a more than adequate show of gratitude," he said.

Kaito blinked at him, slowly, then said, "I'll try."

Hakuba smiled, slow and slightly sad, as he glanced around the room. "Your mother and I have some things to discuss. Do you mind if we leave you to rest?"

Kaito seemed to sink down in the pillows, closing his eyes. "Sounds nice. Don't…do anything, either of you, okay?"

Hakuba glanced at Chikage.

"I have access to hospital-grade pain medications," Chikage explained.

"You said those were candy," Kaito murmured.

"I was lying," Chikage replied sweetly.

"You're dangerous," Kaito accused.

"Sleep well, dear," Chikage said, sweeping out of the room. "Come along, Hakuba."

She heard his footsteps—as light as hers or Kaito's—follow her down the stairs and into the kitchen. She sat down in one of the chairs and watched as he sat down across from her. For a half-second, intense discomfort flickered across his face—it was almost as if he had some sort of Poker Face of his own.

I've got him right here, she thought. I have questions, and, now, an opportunity to get them answered. I just need to be sure not to waste it.

"You said, last night, that you'd explain why you helped," Chikage said, open challenge in her tone.

"I told you I know about KID," Hakuba said. "I also know about what he's doing, and why. I understand why he can't do it through legal channels."

"If that's true, then why have you been chasing him, all this time?" Chikage asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Imagine, if you will, if KID had no opponents other than the Task Force, and very occasionally Snake," Hakuba said, almost casually. "Imagine, then, that he is suddenly confronted with those like Chat Noir and Nightmare, who would do him real harm if pressed. Or Snake's colleagues, who would do so with no provocation beyond his existence."

"You have no way of knowing that he'll come up against anything like that," Chikage said, chilled but unwilling to show it.

"Ah, but he already has," Hakuba said. "Nightmare came, despite my best efforts, and as for Chat Noir…if you don't appreciate how close a call that was, then you don't realize how well your son has learned showmanship, and applied it to his recounting of his heists."

Despite his best efforts? "But it's still only Snake at the heists, at the moment," Chikage said firmly.

"And so I hope it shall remain," Hakuba said. "It would be nice, if some of my efforts were to work out exactly as I plan them to. But, should they not, Kaito is far more ready to face such a disaster than he was last year."

"So, you're testing him," Chikage sniffed. "And after scolding me for doing it, too."

"I'm not doing it with his father's face on," Hakuba rejoined, and this time, the spark of anger in the words was actually palpable.

"He needs to be able to deal with surprises," Chikage said, dismissive. "And he can't keep defining himself only as Toichi's echo; it's not healthy."

"Neither is the way you're trying to get him not to do it," Hakuba said. "You really don't understand him, do you?"

"And you do?"

"Better than you might think," Hakuba said, amusement suffusing the words.

Chikage resisted the urge to scoff at him, but it was definitely there. "And now that he knows you aren't a threat?"

"I might try making the heists contests instead," Hakuba said, considering. "He's improved greatly, so I'm not nearly as concerned as I was."

"He was shot!" Chikage said.

"That was inevitable," Hakuba said. "It could have been worse."

"You can say that, since you didn't have to remove a bullet from his shoulder last night," Chikage all but spat.

"How fortunate, then, that you were still in the country to do it," Hakuba said, tone light and smile all teeth.

How dare he— "You still haven't explained how you know any of this," Chikage said. "You say you support what Kaito's doing, but all I have to prove that is one rescue and we both know that very well could've been an attempt to get inside my guard. I have few enough reasons to trust you without factoring in your snide comments."

"Such suspicion," Hakuba said, tone slightly laughing. "You've been spending too much time with the elder Nakamori, I think."

"According to what you've said, you should understand why I'm being careful," she replied. "You know quite well that there are people out there who would kill Kaito—"

"And you should have found out, by now, that someone's been protecting him," Hakuba replied.

"Are you trying to claim it was you?" Chikage said.

"Kaito will confirm it, when he wakes long enough for the two of you to talk," Hakuba said levelly. "I saw his expression change. He's suspected for a while, I think—he asked some questions of me in class that could only be explained as clumsy attempts at detective work—but I doubt he was certain enough of the theory to air it publically."

"Sets him apart from you, doesn't it?" Chikage prodded.

"I suppose it does," Hakuba said, unruffled. "My accusation really was such a clumsy attempt that no one will quite let me live it down…now, even if someone accused Kaito with evidence, I'm sure they'd be thought of as another crackpot theorist."

"Don't try to convince me that you planned it that way," Chikage said flatly.

"I needn't convince you," Hakuba said. "It is a fact, whether you believe it or not. 'There is only one truth'—doesn't that child who likes to bother your son on heists often say that?"

"A typical way of thinking, for a critic."

Hakuba shrugged, deliberately casual. "That is what he is, and what I am."

"He may be, but you are more than a simple critic," Chikage said, grinning sharply. "A critic doesn't leap-across rooftops or keep a copy of a thief's clothes to quick-change into."

"I am perhaps a bit unorthodox," Hakuba said.

"That was more than unorthodox," Chikage said. "Explain it."

"I don't think so," Hakuba said.

"You promised me answers," Chikage pressed.

"Not those answers," Hakuba said, brusquely, moving to stand.

"Don't even think of leaving," Chikage said.

"I think you'll find that you're unable to stop me, should I truly desire to go," Hakuba said flatly. "But if you insist, I will remain, on the condition that you cease this line of questioning."

"I won't," Chikage said. "Quick-changing, into even a different face, like that—that's a phantom thief's skill. How did you acquire it?"

"I was taught," Hakuba said.

"By who?" Chikage said.

"That is, frankly, none of your concern," Hakuba said, voice even flatter than usual.

"Oh, I think it is, and I will find out," Chikage said. "I'm giving you the chance to tell me, because when I met with your father he implied that there was someone looking for you, and I'd rather not put you at any actual risk by investigating openly, but—"

"Oh, I rather think that ship has sailed," Hakuba interrupted, a touch of chagrin to his tone.

"Then, you'll go into hiding, now?" Chikage asked.

"I haven't decided how I will respond," Hakuba said, almost cautiously. "I think it would rather depend on how feasible it is for me to remain here. Right now, it's seeming untenable."

"Last night you were willing to risk snipers to protect KID, and now you're ready to cut and run," Chikage said. "Who is it that you're running from? Do I need to be worried?"

Hakuba laughed, a short, grating noise with no joy to it. "Not a bit," he said. "What I'm worried about is no threat to you."

"But if it's a threat to someone who knows my family's secrets…" Chikage pressed.

"I won't be caught," Hakuba said, and that was KID's grin.

Something must have shown on her face, because his expression immediately went blank. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I need to leave." He stood, moved toward the door—

And Chikage caught him by the arm. "Not before you tell me who you are."

"My name is Hakuba Saguru," he said, frowning and trying to pull away from her.

"You know that's not what I'm asking," she said. "What Nakamori-keibu has told me you can do, what I've seen you do, that smile just now…where did you learn all of that?"

"I told you, I don't want to—" he continued trying to pull away.

"Were you Toichi's student?" she asked, flat-out, because that was the only explanation that made sense, bizarre as it seemed.

Hakuba stiffened, then nodded.

"When?" she demanded, letting go of his arm and stepping back in surprise. "How? He never told me! And you're hardly old enough, to have learned-"

"It's…complicated," Hakuba interrupted. "But…you do believe that Koizumi-san's abilities are real, yes?"

Chikage nodded.

"She was involved," Hakuba said. "Not with…my tutelage, but with how I was able to have learned without your being aware."

Chikage narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?" she demanded.

"I did nothing," Hakuba said, very quietly. "But Koizumi-san saw fit to distort the timestream for KID's sake, and so I am here."

Chikage stared at him for a few seconds. "That's your story," she said, at length. "Time travel."

"'Story' implies fabrication, which I assure you this is not," Hakuba said stiffly.

"So, everything you know…"

"I learned in the previous timeline," he said. "I would try to prove it to you by predicting something, but I've already gone much farther in this timeline than I did in the last."

"But you knew about Koizumi's plans for Kaito, and that he would need Kevlar for the snipers," Chikage said, as the pieces slipped into place. "Why didn't you just warn him?"

"If I'd simply warned him, he would have changed his plans, possibly in a way that made things worse," Hakuba said. "The only way to make those warnings effective would have been to tell him to stop. Do you really think he would have?" More quietly, he added, "Do you think he should have?"

As much as I'd like him to be safe…this is something he's chosen to do. And it's pretty noble, for all that it's dangerous. I am proud, I just wish- Grimacing, Chikage shook her head. And then, asked another question. "Aren't time travelers supposed to avoid interfering or something?"

Hakuba barked out a laugh. "I'm not here on vacation," he said, with distaste. "I was given a chance to fix things, and that's what I've been doing."

"Then…what you talked about, earlier, the scenario in which KID wasn't ready for stronger opponents—" she started.

"That's what I'm here to prevent," Hakuba said.

"But—why would she send you?" Chikage asked. "And—how would you, of all people, end up training with a master magician, even in a different timeline? If Kaito still becomes KID, then you were still far too young…"

"You're assuming that this is my true name, and my true face," Hakuba said quietly. "Neither are. Let us leave it at that."

"Of course, if he taught you disguise—how old are you?" she demanded.

"I asked that we leave it at that," Hakuba repeated, ice flooding his tone.

"I find myself unwilling," Chikage said.

"You are truly incapable of leaving well enough alone," Hakuba said.

"You are all but incapable of straight answers," Chikage replied.

"You don't want straight answers," Hakuba said, eyes hard and voice even harder. "You don't want to know. The timeline I came from was exceptionally unappealing and knowing more about it will do nothing but worry you. Knowing who I am will be of even less benefit. I ask that I be allowed to leave."

Chikage stepped into his personal space, and looked more closely at him. "You aren't wearing a mask," she said. "Only makeup and a few facial prosthetics. You can't be more than a few years older than your apparent age."

"Good-day, ma'am," Hakuba said, sharply, voice suddenly loud.

She flinched at the sudden change in volume, and he was gone when her eyes opened again. In the distance, the front door slammed shut.

"Toichi would've had to train you as a child, and he didn't train children," Chikage murmured to herself. "Not in the things you know. Even with Kaito we didn't start the wall-climbing until—"

She broke off, and remembered the face she'd seen during the heist last night. Too young to be Toichi's, too old to be Kaito's, clean-shaven—

With a quick-change, either that was a mask…or your real face. And given everything else, only one of those options makes sense.

"Kaito?" she asked aloud, taking a gamble.

Outside the open window, something rustled in the bushes.

Panicking, she ran to the window. "Kaito?" she shouted, voice embarrassingly high-pitched.

"'m up here," called Kaito—her Kaito, her teenage son, the one who wasn't pretending to be half-British and working as a detective at the moment. "Wha's the yellin' about?"

Chikage wasn't even sure how to answer him.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

His own first impression of Hakuba Saguru was that it was a little too weird of a name to get used to. "Saguru" was one thing. It was a little awkward and long and almost slithery on the tongue but he could deal with it. But Hakuba? That was a police superintendent's name. How was he supposed to call it his own?

Just hold on to Poker Face, he told himself. It'll carry you through.

It had carried him through his moonlight ventures turning into a waking nightmare that bled into daylight and made No One Gets Hurt impossible to enforce. It had carried him through his skin catching fire and a bullet ripping apart his left lung, and the smoke and blood stealing all the air away until he woke up, gasping, in the grass of Haido Park, whole again somehow, with a dead witch's voice echoing in his ears.

"I've stolen a second chance for you, KID-san…"

It had carried him through rifling through a savaged white suit jacket to find a pocket watch that wasn't his and displayed a date four years earlier than the last he remembered. It carried him through months alone and planning, juggling identities and jobs and trying to afford essentials he'd never had to pay for himself as he tried to figure out what to do with what he'd been given.

Compared to all of that, what was a slightly bizarre new name?

Hakuba Saguru. Just another tool in the arsenal of weapons he had at hand to avoid the future he'd messed up and caused last time.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

If you have it, you want to share it. If you share it, you haven't got it. What is it? A secret.

—Source unknown

A/N: And that's where the story ends, at least for now.

Credit for the idea for this story goes to a few places. Sinnatious's fic The Fifth Act is why I first wanted to write a time-travel fic, and it, along with metisket's fic Play It Again and, of course, the excellent Terry Pratchett novel Night Watch, were where I got the idea of narrating from the point of view of the confused people who were native to the time period. I just took that part farther than any of them did, for the sake of making a mystery. As for making the time-travel fic about Magic Kaito—blame "Ai no Scenario" and it's vaguely time-travel-ish lyrics.

When it comes to guessing in the comments—congratulations to AO3's Cloudy and their roommate, who won with "I think he's some alternate-timeline Kaito" earlier today and get a round of applause and virtual lemon bars, if they'd like them. AO3's Lilipupzilla was the first to guess that he was someone else in disguise, and FreeWeirdGal from was the first one to guess time travel, so kudos to them too. Just about all of the guesses made sense given the amount of information you had at the time, so I'm impressed. Thanks for sending them in!

So, I have been promising a sequel, and it is coming. However, less of it is finished than I would like, and so I've decided to take about a month to make sure that I have enough material written that I won't end up having to take a hiatus at some point in the middle of the fic, which would be unpleasant for everyone. The sequel is going to be called Steeplechase, and it will be going up in late April unless something in real life interferes. I don't want to get into the plot too much, but I will say that there will be more of a Detective Conan crossover, and that I'm having a lot of fun writing it.

The best place to check in for updates on the progress of the sequel is my tumblr. Everything is still under the "riddle in reverse" tag.