Title of the work: Finding Out
Author/Artist: tanteikitty
Pairing: Kuroba Kaito x Nakamori Aoko
Fandom: Magic Kaitou
Theme: #16 - invincible; unrivaled
Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Kaitou Characters I use…I just use them because…well, they're too cute to resist!
Rating: K+

Summary: Some things just don't work out the way you want them to…and what really does happen to Aoko's potential admirers?

It was a nice breezy autumn night.

"Aoko…where are you?" A young messy brown hared magician asked to himself as he frantically searched around the premises for the missing girl.

So maybe he was really stupid, just as she put it, maybe he did push too hard that time.

Kuroba Kaito sighed. He berated himself silently as he continued to look for his childhood friend.

---

"Stupid…that stupid no good Kaito…I…" the young girl slumped down on the ground, tears trailing down her cheeks. Why? Why did he have to say those things?

---

Kaito panted as he saw the slumped figure of his best friend in the park.

Thank goodness, he thought as he silently walked towards her, the wind blowing behind him.

When he was just an arm's length away from the said girl he reached his hand out and rested it on her trembling shoulder.

---

Due to the crying Aoko hadn't notice someone sneak up to her, she only did when she felt a weight on one of her shoulders.

She knew it had to be him. She wasn't all that pleased to see him but she still felt relieved.

Aoko turned to see Kaito, he looked quite tired. His indigo eyes were unreadable. And he was frowning.

"I'm sorry…" he said.

Aoko lowered her head shadowing her eyes.

"Why? For telling the truth?"

---

Kaito stared at his childhood friend, he expected her to lash out at him or hit him or something other than what she's doing right now.

He stared at her, her head was down, he couldn't see her eyes but he could feel her trembling ever so slightly.

"What truth?" he asked puzzled.

He heard her snort, "you know the truth that you keep reminding me everyday." She raised her head up, eyes glimmering with her tears. "I know that I'm not pretty but you don't have to throw it to my face everyday! Not everyone is blessed with looks like Akako-chan or you! Some people are plain ordinary or have boyish figures! And I know I'm one of them, you always say so yourself. But you know, sometimes…it just hurts. It hurts a lot. Because I care about what you think of me! Because I…I love you!" Her voice quieted at the last words she said, it was almost inaudible.

Kaito stared speechless.

---

Aoko bit her lip suddenly regretting her outburst.

She couldn't look at her friend in the eye. In fact she avoided his face altogether. She couldn't bear see his reaction. He was probably laughing.

She felt new tears building in her eyes.

"Stupid…"

Aoko glared at her dense friend at his comment but before she could protest he continued.

"I…I never meant any on those. You're not ugly." He was staring intently at her, "you know for yourself that you're not ugly…you should, I mean you look at the mirror every day, don't you?"

"Well you make me think otherwise…" Kaito deflated at her interruption.

"I know…but," he hesitated, "I was…afraid." Aoko stared at him, Afraid? The great Kuroba Kaito was afraid? She sneered silently at the idea.

"I knew I couldn't have you even if I wanted you…"

"What?" Aoko stopped him with an incredulous look. "I think you've got it the other way around Kaito…I couldn't have you even if I wanted…you had all those girls lined up for you, even Akako-chan! I was nothing compared to them!"

"Seriously Aoko, Koizumi? No way! Anyways, they weren't important. I swear I didn't even have any feelings for any of them because…well…" Kaito tried to hide his blush as he spoke "because…well I love you… I don't know why you think you had no chance with me when you were the one with so many admirers…I wanted to be the best for you but there are other guys who liked you who was better than me- for you-…like, Hakuba for instance." Kaito frowned when he mentioned the name of the British detective. "He liked you and well, I just thought I couldn't compete with him when it came to you…"

"I don't know what to say…I mean, Kaito…you…"Aoko couldn't believe it. He loved her. Kaito said all those things…Oh. My. GOD!

Nakamori Aoko couldn't help but smile. Kaito took this as a good sign and kissed her.

Aoko wound her arms around his neck as he held her by the waist. And when they parted both pairs of eyes were undeniably shining.

"I love you too…Kaito." Aoko whispered lovingly. Kaito sort of purred as he held her.

Then it hit her.

"Kaito…" she piped up. Kaito quirked an eyebrow at her direction, at this Aoko's own brows furrowed in her deep thought.

"You said…I had a lot of admirers, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Kaito responded while nodding his head.

"Then why…" Aoko looked at Kaito directly "haven't I noticed any of it?"

Kaito gulped.

"I mean if what you said was true then shouldn't I have noticed it? I fully well know I'm not as dense as some person I know." She shot him a look.

Now the young magician was very good at using his Poker Face but right now he just seemed to have forgotten how to use it, so it was naturally evident in his face that he was hiding something.

"Kuroba Kaito, I know that face…you're hiding something aren't you?" Aoko gave him a glare "what have you been doing to these so called admirers I have?"

Kaito gulped and smiled nervously, "I showed them how good a magician I am?" He hoped it was a good answer enough, he really did.

Sadly, it wasn't.

"Kaito!" Aoko yelled in a reprimanding tone. Now they were both standing and Kaito was inching away from the currently quite angry Aoko.

"Well I…I liked you and they liked you and uhh… I tried…to…do…something about it?" he defended lamely while inching away.

"So you did things to those admirers?" Aoko said, anger bubbling in her voice, "which you haven't told me what specifically!"

"Uh…" Kaito didn't have anything else to say that might get him out of the situation so he opted to just produce a lovely fresh bloom red rose in front of the steaming Nakamori. Thankfully she was distracted enough for him to make his escape.

So maybe it didn't turn out so much like I wanted to, but all in all it wasn't so bad, Kaito thought as he ran away from the young girl after him.

a/n: There we go eight down, twenty-two to go! I hope you enjoyed the ficlet. This was posted on my LJ account on July 18 for RanMouri82's 25th birthday. Tell me what you think...