Author's note: I don't own, won't use for commercial use… blah blah.

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The pretender

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Like his French model Arsène Lupin, Kaitou Kid wasn't a single entity.

He was a multiple of them.

He owned countless masks.

He owned countless voices.

He could be a wed, an old man, a lawyer, a preacher, a teenage girl, a middle-aged woman – one after the other – uncountable times.

But the one he preferred was Kuroba Kaito. In other words, himself.

Because nobody would expect Kid to be a young man in his twenties when his first heist had been committed 22 years before (but then nobody knew about his father.)

Because nobody would expect Kid to be show his real identity up in full light (but then the police was so stupid!)

Because it felt good to be oneself once in a while.

Yep, it was definitely the best. At least, when Aoko wasn't nearby. Where, for the moment, she wasn't.

There were lots and lots of policemen, like usual, in the museum – someone had probably told them Kid would come in daylight for a preliminary visit. Which he did. Right under their nose.

As he inspected very closely the jewel he was about to steal that night, he overheard quite an interesting conversation between the two police officers surveying it–

"Nakamori-kebu's not here?"

"No. She said watch for Kid."

"Yeah, but Kid's a master if disguise… maybe he's two feet away…"

Good guess, gentlemen, Kaito thought, moving an inch towards them.

"But then, Naramori-kebu could've come," the second officer said.

"She wants to avoid Shohei-san."

"What? That Shohei guy is still after her?"

"Yeah, though she turned him down a number of times…"

There was a pause. Kaito dared not lift his eyes at them. He turned around the case, as if giving a good look at the jewel.

"Hey, look, here he comes."

A good-looking young man, yet with conceited looks, was advancing towards them. He brushed past Kaito, who smelled the sour smell of orchid perfume around him.

"Where is Nakamori-kebu?" he asked, tossing his hair.

"Dunno," both the officers said at the same time.

"Oh… I suppose she'll be coming tonight."

"Sure thing," the first man said.

"It's a Kid's heist," the second added.

They both seemed to think he was a complete dumbass, but that Shohei guy didn't notice it. He walked away with grace before stumbling on an extinguisher and falling down the whole lot of stairs.

"Comic guy," one of the policemen said.

"Moron," the other said.

"Really can't understand why he's still hanging around Nakamori-kebu."

"Probably still thinks she'll fall for him because he's good-looking."

"He wouldn't believe her if she told him she's got a boyfriend."

"She probably doesn't."

"Aww, I don't think she does."

"It's the kind of woman to be wed with her job."

"Exactly so."

Now Kaito had been quite long in the vicinity. They were beginning to look at him with suspicious eyes.

Don't make a fool of yourself, he thought. You're Kaito Kid here, not Kuroba Kaito. Keep your eyes on the jewel… and try not to think.

Didn't matter, anyway. He had what he wanted, what he needed for his heist. He moved to another gem, then slowly walked to the stairs.

Thieves are always clever, he thought, smiling at himself.

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Nakamori Aoko prudently looked around the room. It was crowded with policemen, but the face she feared didn't seem to be there. She let go of a relieved sigh and moved on, waiting to be jumped upon by her assistants any moment, which didn't, of course, fail.

"Nakamori-kebu, Kid hasn't still appeared," one of them said, as if it wasn't obvious.

"How many men survey the gem?" she asked, looking at the ceiling.

"Ten. Maybe we should…"

"No."

"… send some more there."

"No," Aoko repeated firmly.

"All right. Do you want to see the cameras in the gem's room?"

"Already did… Where are the screens?"

"Over there," the assistants said, pointing at the corner of the crowded room. "Do you wish to…"

"Nakamori-san," a good-looking young man with conceited looks said, approaching her. She could already smell the orchid perfume.

She did her best to sound pleasant, if not pleased. "Shohei-san."

"I thought you might need me."

"And why would I?" Aoko urged to ask. Instead, "You're right. There is something I want to ask from you."

He beamed at her. "I'm attention itself."

Idiot, Aoko thought before saying, "I want you to go up to the gem's place and keep an eye on it. It's ten to eleven. It's a very important responsibility, so you should hurry."

"Right away, Nakamori-san." He rushed off. Aoko watched him disappear with a curious impression, a feeling tugging at the back of her mind like something that wasn't right, wasn't normal.

"Jackass," she whispered.

"Come again, kebu?"

"Nothing." She turned to her assistants. "Now show me those screens."

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At eight to eleven, nothing had happened. The gem's room, through the cameras, was still and silent.

At five to eleven, nothing had happened. Shohei was eagerly surveying the gem. Aoko, with an irritated move of the head, tried to shake off his last words.

Right away, Nakamori-san.

Nakamori-san.

At three to eleven, nothing had happened. Two policemen began to talk to each other and point at their watches. Aoko told them to shut the hell up.

At one to eleven nothing had happened. Everyone held their breath, so that silence was more stunning than ever.

At eleven o'clock, nothing happened… for the first five seconds. Then a gust of smoke invaded the room.

Right away, Nakamori-san.

Everyone gaped at the screen where, however, nothing could be seen.

"I'll go. Don't move," Aoko told her assistants – but they did move as soon as she was gone – and rushed for the door.

She collapsed with somebody before reaching it. She was about to push him off but then she smelled the orchid perfume.

"What are you doing here?" she stammered up at him. Since when was he so tall?

He raised an eyebrow, then grinned down at her.

"I arrived just now. Thought you might need me."

"What?" she gasped. "What do you mean, just now?"

He raised the other eyebrow. "Now. A minute ago. A moment ago."

Nakamori-san.

Nakamori-kebu.

That, that wasn't right.

Aoko ran away.

She rushed up the stairs, hardly believing it. He had fooled her. No, more than that. He knew – where had he learnt it? – she would throw him away to the most convenient place. He had foreseen everything, her irritation, her reaction – everything.

When she entered the gem's room, it was silent. The guards were asleep – and being ten, eleven or more didn't keep them from snoring – the smoke must have been a soporific one. And, of course, the gem was missing. The smoke had cleared off through he open window – and so, probably, had Kid.

No, she thought, bending over the frame. There were guards down there. Maybe he wouldn't have been caught, but they would have alerted her.

A terrible thought struck her. She took a good look around. There were no blond hair in sight, no orchid perfume in the air. The sleepers were only ten.

She blurted out a very original, colourful curse. Her father would have been proud of her.

She ran downstairs. No need to stop at the camera room – he'd left already. She didn't have time, time enough to catch up with him.

She crashed on the first floor, hurrying to the windows that overlooked on the front.

He was there, just leaving the building. The guards at the entry hadn't stopped him – well, of course they hadn't. They probably had just laughed at him, like they always did.

She held out her gun and opened the window. The creaking sound caused him to turn out a little.

She shot at him. Twice. Deliberately missing him. Only to let him know she hadn't been fooled long.

He looked up at the figure standing in the dark window.

She felt his smile as he faded out in the darkness.

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Another chap done… I begin to feel sorry for those two. After all that, they really should have a happy ending… so tells me my romantic side. Another voice tells me it would be much easier for me to kill them both in a Romeo and Juliet fashion… so that as they couldn't be together on earth, they could be in the other side, etc, etc.

Just kidding. I won't kill them. Honest.