SAGURU
"Hakuba-nii-san! Akako-nee-chan!" Saguru and Akako smiled as they entered Yamaguchi Ryouichi's room at Tokyo University Hospital and were greeted by Kyou and her father.
"Hello, Kyou-chan," Saguru smiled, crouching down to her level before sliding his bag off his shoulder. "It's good to see you again."
Kyou beamed, surprising Saguru with a hug. "Akako-nee-chan told me you went to London to see your mommy. How is she? Did you have fun in London? Did you get to dress up for Halloween? What did you go as?" Saguru laughed as she launched one question after another.
"Kyou, one question at a time," her father scolded, but he was smiling. It was good to see him conscious. He had only been awake a couple of times in the past when Saguru had come by to visit over the last month.
"It's alright, Yamaguchi-san. My mother is quite well, Kyou-chan, thank you, and I dressed up as Legolas, an elf, for Halloween."
"Do you have pictures?!" Kyou asked.
"Do you?" Akako echoed with a sly smile and a gleam in her eye.
"Unfortunately I don't have any on me at the moment. I'll have to bring one next time." Kyou pouted. "I do, however, have a gift for a certain little girl," Saguru said, smiling at how fast Kyou perked up. He reached into the bag he'd brought and pulled out a wrapped package, handing it over to Kyou.
The little girl tore open the top of the wrapping and squealed in delight at the sight of English candies such as Turkish Delights, Jelly Babies, and an assortment of Aero chocolate bars. There were also a couple of children's fairytale books. They were in English, of course, but the illustrations were gorgeous and Saguru had taken the time during his long flight back to Japan to carefully pen in a hiragana translation of the tales beneath the English text for Kyou to read. His flight had landed only a few hours ago in the early afternoon, where Akako had met him at the terminal gate with his housekeeper, Baaya. Apparently the girl had no qualms about skipping her afternoon classes. Saguru had passed his luggage on to Baaya before leaving to catch a train to Ueno.
"Thank you!" Kyou squealed happily, hugging him again before rushing over to show her father what Saguru had given her.
"Speaking of gifts, did you get what I requested?" Akako asked while the little girl and her father looked over the books and various candies.
"I did," Saguru nodded. "They're in the gift bag I put together for you."
"You shouldn't have," Akako cooed.
"Oh?" Saguru mused, smiling at his friend. "Well, I suppose if you don't want anything more than what you asked for, I'll just have to split your goodies between Kuroba and Aoko-kun's gift bags then."
"Don't you dare," Akako said, feigning disproval. "I want to see what you brought me back from London."
"Besides what you asked for?"
"Yes, you fool," Akako huffed childishly, batting at his arm.
"I'll give it to you tomorrow," Saguru promised. "Or if you want it that badly, you're more than welcome to come over to get it. I have it in my suitcase."
"That would probably be best," Akako frowned, lowering her voice to a low murmur. They both watched as the elder Yamaguchi slouched in his bed, tired and sleepy again. "Yamaguchi-san is weakening. I would like to have what you purchased for me as soon as possible. I also don't want either of us to have to carry them around the school."
"Kuroba?"
"Kuroba."
"Damn nuisance can't keep his sticky fingers out of other people's bags."
"Oh, it's not my bag I'm worried about him looking through. It's yours." Akako smirked. "I'd rather not have him rifling through things he needn't concern himself with."
"That and it'd raise so many bothersome questions neither of us would want to answer," Saguru sighed.
"Again, it's not me that would be bothered." Saguru shot her a baleful glare but she only smiled cheekily and wandered over to the two Yamaguchis, offering to take Kyou out to Ueno Park. It was only a 14 minute (and 35.12 second) walk from the hospital and would allow Yamaguchi-san to get some more rest while giving his daughter an opportunity to be outside and play. Apparently, Akako had visited a few times on her own since they'd both come by with Kuroba that first time and had already taken Kyou out on a few similar trips.
Saguru watched in amusement as his usually collected and sophisticated friend chatted gaily with the six year old and the two hopped from one stripe to the next on the crosswalk. They even got him to join in and Saguru found himself having a grand time with the two girls. They decided to explore the zoo section of Ueno Park that afternoon, seeing all of the animals and as many of the attractions as they could. Saguru found himself blushing, however, when an elderly lady commented on what a nice young family the three of them were. Akako didn't help things when she latched onto his arm and said, "Come on, dear, we want to go see the monkeys." Kyou even got in on it and tugged on his other arm saying, "Let's go, Daddy! Let's go!" Once they were far enough from the elderly woman, Akako and Kyou couldn't stop laughing. Saguru eventually found himself chuckling as well – not at the situation, but at the sight of the two girls doubled over laughing to the point of tears.
When Saguru and Akako arrived back in Ekoda later, Saguru invited his friend over. While Baaya prepared dinner, the two of them retired to the lounge. He gave her the promised package and after a few minutes of her marveling over the English candies and a necklace he'd selected for her, Akako focused on the second part of her parcel. It was a paper bag filled with dried roots, little bags of seeds, and crushed herbs from an old apothecary in London.
It had taken a long hour going up and down the same street before finally locating the little hole-in-the-wall shop. The shopkeeper had been an elderly spinster woman in long, flowing robes that had dwarfed her figure. When he'd walked into her store she'd looked up in surprise, as if she'd never seen a customer before. She had been very eager to help him and offered him deals on all sorts of powders and crushed minerals and cleansing stones.
When Saguru told Akako about his experience at the store, she laughed and explained, "You're probably the first normal to have ever entered her shop. Most places like that are warded and invisible to people without a magical lineage. You wore the omamori that Kyou-chan gave you, I trust?"
"Yes…"
"The woman could tell you didn't have magic, but felt the charm and that's what excited her. I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to find the shop without a guide, but wearing the charm helped. Spending time with Kyou-chan and I probably facilitated it as well. My own magic is probably rubbing off on you and allowing you to see things that you couldn't ordinarily see. You may have started noticing strange things during your trip home after visiting the apothecary."
Saguru was a little unnerved by that bit of news. "So what are those herbs for, anyway? And why did they have to be from London?" Saguru asked, changing the subject.
Akako allowed the dismissal of the uncomfortable subject and took up the new topic without further comment. "They didn't have to be from London, per se," she admitted, "but I know for a fact that most of these items come imported from Ireland, one of the few countries still imbued with its original, natural magic. It hosts the most magical gatherings in the world because its lands have remained sacred, mostly because they've become tourist traps. That's beside the point, though. It's so much cheaper to get these things from London than to have them imported all the way to Japan. My usual herbologist has raised her prices as of late so I've been boycotting her shop and making do elsewhere, but these particular ingredients need to be relatively fresh. Unfortunately, most of the herbs imported from Europe take weeks or months to arrive. It was much easier and quicker to have you pick them up while you were home in London. I hope you don't mind."
"I don't, but, again, what are they for?" Saguru asked.
"A spell to counteract the traces of evil the kappa left on Yamaguchi-san," Akako frowned. "It's meant to purify and cleanse his aura and should help him finally recover from his attack. Not many survive a kappa attack, but the few who do usually die soon after. Yamaguchi-san is barely hanging on as it is. Modern science has created medicine that healed the body, so Yamaguchi-san may appear well, but his soul is tainted and rotting."
Saguru nodded. His logical side didn't quite understand what she was telling him about kappas and evil auras, but he could at least grasp the concept that Mr. Yamaguchi was spiritually sick, so he required a spiritual cure to get better. "Will it work?" Saguru asked.
"For Kyou-chan's sake, I hope so," Akako replied softly.
xxxxxxXXXxxxxxx
KAITO
Kaito had finished his homework hours ago and was still looking for something to do. He hadn't been particularly inspired to write the next heist note, even though he wanted to hold another one soon to hand over his proof to the detective. Why had Hakuba gone to England, anyway? It was so last minute. He just had to miss the Halloween heist, which Kaito had taken special care in planning.
Ah. That French cousin of his had arrived in London the same day. Perhaps her social media could enlighten Kaito as to what Hakuba and company had been up to halfway around the world. He opened the browser on his computer in the Kid room and found her Facebook again. Benoit Renee posted a multitude of photographs – both clear, professional shots and pictures clearly taken with a phone camera – under two albums called Halloween Charity Ball! Part I and Part II. In Part I, Kaito clicked through the sharp, well-composed photos of strangers in costumes that looked like fairy tale characters gone spooky. Appropriate for Halloween. The second album featured Renee in costume as an elf girl, most of the time standing arm in arm with another elf who was Legolas and most definitely Hakuba Saguru. "Wow," he croaked, staring at the first photo with both of them. It had taken Kaito a moment to recognize his classmate through the elf costume and huge smile that wasn't generally seen on the detective. Shit, Hakuba even had twin swords, and they looked real. Awesome.
Kaito kept clicking through the album and Renee's descriptions to the right of the photos helped him put together an idea of what happened: "Jamie's finishing up my costume, aww yeah." "My cousin and I, dressed as Legolas and Tauriel for Aunt Lizzy's charity ball." "Elf Prince is being a dork in this pic because the 'real' Gandalf is here, lol." "Group shot of the actors after the Hobbit skit." "If Jamie had a Facebook, he'd kill me for putting this one up." That last one was a shot of Hakuba making a face at someone slightly to the left of the camera, probably Renee. He looked absolutely ridiculous, given that elves were generally composed and not expressive, but Kaito couldn't help feeling that Hakuba looked a little bit adorable when he wasn't being a stuffy detective.
Well, maybe "adorable" was too strong a word. Kaito was probably just feeling charitable because he wanted the blonde to come to the next heist. Mmm, yes, that was it. Really, it wouldn't do for Hakuba to skip again just because he didn't have proof of completing the disguise challenge. Kid wouldn't let him off that easily if the detective suddenly decided to stop issuing notices for their clandestine meetings. Hmm. He might have to hold a Lord of the Rings themed heist so Hakuba would remember that Kid was keeping an eye on him. Wouldn't want Hakuba to think he could just leave and chase another thief on the other side of the world or something, as if Kid wouldn't know what he was up to.
Ah! Kaito sat bolt upright as he remembered one item from his to-steal list and thought that a LOTR heist (or at least a few obvious references dropped) sounded like a perfect idea for Kid's next show. He consulted his master sketchbook for more information about this particular jewel and opened up another tab on the browser to begin his research.
Six hours later, with preliminary research and an initial visit to the heist site under his belt, Kaito had a heist note:
The history of style in a tasteful fashion
An assortment of costumes collected with passion.
This kaitou twice wishes for something small
Because there's only one ring to rule them all.
xxxxxxXXXxxxxxx
SAGURU
Saguru was having a very busy week. Kid had issued a new heist note within the last few days and that had the Task Force in another tizzy. Between attending school and various task force meetings Saguru welcomed a break, even one that came in the form of one Suzuki Sonoko.
The two of them had known each other since childhood due to their families' similar social circles, but after his parents had divorced and he moved to London with his mother, they didn't see much of each other unless he was visiting Japan or she was visiting Europe to attend some other high society event. It hadn't been until he moved back to Japan to live with his father that they'd begun to see each other more often and actually become friends. There had been issues at the beginning of their friendship when Saguru had joined the Kid Task Force. Being a major fan, Sonoko had taken offense and refused to speak to him for weeks. When Kid targeted her family's Black Star pearl, she had asked Detective Mouri for help instead.
Honestly, the whole thing had been ridiculous and their confrontations had devolved into childish name-calling and petty comebacks that were completely outrageous. When the two had finally come to their senses after a month's worth of idiocy, they put aside their differences regarding Kid, apologized, and became a pair of unlikely friends. Sonoko was rather eccentric, but not on the same level as Lyle, Renee, and Saguru's mother. He could tell when she was playing up her oddness and when she was genuinely excited. Sonoko was also a perfect source for information on Kid activity whenever he was out of the country and he, in turn, would give her information on the latest Kid heists he was involved in.
"I was wondering when you were going to pay me a visit," Sonoko huffed as she led him into the lounge where they usually visited when he came over to call on her.
"Apologies, Sonoko-chan. It's been a rather hectic week for me," Saguru replied as he took a seat across from her in a plush chair. "I have, however, brought a gift for you."
Sonoko was easily appeased as she took the box he presented her and squealed in delight over the dress inside, as well as the selection of her favorite European chocolates. "You are forgiven," she declared imperiously as she set the box aside. "Is that dress from your mother's winter line?"
"Not even available in stores for the public yet," Saguru assured her. "My mother sends her regards and an invite to Beau Vous' winter fashion show in Shibuya at the end of the month. The invitation is inside the box as well, and allows you to have a plus one in case Kyougoku-san is present and wishes to accompany you."
"Thank you!" Sonoko's smile covered her whole face before her expression became more somber. "Unfortunately Makoto-san will be attending a tournament around that time in Kyoto. Maybe I'll bring Ran-chan. I think she'd like that."
"Ah, and how is Mouri-kun?" Saguru asked, listening politely as Sonoko went on a rant about how her friend was still waiting for Beika's local high school detective, Kudo Shinichi, to come back from a case he'd been involved in for quite some time. When she finally calmed down again they launched into their favorite topic of conversation – Kid – which only served to rile her back up again.
"It's too bad you had to miss my party," Sonoko lamented with an exaggerated air. "It was spectacular. Even without Kid-sama's presence it would have been a smash. But – oh! – you should have seen what he did to the pumpkins. They were crawling all over the place. And skulls were flying out of the coffin at guests and the Task Force was a complete joke. Kid had them running in circles, chasing each other."
"And how did he accomplish that?" Saguru asked, amused. While Sonoko told him about the capes Kid had attached to the Task Force's backs, he watched her. She tended to not only gesture with her hands, but moved her whole body as well. It was a rather childish and endearing quality she had that few in their social circles could appreciate. Most found such enthusiasm either obnoxious or unbecoming for a woman of Sonoko's position as heir to the Suzuki Company. She had toned down such expressiveness significantly in public since Saguru had become her friend, but during these private moments she did nothing to curb her behavior.
It was nice to be in the company of someone who felt comfortable enough to let go of such inhibitions. In return it allowed him to relax as well. It was nearly a requirement sometimes. Sonoko could get really mad if he acted too properly, "like a stuffy brown-nosing jerk". Being gentlemanly was fine, but too much formality was a no-no in these private meetings. Sonoko's argument was that they acted on ceremony in too many public events on behalf of their parents and that as teenagers they should be allowed to relax in informal surroundings. Saguru hadn't wanted to argue with her over something stupid again and had learned to relax more in her presence. Having someone scowl and tell you to "get that stick out of your ass and relax" a million times would do that.
"So, did you see Kid before the heist started?"
Sonoko laughed. "I'm friends with a ton of Kid fans, Saguru-kun. There were a bunch of people dressed up in white suits. But, to answer your question, yes, I did see him."
Saguru's eyebrows shot up. "And that wasn't the first thing you mentioned when you answered the door, why?"
"I didn't want to be rude. I know how you feel about the Kid fandom."
Well. He couldn't really argue with that logic. "Was there anything unusual about him, that you noticed?"
She shrugged. "I thought he was the plus one for one of my guests. I just noticed that he was a Kid cosplayer. Nothing strange about him at all. Now, enough about my party," Sonoko said as she reseated herself, her gaze eager. "Details. What is my beloved Kid-sama up to now? A heist notice was issued and printed in the newspaper and I know you've figured it out by now. Spill!"
Saguru chuckled and relaxed in his seat. "I suppose I don't mind telling you. The information will be released to the public anyway in tomorrow's morning paper. The history of style in a tasteful fashion / An assortment of costumes collected with passion. / This kaitou twice wishes for something small / Because there's only one ring to rule them all," Saguru recited. "The first two lines refer to the heist's location, The Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum in Shibuya, which has clothes from different time periods around the world. While the museum doesn't specifically have jewelry on display, they sometimes have special exhibits on other cultural artifacts, and some jewels will be on display." A fitting location for a heist, especially considering the theme of their challenges this round. "The second half of the heist notice was difficult for the task force to decipher."
"But not for you, I bet," Sonoko said smugly.
"Even I had a hard time determining the entirety of the notice," Saguru admitted. "The heist target was easy enough to determine."
"One ring to rule them all," Sonoko quoted with a smirk. "Even I know it's a Lord of the Rings reference. A jab, perhaps, at your Halloween costume?"
"And how would you know what I dressed as for Halloween?" Saguru huffed.
"I follow your fan page on Facebook, of course," Sonoko grinned. "You won't get one of your own, so I follow the fan page. There was a kick-ass video of the Hobbit skit, you know. Very nice. You looked so heroic banishing the beasts with your swords and shooting arrows all over the place. Now why can't you do that at one of my parties or at a Kid heist? You might actually stand a chance catching him if you whip out those kinds of moves."
"Because I'd be making a spectacle out of myself," Saguru frowned. "And those moves were practiced and choreographed. I can't do that sort of thing on the fly."
"Could too," Sonoko scoffed. "You're great at improv. You just don't want the attention it would give you."
"I have enough attention as it is," Saguru sighed. "Do you want to hear the rest of the heist information or not?"
"Spill," she demanded again, eyes sharp and eager.
"The ring reference was a clue to Kid's intended target, the Ichikawa's Sapphire, which is a rare pink sapphire that's set into a ring. It's going to be on a special display between tomorrow and the 12th." While the "ichi" kanji used in Ichikawa wasn't the same as the kanji used to represent "one", it was obviously a pun.
"And the heist date and time?" Sonoko inquired.
"That was the hard part to figure out," Saguru admitted. "The clue was hidden in the third line – This kaitou twice wishes for something small. It's not a common thing done here in Japan, but in some western cultures the time 11:11 is regarded as special for making a wish. So that gave us a time for the heist. The best we can figure, however, with regards to a date, is the part where the kaitou twice wishes, which suggests that 11:11 has a double meaning as both time and the date. So to sum up, Kid is going to target the Ichikawa's Sapphire in the Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum at 11:11 on November 11th."
Sonoko made a note of the time and date in her phone, looking extremely pleased.
xxxxxxXXXxxxxxx
KAITO
The planning for this heist had been kinda half-assed because he wanted to hold it soon, and as a result, it wasn't going to be his best magic. He'd been a little careless with hiding his tricks around the room where the Ichikawa's Sapphire was being held, and some of them had already been discovered. It wasn't even 11:11 yet. Also, he felt like his veins were flowing with molasses tonight. He just couldn't get excited about this.
Blah. Blergh. Heist. Hmm. Don't wanna.
You can't find the meeting place unless you have the riddle, he reminded himself. That meant he had to put on a grand show and steal the "one ring" first. Eh… he didn't need to be flashy tonight. He'd been wild enough on Halloween to make up for a sub-par magic show if he wanted to get this heist over with. Normally he wouldn't condone such a mood, but he was feeling truly drained. He was always in the middle of planning heists and researching potential targets and gathering intel on the criminal network that was after Pandora. Heists were great fun and wonderful magic practice, but tonight he was thinking about his father. Well, he had started by thinking of the meetings with Hakuba, and then he'd remembered the question that the blonde had asked for his prize last time: How many people have worn the Kid costume?
The answer should have been just one, maybe two if Mom helped out sometimes. Dad should have still been here to find Pandora before the dark organization did. This quest had lost Kaito a father and widowed his mother. Jii had lost a good friend. The world had lost a good magician.
Again, heists were great fun, but the reason for the heists, the idea that there were villains out there willing to kill for eternal life, sometimes made it very hard to put on the suit. Most nights, Kaito was fine. The snipers didn't come to every heist, and Kaito always lost himself in the ecstasy of adrenaline and magic and more recently, the challenges. Tonight, though, it was hard. He'd been very, very tempted to cancel tonight. However, he was looking forward to the part of the evening where he got to watch Hakuba Saguru's reactions to the heist that the detective had so rudely missed.
Yeah… that would make the night better, wouldn't it? Bothering the detective was always a trip.
Kaito gave himself a little slap to wake up a bit, then checked his watch. 11:05pm. Six more minutes until show time. He took a drink from the water fountain outside the restrooms and, when no one was looking, slipped into the ladies room to change into his next disguise. Tonight he was Kagome Rina, head of the Collections department for the Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum. The real woman was brisk, organized, and terrifying enough that she'd apparently cowed Nakamori into silence the first time they met after the heist notice had been issued. The task force had been whispering about it when they set up and Kaito's own research on the woman made him inclined to believe them.
He left the bathroom, went back into the hallway, and circled around to the entrance of the room where the Ichikawa's Sapphire was being displayed. Kaito demanded to see Nakamori-keibu immediately and insisted that the officers stay in their positions, thank you, I don't need to be walked around my own workplace like a child.
Kaito took a moment to shiver as he entered one of the main display rooms, the one with the sapphire. Because the museum displayed clothes, there were an awful lot of mannequins on platforms behind knee-high barriers. To an untrained eye, it almost looked like the museum was full of human exhibits, like a zoo but for people. The clothes were beautiful, to be sure, but overall it was creepy as hell.
The magician made it four steps towards the display case when Hakuba frowned, moving away from his position by one of the displays, and reached out a hand to stop him. "Hold on a minute. We need to make sure you're not –"
The lights snapped off. Kaito had known better to utilize smoke, which might damage the fragile clothes on display, and went for a blackout instead. He tied Hakuba's hands together and fastened the detective to one of the short barriers. Kaito made a quick disguise change, stuck a Kid note to the front of the display case, and got into position. When the police got their floodlights working (only ten seconds, they were getting better), there was one more mildly eerie mannequin on the platforms, this one wearing a violet kimono with a lavender cherry blossom print. The makeup, which he'd kept on under the Kagome Rina mask, had taken a half hour to perfect, and the sheer number of pins that Kaito had put into the wig to keep the complex style intact made it incredibly heavy. As long as he didn't move a muscle, though, no one should notice that Kid was part of the scenery.
Nakamori found the note immediately. "'A fake looks brighter than the real thing, and I have taken the true One Ring.' THAT THIEF!" A pink jewel shone back at him from its setting, taunting him.
"It was only dark for a few seconds," one officer gasped.
Nakamori's face reddened in fury. "There are only two entrances! Unit One, you take one exit, we'll take the other! MOVE IT!" The officers scrambled into action, leaving behind a bound Hakuba and the presumably fake jewel. After everyone was gone, Kaito lowered his arms and released a breath. His classmate was still tied up and didn't look like he was going anywhere, so Kaito felt confident jumping down from the platform and strolling over to the display case. After disabling the alarm, he picked the lock at the base and opened it.
The power of suggestion was a wonderful thing. As soon as the officers had read the note saying that Kid had just switched the real one for a fake, they would have automatically looked at the jewel and thought that yes, it was a little brighter, wasn't it? The floodlights changed the angle of light on the sapphire, tricking their eyes.
"You've done that trick before," Hakuba drawled from behind Kaito. "The first time we met, actually. You let them think that you'd already stolen the Adam's Smile painting and you were planning to take your sweet time once they'd cleared out. It was a lame ruse then and it's lame now, Kid."
Kaito smiled to himself but didn't look back at Hakuba, plucking the ring from its stand. "That's what made the magic work. Nakamori wouldn't suspect that I, the great Kaitou Kid, would pull the same trick twice. If I'd had more time in the blackout, I would have had the sense to blindfold you and take the jewel in silence so I could use the illusion again." He'd borrow the camera tapes too and make himself invisible.
"I've no doubt you can move quietly, Kid, but you can't muffle all sound coming from you."
Kaito laughed. "Wanna bet?"
In the reflection of the display case he saw Hakuba's eyes flicker in the direction of the closest surveillance camera. "I don't make bets with thieves."
"You're no fun. Say, in all the bustle of the evening, did you even get a chance to look at the ring?"
"Of course I studied it in preparation for the heist."
"Is that so?" So Hakuba had arranged a note for him. Then where was it? Ah! There it was, tucked away behind the information plaque for the ring "Alright then, Tantei-san, have a delightful evening of futile pursuit and paperwork." Kaito skedaddled before Hakuba could come up with a comeback and slipped on another mask. After a quick stop in the restroom of a small store to wipe off the makeup, Kaito put a different mask in place and wandered over to a cute little park. He sat down on a bench and withdrew Hakuba's riddle.
While Kaito may have been a bit slapdash tonight, Hakuba was in top form. The magician was almost late to the meeting point again. As he settled into his seat on the hotel rooftop, Kaito commented, "I believe we ought to nail down the rules a little more clearly."
Hakuba raised his eyebrow. "Oh really? Which rules would those be? How about the one where we don't make obvious references to our… extracurricular activities… in places with recording devices?" Kaito winced at his pointed tone, remembering the detective's defensive response to Kid's casual offer to make a bet with him. "Does that sound like a fair plan?"
"It won't happen again."
"Thank you. Now what were the rules you had in mind?"
"It occurs to me that, while I have only the time until my heist to complete the challenge, you could potentially set the meeting for several days after the heist if you weren't finished with my challenge to you. It doesn't seem quite fair."
Hakuba tapped his chin thoughtfully. "However, you could plan heists for whenever you wanted."
"Heists are my business," Kaito replied, fake smile in full force as he tried not to snap too fiercely at the detective. "The location for my targets changes frequently. I am constrained by certain factors." All of his frustration and sorrow rushed back in a moment, filling him to the brim.
Hakuba blinked in surprise at the unexpected heat in Kaito's voice. "I was just being facetious. How about we decide that, unless there are unavoidable outside factors, we meet directly after heists? I'll still tell you where and when via note." Kaito's anger instantly dissipated as he realized he wasn't being criticized. He wasn't really mad at the detective, anyway. It was the underground organization that had earned his ire.
"Sounds good. And I think that outside help could be allowed as long as our assistants are not privy to the exact details." Kaito knew that Hakuba had already implemented outside help, but it couldn't hurt to make it official in case Kaito needed to enlist someone for a future challenge.
"Agreed. Anything else?"
"If I think of any more stipulations we can discuss them later."
"Right." There was a noticeable silence after that. Hakuba looked slightly uncomfortable, and Kaito felt his own smile widen out of genuine amusement.
"I suppose it's time for us to exchange proof now, isn't it?"
Hakuba sighed, resigned. "You already know."
"Know what?" Kaitou Kid wasn't officially connected to Kuroba Kaito, so he wouldn't know that Hakuba's proof was in a Minato evidence locker. "I know that I recorded my heist, and it was lovely. Here." He withdrew the iPad that he'd borrowed from his mother (with permission, geez!) and tapped in the password before turning it over to the detective. "Just as a side note, I think you'll find that I've wiped any prints from the screen. Press play and the video should start."
xxxxxxXXXxxxxxx
SAGURU
Saguru rolled his eyes. "I did promise that I wouldn't try to deduce your identity at these meetings. I'm not about to fingerprint everything on the off chance you touched something without your gloves."
Kid merely shrugged and waved Saguru on. The video was already pulled up and once it started playing he set the iPad down on the table, angled so that Kid could see it as well.
"Ready?" Kid's grinning face asked in a mirror on the video. "Good evening. As you can see I am in full costume. As per the parameters of our challenge, I am allowed to disguise myself until I reach twenty meters of the Mori Art Museum. I will leave the camera on and inform you when we – excuse me, I – reach that point. Sound good?" Kid smiled brightly before leaving the restroom of a 7-Eleven convenience store. Saguru watched the encounter with the cat girl and her friends, amused, shaking his head at the pants comment and raising an eyebrow at the Chat Noir comment. Interesting that Kid would make that distinction. Saguru had a feeling the Kid knew who Chat Noir was. The expression "thick as thieves" came to mind.
Saguru sighed in frustration as the officers simply waved Kid in without much trouble. He'd expected that several guests would come to Sonoko's party as Kid – which the thief had probably been counting on – but for the officers to not have at least searched Kid was incredibly thoughtless. Anyone in Kid regalia should have been stopped and thoroughly examined. What on earth was Nakamori-keibu thinking? Honestly. Did Saguru have to point out such obvious security measures just so that they'd be carried out? Saguru had a good rant about it while the Kid on the video made his way up to the party with Harley Quinn, the Joker, and Captain Malcolm, Wash, and Zoe from Firefly (a rather entertaining show that had sadly been cancelled after only one season). The Kid sitting across from him at the table smirked, obviously enjoying his reactions.
Saguru watched the rest of the video with great amusement, a small part of him wishing he could have attended. Sonoko had spared no expense and many of the costumes looked very well done. Saguru laughed when Kid got invited to his own fan club, loving the irony. His reaction seemed to surprise Kid, but the thief smirked and chuckled along with him. Then the hostess herself appeared on screen and Saguru smiled fondly at her borderline sexy angel costume. The wings looked expertly made.
"Suzuki-san. Good evening. I'm the 'plus one' for one of your guests, but my date seems to have wandered off. Would you care to join me for a dance?"
Sonoko beamed. "Of course! I'd love to!"
"You couldn't resist, could you?" Saguru asked Kid, shaking his head. If Sonoko had known whom she was dancing with, she would have spazzed.
"My name is Akiyama Asahi, by the way," Kid said, introducing his alias. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Suzuki-san." Saguru raised an eyebrow at the name choice. The name "morning sun" combined with a heist target named the Sun-drop Topaz? If Saguru had been there, he would have had Kid arrested on the spot. "Is swing dance alright?"
"Yeah, swing is fine, and it's nice to meet you too, Akiyama-san. Neat earring, by the way." She nodded at the camera. Saguru leaned back in his seat with a sigh and covered his mouth in a thoughtful gesture, frowning.
Kid laughed on the video. "I worked so hard to put together an authentic-looking Kaitou Kid cosplay, with the monocle, top hat, cape, and everything, and you like the earring?"
It was odd, Saguru thought. Sonoko had told him, "I just noticed that he was a Kid cosplayer. Nothing strange about him at all." She'd… lied. She had noticed something: the earring. Why would she lie? It was possible that she could have forgotten that detail, but this was Suzuki Sonoko. She was obsessed with Kid. She would never have forgotten a single detail about any of her encounters with him. She would have remembered the earring. Why hadn't she told him about it? It wasn't like such a detail was relevant to the case this long after it had happened… unless she'd known that it was Kid and was covering for him…
Then it clicked.
The party. She had been in on the heist. Or at least in arranging things so that the police couldn't cordon off the museum and make it unavailable to the public. It was way too perfect and way too much of a coincidence that Sonoko would choose that museum to host that particular party. She was a Suzuki. She could have her pick of anywhere in the city, but she'd chosen a museum. A museum that just so happened to have a heist target.
Saguru watched the rest of the encounter with sharp eyes, taking everything in. Sonoko was flirty and yet way too comfortable in Kid's presence. She knew him. Damn it, Sonoko knew Kid! And Kid knew her if the way he flirted back was any indication. Saguru huffed at the glider-wings comment. Now that was an inside joke if he'd ever heard one. The tone of voice was clear. Just how long had those two known each other?
He relaxed again more naturally when Kid and Sonoko stopped dancing together and watched the rest of the heist with little interest, already knowing what was going to happen when the pumpkins started scurrying about. Sonoko had gone into great detail about this part of the evening and was impressed with her attention to detail. Kid seemed disappointed by his lack of a reaction, though, so Saguru made sure to at least grumble about the abysmal job Nakamori and his officers had done with regards to securing the heist target. "That had to be one of your easiest heists to date. The police presence was pitiful. They had practically no protective measures and allowed themselves to be distracted by the animatronic pumpkins! I will have to make sure such a thing doesn't happen again in the future," Saguru huffed.
"I suppose you will," Kid grinned. "Now, for your challenge?" He took a sip from one of the cups that Saguru had brought up from the hotel room.
Saguru sighed, running a hand through his hair. For such an open and shut case, Saguru had been unable to get back the camera from the evidence locker even after his return from England. Apparently there was a huge backlog due to a number of high priority cases in Division One. Forensics and evidence lockers were congested and disorganized from all the chaos. "Sadly, I had my proof confiscated and have been unable to reclaim it as of yet," he admitted.
"Ah, pity," Kid replied, but his grin sharpened. "That will cost you."
Saguru nodded, eyebrow ticking in irritation. However, he wasn't going to give an excuse and plea extenuating circumstances. They'd agreed on the rules and he was going to follow them. It was only fair. He didn't have to like it, though, and dreaded what the thief was going to suggest.
"Before we get to that, however," Kid chirped happily, "I get my reward for completing my challenge." Saguru waved him on. "Have you ever gotten a case that you didn't want to solve?" he asked.
Saguru paused, gathering his thoughts. That was certainly an interesting question. Saguru had solved many cases over the years and had always been proud of his record, solving them all (aside from Kid's case of course), determined to find the perpetrator, and aside from that idiotic snafu during the Koushien where he'd gotten caught up in competition with Hattori, he was always right. But there had been one time he still wished he hadn't been.
"There was one," he admitted slowly, adjusting his posture in his seat. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, hands clasped together before his face. He stared at his fingers for a moment, eyes tracing the faint scar that he could barely see in the dim light that snagged from the first knuckle on his left pointer finger down to his wrist. Kid waited silently, eyes staring intently at him.
"I was in seventh grade," Saguru started. "It had been roughly ten months since I'd started doing my own private detective work and had solved a few high profile cases that got me in the newspapers again. I'd even consulted with the police a couple of times by then. I was quickly rising in popularity at school and felt as if I were on top of the world. But during January after winter break… accidents started happening around me. They were just small things at first; a tack on my chair, my locker ransacked, my things dumped out of my bag when I returned from gym class. But things quickly escalated. Each incident was more dangerous than the last; my hands got cut on shards of glass that had been slipped into the covers of my books, I nearly received a concussion from a faulty shower head, and gym equipment would collapse when I went to use it. I was nearly crushed by a stone statue that had been pushed off the school's roof. My mother wanted to pull me from the school, but the police and campus security assured her than they were doing everything they could to find the culprit. And they did. Or, rather, I did."
Saguru swallowed, looking out over the cityscape. "His name was Jackson Peters, and he… had been my best friend. We'd been in the same class since the third grade and did everything together. He was a child prodigy, particularly in maths. He was practically a human calculator. We traded off back and forth for top of our class and grade, but he always beat me in maths and I always beat him in science. We pushed each other and would do experiments. We believed that there wasn't anything we couldn't do together."
"So what happened?" Kid asked eventually when Saguru stopped and didn't speak for a while, too lost in memory.
"I don't know," Saguru replied softly, hands clenching. As he continued to speak his voice became louder and the words came faster, rushing out of him. "After I realized that it was Jackson, I confronted him. I couldn't understand why he of all people wanted me hurt. We were best friends and told each other everything. It didn't make any sense. It still doesn't. The evidence told me that he did it, but it had to be wrong. It couldn't have been him. He wouldn't do that, I told myself. Someone had to be framing him and I needed him to tell me that I was wrong for once. That he wouldn't do that. That someone else was trying to injure or kill me…" Saguru swallowed, unable to look at Kid. He really didn't want to relive this, especially in front of Kid, but the words wouldn't stop.
"But he was the one responsible. He confessed. Even told me how he rigged some of the faulty equipment. I asked him why and… he pulled out a knife. We fought and we must have made a ruckus because the police and campus security showed up. I begged Jack to stop. Told him he was only making things worse for himself. He told me I was right."
"You're right, like always, James."
"He shoved me back and off of him. Then he turned the knife on himself."
"NO! Jack!"
"Wasn't…working…anyway."
"The police searched his belongings," Saguru said softly, wiping away a tear that had slipped past his guard. "No one knows why he did any of it. He left no clues, no indication why he tried to kill me. Why he would want to. That's why I'm always asking. I need to understand why people hurt others. I don't ask it just for kicks, to dot I's, cross T's, and put a cherry on top. I ask because I need to know why people do what they do."
Saguru finally looked up and faced Kid, asking for his motive without really asking. Kid stayed silent, but Saguru hadn't expected him to answer. "Alright," the detective said with a cough, fighting to regain his composure. "That aside, what should we do for our next challenge?"
Kid stared at him quietly a second longer before moving on to the next topic, allowing the subject to move aside and resume their meeting as normal.
xxxxxxXXXxxxxxx
KAITO
That was definitely not where Kaito had thought that question was going to go. He'd expected an embarrassing story about a silly case or one where the culprit was a pretty girl that Hakuba hadn't wanted to see convicted. Not…this. There was so much raw emotion coming from the usually emotionless detective, and it suddenly occurred to Kaito to question how Hakuba had gotten so closed off. This Jackson Peters had done more than threaten Hakuba's life; he'd ripped something intangible from the blonde, and Kaito wondered if the detective had ever gotten it back.
Hakuba didn't know why Jackson had done it, but Kaito could come up with a couple ideas. The petty pranks at the beginning may very well have been the result of envy. Hakuba had been gaining recognition as a detective and was being praised for his clever wit. From what the blonde had said, it didn't sound like Jackson had found a similar calling with regards to his own genius. So Jackson was left alone while his friend and fellow nerd became popular. Very popular. Kaito also guessed that, compared to a boy who could run across half of London to chase down a purse thief, Jackson probably hadn't been as strong or athletic as Hakuba. Body image wasn't just a pressure put on girls – there were expectations that boys wouldn't be scrawny or effeminate. There may have been other pressures from home that Hakuba was unaware of.
Any of those could explain why Jackson had lashed out at Hakuba. His final act, though… Kaito didn't have to be a math genius to run the statistics about the chances of Jackson escaping trouble when the police and campus security showed up, combined with the knowledge that Jackson was up against Hakuba, who was a decent fighter. As Hakuba's best friend, Jackson would know the depth with which Hakuba craved answers for everything in his life and would understand that Hakuba abhorred murder in all of its forms. Suicide included. Short of killing the detective himself, committing suicide with no explanation was the worst thing that Jackson could have ever done to Hakuba.
Though he wasn't ready to let this drop permanently, Kaito knew that digging in now would only hurt Hakuba further. Kaitou were a subtle breed, and he'd work it out of the detective a little at a time. He pasted on a smile he didn't feel. "Yes, challenges, those should come next on the agenda, shouldn't they? I don't know whether you've prepared a dare for me, but I do believe that, in light of your –" using the term "failure" right now would be cruel "– temporary setback, your challenge should be especially difficult."
"I'm at your mercy," Hakuba replied, a sarcastic expression crossing his face. Kaito laughed and the tension broke.
"I'm still plotting your punishment for misplacing the proof. Do you have a challenge for me?"
"I do." Hakuba sat back and nibbled at a biscuit. "I reckon, given that you schedule your thefts with some regularity and given your earlier mention of multiple targets that change locations, that you have a list somewhere of items to steal. For your next heist, I dare you to pick two pieces of artwork from your list and take them both around the same time."
Kaito gasped dramatically, hand clutching his heart. "Tantei-san! Are you encouraging me to steal things? Should I be worried?"
"If they're on your list, you're going to steal them anyway. I'd just like to see how you would get from one site to the other in a short period of time."
"How short are we talking here? Within an hour?"
"That sounds reasonable, if your choices are in different buildings."
Kaito smiled. "What, you thought I was going to take the easy route and steal two from the same museum?" The thought had crossed his mind.
"I don't pretend to understand your thought processes, Kid. However, you did take the simplest course for the Sun-drop Topaz. Any other night and the no-disguise restriction would have been much more difficult."
"That's not being lazy, that's being clever. What's my limit if I do decide to pick two from the same building, hmm?"
"Ten minutes, and even that's pushing it."
"I accept your challenge. You didn't ask, but given that I have confidence in my abilities, I will add that I will go without my assistant for this operation. I will personally take both items."
"Careful, Kid. Self-confidence is important, but no one likes arrogance."
Kid laughed. "Who was the one who came to Japan saying that it would be a cinch to catch up with the infamous Kaitou Kid?"
Hakuba raised an eyebrow. "If you haven't noticed, I've gotten the closest out of anyone." He gestured to the table between them and managed to encompass their whole situation.
Kaito hummed noncommittally in response, because Hakuba did have a bit of a point there. "The idea I had for your challenge will have to be postponed in light of your aforementioned setback. Instead… what do you think about a scavenger hunt?"
"A scavenger hunt," Hakuba echoed, looking suspicious. "It would have to be all legal. I'm not trespassing or breaking and entering to find anything."
"Oh, I think I can contain myself to legal objects for this," Kaito replied. "It'll take some time to plan, so you're off the hook for a while. The first clue and instructions will be relayed the same way you alerted me to your absence for Halloween. The rest of the clues, of course, will be dependent on you finding the items in order."
"How many objects am I looking for, exactly?"
Kid's shark grin made an appearance. "If you don't like the thought of a scavenger hunt, I have some other ideas."
"No, no, that's fine," Hakuba responded, no doubt backing up because of the mischievous look on Kaito's face. "I was simply curious."
"I don't have an answer for you, since I haven't made it up yet. The challenge I was planning to give you… well, I'll leave it a surprise for next time. I couldn't have known that your disguise challenge would go uncompleted."
"Please, like you don't keep the people on your task force under surveillance. Are we finished here?" Hakuba rolled his eyes.
Kaito sobered. "Not quite." He slowly reached forward and took Hakuba's wrist in his hand. "I am really, truly sorry," he said, rubbing his thumb in circles gently along the veins on the inside. Kaito maintained unblinking eye contact with a suddenly frozen Hakuba. "I had no idea about your friend. Next time, if I ask something that invasive… you can say no. Not answer me. These evenings are about fun and a little humiliation, not reopening scars." Kaito had watched his father die at age eight and he still remembered it with perfect clarity. There was no question that Hakuba could still close his eyes and see his middle school friend at the moment that life left him.
"I'll keep that in mind." Hakuba's voice was soft.
"Good. And one more thing." Kaito suddenly smiled, removing his hand from Hakuba and producing the Ichikawa's Sapphire with a snap of his fingers. "Would you mind terribly if I asked you to return this for me? Say that you found it in your favorite teacup. Given that I've returned jewels to Nakamori-keibu's house and left them in the desks of task force officers, I don't doubt that they'll believe you."
Hakuba snorted but made no move to take it. "Your fans would kill me if I accepted a ring from you."
Kaito let out a few chuckles that quickly turned into full-out laughter. He caught the detective smiling a bit too at the ludicrous notion of Kid proposing to him. "Alright then, Tantei-san, I'll return the gem another way." Hakuba would be in for a surprise tomorrow when he poured out the last of the Frosted Flakes. "I'll see you soon."
"Goodnight, Kid."
"Goodnight to you as well."
xxxxxxXXXxxxxxx
SR: Well that ended on a down note, didn't it? Both boys got a bit depressed thinking about their pasts in the end. :P How the hell did that happen? Ah well. I'm sure things will bounce back next chapter. I had a lot of fun writing Saguru's interactions with both Akako and Sonoko this go-round. They are a lot of fun to write. And on top of that Saguru and Kid appear to be making progress in opening up and becoming more comfortable around each other. Even with all the depressing talk during this chapter, I love how these meetings go. Their interactions are just so fun!
MG: Indeed, but even in the sad moments, Kaito tried to keep some humor going (And geez, Kaito, it's too early to be giving Saguru a ring, you goof). And I agree that next chapter, things should be light again. I have absolutely no idea how we're going to write Kaito stealing two jewels at once, but I'm sure it will be an adventure. And SR and I have a vague idea of what Saguru is going to be searching for, but that's still up in the air too!
SR: Even though it's the boys challenging each other, I think in reality we're the ones challenging ourselves to come up with these scenarios. Well we haven't failed yet! Can't wait for this next set of challenges, MG!
MG: Me neither! I'm looking forward to it, as always. Thanks for reading, everyone, and please leave a review! We appreciate every bit of feedback :D