Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the second story of this series!
Ginzo knows that he is not a perfect father to his own daughter. And that he is not even close to being a substitute of a father to Kaito. But in his rough and clumsy way, he still cares for the lone boy, who's been drifting further and further away.
Time in F&H – background of chapter 28, before and after story 1 of this series;
Characters in the story – Nakamori Ginzo, Nakamori Aoko, Kuroba Kaito;
Genre – emotional exploration, family;
Warnings - none;
Background information – Being KID for over 2 years now resulted in Kaito drifting away from everybody. Now he's a rare guest at Nakamoris', too often busy with his part-time job (as he explained it to anybody interested). A month prior this story, Kaito officially went to a small trip with his mother and after a week's absence returned slightly injured.
So without further delay…
Please enjoy and review! :)
Story 2: Not a father
Nakamori was tired and angry when he returned on Monday evening from work. A KID heist was going to happen shortly and despite that the head priest was easier to deal with, he still didn't allow full protection measures to be taken before the event. It made Ginzo blind with fury to think that KID might have already switched the 'Morning Shine' with a decoy that would blast confetti in their faces or simply vanish into thin air during the heist.
This is why it took him until nearly after late dinner he had with his daughter to notice that something was wrong. He moved his gaze to the usually talkative girl and saw her quietly chewing on her meal, instead of shoving big portions to her mouth and fuming over Kaito's latest pranks. It was obvious that something was bothering her. Ginzo swallowed his bite and set aside the chopsticks.
"Is everything alright, Aoko?"
She cast him a surprised look that turned a bit spooked, when she tried covering it with a giggle. "Sure! What could possibly be wrong~?"
The inspector sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. "Aoko... I know I'm not the perfect father. But I want you to depend on your old man a bit. So what is it? Something at school? Has Kaito done something again?"
Her eyes widened a bit after he mentioned her friend's name. She lowered her gaze and shook her head, giving a soft, but also sad smile. "Nothing new really. Just that Kaito told Aoko that he will be gone for a while from next week."
"Gone? Is Chikage taking him on a trip again?"
She gave him a smile that tried to imitate a cheerful one. "Not quite. But you can't tell Hakuba-kun about it, alright?" Aoko continued after he gave a small nod. "She found him an internship as a magician in Las Vegas. He's leaving on Sunday noon and will be gone until after summer break. Aoko is really happy for him. Being able to make such a big step to fulfill his dream and all~"
'But he's doing the step leaving you behind.' Ginzo finished in his mind and moved his gaze towards the window. Kuroba's house was still dark, Kaito probably still busy with his part time job. It was admirable that this mischievous trickster has turned out so responsible, but it didn't feel right to the inspector. Kids should be kids as long as they could. He tried talking with Chikage about it, but she just waved it off, chirping over how her boy was mature and responsible. The truth was that Ginzo's opinion didn't matter here. Despite that he felt like a step father to the boy, the truth was that he wasn't. Moreover the abandoned kid never really tried depending on him either. He never expected to be able to replace Toichi in the boy's heart of course, but he hoped to help and fill the void. He wondered sometimes if he didn't fail Kaito by letting him shut his feelings out. At the time this child seemed in so much pain that Ginzo greeted the weak smile attempts on his face with gratitude. He failed to notice when the fake smile became all that the boy showed. And now Kaito drifted so far away that the inspector barely ever saw him. He wondered when the last time the boy shared his concerns with the inspector was. Or if he ever really did that.
Ginzo sighed heavily and turned his gaze back to Aoko. "Ask Kaito-kun to come tomorrow for breakfast, would you? I'd like to have a word with him."
The girl blinked, confused. "But aren't you busy dad? I mean the heist will be soon."
"I'll have to stay at work longer anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem if I'll be a bit later than usual." He grimaced at her. "I'm sorry Aoko... I'm a lousy father, aren't I?"
She shook her head violently. "Of course not! You have to catch this filthy thief and Aoko is proud of you! Somebody should teach him a lesson and dad is the only one who can!"
They laughed and talked about how they would want to punish KID for running rampage for so long, pushing aside the grim mood that Kaito's upcoming departure caused.
Ginzo was in middle of brushing his teeth when he heard his daughter's fearful roar, urging Kaito to come and have breakfast with them. There was a time when he would scold Aoko for acting like that and bothering other neighbors, instead of going over to the boy and bringing him over. But she always would return to the habit anyway. The inspector was walking down the stairs, when he saw the front door open as Kaito let himself in, grumbling under his breath with annoyance. The teen stopped in his tracks and blinked at the inspector with surprise, clearly not expecting the man there.
"Oh, hi, Nakamori-keibu~! I thought you'd go early to work today because of the heist?"
"Good morning, Kaito-kun. Don't you worry, I'll catch that damned thief this time." He chose to ignore the small snicker from the boy. "But I wanted to have word with you. Aoko told me that you picked up an internship with a magician in America."
The teen scratched his cheek with a sheepish smile and closed the door behind him. "Um, yeah... Sorry for not telling you before, but I didn't want to jinx it, you know~" He let out a weak laugh, as if unsure of the man's reaction to the news.
The inspector sighed heavily. "It's fine, Kaito-kun. Aoko told me you'll be leaving this Sunday and won't be back before the end of summer break? I hope you're not planning on quitting school."
"No, of course not, don't worry about that, inspector. I've talked to the teachers and I'm going to have my mock exams this week, so I won't have any trouble. I might have to work a bit harder after the summer break, but that means that at least I won't be bored~"
Ginzo blinked, surprised, although it probably shouldn't have shocked him at all. "Did Shawashiro-sensei agree to this as well? I thought she was rather strict."
The prankster's grin turned mischievous. "She wasn't happy about it at first, but we came to an agreement~"
The inspector sighed heavily, knowing that scolding the magician for terrorizing his teachers was a wasted effort. Still, it was somewhat nice to know that some things didn't change. "What about the school trip? It is your last summer break in high school after all."
The teenager shrugged, seemingly indifferent about it. "I'm not a fan of beach, you know, so I'm more looking forward to the Winter break anyway~"
Nakamori bit his tongue before he could say that they wouldn't get a winter trip, since it was too close to final exams, so the summer was Kaito's last chance to spend some time with his classmates. Instead, he turned his expression serious.
"Alright. I just hope you won't be working with that nitwit who got you injured last time."
Kaito crooked his head. "Huh?"
"Don't you 'huh' me boy. You had your bones bruised last time your mother had you entering a show. You have to be more careful, you hear me?"
Kaito gave him a smile that felt so distant and Nakamori bit back a curse. He didn't have the right to edify this boy and he probably shouldn't have said that. But he couldn't help that he was worried for him.
"No worries, Nakamori-keibu~ Willson-san is not an amateur like that guy was. And he is bound to keep me in check~ I hope to learn a lot from him~" He added with a bright smile.
Ginzo sighed heavily. "Alright. So what time do you have your flight? I'll drive you to the airport."
Kaito blinked at him, surprised again. "But didn't KID promise to return his heist target on Sunday?"
The man snorted with annoyance. "That is if he will manage to steal it in the first place, you mean." Once again he didn't comment on the slight smile the prankster gave him. "Anyway, KID never shows up returning the jewels, so there is no harm if I arrive later. I think my men are capable enough to gather any evidence in case the heist target is returned before I get there. I had the day scheduled free anyway before the damned thief sent his notice. And it would be probably a bother for you to get to the airport will all the luggage on your own."
After a brief moment of hesitation, the magician gave him a fond smile. "Thank you, inspector, that would be a great help~ My flight is at 11:15 AM."
"Alright. We'll handle the details on Saturday. Now hurry up and eat. Don't want you to be late for school." He turned to the kitchen, where Aoko was already finishing preparing the meal.
"Hi dad, Kaito!" She greeted then with a cheerful smile, without interrupting her cooking. "Start eating before it gets cold~!"
They both greeted her back and thanked her for the meal, sitting at the table.
On Saturday, during breakfast in between the cheerful atmosphere, Ginzo managed to determine with Kaito the time they needed to leave on the next day, so the boy wouldn't be late, but still had enough time to visit his father's grave. He had to be very careful to not give away his daughter's plans for the surprise birthday party she's been preparing for her childhood friend later that day.
The inspector made sure to have a talk with Jii-san to make sure the kids would be safe during the fun and on their way home. The parlor was going to be closed and the old man promised to call a taxi for the teenagers who lived further away, so they wouldn't be walking around alone so late at night. He proposed Aoko to help with that, but she declined. He let it go only after Hakuba promised that he would drive her and Kaito back himself. Ginzo didn't let it hurt him too much, as he understood that his daughter was just caring for him.
On Sunday he got up early and waited at the window to see Kaito dressed in a black suit walk by to the graveyard. He knew the kids returned very late after the party. Aoko was still sleeping soundly and was bound to be grumpy and sleepy when he would wake her up in two hours. It was somewhat amazing how Kaito could manage on so little sleep, but Ginzo wasn't sure if it was so good for him. Hopefully he could catch up rest on the plane. The inspector went downstairs to keep himself occupied till he would wake up his daughter for breakfast.
Later that day, when they were driving to the airport, the excitement was nearly pouring out of Kaito, as he was bouncing, beside Aoko, on the backseat. Ginzo watched him in the mirror and couldn't help but recall how he was bouncing in the same way, when the inspector would drive them to a magic shows as children. The boy might have grown, but he still felt the same. And now was leaving to the other side of the world. Ginzo focused back on the road before them.
At the airport, the Nakamoris went with him to check in his baggage. And followed him to the gates. As he was about to say his goodbyes, Aoko threw her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly.
"Bakaito… You better give Aoko a call when you land!"
He hugged her. "Ahoko, it'll be after midnight here when I land and I'll probably have lots to do there. I'll give you a call tomorrow morning, alright? Oh wait... um... It'll be probably around 11 PM here, is that alright?"
"It's fine..." She grumbled and pulled back. "But you could still give me a sign when you land."
He sighed heavily. "Alright, I'll send you a message, but I'm turning my phone off afterwards, you hear me? I'll give you a call every now and then from the computer. I expect to be busy during the day and having some shows in the evening, so I don't know how often I can manage." He let her go to get a look at her face.
She nodded in confirmation, not trusting her voice anymore and took a small step back. Ginzo placed a hand on the boy's arm to get his attention.
"You be good, Kaito-kun. I don't want to hear you caused some trouble there, you hear me?" He scolded him with a fond smile and slightly tightened his grip on the too slim shoulder, adding without a tease in his tone. "Hope you'll have fun."
Kaito grinned back at him. "I'm sure I will~ I'll send you some pictures and maybe a film from my shows~ I just can't wait~"
The inspector snorted. "Just hold back your joy and don't give a hard time to the other passengers. Try to get some sleep instead. It'll be early morning there when you land. Here..." He took out a small gift bag from his pocket. "Happy Birthday Kaito-kun, hope it'll prove useful."
"Um, thank you." The magician took the bag and pulled out its contents to see them through swiftly.
Inside, there was an inflatable headrest and a portable video game, with two cartridges - one was an electronic shōgi and another was a popular arcade game. "Oh~ It's great, thanks~" Kaito beamed to the inspector and put the gifts in his backpack.
Ginzo put his hands in his pockets and smiled back at him. "I'm glad you like it. Now better get moving, or you'll be late. Have a safe trip."
"Alright~ Thanks for dropping me off. See ya later~" He turned to Aoko and noticed that the girl wasn't looking at him.
He conjured a flower right under her nose and as she took it with a fond smile, he flipped her skirt, dodging her strike smoothly. He tried to run from her, pushing his way through the protesting crowd in the line, but got stopped in his attempt and Aoko managed to hit him hard with her fist. She kept yelling at him for quite a while, before she finally let him go, when the line was getting short already. Ginzo sighed tiredly, seeing that the boy was already causing trouble. He snorted with amusement, seeing the confused faces of the airport security as Kaito emptied his pockets to the cart, before stepping through the metal detector. The inspector couldn't help but worry looking at the boy's slim back disappearing into the crowd. He knew Kaito could manage on his own, like he always had, but the view still bothered him. Like it was the last time he would be seeing the magician. Ginzo swung an arm over his daughter's shoulders and held her close, when he saw her clench her fingers on the flower's stem. They didn't see him anymore afterwards, but Aoko still insisted to stay and see his plane fly off.
After work on that day, instead of driving straight back home, he took a detour and got out of the car by the graveyard. He stopped by his late neighbor's grave and let his gaze fall on the inscription. He never was very close to the cheerful man. They were both very busy, with Toichi often away from town due to his shows. But despite how the magician was distant, he seemed like a very warm and respectful person. Kaito must have inherited the mischief from his mother. Aoko was very fond of the man who often invited both Nakamoris to his performance, whenever they agreed to it, even if it was abroad. Ginzo was the one to drive the children and Chikage there when that accident put an end to Kaito's real smile.
The inspector lit a cigarette and spoke quietly, with a grumbling tone. "You'd be proud of your boy. He's smart, stubborn and kind. And seems he grew into a fine man, following his dream now. It just happened too darn fast, you know. I just hope he will be more careful than you were…" He sighed heavily, blowing out smoke through his nose. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep the promise to keep an eye on him in your stead. Couldn't protect even his childhood. I just wish he'd ever let me do that. But I probably should have seen that coming, since I'm a failed dad to my own daughter, eh? Seems I failed both of them." He put the cigarette out in his portable ashtray. "And now it seems he intends to break my little girl's heart. Too bad… Always thought they would make a nice couple, wouldn't mind having him as a son in law. And Aoko really loves him. At least he still tries to be a caring friend to her." He took a glance at his watch. "Gotta go, or Aoko will get worried. No rest for you though. Keep an eye on your boy and bring him back safe, you hear?" He cast one last glance at the lifeless stone and turned away, going back to his car, to drive back to his daughter.
It took him some effort to have his tired daughter get some rest before the promised message from Kaito came. She finally did doze off, leaning on his arm, while the inspector was keeping himself awake by mindlessly watching a quietly humming television program. It was nearly 1 AM when the message came and Ginzo reluctantly woke Aoko, so she could read it and go back to bed. He hugged his daughter tight, giving her support, as she pursed her lips tight, reading the short message in which Kaito was whining about the hot weather and promising to call her, before he would start his next day. Ginzo found himself hoping that the boy wouldn't change too much during his absence and everything would get back to normal again. It was going to be a too quiet month and a half and both of the Nakamoris hoped it would pass fast.
End note:
shōgi - is also known as Japanese chess or the Generals' Game, is a two-player strategy board game in the same family as Western (international) chess and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan. Shōgi means general's (shō) board game (gi).
*bows* See you next time~